Books | Amy C. Shaw

The Top 10 Books I’ve Read So Far This Year

June 28, 2016 • 28 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is a freebie! So as you can see, I am discussing my favorite reads of the year so far. Confession: My top read of the year is my only 5 star of the year (other than my one reread so far, see below note), followed by a few 4.5 stars and then yes, I have 4 star reads on this list. I don’t know if I’m getting stingier with my ratings or not reading the right books this year, but I have read some great stories that I wanted to share. And maybe you can give me suggestions to make the second half of my reading year better!

(Note: I did not include my one reread of the year so far, The Start of Me and You, which is seriously one of my all-time faves.)

10. Truthwitch by Susan Dennard

An interesting fantasy that I quite enjoyed. I’m definitely looking forward to more of Merik specifically in Windwitch.

9. Love, Lies and Spies by Cindy Anstey

I saw someone on Instagram describe this as Jane Austen meets The Scarlet Pimpernel and I would say that is pretty accurate! I think the story could have been tightened just a bit more, but it was a super fun read, and I adored Spencer!

8. The Unbound by Victoria Schwab

I first read The Archived early this year and liked it as well, but I enjoyed this follow-up more. I especially became a bigger Wesley fan after this book.

7. The Shadow Queen by CJ Redwine

This was my most recent read, and after seeing mixed reviews, I was so glad to end up really enjoying it! I actually could have taken or left most of the actual story, but I really loved the characters and want more of them!

6. Nora & Kettle by Lauren Nicolle Taylor

This book has its flaws, but this story still haunts me. It’s quiet and beautiful and filled with hope.

5. Looking for Lovely by Annie F. Downs

An inspirational non-fiction book about looking for the lovely in our everyday lives.

4. The Rithmatist by Brandon Sanderson

In true Brandon Sanderson fashion, I fell so in love with these characters and their world and got wrapped up in their stakes. It takes a while to really understand why these chalk drawings are such a big deal in Joel’s world, but again, Sanderson makes it work.

3. Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Septys

The book that made me a Ruta Sepetys fan. And tore my heart out in that way that only readers can appreciate.

2. The Fixer by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

This book had twists and turns and quips and friendships and I ate it all up.

1. Salt to the Sea by Ruta Septys

Seriously. Gutted me. Beautiful and moving and powerful.

What are your favorite reads from this year? Any of yours the same as mine?

Book Review: Nora & Kettle

June 20, 2016 • 2 Comments

I had seen some blogging friends express interest in Nora & Kettle, but when the e-book was on sale and I contemplated buying it, I checked Goodreads and noticed none of them had actually read it. The reviews from others on GR really piqued my interest though, so I bought it and read it not too long after. And I’m glad I did.

The pacing of the story is very slow, but the writing is beautiful. It also weaves in some elements from Peter Pan, though it is definitely not a retelling or an adaptation.

In the beginning we meet Nora, a girl who, to the outside world, seems to have a good life, but she’s harboring the secret of her father’s abuse. I don’t think it’s a spoiler to mention the inciting incident, as it happens so quickly, but her mother dies in a freak accident, and suddenly Nora is even more terrified because this means she has to endure her father and shield her sister from him alone.

Meanwhile, Kettle is a poor homeless boy doing his best to take care of other poor homeless kids alongside his friend and “brother” Kin. He takes his life in stride but is haunted by the past he barely remembers – the family who might not have wanted him, his childhood in internment camps, his mysterious mixed heritage. And he deals with the overwhelming burden of trying to provide for himself and others at the young age of 17 and no place to call home.

For more than half of the novel, we go back and forth between these two’s individual lives, with them skimming each others’ paths, but not properly meeting for a while. It’s very drawn-out and not a lot happens, and yet I was invested in these characters. I cared for them and wanted to know what would happen to them and how they would finally meet up.

When Nora and Kettle are finally involved in each others’ lives, it’s interesting to see how they compare and contrast to one another. I will say, however, that this portion of the story was more rushed and didn’t feel fully developed. Nora and Kettle grow interested in each other quickly, which is fine, but it felt more vague than sure, and then suddenly towards the end it seems to get very serious very quickly. However, the climax was really compelling and I think it played out perfectly. I just wanted maybe one more chapter afterwards for more of a final resolution.

Overall, it’s a beautiful story, and I would love to read more about these characters. I know so little about the Japanese internment camps and while this didn’t teach me much more, it did humanize those events for me through Kettle and Kin.

Rating: 4 stars

Trigger warning: domestic violence/abuse

Content advisory: Domestic violence described but not too graphically, some language.

Have you read Nora & Kettle? What did you think?

The Top 5 Books on my Summer TBR

June 14, 2016 • 15 Comments

Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish. This week’s topic is Top Ten Most Anticipated Releases For The Second Half Of The Year. Well I say where’s the Summer TBR week?! This happened last winter too. What gives? I need my seasonal TBRs! There’s a freebie week coming up but I didn’t want to wait until then as the official start of summer is next Monday. On to my rebel ways yet again…

1. The Long Game by Jennifer Lynn Barnes

I really, really enjoyed The Fixer and need this sequel in my life ASAP.

2. Passenger by Alexandra Bracken

The mixed reviews have kept me from buying this book, but the pretty cover keeps tempting me. Now that it’s my next book club read, I’ll be giving into the temptation!

3. Sense and Sensibility by Jane Austen

Carry-over from my spring TBR that I want to get to soon.

4. The Shadow Queen by C.J. Redwine

I’ve got this one on hold with the library and I’m curious about it. I saw C.J. Redwine at SE YA Fest and look forward to reading her work.

5. Don’t Judge a Girl by Her Cover by Ally Carter

I’m slowly making my way through the Gallagher Girls books and this my next one to read.

I stopped at five because that’s all I can think of at the moment! Weird, right? What happened to my mountain-high TBR? I don’t know, I’m just kind of winging it these days, seeing what calls to me (or is available from the library).

What’s on your summer TBR?

Greetings From The Other Side! And The Things I’ve Read…

June 7, 2016 • 10 Comments

Hello everyone! Yes, I am still alive, and now I have wi-fi again after moving into my new home and not having it for a while. Sorry I have been unable to comment on everyone else’s blogs lately; I hope I get to remedy that soon. I just wanted to do a brief post where I share a few things I’ve read lately and some quick thoughts on them.

Books I read in April and May any my brief thoughts on each:

Truthwitch by Susan Dennard: Interesting fantasy with complex characters and relationships. Wish there had been a glossary, though I think I mostly kept up with/figured out the terms.
When We Collided by Emery Lord: An incredibly hard read in terms of content. NOT a love story like I was expecting, not really. But it is well-written.
On The Loose by Jenny B. Jones: A cute follow-up to In-Between, though the romance was a little weak considering the guy she ends up with in the end spends most of the book dating someone else but obviously somewhat interested in her. Also, the next books in the series don’t seem to go in the direction I want the story to go so I’m afraid I’m stopping here.
Cross My Heart and Hope to Spy by Ally Carter: Cute and fun, and a little stronger than the first Gallagher Girl book, I felt. I’m looking forward to reading book three.
The Unbound by Victoria Schwab: This was a solid follow-up to The Archived, with enough closure for satisfaction, but a definite possibility for more. I appreciated Wesley more in this book, though I also really liked Cash.
The Rose and the Dagger by Renee Ahdieh: A pretty good conclusion to the duology. What happened at the end really surprised me, and it resolved in a clever way. However, for some reason the epilogue made the ending a little weaker for me. It would have been fine without.
Looking for Lovely by Annie F. Downs: This one didn’t capture my heart quite as much as her book Let’s All Be Brave that I read last year, but still a great and very worthwhile read. I’m very glad I got to devour this one while on vacation.
Love, Lies and Spies by Cindy Anstey: This one was cute and fun, but the writing could have been a little stronger. Another round of revisions or two could have made this one really great, because I loved the potential of a Jane Austen-esque story with spies. Spencer was fabulous.
The Start of Me and You by Emery Lord: This was a reread of one of my favorite books last year, and seriously, nothing has lived up to it yet this year. I just adore it from beginning to end. Such a me book.

What have you been reading lately?

Reading Habits

April 25, 2016 • 16 Comments

I think it’s common for each of us to do something in our own way, and to feel it’s the normal way. But then you see or hear about doing that same thing differently and you wonder, have I been doing it all wrong?

This is how I feel sometimes when it comes to other people’s reading habits. Of course I know that there isn’t actually a right way or a wrong way to read when it comes to choosing a book, how many I read at a time, how much I read in a day, etc., but sometimes I still feel that way! Here are my reading habits and why they work for me.

1. Most of my reading happens during my lunch hour at work. My typical reading time is only five hours a week, all during my lunch hour at work. This works for me because this is not a time that is conducive for doing much else, and it’s set-apart time where I don’t have to feel guilty for using it for reading. If I’m really into a book, I will sometimes read a little more at home in the evenings or on the weekend.

2. I only read one book at a time. The one exception to this is my Bible reading or if I’m reading a little bit of a non-fiction book at a time, usually along with other people. I cannot even imagine trying to keep up with reading multiple fiction books at one time though, and it would take me longer to finish a book which would drive me crazy! If it takes me much more than a week to finish a book I usually get antsy (unless I knew it would take a while because of the book’s length), and I think I would have an obvious favorite and that the others would get put aside.

3. I don’t read ARCs, so I read whatever I want, whenever I want, almost always solely based on my mood. I actually feel weird when I finish a book and I don’t know what I want to read next. I almost always know. And I don’t like when I’m ready for a library read that isn’t available, and when it is I’m usually in the middle of something else (like me impatiently waiting for The Winner’s Kiss right now).

4. I have a bad habit of losing bookmarks, so I generally use ticket stubs, coupons, and other random paper things. I really wish I used pretty bookmarks while reading, but alas.

I want to hear from you! What are your reading habits? Why do they work for you?

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