Updates, DNF Mini Review, Discussion About Authors Branching Out, & Recs. (Yup, I Rolled A Lot Into One Post.)

Hey guys! I haven't been around on the blogosphere lately as much as I would like, but I'm sure you understand. I know we've all been there and life happens. To be honest, ever since the summer I've been struggling. I want to get back to blogging and blog hopping more, but it just may not be as much as I want right now. I don't want to stress myself so I'm okay with that. 

I wanted to write a quick update to let everyone know what's been going on in my life. Since it's been SO LONG since I have! Feel free to skip to the bookish stuff though! So my husband is going back to school (He just started last week.) to get his degree. YEY! I'm super proud of him and he's not even going to get a degree he really wants, but one that will hopefully help with his job/financial stuff in the future. While that means more stress on me at home, I'm very proud of him and I love that he's trying to better things for our family. Another thing that's been going on is I've been having MAJOR sleep problems. Insomnia and anxiety has been kicking my butt. With everything going on in life I feel like I'm having a hard time functioning. On a good note though since I started the Keto diet last September I have lost 50 lbs!! My husband has also been losing weight and my daughter has also lost a little. She is 12, she has autism, and she has a hard time when it comes to food. She's struggling a little bit, but we're working on it. As for my twinnies both of them are doing pretty well, despite the fact that within a few days from each other they accidentally gave each other corneal abrasions. They are okay of course, but they weren't even being hyper or anything. They just need to be more careful! These boys are a mess and how come twins have to always do the same thing? HAHA! :P 

I originally wasn't going to post my review for Two By Two on my blog (Which is why I just copied and pasted it hehe laziness for the win!), but I kept thinking about it. I want to commend Nicholas Sparks for going outside of his usual formula even though this book didn't work for me. In my opinion, most of his books are pretty much the same recycled formula with just a few things changed. That's always worked for him though. I mean his books and movies have been majorly successful and I have enjoyed all of the other Sparks books I've read so far. I have to give him props for trying something different than his usual style. And hey, I'm sure there are some people out there that do like this new Sparks book and that's fantastic! 

My point is this got me thinking about other authors that have gone out of their comfort zone. Of course everyone doesn't like the same things and I'm not trying to bash any authors here. I'm just curious in general, what do you think about authors branching out and trying new things? Whether it worked for you, or not, and why. My sleepy brain can't think of any other authors though right now. So I'm curious what authors have you read that tried something new? A new genre, a new writing style, whatever? Did it work for you? Why/why not? 

I'm looking for some recommendations!! Once my reading schedule clears a bit, I want to read more mental health books later this year. I need recs though to add to my list I've started. I have a few options so far, but I would like more to add. What I'm looking for is fictional books that portray mental illness realistically and without glamorizing issues. 

Okay guys, sorry for the SUPER LONG post! Thanks for hanging in there. :P 

Dead Man's Curve By: Alex Van Tol MINI Review

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a free ebook copy of Dead Man's Curve By: Alex Van Tol in exchange for an honest review.

Short Review Summary:

WTF?

Dead Man's Curve is a super short story that I read in under an hour. Which is probably a good thing otherwise I may have rated it lower. So...hmm... how do I describe this book? I suppose it could be compared to an acid trip or something like that. The story started off pretty normal, predictable even, but then things got really strange.

#AcidTrip

I don't mind strange, but when it's hard to figure out what is happening that's when I get irritated. Honestly this book is a little too far out there for me in some parts. Mostly because NOTHING MADE SENSE. There's not enough story to go with this illogicalness. This is the main issue that I have with the book.

#TooIllogial

Overall I'm still not really sure what to make of Dead Man's Curve. I'm torn about it because I did like some parts, but it's not one that I will remember later. Even the oddness won't help and that's a shame. Also, I really wanted this to be scary or creepy and it wasn't because it's too ridiculous. 

#NotScary

I can't personally recommend this one, but if you like trippy stories maybe you would like this one. 

#AnyoneLikeTrippyStories?

The Peculiar Night of the Blue Heart By: Lauren DeStefano MINI Review #SeeWhatMySonsRatedItToo!

I won a free copy of The Peculiar Night of the Blue Heart By: Lauren DeStefano in a Twitter giveaway! 

#ThanksSoMuch!

Short Review Summary: 

I loved it and so did both of my 9 year old sons! 

I really enjoyed The Peculiar Night of the Blue Heart. The writing is really lovely and the story is perfect for a child who is on a middle grade reading level, but enjoyable for adults too. The plot was of course a bit obvious for me, but that's to be expected since I'm an adult. My favorite thing about the book though is the relationship between Lionel and Marybeth. It's really sweet and I like how they helped each other. 

#LovelyWriting!

Overall The Peculiar Night of the Blue Heart is an enjoyable read. I would love to read more by this author since this is my first by her. Also, it's a fantasy/paranormal book, but it's not scary at all. I could see this as a movie too. 

#IWouldLoveAMovie

I recommend The Peculiar Night of the Blue Heart to middle grade readers for the upcoming cold months! It's coming upon the perfect season for these kind of reads. 

#PerfectForFallAndWinter

My son Justin rated this 5.9 out of 5 stars.

My son Jordan rated this out 4 of 5 stars. 

The Wolf Road By: Beth Lewis DNF Mini Review

Thank you to Blogging for Books for providing a free copy of The Wolf Road By: Beth Lewis in exchange for an honest review. 

Well I guess it's unpopular opinion time because I did not like The Wolf Road and I had to DNF it. It's a shame too because I've seen many positive reviews for it. I was really excited about this one and I've been in the mood for thrillers, plus the post apocalyptic aspect is right up my alley. However, the writing style drove me nuts and I abandoned this one about 50 pages in. I couldn't stand Elka and the way she talked. While her dialect may make sense for the book, it distracted from the story (since there is no break from it) and I couldn't get into it. Since I really disliked the main character's personality as well I decided to give up on this one. I think this is a novel that will appeal to a lot of others, but it wasn't for me.