Reading Recap: May 2011

As you can tell I haven't been reviewing. Haven't been reading a lot either. All the books I've read this month I read in the first week and a half of May, then nothing! I blame a lot of it on Netflix! I finally joined and am currently working my way through Modern Family and Sons of Anarchy (thanks to @bellie7 & @sweetiepiepen, I'm obsessed!!!!)

1. Dreamfever - Karen Marie Moning  (audiobook) - 5 Chocolate Covered Strawberreis
2. Hex Hall by Rachel Hawkings - 4 Chocolate Covered Strawberries
3. Something Borrowed - Emily Giffin - 3 Chocolate Covered Strawberries
4. Something Blue - Emily Giffin - 3 Chocolate Covered Strawberries
5. The Enemy by Charlie Higson - 3 Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Dreamfever is a "re-read" I'm going through the whole series on audio. Dreamfever and Shadowfever have different narrators than the previous audiobooks. They added a narrator for Barrons and he's verra, verra good!!!! Although I don't like the new female narrator, I prefer the one from the previous audiobooks. But oh well, they got Barrons right! 

Since Dreamfever is a re-read, Hex Hall was definitely the winner this month! I have Demonglass on reserve at the library looking forward to it. I read Something Borrowed & Something Blue because I want to see the movie and have to read the books first! Mostly for John Krasinski though. Love that man! They were okay. I enjoyed them but didn't love them. The Enemy was actually really good but pretty depressing which is why it didn't get a higher rating.

I also started several other books this month but didn't finish them. Not that they're DNF's just haven't finished them yet! Those are:

1. Putting Makeup on Dead People by  Jen Voili
2. City of Fallen Angels by Cassandra Clare
3. The Iron Duke by Meljean Brook

Hopefully, I'll get back in the swing of things. Probably after I finish Sons of Anarchy though!

Reading Recap: March 2011

1. Faefever by Karen Marie Moning (audio book) - 5 Chocolate Covered Strawberries
2. Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen & Nancy Butler, Illustrated by Hugo Petrus (Graphic Novel) - 4 Chocolate Covered Strawberries
3. Lessons in French by Laura Kinsale - 4 Chocolate Covered Strawberries
4. The Last Little Blue Envelope by Maureen Johnson - 4 Chocolate Covered Strawberries (Review to come)
5. Delirium by Lauren Oliver - 4 Chocolate Covered Strawberries
6. Between Here and Forever by Elizabeth Scott - 3 Chocolate Covered Strawberries (Review to come)
7. Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro - 2 Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Also reviewed in March:

• Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green & David Levithan - 3 Chocolate Covered Strawberries

My road trip out to Texas got my April reading off to a good start! I got both Lover Unleashed by J.R. Ward and Lord of Scoundrels by Loretta Chase read on the drive out! All the traveling was good for reading but not so much for reviewing. I have a lot to catch up on! Hope everyone else had a good reading month in March!

Reading Recap: February 2011

Read in February:
Wild Man Creek by Robyn Carr - 5 Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Shadowfever by Karen Marie Moning - 5 Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Darkness Becomes Her by Kelly Keaton - 4 Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Eddie & the Cruisers by P.F. Kluge - 4 Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Listened to in February:
Darkfever by Karen Marie Moning - 4 Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Bloodfever by Karen Marie Moning - 4 Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green & David Levithan - 3 Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Other books reviewed in February:
The Help by Kathryn Stockett - 5 Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Promise Canyon by Robyn Carr - 3 Chocolate Covered Strawberries

My favorite read from this month was definitely Shadowfever. Loved seeing the conclusion to Mac's story!

I still have yet to hit the 10 books in a month mark. But I'll keep trying! How was your February?

Reading Recap: January 2011

I didn't read as many books in January as I thought I did. Because many of the reviews I posted in January were books I actually finished in December.

Read in January:

1. The Help by Kathryn Stockett (Audio book) - 5 Chocolate Covered Strawberries (Review to come!)
2. The Book of Tomorrow by Cecelia Ahern - 4 Chocolate Covered Strawberries
3. Libertine's Kiss by Judith James - 4 Chocolate Covered Strawberries
4. Eddie and the Cruisers by P.F. Kluge - 4 Chocolate Covered Strawberries
5. Promise Canyon by Robyn Carr - 3 Chocolate Covered Strawberries (Review to come!)

Currently Reading

1. Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green & David Levithan (Audio book)
2. Wild Man Creek by Robyn Carr

Read in December but reviewed in January:

1. Anna & the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins - 5 Chocolate Covered Strawberries
2. Night Betrayed by Joss Ware - 4 Chocolate Covered Strawberries
3. Cryer's Cross by Lisa McMann - 3 Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Of the books I actually read in January the two that stand out the most are The Help which was amazing on audio but it's such complex story, I'm having trouble writing my review. Keep an eye out for it though! Secondly, was Judith James' Libertine's Kiss. I've mentioned this before but Judith James and Courtney Milan are easily two of my favorite historical romance authors. If you have read them, get on it!!!!

How is 2011 starting off for everyone else?

Reading Recap: 2010

Here it is, my reading recap for 2010 highlighting my favorite and least favorite books of the year. I begin with the bad, just to get it out of the way. Followed by my list of favorites; categories include Favorite New Series, YA, Romance, and I end with my favorite book of the year.

Any guesses on that one?! I'll give you a hint: J to the motherfucking M! Ahem, pardon my French. Without further ado:

Disappointing Reads

 Jane by April Lindner

The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff

Favorite New Series

Downside Ghosts by Stacia Kane

Envy Chronicals by Joss Ware

Mind Games by Carolyn Crane

Young Adult

My Most Excellent Year by Steve Kluger

Wolves, Boys, and Other Things That Might Kill Me by Kristen Chandler

If I Stay by Gayle Forman

Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare

Romance

Broken Wing by Judith James

Proof by Seduction by Courtney Milan

Favorite Book of the Year

Lover Mine by J.R. Ward

Any of these make anyone else's top picks for 2010?

Reading Recap: November 2010

Well this certainly won't be a very long post since I haven't been reading or reviewing much this month! Here is my sad list for November:

Dark Lover by J.R. Ward (audio book) - 4 Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Lover Eternal by J.R Ward (audio book) - 4 Chocolate Covered Strawberries
All I Ever Wanted by Kristan Higgins - 3 Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Abandon the Night by Joss Ware - 3 Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Currently reading:

Mind Games by Carolyn Crane
Night Betrayed by Joss Ware

With winter finally settling in here in Ohio, I'm hoping I'll feel more like curling up with a book and will get more read next month! Although with the holidays, reading time may be scarce yet again!

Reading Recap: October 2010

1. If I Stay by Gayle Forman - 5 Chocolate Covered Strawberries
2. Lover Mine by J.R. Ward - 5 Chocolate Covered Strawberries
3. The Black Dagger Brotherhood: An Insider's Guide by J.R. Ward - 5 Chocolate Covered Strawberries
4. Staying Fat for Sarah Byrnes by Chris Crutcher - 4 Chocolate Covered Strawberries
5. Nothing Like You by Lauren Strasnick - 4 Chocolate Covered Strawberries
6. The Exile: An Outlander Graphic Novel by Diana Gabaldon & Hoang Nguyen - 3 Chocolate Covered Strawberries
7. The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff - DNF

Grrr! Only seven books this month. My goal is to get 10 books read in a month. I might have gotten there this month but I spent over a week struggling through The Replacement. I'm  almost finished with the audio version of Dark Lover. My review of that should be up later this week! My favorites from this month are hands down, Lover Mine and If I Stay. Two completely different books books but I loved them both! I can't wait for the next BDB book and I'm looking forward to the sequel to If I Stay, Where She Went. Both books aren't out until the spring! *pouts*

How was your October?!

Reading Recap: September 2010

1. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie - 5 Chocolate Covered Strawberries
2. A Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare - 4 Chocolate Covered Strawberries
3. Maybe This Time by Jennifer Crusie - 4 Chocolate Covered Strawberries
4. One Foot in the Grave by Jeaniene Frost - 4 Chocolate Covered Strawberries
5. Sh*t My Dad Says by Justin Halpern - 4 Chocolate Covered Strawberries
6. The DUFF by Kody Keplinger - 4 Chocolate Covered Strawberries
7. Trial by Desire by Courtney Milan - 4 Chocolate Covered Strawberries
8. Halfway to the Grave by Jeaniene Frost - 3 Chocolate Covered Strawberries
9. Jane by April Lindner - 2 Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Nine books this month and I really enjoyed the majority of what I read, as you can tell by the abundance of 4 chocolate covered strawberry ratings!

I wasn't a huge fan of Cat, the heroine in Halfway to the Grave, but she redeemed herself in the second book. I'm finally glad I got around to reading her story, if for no other reason than... BONES!  As for Jane, well yeah,  didn't care for it so much!

How was your September? Favorite/least favorite reads?

Reading Recap: August 2010

So I only read 6 books this month. I read the entire Downside Ghost series by Stacia Kane and I re-read both The Hunger Games and Catching Fire before reading Mockingjay. Just a so-so month. Although I LOVED the Downside series. I rated the series as a whole instead of individually. Here were my reads:

The Downside Ghost series by Stacia Kane -5 Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins -5 Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Catching Fire by Suzanne Collins - 4 Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins - 4 Chocolate Covered Strawberries
Infamous by Suzanne Brockmann - DNF

I don't know why I can't get through Infamous. I love Brockmann but I was halfway through the book when I went to New Orleans and didn't get anything read during my traveling. Then when I returned I re-read Hunger Games and Catching Fire followed by Mockingjay so when I picked Infamous back up I just couldn't get back into it. I had been enjoying up to that point but I figured I'd just mark it as DNF. I may revisit it again in the future!

September is starting off well, I'm almost finished with The DUFF by Kody Keplinger then I plan on picking up Cassandra Clare's A Clockwork Angel, my second most anticipated book of the year after Mockingjay!

How was your August? What are your reading plans for September?!

Reading Recap: July 2010

Well, I did much better than last month where I only finished ONE, yes just ONE, book! This month I finished 9 books. Here were my reads and ratings for this month:

Broken Wing by Judith James

My Most Excellent Year by Steve Kluger

Lady Isabella's Scandalous Marriage by Jennifer Ashley

Ship Breaker by Paolo Bacigalupi

The Summer I Turned Pretty by Jenny Han

Unholy Magic by Stacia Kane

Embrace the Night Eternal by Joss Ware

Forget You by Jennifer Echols

Lover Avenged by J.R. Ward

My favorite read from this month was My Most Excellent Year, which I didn't review. I'll try soon. But I just loved it soooo much that I'm having trouble formulating a coherent review! I also loved Broken Wing and Unholy Ghosts. Both feature seriously flawed characters and I love it when an author can make you LOVE a flawed character!

My least favorite read this month was definitely Forget You by Jennifer Echols. It left a bad taste in my mouth and turned me off of YA for the moment. I'll be reading several adult books before I return to YA. 

How was everyone else's July? Favorite and least favorite reads?

Reading Recap: June 2010

It's killing me to see all these monthly reads re-cap posts with people reading 30, 20, even 10 books. I had a horrible month. I read ONE. BOOK. That's right, ONE. I have 2 reviews up. But Beyond the Night I actually read in May, and was listed on my May Reading Recap.

And that one book I "read" was an audiobook, so I actually listened to one book and "read", gulp, none. Fuck me. Sorry, I don't cuss a lot on this blog, but FUCK! Zero books read! Zero!

I'm almost done with Lover Avenged, but according to my Gooodreads account I started it on JUNE 6th. And I'm still not finished with it. Fuuuuuck! It's mostly due to not having any spare time to read.

I'm also listening to The Screwtape Letters by C.S. Lewis. Have about one disc left to listen to.

So here's what I "read" in June:

Graceling by Kristen Cashore (audiobook)


That's it! I hope July is a better month for me. How did y'all do in June?

Reading Recap: May 2010

Hope everyone had a great Memorial Day weekend! It's that time again, reviewing all my reads from the past month. I read 6 books this month, got 3 of them reviewed. I'm still planning on posting my reviews of Beyond the Night and Tyger, Tyger. Here is a breakdown of my reads by rating:

Wolves, Boys and Other Things That Might Kill Me by Kristen Chandler

Tyger, Tyger by Kersten Hamilton (via Netgalley)

Beyond the Night by Joss Ware

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou

Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles
Lover Enshrined by J.R. Ward

Up next I'm reading Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut for my Book Club followed by Dead and Gone by Charlene Harris. That's about as far as I've planned.

So what was everyone's favorite read from this month? Mine was probably Tyger, Tyger by Kersten Hamilton.

Reading Recap: April 2010

Alright, I read more than one book in April! That makes it 100x better than last month! So here's a summary. I want to get some reviews written of Megan Hart's books since they were my first experience with erotica. Hopefully I'll find some time soon to get them written! Here's a breakdown by rating:

Five chocolate covered strawberries:

Proof by Seduction by Courtney Milan
The Sky is Everywhere by Jandy Nelson


Four chocolate covered strawberries:

Magic Lost, Trouble Found by Lisa Shearin
Naked by Megan Hart
Tempted by Megan Hart

Three chocolate covered strawberries:

Incarceron by Catherine Fisher
Sharp Teeth by Toby Barlow

Only one book in March, seven in April; a vast improvement I'd say! How was your April?!

January & February Reads 2010

Originally I had just my February reads but since the list was so pathetically small I decided to add my January reads as well. Have also included their grades:


January:

5 Chocolate Covered Strawberries:

Angela's Ashes by Frank McCourt (Book Club selection)

4 Chocolate Covered Strawberries:

Forbidden Falls by Robyn Carr
Life As We Knew It by Susan Beth Pfiffer (Book Club selection)

3 Chocolate Covered Strawberries:

From Dead to Worse by Charlene Harris

DNF:

At Face Value by Emily Franklin - Note, it was a DNF not b/c the book was bad but I was just not feeling it at the time. I may go back and try again at another time.

February:

5 Chocolate Covered Strawberries:

Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles (Review coming soon!)
The Road by Cormac McCarthy (Review coming soon!)

Four Chocolate Covered Strawberries:

Moonlight Road by Robyn Carr

3 Chocolate Covered Strawberries:

Angel's Peak by Robyn Carr

8 books and one DNF. And I'm STILL reading the 3rd book in the Jack Reacher series, Tripwire, by Lee Child. I WILL finish it. I just kept getting distracted by other books!