Hello halfway thorugh 2019

Wow its already halfway through the year and I am just now writing my first blog. I have had a rough year so far. I lost my dad on March 8th. I have since then celebrated my 32nd birthday and Father's Day without him for the first time. His birthday is next month I know that it will be hard day too. I know it doesn't seem like a lot but I cant begin to tell you how hard that was. I mean there are still days that I go to pick up the phone to call him and tell him something about my day or something crazy that's going on at the house and then I realize that I cant and put the phone back down. It wasn't a surprise thing that he passed, I mean we knew it was going to happen and I had prepared myself for that, but what they fail to tell you to prepare for is after a loved one is gone. They don't prepare you for what you have to go through. I know he is in a better place and he is watching over me. There are days that I think he is sending me signs telling me that everything is okay. I still remember the last things he said to me. I know that I haven't grieved properly and that may be my fault but its a process that I am working through. I am angry at people that I really don't think that I need to be angry at. I mean when the time comes they are going to have to deal with the consequences of their actions and have to answer for them, not me so I guess I should let that be karma or punishment enough. But I think I would feel better if I could just slap the shit out of them once. One good thing did come out of all this, my brother and sister in law moved back home, so that's a plus. I get to see my niece and nephew more now. I will be moving in to my dads house at the end of the month, so that's another big change that will be happening. I think it will be good, some closure maybe. Or it could be the worst thing you never know.
 
Happier things, my best friends boys, Emmett and Bryson have birthdays this month and I cant wait to see their faces when they get their presents from Aunt Lala. It took me forever to find something that they wanted. Three dragons from How to Train Your Dragon pt3 for Emmett and a RC Flatbed truck for Bryson. Yay!
 
I started doing the 2019 Popsugar Reading Challenge, 2019 Read Harder Challenge and the Modern Mrs. Darcy Reading Challenge. I also picked up the reading challenge that my local library was having. I made a goal to read 130 books this year and at halfway I have read 61/130 books.

• Popsugar books read 34/50
• Read Harder books read 20/24
• MMD books read 7/12
• Library Challenge books read 15/24

 
I have 34 books left to read for all four challenges and that will put me at 110 books read, so I will have 20 more to read and I have recently bought so many that I want to read that wouldn't fit into any category, so I am pretty sure that I got this lol. I also have all of next week off from work, for my mandatory break in service for the Post Office so I plan on getting some reading in.
 
I am currently reading:

1. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides my hold finally came in at the library for it.
2. Manson: the Life and Times of Charles Manson by Jeff Guinn
3. Killers of the Flower Moon: the Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann, my hold came in from Libby as well.

All three of these complete a prompt for at least one of the challenges lol
 
 
Here are my monthly read so far:

Title	Author	Date Complete
January Reads
1. The Favorite Daughter	Kaira Rouda	01/04/19
2. The Night Before	Wendy Walker	01/06/19
3. Ready Player One	Ernest Cline	01/08/19
4. Force of Nature	Jane Harper	01/10/19
5. People Like Us	Dana Mele	01/11/19
6. Red Hill	Jamie McGuire	01/14/19
7. MEG	Steven Atlen	01/21/19
8. Lottie and the Rustler	Linda Lea Castle	01/23/19
9. Chickens in Mittens	Adam Lehrhaupt	01/25/19
10. The Party	Robyn Harding	01/31/19
February Reads
1. Harriet the Spy	Louise Fitshugh	02/02/19
2. Dry	Neil Shusterman	02/05/19
3. The Horror of High Ridge	Julius Goodman	02/09/19
4. The Westing Game	Ellen Raskin	02/11/19
5. One Crazy Summer	Rita Willliams Garcia	02/12/19
6. Pippi Goes on Board	Astrid Lindgrin	02/13/19
7. When Dimple Met Rishi	Sandhya Menon	02/14/19
8. Alice in Wonderland	Lewis Carroll	02/15/19
9. The Gifting	K.E Ganshert	02/18/19
10. Sharon Tate and the Manson Murders	Gary King	02/22/19
11. Force of Nature	Dana Mentink	02/25/19
12. Voices of Siloam	Leah Burt	02/26/19
March Reads
1. Obsidio	Amie Kaufman	03/22/19
2. If I Was Your Girl	Meredith Russo	03/22/19
3. Advent of Dying	Carol Anne O'Marie	03/26/19
4. Perfect Chemistry	Simone Elkeles	03/27/19
April Reads
1. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies	Seth Graham-Smith	04/02/19
2. Forever Words: the Unknown Poems	Johnny Cash	04/04/19
3. Bittersweet	LaVryle Spencer	04/10/19
4. The Witch Tree Symbol	Carolyn Keene	04/11/19
5. Love Letters to the Dead	Ava Dellaira	04/11/19
6. Sugar Daddy	Lisa Kleypas	04/12/19
7. Lumberjanes #1	Noelle Stevenson	04/14/19
8. The Broken Girls	Simone St.James	04/15/19
9. Maximum Ride Vol 1	James Patterson	04/16/19
10. Piecing Me Together	Renee Watson	04/18/19
11. Insurgent	Veronica Roth	04/19/19
12. The Glass Forest	Cynthia Swanson	04/20/19
13. Sleeping Murder	Agatha Christie	04/20/19
14. Legend	Marie Lu	04/22/19
15. Scary Stories to Tell in The Dark	Alvin Shwartz	04/22/19
16. Come Sundown	Nora Roberts	04/25/19
17. The Outsider	Stephen King	04/30/19
May Reads
1. We Are Okay	Nina LaCour	05/01/19
2. The Haunting of Hill House	Shirley Jackson	05/02/19
3. Warcross	Marie Lu	05/06/19
4. Meet Molly	Valarie Tripp	05/09/19
5. Charmed Bones	Carolyn Hines	05/09/19
6. A Stanger on the Beach	Michelle Campbell	05/10/19
7. Scarlet	Marissa Meyer	05/13/19
8. Beartown	Fredrick Backman	05/16/19
9. Prodigy	Marie Lu	05/20/19
10. The Last Time I Lied	Riley Sager	05/22/19
11. The Stranger in the Woods	Micheal Finkle	05/23/19
12. A Princess in Theory	Alyssa Cole	05/29/19
13. The Kiss Quotient	Helen Hoang	05/22/19
June
1.Like Water for Chocolate	Laura Esquical	06/03/19
2.Go Ask Alice	Anonymous	06/04/19
3.The Sun is Also a Star	Nicola Yoon	06/08/19
4.Meddling Kids	Edgar Cantero	06/12/19
5.Five Feet Apart	Rachel Lippincott	06/12/19

 
 

Books Read in 2019

January

1. The Favorite Daughter by Kaira Rouda
2. The Night Before by Wendy Walker
3. Ready Player One by Ernest Cline
4. Force of Nature by Jane Harper
5. People Like Us by Dana Mele
6. Red Hill by Jamie McGuire
7. MEG by Steven Atlen
8. Lottie and the Rustler by Linda Lea Castle
9. Chickens in Mittens by  Adam Lehrhaupt
10. The Party by Robyn Harding

 

February

 

1. Harriet the Spy by Louise Fitzhugh
2. Dry by Neil Shusterman
3. The Horror of High Ridge by Julius Goodman
4. The Westing Game by Ellen Raskin
5. One Crazy Summer by Rita Williams-Garcia
6. Pippi Goes on Board by Astrid Lindgrin
7. When Dimple Met Rishi by Sandhya Menon
8. Alice in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
9. The Gifting by K.E. Ganshert
10. Sharon Tate and the Manson Murders by Gary King
11. Force of Nature by Dana Mentink
12. Voices of Siloam by Leah Burt

March

1. Obsidio by Amie Kaufman
2. If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo
3. Advent of Dying by Carol Anne O'Marie
4. Perfect Chemistry by Simone Elkeles

April

1. Pride and Prejudice and Zombies by Seth Graham-Smith
2. Forever Words: the Unknown Poems by Johnny Cash
3. Bittersweet by LaVyrle Spencer
4. The Witch Tree Symbol by Carolyn Keene
5. Love Letters to the Dead by Ava Dellaira
6. Sugar Daddy by Lisa Kleypas
7. Lumberjanes #1 by Noelle Stevenson
8. The Broken Girls by Simone St.James
9. Maximum Ride Vol 1 by James Patterson
10. Piecing Me Together by Renee Watson
11. Insurgent by Veronica Roth
12. The Glass Forest by Cynthia Swanson
13. Sleeping Murder by Agatha Christie
14. Legend by Marie Lu
15. Scary Stories to Tell in The Dark by Alvin Shwartz
16. Come Sundown by Nora Roberts
17. The Outsider by Stephen King

May

1. We Are Okay by Nina LaCour
2. The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
3. Warcross By Marie Lu 
4. Meet Molly By Valarie Tripp
5. Charmed Bones by Carolyn Haines
6. A Stanger on the Beach by Michelle Campbell
7. Scarlet by Marissa Meyer
8. Beartown by Fredick Backman
9. Prodigy by Marie Lu
10. The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager
11. The Stranger in the Woods by Micheal Finkle
12. A Princess in Theory by Alyssa Cole
13. The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang

June

1. Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquical
2. Go Ask Alice by Anonymous (Beatrice Sparks)
3. The Sun Is Also A Star by Nicola Yoon
4. Meddling Kids by Edgar Cantero
5. Five Feet Apart by Rachel Lippincott
6. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
7. Manson: the Life and Times of Charles Manson by Jeff Guinn

July

1. An Anonymous Girl by Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
2. Stone Mothers by Erin Kelly

Girl's NIght Out by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke

For estranged friends Ashley, Natalie, and Lauren, it’s time to heal the old wounds between them. Where better to repair those severed ties than on a girls’ getaway to the beautiful paradise of Tulum, Mexico? But even after they’re reunited, no one is being completely honest about the past or the secrets they’re hiding. When Ashley disappears on their girls’ night out, Natalie and Lauren have to try to piece together their hazy memories to figure out what could have happened to her, while also reconciling their feelings of guilt over their last moments together.
Was Ashley with the man she’d met only days before? Did she pack up and leave? Was she kidnapped? Or worse—could Natalie or Lauren have snapped under the weight of her own lies?
As the clock ticks, hour by hour, Natalie and Lauren’s search rushes headlong into growing suspicion and dread. Maybe their secrets run deeper and more dangerous than one of them is willing—or too afraid—to admit.

First all thank you Net Galley for a chance to read this before it hits shelves next month. OMG this book had me going the whole time. I liked how the story was told, with the nights leading up and the days after what happened. I also like that it was told from all three friends POV's. I had my suspicions about what was going on, I mean everyone had a reason for what happened, and the ending really got me. I mean I thought I had it figured out until I read the last entry for Ashley, and then my mind was blown. I didn't really care for any of the husbands or the death friend as Lauren liked to call Annie. I mean I know why they had to be in the story I just wanted to slap them lol. I can see where Natalie and Lauren were both coming from. I felt like Ashley was being selfish also. This was the first book by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke, but it won't be my last for sure.

The New Girl by Ingrid Alexandra

You’ve only just met.
But she already knows you so well.
When Rachel moves into the spare room in Mary’s flat, everyone is quick to jump to the conclusion that there’s something strange about her. Everyone apart from Mary.

And when Rachel starts sleepwalking, everyone’s fears grow. But there’s something about the new girl that Mary can’t help but trust, and having recently escaped a toxic relationship, she needs the support.

Rachel becomes a friend and an ally, and Mary soon discovers that they have more in common than she ever could have imagined.

In fact, Rachel seems to know more about Mary than she knows about herself…

First of all thank you Net Galley and Ingrid Alexandra for the chance to read this before it hits shelves later this year in return for an honest review. At first I was kind of confused on what was going on I wont lie, but the further I read, it started to make sense to me, I didn't have the ending figured out yet. I really liked her friend Cat, and was a little worried about Rachel for sure, I mean she just gave off that vibe. The diary entries is what made me confused, but I liked it in the en First of all thank you Net Galley and Ingrid Alexandra for the chance to read this before it hits shelves later this year in return for an honest review. At first I was kind of confused on what was going on I wont lie, but the further I read, it started to make sense to me, I didn't have the ending figured out yet. I really liked her friend Cat, and was a little worried about Rachel for sure, I mean she just gave off that vibe. The diary entries is what made me confused, but I liked it in the end. I liked the ending it made all the ties and connections I needed for the book to make sense to me

The Surviving Girls by Katee Robert

Twelve years ago, Lei Zhang and her friend Emma Nilsson miraculously lived through the notorious Sorority Row Murders that left twenty-one of their sisters dead. Still wrestling with the trauma but finally out of the limelight, Lei and Emma are now devoted to helping other victims find closure. But most disturbing for Lei—beyond the gut-wrenching survivor guilt—is that the killer was her boyfriend. He’s behind bars, but she’ll never lower her guard again.
When a copycat killer targets Lei and Emma, FBI Agent Dante Young is put in charge of anticipating the sociopath’s every move. But what he doesn’t expect is his immediate and overpowering attraction to Lei. The closer they get to each other, the more desperate and terrifying the questions become: Who wants to finish what the killer started—and why?
Now Agent Young vows to protect Lei at all costs. If they have any chance of a future together, first they have to stay alive…

First all thank you for the opportunity to read this book. One word: AMAZING. This book had it all for me, romance, revenge, killing, and the best ending ever. I cant say enough about this book. I loved all the characters and the twists that were thrown in were perfect. I love books about things like this. I want to go back and read the other two in the series now.

The Date by Louise Jenson

Something bad has happened to Alison Taylor.

Her Saturday night started normally. Recently separated from her husband, Ali has been persuaded by her friends to go on a date with a new man. She is ready, she is nervous, she is excited. She is about to take a step into her new future.

By Sunday morning, Ali’s life is unrecognizable. She wakes, and she knows that something is wrong. She is home, she is alone, she is hurt and she has no memory of what happened to her.

Worse still, when she looks in the mirror, Ali doesn’t recognize the face staring back at her. She can’t recognize her friends and family. And she can’t recognize the person who is trying to destroy her…

First I want to thank Net Galley, Louise Jensen and Bookouture for the chance to read this before it hits shelves. This was my second book by Jensen and it won't be my last This book is about Ali who goes on a date and the next morning cant remember anything. It was a little strange and took me a little bit to get in to but once I did it was non stop reading. She ends up with a medical condition that makes her not be able to remember faces and this causes a problem for her since some one it out First I want to thank Net Galley, Louise Jensen and Bookouture for the chance to read this before it hits shelves. This was my second book by Jensen and it won't be my last This book is about Ali who goes on a date and the next morning cant remember anything. It was a little strange and took me a little bit to get in to but once I did it was non stop reading. She ends up with a medical condition that makes her not be able to remember faces and this causes a problem for her since some one it out to get her. It had me guessing like three different people for the person behind everything and when the final twist got thrown in there I was open mouthed shocked! I can see why but it was still not what I had foreseen coming. This book was good. I liked the ending the best.

Baby Teeth by Zoje Stage

Meet Hanna.

She’s the sweet-but-silent angel in the adoring eyes of her Daddy. He’s the only person who understands her, and all Hanna wants is to live happily ever after with him. But Mommy stands in her way, and she’ll try any trick she can think of to get rid of her. Ideally for good.

Meet Suzette.

She loves her daughter, really, but after years of expulsions and strained home schooling, her precarious health and sanity are weakening day by day. As Hanna’s tricks become increasingly sophisticated, and Suzette's husband remains blind to the failing family dynamics, Suzette starts to fear that there’s something seriously wrong, and that maybe home isn’t the best place for their baby girl after all.

From blazing new talent Zoje Stage, Baby Teeth is a story about a perfect-looking family, and a darling little girl who wants nothing more than to kill her mother.  

First I want to thank Net Galley, St. Martins Press and Zoje Stage for the opportunity to read this book before it hits shelves next month. WOW is all I can say. I will say that this may not be for everyone, but it is a good book. I was hesitant to start it just from reading the blurb, but I read it in one day. I had to know what was going on with little Hanna and her mommy. I was a little turned off on some things that Hanna did, I won't lie. This book is different from any other book that I read just because I think the villain is a child, and not an adult. This story is told from Hanna and Suzette's point of view. I liked that, because yeah Hanna doesn't talk but we get to see her view on things. At the beginning I didn't care for Alex, the husband, just because I thought that he was spoiling and not listening to his wife when she would tell him the things that Hanna had done. I like the fact that Suzette stood firm in her belief that there was something wrong with her daughter. I also liked that they finally found some one that was willing to help them as a family. The ending was a little rushed for me, but all in all it wasn't a bad book.