Jun 30
Time for our June recap! Find out which books were favorites and which were duds. We’ll end our wrap up with a a list of books due out in July and a glimpse of our upcoming content. We also want to hear from you so let us know what you read this month and what you look forward to reading next month. Make sure you read about our summer reading challenge and sign up before July 10 to play in a fun team challenge with a chance to win prizes.
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Jun 29
There is no such thing as a universally loved book. Each month, we’ll feature a book from Time’s list of the best 100 English language novels of all time. From the nasty to the snarky to the downright absurd, we’ll highlight some of the strange reasons why some people hate these great reads. This month we’ll be taking a look at reviews for The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis.
Jun 28
I’ve been a bit of a slacker when it comes to this book. I received a galley a while ago (although to be fair I received it after the publication date) and have only just gotten around to reading it. Here’s what I thought… Read more
Jun 27
All the Missing Girls by Megan Miranda
Published in: 2016
Reviewed by: Book Worm
Rating: ★★★★
Find it here: All the Missing Girls
This ARC was provided by Simon & Schuster (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis from Goodreads: Like the spellbinding psychological suspense in The Girl on the Train and Luckiest Girl Alive, Megan Miranda’s novel is a nail-biting, breathtaking story about the disappearances of two young women—a decade apart—told in reverse.
It’s been ten years since Nicolette Farrell left her rural hometown after her best friend, Corinne, disappeared from Cooley Ridge without a trace. Back again to tie up loose ends and care for her ailing father, Nic is soon plunged into a shocking drama that reawakens Corinne’s case and breaks open old wounds long since stitched. Read more
Jun 24
With just a few days to go until we officially end our March Madness challenge (winners will be announced in early July), we decided that it was time to announce our summer reading challenge! As you might have guessed by the image, we’ll be hosting a reading Olympics challenge. Keep reading to find out more. We hope you join in. Read more
Jun 23
The Indiespensable subscription is Powell’s subscription club. Boxes ship out every 6-8 weeks at a cost of $39.95 per box including shipping. The website advertises these boxes as featuring “the best new books with special attention to independent publishers.” The boxes include a signed first edition, a booklet that explains the items, and a few extra goodies. I started the service in October 15. Yesterday week I received my fifth box. I’m starting to think that Powell’s staff is sneaking into my house at night and stalking my bookshelves in order to send the perfect box. Here’s what we got this month and my review: Read more
Jun 22
Dear Amy by Helen Callaghan
Published in: 2016
Reviewed by: Book Worm
Rating: ★★★
Find it here: Dear Amy
This ARC was provided by Penguin UK (via NetGalley) in exchange for an honest review.
Synopsis from Amazon:
In Helen Callaghan’s chilling, tightly-spun debut novel of psychological suspense, a teenage girl’s abduction stirs dark memories of a twenty-year-old cold case…
Margot Lewis is a teacher at an exclusive high school in the English university town of Cambridge. In her spare time, she writes an advice column, “Dear Amy”, for the local newspaper.
When one of Margot’s students, fifteen-year-old Katie, disappears, the school and the town fear the worst. And then Margot gets a “Dear Amy” letter unlike any of the ones she’s received before. It’s a desperate plea for rescue from a girl who says she is being held captive and in terrible danger—a girl called Bethan Avery, who was abducted from the local area twenty years ago…and never found.
The letter matches a sample of Bethan’s handwriting that the police have kept on file since she vanished, and this shocking development in an infamous cold case catches the attention of criminologist Martin Forrester, who has been trying to find out what happened to her all those years ago. Spurred on by her concern for both Katie and the mysterious Bethan, Margot sets out—with Martin’s help—to discover if the two cases are connected.
But then Margot herself becomes a target.
Jun 21
Those of you new to our blog my not know that Book Worm and I are making our way through Boxell’s 1001 list of Books You Must Read Before You Die. This list has been revised several times and 1305 books have been on at least one iteration of the list. You can find the full list on page “1001 books.” We both happen to belong to an online reading group that is making its way through the list so occasionally we post our joint reviews of 1001 books. Excellent Women by Barbara Pym was one of the books we read with that group in June. Keep reading to see if we liked it and thought it worthy of the list. Read more
Jun 20
Last month we decided to join in with the Hachette’s Read Different campaign and we invited you to join us in an informal reading challenge to expand your reading horizons. The month of June happens to be LGBT pride month so what better time to highlight some of the great books by LGBT authors or with LGBT characters? Read more
Jun 16
It’s been a while since we’ve done a read around the world post. Our next stop in our world tour of reading is Israel. Keep reading to see which book we picked and which other Israeli literature we recommend. Scroll to the bottom to see photos from our contributor, Nicole’s recent trip to Israel. Read more
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