February 2020

Books Read: 4 Books
Book Challenge Complete: 42%

February was such a mixed emotions month for me, while January seems to go at an ok pace, February seems to go really quickly. I’m not one of those people who think that January last forever, it just happens. Anyway, this month I really felt discouraged. Sure I am 7 books ahead of schedule, and I wasn’t going to read books I’ve already read, and I was going to take my time this year when it came to reading, I do feel like what I have done with reading this month is great. Because I read a book that I absolutely hated, and balanced it out with books I know I love, and a book that is an easy page turner. 

- Girl on the Train

Such a crappy book. I was really disappointed with the book. 

- The Notebook

Again, such a crappy book. I really wanted to like the book, but just couldn’t.  

- Harry Potter Wand Collection 

I’m such a Harry Potter fan. 

- Dear John 

Pretty standard.  

How I Felt This Month
February 2nd
So this month I don’t feel as if I have to put to much pressure on myself to read because I’ve read a lot in January, which is good because I’m struggling with the book I’m reading. 

February 13th
Even though I’m not putting on pressure this month for reading, I don’t like the fact that I’m finding it hard to get in to books I love. I wanted to read Just One Day, but it felt wrong. I’m currently reading Safe Haven, as it’s one of my favourite book, and feel discouraged. It’s all because I’ve read a shit book

February 26th
So right now I am reading Dear John by Nicholas Sparks. 

The Most Recent Addictions To My TBR

Ok so this was supposed to be recent additions to my bookshelf but I miss read it, and honestly I like it as to my TBR 

So with it being a new year, I am starting my TBR all over again, I am taking out books I’ve already read, and just adding books that I have on my shelf I want to at some point read. This will also include books that I have DNFd in the past. It also includes books that I’ve read but are new additions to my TBR

* Tell Me Your Secret (Read)

* Rose Petal Beach (Read)

* To Kill A Mockingbird 

* Great Expectations 

* Lola and the Boy Next Door

* The Casual Vacancy 

* The Coldest Girl in Coldstown 

* Girl On The Train  (Read)

* Everyone Worth Knowing (Lauren Wiesburger) 

* Just Listen (Sarah Dessen) 

* Just One Year (Gayle Forman)

5* Predictions (What Makes A 5* Book For Me)

For me going into a book it will always be a five star and then as time goes on with the book depends on how I feel with it and if it stays at a five star or not. 

Normally for me a five star book is something that I can’t put down, and will read in a short amount of time, and when I’ve finished the book I want to know more about the characters. If the book is an older book, I want to know what they are up to now x amount of years later. Where their lives have gone. 

It has to be different from things I’ve read before, and keep me wanting more after I’ve finished the book.  

The characters, both main and small characters have to keep me hocked, the plot line, the real aspects of the books is something I also look for. While I have read some fantasy books, I do prefer books where it’s more realistic and in the actual world.  

So I go into all books with a high expectations and I’m not afraid or ashamed to say when a book is subpar and not up to the standards that I have for them.  

I also wait to get books that are super popular, when they aren’t super popular because I feel as if they are tainted with a million people’s rave review and honestly they just fall short. I want to read books that people have forgotten about.  

Books that people say are five star books, and they rave about, for me are not normally five star books.  


Lauren
xo

Girl on the Train Book Review

Book: Girl on the Train 
Author: Paula Hawkins
Publish Date: January 2015
Start Reading Date: January 27th 2020
End Reading Date: February 5th 2020

First Thoughts

That I want to actually read the book fully this time. When I tried to read it in the summer I found it difficult to do so. 

Also I’m shocked at just how ‘new’ the book is. What I mean by that is when it was published is sooner than I thought it was.  

While Reading

Right now I really don’t like the book, I’m about 80 pages in, I can’t see the hype of the book just yet. 

Rachel
- I don’t know how to feel about Rachel, she is clearing struggling with alcoholism and the people around her just seem not to care. 
- But on the other hand she really needs help.  
- I don’t like her roommate, housemate, basically I don’t like the woman who she rents the room from or her boyfriend. I think she’s in a controlling relationship 

Megan
- Ok so Megan is the woman who goes missing. At the moment she’s only missing so I didn’t know if she actually truly is mossing 
- I don’t think Megan is a bad person. With how the media wants to portray people is always horrible, especially when something bad has happened to them in their past. Though she didn’t want a child, loosing one is still going to way heavily on that person for the rest of their lives. 

Anna
- I don’t like how Anna is this high almighty person. Sure so she had an affair with Tom who was married to Rachel and had his kid, but I feel like she’s kinda rubbing it in Rachel’s face. Don’t get me wrong, Rachel needs obvious help with her drinking but it’s completely unfair what Anna did.  
- I don’t like how judgemental Anna is. Sure Rachel was hanging around her house, but it was for something simple, yet Anna thinks it’s way more than it actually is, just because of Rachel’s past. When Anna has done worse to Rachel by sleeping with her husband who is now Anna’s husband. 
- It doesn’t mean I’m justifying Rachel in anyway but Anna is one of those women I would purposely stay away from.  


Rachel, Megan and Anna are so far all linked together in some way. 

I don’t think any of the main characters are stable in anyway. I’m not quite 200 pages in and find everyone so far beyond annoying. The main three women so far (Rachel, Megan and Anna) are those kinds of women who would make any house party or social event about them  

Ok so I’m not just over 300 pages. Even though I’m getting through the book pretty quickly there have been parts where I’m like “what the bleep is going on”, and not for a good reason. There have been time’s over the course of the book when people have said things and it’s a contusion of what they’ve said before and it feels like I’ve missed something. 

When it comes to who the killers in books, I am normally really dumb, and never catch any of the clues on who it could be. And for a while it was like that in the book, I won’t lie, Paula Hawkins did put you off thinking who it was, but honestly it wasn’t long until I realized who it was that had killed Megan. 

Conclusion 

I really wanted to like the book but feel that it fell short in so many ways. Sure it was interesting concept, but I’ve read better thriller books by other people.  

I really wanted to find good things about the book but I just couldn’t. I find that the women are weaker than they should be. I find the men arrogant and condescending. Can you really find these women and men and think they’d be good together.  

I think the book could’ve been so much better than it was. I think that the red herrings of who killed Megan were stupid, and that it would’ve been to obvious to be anyone other than who it was. 

If I was Tom’s second wife Anna I wouldn’t trust him in the slightest. If he truly loved her and their child he would’ve done anything to protect them, but he’s such a narcissistic person that everyone has to suffer to make him happy. 

I think in someway all the female characters, Rachel, Anna, Megan, Cathy are all being controlled in some way or another.  

January 2020

Books Read: 5 Books 
Book Challenge Complete: 21% complete.  

This month was very Dorothy Koomson heavy, which I don’t mind because I love her books. 

Some of the books I’ve read I’ve already done book reviews on when I first read them. I’ll still link them but they are older. 

- Tell Me Your Secret 
    - Dorothy Koomson 
    - Review HERE
 I absolutely loved the book, the writing was amazing, the twist and turns were brilliant, and the outcome was nuts. 

- The Rose Petal Beach 
    - Dorothy Koomson 
    - Review HERE
I did have a hard time getting into the book but once I did I loved it. The twist and turns in the book are amazing and it’s a book that makes you think about things, and who you can and can’t truly trust. 


- My Best Friends Girl
    - Dorothy Koomson 
    - Review HERE
Anyone who knows me knows that I love this book. I did a review on it years ago, and was the first book of Dorothy Koomson’s that I ever read.  

- Goodnight, Beautiful 
    - Dorothy Koomson 
    - Review HERE
This is such a heartbreaking book. 

- Burning Up; On Tour With The Jonas Brothers
This is such an old book from years ago, it’s just a fun book with pictures. 

How I Felt This Month
I actually enjoyed the books I read. The Rose Petal Beach I found difficult to get into at first, but one that I actually enjoyed. 

I did read a few books that I’ve read before. 

January is such a long month