Books Read in May: 29

Books Read for the Year:  107/250

Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:

A Wicked Conceit, by Anna Lee Huber (TBR). Another great entry in this series!

How to Eat Your Bible, by Nate Pickowicz (spiritual).

A Court of Mist and Fury, by Sarah J. Maas (TBR, re-read). Okay, I’m really mad I never read more than the first book in this series before. Enthralling.

Brother Odd, by Dean Koontz (re-read). I’m so glad I decided to re-read these (and read the latter ones, that I haven’t read.). Odd Thomas is such a great character.

A Sorrow Fierce and Falling, by Jessica Cluess (TBR). I enjoyed this conclusion to the trilogy.

For Review:

The Funny Thing About Norman Foreman, by Julietta Henderson. This started off a bit slow, but I’ so glad I kept reading! This ended up being a wonderful read with quirky, relatable characters I’d cheerfully read more about.

New Girl in Little Cove, by Damhnait Monaghan. Another lovely read! The setting is as much a character as anyone else, and, as long as I kept in mind the when (the 80s), I didn’t roll my eyes at the Madonna references. Much.

Confessions from the Quilting Circle, by Maisey Yates. Nope. This is the last book by this author I’m reading. Her characters are just unlikable to me, whiny and entitled and they ruin any possible chance of me liking the story.

The Woman with the Blue Star, by Pam Jenoff. This was an interesting read. Not a happy read, though. I can’t imagine surviving a war by living in a sewer.

The Clover Girls, by Viola Shipman. I enjoyed this, although the 80s flashbacks really brought back some memories (Sort of. I was pretty young in the 80s.).

The Summer Seekers, by Sarah Morgan. I loved this read! It was just so much fun, and all three main characters were relatable and I couldn’t wait to find out what happened with each of them. Made me want to take a road trip—and I don’t even like road trips!

Isabelle and Alexander, by Rebecca Anderson. This ended up being such a sweet read, with a bit of a Jane Austen feel to it.

Counting Down With You, by Tashie Bhuiyan. I enjoyed this, but the male lead was way too good to be true for a 16-year-old boy.

Ariadne, by Jennifer Saint. I generally love novels that bring mythology to life, but this was just depressing.

The Girl in His Shadow, by Audrey Blake. I really enjoyed this historical read about a young lady with a gift for medicine…when it was illegal for women to practice medicine.

Talk Bookish to Me, by Kate Bromley. This was a fun, snarky read, even if the male lead was a hard no for me.

The Newcomer, by Mary Kay Andrews. I honestly didn’t care for this much. The retirees were pretty much nosy, rude busybodies, the “romance” was superficial at best, and I just didn’t really care about the characters.

Rising Danger, by Jerusha Agen. This was a decent exes-who-don’t-like-each-other romance with the threat of bombs added in.

The Last Thing He Told Me, by Laura Dave. This didn’t end up being what I expected at all. Solid read.

The Secrets We Left Behind, by Soraya M. Lane. I thought this was sad, but it was a good read.

The Summer of Lost and Found, by Mary Alice Monroe. I probably won’t read any more of this author again. I’m not a huge fan of the characters, among other things.

Dead Sprint, by Caroline Fardig. I’ve been looking forward to reading this 3rd novel in a the series, and it did not disappoint!

You Will Remember Me, by Hannah Mary McKinnon. Frankly, I feel like the author did not deliver on the promises made to the reader, and I will not read anything of hers again. No mystery at all about who the bad guy was, on top of the lack of delivery thing.

Legends of the North Cascades, by Jonathan Evison (review forthcoming). This was kind of a “meh” read for me. Excellent writing, but I was left wondering what the point was.

The Stepsisters, by Susan Mallery (review forthcoming). I finished reading this, but, of the three sisters, I couldn’t stand one of them, only sort of liked another, and mostly liked the third.

Lady Sunshine, by Amy Mason Doan (review forthcoming). I really loved this! It was a very unexpected, engrossing read!

The Warsaw Orphan, by Kelly Rimmer (review forthcoming). This was a solid, albeit sometimes sad, read.

Just Because:

Draw the Circle, by Mark Batterson.

Grace is Greater, by Kyle Idleman. I love this author’s voice: he makes heavy topics relatable.

Left Unfinished:

Hurricane Summer, by Asha Bromfield. I was really looking forward to reading this, and I made it about 30% through, but in the end, the patois slowed down the flow so much that I just didn’t care anymore.

A Summer to Remember, by Erika Montgomery. I made it about 15% of the way through this, then realized I hadn’t made a connection with the characters and I didn’t care what happened to them.

A Good Mother, by Lara Bazelon. I didn’t make it very far int his. The MC was just…not a likable person to me.

The Rooftop Party, by Ellen Meister. I only read about 15% of this before stopping. Dana comes across as vapid and self-absorbed, and the other characters were about the same, so I just couldn’t continue reading. And…if Dana is supposedly so smart and savvy, would she really have left a drink beside a guy who creeped her out and then returned for it a few minutes later and drank it? Really?

Local Woman Missing, by Mary Kubica. I read about 20% of this before giving up. The writing was solid, but the style just wasn’t for me. I found the switches between timelines and points-of-view to be clunky and confusing, and I just didn’t feel a connection to any of the characters.

The Photographer, by Mary Dixie Carter. The voice of this just wasn’t for me.

The Whitby Murders, by J. R. Ellis. I made it about 20% before DNFing this one. I just didn’t feel a connection with the characters, so while the premise was cool—a locked room murder in a panic room setting—I just couldn’t get into it.

The Summer of No Attachments, by Lori Foster. I read about 25% of this, but the characters basically got on my nerves.

Canaryville, by Charlie Newton. The first 10% of this felt like a bad cop movie and I just couldn’t do it.

• book review