I didn't get as many books as I normally do this year, mostly because I didn't have the money to go out and buy my own like usual. In the beginning, I really thought I wasn't getting any other than the one book that I bought a few days before Christmas. However, my aunt came through and got me a few books! Plus I got another one today too! 😍
Synopsis (From the Book): A tiny community deep in the forest, Beartown hasn't been the best at anything in a long time. But down by the lake stands an old ice rink, and in that ice rink, Kevin, Amat, Benji, and the rest of the town's junior ice hockey team are about to compete in the national semifinals and they actually have a shot at winning. All the hopes and dreams of this place now rest on the shoulders of a handful of teenage boys.
Under the heavy burden, the semifinal match becomes the catalyst for a violent act that will leave a young girl traumatized and a town in turmoil.
This is a story about a town and a game, but even more about loyalty, commitment, and the responsibilities friendship; the people we disappoint even though we love them; and the deciisons we make every day that come to define us. In this story of a small forest town, Fredrik Backman has found the entire world.
Why I Wanted the Book: I've never read a book by Backman before, but I've heard a ton of talk about A Man Called Ove. Even though I've never read it I'm still interested in that book but I feel more interested in this one. I've just really been drawn to these hard-hitting books! I'm so interested in this book and I've honestly not heard that much stuff about it, especially since it has been out since August 2017. I'm so excited to read this I'll hopefully get to in the next few weeks, probably after I finish Red Dawn.
I was lucky to find this book at Walmart, and it honestly wasn't that much I think about $13. But still, it says a lot that I bought a book brand new and at full retail price! I definitely really been wanting this book.
Scythe by Neal Shusterman
Synopsis (From the Book): A world with no hunger. No disease. No war. No misery. Humanity has conquered all those things, and has even conquered death. Now scythes are the only ones who can end life and they are commanded to do so, in order to keep the size of the population under control.
Citra and Rowan are chosen to apprentice to a scythe, a role that neither wants. These teens must master the "art" of taking life, knowing that the consequence of failure could mean losing their own. They learn living in a perfect world comes only with a heavy price.
Why I Wanted the Book: I honestly think this is one of those books that so many people have opinions on. I've heard people who really love the book and I've heard people who just couldn't even finish the book. But both sides agree this is a slow paced book. Which I honestly don't have a preference, it just really depends on my mood that day. The concept of the book sounds amazing! Plus I really just want to be able to have my own opinion about it, and the only way to do that is to read the book myself!
Mary Rose by Geoffrey Girard
Synopsis (From the Book): Mary Rose Moreland and Simon Blake are the perfect couple: successful young professionals in Philadelphia, attractive, madly in love, and ready to start a life together. When they travel to England for Simon to ask her parents' permission t marry Mary Rose, he learns an unsettling secret: Mary Rose disappeared when she was a little girl while the family was vacationing on a remote Scottish island. She reappeared mysteriously thirty-three days later in the same exact spot without a scratch on her and no memory of what had happened.
After Simon hears about this disturbing episode in Mary Rose's childhood, he becomes obsessed with finding out what happened. He proceeds to launch his own investigation and arranges during their honeymoon for them to visit the island where she disappeared. But as Mary Rose's behavior gets stranger after their engagement, the need for Simon to unlock the truth about her past grows even more urgent. What he uncovers is beyond his most terrifying fears.
Ideas about the Book: I think this book is going to be very suspenseful, and I've honestly started getting really hooked in the whole thriller/suspense category, which is honestly one of the things I want to work on in the new year. I cannot wait to read it. I really hope I enjoy it just as much as I've enjoyed The Wife Between Us!
Only For You by Beth Kery
Synopsis (From the Book): Former army intelligence officer Seth Hightower may work with the Hollywood elite as a special effects makeup artist, but he's learned the hard way to keep fame-obsessed starlets at arm's length. Only one woman ever tempted him to break his rules about dating actresses, and she left him with the memory of one night of uninhibited passion and a lifetime of what-ifs.
Hollywood "It" girl Gia Harris is used to being in the spotlight and avoiding it when necessary. After she witnesses a heinous crime, she knows testifying is the right thing to do, even if it is in the midst of a media circus. But when things heat up and Gia is in danger, she needs to avoid prying eyes and the long arm of the media. Seth's special skills and knowledge of disguise make him the perfect person to keep her famous face out of the news, but their history makes him the last person she wants to be alone with. He's far too tempting, and now far too close...
As Seth conceals Gia and steals her away from a rabid public, they can't ignore the blistering attraction between them. And when they give in to their cravings, they reveal more about themselves than either of them has ever laid bare before...
Thoughts About the Book: I think it sounds pretty interesting. I cannot wait to read it. I really loved the books that I've read by Meredith Wild, and I hope this is something similar to the way she writes. I love getting books at Christmas because they are always from authors I've never read before so they literally pull me out of my comfort zone!
Winter Stroll by Elin Hilderbrand
Synopsis (From the Book): Another Christmas on Nantucket finds Winter Street Inn owner Kelley Quinn reflecting on the past year as he writes a holiday letter to friends and family. Though the year has had its share of misfortune and worry, the Quinns have much to celebrate. Kelley, now single, at least is on better terms with his first wife, Margaret, who is using her celebrity as a news anchor to lure customers to the inn in record numbers. Their son Kevin has a beautiful new baby, Genevieve, with the inn's French housekeeper, Isabelle; and their daughter, Ava, is finally dating a nice guy-her devoted colleague, Scott.
Now the Quinns are looking forward to celebrating Genevieve's baptism, welcoming Isabelle to the family, and enjoying the cheer of Nantucket's traditional Christmas Stroll. But just when a peaceful family gathering seems within reach, Kelley's estranged second wife, Mitzi, shows up on the island after souring on her relationship wiht the inn's former Santa Clause. Soon Kelley isn't the only Quinn entertaining a surprise guest from Christmases past as lovers old and new gather beneath the mistletoe. With jealousy, passion, and eggnog consumption at an all-time high, it's going to tka e awhole lot more than a Crhsitmas miracle to get the Quinns-and the inn-through the holidays intact.
Thoughts Before Reading: I love Elin Hilderbrand's writing style. I've only ever read one book by her and it was a close tie to making top 10 of the year for me. This is part of a series so I do have to read the first book first, but it sounds really intriguing. I cannot wait to get into this series. '
Juniors by Kaui Hart Hemmings
Synopsis (From the Book): Part Hawaiian, part Mainlander. Perpetual new girl at school. Hanging in the shadow of her actress mother's spotlight. And now: new resident of the prominent West family's guest cottage.
Bracing herself for the embarrassment of being her classmates' latest charity case, Lea is surprised when she starts becoming friends with Will and Whitney West instead - or in the case of gorgeous unattainable Will, possibly even more than friends. And despite their differences, Whitney and Lea have a lot in common: both are navigating a tangled web of relationships, past disappointments, and future hopes. As things heat up with Will, and her friendship with Whitney deepens, Lea has to decide how much she's willing to change in order to fit into their world.
Lea Lane has lived in between all her life. But it isn't until her junior year that she learns how to do it on her own terms.
Thoughts about the Book: This definitely sounds like a YA book. I don't know how into I'll get, but hopefully, it is based in Hawaii and I can use this as my Hawaii book. I'm working on my around the state book challenge. I was going to wait until January to start it but literally every book I've been reading since I started it could be used in it so I just went ahead and started it.
