Best Books to Read Now - November 2019

Reminder/ Caveat/ Disclaimer: This is my (hopefully) monthly list of books I’ve read and enjoyed. These are not reviews, I do not include books I didn’t enjoy because life is too short to speak badly of books!

Welcome to the Best Books to Read Now Book Club! My (hopefully) monthly blog featuring my reading list, my TBR pile and the books I think you and your best friends should be reading. 

If you’re not sure whether you’ll agree with  my recommendations, check out my blog post on My Reader Wheels and my podcast, Women With Books . Those should help you decide if you’re going to be into my recommendations.

The best book club recommendations for you and your friends!

Oh man. I’m sorry. I knew it had been a minute since I’d done one of these posts but I didn’t realize I’d skipped TWO MONTHS!

What have I been reading?

Well, a lot. And not a lot.

I’ll explain. I finished writing a book, editing it, and then editing it again. And then I had to do some work to get THE ROYAL BODYGUARD ready for its release. And honestly, I’ve started reading A LOT of books, but these are the only ones I’ve finished. I’ll go into more detail in my newsletter about why I didn’t finish reading more books in the last few months (spoiler: It’s a combination of DNF’s and my writing process). But in the meantime, let’s look at what I finished AND enjoyed!

Love on Lexington Avenue - Lauren Layne
Amazon || Apple Books

This one came out in September I think? And it’s the second in a trilogy that I love sooooooooooooo much. I call it Sex and the City for the Hallmark Channel. Three women who are brought together by one lying, cheating jerk become friends at his funeral and promise to help each other navigate dating and relationships. I can’t WAIT for the third book, in January, too!

My Fake Rake - Eva Leigh
Amazon || Apple Books

Y’all. Eva Leigh has become one of my favorite historical romance authors this year. This book comes out on November 26th and is a slow burn, friends to lovers, fake relationship delicious story with two scholarly main characters.

It Had To Be You - Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Amazon || Apple Books

I already wrote about this in my Best Football Romances post but yes, for real, I had to re-read this first book in SEP’s Chicago Stars series. Like I said, at this point it qualifies as an “old school” romance but the development of the relationship between Phoebe and Dan is a masterclass, IMO.

A Wedding in December - Sarah Morgan
Amazon || Apple Books

If you want a holiday book that is basically a luxurious winter getaway in paper form, grab this book. The story centers around a Christmas wedding at a luxury resort in Aspen and if you’re anything like me, you’ll fall for the descriptions of the accommodations, the food, the shopping trips and the scenery as much as the multi-generational stories of romance, second chances and family.

What you need to do when you get this Sarah Morgan book.

And like I said, there were some books I did not love this month…. I’ll be talking more about those and why I think they didn’t connect with me in my newsletter this month.

Do you like books on sale?
Make sure you’re following me on Facebook because that’s where I post great books on sale!

And what about you?
I’d love to hear what you’ve read and loved lately or what you’re looking forward to reading next!  If you want these book recommendations (and a sneak peek at my TBR list and advanced reading copies) sent straight to your inbox, remember to sign up for my newsletter where I’ll be including all the best book club recommendations throughout 2019!

And one more book!

Like I mentioned, my latest release, THE ROYAL BODYGUARD came out last week! It’s also a Best Book To Read Now, if I may say so.

Claim your copy here:

• APPLE BOOKS

• AMAZON

• KOBO

• BARNES AND NOBLE

• BOOK DEPOSITORY

Some links on this page may be affiliate links, which means I could receive a few coins for posting them. As always, thank you for your support and encouragement!

THE ROYAL BODYGUARD - COVER REVEAL (The Sequel)

I am one lucky, lucky author.

I have a book releasing.

It’s the second in a series.

And it has TWO covers already.

Earlier in the summer, when I released the new UK/ World English covers, I was overcome by all the positive responses. But the number 1 question I got was, “Well, that’s great for all your British fans, but what about the Americans and Canadians who also want to order THE ROYAL BODYGUARD???”

I can now announce that all the information you want can be found here: The Royals of Drieden Series

Y’all.

I can’t.

And when you read this book, you’ll understand how perfect this cover is. And I loved how both my publishers got it soooo right. You can maybe guess what some of the main themes are…

THE ROYAL BODYGUARD has:

• a princess in hiding

• a grumpy bodyguard

• explosions

• thousand-year old secrets

• luxurious European residences

• a king in a car park

• pesky paparazzi

• banter

• a grandmother with a sword

• kissing

Basically, it’s…

I’m In.

I heard you say that. ^^^^

For the full info on the book, please click to this page: The Royal Series.

If you’re American or Canadian, you can reserve your copy of The Royal Bodyguard here or at your preferred retailers:

• Amazon US

• Amazon CA

• Barnes & Noble

• Kobo

• Apple Books

If you’re British, Irish, Australian, etc., you can reserve your copy of The Royal Bodyguard here or at your preferred retailers:

• Waterstones

• Amazon UK

• Blackwells

• WH Smith

• Apple Books

• Kobo

And I’ll be dropping more hints, clues and sneak peeks on my Facebook, my Instagram (make sure you’re checking my Instagram Stories!! I have some fun stuff planned over the next few weeks) and my newsletter. Sign up and follow now to get all the scoop (like who I dedicated the book to and why they made me rewrite the whole darn thing.)

Some links on this page may be affiliate links, which means I could receive a few coins for posting them. As always, thank you for your support and encouragement!

What to Pack for a Writing Retreat/ Girls Weekend to England

A Writing Retreat - what to pack and what to leave behind.

If you have followed me on Instagram this month, you’ll have seen two types of posts: #readwriteplan challenge photos and pictures of my glorious writing retreat in England with my friends.

How it came about: My amazing friend Julia Kelly is an Anglo-American author who now lives in London {you must read her debut historical fiction The Light Over London and her upcoming release, The Whispers of War}

Click and Pre-order now!

Anyway, Julia graciously invited us to London and her family manse in the countryside and five of us eagerly accepted her hospitality.

And I’ll just skip to the part where I tell you that it was magical. A big part of that is the retreat location, of course. England is so historical, so verdant, so charming (to us Americans living in suburbia, especially) that it can’t help but inspire ALL THE STORIES in my head. But another big part of this is the amazing retreat effect - getting out of the day-to-day #momlife, the feeding of humans and animals, car pool and same old scenery. I love my life, and I am blessed in thousands, if not millions of ways. But a change like a walk down the Thames (or Seine or Hudson or Nile) can excite lots of neurons for months, if not years.

So now you’re convinced (I think you probably already were….) You want to go on a girls’ weekend/ spiritual / writing retreat. Great.

First you need a suitcase. I picked an ancient yet indestructible canvas LL Bean duffel and a Dakine rolling suitcase.

What to pack:

This list may or may not work for you, but maybe it will be a good starting point. After all, I spent weeks thinking deeply and strategizing this suitcase selection so if it helps someone else, that would mean all my mental effort went to good use.

Then you pile everything you might want to take in a big heap on your bed.

*Carry-On Packing for a Week in England in September*

Clothes (in 20 inch rolling suitcase)

1 pair of jeans

1 pair of leggings (I love the Zella Live in Leggings) (LINK)

1 pair of “other pants” (this is whatever you like best. I picked a pair of black sweatpants that would be comfortable but chic on the plane)

1 cozy cardigan (I wore this one on the plane for warmth and to save space in my bag) (LINK)

1 lightweight jacket (rain proof if possible)

3 long sleeve shirts

3 t-shirts

3 lightweight scarves

Pajamas

Underthings/ lingerie/ socks

Packable Hunter boots (LINK)

Birkenstock clogs (can double as slippers in a cold 500 year old house) (LINK)

Adidas Superstars (or other comfortable and cute walking shoe) (LINK)

Pro tip: ROLL. ROLL. ROLL.

*Now, since we were staying at a house, I knew we had the opportunity to do laundry. But I still think this list would be good for a week even if you weren’t planning to wash any clothes.

Now you start your next pile of essential items. Yes, a chocolate bar is always an essential for travel.

Non Clothes (in carry on sized duffle)

Medicine/ vitamins/ glasses

Small toiletry case with all the minis: shampoo, conditioner, curl cream, shower gel, toothpaste, toothbrush, face cleanser, lotion, etc.

Face spritz / moisturizing balm for travel (I brought both, but this was the first time for me to use a moisturizing balm stick and I think this one will be my go-to for now on. It was so convenient and really made my hands/ face/ elbows nice and dewy) (LINK)

1 extra pair of earrings, 2 necklaces

Paperwhite Kindle (I adore mine - so many books can fit in a pocket!) (Link)

Bluetooth headphones (noise cancelling help you sleep on the plane) (LINK)

[And because this was a work/ writing trip:

Computer/ cords/ chargers/ converter

Notebook/ planner/ pens]

So all that in 2 bags + a small crossbody purse (with my phone/ wallet/ lipstick/ hand sanitizer) that I could stash inside the duffle while flying.

My iPad mini + bluetooth keyboard was perfect for writing in an English garden.

Things I Left Behind:

Water Bottle - at home in the United States I am virulently anti- plastic water bottle. It makes me physically sick to think of all the plastic we’ve littered this planet with because we don’t want to wash a glass. #sorrynotsorry. BUT. I can’t justify the weight and bulkiness of my stainless steel bottles when I’m flying carry-on only internationally. So I accept that I will buy a plastic water bottle or two on the trip and try to refill at the house/ hotel.

My usual laptop - This was another tough decision. Writers have an attachment to their computers which makes sense given all the time we spend with them and, frankly, all the intimate things that we put on there. But I ultimately decided to leave the laptop at home and just bring my ipad mini / bluetooth keyboard. This wasn’t really an issue of space/ weight (I have a very lightweight laptop and the ipad combo, while smaller, isn’t much lighter.). This was a practical decision based on how many chargers/ cords I’d have to bring. My Ipad obviously shares the same charging requirements as my iphone and air pods and the keyboard uses the same cord as a Kindle. It made sense to me to streamline all this technology as much as possible but of course, your (airplane) mileage may vary

Travel blanket - I love the idea of a travel blanket, but again, I can’t justify the space/ weight when wearing a chic shawl/scarf and cozy cardigan will keep me warm enough anywhere.

Extra notebooks - ah, a writer’s heartbreak. It was hard deciding which babies to leave home, which ones had ALL THE GOOD THINGS already written in them. But again, I went with weight and practicality and just brought one cheapie notebook from a conference.

More sweaters - When we scheduled a writing retreat - in England, in September - this Texas girl day dreamed for months about strolling through moors in all sorts of cashmere and knit. Alas, the weather was a bit warmer than my daydreams which was probably best for my space issues. One beloved sweater, one practical jacket and layering with scarves kept me warm enough.

New country, who this?

Where to go next?

I’d go back to the UK in a heartbeat… Maybe travel to Scotland? France? Or somewhere closer to home? I’ve been wanting to do a beach trip for forever. Where would you go?

Fancy a getaway that’s a little easier/ cheaper than a week in Europe? You could, of course, check out my books: The Royal Runaway and the upcoming The Royal Bodyguard which will first be published in the United Kingdom and around the world!

Sign up for my newsletter for exclusive details about The Royal Bodyguard here: INNER CIRCLE NEWSLETTER.

And if you want more packing tips for a business conference, I have posts on that HERE and HERE.

Some links on this page may be affiliate links, which means I could receive a few coins for posting them. As always, thank you for your support and encouragement!

#ReadWritePlan Challenge- For everyone who loves to read, write, or plan.

READ.

WRITE.

PLAN.

Longtime readers will know that these are probably three of my top five subjects to talk about and therefore it is no surprise that I’m a co-founder/ host of a multi-year Instagram challenge called…. (wait for it… )

#READWRITEPLAN

The September Instagram Challenge Every Planner, Reader and Writer Needs to Join.

Follow along all month long as I and (hundreds? Thousands? Of) my best friends share snapshots into our reading, writing and planning habits, hacks, tricks and tips.

If you’re interested in my planners, specifically, I talked about what I’m using in 2019 here: My Planners As Planned.

My loves and inspiration: Hobonichi, Louis Vuitton and Frida Kahlo

Since it’s September, I’ll give a mini update. I’m still using everything as planned! In fact, I just ordered a Hobonichi cousin for 2020. This will be my fourth? I think? (I get confused because the first year I used it I actually bought an April start planner and started it in June and counting years is hard.)

I still haven’t found a use for this:

In fact, I had forgotten all about it until I looked at this blog post. I’ve really enjoyed using my medium ring planner to keep track of my review reading, my blog posts and things I want to remember for the newsletter (SIGN UP because I’m starting something fun and SECRET in 2020)

My reading log has worked out great and I’ve been using some of the pages in the Hobonichi for a habit tracker & IG Challenge Tracker (for the months I do that).

Overall, I’m pretty happy with the flexibility of my planner system right now. I still tweak some things as I go as some months/ weeks require different things. The one thing I think I want to focus on going forward is figuring out a consistent system for habit tracking as I’ve been doing a lot of work on habit development since reading Atomic Habits (I talk about it in this blog post.)

Hopefully, the #readwriteplan challenge will give me lots of good eye candy AND some good ideas into my writing/ reading/ planning systems.

I’d love to see how you plan/ work/ read so please jump in anytime on Instagram using the hashtag! And if you have any questions about my products/ systems, ask me here, drop me a line or hit me up on Instagram.

Some links on this page may be affiliate links, which means I could receive a few coins for posting them. As always, thank you for your support and encouragement!

Women With Books - 2019 Summer Reading Challenge: What I Read!

Women With Books - a curated collection of conversations about your favorite books, media, and other fabulous things.

Well??? Did you complete the Summer Reading Challenge? I did!

For last year’s challenge and the books I read, click here and here.

As I said before, the 2018 Summer Reading Challenge was one of my most popular episodes of last year – this one and the round up episode. And I’ve loved hearing what everyone was reading this summer!

What I did for this challenge was give you broad themes and you find the book that best fits that for you. After all, at Women With Books, we only want you to read what you love.

I know everyone wants to know, though, what I read for the challenge this year. Some of my picks can fit into more than one category, so I may just slot them into different places… if I need to.

Pretty Dress Cover

Read: The Golden Hour by Beatriz Williams (More about it here on Best Books to Read Now)

Debut Author

Read: Red, White & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Beach Cover

Read: The Southern Side of Paradise by Kristy Woodson Harvey (More about it here on Best Books to Read Now)

Diverse/ Inclusive Read

Read: Alisha Rai’s The Right Swipe (More about it here on Best Books to Read Now)

TBR List

Read: Temptations of a Wallflower by Eva Leigh (HOLY CRAP THIS WAS GOOD WHY DID I WAIT SO LONG????)

Comfort Read

Read: Life and Other Inconveniences by Kristan Higgins (She had not been a Women With Books guest when I read this book but she is now! Find her episode here.) And Nina Bocci’s On the Corner of Love and Hate.

New Genre

Read: Empire of Sand by Tasha Suri (also an #ownvoices author and a debut author! This was so good y’all… read more about it here!)

Former WWB Guest (Find them on WomenWithBooks.com)

Read: Sidelined by Suzanne Baltzar (hear her episode here) AND The Southern Side of Paradise by Kristy Woodson Harvey (hear her episode here)

For a list of the authors/ books discussed, subscribe to the Women With Books newsletter (With extra Q&A from the guests!) Buy me a coffee! Support the Podcast at www.Ko-fi.com/womenwithbookspodcast Friend me on Goodreads! Check out the HBIC Nation Podcast!

Sign up for the Women With Books Newsletter here for all the updated information on Season 5 and a comprehensive list of the best book club reading recommendations!

Some links on this page may be affiliate links, which means I could receive a few coins for posting them. As always, thank you for your support and encouragement!