Books I just HAD to buy... and still haven't read

Inspiration for this post: past topic from Top Ten Tuesdays. 

I feel like I have grown and come far enough that I can now say I don't have a shopping addiction anymore. Which is great. I still buy things, sure, but I don't have as big a problem with impulse purchases, or buying things that look great on other people, or a mountain of credit card debt because of all of my stupid purchases.

But.. I still have a teensy bit of a book buying problem. I am definitely better than I once was, but I still like to buy books. It used to be because I wasn't a member of a library here, so I had to rely on my ebook library from back home or books I purchased. Now I am a member of the library (best day of my American life, sorry KC) I buy books when my library doesn't have them or I want them sooner than the library can give them to me. Also sometimes they are so cheap or I know I'll love them and want to own them, so I just buy them. Which is fine. I'm allowed to buy books. I'm a grown ass woman. Also, I love books and reading so it should be fine, right?

Except, when I buy a book, I do one of two things: 

- I read it as soon as I get my hands on it.

- I put it away and don't touch it for years.

There is not really a middle ground for me. But I want to be better about it, so I thought sharing this today would give me the kick up the butt I needed to get to these books that I just HAD to own.

The rest of the Outlander series. I read the first Outlander, loved it, bought the rest and.... that was in 2015. Oops. At this rate, I need to re-read the first one before I continue with the series, which truthfully isn't that much of a hardship.

Frederica and Cotillion - I adored The Grand Sophy so, so, so much that I immediately added all of Georgette Heyer's historical fiction to my TBR and purchased 2 of them. In 2014. Problem is, I know they can't compare to The Grand Sophy, so I'm nervous to read them.

Jane Eyre - yeah, I know. I own 3 copies of this, one I bought in Paris (in 2015)! But I still haven't read it.

The Goddess Test - I accidentally spoiled something for myself by reading the synopsis of the second book, so I'm trying to wait until I forget it.. but honestly, that's stupid because it's not even a spoiler, you know it has to happen for the series to continue, so I need to get over it and read it.

Anna Karenina - another one I bought in 2014. I think this might have been a case of I *should* read it or reading it will make me smart and worldly or something. But on the shelf it sits.

All Our Yesterdays - I was drawn to this book like a moth to a flame, or like a Kristen to a book. Yet I still haven't read it.

The Eyre Affair - this book sounds SO interesting and unique. I have no idea why I haven't read it yet. Another one I bought in 2015.

I Capture the Castle - saw this one on so many favourites lists so I bought it in 2014 or 2015 and yep... still on my shelf.

Shadow and Bone - I am 97% sure I will love this book, which is why I bought it sometime last year. Perhaps I will get to it before I am 50. Maybe.

Across the Universe - it has over 100,000 reviews on Goodreads and sounds right up my book alley, which I am sure is the reason I bought it in 2014. I should probably read it.

Deep blue - mermaids! Sold! I bought this and then read another of her books and was not a fan, so now I'm scared of this one. At least I've read all the others in the picture below...

I Am the Messenger - honestly, I am terrified of reading this. There is no way in hell it can come close to The Book Thief and I shouldn't compare the two but I know I will. 

Matched - 2015, I think? I might have been super into YA and dystopian books. I read less of them now but I still read them. I'm sure I'll get to this one eventually.

Love Walked In - I don't know what made me buy this book in 2016, the title, the cover or the recommendations.. I don't know why I haven't read it yet. Story of my life.

The Life Intended - pretty cover, author's name is Kristin, described as Sliding Doors meets PS I Love You.. have you ever met a book that sounds more like my jam?! Why haven't I read it?

Open Road Summer - Jamie has recommended this one so many times, so I bought it in.. 2015? Maybe earlier? And yeah. Oops.

Emmy & Oliver - totally bought this because it was super hyped when it came out and the cover is gorgeous. That was in 2015. The cover is still pretty, not that I can see it wedged in my bookshelf the way it is.

^ At least I've read 4 books out of that pile...

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet - lots of my goodreads friends like this book and it ticks a lot of boxes for me yet.. it's still sitting there.

The Lumatere Chronicles - purchased all 3 of these because my library didn't have them, I seem to love Melina Marchetta as an adult even though I hated her books as a teen.. I'm sure I will love these but on my shelf they sit.

The Shadow of the Wind - another one that sounds SO interesting and my goodreads friends love it. But... still unread. I bought this in 2016 so.. not that bad.

Jurassic Park - yeah, I know the story, seen the movie a zillion times, but I've heard the book is amazing. So I bought it. Aaaaaannd yep.

Heartless - pre-ordered this because I adored The Lunar Chronicles. I am not an Alice in Wonderland fan, so I'm nervous. I bet myself $100 that I will re-read The Lunar Chronicles before getting to this one.

Disruption duology - this one makes me laugh the most because I needed this book series so badly that I bought it from an Australian website because it wasn't available in the US. I shipped it to my mum and made her bring it with her on her last trip to the US. That was well over a year ago. It's available in the US now and I still haven't read it.

So there you have it. So many books, not enough time to read them all! I know there are even more than the ones listed, I just focused on the ones that I had that feeling of omg absolutely must own this book... so it can sit on my bookshelves for years. According to my goodreads shelves (because we all know I love to obsessively organise) I have 19 books from 2015 and prior, 58 books from 2016 and 55 books from this year. See, I have a problem.

I think my problem is that most of the time I am in the mood for a certain book and I'm not going to force myself to read something I'm not in the mood for. I think yes I want to read this.. just not right now. Which pushes it back and back. That's why I have so many books, whether it's library, netgalley or owned - must have options!

Have you read any of these that I just *had* to own? If so, which should I finally get around to reading?

Books Lately

3rd anniversary of this link up! Time flies when you're having fun, and this is the most fun I have in blogland every month, so thank you Steph & Jana - also, please never ever ever ever stop.

I am still on my romance kick.. honestly, I'm always on some sort of romance kick, but I don't always talk about the romances I read during the link up because I know they aren't everyone's jam. I normally just talk about the ones I really enjoyed or think other people will like. So when I am on a bigger than normal romance kick, I have more to talk about. If you ever want to see all the books I read but don't talk about here, lets be friends on goodreads!

Black Dagger Brotherhood - J.R. Ward - 3/4/5 Stars

romance series about vampire brotherhood

My friend Sara (hi Sara!) recommended this series to me and I gobbled it up. I liked some books more than others, I don't know if I will continue because it started getting too samesies, but if you like fantasy romance (romance people), I recommend. The characters names are absolutely ridiculous though (Wrath, Phury, Rhage, Zsadist....), but you get used to it. I only read the first 6, my favourites were 1, 2 and 3.

Kulti - Mariana Zapata - 5 Stars
soccer romance.. but way better than that sounds

This one was good, really good, I enjoyed it more than Under Locke but nowhere near as much as The Wall of Winnipeg and Me. It was hilarious and I adored Sal. Her inner dialogue was fabulous. Zapata's books are slooooooooooooow burns, you really get to know the characters and watch them build a friendship/relationship. That's good for people who don't like any adult scenes in their books, but it can get a little frustrating (ahem) when you know it's coming eventually. Again, I really enjoyed this, wanted to stay up all night to finish it but had to function at work the next day so I didn't. Still not as fantastic as Winnipeg, but I'll take it.

The Vixen and the Vet - Katy Regnery - 5 Stars
beauty and the beast retelling with veteran 

Ignore the cover. I LOVED this book. It's short, quick, sexy, adorable. It's a Beauty and the Beast retelling, so it's ridiculously unrealistic and predictable but if you like romances I highly recommend. And by romance I mean romance so make sure that's your jam. Also, this author regularly uses her books as fundraisers with proceeds going towards charities that are related to the book (for example, this one donated to Operation Mend and Pets for Vets) so high five to her. I also read Never Let You Go (Hansel and Gretel retelling) and Don't Speak (The Little Mermaid retelling) which are also in the 'series' though they aren't connected in any way. I enjoyed them both.

69 Million Things I Hate About You - Kira Archer - 5 Stars
romance, girl wins lotto, decides not to quit but to see how far until boss fires her

Oh my goodness. Nadine recommended this and I am so glad she did!  This book made me actually laugh out loud, several times. This is a romance so if that's not your jam, stay away. Basically it's a hate to love story, in the challenge of who can blink first they end up falling in love. It's not overly dramatic or angsty but it's not boring either. This is such a cute, light, quick story and I highly recommend it. Bonus, it's only 99 cents on amazon (not an affiliate link!).

Received copy from NetGalley

Just One Damned Thing After Another - Jodi Taylor - 4 Stars
time travel but with humour, romance, mystery and adventure

Took me quite a bit to get into this one, but then I was waiting on my friend and reading this to keep me occupied, so when she arrived I was like DO YOU MIND I AM READING and couldn't wait to get back to it. There are a lot of characters and normally when it's a super character focused book the plot isn't really heavy but there was a lot of plot and things going on. I loved the writing, very simple but enjoyable. There was one page I literally read like 7 times and then when I finished the book, kept going back and reading that page. So good. I requested the rest of the series from the library.

The Trials of the Honorable F. Darcy - Sara Angelini - 4 Stars

modern day pride & prejudice but with lizzy a lawyer and darcy a judge

You know I love a good P&P retelling. If, like me, you just like any semblance of similarity to P&P at all, or you like romances and don't mind a few adult scenes, you might like this. I almost didn't read it but I'm glad I gave it a go as it was seriously enjoyable and fulfilled my P&P retelling need. Not for the Austen purist, honestly you could change the names and no-one would compare it to P&P, so it's good for the non-fans as well.

Pride and Prejudice and Mistletoe - Melissa de la Cruz - 4 Stars

modern day pride & prejudice but with darcy a girl, lizzy is a guy named luke

Oh look another one! I really enjoyed this one, it was super quick and easy, it wasn't too christmassy to be reading in September. It actually hardly felt like a P&P retelling because of the whole Darcy is a girl and Lizzy is a guy named Luke, I kept forgetting who was supposed to be who. It was fun, light and cute, don't be turned off by the P&P title if you're not a fan, just think of it as a cute christmas romance about childhood enemies becoming lovers.

Received copy from NetGalley

The Things We Wish Were True - Marybeth Mayhew Whalen - 4 Stars

secrets in a small neighbourhood

I liked this one more than I expected to when I began it. It was a bit boring at first, but all of a sudden I really like and care about all of the characters (and there are quite a few of them). You see some of the twists coming and are surprised by others. It was an enjoyable read.

Received copy from NetGalley

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian - Sherman Alexie - 4 Stars

teenager living on reservation transfers to an all white school

This was a cute, quirky book. It was also pretty heartbreaking and I definitely teared up a time or two. I liked it more than I thought I would. This was an interesting book and I thought it talked candidly about a lot of heavy subjects, skated over some seriously heavy things like I'd accidentally skip a line and someone had died. Overall, I recommend it, it was the right mix of happy and sad.

Everything, Everything - Nicola Yoon - 4 Stars

girl has disease where she can't go outside, everything will kill her

The hype with this one meant I had super high expectations and I was really preparing for a super intense read, which I don't think I got. It's still good, interesting and surprising, I do recommend it. It's a quick feel good with a dash of wtf read.

Rugby series - L.H. Cosway & Penny Reid - 4/5 Stars
romance series about guys in a rugby team

I loved Penny Reid's series with the beards and this series was just as good. I asbolutely loved the first one, 2 & 3 weren't as good but still funny. Cute little romances that pass the time just fine.

Good Omens - Terry Pratchett & Neil Gaiman - 4 Stars

good & evil try and stop apocalypse - but funny and sarcastic

This book took me FOREVER to get through. KC was reading it on one of our long flights and kept reciting funny lines and telling me I should read it. So I did, and then he didn't even finish it (rage). This book was hilarious, interesting and very unique. But something was missing for me, I kept getting distracted easily or putting it down. I switched between the ebook and audio several times, neither clicking with me. Overall, glad I read it, doubt I'll ever read it again, not inducted into the cult of good omens lovers, but still recommend.

 Jane, Unlimited and Mansfield Park (gonna be honest, bored out of my mind right now) 

Here's where I'm at with Erin's challenge - one book left!

• 5 points: at least 200 pages – My Not So Perfect Life by Sophie Kinsella (448 p)

• 10 points: starts with the letter “B” - Bully by Penelope Ward (333 p)

• 10 points: a (mostly) yellow cover - The Look of Love by Sarah Jio (286 p)

• 15 points: a picture of an animal on the cover -Lingus by Mariana Zapata (275 p)

• 20 points: published in 2017 - Flame in the Mist by Renee Ahdieh (393 p)

• 20 points: a compass or cardinal direction in the title – East by Edith Pattou (507 p)

• 25 points: one of the most commonly banned books – The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian by Sherman Alexie (230 p)

• 30 points: fictional book about mental illness - Wintergirls by Laurie Halse Anderson (278 p) 

• 30 points: non-human main character – Obsidian by Jennifer L. Armentrout (299 p)

• 35 points: based on a Disney movie - The Vixen and the Vet  by Katy Regnery (295 p)

Linking up with Steph & Jana.

TL;DR - I recommend....... well.... if you like romances, any of the ones I talked about. If you don't, I recommend Just One Damned Thing After Another if it sounds like your jam (it's really not too sci-fi-ish at all), The Things We Wish Were True and Good Omens.

Read anything decent lately?

September 2017 Recap - What's New With You Link Up

Good morning everyone! Time for another link up with Gretch & me, all we ask is that you link back somewhere in your post. Thanks a bunch. I'll be doing another monthly recap, or like a highlight reel if you will, as there's not much to recap. Life has certainly slowed down!

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The month started off with a dinner and cocktail date with my girlfriends, including some delicious spinach and artichoke dip. I have never had bad spinach and artichoke dip, seriously. So good.

Updates in the kitchen renovation: electrical, plumbing, HVAC - it's all done. I have running water and a dishwasher! I have a vent in my over the range microwave that vents outside! Very snazzy. Once we were basically done(ish) with the kitchen we celebrated with some 32 degrees.

^ Millie is terrified of the dishwasher which is just hilarious, she just stares at it the whole time it's running

I worked 2 weddings with my friend, and after both we went out to brunch/lunch and I had some delicious cocktails... I'm starting to notice a trend here. Went to kickboxing a couple of times, tried Kroger's new meal kit service thingy and went to a baby shower.

We ended the month with pizza (blaze, so good) and the new Kingsman movie. I loved the first one. This one was funny and good, just not as fabulous as the first one. They go to Kentucky and honestly that had KC and I laughing so hard - was it really funny or was it just funny because we are in Kentucky? Every single person in the theatre was laughing during those bits.

Anywho, so that's about it for me this month. October is already shaping up to be a tad bit busier and before we know it, we'll be in holiday mode! Things just get crazier around the holidays even when you're a grinchy scrooge like me.

If you'd like to link up with us, please do so below

An InLinkz Link-up

So, what's new with you?