Where I have been

My post has been super sporadic and my read books in April was only eight and the reason for that is I has emergency surgery just over a week ago and I have been off from work since. The pain medication I have been on has been making me super tired plus the surgery itself has been painful and my recovery has been a lot slower than I would like.

I am returning to work Monday since I can finally move around without too much pain. I move a lot slower than normal, but I can sit up without being in horrible pain. I went to the emergency room and they found something not quite right with my right ovary so they told me to come back the next day for an ultrasound after giving me some pain pills and sending me home. I went back the next day and found out I needed emergency surgery and I needed to stay overnight.

Since I have been sick I have not been reading or doing much of anything but sleeping so I hope to get caught up soon! 

What have you been up to?

April Wrap Up

The List
The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly (big book/Goodreads shelf since 2012)
The Future Collection by Beth Revis (e-book)
Oxygen by Carol Cassella (The Life of a Book Addict List)
Skandal by Lindsay Smith (for review)

Books I Own: 7
Borrowed: 1
Audiobooks: 2
Total: 8

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
The Silent Wife by A.S.A Harrison
Skandal by Lindsay Smith 
Hold Still by Nina LaCour
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
Spirit Bound by Richelle Mead
The Future Collection by Beth Revis by Beth Revis
Confess by Colleen Hoover

May TBR

The List
On the Pleasure of Hating by William Hazlitt (The Life of a Book Addict list)
The Book of Speculation by Erika Swyler (for review/ebook)
Weightless by Sarah Bannan (for review/ebook)
The Unfortunates: A Novel by Sophie McManus (for review/ebook)
The Tea Rose by Jennifer Donnelly (big book/TBR forever/ book club book)

Stacking the Shelves

For Review 
The Book of Speculation by Erika Swyler
Weightless by Sarah Bannan
The Unfortunates: A Novel by Sophie McManus

Borrowed from the Library
Vanishing Girls by Lauren Oliver
Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince by J.K. Rowling (audiobook)
I Was Here by Colleen Hoover
At The Water's Edge by Sara Gruen 

What did you get in your mailbox?

Review of Hold Still by Nina LaCour

Title: Hold Still
Author: Nina LaCour
Source:  Borrowed
Series: Standalone
Rating: 4/5









Goodreads Summary:
Ingrid left behind a painful farewell in her journal for Caitlin. Now Caitlin is left alone, by loss and by choice, struggling to find renewed hope in the wake of her best friend’s suicide. With the help of family and newfound friends, Caitlin will encounter first love, broaden her horizons, and start to realize that true friendship didn’t die with Ingrid. And the journal which once seemed only to chronicle Ingrid’s descent into depression, becomes the tool by which Caitlin once again reaches out to all those who loved Ingrid—and Caitlin herself.

Caitlin just found out her best friend has committed suicide and left her journal for her to try to understand why she committed suicide while Caitlin is left trying to make her way through high school and answering all of the questions people have about Ingrid. 

I love Nina LaCour. I have read all three of her novels and they are all excellent. She writes realistic characters who may not  always make the best choices but she makes you understand the character and I never felt any frustration with the characters or the story.  I liked seeing Ingrid through her journal and through Caitlin's perspective. Caitlin brushed a lot of little things off that Ingrid did and then when we see Ingrid's side we see the darker side of her having a bad day where she felt so worn down and sad and couldn't put up a good face.

I loved that Caitlin's parents were involved in her life and also that Ingrid's family was also mentioned throughout the book. Once Ingrid was gone, her family did not completely fade from Caitlin's life. They were still there in the background. 

I wish I read it earlier. I discovered Nina when she wrote her second book then I read her most recent release and then this book.  A little out of publication order but all excellent.