ADVENTURER. LEADER. STORYTELLER.
Ashley's Book Corner
One of my New Years Resolutions for the 2023 year was to read more and rediscover my love for reading. As a student I found myself getting bogged down in so much academic reading that I didn't have time to read the many books that I have purchased over the years. I started sharing my progress here as I make my way through my TBR list and apparently even inspired some of you to pick up some of these books or ones that had been sitting on your shelf! Although 2023 is over, I am NOT ready to stop reading, so this will be a space for me to keep sharing my reading with everyone. Below you can find archive galleries of previous years as well as my current reading list for whatever year we are in. I've also started a GoodReads account, so feel free to follow me there as well!
Books of 2024
How to Talk to Strangers by Malcolm Gladwell was such an enjoyable read! I initially expected this book to be based on skill sharpening regarding talking to strangers, so although it wasn’t necessarily what I expected, I am still happy to give it such a high rating because of how easy and enjoyable it was to read. The stories selected perfectly support each of Gladwell’s theses and are well researched.
A great way to start off my 2024 reading!
Kate Quinn's The Rose Code is a stunning work of historical fiction filled with everything you could possibly want: adventure, friendship, mystery, suspense, romance, heartbreak, hope…she has truly left no stone unturned. Our three heroines and their relationships with one another are so beautifully developed and her attention to detail as the book progresses is masterful.
If you like The Crown, The Imitation Game or Call the Midwife, you will LOVE this book. I would love to see a screen adaptation one day because I just want more and more of this story.
Beasts of a Little Land by Juhea Kim is a stunning debut novel. I love historical fiction and getting to experience another culture and piece of history through this book was incredibly refreshing.
The story was original, the characters were well-thought out and enjoyable, it was an overall good read! The reader gets a little bit of closure but it wasn’t quite enough for me. Unless an author is planning a sequel, I like to finish my books with no further questions and I still had some about some of the characters. A solid 4.5/5.
How lovely it was to be back at Cooper's Chase with the Thursday Murder Club in Richard Osman's latest installment The Last Devil to Die.
Although admittedly not my favorite of the books in the series, my investment in the characters, their relationships, and the new murder the club solves has not diminished. I felt as though this book was building up towards a longer series, but now we have to wait until Osman feels ready to return to the gang in Cooper's Chase after his new endeavor scheduled to come out this fall.
Well researched, thought out, and thorough, The Betrayal of Anne Frank: A Cold Case Investigation by Rosemary Sullivan attempts to answer a question most people ask themselves after reading The Diary of Anne Frank: Who betrayed Anne Frank and the Secret Annex?
I can walk away from this book certainly with more overall knowledge on Amsterdam during WWII than I did before I read it, and convinced that the cold case team’s conclusion is a very plausible and well-argued one that should absolutely be considered by future historians and researchers.
I absolutely love the idea of On the Rooftop by Margaret Wilkerson Sexton. I was pulled in with the story of three sisters and a hungry stage mom, but stayed for the story of the tearing apart of San Francisco’s Fillmore neighborhood.
I really liked each of the characters but wish we got to spend more time with them throughout the book. My complaint is that the book just felt unresolved. I prefer ending a novel knowing how things end for the characters and I didn’t quite get that with this novel.
I fell in love with Katherine Center after How To Walk Away and was so happy when I got my hands on Things You Save In A Fire. This book is exactly what you expect it to be. It addresses some tough topics and the theme of forgiveness is such an important one, but it fell a little flat for me in how predictable most of the story was.
Although I wasn’t completely sold on the plot, there is just something about Center’s writing. She knows how to keep me engaged as a reader. She is a wonderful writer and I look forward to more of her works.
From this day forward, Stephanie Meyer shall no longer be known as author of The Twilight Saga to me, she is author of The Host. I had no idea what to expect when I picked up this book, but I would argue that this was my favorite book I have read by Meyer.
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A LONG, but well-built dystopian, sci-fi novel with a wonderful first person narrator who I would put up there with Katniss and Tris. The character relationships and growth are AMAZING! There is just a lot of exposition, but if you are willing to stick with it, you won't regret it...at least I didn't.
Home by Julie Andrews is possibly the first book I have ever read where I thought, "Man, I wish I had listened to the audiobook!" Julie Andrews has been one of my performance heroes and role models for AGES so I was all too excited to pick up this book. The content of the stories was incredibly interesting, but the writing just didn't quite do it for me. I could hear how much more agreeable they would be if I heard them in her voice.
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A solid 3.5/5 because the content was there, it just felt as though written word was not the best vehicle for it.
The Sunset Crowd by Karin Tanabe is possibly the most thrilling, anti-climactic book that I have ever read. I loved the concept and was immediately hooked with the mystery and intrigue surrounding Theodora Leigh and the Sun Set Crowd, but I needed some more definitive resolution than what we got. A book from Theodora's perspective would be super interesting to me!
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A great summer read for anyone who likes mystery, romance, and drama! 4/5 stars for me.
Like many, I'm hooked on the Netflix series and wanted a look into the source material. Overall, The Duke and I by Julia Quinn was a good romance novel. There were aspects I enjoyed about it more than I enjoyed about the show, but the reverse is also true. It isn’t anything too original, the characters and plot are well-developed, but I must admit that there were some drastic differences the television series made.
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I'm more impressed by the creative team of the show for taking this story and making it such a successful TV series. A solid 4/5.
Sounds Like Me: My Life (so far) in Song by Sara Bareilles is one of the most creative and enjoyable autobiographies I have read in a really long time. I loved her style of sharing her story through essays that she felt reflected some of her most well-known songs and I truly felt like I was reading the inner monologue of one of my best friends. I’ve been a long-time fan of Sara and this book hasn’t changed that one bit.
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The creative storytelling alone gives it 5/5 stars. HIGHLY recommended.
The Alice Network by Kate Quinn is not my favorite of Quinn’s works but was still an enjoyable read. I appreciated the author’s idea of bringing two different time periods and wars together and helping the characters find common ground in their circumstances, but it didn’t seem to click quite as well in practice as I was hoping it would. I also struggled to connect with one of the two protagonists which made it difficult to get through.
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It pains me to give it 3/5 stars. I wish it was just written from one of the characters' perspective!
I cannot believe I invested 2 months of my life reading Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell for what I think may be the biggest letdown I’ve ever had at the end of a book. I struggled getting through the first half of the book with the war because it was SO. SLOW. I was desperate for Scarlett to have some kind of redemption because she is one of the most infuriating, narcissistic characters I’ve ever read, and right as I feel she is going to get some redemption the book ends.
3/5 stars for me. I can see why some people enjoy it, but it just wasn't my cup of tea.
The Queen's Gambit by Walter Tevis is a surprisingly engaging piece despite my thorough lack of knowledge for all things chess. I appreciate that this book has glimpses of so many different topics that the author could have made the central focus of the book (substance abuse, sexism, racism, to name a few), but ultimately it remains a book about chess and a young girl’s journey through the sport.
It's 5 stars for me! Great book with a fantastic television adaptation to experience it all over again.​
Epilepsy You Are Not Alone by Stacey Chillemi has a new edition that is not to be missed! It is a wonderful resource for anyone who has epilepsy or anyone who wants to better understand what life is like for those with the condition. I cannot recommend this book enough as a resource for anyone who is struggling with epilepsy who might need some encouragement, but more importantly I cannot recommend it enough for friends, family, and medical practitioners who are trying to better understand people in their lives who face the challenges of epilepsy.
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5 stars for sure! Fabulous resource and who knows...maybe there'll be a new audiobook soon ;)
I didn’t know what to expect when I picked up my copy of Bossypants by Tina Fey, but I am thrilled with what I got. An autobiography excellently written in Tina’s voice and style. It felt like such a personal conversation about her life between her and the reader. I learned a lot and found her story very compelling and relatable in many ways. Highly recommend if you have an interest in comedy, performance, and of course, Tina Fey.
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5 Stars, for sure one of the better auto-biographies I have read!
Reading Archive
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