#20readsin2020

[stumblingabroadwithabagofbooks]

⭐️BOOK REVIEW⭐️ Happy Sunday everyone! My weekend has been filled with reading mostly, trying to fit in as many books as possible before the end of the month 😃 I finished The Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware, and after loving her debut novel In a Dark Dark Wood, I was really excited to start another book from her. Sadly I was very disappointed. The book had a slow start and the main character was kind of annoying so I didn’t even want to root for her. It’s an interesting premise of a suspected murder on a luxury ship but it was a cliche trope 🙈 I saw it coming and the only surprise was how stupid the main character was (think cheesy horror film the “I hear a sound outside I’ll go look by myself” stupid) and the twist at the end. With how fantastic her first book was, I was expecting her next book to be even better or at the bare minimum just as good. I dragged myself through thinking I would never guess who did it just like the first but it was anti-climactic when it was revealed. Also the author scatters in big, smart words every once in awhile that don’t make any sense for how the MC would talk, it felt like Ware was trying too hard to make the thriller more like a Victorian mystery novel 🙈 I could at least count this towards two of my reading challenges, the #20readsin2020 and #tbrproject2020 so that’s a positive I guess! Overall I gave it 2.5 ⭐️s and if you’re looking for a good Ruth Ware thriller, this ain’t it 🤦🏻‍♀️ #qotd have you read any books by an author you love only to be disappointed? https://www.instagram.com/p/B-UZc7eAE8V/?igshid=9f1fq586e2o

[stumblingabroadwithabagofbooks]

⭐️ BOOK REVIEW ⭐️ Happy Saturday! I just finished “Girl, Woman, Other” on Thursday night and it’s one of those books that came on my radar thanks to #bookstagram 💗 I added it to my TBR as everyone raved about it and then it won the #manbookerprize along with Atwood but I’m so happy that #bookstagrammademedoit because it lived up to the hype for me! Each chapter is divided between 3 different women with 4 different chapters giving us 12 unique women. Most of them are black women in Britain but there are some exceptions. I loved how Evaristo was able to create such vibrant women from different backgrounds, classes, races, sexual orientations, all while making them stand out and grab my attention with each new story. The writing style/layout without periods and quotation marks was very strange and took getting used to. Honestly I almost DNFd it because it kept throwing me off and I’m not good with change 🙈 it’s similar to prose or poetry but I did end up getting used to it and began to like how different it was from most novels in its layout. I love stories told from multiple POVs and especially when they span decades! “Girl, Woman, Other” was reminiscent of “Homegoing” by Yaa Gyasi so naturally I fell in love with Evaristo’s stories as Homegoing is one of my all time faves 😍 Also just have to say for anyone who has read this book THAT FREAKING EPILOGUE OMG!! I just have so many thoughts and feelings and notes on this book so if you’ve read it feel free to message me and we can talk all about it. Overall this book gets 4.5 ⭐️s and I was happy to discover this at the beginning of the year thanks to it being a #femibooksclub pick for February! I’m looking forward to discussing it with everyone and hearing their thoughts 💭 The novel is also counting towards two of my prompts from #20readsin2020 for a book that won an award and a book that I got because of the #bookstagramcommunity 💕 #qotd have you read this book and what did you think? If you haven’t then tell me a book that you read because of bookstagram! NOTE: There are a lot of triggers in this book! I will be adding them in my story and they can be found in my CW/TW highlight in my profile ⚠️ https://www.instagram.com/p/B8l8P6HgFLW/?igshid=1sm3up2bnkagu

[stumblingabroadwithabagofbooks]

⭐️ BOOK REVIEW ⭐️ Ugh this Monday has just dragged on! Work felt like it was really long (even though I only worked a half day) 🙈 I hope your Monday is going better than mine! I managed to squeeze one more book in before January ended, but just now writing the review because it was underwhelming. I can still barely find the words to describe my thoughts but I’ll try. Synopsis: “The unnamed narrator of this slim, alluring novel recalls a summer spent at age sixteen on an idyllic Italian island off the coast of Naples in the 1950s, where he spends his days with Nicola, a local fisherman. The narrator falls in love with Caia, who shares with him that she’s Jewish, saved by Italian soldiers from the Nazis, who killed the rest of her Yugoslav family. The boy demands answers about the war from the adults around him, but is rebuffed by everyone but Nicola, who tells him of Italy’s complicity with the Nazis. His passion for Caia and his ardent patriotism lead him to a flamboyant, cataclysmic act of destruction that brings his tale to an end.” •Mostly painting a picture about fishing so not a lot is happening •Really slow and overly descriptive •Short book so it was a quick read but felt like a chore to pick it up •Would’ve DNFd if it wasn’t only 140 pages •Ending wasn’t much of an ending and the novel didn’t have much of a story to tell...really wish I had just DNFd from the beginning •Rating- ⭐️⭐️💫 Luckily the book at least counted for my World Reading Challenge I’ve been slowly working on and I can now cross Italy 🇮🇹 off my list. The book also counted for prompt 15, translated from a foreign language for the #20readsin2020 challenge hosted by @evavstheworld and @iirasbooks #qotd what book are you currently reading? https://www.instagram.com/p/B8HZizpAIKr/?igshid=11q198xr66nlv

[stumblingabroadwithabagofbooks]

“Is that what everyone expects my life to be, simply a good influence on my important husband? I may be only twenty-three years old to Winston’s thirty-four, without the education, accomplishments, or nobility of my intended, but my life will not serve solely as the invisible source of ‘sympathy and devotion’ for my husband. Indeed, I want to write my own chapter.” Happy #publishingday to Lady Clementine by @authormariebenedict And a big thank you to @netgalley and @sourcebooks for the eARC 🎉 I loved hearing about Clementine Churchill and her resolve to make history rather than be a shadow standing by her husband’s side. I was pulled in right away and interested to learn more about her as the only thing I knew was that she was married to Winston Churchill. I enjoyed learning about her and seeing her as a pioneer of being a political wife. Rather than stay silent at dinner parties, she engaged in political debates with the men which was unheard of for women as it was considered unladylike at the time. She helped to advocate for better air raid shelters and jobs for women during WWII. • • The novel also shows the darker side of their marriage and Winston. He’s normally seen as this conquering giant due to his prime ministership during WWII, but I really like how the author acknowledges how problematic Churchill actually was with some of his views. • • I felt sympfor Clementine as she dealt with the loss of siblings and her own children, depression/anxiety (or as it was called for women back then “a nervous condition”), and marital troubles. • • Writing reminds of classical British literature like Charlotte Brontë. I did get a little frustrated with some of the language and use of big words like “lasciviousness” but maybe I’m just stupid 😂 • • She’s a strong, complex, progressive woman who I’ve come to admire very much through this fictionalized story of her adult life. It was a great first book of the decade and fit my historical fiction prompt for the #GameofThronesReadathon hosted by @whatjasreads 👑 and it also worked for two prompts, for #20readsin2020 hosted by @evavstheworld and @iirasbooks ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️/5 #qotd what’s the first book you’ve read this year? https://www.instagram.com/p/B7BL_CUAPuR/?igshid=oisr698fn4hr

[stumblingabroadwithabagofbooks]

Happy Monday! Of course right when I started getting better from my cold, I get sick with an even worse one instead 🙈 I’m spending my day off drinking tea and reading so I guess it could be worse! This photo is for my other year long reading challenge #20readsin2020 hosted by @evavstheworldvand @iirasbooks 🎉 not pictured are a couple of ebooks and any library books I find along the way that fit the prompts! #qotd have you read any of these books? What did you think? #evavsthealgorithm https://www.instagram.com/p/B6-ry2UgwAh/?igshid=11k9oojz9q8hv

[stumblingabroadwithabagofbooks]

❄️ January #tbrstack ❄️ My first planned TBR of the year! These books are for 4 different reading challenges; the #GameofThronesReadathon starting January 6, #tbrproject2020 #20readsin2020 and the #readingwomenchallenge2020 The challenges will help me read more of the books I already own and make a huge dent in my unread books at home! My full TBR list is different genres and all are physical books except for one which I received from #netgalley • • 📖 God Help the Child 📖 Lady Clementine (ebook) 📖 Goodbye to All That 📖Rebel of the Sands #qotd what books do you plan on reading this month? #evavsthealgorithm https://www.instagram.com/p/B6x5S4ZgVRD/?igshid=nxrkzilppsdw