Tag: elle cosimano

Monthly Wrap Ups

November Wrap-Up!

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Happy Monday bookish people! I hope you’re all having a good day today. I am bringing you my November Wrap Up today. It was one of those months where I felt like I read a lot but I actually only read a little bit, do you ever have those types of months?

Anyway onto the wrap up!

  • The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern – I did not read this but I do have a reason, it’s literally on the top shelf of my bookcase and I can’t reach it without a step ladder which I also can’t get to at the moment.
  • The Spanish Love Deception by Elena Armas – I think we can safely say none of us are surprised I didn’t read this, romance is not my go to genre.
  • Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead by Elle Cosimano – I did read this! And I really enjoyed it so look out for my book review coming soon.
  • The Girl’s I’ve Been by Tess Sharpe – I did not read this.
  • Emma by Jane Austen – Okay so I started reading this in November and I am currently reading it now, It is also on my December TBR so it is a bit of a crossover into both months.
  • The Paris Apartment by Lucy Foley – I did not read this.
  • City of Brass by S A Chakraborty – I did not read this.
  • Finale by Stephanie Garber – I did not read this either.
  • Crownbreaker by Sebastien De Castell – I am still currently halfway through this book.
  • Amy and Rogers Epic Detour by Morgan Matson – Another romance of course I didn’t read it.
  • From Blood and Ash by Jennifer L Armentrout – I did not read this
  • Gallant by V E Schwab – I did not read this either.

So, that was the books on my TBR and I read one of them…oops. But outside my TBR I also read Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel, I borrowed the audiobook from my library for my trip to Liverpool and that was really enjoyable.

What did you read in November?

That’s it for my wrap-up I hope you all enjoyed it!

Monthly Wrap Ups

July Wrap Up!

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Happy Monday bookish people! I know this post is going up on the first day of August when I usually post them at the end of the month I am writing about but July was quite the month! First there was YALC and Comic Con which I don’t really want to say that much about because it will turn into a rant, I did not have a good experience there this year because of the organization and well, they had no idea what to do with people who have disabilities so the less said about it the better. Then I found out I had gotten covid from YALC and I was so poorly, I still am a bit even a month on, I couldn’t do much. I rounded the month out with a trip to Bristol and a trip to Hampshire so I am pretty exhausted.

A good thing that happened this month is that I opened my Etsy shop! I have been thinking about this for a while and I have finally done it. I am creating bookish bookmarks, on card, wood and made of resin. If you’d like to visit my shop is TheBlindScribe

Anyway, my reading this month wasn’t great, I read some okay books but no books that I was really invested in. My book reviews of the books I did read will be coming on Mondays throughout August!

  • The Marlow Murder Club by Robert Thorogood – I did read this and actually I quite enjoyed it but I had one very specific issue with it which I will talk about in my book review of it.
  • A Perilous Undertaking by Deanna Raybourn – I did not read this book
  • Portrait of a Thief by Grace D. Li – I did not read this
  • The Box in the Woods by Maureen Johnson – I did not read this book either
  • Finlay Donovan Knocks ‘Em Dead by Elle Cosimano – I haven’t read this book
  • The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton – I haven’t read this book yet either
  • Nine Lives by Peter Swanson – I did not read this
  • Daughters of Night by Laura Shepard Robinson – I started this book a while ago but I haven’t continued with it yet
  • The Three Dog Problem by S J Bennett – I did read this!
  • The Mystery of Three Quarters by Sophie Hannah – I also read this book!
  • The Perfect Escape by Leah Konen – I did not read this book

Overall, I read three books this month which considering how poorly I was and how much has been going on this month is pretty good, I’m happy with it.

That’s it for my July wrap-up! I hope you all enjoyed it, my August TBR is coming on Friday!

Book Reviews

Book Review- Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano

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Happy Monday bookish people! Today I am bringing you a review of one of the few books I read in February, Finlay Donovan is Killing it by Elle Cosimano.

In this book review I will give star ratings to four categories and I will write a little bit about each one. I will try to keep it as spoiler free as possible. I hope you enjoy my book review.

Finlay Donovan Is Killing It Plot:

For the first 100 pages I wasn’t sure what I thought of this book, there was so much happening in so few pages that it should have felt fast but it actually felt like it was pretty slow, it took me a week to read the first 100 pages but then I picked it up to read a bit more and ended up finishing the rest of the book in one sitting. So my opinion on it changed. I ended up loving it, the mystery had a twist that I did not see coming and it has a strong motive for Finlay, being her children and keeping her family together. It felt realistic and it was something that I really liked about this novel.

Finlay Donovan Is Killing It Characters:

So Finlay is the main character and she has a really great character arc, she has a focus on her children and her job and while her life is a mess at the beginning you see how hard she is trying to put it back together, I liked how relatable the character is even though the events of the novel aren’t realistic, it created a good balance.

Finlay Donovan Is Killing It Writing And Dialogue:

As I said the pace of the novel felt slow for the first part and that might be the writing a little but for the rest of the book the writing was excellent, clear and helped me to be dragged into the story.

Finlay Donovan Is Killing It Overall:

Overall I gave this book four stars because the second half was very entertaining but the first 100 pages let it down a little bit. I am excited to pick up the sequel as soon as possible.

Blurb/Synopsis:

Finlay Donovan is killing it…except, she’s really not. A stressed-out single mom of two and struggling novelist, Finlay’s life is in chaos: The new book she promised her literary agent isn’t written; her ex-husband fired the nanny without telling her; and this morning she had to send her four-year-old to school with hair duct-taped to her head after an incident with scissors.

When Finlay is overheard discussing the plot of her new suspense novel with her agent over lunch, she’s mistaken for a contract killer and inadvertently accepts an offer to dispose of a problem husband in order to make ends meet. She soon discovers that crime in real life is a lot more difficult than its fictional counterpart, as she becomes tangled in a real-life murder investigation.

Fast-paced, deliciously witty, and wholeheartedly authentic in depicting the frustrations and triumphs of motherhood in all its messiness, hilarity, and heartfelt moments, Finlay Donovan Is Killing It is the first in a brilliant new series from award-winning Elle Cosimano.

That’s it for this book review, I hope you all enjoyed it!

Monthly Wrap Ups

February Wrap-Up

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Happy Monday bookish people! Today I am excited to bring you my February Wrap-up. Well, I say excited – I barely read anything so not so excited about that but I accomplished a lot during February.

First of all, I handed in my first assignment for my PhD and that has taken a lot of stress away from me, I also completed the redecoration of my new room including buying seven bookcases and putting my books on them (that was a great day!). Also, I went through the next stage in the process of getting a guide dog which is both terrifying and exciting.

So, usually I would list the books I was supposed to read this month and say whether I did or not, well – I only read two books this month so I won’t be listing them I will just put them here instead.

I read:

Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano

Review to come shortly!

and…

The Maid by Nita Prose

So that’s what I read this month, it wasn’t a lot but considering how busy I was I am okay with the little that I managed to read, also I plan on reading Newt’s Emerald by Garth Nix tonight which was on my February TBR so that might mean I read three books..

That’s it for this post, I hope you all enjoyed it! Tomorrow I will be posting my March TBR so if you’re interested in seeing what I will be reading make sure to check that out.