I’m Back! + REVIEWS: Big Lies in a Small Town, The Chain, Crown of Midnight

November 16, 2019November 16, 2019 Lindsay ShortLeave a comment

It has been awhile my friends!

I really missed writing in this blog. I would think of posts for the week then it would go by without me posting anything. Life and school would get in the way and in the blink of an eye it went on for about 3 months?

School Update

I am currently in the middle of finals right down (4 down, 3 to go!) and so it’s the fake illusion of having extra time since it’s a break from clinic. I was really upset back in October when I found out we don’t really have much time off for the holidays. I felt like I heard that they had more time last year. I don’t like to travel around the holidays anyway but it would have been nice to have a break since we have been going nonstop since May.

In September my class was applying to places to go for our externships next year. Externships are basically “month long interviews” at hospitals you are interested in going to for your residency. I was so excited that I got all of the places I want to go on the first try and they all picked my first choice month. I look forward to it but I know it will be a lot of work!

I am also working on a research paper for my school’s journal and a poster for a surgery conference!

I finished by surgery rotation back in September and started Ortho/Peds in October. A lot of people would complain about this rotation and I can definitely say that it’s tiring – especially Wednesdays when I am in clinic from 9am to 8pm. Other than that, there a lot my workshops which I really like – it makes me feel like we are learning more instead of being slaves in the clinic (lol). But with more workshops comes more practical exams (I heard they’re not too bad though!). One concern my profession has as a whole is that it’s becoming to surgery focused while forgetting about basic biomechanics and orthopedics. Being in this rotation really gave me an appreciation about how much you can help people by putting something in their shoe rather than cutting them with surgery. It made me realize that when I come out of residency, I want to be able to do everything instead of only doing surgery.

Review: Big Lies in a Small Town

Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Published: January 14, 2020

Synopsis: This book follows the lives of 2 women – Anna Dale (1940) and Morgan Christopher (2018). Anna Dale was chosen anonymously to paint a mural for the post office in Edenton, North Carolina. Being from New Jersey, she decides to visit the small town to learn about what matters to the people who live there in order to make the new mural design. The townspeople are sour because they were hoping an artist named Martin Drapple from their small town would win. Eventually they began to warm up to her an insisted that she stayed while she worked on the mural. Fast forward to 2018 and Morgan Christopher was in prison for a crime she didn’t commit. After being in prison for about a year she is visited by the daughter of her favorite artist saying that there’s an assignment that only Morgan can perform so she can get out of jail early. The job is to restore an old mural. Morgan has been through 3 years of art school but has never taken on a task so daunting. But since it’s her only chance to get out, she willingly accepts.

Review: I was shocked by how much I enjoyed this book. Before I read it, I was in kind of a “reading slump” – not super into the audiobooks I was working my way through and only giving 3 stars max to books I was reading. This book reminded me what a 5 star book felt like – wanting to constantly continue reading, always wondering what will come next, and finishing the story in about 2 days. This book had the perfect amount of mystery to keep you guessing what was going to happen next, was organized with whose POV you were reading, and the ending came together perfectly. This was my first Diane Chamberlain book and I definitely look forward to reading more!

Recommend: I would recommend this book to people who like historical fiction and mystery! But warning – there is some racism and sexual abuse.

Thank you Netgalley & St. Martin’s Press for the ARC!

Review: Crown of Midnight

Crown of Midnight (Throne of Glass #2) by Sarah J. Maas
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Synopsis: This book picks up with Celaena doing her work as the King’s assassin. You find out shortly that she’s not so complacent – she has been “killing” people by telling them to run away and change identities while grabbing bodies that were already dead to bring to the king. While training and working for the king, Calaena and Chaol start to get closer. While working on the next assignment, something happens that changes Calaena’s world and outlook forever.

Review: I thought this book was better than the first book in the Throne of Glass series but I still wasn’t as impressed with it compared to ACOTAR. It looks like the 3rd book gets even better so maybe it’s just a slower start to the series to get the reader acquainted with everything? I definitely still look forward to continuing it (once my library book is ready…)

Recommended: For people who like ACOTAR and fantasy.

Review: The Chain

The Chain by Adrian McKinty
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Published: July 9, 2019

Synopsis: It’s not about the money, it’s about the chain. Rachel got a call that would change her and her daughter’s life forever – her daughter was kidnapped. In order to get her back, she needs to pay a ransom and kidnap another child to keep the “chain” going.

Review: I was intrigued with this book just from the synopsis. While reading it, I could easily imagine it as a horror movie. The first part of this book was really good at showing Rachel’s emotions and hardships she was dealing with to get her daughter back. In the second part of the book every other chapter was about the people who began the chain – their upbringing all the way to present. I thought it was an interesting way to let the reader see both sides of it. Thank you Orion Publishing Group & Netgalley for the ARC!

Recommended: For people who like movies like “Saw” or mystery/thriller books.

Moving Forward

I am going to do reviews like this from now on instead of having separate posts for each book.

I aim to post 2-3 times a week – my other posts being about traveling and whatever else I feel like talking about. I would see a lot of people only talking about books on their blog/instagram and having different accounts for different things and I’m not really into that. I tried to do that on instagram but how I see it is that this blog is mine and so you’ll get all the different pieces of me – whether that’s school, travel, cooking, reading, etc.

I missed everyone that takes the time to look at this blog. I hope you are as happy as I am to be back ❤️

REVIEW: The Selection by Kiera Cass // Who will be chosen to be the next queen?

September 3, 2019September 2, 2019 Lindsay ShortLeave a comment

WARNING: Spoilers

The Selection by Kiera Cass
**Duration:** 336 pages
**Format:** ebook
**Genre:** YA, Romance
**Rating: ⭐️**⭐️⭐️⭐️

“But no matter what, I want you to be loved. You deserve to be loved. And I hope you get to marry for love and not a number.”
Page 26, The Selection

Synopsis

Against all odds, America Singer was chosen out of all of the applicants from where she lived to participate in the selection – a competition for the possibility to be Prince Maxon‘s queen. When America sent in her application, she had no intention of participating because her heart was with a man named Aspen – who was in the caste below her.

When America arrives at the airport, she already gets a taste of how the other girls in the competition will be. She immediately got along with Marlee – a bubbly, kind girl who introduced herself by hugging America instead of shaking her hand. The rest of the girls were not as kind but still formal.

After arriving, America was overwhelmed with all the rules in the palace – not being able to go outside, wear comfortable clothes, and less communication with her family. The first night she tried to get to the backyard but the guards stopped her. This caused her to faint when suddenly Prince Maxon showed up and walked her outside.

As the competition continues, the true colors of the contestants are revealed as the pool gets smaller and smaller.

Review

Cover: All of the covers in this series are beautiful with the elegant gowns – I think that is what made so many YA reading girls drawn towards the series.

Plot: I like the idea of this plot – seeing 35 girls compete for the chance to be the next queen. To have better opportunities for their families and to live a better life. My only problem is, just by reading the official synopsis, you can guess pretty much the whole book. It’s too obvious – you can infer that the main character will be the girl Prince Maxon likes the most and so she will still be around by the end of the book (or else there wouldn’t be so many other books!). I can already guess in the future – she will be the one who wins. There was maybe 1 twist I didn’t see coming, but everything else was too easy. I have heard that the other books get more intense so I am hoping there will be more exciting events.

Writing: The writing was simple and enjoyable to read. It was the aspect of the book that made be not able to put it down.

Characters: I love the relationship between Prince Maxon & America in the beginning with America being his confidant/spy among the contestants. Slowly, America realizes she is falling for him and starts to get upset when he is going on other dates with girls and when she hears about him kissing other girls. I understand America’s anger, but it is also unfair because she was the one who pushed him away originally. Aspen (America’s boyfriend from back home) also drives me crazy when he becomes a guard at the palace because when he spends time with America, she could get in huge trouble if they are found. The other competitors being cutthroat keeps the competition interesting.

Overall: I really enjoyed the easy reading of this book so I will definitely be continuing the rest of the series. Despite the book being completely predictable, I am exciting to read what happens next.

“No, I’m not choosing him or you. I’m choosing me.”
Page 253, The Selection

REVIEW: The Last Mrs. Parrish

August 21, 2019 Lindsay ShortLeave a comment

The Last Mrs. Parrish by Liv Constantine
**Duration:** 560 pages
**Genre:** Thriller, Mystery
**Format:** ebook
**Rating:** ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Synopsis

Amber Patterson moved to Bishops Harbor with one goal in mind – to get close to Daphne Parrish and eventually, her husband.

Review

Plot – This book made me feel like I was in a “The Real Housewives” show but with even more deceit and jaw dropping moments. I liked how the author built up the story with Amber and Daphne’s friendship and showed how Amber worked her way into their family. Then when it switched to Daphne’s POV, I enjoyed learning about the beginning of their relationship and everything that went on behind closed doors.

Writing – The first part of the book is from Ambers perspective of when she meets Daphne. The middle is Daphne’s perspective starting from when she met her husband, Jackson Parrish, throughout to when she met Amber. The last portion of the book goes between POVs. The best aspect of thrillers is thinking the story is going one way, until it goes in the complete opposite direction. By writing the story this way, the reader can appreciate the protagonists perspectives on the situation and the truth behind it.

Characters – I thought that the characters were very well played. Going along with what I said above, being able to see the different POVs really made me understand and appreciate the characters more. When I was reading reviews on this book that had lower ratings, I noticed a lot of people saying Jackson was misogynistic. He definitely was, but I think that is the point the author is trying to convey. The author is trying to paint this portrait as to how a family could look so perfect and put together, but terrible things can be happening behind closed doors. I understand that part can make women uncomfortable, but I think it was really to elaborate on making the story more heart wrenching and to understand Daphne’s motives more.

This has been the year of thrillers for me. I really liked this book – it had me in disbelief while I was listening to it. I couldn’t believe some of what was going on. Nonetheless, I definitely don’t think this book is for everyone. You need to be comfortable with reading about misogyny and with understanding that this isn’t necessarily a happy book. If you like other thrillers like Verity, I think you would enjoy this book as well.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Have you read this book? What did you think?

REVIEW: A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

August 18, 2019August 18, 2019 Lindsay ShortLeave a comment

A Court of Wings and Ruin (A Court of Thorns and Roses #3) by Sarah J. Maas
Format: ebook
Genre: Fantasy, Romance
**Duration: 6**99 pages
**Rating:** ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“…what we think to be our greatest weakness can sometimes be our biggest strength. And that the most unlikely person can alter the course of history.”
Page 309, A Court of Wings and Ruin

Synopsis

Feyre is back in the clutches of the Spring court – but she has a plan up her sleeves. Even though it is difficult to be so far from Rhys, she knows what needs to be done. The third installment of this series goes through the difficulties with making alliances with neighboring courts so they can still thrive after the war with Hybern, how Elain and Nesta are handling being made from the cauldron, and the actual war itself.

Review

After all of the heat and excitement I was feeling from A Court of Mist and Fury, I was definitely excited to jump right into this book. I hate to say this but this book did not live up to the first two.

1 – I felt like some parts were kind of slow and dragged on. The book was quite long so it really could have been cut down a considerable amount.

2- A lot of the lines were overused. I can’t even begin to count how many times someone used a “vulgar gesture” or “mate.” It would have been better to just start leaving it out after it was used a couple times or use something else instead.

In the end, the book did have some great parts that still made it earn 4 stars out of 5 from me. I love Rhys and Feyre’s relationship as well as the friendships within the night court, and the humor sprinkled throughout the book. I am currently reading book #3.1 A Court of Frost and Starlight. I plan on starting Sarah J. Maas’s other series – Throne of Glass. This series is definitely well worth reading despite this book not being as strong as the 2nd.

“And I wondered if the road ahead – the road to true peace – would perhaps be the hardest and longest one yet.”
Page 689, A Court of Wings and Ruin

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Have you read this series? How did you feel about the 3rd book compared to the others? Have you read Throne of Glass? Which series did you think was better?

WWW Wednesday 3

August 14, 2019August 13, 2019 Lindsay ShortLeave a comment

What I am currently reading

The Rest of the Story by Sarah Dessen
Sarah Dessen has seriously been one of my favorite authors since middle school. This book so far seems like the perfect summertime read – with a balance of romance, seriousness, and lightheartedness.

Marked by P.C. Cast and Kristin Cast
I saw good things about this book but I’m not entirely impressed with it. I am not sure if I will continue with the story after this – it really depends on if the rest of the book entices me.

What I recently finished

A Court of Wings and Ruin by Sarah J. Maas

You know how much I have been LOVING this series lately. But I hate to say that this 3rd book did not live up to the 2nd book. It was still excellent but I have a few qualms with it. That’s why . I decided to read The Rest of the Story before finishing this series and reading A Court of Frost and Starlight.

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell

I enjoyed this cute audiobook! You can check out my full review.