Skip to main content

November Wrap Up

 The Bodyguard - Katherine Center

I don’t read many RomCom’s but give me a Katherine Center book and I’ll dive in.  Characters and situations are believable, good writing and just a fun read.  


Harry’s Trees - Jon Cohen

This was a re-read for book club.  I first read it almost 5 years ago and I loved it.  As a second time through, I still like it but it lost a little something.  My advice, go in blind.  


Saving Emma - Allen Eskens

Allen Eskens is another author that I enjoy his stories.  This is not my favorite of his, but it is still a good one.  I don’t think the cover reflects the story, but that’s a small complaint.  


What Have We Done - Alex Finlay

The characters and the plot in this story are well developed.  The action is at a good pace and the writing is descriptive.   I haven’t read Alex Findlay before but will be adding some of his books to my Mount TBR. 


Happiness Falls - Angie Kim

I had heard a lot about this book and was looking forward to reading it.  The first line is a great opening line.  The problem with that though is it made me think the story’s main plot line was about one thing, when it really was about another.  This is a family drama more than a mystery.  A decent book that I would have enjoyed more of if I had known that. 


Birnam Wood - Eleanor Catton

I never really got into this book.  It was a s l o w read.  None of the characters have any redemptive qualities.  I am not a big Shakespeare fan and that may have made a difference.  If you are then you may love this. 


Deep Trouble - Nancy Dane

I won this book through Goodreads.  It caught my eye because of it being a story set in Arkansas.  The story of the coal mine and the prisoners was interesting, however the main story is more of a romance.  The writing style was a drawback to me.  There were several parts that were just short statements with no descriptives.  They seemed more like author notes to themselves than the actual manuscript.  Not a bad book but just not for me. 


The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle - Stuart Turton

This is an interesting concept for a story, but the execution left something to be desired. I was really confused at the first of the books, which I think was the authors desire.  It didn’t get better, then worse, then better but by then I didn’t care.  At the end I still had some confusion and felt as if there were plot holes.  This is a backlisted book that has over 47,000 Goodreads reviews, majority rated higher than me so it may be a book you’d love.  But another one that’s not for me. 


The Collected Regrets of Clover - Mikki Brammer

This is another book that I had heard a lot about, but this one didn’t disappoint.  The main protagonist is a death doula which makes it sound like it would be a depressing book.  Instead it is a book about life and living it.  This book had me hooked when I read the last line of the first chapter.  I knew then it was going to be a good one. One of my favorites this month. 


The Lost Man - Jane Harper

I’m late to the Jane Harper fan club but I am now a member.  She is a great storyteller and I’m here for it.  This is another one that follows her style of what I call a slow burn.  I was drawn in and wanted to know more about the Bright Family and what type of people they truly are.  Her style - not her stories, but her style- reminds me of William Kent Krueger so if you like his style, check a Jane Harper book out.  Another favorite of the month. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

July 2024 Reads

I read 8 books this month   I enjoyed them all with 4 of them rating 4 stars, and 4 of them rating 3 stars.  Here are my thoughts on each one. The Husbands - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Holly Gramazio This was a fun book to read.    It stretched my normal “based in realty” self and it was an enjoyable ride.    There were a few plot holes and I expected a little more depth as far as what Lauren learned from the experience.    But overall it kept my attention and entertained.    Sometimes that’s enough from a book. The Drowning Woman - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Robyn Harding This was our book club pick for the month and it was a good choice.    I kept guessing where it was headed and was half right and half wrong.    It wasn’t always believable and the ending was a little too easy.    But getting there was a fun ride.   The plot does have some loose similarities to Housemaid - different settings but still a lot alike.    So y...
Post a Comment
Read more

Another Used Book Source

I've already recommended Paperbackswap.com as a great place to get and get rid of your books. I've recently signed up at another site - Bookins . This site is different from Paperbackswap in several ways. At Bookins each book is assigned a different point value where at PB each book is one credit (except audio books which are 2.) The other main difference is that with Bookins you print out the postage for any books you send out at no cost to you. You then pay $3.99 for each book you receive. UPDATE - I got the Bookins newsletter today and beginning Sept. 23 the price will increase to $4.49 per book. Not so sure if that's going to be a good deal for me or not. Other minor differences are that there is no "community" at Bookins. The books are all sent "delivery confirmation" so there is no need to log on and confirm that you received the book. Paperbackswap is my favorite of the 2 because of the simplicity of 1 credit for 1 book. Plus while I like the i...
4 comments
Read more

July Book Reviews

Twelve Years as a Slave by Solomon Northup This was a surprisingly good book. When I saw all the footnotes, appendixes, etc. I was afraid that it may read too much like a textbook, but I was wrong. This account of Mr. Northup’s life from freeman to slave and back to freeman was very interesting. It was a straight forward account depicting his slave owners as he saw them. One was a kind, Christian man, but the one he labored under for 10 years was a drunk who was fond of the whip. This book brought tears to my eyes on more than one occasion. 5 stars Cutting Lisa by Percival Everett This book promised to be much more than it was. In fact, reading the summary on the back is more thought provoking and entertaining than the book. The book does have it moments of wit and dialogue, but overall a big disappointment. Good premise – not carried out though. 2 1/2 stars Savannah Comes Undone by Denise Hildreth An enjoyable book, but not as enjoyable as the first one – “Savannah from Savannah.” ...
2 comments
Read more