Welp, reading's been hard lately, no? I've been feeling just bleh and I don't know what I've been doing - but it hasn't been much reading. In other news, I graduated! I also only read three books in April, and I'm officially five books behind schedule for my Goodreads Reading Challenge. Check them out.



Pet Sematary by Stephen King ★★★★★

Popsugar 2019 Reading Challenge Prompt: A book that makes you nostalgic

Brief synopsis: Called King's most terrifying novel, it's about a family who moves to a small Maine town to settle down and spend more time together. The father, Louis, has recently started a new job as head physician at an infirmary at a Maine university. Little known to them, just behind their house lies a decades-old burial ground for pets. But there's more to the story and history than originally meets the eye.

Overall thoughts: Pet Sematary was my absolute favorite movie as a child. I read the book a few times as an adolescent, but hadn't read it since middle school and wanted to read it again prior to the movie coming out. The book is dark and will make you feel so icky and afraid. It's horrible and terrifying, and so well written. Stephen King is not for everyone, and absolutely not for the faint of heart. Full review here.






Tiny Hot Dogs: A Memoir in Small Bites* by Mary Giuliani ★★★☆☆

Popsugar 2019 Reading Challenge Prompt: A book about a hobby

Brief synopsis: A fun, quick memoir from Giuliani about entering the catering world and becoming "caterer to the stars." The story also dives into her personal life and the struggles she faced with pregnancies and infertility.

Overall thoughts: This was a fun, mostly light-hearted read. There are some talks of infertility struggles, but Giuliani really puts a fun and humorous spin on the entire book. She's super relatable and the book's easy to read, but I did get slightly annoyed with the name-dropping. I think I would've enjoyed the book more if I knew more about her or was more into foodie shows. Full review here.






The Possessions by Sara Flannery Murphy ★★★☆☆

Popsugar 2019 Reading Challenge Prompt: Two books that share the same title (book 1)

Brief synopsis: This novel follows Edie, a "body" working at the Elysian Society. At the Elysian Society, clients can come in to speak with their deceased loved through one of the bodies who work there. Bodies can take a pill (a lotus) to channel the deceased for a limited amount of time. Edie has worked with the Elysian Society for five years and has always been able to stay separate from her work, but everything changes when Patrick Braddock enters the story. Once Edie channels his wife, she feels an instant connection with him and the lines between work and life become a bit blurred.

Overall thoughts: The storyline of this book is incredibly unique and I was really pumped to read it. I felt like there was so much potential in this book, but it fell really flat. There was too much left unsaid and too many questions left unanswered. I finished the book feeling really unsatisfied. Full review here.










* denotes I received a copy free in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are 100% my own.