2016 Reading Challenge Update 14-36

I'm making progress on my 'Read 52 Books in 2016' resolution.
 A lot of people have been asking me for book recommendations, and I wanted to do another book review to catch you up and let you know which books I recommend and give a brief review. I am currently working on finishing the next 3 books. I've learned to read several books at a time. I get one audio book, read one only during the daytime, and have another I read only at night. This helps me keep them separated, but I really enjoy books that are so good that I have to finish them in the next day or so. I would love to have recommendations from you guys too so please comment those below! Also, reviews of books 1-13 I read this year are on a previous post!


14.  Suzanne’s Diary for Nicholas by James Patterson
February 28th, 2016

This is a sweet read for anyone in the mood for a love story full of complications, emotions, and tears. I recommend having a tissue handy. I found the writing very interesting and original as it is mostly told from diary format.

15.  Since You’ve Been Gone by Morgan Matson 

March 3rd, 2016

This is definitely a young adult fiction book. It's based on a girl who has to figure out the mystery of her best friend's disappearance. It's a coming of age story with some interesting twists. It's not a very intellectual read, but it would be great for a day at the pool or beach just to relax!

16.  Pretty Girls by Karin Slaughter 
March 11th, 2016

I think I forgot to breath while reading this book. Karin Slaughter is an amazing writer and fully held my attention through the entire book. This is another story of a disappearance, but this one is not for the faint of heart. The book goes into details of brutal crimes and almost makes you lose a little sleep. It's haunting.

17.  Where all Light Tends to go David Joy 
March 15th, 2016

This book is one of the harsh reality of life. If you are looking for something very true to life that will help open your mind to other types of families in the world, this is the book for you! It deals with families that are involved in drugs and crime from the point of view of the son and how he handles it. It's heartbreaking.

18.  The Dirt on 9^th Grave by Darynda Jones 
March 29th, 2016

If you haven't read books 1-8 don't even bother picking this one up. You will be so lost and confused. In a nut shell, an angel falls in love with the son of Satan. These books are filled with sarcastic humor, side stories, suspense, and humor. I'm hooked at this point.

19.  Let’s Pretend this Never Happened by Jenny Lawson
April 4, 2016

I have never laughed out loud through an entire book before until this one. Sure, other books have been funny, but this one takes the cake. Holy cow, Jenny Lawson is hilarious. Mostly true stories that will leave you laughing until you cry and thinking how does that even happen in real life??? From Chapter one I could not get enough. I can't wait to read her next book!

I have never laughed so hard at a book! EVER!

20.  The Old Man & the Sea by Ernest Hemingway 
April 7th, 2016

Sometimes you just need a classic. This is my favorite book of all time. I could read this one over and over and over again without getting tired of it. A book about a guy fishing doesn't sound to thrilling, but when you talk about an old man fighting and suffering for the biggest prize of his life it get's more interesting. I love this book for the simple fact that it's no more than an inner struggle based in mother nature with beautiful writing and detail.

21.  Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children 
April 21st, 2016

22.  Miss Peregrine’s Hollow City 
May 7th, 2016

23.  Miss Peregrine’s Library of Souls by Ransom Riggs 
May 19th, 2016

This is the first set of truly strange books I've ever read. My friend Jessica recommended it, and I kept putting it off. When I finally picked up the first one I couldn't quit. I read the entire trilogy within a month and became more engrossed in this story than any I had with any book in a very long time. It blows my mind that someone could think to write about these peculiar children with such talent and incredible lives that it's astounding. This series is a must read. It will definitely broaden your imagination.


24.  Hidden Bodies by Caroline Kepnes 

May 24th, 2016

You need to read the first book by Kepnes in order to truly appreciate this story. Let me remind you Stephen King even said that Kepnes's writing was hypnotic. These are stories for adults with adult content and language. It follows the life of a deranged murderer who is afraid his past will come back to find him so he must cover all tracts. It's creepy and might make you a little paranoid for a while, but it's so suspenseful that it's impossible to put down once you've started. You've been warned.

25.  When First they Met by Debbie Macomber 
May 26th, 2016

This entire Rose Harbor series is relaxing, sweet, and an all around good read. I enjoyed reading these about half way through the year to give myself a nice, calm little break. They are fast reads and are based around a woman who's husband was killed in war. She goes out on her own to find peace and ends up opening a bed & breakfast. Each book goes through her friendships and stories of her guests. The guests have some interesting reasons for being in town, but overall it's just a nice easy read. I love Macomber's writing style as well. This book is the short story that starts off the series. It's technically classified as book 0.5.

26.  Inn at Rose Harbor by Debbie Macomber 
June 3rd, 2016

See number 25

Book 1 in the Rose Harbor Series

27.  Rose Harbor in Bloom by Debbie Macomber 
June 15th, 2016

See number 25

Book 2 of the Rose Harbor Series

28.  Rooms by James Rubart 
June 17th, 2016

A friend from work recommended this book, and it is one I highly recommend. It is a Christian based story with so many ups, downs, twists, and turns that it took me the entire book to figure out what was actually happening. A young successful man inherits a house that keeps adding rooms filled with things he needs to see. Every time he goes back to his life in the big city he loses a piece of his life at the house. By the end of the book I was binge reading until my eyes would burn just to know what happened. It's a truly interesting book that you need to add to your reading list.

29.  Last One Home by Debbie Macomber 
June 26th, 2016

A woman finds herself down and out of luck when she gets the opportunity to build a home for herself and her daughter with Habitat for Humanity. Her story is a hard one, but a sweet story and I felt better after reading. Debbie Macomber has that easy way to make you love her characters and she doesn't disappoint with this one.

30.  Murder House by James Patterson 
July 12th, 2016

This was an entertaining read, but it was classic James Patterson. If you haven't read many or any of his books, I absolutely recommend you go do that right now. You can come back and read my reviews later. He's a classic. If you have read him, you understand that his style of writing and story lines can start to sound similar. I love to read one of his books occasionally, but this one isn't the best.

31.  Love Letters by Debbie Macomber 
July 18th, 2016

See number 25

Book 3 in the Rose Harbor Series

32.  Silver Linings by Debbie Macomber
July 25th, 2016

See number 25

Book 4 in the Rose Harbor Series

33.  The Paris Wife by Paula McLain 
August 8th, 2016

If you like Ernest Hemingway you will find this book interesting. If you don't like him, go ahead and move to the next book on the list. Ernest is one of my favorite authors so I thought this story was incredibly interesting. It's told from the point of view of his first wife, Hadley. Although it's not completely factual and there have been things added for entertainment sake, it seems to give an honest description of the time periods, incidents, and travels of the couple. It also gives some insight from her point of view what happened with Ernest up until he committed suicide.

34.  The Curse of Tenth Grave by Darynda Jones
August 13th, 2016

See number 18

35.  Broken Harbor by Tana French 
August 16th, 2016

This was a fairly good story. The writing was good, but the actual story lost my attention for a while. While reading parts of it, I just kept thinking that a few of the issues they discussed, researched, and investigated were kind of silly. It's set around a murder of a family in modern day America. They were one of the first families living in a neighborhood by the ocean that was promised to be worth three times the value after the company finished construction on everything. When the contractors move out leaving things in shambles and then an entire family is found dead or injured, things get interesting. Again, I like the main story, but some details should have been changed.  

36.  The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold 
August 19th, 2016

I was not impressed. Truly, this book was quite a let down for me. Yes, there is a girl that goes missing, but nothing ever really gets solved and after the initial disappearance I thought the rest of the story was just kind of 'fluff' so to speak. I was really excited about this one too because all my friends told me it was 'spooky' or 'haunting'. I kept waiting for it to get better, but sadly it never did. If you liked it let me know what you enjoyed about it in the comments below!

-Kayla