September 2023 reads

The annual Girls Weekend with my BFFs of over 30 years is upon us, so I am quite certain I will not start and finish another book today or tomorrow. 

What I read in September: 

Engrossing Reads

The Comfort of Crows: A Backyard Year by Margaret Renkl - I've read VERY few nonfiction books this year. Here's one! This was beautiful. I pre-ordered a copy to own before I even finished and plan to read it as in like read that season as we enter the season: it has 52 chapters that follow the natural world through the year. Free advanced copy from netgalley in exchange for an honest review, book comes out Oct 24

Bright Young Women by Jessica Knoll - This was powerful, smart, and very well done. Very different reading experience than her first novel for me. Good writing and characters. A surface good story, and deeper a social commentary on so much! Lots to unpack on feminism and sexuality and violence against women and what is acceptable to society through the arc of the book. Thanks to Netgalley for the free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

 I bought the book to own and saw the author in conversation with Kate Baer in September! 

I also saw Jennifer Weiner in September on tour for her latest - The Breakaway - which I had an advance copy of and read in July. Check it out! 

Passed the Time Just Fine

The Connellys of County Down by Tracey Lange - A very passable family drama, quite messy and across the line in some spots, but a good reading experience overall. OCNJ library hardcover

The Summer of Songbirds by Kristy Woodson Harvey - I'm not sure exactly what I thought this book was going to be, but it wasn't this LOL. I ended up liking it, as I do most books about friendship even when one of the friends is possibly in line for several punches. And you romance lovers will surely like it I think. OCNJ library hardcover

The Vaster Wilds by Lauren Groff - Do you ever read an author and recognize their mastery of their craft but consistently do not actually enjoy the books they put out? I think that is me and Lauren Groff - cannot say a bad thing of her writing, but damn I do not enjoy reading her books. This book in particular was hard to swallow - the pain of surviving, the agony of existing is a main character throughout. It is quite compelling, but that comes at a cost. OCNJ library hardcover

Not For Me

The Last Exchange by Charles Martin - I know a lot of you are fans, but his books are not really for me. I was bored throughout, everything was so obvious, and I think I'm the outlier here. Thanks to Netgalley for the free advanced copy in exchange for an honest review, book comes out 10/3

Athena's Child (The Grecian Women Trilogy #1) by Hannah M. Lynn - This was an engrossing read, then a passed the time just fine read, then a not for me read. How far things can fall in one book read within a few hours. Lots of promise, an abrupt change of direction in the middle with literally zero connectors, and a super abrupt ending, like one was needed as an afterthought versus part of the novel, make me not want to read anymore which I assume there will be since this labels itself as #1. This was courtesy of Netgalley, apparently originally published in 2020 and is now out again as a reworking?

Everyone Here is Lying by Shari Lapena - I need to stop reading her books. I feel like she has carte blanche to put out stories that aren't even good. OCNJ library hardcover 

Good Bad Girl by Alice Feeney - I need to stop reading her books. I feel like she has carte blanche to put out stories that aren't even good. OCNJ library hardcover 

One Last Kill (Tracy Crosswhite #10) by Robert Dugoni - I've read all the Tracy books and usually enjoy them, albeit less so once she moved to cold cases. They're typically subtle on the political bend of people. Dugoni doesn't need to introduce talk of wokeness and defunding police, but he leans on it more in this latest. This is the only standard police procedural series that I read that's gone that way, and I hate it. We can have differences in opinion on police funding versus all other community funding, but if you use the term woke like it's an insult the chasm is too wide. Thanks to Netgalley for the free copy in exchange for an honest review, publishes 10/3

Did Not Finish

Family Lore by  Elizabeth Acevedo - Whew, I wanted to but this was just a no for me. Free advanced copy from Netgalley 

Cities of Women by Kathleen B. Jones - Super pumped by this title. Actual experience, not so pumped. Free advanced copy from Netgalley 

The Lost Girls of Penzance (Cornwall Murder Mystery #1) by Sally Rigby - I tried to give this a lot of leeway to settle itself as what appears to be the first in a series and the interactions between the characters were grating to me Free advanced copy from Netgalley 

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What have you been reading?

Happy birthday to my cousin Tyler today!

Show Us Your Books May 2020

Hey hi hello. Continuing the light quaranreading months up in this piece. I'm picking up books and putting them down so quickly that I haven't even been tracking any do not finish books that I don't get more than 30 pages in. I'll probably go back to most of them at some point, because I'm operating from an it's not you, it's me place. I've also been forgetting to update Goodreads and have to rely on my camera or bookshelf to show me what I've read LOL. 

How have you been? 

Here's what I've been reading since the last linkup.

Engrossing Reads

Truths I Never Told You by Kelly Rimmer - The writing was good. The story was sad as hell speckled with joy. It t was a quick read and kept my attention which is not an easy feat in quarantine times. Netgalley read in exchange for an honest review       

Find Her Alive (Detective Josie Quinn #8) by Lisa Regan - When in doubt, series it out is something I stand by in Corona Land and out. Loved this latest installment of the Josie Quinn series and I hope Lisa Regan churns another out soon. I love following her and her dog on Instagram LOL. If you like these kinds of books and haven't dived in to Josie, what are you doing? E-book, own 

The Night Swim by Megan Goldin - This broke my heart a lot, especially the flashbacks. I liked the premise of the present, which reminded me a tiny bit of Sadie. Solid read. I'd pre-order either to purchase or from a library. Free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, book comes out August 4. 

Passed the Time Just Fine

The Safe Place by Anna Downes - I didn't see a big piece of this coming, and thought many things along the way, which is good. A bunch of this could be cut out, but overall a quick read that had some pizzazz. Netgalley read in exchange for an honest review, book comes out July 14

Open Book by Jessica Simpson - I liked this more than I thought I would. She's not the idiot she's been molded into in the media (not without her knowing). I liked the tea in regards to John Mayer and Nick Lachey as well, I mean that's why I read it in the first place, but came out liking her a lot more than I went in. E-book, own

Conjure Women - I was drawn in by the cover art and super pumped to read this. I think the experience would have been different outside of quarantine. This was a slow build and I don't have  a lot of patience for a slow build right now, even if the writing and characters can sustain it. Hardcover, own 

Deeper Than the Dead (Oak Knoll #1) by Tami Hoag - Crime shit set in the mid-80s and 90s always feels like The Wire to me. Part of the fun is all the stuff we're used to now having been schooled on CSI and Kay Scarpetta, etc., that they didn't have then. This was a easy read. Paperback, own

Parable of the Talents (Earthseed #2) by Octavia E. Butler - I liked this better than the first, but the post apocalyptic nature is still not the right time to read these books for me personally. If you like Dystopian novels, check the Earthseed books out. Paperback, own 

Not Worth It

n/a

Did Not Finish

n/a

What have you been reading? 

Linkup Guidelines:

This link up is the second Tuesday of every month. The next linkup is Tuesday, June 9, 2020. 

1. Visit and comment with both of your hosts, Jana & me, and check in with as many in our reading circle as you can - give some love to the later linker uppers! 
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Thursday Thoughts - I got that sunshine in my pocket got that good soul in my feet

Anticipating: Girls weekend this weekend.

Feeling: Because this is the part of summer I love the most - the build up.

Sleeping: Like a freaking rock. This week has been primo sleeping weather.

Trying: A bigger crate for Bruce at the shore. I am going to pimp it out like something on MTV Cribs. Thanks to Lori for loaning it and to Dawn for delivering it. And to Bruce for considering it? Maybe?

Wanting to know what the fuck is happening with blogger comments. They say they're fixing them but it's been well over a week. No fix.

Choosing: Kindle First books - The Thinnest Air for me this month. Do you do Kindle First books?

Reading: Something in the Water by Catherine Steadman, which just came out this week - I have it from Netgalley. I'm picking up I'll Be Gone in the Dark: One Woman's Obsessive Search for the Golden State Killer from the library today. Show Us Your Books is Tuesday!

Eating: Last night I arrived to the shore hangry so I ordered a bunch of food. Then I ate 8790 cheesy poofs and when the food arrived, none of the food. That's a little how my food life has been going lately. My prep  has been off so my eating has too. I'm not in the groove of prepping either at the shore or on Monday at home yet. I need to get back into that.

Raging: trump saying he can pardon himself and not a damn person in Congress standing against that - is everyone familiar with the rule of law or do people not know what that is and what an oath to protect the Constitution means?; Senator Jeff Merkley not being allowed into the children jails the US is now running; everything about the Gestapo - you might call them ICE; trump attacking the Philadelphia Eagles who are by and large great community members. Although this article trump Goes to War With Philly; Immediately Loses made me laugh. Don't fuck with Philly. And to those saying keep the politics off the field, wanting equal treatment under the law no matter what color your skin is is not fucking politics. It's humanity and equality and civil rights and social justice and fuck, GET.ON.BOARD because thinking it's politics is part of the problem. I am a white woman and this makes me want to rip my hair out of my head and scream in people's faces, I cannot imagine what it is like to be a person of color trying to get people to see.

Reminding us all:

E-carding: 

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Linking up with Kristen

10 observations from reading about people reading

I love Show Us Your Books day. I love reading about people reading in general. Over the past few months I've attempted to jot down some things I've observed in how people talk about reading in facebook or goodreads book discussions, in Amazon reviews, in the SUYB link up, and in person.

1. Every reader is looking for something different and there is a book out there to satisfy the desires of literally everyone on this planet. Isn't that amazing?

2. When readers go into mystery/thrillers trying to figure out the plot twists then emerge disappointed that they figured it out before the end, I have to laugh. That's what you set out to do. This is a story someone is telling you. If you try to poke holes in the unfolding, the overall effect will not be as intended.

3. The only time I don't read book talk is when it's a book challenge. I did one once and by the time I was to begin, I wanted to read nothing I had picked out in advance. I never schedule what I'm going to read so I'm not sure why I thought I would enjoy regimented reading. The challenge itself feels arbitrary and I only see it as something that keeps me from reading anything I want next. I have no patience for letting a list or category dictate what I can read in a certain time period. 

4. Books must be able to surf the waves. Wave one: the people reading it first are fans of the author or the genre. So everyone is all YES at first. Wave two: people who don't necessarily like that genre or that author start to read it, and people are all MEH. Well, of course you are. That book is not for you but you read it because it sounds like something you'd like to like, but if you're honest with yourself, that book had no chance given your tastes. Wave Three: The people who have started to notice that reviews are mixed - well fuck, I hope they are, since we don't all share a brain - and dither over whether to read something or not. Look...I don't know how you pick your books, but don't be swayed by the opinion of one person, or 50 people. If there's something driving you to read a book, read it. It doesn't matter if anyone else is or not. If there's something telling you not to read a book, don't read it. It doesn't matter if everyone else is or not. You're not purchasing a home, you're deciding to read a book. You can return it if you don't like it.

5. I really like when people remember little thoughts they had while reading books and include them when they write or talk about them. I appreciate it a lot because I know it's hard to do, to remember something you thought in the moment while you were lost in the pages of a book.

6. We defend books we love like they're people. That makes me inordinately happy.

7. Some people cannot talk about a book unless they summarize it first in their own words, not using a pre-written by a professional summary. The pull of English 101 is strong.

8. People think they are owed the ending that they wanted, which is not necessarily the one the author who produced the story through blood, sweat, and tears settled on. People can also love a whole book but hate an ending and let that ruin the entire thing for them.

9. There are people who have near photographic recall of books they've read - lines, scenes, themes - and this amazes me. I have that with some books, but certainly not a large percentage of the books I read. If something didn't knock my socks off, I can barely tell you what it was about two months later as I've likely read 20 books since. I feel like I used to have a better grasp of content when I was younger, and also that the books that have stuck with me line by line are the ones I read in my formative years. Is that true of other people too? I enjoy thinking about why others retain information. I know that's weird.

10. There are people who consider themselves readers who actually don't like to read, and it's apparent in the way they talk or write about books and reading. I think what they like is being a critic.

What are some of your reading about people reading observations?

And Happy National Book Lover's Day, you book lover.

Show us your Books: June 2017

Can you freaking believe we're at the halfway point of the reading year? Wasn't it just New Year's Day yesterday? I'm drowing in e-books right now, so I suspect I'll be on overload of those for a little. Hell I'm also drowning in physical books. What a glorious predicament. 

Linkup Guidelines:

This link up happens the second Tuesday of every month. The next is  Tuesday, July 11, 2017 

1. Please visit and comment with both of your hosts, Jana & me
2. Please display the button (need it? let me know) or link back to us on your blog post
2. Please visit a few other blogs who've linked up and get some book talk going!

Here's what I've read from the last linkup.

Engrossing Reads

My Sister's Grave (Tracy Crosswhite #1) by Robert Dugoni - I love finding a new series. I'll be settling in for the next of these. Amazon kindle e-book

Breaking Silence (Kate Burkholder #3) by Linda Castillo - More more more of this series. I love it and am motoring through it. library hardback

Gone Missing (Kate Burkholder #4) by Linda Castillo - Can't stop won't stop. I could consume these. library hardback

Stillhouse Lake by Rachel Caine - I was annoyed with this at first: lots of repetition like yes yes we freaking get it she's careful. Then I got into it and was propelled forward in a nice finish in 24 hours type of way. Amazon Kindle First for June

Passed the Time Just Fine

The Blackbird Season by Kate Moretti - I like books set in one horse towns. This one had a lot going on, some of which felt extraneous, and I think if a side story or two were dropped it would have been sharper and more impactful. Still not a bad read. Not a great one either. Free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Savage Rising: A Backwoods Justice Novel by C. Hoyt Caldwell - This book made me laugh out loud numerous times thanks to the colorful language and the author's turn of phrase. Even so there are some serious threads running through it. It's like the show Justified in book form. I liked Dani Savage a lot, as well as her crew. I was in a slug reading period with this one and still made it through. Free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg - It's been quite a while since I've read an Elizabeth Berg novel. This one reminded me of why I enjoy her so much and why it shouldn't be so long in between next time. I liked all of these characters. Free e-copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 

It Happens All the Time by Amy Hatvany - It's hard to really rate this book. I actually didn't like the pace and I didn't love the characters. I thought some of the events were told in too much of a chick lit manner for such a serious topic. All that being said, I think it does make some statements that need to be made and examine some things that need to be talked about. library hardback

Roses of May (The Collector #2) by Dot Hutchison - I really liked The Butterfly, as much as you can like a book that is creepy as fuck. This one was a lot different. I didn't mind it, but since it's #2, I thought it would be more of a continuation of #1 and it really wasn't. I liked the fierce females in this book and the FBI agents as family. Free e-copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Her Final Breath (Tracy Crosswhite #2) by Robert Dugoni - I didn't love it like the first, but it was serviceable. library hardback

The Grownup by Gillian Flynn - This is exactly why the short story is not my preferred genre. I always want more. I read this in 20 minutes, for shit's sake, and I need to know what happened. Amazon e-book

The Sun in Your Eyes by Deborah Shapiro - I liked the writing a lot, the story less so. It's clear this author has a way with words, but I don't know if she has the breadth and depth of the story telling. I picked through a little - do I need this? do I need this? No. No. Lots of stuff hanging out in the ether without a tie to the present. I think an editor could have helped a lot here. Amazon e-book

Firefly Summer by Nan Rossiter - This is the kind of book that typically makes me roll my eyes because it's too something...predictable? perfect? Americana? contrived? I don't know. But while I did do a little eye rolling, I also liked it. I read a shit ton of books with bad guys. It's nice to read a sweet and boring little book where everything works out in the end and is wrapped up pretty every once in a while. I've had it on my kindle forever. e-book

Not Worth It



Did Not Finish

Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris - I came to the end much, much quicker than he did. library hardback

What are you reading?

An InLinkz Link-up

10 Books I've Torn Through This Year

My friend Heather shared Unputdownable: 17 Books I read in 24 hours or less by Modern Mrs. Darcy the other day, and I immediately wanted to do my own.

Given the types of books I gravitate to, more than a few on my list are mystery/thrillers. Given the time of year, any of these would be well devoured under the shade of a beach umbrella.

You should know that the books I tear through are not always the same as the books I love the best. Sometimes I really hate an element of a book but am driven to find something out I want to know.

In no particular order, books I couldn't put down in 2017 - they are linked to Goodreads and you can find a synopsis there to see if they might fit on your summer reading list.

I Let You Go by Clare Mackintosh - Twisty and glorious...the twist that made me think I missed something because I was so utterly convinced it was going another way. I like being right, I mean don't we all? But when I'm reading I actually enjoy the reading experience more if I'm wrong. I do not read any book thinking I know more than the author or am better than the author. I read as if it's the author's job to tell me their story in whatever way they choose to. Because it is.

Duplicity by Ingrid Thoft - This is the fourth in the Fina Ludlow series - a kickass private investigator with a bunch of jablonies for a family. I am a huge Fina fan and I always devour a novel in this series as soon as it comes out.

Girls in the Moon by Janet McNally - Lyrical, enchanting, complicated, coming of age.

Necessary Lies by Diane Chamberlain - Very well paced for a book not set up as a mystery/thriller. This tugged at my heart something terrible.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid - I loved this from start to finish. I was surprised at how deep it was, and how much I wanted Evelyn Hugo as a friend despite her deep flaws.

No Coming Back by Keith Houghton - I don't even know how I heard about this, but I read it in 24 hours. Small town, mean hearts, tiny minds...my kind of read.

Into the Water by Paula Hawkins - Paula's follow up to the runaway Girl on the Train did not disappoint. In fact, I liked it more than GOTT.

The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley by Hannah Tinti - It's hard to describe this book. So you should read it and let's talk about it.

Among the Wicked (Kate Burkholder #8) by Linda Castillo - You should start with the first book, if you are like me and will obsess over beginning in the middle of a series...but that's how good this book was. I couldn't put it down and go back to #1 and get around to it.

The Girl Before by JP Delaney - I read this last week in 24 hours. I'm not sure if I liked it or hated it. That's actually a plus for me...it means I'm still thinking about it days later. When you read as much as I do, that is definitely not always the case.

Show Us Your Books a week from today. Tell me - what books would make this list for you?

Show Us Your Books: February Book Love

Happy Hallmark holiday, you guys. I'm not into romance or sap, but I do love love. Romantic love, framily love, all kinds of love. I also truly love this community of readers that participates or comes to these posts every month looking for books; and I truly love reading; and I truly love talking about books and reading; so truly I love that this linkup falls on Valentine's Day this year. 

Linkup Guidelines:

This link up happens the second Tuesday of every month.

The one is  Tuesday, March 14, 2017 - aka my birthday eve

1. Please visit and comment with both of your hosts, Jana & me
2. Please display the button (need it? let me know) or link back to us on your blog post
2. Please visit a few other blogs who've linked up and get some book talk going!

Here's what I've read from the last linkup.

Engrossing Reads

The Mermaids Singing by Lisa Carey - I loved this. Maybe it's because I was recently in Ireland, maybe because it was not a comfortable read at a time when I needed a little discomfort, I don't know. It spoke to me. E-book from Amazon

Duplicity by Ingrid Thoft (Fina Ludlow #4) - I pre-ordered this because I am so into the Fina series. Via twitter, I knew this was coming out and I got it the day after it did and devoured it right away. Fina is my current favorite series and I'm already impatiently waiting on #5. hardcover, own

The Perfect Stranger by Megan Miranda - I loved this book - a quick, thrilling read with slippery characters at every turn. I was a fan of Miranda's book All the Missing Girls as well but I liked this one more. Free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Indiscretion by Charles Dubow - The cover looks like a trollop's tale, but it is much deeper and more nuanced. I liked the way it was told both in the writing and the point of view of the narrator. The end...oh, the end. I had to text Lauren about it right away since I found this on her best of list for 2016. paperback, own

Girls in the Moon by Janet McNally - I loved this book. Maybe because I love the moon, maybe because I love lyrics, maybe because I love the idea of a rock and roll backdrop. It was beautifully written. library hardback

Passed the Time Just Fine

It Started with Goodbye by Christina June - I liked this book a lot more than I thought I would given that I'm not big on romance books. Some of the YA aspects of this were cloyish and annoying (the stepmother's inexplicable coldness doesn't sit well with me) but overall I liked it, especially the peripheral characters. Free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

The Longest Night by Andria Williams - A little slow here and there, but a good reminder of how different gender roles and societal attitudes were just 60 years ago. There's a good amount of tension around that and also high pressure jobs and isolation. Amazon e-book

The Night Bird (Frost Easton #1) by Brian Freeman - This was bizarre, there's no way around it. I mean, one of the characters is Francesca Stein (Frankie Stein). I assume there will be more. I wouldn't say no to reading them, but I won't be rushing to it either. E-book from Amazon

My Sister Rosa by Justine Larbalestier - This book was also fucked. I was a little bored of reading the nuances of the psycho sister, but I did not see the end coming at all so that was a nice surprise. E-book from Amazon

Vanished (Callahan & McLane #1) by Kendra Elliot - Meh. Not a good or bad meh, but a meh. I always like to give a series two books to get on its feet, so maybe I'll read the next. The explanation for this whodunit was really out of left field. I'm interested in the characters but they're a little surface in this first pass book. e-book Amazon

Necessary Lies by Diane Chamberlain - I wish this was a little more about eugenics, the shameful part of our history that we often choose to gloss over. It had a good pace for a book that is not set up as a mystery/thriller, and I motored through it. paperback, own

Not Worth It
The Goddesses by Swan Huntley - This seemed really long to me - maybe because I realized very quickly what it took the main character an eternity to get. At one point, I was like why am I still reading this? I liked the writing, but the storyline was tough in spots. It was hard to connect with or have sympathy or empathy or care for anyone in this book. I finished it because I wanted to see if the main character ever got it. Free copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Local Girls by Caroline Zancan - I got to page 91 before I said fuck it and didn't finish. There might be something there, but I likely won't go back to it. It feels like it's trying very hard to be dark. Library paperback, did not finish

What are you reading?

An InLinkz Link-up