Hey guys! I hope you all are doing well. It’s time for me to post my Monthly Wrap-up. Since I didn’t post October’s Monthly Wrap-up last month, I will be including it in this post as well. I have to say October and November were good reading months for me.
In October, I took place in a readathon, Spookathon. I ended up getting in a lot of reading done that week. I was very surprised and also very happy with myself.
In November, I got a lot of reading done. In the last week alone I ended up reading about 4 books. I got really into audio books. I realized it helps me read a lot faster. I will be using audio books a lot more in the future.
Now let’s see what books I ended up reading in October and November.
October Wrap-up
Mr. Mercedes By Stephen King
Genre: Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Horror
Pages: 436 pages
Published: June 3rd 2014
Publisher: Scribner
My Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
Plot: In the frigid pre-dawn hours, in a distressed Midwestern city, hundreds of desperate unemployed folks are lined up for a spot at a job fair. Without warning, a lone driver plows through the crowd in a stolen Mercedes, running over the innocent, backing up, and charging again. Eight people are killed; fifteen are wounded. The killer escapes.
In another part of town, months later, a retired cop named Bill Hodges is still haunted by the unsolved crime. When he gets a crazed letter from someone who self-identifies as the “perk” and threatens an even more diabolical attack, Hodges wakes up from his depressed and vacant retirement, hell-bent on preventing another tragedy.
Brady Hartfield lives with his alcoholic mother in the house where he was born. He loved the feel of death under the wheels of the Mercedes, and he wants that rush again.
Only Bill Hodges, with a couple of highly unlikely allies, can apprehend the killer before he strikes again. And they have no time to lose, because Brady’s next mission, if it succeeds, will kill or maim thousands.
Mr. Mercedes is a war between good and evil, from the master of suspense whose insight into the mind of this obsessed, insane killer is chilling and unforgettable
Sublime Karma By Peyton Garver
Genre: Young Adult, Romance, Mental Health, Contemporary
Pages: 277 pages
Published: November 30th 2016
Publisher: Soul Mate Publishing, LLC
My Rating: 2 out of 5 Stars
Plot: When Brie’s stepfather moves the family for what he calls a new beginning, it’s not the new beginning the beautiful, yet guarded, senior would have hoped for. Brie is instantly targeted by jealous girls at her new school, and the only available seat on her bus is next to the school’s star wide receiver, Jake, who for some reason, finds her offensive. After a humiliating article and picture of Brie is posted in the online school journal, a demon she thought she’d overcome resurfaces, and her life unravels. A newly compassionate Jake has finally taken an interest in her, but can Brie learn to trust her heart, or will she miss out on the best thing that ever happened to her?
Jake has his own secrets and has built his own walls, but eventually his curiosity about the new girl gets the best of him. Unfortunately, now there is competition: the captain of her cross-country team. Jake’s romantic histories with the girl next door and the school’s queen bee, adds tension to a simmering tempest when all he wants is Brie. Is he strong enough to help the one he loves weave sense into her crumbling new reality while overcoming his own tainted past?
Silent Lies By Kathryn Croft
Genre: Thriller, Mystery
Pages: 294 pages
Published: October 25th 2017
Publisher: Bookouture
My Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
My Review
Plot: ‘Your husband didn’t kill himself.’
Five years rebuilding your life. Five words will destroy it again.
Mia Hamilton lived the perfect life with her husband, university teacher Zach, and their two-year-old daughter, Freya. But everything changed when Zach committed suicide on the same night one of his students, Josie Carpenter, vanished.
Five years later, and Josie is still missing but Mia has finally found some happiness with new boyfriend Will.
Until one day when stranger Alison walks into her life and tells Mia that her husband didn’t kill himself.
Desperate to find out what really happened to Zach, Mia is forced to put her trust in Alison. But she soon discovers that Alison has her own agenda behind exposing the details of Zach’s death. Can Mia really believe anything Alison says?
Mia must decide how far she is willing to go to uncover the truth – even if she risks losing everything she loves.
The Walking Dead, Vol. 28: A Certain Doom By Robert Kirkman, Charlie Adlard (Artist), Stefano Gaudiano (Artist), Cliff Rathburn (Artist), Dave Stewart (Artist)
Genre: Graphic Novel, Horror, Fiction, Adult
Pages: 136 pages
Published: November 30th 2016
Publisher: Image Comics
My Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Plot: In the aftermath of The Whisperer War–ALL IS LOST as Rick and all of Alexandria fight for survival against the largest horde of walkers they’ve ever faced.
Collects THE WALKING DEAD #163-168.
You By Caroline Kepnes
Genre: Thriller, Fiction, Contemporary, Mystery, Adult
Pages: 422 pages
Published: September 25th 2014
Publisher: Atria/Emily Bestler Books
My Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
My Review
Plot: When a beautiful, aspiring writer strides into the East Village bookstore where Joe Goldberg works, he does what anyone would do: he Googles the name on her credit card.
There is only one Guinevere Beck in New York City. She has a public Facebook account and Tweets incessantly, telling Joe everything he needs to know: she is simply Beck to her friends, she went to Brown University, she lives on Bank Street, and she’ll be at a bar in Brooklyn tonight—the perfect place for a “chance” meeting.
As Joe invisibly and obsessively takes control of Beck’s life, he orchestrates a series of events to ensure Beck finds herself in his waiting arms. Moving from stalker to boyfriend, Joe transforms himself into Beck’s perfect man, all while quietly removing the obstacles that stand in their way—even if it means murder.
Little Monsters By Kara Thomas
Genre: Young Adult, Mystery, Thriller, Contemporary
Pages: 336 pages
Published: July 25th 2017
Publisher: Delacorte Press
My Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
My Review
Plot: Kacey is the new girl in Broken Falls. When she moved in with her father, she stepped into a brand-new life. A life with a stepbrother, a stepmother, and strangest of all, an adoring younger half sister.
Kacey’s new life is eerily charming compared with the wild highs and lows of the old one she lived with her volatile mother. And everyone is so nice in Broken Falls—she’s even been welcomed into a tight new circle of friends. Bailey and Jade invite her to do everything with them.
Which is why it’s so odd when they start acting distant. And when they don’t invite her to the biggest party of the year, it doesn’t exactly feel like an accident.
But Kacey will never be able to ask, because Bailey never makes it home from that party. Suddenly, Broken Falls doesn’t seem so welcoming after all—especially once everyone starts looking to the new girl for answers.
Kacey is about to learn some very important lessons: Sometimes appearances can be deceiving. Sometimes when you’re the new girl, you shouldn’t trust anyone.
Cress By Marissa Meyer
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Romance
Pages: 560 pages
Published: Feburary 4th 2014
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
My Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Plot: In this third book in Marissa Meyer’s bestselling Lunar Chronicles series, Cinder and Captain Thorne are fugitives on the run, now with Scarlet and Wolf in tow. Together, they’re plotting to overthrow Queen Levana and prevent her army from invading Earth.
Their best hope lies with Cress, a girl trapped on a satellite since childhood who’s only ever had her netscreens as company. All that screen time has made Cress an excellent hacker. Unfortunately, she’s being forced to work for Queen Levana, and she’s just received orders to track down Cinder and her handsome accomplice.
When a daring rescue of Cress goes awry, the group is splintered. Cress finally has her freedom, but it comes at a higher price than she’d ever expected. Meanwhile, Queen Levana will let nothing prevent her marriage to Emperor Kai, especially the cyborg mechanic. Cress, Scarlet, and Cinder may not have signed up to save the world, but they may be the only hope the world has.
Monstress, Vol. 1: Awakening By Marjorie M. Liu (Writer), Sana Takeda (Artist), Rus Wooton (Letterer, Designer)
Genre: Graphic Novel, Fantasy, Horror, Fiction
Pages: 202 pages
Published: July 19th 2016
Publisher: Image Comics
My Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
Plot: Set in an alternate matriarchal 1900’s Asia, in a richly imagined world of art deco-inflected steam punk, MONSTRESS tells the story of a teenage girl who is struggling to survive the trauma of war, and who shares a mysterious psychic link with a monster of tremendous power, a connection that will transform them both and make them the target of both human and otherworldly powers.
November Wrap-up
Winter By Marissa Meyer
Genre: Young Adult, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Romance
Pages: 833 pages
Published: November 10th 2015
Publisher: Feiwel & Friends
My Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
Plot: Princess Winter is admired by the Lunar people for her grace and kindness, and despite the scars that mark her face, her beauty is said to be even more breathtaking than that of her stepmother, Queen Levana.
Winter despises her stepmother, and knows Levana won’t approve of her feelings for her childhood friend–the handsome palace guard, Jacin. But Winter isn’t as weak as Levana believes her to be and she’s been undermining her stepmother’s wishes for years. Together with the cyborg mechanic, Cinder, and her allies, Winter might even have the power to launch a revolution and win a war that’s been raging for far too long.
Can Cinder, Scarlet, Cress, and Winter defeat Levana and find their happily ever afters? Fans will not want to miss this thrilling conclusion to Marissa Meyer’s national bestselling Lunar Chronicles series.
Archie, Vol.1: The New Riverdale By Mark Waid, Fiona Staples (Illustrator), Annie Wu (Illustrator), Veronica Fish (Illustrator)
Genre: Graphic Novels, Young Adult
Pages: 176 pages
Published: March 29th 2016
Publisher: Archie Comics
My Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Plot: America’s Favorite Teenager, Archie Andrews, is reborn in the pages of this must-have graphic novel collecting the first six issues of the comic book series that everyone is talking about. Meet Riverdale High teen Archie, his oddball, food-loving best friend Jughead, girl-next-door Betty and well-to-do snob Veronica Lodge as they embark on a modern reimagining of the beloved Archie world. It’s all here: the love triangle, friendship, humor, charm and lots of fun – but with a decidedly modern twist.
The Wicked + The Divine, Vol. 2: Fandemonium By Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie (Illustrator), Matt Wilson (Colorist), Clayton Cowles
Genre: Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Mythology, Fiction
Pages: 168 pages
Published: July 1st 2015
Publisher: Image Comics
My Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
Plot: The second volume of the award-winning urban fantasy series where gods are the ultimate pop stars and pop stars are the ultimate gods. Following the tragic and unjust death of Lucifer, it takes a revelation from Inanna to draw Laura back into the worlds of Gods and Superstardom to try and discover the truth behind a conspiracy to subvert divinity. Includes issues 6-11 of the series, plus supplementary material.
The Wicked + The Divine, Vol. 3: Commercial Suicide By Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie (Illustrator)
Genre: Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Mythology, Fiction
Pages: 200 pages
Published: February 9th 2016
Publisher: Image Comics
My Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
Plot: After the detonation of FANDEMONIUM the gods-as-pop-stars of THE WICKED + THE DIVINE try living in the long dark shadow.
Team WicDiv are joined by a stellar cast of guest artists to put the spotlight on each of the gods. The multiple Eisner Award nominated series continues in the only way it knows how: darker, weirder, faster. Don’t worry. It’s going to be okay.
Collects THE WICKED + THE DIVINE #12-17
The Wicked + The Divine, Vol. 3: Commercial Suicide By Kieron Gillen, Jamie McKelvie (Illustrator), Matt Wilson (Illustrator)
Genre: Graphic Novels, Fantasy, Mythology, Fiction
Pages: 144 pages
Published: October 5th 2016
Publisher: Image Comics
My Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
Plot: Every ninety years, twelve gods are reincarnated as young people. They are loved. They are hated. And sometimes – just sometimes – they fall into open Superstar wars.
The fourth volume of the award-winning, best selling series from acclaimed creators KIERON GILLEN, JAMIE McKELVIE and MATT WILSON is the most explosive yet.
Collects THE WICKED + THE DIVINE #18-22
The Wife Between Us By Greer Hendricks and Sarah Pekkanen
Genre: Thriller, Mystery, Suspense, Fiction
Pages: 352 pages
Publication Date: January 9th 2018
Publisher: St. Martins Press
My Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
My Review
Plot: A novel of suspense that explores the complexities of marriage and the dangerous truths we ignore in the name of love.
When you read this book, you will make many assumptions.
You will assume you are reading about a jealous wife and her obsession with her replacement.
You will assume you are reading about a woman about to enter a new marriage with the man she loves.
You will assume the first wife was a disaster and that the husband was well rid of her.
You will assume you know the motives, the history, the anatomy of the relationships.
Assume nothing.
Discover the next blockbuster novel of suspense, and get ready for the read of your life.
Rough Riders, Vol. 2: Riders On The Storm By Adam Glass, Mike Marts (Editor), Patrick Olliffe (Cover Art), Gabe Eltaeb (Colorist), Sal Cipriano (Letterer)
Genre: Comics, Historical
Pages: 144 pages
Published: November 8th 2017
Publisher: Aftershock Comics
My Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Plot: Collecting all six issues of the Riders on the Storm arc!
Three years have passed since the Rough Riders last adventure, but when an assassins’ bullet takes President William McKinley’s life, Vice President, Theodore Roosevelt is thrust into the role of Commander in Chief. As a country mourns the loss of their leader, Roosevelt believes that the assassin is part of a bigger conspiracy, ones whose tentacles reach back to Europe and whose intentions are to destroy humanity through world-wide ANARCHY.
To stop them Roosevelt must convince Harry Houdini, Jack Johnson, Thomas Edison and a surprisingly very alive Annie Oakley to band together again. But time has strained the bonds that once united them and the ideologies of their enemies may have already seeped into one of their own.
Poison By Galt Niederhoffer
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Contemporary, Adult Fiction
Pages: 320 pages
Published: November 21st 2017
Publisher: St. Martins Press
My Rating: 1 out of 5 Stars
My Review
Plot: Poison is a literary psychological thriller about a marriage that follows minor betrayal into a bubbling stew of lies, cruelty, manipulation, and danger.
Cass and Ryan Connor have achieved family nirvana. With three kids between them, a cat and a yard, a home they built and feathered, they seem to have the Modern Family dream. Their family, including Cass’ two children from previous relationships, has recently moved to Portland —a new start for their new lives. Cass and Ryan have stable, successful careers, and they are happy. But trouble begins almost imperceptibly. First with small omissions and white lies that happen daily in any marital bedroom. They seem insignificant, but they are quickly followed by a series of denials and feints that mushroom and then cyclone in menace.
With life-or-death stakes and irreversible consequences, Poison is a chilling and irresistible reminder that the closest bond designed to protect and provide for each other and for children can change in a minute.
Second Life By S.J. Watson
Genre: Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, Suspense
Pages: 402 pages
Published: June 9th 2015
Publisher: Harper
My Rating: 1 out of 5 Stars
Plot: The sensational new psychological thriller from the bestselling author of Before I Go To Sleep …She loves her husband. She’s obsessed by a stranger. She’s a devoted mother. She’s prepared to lose everything. She knows what she’s doing. She’s out of control. She’s innocent. She’s guilty as sin. She’s living two lives. She might lose both …
The Other Girl By Erica Spindler
Genre: Mystery, Thriller, Fiction, Suspense
Pages: 243 pages
Published: August 22nd 2017
Publisher: St. Martins Press
My Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
Plot: From the NYT bestselling author comes a chilling new thriller about a ritualistic murder of a college professor that sends a small town cop back into the trauma she thought she’d put behind her.
Officer Miranda Rader of the Hammond PD in Louisiana is known for her honesty, integrity, and steady hand in a crisis—but that wasn’t always so. Miranda comes from Jasper, just south of Hammond, a place about the size of a good spit on a hot day, and her side of the tracks was the wrong one. She’s worked hard to leave the girl she used to be behind and earn respect in her position as an officer.
However, when Miranda and her partner are called to investigate the murder of one of the town’s most beloved college professors, they’re unprepared for the gruesomeness of the scene. This murder is unlike any they’ve ever investigated, and just when Miranda thinks she’s seen the worst of it, she finds a piece of evidence that chills her to the core: a faded newspaper clipping about a terrible night from her long-buried past. Then another man turns up dead, this one a retired cop, and not just any cop—Clint Wheeler, the cop who took her statement that night. Two murders, two very different men, two killings that on the surface had nothing in common—except Miranda. 14 years ago.
And when her fingerprints turn up at the scene of the first murder, Miranda once again finds herself under the microscope, her honesty and integrity doubted, her motivations questioned. Alone again, the trust of her colleagues shattered, Miranda must try to trust the instincts she’s pushed down for so long, and decide what’s right—before it’s too late.
Finders Keepers By Stephen King
Genre: Fiction, Horror, Mystery, Thriller
Pages: 431 pages
Published: June 2nd 2015
Publisher: Scribner
My Rating: 4 out of 5 Stars
Plot: Wake up, genius.
The genius is John Rothstein, an iconic author who created a famous character, Jimmy Gold, but who hasn’t published a book for decades. Morris Bellamy is livid, not just because Rothstein has stopped providing books, but because the nonconformist Jimmy Gold has sold out for a career in advertising. Morris kills Rothstein and empties his safe of cash, yes, but the real treasure is a trove of notebooks containing at least one more Gold novel.
Morris hides the money and the notebooks, and then he is locked away for another crime. Decades later, a boy named Pete Saubers finds the treasure, and now it is Pete and his family that Bill Hodges, Holly Gibney, and Jerome Robinson must rescue from the ever-more deranged and vengeful Morris when he’s released from prison after thirty-five years.
Aftercare Instructions By Bonnie Pipkin
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Fiction, Realistic Fiction
Pages: 265 pages
Published: June 27th 2017
Publisher: Flatiron
My Rating: 3 out of 5 Stars
Plot: In the tradition of Jandy Nelson and Rainbow Rowell, a big-hearted journey of furious friendship, crazy love, and unexpected hope after a teen’s decision to end an unwanted pregnancy
“Troubled.” That’s seventeen-year-old Genesis according to her small New Jersey town. She finds refuge and stability in her relationship with her boyfriend, Peter—until he abandons her at a Planned Parenthood clinic during their appointment to terminate an unwanted pregnancy. The betrayal causes Gen to question everything.
As Gen pushes herself forward to find her new identity without Peter, she must also confront her most painful memories. Through the lens of an ongoing four act play within the novel, the fantasy of their undying love unravels line by line, scene by scene. Digging deeper into her past while exploring the underground theater world of New York City, she rediscovers a long-forgotten dream. But it’s when Gen lets go of her history, the one she thinks she knows, that she’s finally able to embrace the complicated, chaotic true story of her life, and take center stage.
This powerfully immersive and format-crushing debut follows Gen from dorm rooms to diners to house parties to auditions—and ultimately, right into readers’ hearts.
Nerve By Jeanne Ryan
Genre: Young Adult, Thriller, Science Fiction, Mystery, Romance, Fiction, Contemporary,
Pages: 304 pages
Published: September 13th 2012
Publisher: Dial Books
My Rating: 2 out of 5 Stars
Plot: ARE YOU PLAYING THE GAME OR IS THE GAME PLAYING YOU?
Vee doesn’t know if she has the guts to play NERVE, an anonymous online game of dares. But whoever’s behind the game knows exactly what she wants, enticing her with lustworthy prizes and a sizzling-hot partner. With Ian on her team, it’s easy to agree to another dare. And another. And another. At first it’s thrilling as the Watchers cheer them on to more dangerous challenges. But suddenly the game turns deadly. Will Vee and Ian risk their lives for the Grand Prize dare, or will they lose NERVE?
Wow so I ended up reading a lot in the last two months. I was trying to catch up on my reading goal so I did end up reading a lot more comics than normal. I also finished a good amount of books in the last week of November, thanks to audiobooks. So overall it was a good two months. I can’t wait to see how December goes.
Have you guys read any of these books? If so what are your thoughts on them?
Bookish In Bed 