Tag: what I’ve been reading lately

What I Read in November (2023)

Books Read in November: 17
Books Read for the Year:  188/200

Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:

Echo Island, by Jared C. Wilson (TBR). I wasn’t too impressed with this, honestly. An okay read, but that’s it.
The Dead Don’t Dance, by Charles Martin (audio, TBR). Awesome, just like everything else by this author.
The Iron Queen, by Julie Kagawa (re-read). Loved it, again.
Need, by Carrie Jones (re-read). This was an underwhelming re-read, but I think I’ll give the second one a try and see if it gets better.
Shiver, by Maggie Stiefvater (re-read). This re-read was as good as I remembered it.
Dancing on the Head of a Pin, by Robert Benson (TBR). This was an interesting glimpse into a writer’s life.
English Lessons, by Andrea Lucado (TBR). I really enjoyed this narrative nonfiction read!
Till We Have Faces, by C.S. Lewis (TBR). I really enjoyed this re-telling of a myth!

For Review:

The Fiction Writer, by Jillian Cantor. This was a little too meta for me, and the MC kept doing phenomenally stupid things.

Shards of Glass, by Michelle Sagara. I love this series of books, and I was excited to read this one, even if it wasn’t about Kaylin. Another excellent adventure that kept me glued to the page!

The Curse of Penryth Hall, by Jess Armstrong (review forthcoming). I enjoyed this quite a bit. Ruby was a lot of fun to read, and I liked the setting and everything going on in the novel at all times. I never figured out who the killer was, either.

This Cursed Light, by Emily Thiede (review forthcoming). I loved this! Alessa and Dante! They have the best relationship, and I loved how they both grow and change during this story.

Our Cursed Love, by Julie Abe (review forthcoming). I really enjoyed this romance/fantasy/hidden-world-of-magic read.

Just Because:
Spirit of the Wood, by Kristen Britain (TBR). I really enjoy everything in this series.
On Writing, by Stephen King (re-read). I’m not sure how many times I’ve read this, but I still love it.
Dirty Thirty, by Janet Evanovich. Man. Talk about a cliffhanger ending!
gods in Alabama, by Joshilyn Jackson. this is probably one of my top ten favorite books of all time… and it was just as good on this read. This is the book in which I discovered Southern fiction was a thing.

Left Unfinished:

Plot Twist, by Erin LaRosa. I’m not into frivolous and obsessed-with-what-people-think-of-them main characters. This is the second one of LaRosa’s books I’ve DNFed, so I probably should just accept that no matter how appealing her books sound, they’re just not a good fit for me.

Artifacts of an Ex, by Jennifer Chen. I completely appreciated the MC’s obsession with planning, but wasn’t a fan of her careless and juvenile behavior.

Act Like a Lady, Think Like a Lord, by Celeste Connally. Look, if I’ve read a third of the book and the MC says she doesn’t care about the ton and societal expectations but that’s all she can think about, and if all the male characters seem to be either foolish, demeaning, or borderline evil, well, I have no interest in finishing reading

This Spells Love, by Kat Robb. I liked the idea of this, but Gemma moping around and feeling sorry for herself—and repeatedly getting drunk—just didn’t do it for me. People like that annoy me, so I didn’t want to spend any more time with her.

The Best Books I Read in October (2023)

In October, I read 17 books, bringing my total for the year to 171 books read. Most of those were solid reads, but a few of them were really good.

The Iron Daughter, by Julie Kagawa. This is a re-read of this series for me (Well, a re-read of the original books with Meghan and Ash anyway.). I love these characters and this world, and if you haven’t read them, you should. Actually, anything by Julie Kagawa is a pretty solid bet.

Send Down the Rain, by Charles Martin. Yes, another Charles Martin book is one of my best reads for the month. I can’t help it. He’s phenomenal, and he has an extensive backlist that I haven’t read yet. Also, his newest book, The Last Exchange, by Charles Martin, is very highly recommended—and not on his backlist, as it just came out in October. Go read it. And anything else by him.

The Unmaking of June Farrow, by Adrienne Young. This wasn’t quite what I expected, but I loved it. I’ve read all of her novels and loved them all, and this is another great read. The time travel aspect might mess with your mind a little bit, but you’ll be fine.

What I Read in October (2023)

Books Read in October: 17
Books Read for the Year:  171/225

Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:

The Iron Daughter, by Julie Kagawa (re-read). Still loving these characters.

Signs and Secrets of the Messiah, by Jason Sobel (spiritual). Fascinating read, although a bit over my head in places.

This Outside Life, by Laurie Ostby Kehler (spiritual). I loved reading about all these different places.

Taste of Darkness, by Maria V. Snyder (TBR). Loved this wrap-up to this trilogy.

Send Down the Rain, by Charles Martin (TBR, audio). I loved this!

The Lost Bookshop, by Evie Woods (TBR). I do like a good magical realism book, and this one qualified.

The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell, by Robert Dugoni (TBR). This was sometimes good, sometimes frustrating (Sam’s mom’s single-mindedness), and sometimes magical.

After Death, by Dean Koontz (TBR). This was a little terrifying.

For Review:

The Hurricane Wars, by Thea Guanzon. The first…third or so of this was so plainly a Reylo fanfic that it grated on me (down to the character descriptions), but I was intrigued enough by the world to keep reading—and I’m happy to say it improved.

The Unmaking of June Farrow, by Adrienne Young. This was a fantastic read! I was just as confused as the MC for most of the novel, which made everything that much more believable!

Unholy Terrors, by Lyndall Clipstone. This was a very atmospheric read, but I frequently felt like the characters were going around in circles. I wanted to know more about the culture and the peoples, but sadly, that was not to be.

Highlands Christmas – Wishes Come True, by Amy Quick Parrish. This was a novella, so at least it was a very quick read. Other than that…although the setting was cool, I feel like this was just a meh read.

The Predictable Heartbreaks of Imogen Finch, by Jacqueline Firkins. I loved the friendship triangle in this book. I found the small town setting with somehow an almost-unlimited dating pool a bit farfetched. I didn’t like that it made it seem like Eliot was the one with all the issues, while Imogen was a doormat/opportunity for sex for 17 different men—and that wasn’t treated as much of an issue.

When I’m Dead, by Hannah Morrissey. I DNFed the first book in this series, so I’m not sure why I read this one. It was solidly written, but it just felt like the setting was so dark, and I didn’t much care for the two MCs.

Swarm, by Jennifer Lyle (review forthcoming). Another meh read filled with actions that didn’t make much sense.

Never Wager with a Wallflower, by Virginia Heath. This was a cute wrap-up to a trilogy I enjoyed, although I thought Venus was so focused on blaming Gal she couldn’t see that some things just weren’t his fault.

Just Because:

Life, by Lisa Harper (devotional. Loved this!

Left Unfinished:
The Mis-Arrangement of Sana Saeed, by Noreen Mughees. I like reading books set in cultures different from my own, but I do not like getting thrown into strange languages and customs with almost zero clarification. This made me put the book down.

Love Interest, by Clare Gilmore. I made it three pages before Casey annoyed me so much by being critical, judgmental, and condescending that I stopped reading immediately.

Silent City, by Sarah Davis-Goff. I hadn’t read the first one, but that wasn’t what made me put this down. After 10%, the choppy, messy writing style just didn’t work for me.

Sisters Under the Rising Sun, by Heather Morris. I love World War II historical fiction, but the first 5% of this did not work for me. It felt completely chaotic and jumbled together, and I just didn’t care to read more.

The Fatal Folio, by Elizabeth Penney. This was the first of this series I’d picked up, and it sounds perfect for me: books and a cozy mystery? I read about 20% of it, but I just wasn’t interested in the characters enough to keep reading.

The Boy from the Sea, by H.L. Macfarlane. I just couldn’t deal with Grace’s obsessions with Lir. Stalker much? If I don’t like the characters, I don’t bother reading more, and I didn’t like Grace.

What the River Knows, by Isabel Ibañez. This sounds like it would be right up my alley, but it felt slow and almost juvenile in the beginning, and Inez, is so naive and even childish as to be annoying. I just couldn’t connect with her, so I lost interest.

The Future, by Naomi Alderman. I just cannot read about characters I don’t like, and this selfish, self-absorbed group were too much.

The Porcelain Maker, by Sarah Freethy. This sounded so good—and might have been. But, when I had to put if down for 24 hours due to life being busy, I wasn’t looking forward to picking it up. and was just sort of blah about it, so it obviously wasn’t holding my attention.

Best Books I Read in September (2023)

In September, I read 19 books, bringing my total for the year to 154 books read. Of those, most of them were either meh reads or solid reads, but a handful were great.

Wrapped in Rain, by Charles Martin (audio). Another lovely book by my favorite author. This one made me cry, but it was so good!

The Iron King by Julie Kagawa. I forgot how much I loved this world and these characters! This was just plain fun to re-read.

The Roaring Days of Zora Lily, by Noelle Salazar. I do love reading about the 1920s, and this was such a good read! I loved all the details about life and culture during this times. The romance was so well-done, and I even enjoyed the fashion descriptions. Which is really saying something, considering my complete disregard of fashion.

The Scarlet Alchemist, by Kylie Lee Baker (review forthcoming). I enjoyed this read a lot! Love the magic system and the characters—I found the Crown Prince to be so endearing in his…uselessness. This was a strong fantasy read with vibrant characters, and I’m looking forward to reading more.

What I Read in August (2023)

Books Read in August: 17
Books Read for the Year:  135/225

Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:

The Pursuit of God, by A.W. Tozer (spiritual).
If the Tomb is Empty, by Joby and Charles Martin (audio, spiritual).
The God I Never Knew, by Robert Morris (spiritual re-read).
Get Lost, by Dannah Gresh (spiritual). This was a thought-provoking read.
A Fatal Illusion, by Anna Lee Huber (TBR). I always love the books in this series.
Mr. Owita’s Guide to Gardening, by Carol Wall (TBR). This was surprisingly good!
Cupcakes, Trinkets, and Other Deadly Magic, by Meghan Ciana Dodge (re-read). I enjoyed this re-read, although some of the cultural references were a little bit dated.
Spellbreaker by Charlie N. Holmberg (TBR). I really enjoyed this!
Touch of Power by Maria V. Snyder (re-read). I have no idea how I forgot about this book. A good read!

For Review:

Codename Charming by Lucy Parker. Parts of this were quite funny, and I enjoyed the two main characters quite a bit.

Her Radiant Curse, by Elizabeth Lim. I did enjoy this fantasy read and the relationship between the two sisters, but I didn’t like the ending too much. I’d be interested to read more of this story.

Letters from My Sister, by Valerie Fraser Luesse. This started off a little bit slow, but it ended up being so, so good! Love the the sisters and their relationship, and everything about this family.

The River Runs South, by Audrey Ingram (review forthcoming). I wasn’t too sure about the MC at first, but I ended up really loving this read—it brought life in an Alabama coastal town to vibrant life.

Main Character Energy, by Jamie Varon. This was a solid romance read, though I found it pretty predictable. I did love how the MC came to accept and lover herself.

Just Because:

The Brothers Hawthorne, by Jennifer Lynn Barnes. I binge-read this in one sitting the day it came out. Love these characters and their antics.

Scent of Magic, by Maria V. Snyder. This was a re-read I did not remember reading the first time, so I thoroughly enjoyed it.

The Sacred Echo, by Margaret Feinberg. This was a very profound, thought-provoking read.

Spellmaker, by Charlie N. Holmberg. I enjoyed the first book in this duology so much, I immediately read the second one.

Left Unfinished:

Deadlock, by James Byrne. The first 10% of this just felt disjointed and choppy, and it didn’t hold my attention.
The Invisible Hour, by Alice Hoffman. I was so looking forward to reading this! I got about 30% in and realized I just didn’t care about the characters…and that was before I got to the time-travel bit that a lot of readers didn’t care for.
The Breakaway, by Jennifer Weiner. This is the second book by this author I’ve DNFed because I just don’t like the characters.

Kissing Kosher, by Jean Meltzer. I just could not make myself care about these characters. They seemed surface level, with not depth.

Dreambound, by Dan Frey. I read a third of this and was mildly interested, but the format was kind of jarring for me (switching between texts, emails, etc.,) and Byron was kind of a self-absorbed jerk, so it couldn’t keep my attention.

The Best Books I Read in July (2023)

In July, I read 19 books and DNFed eight, making my total for the year 117 books read. Several of these were truly excellent reads, and I cannot narrow it down to my usual three. So, this month, you get six.

The Last Exchange, by Charles Martin. This book. Man. Charles Martin writes such phenomenal characters, and this was no exception. The story of Pockets and Maybe Joe was absolutely riveting.

Demons of Good and Evil, by Kim Harrison. I love all the Hollows books, and I had real trouble putting this down to go to sleep. #teamJenks

Hello Stranger, by Katherine Center. This was sweet, cute, and funny, as Center’s books usually are. I can’t imagine having facial blindness!

Ladies of the Lake, by Cathy Gohlke. A lovely historical fiction read about friendship and facing your past so you can embrace the future.

Chasing Fireflies, by Charles Martin. The setting in this one was fascinating and Uncle Willie was so vivid I felt like he was the one telling me the story. I listened to this on audio and ended up in tears driving to work one morning. My only complaint is we didn’t figure out what happened to Jack!

The Keeper of Hidden Books, by Madeline Martin. Another lovely historical fiction read! I loved reading about Warsaw during World War II—and how people fought to preserve their history and books.

What I Read in July (2023)

Books Read in July: 19
Books Read for the Year:  117/225
Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:

Midnight at the Blackbird Cafe, by Heather Webber (TBR). This was such a lovely Southern fiction read!
The Light Over London, by Julia Kelly (TBR). An excellent historical fiction!
The London House, by Katherine Reay (TBR). I enjoyed this a lot.
Gospel Wakefulness, by Jared C. Wilson (spiritual).
Blue Ridge Sunrise by Denise Hunter (TBR). I enjoyed this second-chance romance.
Demons of Good and Evil, by Kim Harrison (TBR). Loved this, as always.

For Review:

Hotel Laguna, by Nicola Harrison. I enjoyed this historical read! There’s a bit of mystery mixed into this post-World War read, and the characters are vivid and realistic.

And Then There Was You, by Nancy Naigle. This was such a sweet romance. It opens with a woman discovering she’s been the victim of an elaborate con and turns into a small-town romance with the detective working her case. I love how faith is woven throughout the narrative subtly and pervasively.

The Last Exchange, by Charles Martin (review forthcoming). This book. Y’all. Charles Martin is my absolute favorite author, and I was thrilled when I got the chance to read it four months before release day! I’ll be buying this in hardback when it hits shelves. Martin writes such believable, larger-than-life characters, and I fell in love with Maybe Joe and Pockets almost immediately. This book touched my heart on a deep level, and the theme, “A life laid down is better than one picked up,” is still resonating with me days after finishing this.

What Happens After Midnight, by K. L. Walther. This was a fun YA read, although bits of it felt a little bit too-good-to-be-true. (Their relationships with the adults in the story, for example. And the freedom they had at a boarding school.)

Hello Stranger, by Katherine Center. This read was great fun! It was interesting, reading about facial blindness. I can’t imagine how terrible that must be!

Thief Liar Lady, by D. L. Soria. This was a re-telling of Cinderella. Sort of. I enjoyed it, and the main character, a lot.

Ladies of the Lake, by Cathy Gohlke. I loved this historical fiction read! The characters were so much fun to read (except Dorothy, who I didn’t really like.) I listened to the audio book, and thought it was very well done.

Ghosted, by Amanda Quain. This was a decent YA read, as long as you’re not really expecting a re-telling of Northanger Abbey.

The Keeper of Hidden Books, by Madeline Martin (review forthcoming). This is a wonderful historical fiction read! I was invested from the first page, and soon found myself engrossed enough to go without sleep.

The Bone Hacker, by Kathy Reichs (review forthcoming). Another solid thrill read in the Temperance Brennan series.

The Secret Recipe of Ella Dove, by Karen Hawkins (review forthcoming). I enjoyed this book in the Dove Pond series, although I disliked Angela and Jules immensely.

Just Because:
A Year with C.S. Lewis. I enjoyed this devotional so much!

Chasing Fireflies, by Charles Martin (audio). This was such a good read! Martin has a way of creating such quirky and believable characters who are just fascinating. I do wish we’d found out what happened to jack, though.

Left Unfinished:
Forever Hold Your Peace, by Liz Fenton. I didn’t really care for the characters, so I didn’t make it very far into reading this.

Good Fortune, by C.K. Chau. I wanted to like this, but I found the opening messy and chaotic and I didn’t care for the characters.

Clementine and Danny Save the World, by Livia Blackburne. I read about 40% of this before realizing my attention kept wandering and I just didn’t care about these characters and what they were up to, despite my enjoyment of the tea theme.

Tastes Like Shakkar, by Nisha Sharma. I couldn’t stand the male MC in the opening scene and I don’t care for insta-anything.

A Fatal Groove, by Olivia Blacke. I found the first 10% boring. The characters didn’t catch my attention at all.

Guardians of Dawn: Zhara, by S. Jae-Jones. DN\Fed because of the incessant giggling of the MC…she even called it the Good Looking Giggle. Please, spare me from ridiculous YA characters.

You’re An Animal, by Jardine Libaire. Made it 10% into this, but didn’t like any of the characters.

The One That Got Away, by Charlotte Rixon. I read 10% of this, but was just bored. And, frankly, anything that opens in the POV of a suicide bomber probably isn’t for me.

The Best Books I Read in June (2023)

In June, I read 14 books. Of those, some mere meh, most were solid, and three were exceptional.

The Study of Poisons, by Maria V. Snyder. This is Poison Study from Valek’s POV, and I loved it! It’s been so long since I first read these books, but now I want to re-read all of them.

Morgan Is My Name, by Sophie Keetch. I love King Arthur mythology, and this was a riveting read! From the very first page, when Morgan was seven years old, her voice and personality captivated me. I had trouble putting this down to sleep!

Beach Read, by Emily Henry. I loved the dialogue in this novel! The banter was so witty and had me in stitches so many times. This would make and excellent weekend read—or let’s be hones: a great beach read!

What I Read in June (2023)

Books Read in June: 14
Books Read for the Year:  98/225

Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:
Beach Read, by Emily Henry (TBR). The banter in this was fantastic! I thoroughly enjoyed this read.
Unravel the Dusk, by Elizabeth Lim (TBR). I still love the magic in this.
Heartbreak Bay, by Rachel Caine (TBR). I’ve been putting off reading this for for a while because I’m so sad that Caine passed away. This book. Man. I’ve enjoyed these books so much, but this one messed with my mind! The people lurking in the shadows, harassing Gwen and blaming her ex-husband’s actions on her, and thinking it’s okay to torment her. That is NOT okay. And the little funhouse of horrors at the end…I’m lucky it didn’t give me nightmares. Yet.
The House at the End of the World, by Dean Koontz (TBR). Another one of Koontz’s the-government-is-not-our-friend thrillers.
The Study of Poisons, by Maria V. Snyder (TBR). How could I resist reading the story of Poison Study from Valek’s POV? LOVED THIS.
The Delusion: We All Have Our Demons, by Laura Gallier (audio). This was pretty fascinating.

For Review:

The Little Italian Hotel, by Phaedra Patrick. I enjoyed this novel of self-discovery, although Ginny got on my nerves a bit before she started making decisions for herself.

Same Time Next Summer, by Annabel Monaghan. This book. This book was fantastic! I was sucked in from the very first page and could not put it down until I devoured every single word!

Charm City Rocks, by Matthew Norman. I enjoyed this romance about a guy who gets a chance with the rockstar he’s admired for decades.

Famous in a Small Town, by Viola Shipman. I enjoyed the first half of this, but the second half felt like an unfinished, messy draft, which did not work for me.

Morgan Is My Name, by Sophie Keetch. This was a fantastic read! I’ve always loved Arthurian legends, and Morgan’s voice brought this to such vivid life! Uther Pendragon and Merlin creeped me out quite a bit, but Morgan was wonderful!

Whispers at Dusk, by Heather Graham. I usually enjoy Graham’s books, especially the Krewe of Hunters books, but this felt both rough and disconnected. The transitions as the characters got to know each other felt beyond rushed.

A Rogue at Stonecliffe, by Candace Camp. I enjoyed this second-chance romance.

A Shadow in Moscow, by Katherine Reay. This started off a bit slow, but it ended up being such a good read! The spycraft from a woman’s point-of-view was so fascinating. Highly recommended!

Left Unfinished:

The Last Drop of Hemlock, by Katharine Schellman. I didn’t get very far in this. The pacing was just too slow.

The Chaperone, by M Hendryx. I read about 20% of this before just accepting I was bored, annoyed, and didn’t care about the characters or what happened.

Cassandra in Reverse, by Holly Smale. I tried to like this enough to finish reading it, because the concept was interesting. No such luck. I found Cassandra unlikeable enough to be unreadable to me—even making allowances for the legitimate issues she clearly has.

The Broken Hearts Club, by Susan Bishop Crispell. The main problem I have with the 20% of this that I read is Imogen’s propsensity to and normalization of lying. I cannot stand liars, so reading about a person whose go-to response is lying, is a no-go for me.

Ciao for Now by Kate Bromley. Violet and her friends just felt superficial and flighty to me, and I had no desire to finish reading this.

The Best Books I Read in May (2023)

In May, I read 14 books, bringing my total for the year to 84. Three of those were re-reads of beloved classics: Pride and Prejudice, The Return of the King, and All Creatures Great and Small. All excellent reads, of course. Some of the new-to-me reads were also excellent:

The Secret Book of Flora Lea, by Patti Callahan Henry. This book was a lovely read! I was enchanted from the very first page—with both timelines.

Emma of 83rd Street, by Audrey Bellezza and Emily Harding. I was on the fence with the first, frivolous scene of this book, but I ended up enjoying it very much!

Painted Devils, by Margaret Owen. This was the second book of a series, and I enjoyed this from the very beginning. Love the characters, the setting, and everything.