That’s right, still doing these! You’ll notice that in this edition there are some not-so-favorable reviews (understatement). I don’t know what the deal is but I read a lot of trash over the last few months. I can’t even imagine being a person who determines which books get published. Maybe this stuff slips through the cracks because there are other books out there that are EVEN WORSE?! The horror. The reason I’m including them is so that you all don’t waste your time reading these books like I did. It’s a public service, really.

Carry On by Rainbow Rowell. Okay, so an earlier book of hers (Fangirl, which I liked) is about an 18 year old girl who writes fan fiction based on a series of books about a teenage wizard. (You see where I’m going with this). There are excerpts of her writing in Fangirl, so you start to get a sense of the theme and characters. Carry On is then the fan fiction from Fangirl. It’s a horribly watered down version of Harry Potter with a lot of parallels- orphan boy finds out he’s magical at age 11 and is taken to a school. I had to stop reading when I got to the part where they reference a prophecy that he would be the “magician” to defeat evil and restore peace to the magical world. Sound familiar? Not okay with this. There’s even a Hagrid wannabe. Done.

Wait quick pause for an anecdote. On my first date ever with the GS we were talking about how he speaks French and on the menu they had “haricot verts” and he asked if I knew how to pronounce it and I said yes and then he said “Yeah, you don’t really say the ‘h’, it’s like ‘Arry Potter!” And then I knew I was in love.

Just kidding I didn’t but I hadn’t even confessed my love for JKR at that point so it seemed like serendipity. Moving on.

After You by Jojo Moyes. The sequel to Me Before You! I talked about this in my very first Kindle post. I wanted to love the sequel, but it was just okay. I think I gave it 3 stars. It’s worth reading if you loved the first one, but don’t let your hopes get too high.

Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling. Her second book- the first one is Is Everyone Hanging out Without Me? I definitely liked the first one better, but this was entertaining for sure. And such a quick read. I know a lot of people hate her but I think she’s hilarious and I love that she’s super smart and a power career woman.

Pretty Girls by Karen Slaughter. I should have guessed that a book written by a woman with the last name “Slaughter” might be scary. Now, I’m a big baby, but I would say this toes the line between thriller and horror. Unbeknownst to me, my family was watching me read the end of it over Thanksgiving and cracking up at my facial expressions. My heart was racing and I was sweating. I haven’t reacted to a book like that in a long time, so even though it’s scary I guess I have to recommend it.

I Take You by Eliza Kennedy. If you believe in marriage, I wouldn’t recommend reading this book. It essentially glorifies cheating and lying and being a terrible person. I think it’s supposed to be funny, and some parts were, but I found the narrator to be so un-likeable that I think I missed a lot of the comedy.

Copygirl by Michelle Sassa & Anna Mitchael. It took two people to write this book?! It had great reviews on Amazon, which further confirms that I am more judgmental than the average person. It’s told from the perspective of a 24 year old struggling at an advertising agency in NYC. One of the reviews on Amazon compared it to Mad Men. Okay people, just because something is loosely related to advertising does not make it like Mad Men. It sounds like it’s written by a 15 year old about what she thinks it might be like to be 24. Terrible.

Infinite In Between by Carolyn Mackler. I think I would have loved this book if I read it in high school. Kind of a cool premise- told from the perspective of 5 students in the same freshman orientation group, all going through the trials and tribulations of high school. I think it caught some great moments about high school, but I’m a little bit past that point in my life. Maybe I should stop reading YA books? I think I not-so-secretly hope that they’ll all be as amazing as Looking for Alaska.

Hausfrau by Jill Alexander Essbaum. This is a modern day Anna Karenina, about an American woman living in Switzerland with her Swiss husband and 3 children. Based on the cover you would think it was a somewhat trashy romance novel, but it was on the New York Times bestseller list so I gave it a shot. Much more literary than I expected, but I wish it had a little less poeticism and a little more plot. I struggled to finish it.

The Grownup by Gillian Flynn. I was ELATED when I found out she had a new book out, given that Gone Girl is one of my all-time favorites. I was on the waiting list forever for the audiobook and the e-book, and finally got the audiobook on the 23rd. I thought it was the best early Christmas present ever, until I REALIZED IT WAS A SHORT STORY. About one hour and 16 minutes later, all done. I can’t adequately express my level of disappointment over this. Don’t waste my time, Gillian. Give me another sick and twisted novel.

That’s a wrap for this edition. I’m hopeful that 2016 will bring me some solid reads so that I can happily recommend some good ones. If you’re desperate, go read one of my earlier Kindle posts- you’ll find some positivity.