Top 10 Books of 2015

Hello dear Readers,

First of all, I would like to thank you all for your support this year with the blog and my book account on Instagram. I love sharing my passion for books and writing with you all and looking forward to 2016, another year full of books and writing things.

I also would like to share my Top 10 Books of 2015. The best books I read this year. I dont like to put them in a particular order because I liked them all but I have to say my favorite book this year was The Martian by Andy Weir. It was not published in 2015 but it was when I read it.

I posted reviews for most of these books which I will leave the links below.

Top 10 Books 2015

1. The Martian by Andy Weir
2. November 9 by Colleen Hoover
3. Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
4. I'll Give You the Sun by Jandy Nelson
5. The Status of All Things by Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke
6. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
7. The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins
8. All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
9. Go Set A Watchman by Harper Lee
10. After You by Jojo Moyes

Book Reviews

• November 9

• After You

• The Martian

• The Status of All Things

• Go Set a Watchman

• Me before you

• To Kill a Mockingbird

• The Girl on the Train

Wish you the best for the New Year.

Happy New Year

Wen

Upcoming Release #7: The Unfinished World: An Other Stories by Amber Sparks

Hello dear Readers,

Coming up on Paperback January 25, 2016, The Unfinished World: An Other Stories by Amber Sparks.

Title: The Unfinished World: An Other Stories

Genre: Short Stories

Author: Amber Sparks

Publisher: Liveright
Publication Date: January 25, 2016

Language: English

Paperback: 240 pages
Meet the Author: Amber Sparks
Buy Me: Amazon 

Book Description

A highly anticipated collection of wildly imaginative short stories from “one of contemporary fiction’s true mad scientists” (Necessary Fiction).

In the weird and wonderful tradition of Kelly Link and Karen Russell, Amber Sparks’s dazzling new collection bursts forth with stories that render the apocalyptic and otherworldly hauntingly familiar. In “The Cemetery for Lost Faces,” two orphans translate their grief into taxidermy, artfully arresting the passage of time. The anchoring novella, “The Unfinished World,” unfurls a surprising love story between a free and adventurous young woman and a dashing filmmaker burdened by a mysterious family. Sparks’s stories―populated with sculptors, librarians, astronauts, and warriors―form a veritable cabinet of curiosities. Mythical, bizarre, and deeply moving, The Unfinished World and Other Stories heralds the arrival of a major writer and illuminates the search for a brief encounter with the extraordinary.

Wen

New Release Tuesday #21: December 29, 2015

Hello dear Readers,

This week another Thriller. The Visitors by Simon Sylvester.

Title: The Visitors

Genre: Thriller-Mystery-Coming of Age

Author: Simon Sylvester
Publisher: Melville House

Publication Date: December 29, 2015

Language: English

Paperback: 368 pages
Meet the Author: Simon Sylvester
Buy Me: Amazon

Book Description

In the tradition of Neil Gaiman and Iain Banks, Simon Sylvester brings an ancient myth to life with this lush, atmospheric coming-of-age tale

Nobody comes to the remote Scottish island of Bancree, and seventeen-year-old Flora can’t wait to move to the mainland when she finishes school. So when a mysterious man and his daughter move into isolated Dog Cottage, Flora is curious. What could have brought these strangers to the island? The man is seductive but radiates menace, while Flo finds a kindred spirit in his daughter, Ailsa. 

Meanwhile, several of the men on Bancree have disappeared, unnerving the community. When a body washes ashore, suspicion turns to the newcomers. But Flo suspects something else, even though it seems impossible: She asks local residents for anything they know about”selkies,” the mythical women who can turn from seal to human and back again. 

Convinced of her new neighbors’ innocence, Flo is fiercely determined to protect her friend Ailsa. Can the answer to the disappearances, and to the pull of her own heart, lie out there, beyond the waves?

Wen

Wendy Recommends-#5

Hello dear Readers,

Today, I would like to recommend a book I just recently discovered. I have not read it but after reading the description and the fact that I love Jojo Moyes, it is enough to make want to read it and recommend it and share it with you.

Me Without You by Kelly Rimmer.

Title: Me Without You

Author: Kelly Rimmer

Genre: Contemporary

Publisher: Bookouture
Publication Date: June 4, 2014

Language: English

Paperback: 342 Pages
Meet the Author: Kelly Rimmer
Buy Me: Amazon

Book Description

‘An unforgettable tale that I couldn't recommend more.’ 5/5 GirlsLovetoRead.com 

If you enjoyed Me Before You by JoJo Moyes, One Day by David Nicholls, or The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks – then make time for Kelly Rimmer’s stunning, heartbreaking new novel Me Without You. 

A story of how love can break our hearts – and heal them. 

A year ago I met the love of my life. For two people who didn’t believe in love at first sight, we came pretty close. 

Lilah MacDonald – beautiful, opinionated, stubborn and all kinds of wonderful in ways that words could never quite capture. The woman who taught me to live again. 

My Lilah, who gave me so much, and yet kept from me a secret that she knew would break my heart. 

My name is Callum Roberts, and this is our story. 

Me Without You is a book to make you smile, bring you to tears and remind you to hold on tightly to those you love. 

Wen

New Release Tuesday #20: December 15, 2015

Hello dear Readers,

This week a Thriller, Suspense and Mystery. The Treacherous Net (An Irene Huss Investigation) by Helene Tursten and Marlaine Delargy.

Title: The Treacherous Net (An Irene Huss Investigation Series, Book 8)

Genre: Thriller-Mystery-Suspense

Author: Helene Tursten and Marlaine Delargy
Publisher: Soho Crime

Publication Date: December 15, 2015

Language: English

Hardcover: 320 pages
Meet the Author: Helene Tursten & Marlaine Delargy
Buy Me: Amazon

Book Description

It’s May and the snow has hardly melted in Göteborg, Sweden, but things are heating up quickly for Detective Inspector Irene Huss in the Violent Crimes Unit. The body of a teenage girl is found in the woods, naked and horrifically scarred. Then there’s the mummified body that is discovered bricked up in a chimney on a demolition site, not to mention the city’s ongoing problem with gang violence. With the sudden influx of cases and one detective out on maternity leave, everyone is stretched thin. To make matters worse, Irene feels more than a little intimidated by the new superintendent, Efva Thylqvist, who uses her sex appeal and smooth talking to bend the predominately male staff to her will.

Then a second young girl is found, wearing what appears to be the other half of the sexy lingerie set recovered near the first body. Fearing the two cases are linked and that the killer may strike again, Irene and her colleagues embark on a desperate hunt that takes them deep into a shadowy world of anonymous online predators and insecure teenage girls on a deadly quest for affirmation.

Wen

Book Review: The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald /Women's Fiction-Geneal Fiction/NETGALLEY ARC

Hello dear Readers,

Below my book review of The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend by Katarina Bivald. 

Title: The Readers of Broken Wheel Recommend

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Genre: Women's Fiction-General Fiction

Author: Katarina Bivald

Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Publication Date: January 19, 2016 Paperback

Language: English

Paperback: 400 pages
Meet the Author: Katarina Bivald
Buy Me: Amazon

Book Description

The International Bestseller

Once you let a book into your life, the most unexpected things can happen...

Broken Wheel, Iowa, has never seen anyone like Sara, who traveled all the way from Sweden just to meet her book-loving pen pal. When she arrives, however, she finds Amy's funeral guests just leaving. The residents of Broken Wheel are happy to look after their bewildered visitor ― not much else to do in a small town that's almost beyond repair. They just never imagined that she'd start a bookstore. Or that books could bring them together – and change everything.

There's a book for every person ... and a person for every book.

My Thoughts

Sara, a young woman form Sweden meets her book pen-pal Amy who lives in a town in Iowa called Broken Wheel. Sara stars a bookstore and books change people's lives in this small town.

When I first read the description I was fascinated and intrigued to know more about Sara and the impact her love for books would cause in Broken Wheel. That and the fact that we are book lovers, bookworms, it is always good to read a book about books. In terms of the story I love how is it presented, how we can see what books can do for people, how books can help people.I love the characters, their stories, and feel that I could relate and believe in them. As for the book, I like the author's writing style and her ability to touch subjects such as the human condition, love, friendship and books. 

Overall, a fun, beautiful, sweet and enjoyable story which I totally recommend.

Thank you Sourcebooks Landmark and Netgalley for sending this book in exchange for an honest review. 

Wen

New Release Tuesday #19: December 8, 2015

Hello dear Readers,

This week a piece of General Fiction (Adult), an intelligent comic adventure. The Relic Master: A Novel by Christopher Buckley.

Title: The Relic Master

Genre: General Fiction (Adult)

Author: Christopher Buckley
Publisher: Simon & Schuster

Publication Date: December 8, 2015

Language: English

Hardcover: 400 pages
Meet the Author: Christopher Buckley
Buy Me: Amazon

Book Description

From New York Times bestselling author Christopher Buckley, “one of the funniest writers in the English language” (Tom Wolfe), a compelling and hilarious adventure featuring a sixteenth-century relic hunter and his best friend, Albrecht Dürer, who conspire to forge the Shroud of Turin.

The year is 1517. Dismas is a relic hunter: one who procures “authentic” religious relics for wealthy and influential clients. His two most important patrons are Frederick the Wise, Elector of Saxony and soon-to-be Cardinal Albrecht of Mainz. While Frederick is drawn to the recent writing of Martin Luther, Albrecht pursues the financial and political benefits of religion and seeks to buy a cardinalship through the selling of indulgences. When Albrecht’s ambitions increase his demands for grander and more marketable relics, Dismas and his artist friend Dürer conspire to manufacture a shroud to sell to the unsuspecting noble. Unfortunately Dürer’s reckless pride exposes Albrecht’s newly acquired shroud as a fake, so Albrecht puts Dismas and Dürer in the custody of four loutish mercenaries and sends them all to steal Christ’s burial cloth (the Shroud of Chambéry), Europe’s most celebrated relic.

On their journey to Savoy where the Shroud will be displayed, they battle a lustful count and are joined by a beautiful female apothecary. It is only when they reach their destination that they realize they are not alone in their intentions to acquire a relic of dubious legitimacy. Filled with fascinating details about art, religion, politics and science; Vatican intrigue; and Buckley’s signature wit, The Relic Master is a delightfully rich and intelligent comic adventure.

Wen

Nanowrimo 2015: Weeks 3 and 4. Update

Hello dear Readers

National Novel Writing Month 2015 was over almost a week ago. Personally, this has been my best Nanowrimo. My third Nano and my third win, however, even thought I won the first two times, this third attempt was the most productive one in terms of the writing done and how much of my story I was able to put on paper. No editing, not going back to re read what I wrote, not worrying about having the perfect story, just an almost finished first draft with all my ideas, thoughts and the story out of my head. That is why it was very productive, because I could enjoy what Nano really is for. The other two times I worried to much about having the perfect scene the first time, or going back and try to fix everything, this time I just wrote, enjoyed it and thanks to the other two times, knew what not to do, and appreciated more what the challenge is all about.

My official word count as of November 30 at 8 oclock at night when I left the Library was 52560, like I said, not done with my story but almost there, which I continued working on these first days of december and which I hope I will have a first draft finished soon. I'm pretty happy with my story, my characters and how my writing keeps getting better every day, what I mean by this is the more I write the more I learn, that is why I think having the opportunity to be part of things like Nanowrimo is great.

Another thing I loved about this year's Nano was the social part of it. Going to the write ins, meeting with other writers, listening to what they had to share from their experience, having their support when the writing was not going that great, it was amazing.

Overall, I enjoyed it very much and looking forward to finish this book I started, the first Camp Nano next year and of course, to Nanowrimo 2016 and the write ins at Barnes and Noble.

Something else I want to share, during this Nanowrimo I discovered Colleen Hoover. Reading her wonderful books, her writing, this gave me a lot of motivation and inspiration to keep writing. So, dont forget, if you ever find yourselves struggling during Nanowrimo, CampNano, in your everyday writing life, just read, it helps a lot. Something I have found in my life as a writer there are three things that always help me, books, a supporting family and other fellow writers and cookies, :)

Wen

New Release Tuesday #18: October 20, 2015

Hello dear Readers,

This week it is actually a book that was released October 20, 2015. Did not include it on my New Release Tuesday that day. I apologize for that.

I read Sandy Hall book A Little Something Different and I loved it. Looking forward to reading this one.

Title: Signs Point to Yes

Genre: Teens Fiction

Author: Sandy Hall
Publisher: Swoon Reads

Publication Date: October 20, 2015

Language: English

Paperback: 288 pages
Meet the Author: Sandy Hall
Buy Me: Amazon 

Book Description

Jane, a superstitious fangirl, takes an anonymous babysitting job to avoid an unpaid internship with her college-obsessed mom. The only problem? She's babysitting the siblings of her childhood friend and new crush, Teo.

Teo doesn't dislike Jane, but his best friend Ravi hates her, and is determined to keep them apart. So Teo's pretty sure his plans for a peaceful summer are shot. His only hope is that his intermittent search for his birth father will finally pan out and he'll find a new, less awkward home. Meanwhile, at Jane's house, her sister Margo wants to come out as bisexual, but she's terrified of how her parents will react.

In a summer filled with secrets and questions, even Jane's Magic 8 ball can't give them clear answers, but Signs Point to Yes.

Wen

Book Review: Choose your own Autobiography by Neil Patrick Harris/Autobiographies-Memoirs

Hello dear Readers,

Below, my book review of Neil Patrick Harris: Choose your own Autobiography by Neil Patrick Harris. 

Title: Choose your own Autobiography

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Publication Date: September 15, 2015

Genre: Autobiographies/Memoirs
Author: Neil Patrick Harris 

Publisher: Three Rivers Press

Language: English

Paperback: 304 pages

Buy Me: Amazon 
More Info: Penguin Random House
Meet the Author: Neil Patrick Harris

Book Description

 “Neil Patrick Harris’s Choose Your Own Autobiography is one of the best celeb memoirs I’ve ever read.”—The Phoenix News

Seeking an exciting read that puts the “u” back in “aUtobiography”?  Look no further than Neil Patrick Harris: Choose Your Own Autobiography! In this entertaining and innovative memoir, Neil Patrick Harris shares intimate and hilarious stories about everything from his early days in LA, life on the How I Met Your Mother set, secrets from backstage at award shows, and family life with David, Harper, and Gideon.  In a fresh spin on the typical celebrity narrative, he lets you, the reader, choose which path you want him to follow.  All this plus magic tricks, cocktail recipes, embarrassing pictures from his time as a child actor, and even a closing song!

My Thoughts

I remember when I was a young girl and we used to watch Neil's show Doogie Howser at home. I'm from Costa Rica, we did not have cable TV and we only got to watch one episode a week. Despite all this I can say this TV show was one of my favorites. After that I never heard of him again until I moved to the United States three years ago and watched How I met your Mother and I learned more about his personal life and his professional career and as many people I liked him hosting the Oscars. I thought it was funny. As an avid reader of Biographies and Memoirs I have to say this is by far one of the best and unique celebrity books I have read in my life. It is a funny, different and clever way to present a life story, giving the readers the chance to pick their own ending makes it an enjoyable reading experience. I like the book, how engaging it is and how entertaining Neil is a narrator. The book helps a lot to see more of him as a person and as a performer. I love his sense of humor and like a said how from the beginning of the book he gives you the choice to make the story your own. 

Wen

Book Review: November 9 A Novel by Colleen Hoover/New Adult-Contemporary

Hello dear Readers,

Below my book review of November 9 A Novel by Colleen Hoover. 

Title: November 9

Rating: 5/5 Stars

Publication Date: November 10, 2015

Genre: New Adult-Contemporary
Author: Colleen Hoover 

Publisher: Atria Books

Language: English

Paperback: 320 pages
Meet the Author: Colleen Hoover

Buy Me: Amazon 

Book Description

Beloved #1 New York Times bestselling author Colleen Hoover returns with an unforgettable love story between a writer and his unexpected muse.

Fallon meets Ben, an aspiring novelist, the day before her scheduled cross-country move. Their untimely attraction leads them to spend Fallon’s last day in L.A. together, and her eventful life becomes the creative inspiration Ben has always sought for his novel. Over time and amidst the various relationships and tribulations of their own separate lives, they continue to meet on the same date every year. Until one day Fallon becomes unsure if Ben has been telling her the truth or fabricating a perfect reality for the sake of the ultimate plot twist.

Can Ben’s relationship with Fallon—and simultaneously his novel—be considered a love story if it ends in heartbreak?

My Thoughts

My first Colleen Hoover book and I have to say I loved it. This is one of the best books I have ever read. I cried a lot and I laughed a lot. Her writing is amazing and the way she introduces the characters and shows us their world is fantastic. From the very few first pages I connected with the story, with the characters and even thought I did not know how the story was going to end at that moment but I could feel it was going to be great and it was. Definitely was not expecting that twist of events which I wont talk about it because I do not want to spoil the book but wow, I remember when I read that part, I had to put the book down and I told my husband "the author just killed me but I think this book is great". I could not possible say enough words to express how much I like this book and how much I appreciate the Author for sharing it.

 In terms of the story, I think Fallon and Ben are a great couple, they are different people, living in different worlds but the moment they meet, when they find each other I think the way the connect, the way they complement each other only shows how they were meant to be together, in the story, in this book. I also like the role the other characters play in the story. How their friendships and their relationships help Fallon and Ben. I cannot imagine Fallon without a friend like Amber. I like how the book is divided in the six different November 9th Fallon and Ben see each other and how each part is told from both point of view Fallon's and Ben's. I like this because I could see more of each one and how they interact with the other characters. Description is one of the reasons why in my opinion this book is fantastic. Each mayor event is told with such detail but is not boring, this made my reading experience more enjoyable and satisfying. I felt part of the story and I did not want to stop reading.

This book has everything we as readers look for in a book and more. An engaging story, well-developed characters, a big, not expected twist which makes the story even better than it already is, characters and a story that we wont forget. For these reasons I totally recommend this book and finally understand why people love Colleen Hoover books so much. I started reading Slammed and loving it.

Wen

New Release Tuesday #17: November 24, 2015

Hello dear Readers,

This week, a Novel. All of Us and Everything by Bridget Asher.

Title: All of Us and Everything

Genre: Women's Fiction

Author: Bridget Asher
Publisher: Bamtan

Publication Date: November 24 2015

Language: English

Paperback: 352 pages
Meet the Author: Bridget Asher
Buy Me: Amazon 

Book Description

For fans of Eleanor Brown’s The Weird Sisters and Liane Moriarty’s The Husband’s Secret comes a smart, wry, and poignant novel about reconciliation between fathers and daughters, between spouses; the deep ties between sisters; and the kind of forgiveness that can change a person’s life in unexpected and extraordinary ways.
 
The Rockwell women are nothing if not . . . Well, it’s complicated. When the sisters—Esme, Liv, and Ru—were young, their eccentric mother, Augusta, silenced all talk of their absent father with the wild story that he was an international spy, always away on top-secret missions. But the consequences of such an unconventional upbringing are neither small nor subtle: Esme is navigating a failing marriage while trying to keep her precocious fifteen-year-old daughter from live-tweeting every detail. Liv finds herself in between relationships and rehabs, and Ru has run away from enough people and problems to earn her frequent flier miles. So when a hurricane hits the family home on the Jersey Shore, the Rockwells reunite to assess the damage—only to discover that the storm has unearthed a long-buried box. In a candid moment, Augusta reveals a startling secret that will blow the sisters’ concept of family to smithereens—and send them on an adventure to reconnect with a lost past . . . and one another.

Wen

NaNoWriMo 2015: Weeks 1 and 2. Update

Hello dear readers and writers,

I just wanted to give a litle update on how Nanowrimo is going for me this year. 

If I were to pick a word to describe these first two weeks it would be fantastic. This is my best Nano so far, not only because of my word count and my story developing really good but also I have enjoyed the Write Ins a lot which I did not do a lot the past two years. It has been such a wonderful experience to get together with other writers and talk a little bit and support each other. Sometimes the only thing needed to keep writing is a kind word or a little support from the people that are going through the same and can understand and relate. Is not only the writing part but the social part of Nanowrimo matters as well, at least that is what I have found out this year. I also love to see how involved my local library is and their efforts to provide the community with the necessary tools to succeed in this writing challenge. 

As far as my writing, cannot be more happy. This year I'm working on a fiction piece, which considering fiction is not my cup of tea but I truly think I just needed it to be in the right time and the right place in my life to write fiction and well also that the story came in the right moment as well. These first two weeks have been very productive. I have worked on my story pretty much the whole time, not a lot of free writing but I have read a lot and that has given me a lot of motivation and inspiration to keep writing.

Overall, two great weeks and a lot of writing done.

Wen

Book Review: Life and Other Near-Death Experiences by Camille Pagán/Women's Fiction-General Fiction Adult/NETGALLEY ARC/Published in 2015

Hello dear Readers,

Below my book review of Life and Other Near-Death Experiences by Camille Pagán. 

Title: Life and Other Near-Death Experiences

Genre: Fiction-Humor-Womens Fiction

Author: Camille Pagán

Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Publication Date: November 03, 2015

Language: English

Paperback: 254 pages
Meet the Author: Camille Pagán
Buy Me: Amazon 

Book Description

Libby Miller has always been an unwavering optimist—but when her husband drops a bomb on their marriage the same day a doctor delivers devastating news, she realizes her rose-colored glasses have actually been blinding her.

With nothing left to lose, she abandons her life in Chicago for the clear waters and bright beaches of the Caribbean for what might be her last hurrah. Despite her new sunny locale, her plans go awry when she finds that she can’t quite outrun the past or bring herself to face an unknowable future. Every day of tropical bliss may be an invitation to disaster, but with her twin brother on her trail and a new relationship on the horizon, Libby is determined to forget about fate. Will she risk it all to live—and love—a little longer?

From critically acclaimed author Camille Pagán comes a hilarious and hopeful story about a woman choosing between a “perfect” life and actually living.

My Thoughts

From the moment I read the synopsis I knew I wanted to read this book but more than that I wanted to like it and I did. I absolutely enjoyed it.

Libby is such a wonderful character and I like how the author portrays her. How she reacts and faces all that is on her way. The same day she finds out she has cancer her husband tells her he is gay. I like how the author manages to present a book that seems to be tragic and not good for the main character Libby but is has humor and is fun. How Libby handles all these situations, Considering the subjects in question, I find this to be a fun read. It felt real to me, the characters, the story. I love the writing and again, considering what the book is about, it was not a heavy read. I think the author accomplishes that balance. A inspirational book which while written in Fiction clearly represents every day struggles and real life situations for real people.

Thank you Lake Union Publishing and Netgalley for sending this book in exchange for an honest review.

Wen