Sunday Post (88) / It's Monday, What Are You Reading

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly @ Caffeinated Book Reviewer. It’s a post to recap the past week, showcase books and things we have received and share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. It's Monday, What Are You Reading is a fun weekly meme now hosted by Kathryn at Book Date, where we share what we've read and reviewed over the past week and what we plan to read next.

I had a great time in Mexico. My sister and I stayed at the Riu Playacar, an all-inclusive in Playa del Carmen. Although neither of us can swim, it was still a lot of fun. One day we went into town to check out their shopping area (Quinta Avenida) which had some local shops as well as lots of name brand stores (Sephora, MAC, American Eagle, etc.) and on another day we went to the spa (expensive but nice). The resort had a nice shallow swim up bar we could sit in when it got too hot (though the heat wasn't that bad at the beach). The weather was beautiful which made it hard to come back here where it has been cold and rainy. We had warmer weather in February! I know it will warm up eventually--hopefully soon. Now I need to start exercising to work off all the strawberry daiquiris and desserts I indulged in every day. :)

This week is the Bout of Books readathon and I am planning to participate. I have a lot of books on my TBR pile so maybe this will motivate me to read a little more instead of watching TV. I also need to spend some time catching up on reviews. I need to write several reviews for books I read in April.

Books read:

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien (reread)

Letters to the Lost by Brigid Kemmerer

Even though this relied on the whole secret letter writing thing I thought it was done very well. A really good exploration of grief and I liked the development of their relationship.

The Wonder of Us by Kim Culbertson

I read this on the flight to Mexico. It is about two friends who are estranged but go on a trip to Europe together and hope to repair the rift between them. I enjoyed reading about the different locations they visited. I liked Abby but I thought Riya was harder to relate to. 

Purple Hearts by Tess Wakefield

Although I found Cassie's behavior to be frustrating at times, I thought this was a good beach read. It kept my attention on the beach anyway unlike other books I tried to read.

The Orphan's Tale by Pam Jenoff

I had tried to download the new Rick Riordan book to my Kindle for my flight back to the States but it didn't work so I started reading this one and found myself engrossed in the story. It was sad but really good and I think it would be a great selection for book groups.

Currently reading:

The Dark Prophecy by Rick Riordan

I usually enjoy Rick Riordan's books and while I prefer the Percy Jackson series and the Heroes of Olympus series, I am happy that Leo is a major character in this one. Of course it is still narrated from the whiny and spoiled POV of Apollo but that adds to some of the humor though he does get on my nerves at times. 

On my TBR pile:

A Court of Mist and Fury by Sarah J. Maas (reread)

I want to reread this before I pick up A Court of Wings and Ruin. I loved this book when I read it last year.

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

After the cliffhanger ending of A Court of Mist and Fury I can't wait to read this but I'm also nervous about it. It is not going to be easy to read some of it.

The Simplicity of Cider by Amy E. Reichert

I thought The Coincidence of Coconut Cake was fantastic and I think this sounds pretty good too though cider makes me think of fall instead of summer.

Beartown by Fredrik Backman

Fredrik Backman is becoming a "must read" author. I've heard that this is different from his other books but it has received really positive reviews. The story revolves around a small town where hockey is all important and what happens when scandal hits the team.

The Vicar's Daughter by Josi S. Kilpack

This is a Regency era love story that I believe is partly inspired by Cyrano de Bergerac.

Geekerella by Ashley Poston

This contemporary retelling of Cinderella sounds like so much fun!

New books:

The Dark Prophecy by Rick Riordan (purchased)

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas (purchased)

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte (purchased)

Every Wild Heart by Meg Donohue (library book)

The Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck (library book)