It's Monday, What Are You Reading (204)

It's Monday, What Are You Reading is a fun weekly meme hosted by Sheila at Book Journey where we share what we've read and reviewed over the past week and what we plan to read next.

I meant to post last week but I wasn't feeling well (kidney stones) so this is two weeks worth of books. Really though I think I read most of them this week. Guess I just kind of pushed myself to read more though I still watched too much TV with Arrow, The Flash and Jane the Virgin at the top of my list. My latest addiction is Cupcake Wars which I found on Netflix. Interestingly enough it does not make me want to eat cupcakes. They come up with some really strange flavors including one that had fish in it. Not my kind of cupcake :)

Today was a really nice day for this time of year. A lot of the snow melted which made me happy. I wish we had another "warm" day but tomorrow it is back to the 20s and then even colder the rest of the week. It was fun while it lasted :)

Today is also the one year anniversary of when my mom got really sick with some form of encephalitis. Hard to believe it has been a year since everything happened. She is doing really well and enjoying teaching first grade though I know she is looking forward to spring break. If the weather is decent this coming weekend I am hoping to go home for a visit.

Books reviewed:

Love, Lucy by April Lindner

I'm Glad I Did by Cynthia Weil

Books read:

A Desperate Fortune by Susanna Kearsley

I really liked this though I was hoping for a little more intrigue and it wasn't set in Scotland. I thought the historical story was more interesting than the contemporary one.

The Storyspinner by Becky Wallace

I thought this debut novel was fantastic. I loved the world building and the characters and the political intrigue. Historical fantasy is a favorite genre of mine when it is done right and this definitely was. I think readers who liked Grave Mercy by Robin LaFevers or Falling Kingdoms by Morgan Rhodes or The Girl of Fire and Thorns by Rae Carson would like this too.

Rivals in the City by Y.S. Lee

I liked this finale to the Agency series. It was a little bittersweet to see all the things that have changed since the first book. The villain from A Spy in the House makes a return in this one. I think in the end it felt a little anticlimactic because we knew who the "bad guy" was.

Alienated by Melissa Landers

I enjoyed rereading Alienated before picking up the sequel. I really like Cara and the story was just as entertaining the second time around.

Fairest by Marissa Meyer

Levana is evil. So is her sister. This book makes it evident that even though Levana had something horrible happen to her when she was little (and I did feel sorry for her for that) she is an incredibly selfish and manipulative being but she comes from a really screwed up family and way of life. The only "good" characters are poor Sir Evret Hayle and his wife (parents of Winter, the heroine of the final book in the series).  A really dark book and one I'm glad I got from the library instead of buying. I did enjoy the excerpt of Winter at the back of the book. Can't wait for that one.

Invaded by Melissa Landers

Another excellent book in the series. Cara is now experiencing life on L'eihr while Aelyx is back on Earth trying to stay alive and keep the alliance going forward. Some interesting twists and I am eager for the next book. It will be a long wait...

Currently reading:

The Seasons of Trouble by Rohini Mohan

This is nonfiction about the war in Sri Lanka but the writing flows like fiction. Really good so far. Most of what I've read about Sri Lanka in recent years has been fiction and from a Sinhalese perspective so it is good to read the experiences of Tamil people in this one.

What I plan to read next:

The Ruby Circle by Richelle Mead

This is the final book in the Bloodlines series. It has been a long journey with these characters that were first introduced in the Vampire Academy series. I am looking forward to seeing how things wrap up.