Three Things...

1.  Book journal.  I've started keeping a book journal this year. I jot down the names of all the books I read in it. So far, I've actually been keeping track. I'm hoping to finally found out how many books I actually read in a year. The total so far is at 52 - in April alone I read 21 books. I guess I do read a lot. LOL! 

2.  Books. So, what are these books I've been reading? Here are a few:

Just finished this lovely! What a treat to read. I absolutely LOVED it!! Clare is a high school English teacher who is obsessed with a Gothic author. She is raising her daughter Georgie in the country side, while her ex lives in London.  They have a dog named Herbert that they are madly in love with. Life is pretty mundane, but in a good way.  And then, Clare's bff gets murdered.  Oh, and the note left by her body was a quote from Clare's favorite story by her favorite Gothic author. Yep, Clare is soon enmeshed in the murder investigation - why? Well, seems like she may be a suspect...or a future victim. Yikes! You see, Clare keeps a journal and someone has been reading it and leaving her messages in it.  Say what?! Yep, creepy and stalkery, eh? Anyhow, let me just say that this is a truly fun story to get caught up in. Its told via multiple perspectives which was really fun to read - I cracked up so much reading all of their opinions of one another. And the mystery was really good - I enjoyed trying to figure out whodunit. Definitely check this one out.

Annika and Jonathan dated in college.  Things did not end well.  Except, we don't find out what happened until later in the story.  You see, its been ten years since they broke up and they are both living in Chicago.  They run into each other and that is how they find out how close they have been all these years.  The two meet up and soon their relationship is falling back on old habits.  Their love never waned, but the problems they had still loom large.  We find out how their relationship unfolded all those years ago and it is truly an emotional story. Your heart melts, breaks, and bursts with this story. I absolutely LOVED getting to know Annika and Jonathan. Their story sheds light on so many important topics, which makes it such a must-read. I would definitely recommend The Girl He Used To Know. 

Connell and Marianne have a connection and keep their relationship secret from everyone.  They are in high school and Connell is popular, while Marianne is not.  So, she sleeps with him and keeps his secrets.  And no one is the wiser.  Except, they all are.  His mom works for Marianne's family and knows something is going on between the two.  She's horrified when she finds out how Connell has been treating Marianne. Connell later finds out that all of his friends knew about him and Marianne, too.  Eventually, Marianne and Connell "break up" - he doesn't seem to get how he's hurt her.  They head off to college and wind up at the same one. Except, now Marianne is the popular one and Connell is not.  Their relationship resumes and yet once again they break up.  And that is how their relationship goes for years - get together and break up.  They are so right for one another, but don't really understand how to make it work.  Its such a heartbreaking and wonderful love story to fall in deep with. I truly LOVED reading about Marianne and Connell. Such a great story!

The neighborhood is a dream place to live - lovely homes, thoughtful neighbors, and Sundays filled with kids playing on the street.  Talk about domestic bliss.  And then, a couple moves in and they are not keen on so much domestic bliss.  In fact, they are all about LOUD music, cars parked everywhere, DIYing to the point that their house is an eye-sore.  The neighborhood has lost its magic.  And no one is happy.  Hmm...in fact, it gets so bad that two people wind up dead.  One of those people happens to be one of the new neighbors. Yep, looks like the neighborhood may be willing to do ANYTHING to keep their "domestic bliss".  All I can say about this one is that it was such a fun and suspenseful read. I truly enjoyed it.

OMG! This was a fun and ridiculous story to get lost it - I loved it! A mom is on her way to the doctor when she gets a call informing her that she is now part of "the chain".  Say what? Turns out, her daughter was taken so she must now do the following in order to get her daughter back: kidnap a kid and pay $$ into a bitcoin account.  After she completes these tasks then her daughter will be released - of course, that is dependent on the parents of the kid she kidnapped becoming a part of "the chain" and completing their tasks. How crazy is that?! I LOVED it!! I found myself on the edge of my seat at times and also laughing out loud, too. Because, of course "the chain" must be broken, right? How can anyone truly survive such a horror and continue to live their life knowing that at any moment "the chain" could want something else from you. Yikes! Anyhow, the story is actually a good read - it has mystery, drama, suspense, and makes for a fun experience. Check it out.




3.  Taylor Swift. New music by Tay makes me happy. Loving her new song, Me: