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What Are You Reading....The Third
Let It Snow – Nancy Thayer – 3***
Thayer writes a lovely, quick romance set against a charming backdrop of Christmas in Nantucket. The characters are mostly straight out of central casting, but I’m not complaining. I read these books because they are comfort food. I know exactly what I’m in for and I’m happy to get it.
My full review HERE
'Stuck: Why We Can't (or Won't) Move On' by Anneli Rufus...about as enjoyable as a case of jungle rot.
Just finished:
The Swap
by: Robyn Harding
Page-turner with some negligible flaws. My full review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I did a re-read of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone, an ARC of Shiner, a first time read of To Kill a Mockingbird and Sin Eater. All really good reads and I highly recommend Sin Eater.Right now I am listening to Doctor Zhivago and reading an ARE of Her Last Flight.
Planting Stories – Anika Aldamuy Denise – 5***** and a ❤
Subtitle: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré. This picture book biography is marvelously illustrated by Paola Escobar. The story is simple enough for children to absorb, but detailed enough to engage an adult.
My full review HERE
An intriguing murder mystery set in the cut-throat world of horse racingKickback by Damien Boyd
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
'You Are Not So Smart: Why You Have Too Many Friends on Facebook, Why Your Memory Is Mostly Fiction, and 46 Other Ways You're Deluding Yourself' by David McRaneyGreat book that gives sobering evidence on how our brains truly work and ways we unknowingly trick ourselves every day; highly recommended for an introspective read.
I really enjoyed this intricately woven crime novelSilver by Chris Hammer
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
An American Marriage – Tayari Jones – 4****
This is a marvelous character-driven study of relationships, in the broader context of modern society’s inability to grant a Black man the basic premise of “innocent until proven guilty.” Despite this great injustice, the central focus is really the characters’ lack of communication and honesty with one another. My loyalties shifted back and forth between Celestial and Roy as they took turns narrating the story. I think it would be a great choice for a book-club discussion.
My full review HERE
finished
I didn't love it as much as her other books. Now I'm reading
As Nature Made Him – John Colapinto – 5*****
Subtitle: The Boy Who Was Raised As a Girl. This made me so angry! The unmitigated arrogance and superior attitude of Dr John Money made me want to hunt him down and do an experiment on HIM! In writing the book, Colapinto did an excellent job of researching the various players in this tragedy. He provides considerable background on the development of sexual/gender identity theory, including interviews with many researchers and reporting from numerous professional journals. I think the book is balanced and truthful. I applaud David Reimer for the way he managed to survive the horror that was his childhood.
My full review HERE
A light and fun cozy mysteryDyeing Season by Karen MacInerney
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Just finished:
Be Mighty: A Woman’s Guide to Liberation from Anxiety, Worry, and Stress Using Mindfulness and Acceptance
by: Jill A. Stoddard
A good introduction for those interested in ACT as a novel therapeutic approach. My full review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Hi everyone! I’m currently working on The Second Sex by Simone de Beauvoir. It’s pretty deep, but while we have this shelter at homething going on, time is what I have!
Ahab’s Wife – Sena Jeter Neslund – 4****
Melville’s classic Moby Dick contains perhaps three or four sentences that reference Ahab’s wife, but those brief references were enough to inspire Neslund to write this tome. Una is a marvelous character: intelligent, forthright, adventurous, principled, loyal and loving. The novel takes her from her childhood in rural Kentucky to her later years in Massachusetts. Along the way she encounters many colorful characters, from slaves to judges, but make no mistake, the story is Una’s, first and foremost.
My full review HERE
Blue Asylum – Kathy Hepinstall – 2**
Iris Dunleavy is confined to a Florida island asylum for the obvious madness she exhibited in defying her husband. Perhaps Hepinstall was trying to give the reader a sense of the disorientation a truly sane person must feel in such a mandated confinement. If that was her intention, then she mostly succeeded. But, like Iris, I just wanted to escape.
My full review HERE
Mod
An intriguing political thrillerThe Twentieth Man by Tony Jones
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Pies and Prejudice – Ellery Adams – 2**
I’ve been drawn to this basic premise – food’s magical qualities – since reading Citra Banerjee Divakaruni’s The Mistress of Spices. I’ve read other series books by Adams as well, and enjoyed them. But she really missed the mark here. Ella Mae is just too clueless, and the cast of “eccentric” characters just too over-the-top. Thank heavens it was a fast read.
My full review HERE
A chilling psychological thrillerFollow You Home by Mark Edwards
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
An entertaining mystery...with lots of dogs!Unleashed by Emily Kimelman
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Just finished;
Logging Off
by: Nick Spalding
Funny cautionary tale. My full review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I just finished “Conjure Women” by Aria Atakora. It’s her first novel and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I was really able to immerse myself in the story. The story is full of twists and turns and keeps you guessing until the very end. It’s a must read!
Montana Sky – Nora Roberts – 3***
A schlocky cowboy romance with some fun sex scenes. The romance was more than enough to hold our attention, with sibling rivalry and the push/pull attractions between the couples entertaining enough to keep even this curmudgeonly reader turning pages. And I did love picturing all those rippling muscles on the big, strong men! But that serial killer subplot! Totally unnecessary.
My full review HERE
An enjoyable, but forgettable, murder mysteryNext Door by Blake Pierce
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
The Only Road – Alexandra Diaz – 5***** and a ❤
This is a powerful story of twelve-year-old Jaime and his fifteen-year-old cousin Angela’s harrowing journey from their village in Guatemala to El Paso Texas as they flee gang warfare. They face many dangers on this long journey, but find within themselves the courage, tenacity, inventiveness and compassion they need to see them through. I loved these characters. Very well told young adult novel without graphic violence but still giving a sense of the real dangers such refugees face. Both heart-breaking and inspiring.
My full review HERE
The Preacher’s Daughter – Beverly Lewis – 2**
I think Lewis does have a knack for exploring the Amish and Mennonite cultures, and contrasting their perspectives against those of modern-day America. I’m glad she gives voice to people who struggle with the basic tenets of faith and a way of life that may not completely suit them. However, I think Lewis’s ambitions got away from her. There is just too much going on in this novel and none of if it satisfactorily explored.
My full review HERE
Am currently reading Midwives
by Chris Bohjalian. I can read it for a while and then I have to stop — The mix of feelings for the midwife and what she is facing, as well as her patient's family, can sometimes be overwhelming. I didn't quite realize what I was getting into when I chose the book to actually use as part of a challenge I'm doing but I had read another book of Bohjalian and knew he wrote well.
Listened to The Alchemist and The Screwtape Letters. Both are in a religious vein but of the two I actually enjoyed The Screwtape Letters more. The Alchemist was too preachy for me The Screwtape Letters was more devilish!
Some light reading about a grumpy old man who finds redemptionOut of Sorts by Aurélie Valognes
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
At the moment listening to Allen Carr easy way to stop smoking and reading the power of habit separately
The Gown – Jennifer Robson – 3.5***
The subtitle is all the synopsis anyone needs: A Novel of the Royal Wedding. Princess Elizabeth’s wedding to Phillip Mountbatten, that is. I really liked the friendship between Ann, the scrappy Brit, and Miriam, the French immigrant who had survived the Nazis. However, the dual timeline has become the latest fad in historical fiction and I’m over it. Nevertheless, the story captured and held my attention.
My full review HERE
An enjoyable, but predictable, legal thrillerThe Neon Lawyer by Victor Methos
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Reading Elements of Eloquence by Mark Forsynth. It is basically a book about poetic rhetoric. I'm really enjoying it especially because his examples are thoroughly hilarious!
An engaging cozy mysteryTo Kill a Mocking Girl by Harper Kincaid
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
An okay paranormal mystery, but lacking any real chillsUnder the Willows by Pamela McCord
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Just finished:
Shakespeare for Squirrels
by: Christopher Moore
Funny new release in Moore's "Pocket" series, Irreverent and raucous romp. My full review:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Just finished this beauty, thoughtful and challenging without being pretentious. Highly recommended!https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/4...
There There by Tommy Orange
Photos of You by Tammy Robinson 
Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly
The Summer Guests by Mary Alice MonroeEnjoyed them all!
The Next Best Book Club
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by Nancy Horan. This book was part of a Meetup group that chooses a book & then visits a physical site associated with the book in some wa..."
How fascinating that you visit a physical location that is connected to the book you read!