Writings, Wanderings

Four more books made it to my finished list this month. Unfortunately my read for my book club did not make this list. I have stalled out about halfway through it at the moment but am determined to finish it some time in March... My first completed read for February then was  Tricky Twenty-Two by Janet Evanovich. I'm really enjoying this part of the series and Stephanie's adventures. I'm not a huge fan of love triangles, so I like that things with Morelli seem to be settling. Hidden Love by Cara Putnam. With geocaching as the background, this novella mixed elements of romance and suspense. While it did feel too short and not as fully-fleshed out as I would have liked, it is the best geocaching story I've read so far. Sweetly Seeking  by Sarah Dickey is a physically gorgeous book. The pages were gorgeous with their mixing of photographs and design elements. The message was inspirational but at times began to feel repetitive. And Then You Die of Dysente...

My top two non-children book reads for January were For Everyone by Jason Reynolds and The Girls by Abigail Pesta. For Everyone is a poetry book that takes an honest look at life. I gave it 5 stars and its own blog entry . The Girls by Abigail Pesta. Wow, this was a tough one, but I do not regret one bit picking it up from the local library. I have loved watching gymnastics my whole life, even did a two-month stint back in elementary school at the local Y on the four apparatus that female gymnasts conquer. The unfolding of the abuse scandal over the last few years has been gut-wrenching. I hate what these young woman have been through but applaud their courage in standing up and testifying. This book documents many of their stories. The focus in on the girls not their abuser nor the system that protected him. Yes, he is a character but the protagonists are the women and the events they chose to share, some of them for the first time with the public. I believe the author h...

Going on summer break from school has been good to me. Although I had a good school year, I had a lot going on and as my last month's blog entry stated, my reading suffered. For June I took the time to rejuvenate by focusing on reading what I felt like when I felt like it as well as writing in my next novella (maybe short novel?? it's turning out longer than I anticipated but I think editing will keep it under 40K). I finally read the Grisha trilogy ( Shadow & Bone, Siege and Storm, and Ruin & Rising ) by Leigh Bardugo. I have seen others gushing about on Instagram for months now! This fantasy series is definitely more young adult than adult, but I wanted to keep reading and plan on reading the other stories in the Grishaverse. I found her system of magic interesting and was invested in the characters. Loved Nikolai! Yes, there was the over-used love triangle (or was it a pyramid at one point?), but it did not overwhelm the other elements. Recommended read for tee...

Before We Were Yours by Lisa Wingate is one of my favorite reads for the year so far. Based on a true scandal out of Tennessee over half a century ago, the story is heartbreaking. The mystery of who Mae and Judy really were kept me guessing until closer to the end. I did find the romance angle a little cliche but if I ignore that part, this is a 5-star book (4 1/2 when considering the romance). Another audiobook by Janet Evanovich made my list this month: Plum Lovin'. This was a great choice for a road trip since while there were multiple storylines, none of it was complicated. I didn't really like how the narrator approached some of the voices, but the three CD's made my twelve hours on the road pass much quicker. I enjoyed seeing Stephanie hold her own in a different setting than the usual bounty hunting. I also read a co-written book by Evanovich and Lee Goldberg The Job, the third book in the Fox and O'Hare series. I'm really liking this series following ...

Small snowflakes are blustering past my sunroom windows as I write, winter's last touch before we truly move into gentler temperatures later this week. I am ready for a gentler time. March pushed me mentally with following the release of Decision in Paris while trying to finish revisions for the second book in the series Discord in Provence which releases this Thursday. This was on top of assistant directing the school musical (which involved daily practices and me working through my lunch period the final week--those shrunken heads had to get painted by someone!) and then starting to coach junior high track. Needless to say, my reading fell down abysmally. I did listen to the audiobook of The Scam by Janet Evanovich and Lee Goldberg. Love the creativity in the con but warning--this book ends on a cliffhanger! I also read Dating the Prince by Lindzee Armstrong. The characters were realistic enough, the storyline enjoyable if somewhat predictable. I saw some typos but nothing to...

The Chase was my first book of the new year, and it was a great way to start the reading list. The characters may not be the most-fully developed ones you've encountered, but they have their own personalities. They are fun, and I wanted to keep reading to see what would happen to them next. The action also kept pulling me along! I found the crimes creative (and could push aside that other voice that muttered about the plausibility of the schemes working out). I would definitely pick up the next book in the Fox and Hare series. The Accidental Beauty Queen by Teri Wilson was another favorite of the month. (I think I needed something fun.) When I was reading this book, I said to my mom that I was enjoying it but that I couldn't see how it could have a realistically satisfying ending. I'm not going to go into detail to avoid spoilers, but the ending left me with a positive feeling towards the book. I also adored the puppy. I recommend this book for a light read, would ...