Waiting on Wednesday

TIME TO SHARE WHAT I AM EXCITED ABOUT!!!

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking The Spine. Every Wednesday you discuss a book that you are highly anticipating.

The Last Train to Key West
by Chanel Cleeton

Release Date: June 16, 2020
Publisher: Berkley
Genre: Historical Fiction

In 1935 three women are forever changed when one of the most powerful hurricanes in history barrels toward the Florida Keys in New York Times bestselling author Chanel Cleeton’s captivating new novel.

Everyone journeys to Key West searching for something. For the tourists traveling on Henry Flagler’s legendary Overseas Railroad, Labor Day weekend is an opportunity to forget the economic depression gripping the nation. But one person’s paradise can be another’s prison, and Key West-native Helen Berner yearns to escape.

The Cuban Revolution of 1933 left Mirta Perez’s family in a precarious position. After an arranged wedding in Havana, Mirta arrives in the Keys on her honeymoon. While she can’t deny the growing attraction to the stranger she’s married, her new husband’s illicit business interests may threaten not only her relationship, but her life.

Elizabeth Preston’s trip from New York to Key West is a chance to save her once-wealthy family from their troubles as a result of the Wall Street crash. Her quest takes her to the camps occupied by veterans of the Great War and pairs her with an unlikely ally on a treacherous hunt of his own.

Over the course of the holiday weekend, the women’s paths cross unexpectedly, and the danger swirling around them is matched only by the terrifying force of the deadly storm threatening the Keys.

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ANOTHER HISTORICAL FICTION NOVEL BY CHANEL CLEETON?!?! DON’T MIND IF I DO!!!!! I’ve read both Next Year In Havana and When We Left Cuba. Both were 5 star novels. Chanel just knows how to write. Not only does she write an amazing story, she knows how to write characters, plots, and she’s spot on with the History. I have no doubt in my mind that this book will be anything but amazing. June seems so far off but with the way the year is going, it’ll be here in no time.

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Are you looking forward to this book? Have you read Chanel Cleeton before? Let me know in the comments!

Instagram: @chicnerdreads
Twitter: @chicnerdreads

WWW Wednesday

I haven’t done one of these since October of 2017
so please forgive my rustiness lol

Hi everyone! I thought I would participate in WWW Wednesday today. This meme is hosted by Sam over at Taking on a World of Words. You can link your blog post to Sam’s website that way we can interact and find other bloggers =)

The questions are:
1. What are you currently reading?
2. What did you recently finish reading?
3. What do you think you’ll read next?

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I am currently reading an Adult Mystery/Thriller novel titled Miracle Creek by Angie Kim. I’m only about 50 pages in. However, I’m really enjoying it. It’s told by different perspectives but still maintaining a 3rd POV which is really interesting. It has me intrigued enough to want to know what’s going to happen next.

Synopsis:
A literary courtroom drama about a Korean immigrant family and a young, single mother accused of murdering her eight-year-old autistic son

My husband asked me to lie. Not a big lie. He probably didn’t even consider it a lie, and neither did I, at first . . .

In the small town of Miracle Creek, Virginia, Young and Pak Yoo run an experimental medical treatment device known as the Miracle Submarine—a pressurized oxygen chamber that patients enter for therapeutic “dives” with the hopes of curing issues like autism or infertility. But when the Miracle Submarine mysteriously explodes, killing two people, a dramatic murder trial upends the Yoos’ small community.

Who or what caused the explosion? Was it the mother of one of the patients, who claimed to be sick that day but was smoking down by the creek? Or was it Young and Pak themselves, hoping to cash in on a big insurance payment and send their daughter to college? The ensuing trial uncovers unimaginable secrets from that night—trysts in the woods, mysterious notes, child-abuse charges—as well as tense rivalries and alliances among a group of people driven to extraordinary degrees of desperation and sacrifice.

Angie Kim’s Miracle Creek is a thoroughly contemporary take on the courtroom drama, drawing on the author’s own life as a Korean immigrant, former trial lawyer, and mother of a real-life “submarine” patient. An addictive debut novel for fans of Liane Moriarty and Celeste Ng, Miracle Creek is both a twisty page-turner and a deeply moving story about the way inconsequential lies and secrets can add up—with tragic consequences

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I finished Baptized in Moonlight, a poetry collection, written by Morgan Scott. I do plan on reviewing this book so stay tuned for that! This was a 5 star read!

Synopsis:
In this collection of poems, Morgan Scott depicts the story of a young girl turned ferocious woman, and ties her growth to the phases of the moon. Written with the intimacy and unflinching honesty of an untamed spirit scorned and reborn, Baptized in Moonlight is a book for anyone who has ever felt as if the odds were stacked against them. Filled with painful acknowledgments of broken relationships – and the hope of a life lived with wild passion – you will dive to the depths and ascend to new peaks as you begin your own journey through the lunar cycle. This collection is part heartbreak story, part coming of age, part love song, and part battle cry. You will find yourself among the pages, and be spurred to get to know yourself on a deeper level.

 

I also finished Sanctuary (Beards and Bondage #2), a Romance novel with a sprinkle of Erotica, written by Rebekah Weatherspoon. This is a companion novel to her first book, Haven. I loved the characters in this one but I definitely was expecting a little more. I feel like there wasn’t a smooth transition to the romance and them being together sexually. I rated this book 4 stars.

Synopsis:
When she needs a sanctuary…

Targeted by a sadistic former client, attorney Liz Lewis needs a place to lay low. When a friend offers her his family farm as a safe house, she eagerly accepts, unaware that she’ll have to share the farm with her friend’s brawny, beautiful brother, Silas McInroy.

…she invades his…

Weary of a world that doesn’t understand him, Silas just wants to be left alone to grow the best produce upstate New York has to offer. Still, he’s not going to toss a woman out when her safety is on the line. But the only way to explain her presence on his farm is to claim that they fell in love online…and the last thing he needs is a fake relationship that threatens to become more and more real every day.

With her world turned upside down and danger on her trail, Liz knows that this temporary refuge can’t last forever…but leaving the comfort and ease of Silas’s arms and farm to face the reality of her life may be the hardest thing she’s ever had to do.

*** WARNING: This book contains scenes of mild bondage and domination between a gorgeous lawyer and a sexy farmer who is terrible with women. And five farm dogs with varying degrees of loyalty to both the hero and heroine.***

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My next read will be Sabrina & Corina: Stories by Kali Fajardo-Anstine, a collection of short stories. Thanks to the author and Penguin for sending me a final copy of this book. I plan on seeing Kali next week Monday during her book tour here in NYC. I am really excited and would love to read this book before the event.

Synopsis:
A haunting debut story collection on friendship, mothers and daughters, and the deep-rooted truths of our homelands, centered on Latinas of indigenous ancestry that shines a new light on the American West.

Kali Fajardo-Anstine’s magnetic story collection breathes life into her Latina characters of indigenous ancestry and the land they inhabit. Set against the remarkable backdrop of Denver, Colorado–a place that is as fierce as it is exquisite–these women navigate the land the way they navigate their lives: with caution, grace, and quiet force.

In “Sugar Babies,” ancestry and heritage are hidden inside the earth but tend to rise during land disputes. “Any Further West” follows a sex worker and her daughter as they leave their ancestral home in southern Colorado only to find a foreign and hostile land in California. In “Tomi,” a woman leaves prison and finds herself in a gentrified city that is a shadow of the one she remembers from her childhood. And in the title story, “Sabrina & Corina,” a Denver family falls into a cycle of violence against women, coming together only through ritual.

Sabrina & Corina is a moving narrative of unrelenting feminine power and an exploration of the universal experiences of abandonment, heritage, and an eternal sense of home.

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Have you read any of these books or plan too? Let’s chat in the comments!

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Instagram: @chicnerdreads
Twitter: @chicnerdreads

WWW Wednesday

Hi everyone! I thought I would participate in WWW Wednesday today. This meme is hosted by Sam over at Taking on a World of Words. You can link your blog post to Sam’s website that way we can interact and find other bloggers =)

The questions are:
1. What are you currently reading?
2. What did you recently finish reading?
3. What do you think you’ll read next?

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I am currently reading Wild Beauty by Anna Marie McLemore. I just started this beauty of a book last night (Tuesday) and omg the beautiful lyrical writing, the setting, and the characters so far have me swooning. The world is rich and detailed. I really cannot wait to read more! synopsis:

Love grows such strange things.

For nearly a century, the Nomeolvides women have tended the grounds of La Pradera, the lush estate gardens that enchant guests from around the world. They’ve also hidden a tragic legacy: if they fall in love too deeply, their lovers vanish. But then, after generations of vanishings, a strange boy appears in the gardens.

The boy is a mystery to Estrella, the Nomeolvides girl who finds him, and to her family, but he’s even more a mystery to himself; he knows nothing more about who he is or where he came from than his first name. As Estrella tries to help Fel piece together his unknown past, La Pradera leads them to secrets as dangerous as they are magical in this stunning exploration of love, loss, and family.

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I recently finished two poetry books, them being (titles will take you to goodreads): the sun and her flowers by rupi kaur and Pillow Thoughts by Courtney Peppernell, both with ratings of 5 stars. These poetry books are amazing and I will be doing mini reviews for them. I cannot wait to tell you about them! They both are filled with raw emotions and I related to the both of them very well.

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You would think for someone who recently did a september book haul, I would pretty much know what I’m going to read next right? Wrong. I’ve been in the biggest book slump when it comes to reading anything other than poetry and it sucks. I miss reading fictional books but I’ve had a lot going on this year as well. Here is what I’ll try to read next:

Ringer by Lauren Oliver is the second installment in the Replica Trilogy. This is one of my highly anticipated books of 2017. Lauren Oliver is a favorite author of mine and with the way things left off in Replica, I really want to know what is going to happen in Ringer. I have a full spoiler free review of Replica here if you would like to check it out. I am purposely leaving out the synopsis for Ringer =)

 

 

 

 

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Mortician’s Daughter: One Foot in the Grave by C.C. Hunter is the first in a trilogy. This one releases on the day of Halloween and I seriously cannot wait to read it. C.C. Hunter is another favorite author of mine. She wrote my favorite series, Shadow Falls. I cannot believe that the time is already here and Mortician’s Daughter will be out in less than a week! synopsis:

Her dad’s an alcoholic. Her mom passed away when she was young. She sees dead people. Can seventeen-year-old Riley Smith’s life get any crazier? Yes it can.

When Riley’s attempt to help a spirit leads her to the discovery that the young woman’s death wasn’t an accident, she finds herself face-to-face with the killer. And just when things seem like they couldn’t get any more complicated, she’s visited by another ghost, a boy her age, whose smile makes her melt. Her job is to convince him to pass over, but her heart doesn’t want to let him go.

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have you read any of these books or plan too? what’s on your www? let’s chat in the comments below!

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instagram: @chicnerdreads
twitter: @chicnerdreads

WWW Wednesday

Hi everyone! I thought I would participate in WWW Wednesday today. This meme is hosted by Sam over at Taking on a World of Words. You can link your blog post to Sam’s website that way we can interact and find other bloggers =)

The questions are:
1. What are you currently reading?
2. What did you recently finish reading?
3. What do you think you’ll read next?

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This is a cheat but I will be starting it today lol. I received Warcross by Marie Lu at BookCon, after almost catching an anxiety attack because of the line and the madness that was behind it. No seriously, I almost did and I never want to go through that madness ever again. Which is why I didn’t even attempt to get Warbringer by Leigh Bardugo the following day because I knew it was going to be even worse! However, I got to meet Marie Lu and she’s a lovely human being! I cannot wait to see what I think of this book.

 

 

 

 

 

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I recently finished Stalking Jack the Ripper by Kerri Maniscalco and I really liked this book! I rated SJTR a 4 star and I am hoping to have a non spoiler review up sometime this week, fingers crossed. I love the main character and how bad ass she is, especially in an era where misogyny is huge. She loves science and isn’t afraid to admit that she does even when people frown upon her for it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Since I am participating in #ARCAugust (click here for TBR post), the next two books will be ARCs that I also received at BookCon.

DO YOU NOTICE THE THEME HERE?!?! I AM LIVING FOR IT!!! YASSSS SLAY MY LIFE!! I cannot wait to read these two. I am really excited for all the reads. I really can’t wait to read Odd & True, a YA Paranormal Historical Fiction, I’ve seen mixed reviews for it which makes me really curious to see how I’ll feel about it. Hunting Prince Dracula is the second installment to Stalking Jack the Ripper and I am hoping for more amazingness!

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any of these books are on your list? what are you currently reading? i would love to chat in the comments! hope you’re all having a great day!

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Instagram: @chicnerdreads
Twitter: @chicnerdreads

WWW Wednesday & Announcement

Hi everyone! I thought I would participate in WWW Wednesday today. This meme is hosted by Sam over at Taking on a World of Words. You can link your blog post to Sam’s website that way we can interact and find other bloggers =)

The questions are:
1. What are you currently reading?
2. What did you recently finish reading?
3. What do you think you’ll read next?

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what are you currently reading?

I am currently reading Strange the Dreamer by Laini Taylor. And so far I am loving it! I know I know you’re probably thinking “why are you reading this if you DNFed her previous series?” lol well!! I must admit, she’s an amazing writer. And she does create amazing worlds. This one just sounds so good and I couldn’t help myself. My twin Lilly @LairofBooks and I bought the UK HardCover Edition and its sooooo beautiful. I want to melt, the edges of the pages are blue!

Synopsis from Goodreads:
The dream chooses the dreamer, not the other way around—and Lazlo Strange, war orphan and junior librarian, has always feared that his dream chose poorly. Since he was five years old he’s been obsessed with the mythic lost city of Weep, but it would take someone bolder than he to cross half the world in search of it. Then a stunning opportunity presents itself, in the person of a hero called the Godslayer and a band of legendary warriors, and he has to seize his chance or lose his dream forever.

What happened in Weep two hundred years ago to cut it off from the rest of the world? What exactly did the Godslayer slay that went by the name of god? And what is the mysterious problem he now seeks help in solving?

The answers await in Weep, but so do more mysteries—including the blue-skinned goddess who appears in Lazlo’s dreams. How did he dream her before he knew she existed? And if all the gods are dead, why does she seem so real?

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what did you recently finish reading?

I recently finished reading a short poetry chapbook titled Hummingbird by Sophia Elaine Hanson. A mini-review will be up for it in a few days. It was filled with beautiful words and amazing illustrations.

Synopsis from Goodreads:
Hummingbird is her first collection of poetry to come to print. It tells a story of love, loss, and rebirth.

 

 

 

 

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what do you think you’ll read next?

So what had happened was…I started reading this book but then I received Strange the Dreamer in the mail. Thankfully, I wasn’t a full chapter in when I placed it down. But I will be getting back to The Seafarer’s Kiss by Julia Ember once I am done with Strange. I wasn’t supposed to even get this book. It was a pre-order and I received it days later. The Seafarer’s Kiss is a Bisexual Little Mermaid Retelling ❤

Synopsis from Goodreads:
Having long-wondered what lives beyond the ice shelf, nineteen-year-old mermaid Ersel learns of the life she wants when she rescues and befriends Ragna, a shield-maiden stranded on the mermen’s glacier. But when Ersel’s childhood friend and suitor catches them together, he gives Ersel a choice: say goodbye to Ragna or face justice at the hands of the glacier’s brutal king.

Determined to forge a different fate, Ersel seeks help from Loki. But such deals are never as one expects, and the outcome sees her exiled from the only home and protection she’s known. To save herself from perishing in the barren, underwater wasteland and be reunited with the human she’s come to love, Ersel must try to outsmart the God of Lies.

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Announcement

Tonight on Twitter at 7pm EST!!! I will be talking about my debut poetry book. I would love if you can make it. You all can ask questions throughout the chat! =D

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Would love to chat in comments! Thoughts on any of these books? Have you read them? Or plan on too? Hope you all have a lovely day!

if you’re interested in my debut poetry book, click here.

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Instagram: @chicnerdreads
Twitter: @ChicNerdReads
Goodreads: Gretchen (ChicNerdReads)

WWW Wednesday

Hi everyone! I thought I would participate in WWW Wednesday today. This meme is hosted by Sam over at Taking on a World of Words. You can link your blog post to Sam’s website that way we can interact and find other bloggers =)

The questions are:
1. What are you currently reading?
2. What did you recently finish reading?
3. What do you think you’ll read next?

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what are you currently reading?

Been on a reading slump for some of February and so far all of March. I tried reading like 4 different books but none of them caught my attention. I swam and drowned in the reading slump till my friend/blogger buddy Debby @ alwaysbooking surprised me with 2 books!! I still can’t believe this and thank you again Debby!!! One of the books are We Are Okay by Nina LaCour. After reading the synopsis again and seeing how small and short the book is in person, I decided to give it a chance. AND MY SLUMP IS OUT THE WINDOW!!!!! WOOOOOOO!!!!! I am so enjoying this book!

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Marin hasn’t spoken to anyone from her old life since the day she left everything behind. No one knows the truth about those final weeks. Not even her best friend, Mabel. But even thousands of miles away from the California coast, at college in New York, Marin still feels the pull of the life and tragedy she’s tried to outrun. Now, months later, alone in an emptied dorm for winter break, Marin waits. Mabel is coming to visit, and Marin will be forced to face everything that’s been left unsaid and finally confront the loneliness that has made a home in her heart.

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what did you recently finish reading?

I “recently” finished…more like my last book I read many weeks ago was It Starts Like This by Shelby Leigh and I have a full review here. This is a debut poetry collection and I thought it was great! 5 out of 5 stars ❤

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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what do you think you’ll read next?

I’ll be reading another poetry book! I’ve been really in the mood to read this one next. And that is Stuff I’ve Been Feeling Lately by Alicia Cook. Another poetry collection! I got the self-published version but now that she is signed to Andrews McMeel Publishing, her book will be re-released with brand new poems and a brand new take on April 11th!

Synopsis from Goodreads:

In Alicia Cook’s second poetic effort, designed in the style of an old mixtape, she sets her thoughts to a nostalgic tune. There is no Table of Contents. Instead, there is a “Track List,” making it easy to refer to them to your friends with a, “Hey did you read track seven?!” There are no chapters. Instead, the book is divided into two parts, or as one would say in the 90’s, two “sides.” Side A holds poetry that touches on all aspects of the human condition like life, death, love, moving on, evolving, growing up, hometowns, family dynamic, life after trauma, and make-ups and breakups. Side B holds the “remixes” of these poems, in the form of blackout poetry, also known as “found poetry.” Side B gives the material a fresh twist by creating new poetry out of Side A. There is also a very special surprise at the end of each track. 

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thoughts on these titles??? have you read any of these books? let’s chat in the comments!

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Instagram: @chicnerdreads
Twitter: @ChicNerdReads
Goodreads: Gretchen (ChicNerdReads)

Waiting on Wednesday

Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Breaking The Spine. On every Wednesday you discuss a book that you are highly anticipating.

The Seafarer’s Kiss
by Julia Ember

Release Date: May 4th 2017
Publishing House: Duet Books
Genre: LGBTQ, YA, Fantasy, Retelling

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Having long-wondered what lives beyond the ice shelf, nineteen-year-old mermaid Ersel learns of the life she wants when she rescues and befriends Ragna, a shield-maiden stranded on the mermen’s glacier. But when Ersel’s childhood friend and suitor catches them together, he gives Ersel a choice: say goodbye to Ragna or face justice at the hands of the glacier’s brutal king.

Determined to forge a different fate, Ersel seeks help from Loki. But such deals are never as one expects, and the outcome sees her exiled from the only home and protection she’s known. To save herself from perishing in the barren, underwater wasteland and be reunited with the human she’s come to love, Ersel must try to outsmart the God of Lies.

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This book particularly piqued my interest after seeing an aesthetic for it on twitter. Cause Bisexual F/F retelling of The Little Mermaid, plus Norse Mythology, thank you!!!!!!!!!!! CAN I READ THIS BOOK NOW?!?!?! K thanks. I’m just really excited to read this book and I cannot wait to see what’s inside. So far the people who have read it are praising it and I have high hopes. The Little Mermaid is a favorite of mine which has me squealing so hard like a little girl lol.

I’m also really excited to read this because The Seafarer’s Kiss falls under #OwnVoices since the author is a polyamorous, bisexual writer. According to her Goodreads Profile: She regularly takes part in events for queer teens, including those organised by the Scottish Booktrust and LGBT Youth Scotland.

And of course I want to support someone like that. This would be my first Julia Ember’s book. The author also posted this aesthetic on Goodreads under her own review:

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How are you feeling about this? Thoughts? Are you excited as I am? Lol!

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Follow me on Twitter: @ChicNerdReads
Friend me on Goodreads: Gretchen (ChicNerdReads)

Series Saturday

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVE!!!!

Series Saturday is a meme created by P.S. I love that book! in which every Saturday you share your favorite series. And I am so excited!!! Today I am featuring:

Uglies Series by Scott Westerfeld

Genre: YA Dystopian
Year of Publishing: 2005
Publishing House: Simon and Schuster
Order of Books: Uglies, Pretties, Specials, Extras

Synopsis from Goodreads:

Tally is about to turn sixteen, and she can’t wait. In just a few weeks she’ll have the operation that will turn her from a repellent ugly into a stunning pretty. And as a pretty, she’ll be catapulted into a high-tech paradise where her only job is to have fun.

But Tally’s new friend Shay isn’t sure she wants to become a pretty. When Shay runs away, Tally learns about a whole new side of the pretty world– and it isn’t very pretty. The authorities offer Tally a choice: find her friend and turn her in, or never turn pretty at all. Tally’s choice will change her world forever…

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I read this series about 11 years ago (I was a teenager then, the bad ole rebellion days lol) and I remember being so thrilled about discovering this series in my local library. This series was the one that introduced me to the Dystopian genre and I will forever be grateful for that. I loved every second of it, despite the low ratings on Goodreads.

Have you read this series? What are your thoughts? Let’s chat in the comments!

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Follow me on Twitter: @ChicNerdReads
Friend me on Goodreads: Gretchen (ChicNerdReads)

Standalone Sunday

Hello everyone! Standalone Sunday is a weekly meme created by Megan@bookslayerReads. This meme is about Standalone book (that is not part of a series) that you loved and would recommend. Check out her lovely blog, she’s a sweetheart ❤

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The Lovely Bones is the story of a family devastated by a gruesome murder — a murder recounted by the teenage victim. Upsetting, you say? Remarkably, first-time novelist Alice Sebold takes this difficult material and delivers a compelling and accomplished exploration of a fractured family’s need for peace and closure.

The details of the crime are laid out in the first few pages: from her vantage point in heaven, Susie Salmon describes how she was confronted by the murderer one December afternoon on her way home from school. Lured into an underground hiding place, she was raped and killed. But what the reader knows, her family does not. Anxiously, we keep vigil with Susie, aching for her grieving family, desperate for the killer to be found and punished.

Sebold creates a heaven that’s calm and comforting, a place whose residents can have whatever they enjoyed when they were alive — and then some. But Susie isn’t ready to release her hold on life just yet, and she intensely watches her family and friends as they struggle to cope with a reality in which she is no longer a part. To her great credit, Sebold has shaped one of the most loving and sympathetic fathers in contemporary literature.

Click here if you would to add this to your Goodreads TBR.

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I read this one as required reading in high school when it first came out. Ugh, that makes me feel so old lol. But I remember my English teacher wanted us to read it by assigned chapters and the little rebel that I am, did not do that. I read the whole book. Because it was just that good and so impactful to my life. I also highly recommend the movie, yes it changed some things but the plot was on point and never disappointed. Have you read this one? What are your thoughts?

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Follow me on Twitter: @ChicNerdReads
Friend me on Goodreads: Gretchen (ChicNerdReads)