pregnancy, procrastination, and paperbacks

I looked at my most recent post, and was shocked to see I haven't shared a single book review on here since January. It has been a a whirlwind of a year (and we're only in April), but it's been great! We were super excited to share our pregnancy announcement in March on our trip to Hawaii. We figured a baby-moon was necessary before things (aka my body) really start to change. We got to hike, walk, swim, snorkel, explore... and it was everything I needed to get out of the winter blues. I have been in major procrastination mode these past few weeks...not wanting to write/blog, photograph, start a baby registry, etc... and its ok! I've been choosing to spend more time with friends, get outside, walk, exercise...and most importantly...read!

In terms of my Goodreads Reading Challenge this year ( 50 books - I figured this was fair, what with having a baby in August and all)...I am well on my way to completing it. So far I've read 21 books, and many of them have been spectacular! It's a great year for new releases, and I will be sharing a post early next week on my favourite summer releases to look forward to. 

I've decided to skip over the boring/dreary book reviews (they're really not fun to write), and share my favourites so far this year! I've also been actively using Audible, and I have fallen in love with audio books again. I've found I'm using it when walking the dog, driving to work, commuting in the city, and cleaning/cooking. It's often hard to find a good narrator, so I wanted to share some of my favourites of those as well!

1. The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren. 
This book was everything! Still swooning over this one. I don’t usually read romcom’s or anything romantic, but this one was hard to put down. For fans of The Hating Game! This book is everything: light-hearted, humorous, and sharp. It had me laughing out loud, by the pool, to myself (and not many books do that). Thank you so much @simonschusterca for this surprise book mail!

2. The Perfect Girlfriend by Karen Hamilton
If you’re into sociopaths, stalkers, and multi-layered characters, this one’s for you. It will definitely bring new meaning to the word: obsession. Also...is it bad that I was rooting for this lunatic? Such a fun, one-sitting read. 

3. Before She Knew him by Peter Swanson
I flew through this book in one day by the pool. It's the newest one from Peter Swanson, and he's back with a new psychological thriller with an unbelievable twisted ending. This one came out March 19! Unreliable narrators, betrayal, and long kept secrets.

4. The Ex by Alafair Burke
This one isn't new, but I got the audiobook to listen to on my commute to work and I loved the narrator! I found this one intriguing, suspenseful and worth investing in. I'm not usually drawn to lawyer protagonists, but this character reappears in another of Burke's book, so I enjoyed going backwards and finding out her backstory. I recommend anything by Alafair Burke!

5. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
One of my only 5 star reads this year, and the book we chose as our April Book Club pick. This is spectacularly sneaky and I can't stop thinking about the ending. It's the most impressive story I've read in awhile. Psychological thriller - for fans of crime fiction, Riley Sager, and Alice Feeney.