Bookstagram Made Me Do It (Edition #1)

I feel like I've been a lot more active on "bookstagram" these days compared to my blog.  And to be fair, I'm just as spotty at posting there as I am on here when it comes to keeping up with reviews of books I've read.  But I've been neglecting my blog a bit which I'm hoping to change.  Book blogging in general has really changed from my early blogging days - and that's okay.  Things evolve with time so it is to be expected I suppose.  Time also gets away from me as there is only so much of it that I'm willing to dedicate to the book-related world.  All of this rambling is to say that I've been wanting to change things up here and share more than just reviews or my occasional reading updates.  Will I ever post on here regularly and consistently again?  I don't know but I'm okay with that.  I do feel like my blog is in a posting rut though so that part needs to change (hence this post).  I used to get ALL of my book recommendations from other book blogs.  I still get book recommendations from blogs but I also get many, many more recommendations now from bookstagram.  Here are just a few of the books that are now on my radar thanks to the bookstagram world:

After The Flood by Kassandra Montag

Summary from Goodreads:

"A little more than a century from now, our world has been utterly transformed. After years of slowly overtaking the continent, rising floodwaters have obliterated America’s great coastal cities and then its heartland, leaving nothing but an archipelago of mountaintop colonies surrounded by a deep expanse of open water.

Stubbornly independent Myra and her precocious seven-year-old daughter, Pearl, fish from their small boat, the Bird, visiting dry land only to trade for supplies and information in the few remaining outposts of civilization. For seven years, Myra has grieved the loss of her oldest daughter, Row, who was stolen by her father after a monstrous deluge overtook their home in Nebraska. Then, in a violent confrontation with a stranger, Myra suddenly discovers that Row was last seen in a far-off encampment near the Artic Circle. Throwing aside her usual caution, Myra and Pearl embark on a perilous voyage into the icy northern seas, hoping against hope that Row will still be there.

On their journey, Myra and Pearl join forces with a larger ship and Myra finds herself bonding with her fellow seekers who hope to build a safe haven together in this dangerous new world. But secrets, lust, and betrayals threaten their dream, and after their fortunes take a shocking—and bloody—turn, Myra can no longer ignore the question of whether saving Row is worth endangering Pearl and her fellow travelers."

This book just released this week and the reviews for this one have been rolling in like mad.  I've seen nothing but positive things so far, but I'll admit that I try to skim reviews as much as possible when the hype for a book is this big so nothing gets ruined for me.  Some of the big name bookstagrammers are really raving about it so I'm intrigued.  Add in the fact that post-apocalyptic books are something I'm almost always drawn to and I just knew that I have to read this one soon.  If I didn't have The Passage by Justin Cronin already checked out from the library this one would be on my holds list right now.  I do want to get my hands on this one though before the end of the year!

The Family Upstairs by Lisa Jewell 

Summary from Goodreads:

"Be careful who you let in. 

Soon after her twenty-fifth birthday, Libby Jones returns home from work to find the letter she’s been waiting for her entire life. She rips it open with one driving thought: I am finally going to know who I am. 

She soon learns not only the identity of her birth parents, but also that she is the sole inheritor of their abandoned mansion on the banks of the Thames in London’s fashionable Chelsea neighborhood, worth millions. Everything in Libby’s life is about to change. But what she can’t possibly know is that others have been waiting for this day as well—and she is on a collision course to meet them. 

Twenty-five years ago, police were called to 16 Cheyne Walk with reports of a baby crying. When they arrived, they found a healthy ten-month-old happily cooing in her crib in the bedroom. Downstairs in the kitchen lay three dead bodies, all dressed in black, next to a hastily scrawled note. And the four other children reported to live at Cheyne Walk were gone."

This book has yet to be released (looks like it releases in November) but early bookstagram reviews have me itching to read this one.  I may have EVERY SINGLE one of this authors books on my TBR list now but I've yet to read a single one of them.  I'm thinking this may be the one I begin with honestly.  The premise just sounds so delightfully creepy - it also sounds like the perfect type of read for this time of year.  I do have a copy of this book thanks to NetGalley so I'm hoping to read this one before publication date.  It just sounds SO good, doesn't it?

The Whisper Man by Alex North

Summary from Goodreads:

"In this dark, suspenseful thriller, Alex North weaves a multi-generational tale of a father and son caught in the crosshairs of an investigation to catch a serial killer preying on a small town.

After the sudden death of his wife, Tom Kennedy believes a fresh start will help him and his young son Jake heal. A new beginning, a new house, a new town. Featherbank.

But the town has a dark past. Twenty years ago, a serial killer abducted and murdered five residents. Until Frank Carter was finally caught, he was nicknamed "The Whisper Man," for he would lure his victims out by whispering at their windows at night.

Just as Tom and Jake settle into their new home, a young boy vanishes. His disappearance bears an unnerving resemblance to Frank Carter's crimes, reigniting old rumors that he preyed with an accomplice. Now, detectives Amanda Beck and Pete Willis must find the boy before it is too late, even if that means Pete has to revisit his great foe in prison: The Whisper Man.

And then Jake begins acting strangely. He hears a whispering at his window..."

Now this book has been ALL OVER bookstagram.  So much so that even though I currently have it checked out from the library I'm a bit hesitant to read it (which is what happens to me when the hype for a book is this big).  But I also just can't resist giving this one a try to see if it is as creepy as it sounds.  And this is the perfect time of year for creepy reads just like this!  I just want to read them all....give me all of the creepy thrillers to read until the end of October!

I'm going to stick with three books this time around.  Tell me though, what books have you added to your TBR list lately?