On My Radar

HAPPY LAST WEEK OF SCHOOL! Yes, that deserves ALL CAPS! Besides it being almost summer break, here are some other things I’m currently loving:

Scandal // I am finally getting back into Scandal. I watched religiously but got really tired of the Olivia/Fitz back and forth drama so I stopped watching. One of my co-workers encouraged me to jump back on board and it only took a few minutes to suck me back in. If you haven’t watched, you can start from the very beginning on Netflix. It has several seasons so it is intimidating but I can pretty much guarantee that you’ll fly through.

Our new home // Michael was back in town for a short 36 hours or so and in that time, we signed a lease! We are both currently month to month and had the end of July as our goal for moving into a new place. We toured a couple options and got scared by the prices in others (parking for an extra $350 a month?!), but we found a place that we loved and signed the lease! Neither of us thought we would be signing anything but the dates lined up perfectly. I am already decorating our new place in my head (and trying to find a place for Michael’s Steph Curry poster 😉 ).

This Target ad // Target is already my favorite store… you can literally be trapped in there for a month (or longer) and you’d survive. It has everything. I was super happy to see this sweet girl featured as a model in this week’s ad! I know Target is known for featuring models with disabilities but I had yet to see any of those ads. I hope that it eventually becomes the norm. It’s discouraging to me that part of my post is about how cool it is to see when really, it should just be expected and something I don’t have to point out. But anyways, go Target!

The Forever Summer // Well, the time has come. I have four books that I’ve had on hold forever and they’ve all become available to me AT THE SAME TIME! Thankfully, due to how good my current book is, I should be getting started on the next one fairly soon. I’ll review it more fully in my book review at the end of the month but if you’re in search of a good summer beach read, The Forever Summer is it. Each of the characters is likable, the setting is perfect (Cape Cod), and there is just enough drama/twists that make me keep reading.

Roomie Visit! // So you’ll be hearing about this in a whole other post but Whitney is here on Saturday! We have a very long to-do list (with some relax time to veg with some good television). On our list: the beach, Disneyland, taping of The Ellen Show, happy hour at Sur and Pump (they are filming. Maybe this will be the visit we finally see our fave train wrecks!), hiking, and potentially seeing Jimmy Kimmel. We also have some food (fro yo) that is high up on our priority list. This is definitely the perfect way to dive right into summer! The picture below is during the last LA visit (sorry that my arm wasn’t long enough to get us all in, Steph).

April Book Review

This month’s reading included a ton of young adult contemporary novels as well as a couple “thrillers.” I was able to read 8 books this month which brings my yearly total to 18. Here are the books that I read this month. And as always, if you have any suggestions for me, be sure to leave a comment!

Never Let You Go by Chevy Stevens

This may be the one of the best books I’ve read so far this year*. And the best part is this author has a TON of other books for me to dig into! This book follows Lindsay who left her abusive husband years earlier. Fast forward ten years later when her ex-hubby, Andrews, gets out of jail (serving time for reckless driving and killing the other driver) and weird things start happening. They suspect it is Andrew trying to make her pay for leaving him years ago. The book kept me hooked the entire time and I’ll definitely be checking out other books by this author.

 

Never Never by Colleen Hoover

Yupp, I read another Colleen Hoover book! This one she wrote with Tarryn Fisher. It was a super short read (one of the reasons why I wanted to read it) and was somewhat enjoyable. The book is told by alternating narrators, Silas and Charlie, who “wake up” in the middle of their day having no idea who they are or where they are. Helping each other, they both try to figure out who they are and why their memory got erased. It was a quick read and was decent enough. I didn’t connect to the characters like I have in other Colleen Hoover books but if you’re looking for a super quick read, this may be a winner.

Never Never Part 2 by Colleen Hoover

The first book left on a cliffhanger (or really, it just ended) so of course I needed to read the second book. It picks right up where the first left off and you come to find out that Silas and Charlie’s memories are erased every 48 hours. They have been writing down notes for their “new” selves to remember and try to figure out what is happening to them. I finished this one in about 2 hours. Still enjoyable but still not connecting to the characters like I usually do. Yet right after I finished this book, I downloaded the third…

 

Never Never Part 3 by Colleen Hoover

…and finished it in about 2 hours as well. These weren’t the best books I’ve very read whatsoever. The whole premise was weird and even in book three, I still cared very little about the characters. If you like Colleen Hoover, I’d say check these ones out. Or if you’re in the mood for a super quick, easy read. Otherwise I’d say spend your reading time on something a wee bit better.

 

 

The Marriage Lie by Kimberly Belle

*I thought Never Let You Go was the best book I’ve read so far this year until I finished this one. The book starts with Will and Iris celebrating their seventh anniversary. The next morning, Will gets on a flight to Orlando. Fast forward a few hours later when Iris learns of a plane crash and finds out Will was on board. The kicker? The plane was headed to Seattle, not Orlando. Iris’ life begins to unravel when she realizes how little she knows about her husband and how he had been lying to her for years. There were tons of twists and turns and I gasped out loud at least twice. I also stayed up until 1030 to finish it and if you know me, something has to be really good for me to stay up past by bedtime. I am hoping this author has more books!

 

First & Then by Emma Mills

The old saying goes, “never judge a book by it’s cover.” Oops. I did with this one. The cover of this book is BEAUTIFUL! I saw it at Barnes and Noble forever ago, took a picture of it, and added it to my E-libary wish list. It took a couple of chapters to get into but I ended up enjoying it. Devon’s family takes in her cousin Foster after his father dies and his mother is unable to care for him. He is different and Devon is extremely protective and worried he won’t fit in. Foster ends up finding his place on the football team of all places and Devon continues to figure out her new life, with her new cousin and new relationships. Overall, an easy read. Somewhat predictable but really, aren’t all YA books?

Steering the Stars by Autumn Doughton and Erica Cope

This book was super cute! It follows two best friends, Hannah and Caroline, and is told from their points of view in alternating chapters. Hannah is a writer and gets an opportunity to spend a year abroad in London at a prestigious school where she can work on her craft. That leaves Caroline in Oklahoma, where she has to navigate her junior year without her best friend. I really enjoyed both characters, as well as all the secondary characters. I read this one in less than 24 hours… because it was super easy and also because I enjoyed it. I sometimes am disappointed when books end because I want to stay with the characters a little longer and find out what happens, and this is one of those books. I would love for there to be a sequel.

 

Tell Me Three Things by Julie Buxbaum

Okay, so I only read about 25% of this book in April. I had checked it out several weeks ago but in the middle of reading it, my loan period ended so it was deleted from my Kindle. There was no way I was going to buy the book when I was almost done with it, so back on the waiting list I went. Jessie moves to Los Angeles after her mother dies and her dad meets someone new. LA is totally different from her life in Chicago and the book follows her trying to navigate her new surroundings. Insert SN, an anonymous boy who begins emailing (and then texting) Jessie. There are several people who you think could be SN, but you don’t find out until the very last chapter. This one was a typical YA book, so of course I enjoyed it.

I am currently in the middle of Cancel the Wedding. You’ll have to come back next month for that review. Happy reading!

February Book Review

I was able to finish 5 books since my last book review post! I haven’t picked up a book in the last week so hopefully I can get back to it and read a few more this next month.

 

Out of My Mind by Sharon Draper    

I read this one with my 6th grade book club members (we are three members strong, including me!). The book follows Melody who is in a wheelchair and is non-verbal because she has Cerebral Palsy. She has all these words and thoughts in her head but no way to express them… until she gets her speaking device! This one struck really close to home because Melody reminded me of Erin in a lot of ways (the best being her personality). It broke my heart to see how other students treated Melody, but I love that the story gave a voice (literally) to someone that people need to and should hear from.

Unexpected Everything by Morgan Matson 

I’ve read other books by Matson and enjoyed them so knew I needed to add this one to my list. It was a predictable young adult read that I looked forward to picking up again every time I had to put it down. The book follows Andie whose summer plans change drastically and what starts out as a disappointing summer turns into a summer that she needed. I really enjoyed the friendship between Andie and her besties. Like I said, totally predictable but thats why I love YA books– they are easy peasy and enjoyable to read!

 

 

Before We Were Strangers by Renee Carlino

I had been on the waiting list for the e-book for what seemed like months and it was well worth the wait. Before We Were Strangers follows two people who used to be in a relationship who randomly spot each other at a subway station. Most of the book takes place in the past where were learn about where they met and what led them to, 15 years later, being strangers. While it was kind of predictable, woven in the story were some pretty unpredictable developments. I love a good rom-com and this reminds me of a book that would make the perfect transition to film.

When Breath Becomes Air by Paul Kalanithi

I read this one in about 3 hours. I also texted my mom and bestie, Whitney, during these three hours and told them either how much I was enjoying the book or how much I think they need to read it. This memoir is broken up into two parts: the story of how Paul came to be a neurosurgeon and the story of how Paul dealt with his cancer diagnosis. I throughly enjoyed his stories of being a surgeon and even more, I enjoyed reading about his insights on death. While that doesn’t sound like a fun topic, it really made you think. This wasn’t a light read whatsoever, and the epilogue comes sooner than it should because of Paul’s passing, but overall, if someone were to ask me how to describe the book in one word I’d say “beautiful.”

Before the Fall by Noah Hawley 

This one has been on the best seller list forever and has been sitting on my shelf unread for awhile too (Barnes and Noble had it mis-marked for 50% off! And plus my mom’s 10% off member discount, I needed to scoop it up!). In the opening chapter, you are introduced several people who are boarding a private plane from Martha’s Vineyard to New York. Sixteen minutes after take off, the plane crashes. The rest of the book explores the stories of each of the people before the crash and follows the two survivors after the crash. There are a lot of characters and a lot of information you have to sift through, but I really enjoyed this book. The whole concept is fascinating (and terrifying). You do find out why the plane crashed and while I didn’t really like the reason, it wasn’t one that you could guess from the first few chapters.

Anything I should add to my March reading list?