Category: books

What I Read in November

Late again, as usual, but I had a week’s vacation in November, so I read a lot (It was great.).

The 20 books I read in November:

As I Lay Dying, by William Faulkner. (Classic book for the month.)

did-i-mention-i-miss-you

Did I Mention I Miss You? by Estelle Maskame. (Read to review)

Uncle Vanya, by Anton Chekhov. (For school.)

Tamer of Horses, by Amalia Carosella (Will review.)

To Capture What We Cannot Keep, by Beatrice Colin. (Will review.)

every-mountain-made-low

Every Mountain Made Low, by Alex White. (Read to review.)

unnatural-deeds

Unnatural Deeds, by Cyn Balog. (Read to review.)

no-witness-but-the-moon

No Witness but the Moon, by Suzanne Chazin. (Read to review.)

one-was-lost

One Was Lost, by Natalie D. Richards. (Read to review.)

the-cabin

The Cabin, by Natasha Preston. (Read to review.)

heir-of-thunder

Heir of Thunder, by Karissa Laurel. (Read to review.)

the-homecoming

The Homecoming, by Stacie Ramey. (Read to review.)

humble-roots

Humble Roots, by Hannah Anderson (Read to review.)

a-whole-latte-murder

A Whole Latte Murder, by Caroline Fardig. (Read to review.)

nutshell

Nutshell, by Ian McEwan. (Read to review.)

Cast in Flight, by Michelle Sagara. (Read because I love this series!)

unfolding

Unfolding, by Jonathan Friesen. (Read to review.)

Your Inner Fish, by Neil Shubin. (Book from the TBR pile.).

Gods at War, by Kyle Idleman. (Spiritual book for the month.)

Heavenly Help, by Sarah Bowling. (Bonus spiritual book or the month.)

Every Mountain Made Low, by Alex White

Alex White is a born-and-raised Southern writer who likes Legos, racecars, and, of course, whiskey (He is Southern, after all.). Every Mountain Made Low is his first published novel.

Loxley Fiddleback is haunted.

She inherited her ability to see spirits, but the problem is, they can see her, too. They are drawn to her, and the pain from their touch is excruciating. Seeing ghosts is cruel and painful, and none more so than the spirit of her best friend, alive only a few hours ago.

Loxley isn’t cut out to solve a murder: she lives near the bottom of a strip-mined pit of a city called “The Hole” and suffers debilitating anxiety and fear of strangers. But Loxley swears to revenge her friend’s murder, and soon uncovers a conspiracy that leads all the way to the top of The Hole. And her enemies are looking for her, too, especially a brutal enforcer named Hiram who will follow Loxley into the strange depths of the city to protect the secrets he’s been hired to safeguard.

Every Mountain Made Low has probably the most unique setting I’ve ever read. I was almost through with the book when I realized The Hole was in the American South (not that that really matters, just an observation). And Loxley is one of the most unique characters I’ve ever read, too. Her mental differences make her viewpoint sometimes-disorienting, but always intriguing, and I found the world both discouraging (because I could see our culture headed that way) and interesting (because it’s just so different). This book is well-worth reading!

(Galley provided by Solaris.)

Don’t Tell Anyone, by Eleanor Gray

Don’t Tell Anyone is the newest novel from Eleanor Gray.

Grace Neville lost her teenage daughter, Tara, months ago in a brutal murder. Now she watches numbly as Jordan Dukes is sentenced for the crime. While Grace still struggles to adjust to her new life, Jordan’s father approaches her, claiming that his son is innocent and that justice has landed on the wrong person. Jordan’s violent history in a gang makes Grace skeptical…until someone breaks into her home and goes through Tara’s things.

Now Grace is asking questions, questions that hint at dark secrets she never imagined. And someone will do anything to keep those secrets from getting out.

Don’t Tell Anyone is a fast-paced, engrossing read. Grace is a character I truly cared about, deeply scarred and struggling to find her way to shore before hidden secrets drag her back under. I was not prepared for the revelations she uncovered.

(Galley provided by Midnight Ink via NetGalley.)

Unnatural Deeds, by Cyn Balog

Cyn Balog is a young adult author. Her newest novel is Unnatural Deeds.

Victoria Zell has never fit in. Not that she cares. She and her homeschooled boyfriend, Andrew, are inseparable, so Victoria doesn’t care about anyone else. Until Zachary Zimmerman shows up in her homeroom: he’s gorgeous and popular, everything Victoria is not. Within the first hour, he convinces her to cut class, and now Victoria can’t get enough of that rush.

Even though Vic is loyal to Andrew, she is drawn to Z. But Z has secrets, and soon Vic is lying to everyone as she tries to unravel those secrets. Except Z isn’t the only one with secrets, and Vic’s past will come back to haunt her in its destructive rampage.

This book…I thought I knew where it was going. Seriously. All the signs pointed one way, and then we ended up completely off the map. I never saw the ending coming. Like, at all. Z and Vic are both great characters, and you’ll find yourself drawn into their mystery as they struggle to untangle it. You should definitely read this book!

(Galley provided by Sourcebooks Fire.)

No Witness but the Moon, by Suzanne Chazin

Suzanne Chazin is the award-winning author of the Fire series and the Jimmy Vega novels. Her newest novel is No Witness but the Moon, the third Jimmy Vega novel.

Police detective Jimmy Vega is called to the scene of an upscale home invasion and sees a man fitting the description of the armed invader fleeing into the woods. Jimmy follows, and when the suspect reaches into his pocket, is forced to make the decision no good cop wants to make: to shoot or not to shoot.

Jimmy’s choice upends lives in the New York community, as well as Jimmy’s relationship with his girlfriend, Adele, head of a local immigrant center. Jimmy’s investigation uncovers links between the dead man and his own mother’s brutal, unsolved murder, and Jimmy’s status as a disgraced cop only lends further scrutiny to his action. Jimmy’s discovery of shocking evidence makes him realize that someone doesn’t want the truth about what happened out there, and that someone will do anything to stop him finding out.

No Witness but the Moon is fiction about the issues of today, including racial profiling, immigration, and cop shootings. As such, it feels very relevant and on-point, but it also explores the way the media portrays events to suit its need for a sensational story…not the need to tell the truth. Jimmy Vega is a good character: he’s a good cop forced to make a hard choice, and dealing with the consequences of his actions as he accepts the responsibility while also struggling to find out the truth.

(Galley provided by Kensington via NetGalley.)

Did I Mention I Miss You? by Estelle Maskame

Estelle Maskame is the author of the Wattpad sensation Did I Mention I Love You? trilogy. Did I Mention I Miss You? is the final book.

Eden hasn’t spoken with Tyler in over a year. After he left her, she started a new life at a school in Chicago, and tried to forget about Tyler. Now she’s just angry at him, and she never wants to speak to him again. But back in Santa Monica for the summer, it’s hard to forget Tyler when she’s surrounded by things that remind her of him.

And she’s not the only one who returns to Santa Monica. Tyler has made a new life for himself, and he wants Eden in it. Eden is confused by this new Tyler, and she’s not sure if she can ever forgive him. But when family conflict draws them together, Eden must decide if Tyler is worth everything he’s put her through.

Okay, I’ll admit it: cheesy high school movies are a guilty pleasure of mine. Think Ten Things I Hate About You and Save the Last Dance. I also love reading books like that, and the DIMILY trilogy fits nicely in there. It’s been fun seeing Eden and Tyler change and grow throughout the books, and this is an enjoyable ending to a series I liked.

(Galley provided by Sourcebooks Fire via NetGalley.)

One Was Lost, by Natalie Richards

Natalie Richards used to work in a boring office cubicle before she discovered the art of making things up and became a young adult author. Her newest novel is One Was Lost.

Sera did not want to go on her senior camping trip, but she didn’t have a choice. She especially didn’t want to go with Lucas, with whom she has a history. But there she was, hiking through the woods with a group of teenagers, and the only thing she has in common with them is this stupid trip.

Until the group is split in two, and her group wakes up groggy and disoriented, with words scrawled on their wrists. Their supplies are gone. Their chaperone is unconscious. And they find four dolls acting out a murder…four dolls dressed exactly like them. Someone stalks them in the woods, and since Sera has the only positive word on her wrist, soon everyone is suspicious of her. They have to get out of the woods before someone else winds up hurt or dead, but their stalker is always one step ahead.

So, this book….I’m a bit of a chicken sometimes, and this book creeped me out several times. Things kept getting worse for Sera and her friends, and the setting was spooky enough to make me swear off camping in the woods. Like, forever. I never did figure out what was going on, right up until the action-packed ending. One Was Lost kept me flipping pages until I finally found out what was going on.

(Galley provided by Sourcebooks Fire via NetGalley).

The Cabin, by Natasha Preston

Natasha Preston is a New York Times bestselling author from England. Her newest novel is The Cabin.

It’ been a rough year for Mackenzie and her friends. They lost two of their group in a car accident months ago, and things have not been the same since. Now, with graduation looming, they decide to celebrate at Josh’s parents’ cabin in the woods. Sounds fun, right?

Right up until the moment when they find two of their group brutally murdered. And with no signs of forced entry, that means one of the five survivors is the killer. With all eyes upon them, Mackenzie’s life—and those of her friends—will never be the same. She can’t stand not knowing what happened, but when her efforts to figure it out result in another death, Mackenzie starts to wonder just how well she really knows her friends.

The Cabin is creepy in a spine-tingling, looking-over-your-shoulder way. The characters are great, vibrant with life and their relationships are complex. Like Mackenzie, I didn’t want to believe one of them was the killer. Unlike Mackenzie, I’m positive I wouldn’t have gone back out into the woods looking for clues. If you’re looking for a read that will suck you in and keep you flipping the pages, grab this one!

(Galley provided by Sourcebooks Fire via NetGalley.)

What I Read in October

It’s about time I got around to listing what I read in October (Since it’s practically December.).

Blue Like Jazz, by Donald Miller.

sss The Scent of Salt and Sand, by P.C. and Kristin Cast.

the-saint-louisians The Saint Louisans, by Steven Clark

beauty-of-darkness The Beauty of Darkness, by Mary E. Pearson

what-well-do-for-blood

What We’ll Do For Blood, by C.L. Mannarino

A Doll’s House, by Henrik Ibsen

tpw The Tea Planter’s Wife, by Dinah Jeffries

Wonder Women, by Sam Maggs (Stopped reading because the author’s side comments were so biased and snarky that it completely overshadowed the interesting tales of women who should’ve been famous.)

Heir of Thunder, by Karissa Laurel

Karissa Laurel is the author of The Norse Chronicles. Her newest book, Heir of Thunder, is the first book in The Stormbourne Chronicles.

Evelyn Stormbourne is left reeling by the sudden death of her father amidst an attack by revolutionaries. Her only ally is Gideon, her father’s horse master, who helps her conceal her identity as they flee to the safety of the coast to find a ship to the Continent.

When a horrific storm washes Evie overboard, she finds herself “rescued” by slavers collecting girls from all cultures. Though Evie escapes, she’s determined to save her fellow captives, with the aid of nomads who live in airships fueled by lightning. Add in a cabal of Dark Magicians intent on using her to create a new god, and an ancient family intent on claiming Evie’s birthright, and the likelihood of disaster is high, as Evie struggles to embrace her identity as well as her powers.

Heir of Thunder is an engaging read set in an intriguing world. The airships are fascinating, as is the culture of the people who live in them. Evie starts off as a sheltered, spoiled brat, but grows so much as a character throughout the novel. A great epic fantasy read for YA or adult readers alike.

(Galley provided by Evolved Publishing via NetGalley.)

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