Tag: what I’ve been reading lately

The Best Books I Read in April (2023

In April, I read 16 books, bringing my total books read for the year to 70 books. I also DNFed seven books, which is kind of high for me. Of the 16 books I read, some of them really stood out.

Divine Rivals, by Rebecca Ross. This fantasy novel started off a teensy bit slow, then turned into a sort of of steampunk/alternate world historical fiction with a WWI feel (that was a super clear description, wasn’t it?). I loved the world and the characters, and I can’t wait to read the next book.

Silver in the Bone, by Alexandra Bracken. I love King Arthur mythology, so that alone would have been enough to make me pick this up, but the world and characters kept me glued to the page (screen) as I read this entire 500-pag-novel in one sitting. I highly recommend this!

Water from My Heart, by Charles Martin. I listened to the audio of this book. Y’all. I don’t even have words for this. Charles Martin is my favorite author—hands down. Favorite like “I’ll buy anything he writes. In hardback.” I just finished reading his Murphy Shepherd books a few months ago, and they blew me away. This book also blew me away—and the narrator was fantastic. I loved the story and the characters—and this was such a fantastic illustration of the Gospel message in a current fiction form.

What I Read in April (2023)

Books Read in April: 16
Books Read for the Year:  70/225

Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:

Lessons at the School by the Sea, by Jenny Colgan (TBR). I thoroughly enjoyed this. So glad to see more of these characters—and I wish the random, unnecessary drama at the school wasn’t quite so accurate.

The Beauty of Spiritual Language, by Jack Hayford (spiritual).

The Last Battle, by C.S. Lewis (re-read). Loved this.

The Two Towers, by J.R.R. Tolkien (re-read). No matter how many times I read these books, they are still magical.

Iron Wolf, by Siri Pettersonh (TBR). This was dark but absolutely riveting.

Water from My Heart, by Charles Martin (audio). Wow. I have no words to even tell you how fantastic this was.

For Review:

Divine Rivals, by Rebecca Ross. I enjoyed this read, and found it quite unique. Interesting culture—but I would have liked to know a bit more about the history. I can’t wait to read the next book!

Fateful Words, by Paige Shelton. This was a solid cozy mystery. No surprises, but a fun adventure.

The Sinister Booksellers of Bath, by Garth Nix. I didn’t enjoy this quite as much as I did the first book in the series, but this was a solid read. It did feel a bit low-stakes to me, though, so I wasn’t totally invested in it.

Silver in the Bone, by Alexandra Bracken. I enjoyed this immensely! I do love a good King Arthur tale, so this caught my attention initially, but the setting and Tamsin’s voice kept me engaged—I actually read all 500 pages of this in one sitting! The only thing I didn’t like about this was the cliffhanger ending—which would have been fine if I had access to the next book immediately.

How to Best A Marquess, by Janna MacGregor. This was a fun read! I really enjoyed the characters and how this tied in with the other two books in the series.

Pieces of Me, by Kate McLaughlin. This was an interesting read, although I thought her family’s acceptance of her diagnosis was sugar coated a lot and that made the rest of the story hard to accept, too.

An American Beauty, by Shana Abe. This was a decent read. I felt pretty distant from the MC—and she was keeping secrets even from the reader, so that felt a bit off—but it was interesting.

The Ferryman, by Justin Cronin (review forthcoming). I didn’t really care for this. The writing was solid enough that I finished it, but I didn’t like the characters. The first 60% or so felt very…familiar to me, like I’d seen that basic premise done so much it just felt worn and stale. The last 40% felt like absolute chaos and nothing made sense. Even the “explanation” didn’t make sense or explain everything. I would not recommend this.

In an Orchard Grown from Ash, by Rory Power (review forthcoming). Yeah, no. I loved the first book in this duology, but three out of the four siblings in this one were either horrible, useless, or pointless—and the fourth one was useless for the first 2/3rds of the book.

Just Because:

From the Grave, by Kresley Cole. I have been waiting for this book for years! This is the only love triangle I’ve ever read where I didn’t have a favorite. I loved the rest of the series so much that I think anything would have been a bit of a letdown, so that was no surprise, but it was a fitting ending for these characters, even if I couldn’t quite see it.

Left Unfinished:

The House Is on Fire, by Rachel Beanland. The first 5% of this just absolutely didn’t catch my interest at all.

The Seaside Library, by Brenda Novak. I read about 15% of this, but the story did not feel fresh or new to me—it felt similar to other things I’d read, so I got bored quickly.

Blind Spots, by Thomas Mullen. Solid writing. This just wasn’t a good fit for me at the time.

This Isn’t Going to End Well, by Daniel Wallace. I made it about 20% of the way through this because I liked the voice, but I absolutely did not care for the narrator/author character at all.

Where Coyotes Howl, by Sandra Dallas. I read 25% of this, and, while I enjoyed it, there was no conflict. None. While that sounds good in theory, it doesn’t make for an engaging story, no matter how solid the writing is.

The Dutch Orphan, by Ellen Keith. I didn’t get very far in this, because the POV just didn’t work for me. It felt very distant, and I didn’t care for that.

Under the Cover of Mercy, by Rebecca Connolly. The MC felt very haughty and distant in the first 10%, and I just didn’t feel a connection.

The Best Books I Read in March (2023)

I March, I read 21 books, bringing my total for the year to 54. Of those, several were excellent reads. My favorites were:

Off the Map, by Trish Doller. This was such a fun book! I’ve read the other, connected books by this author and loved them, but I think this was my favorite so far. The Irish setting might have had something to do with that…. But I love all the travel and adventures here. So much fun!

West with Giraffes, by Lynda Rutledge. I loved this! I listened to the audio book, and the narrator was great, but this story was just so much fun! I loved all the characters, and couldn’t wait to find out what happened to the giraffes.

Arcana Rising and The Dark Calling by Kresley Cole. I’ve been re-reading this series in preparation for the final book in the series coming out in a couple of weeks, and I just loved all of these. I can’t wait to read the final book—and this is the only time in my life while reading a love triangle that I do not have a favorite I’m hoping will fin.

What I Read in February (2023)

Books Read in February: 16

Books Read for the Year:  33/225

Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:

The Horse and His Boy, by C.S. Lewis (re-read). I do love this series.

The Hobbit, by J.R.R. Tolkien (re-read). I just love this book.

The Record Keeper, by Charles Martin (TBR). I have no words to describe how the ending of this made me feel.

Bibi: My Story, by Benjamin Netanyu (TBR). Okay. I don’t care for biographies. I don’t like politics. Or the military. But this was absolutely fascinating!

Dead of Winter, by Kresley Cole (re-read). Love this.

Day Zero, by Kresley Cole (TBR). I had not actually read this, and it adds some fascinating nuances to these characters I love.

Prince Caspian, by C.S. Lewis (re-read). AGain, love this series.

A New Kind of Apologist, by Sean McDowell (spiritual). I think this would have been a better choice for me in a physical book, so I could retain more of the information.

For Review:

Wildblood, by Lauren Blackwood. This started off strong, then fizzled in a meandering mess of confusion.

Code Name Sapphire, by Pam Jenoff. I’ve read–and loved–several of Jenoff’s other books, but I didn’t like this one quite as much. The ending surprised me–I’m not a fan of big revelations at the end when there’s been no hint of anything going on. Feels like thee author cheated a bit when that happens.

Every Missing Girl, by Leanne Kale Sparks. This was a solid read, but I didn’t love it. Some of the suspects were left unresolved, and that left me out-of-sorts.

Where Darkness Blooms, by Andrea Hannah. This was a strange read. The town horrified me. Th sunflowers really creeped me out. A lot. This was dark, atmospheric, and not a feel-good read.

Nocturne, by Alyssa Wees. I loved the ballet part, but the rest seemed a bit…cookie cutter and a jumble of influences of other tales.

Immortality: A Love Story, by Dana Schwartz. I ended up enjoying this more than the first book in this duology. Lord Byron was just how I imagine him!

When the Moon Turns Blue, by Pamela Terry. This was so good! Southern fiction at its best and dealing with some hard issues via characters that practically vibrate on the page.

The Weight of Air, by Kimberly Duffy. I really enjoyed this! Reading about circus life was fun, and I loved these characters.

Left Unfinished: Of Manners and Murder, by Anastasia Hastings. I have to be honest: I found Violet to be a nosy busybody, so she lost my interest at about 15% of the way through.

The Love Scribe, by Amy Meyerson. I found my attention wandering—and that’s never a good sign. And I didn’t care for Alice.

Sundays Are for Writing #213

This week, I wrote two book reviews, Where Darkness Blooms, by Andrea Hannah and Nocturne, by Alyssa Wees. Work has been pretty emotionally difficult this week, so I’m good with that.

Happy writing!

The Best Books I Read in January (2023)

I read 17 books in January, out of my goal of 225 books for the year, and DNFed one (I feel like that is a record for me).

Of those, I considered four of them 5-star reads….and I’d previously read three of them.

The Magician’s Nephew and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis. I decided to re-read this series this year because I love C.S. Lewis. He is such a genius and a remarkably gifted writer.

Poison Princess and Endless Knight by Kresley Cole. I’m re-reading this series in preparation for the final book coming out—finally—in April. I absolutely love these books and cannot put them down.

And I loved The Letter Keeper, by Charles Martin. I have loved everything Charles Martin has written–including his two nonfiction books–and I almost can’t put them down. Binge read? Yes, please.

What I Read in 2022

January: 22 books.

February: 26 books.

March: 20 books.

April: 11 books.

May: 16 books.

June: 20 books.

July: 18 books.

August: 22 books.

September: 17 books.

October: 14 books.

November: 8 books.

December: 18 books.

The Best Books I Read in December (2022)

In December, I read 18 books, bringing my yearly total to 216 books, pretty far short of my goal of 250 books.

I’m going to make an exception this month and pick four “best books,” because two of them are by the same author and are basically connected.

I’m a massive fan of Charles Martin, and will basically devour anything he writes, but this month, I discovered his two non-fiction books, What if It’s True? and They Turned the World Upside Down. I never write in books, but I highlighted in in the second one, cried over both, and listened to the first on audio book (the author narrates, and it was just so wonderful to listen to.) Both were phenomenal reads.

The Secret Society of Salzburg, by Renee Ryan. This was an excellent WWII fiction! I enjoyed every single page.

Saint, by Adrienne Young. I’ve enjoyed all of Young’s books, but reading this prequel to the Fable books was wonderful!

What I Read in December (2022)

Books Read in December: 18

Books Read for the Year:  216/250 Definitely didn’t hit this one!

Yearly Reads:

Amazing Grace: 365 Daily Devotions.

Grace for the Moment, by Max Lucado.

She Reads Truth Bible.

Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:

Help is Here by Max Lucado (spiritual). Great read!

What If It’s True? by Charles Martin (nonfiction, audio). This was an incredible book!

They Turned the World Upside Down, by Charles Martin (nonfiction). Absolutely loved this.

The Raven Song, by Luanne Smith (TBR). I enjoyed the second book in this fantasy series

Christmas at Rosie Hopkins’ Sweetshop, by Jenny Colgan (TBR). I enjoyed this, but Rosie kind of got on my nerves.

The Sacrament of Happy, by Lisa Harper (spiritual). So good!

Live Your Truth (and Other Lies), by Alisa Childers (spiritual). I don’t entirely agree with Childers here. A lot of it, yes, but not all.

For Review:

To Get to the Other Side, by Kelly Ohlert. This was…okay. The characters felt very superficially fleshed-out, and their personality quirks felt forced, not believable.

The Wedding Ranch, by Nancy Naigle. This was a sweet read–definitely worth binge-reading on the weekend.

The Secret Society of Salzburg, by Renee Ryan. I was glued to the page with this one! I loved both main characters and I couldn’t wait to find out what happened to them.

Pretty Little Pieces, by Carmen Schober. I really enjoyed this novel! The interaction between Georgina and her BFF were stellar, and, let’s face it, Cassidy was pretty darn great, too.

Just Because:

Saint, by Adrienne Young (TBR). I have loved all of Young’s books, and reading this prequel to the Fable books was fantastic.

The 28-Day Prayer Journey Study Guide, by Chrystal Evans Hurst (spiritual).

Going Rogue, by Janet Evanovich. This series always makes me laugh.

Rules at the School by the Sea, by Jenny Colgan. I’ve enjoyed these books a lot!

Left Unfinished:

The Blackout Book Club, by Amy Lynn Green. I wanted to like this. I love books, I love World War II fiction, this should have been a sure thing. But I didn’t like the characters much, and I just couldn’t bring myself to read more.

The Lipstick Bureau, by Michelle Gable. Another DNFed WWII fiction? Who am I? This seemed a bit erratic, and the transitions between POV characters were clunky. And….Niki wasn’t a very likable person. I read 38% of this before realizing I didn’t care about her or what happened to her because she was pretty cold and heartless.

The Best Books I Read in November (2022)

In November, I only read eight books. EIGHT!! I can’t remember the last month I had only a single-digit reading month. This leaves me at 198 books for the year, waaaaay short of my yearly goal of 250. Oh well. of those, one was fantastic and two were very good.

Greywaren, by Maggie Stiefvater. Man, I love these characters! I kind of feel like some old friends just moved away and left me behind now.

Never Rescue a Rogue, by Virginia Heath. This was a fun read! I enjoyed seeing more of the Merriwell sisters and their antics.

The Wilderwomen by Ruth Emmie Lang. I enjoyed this second novel, and another filled with magical realism. The older sister was a bit of a selfish jerk, and that was almost enough to make me want to put the book down, but I ended up enjoying it.