Best Books to Read Now - April 2018

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!

Because I skipped last month, I’m going to cover five books this month! Are you ready? These are good books, y’all. I think I’ve got something for everyone.

The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo – Taylor Jenkins Reid

Amazon || iBooks

I really can’t think of anyone who wouldn’t like this. There’s old Hollywood gossip, glamour, love and drama. This is one that would be perfect for vacations and multi-generation book clubs. And I’m probably going to re-read it again at some point, like a classic movie.

The Trouble with Twelfth Grave – Darynda Jones

Amazon || iBooks

The penultimate book of the Charley Davidson series has got me feeling… a little emotional, to be honest. The series is coming to a close … next year? (I just checked. It looks like this was moved out from October ’18). There are very few series that I’ve read twelve books of and have been still this invested. Between this and the Kate Daniels series ending, I’m going to be jonesing for a new paranormal series to adopt. Y’all hit a girl up with some suggestions!

Tempest – Beverly Jenkins

Amazon || iBooks

A mail order bride in Wyoming who greets her husband to be by shooting him. With that premise you know you can’t go wrong, especially with Beverly Jenkins’  expert hand guiding you through a passionate love story rich in amazing historical details. As always, I was swept away and I learned so much! My favorite blend.

Next Year in Havana – Chanel Cleeton

Amazon || iBooks

Much in the vein of Tempest, above, this is another fantastic historical story with strong romance story threads and fascinating glimpses of Cuba during revolutionary times and today. Even I, a former Latin American studies major, found so much to sink my teeth into and I can’t wait for the sequel next year!!

The Secret to Southern Charm  - Kristy Woodson Harvey

Amazon || iBooks

I fell in love with the first book in the Peachtree Bluff series last year and knew I had to not only read the second book but invite Kristy Woodson Harvey onto my WOMEN WITH BOOKS podcast. Listen to the episode and you’ll hear ALL MY THOUGHTS on this book (which is out today! Congratulations Kristy Woodson Harvey!!)

OH! And the first book in the series, SLIGHTLY SOUTH OF SIMPLE, which i featured on the blog last year is on sale for $1.99!! Grab it because you'll want to read both together! 

What have you been reading lately? I can’t wait to tell you about what I’m currently reading… NEXT MONTH! *evil laugh *

Best Books to Read Now - January 2018

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!

In the last WOMEN WITH BOOKS episode of 2017, I asked author Alexis Anne about her reading resolutions for 2018. Do you make any reading- related resolutions? I’ve decided to read from my TBR pile. It’s not from any sense of Puritanical guilt, but rather I started looking through my TBR lists and realized there were REALLY GOOD BOOKS in there that I really wanted to read, but I keep getting distracted by oh-shiny new books.

So in 2018, you might see some older books featured in this blog. But as I said in that same WOMEN WITH BOOKS episode, I think in this day and age, release dates aren’t as important to readers (now as an author, I must disagree, but that’s a long blog post in itself). What matters is when we discover a book as you’ll see….

A Christmas Gone Perfectly Wrong – Cecilia Grant

Amazon || iBooks

Yes, it’s a Christmas book. But look, consider your Christmas 2018 book shopping done already. This free novella was a sweet, beautiful holiday read. I read and adored Cecilia Grant’s A Lady Awakened last year (and wrote about it here) but I hadn’t heard about this holiday prequel for that series until some authors on Twitter decided to do a read along. If you’re interested in more commentary, do a search for #ACGPW on Twitter.

Wilde in Love – Eloisa James

Amazon || iBooks

I mentioned this as one of my most memorable books on the last episode of Women With Books, but this was (maybe? I think?) the first Eloisa James book I’ve read. I know. It’s pretty unbelievable. But I really enjoyed the effortlessness of this historical romance, along with the humor and characters. I’m looking forward to the next book in the series featuring the Wilde family

Eleventh Grave in Moonlight– Darynda Jones

Amazon || iBooks

We’re looking down the barrel at the end of the Charley Davidson series but this book was perfect for the holidays for me. Like an old, impossibly snarky friend.  I’ll probably try to dive into Book 12 in January and then it will be a little bit of a wait until book 13 is released later this year.

Sweet Tea & Sympathy – Molly Harper

Amazon || iBooks

In sum, I really hate Molly Harper now. I mean. That cover. That title. That series name. I'm desperately jealous of all of that and I want to live in this book all the time. It’s a romance/ family drama / women’s fiction blend type of book that will be the new trend of 2018 (you heard it here first…) that can make you laugh and cry and fist bump. I’m basically obsessed and totally not stalking Molly Harper at all.

A real life picture of Molly Harper and me (not) behind her.

Speaking of (not) stalking… in case you didn’t know, I have a podcast! It’s called Women With Books and we discuss genre fiction that’s for, by and about women.

Check it out at Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Play and Stitcher app. And here at womenwithbooks.com

I’d love for you to join the book club!

And if you want some free reading this year, I’ll be putting a chapter a month of my next Mistletoe Key novella, LOVE IN THE TIME OF HYGGE in my monthly newsletters!  Sign up here: http://eepurl.com/b5t7Uj

Keep reading!

Best Books to Read Now - March 2017

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!

Yes, dear reader, I skipped my BBTRN post for February. Life, man. Also, DNFs.  Also... I was catching up on some of my favorite series and I didn't want my whole blog post to be about book 9 and 10 of a great series...

Like Darynda Jones' Charley Davidson series. I wrote about this series before and like I said then, I don't know how I got behind (except, y'know, LIFE) and obviously it took me longer than I'd like to catch up but oh man, Darynda just never disappoints. In The Dirt on Ninth Grave  and The Curse on Tenth Grave Charley and her ragtag crew of (other)worldly friends are still funny, loyal, sexy and mysterious. Exactly what I love to read. And yes, I'm already behind again because Eleventh Grave in Moonlight is already out and waiting for me...

Y'all.

Those of you who have seen me in person have probably already heard me gush about the Winston Brothers series, about seven (mostly bearded) sexy siblings. From the humor to the dialogue to the fantastic covers, I loved these up and down. For some reason, I read book 3, Beard Science, and then book 1, Truth or Beard and I can attest to the fact that you will love the Winston Brothers in all the various birth orders. Do not amble, stroll, mosey or otherwise lollygag, RUN to your local internet book retailer and start (wherever you please) with these books and then come talk to me about them and we can sigh and giggle over them together.

Right after I saw Ms. Quarles win the RITA for Must Love Chainmail last year in San Diego, she popped it on sale and I nabbed it.  I like time travel historicals (oh hai Jamie Fraser) but I hadn't read a medieval book in decades, probably, so I just needed to be in the right mood, which I was in February (probably because I had an inexplicable urge to put on armor and grab a very big weapon and fight against tyrannical kings.) I chomped this one down fast. The historical details were fascinating and well-researched, the romance lovely, the suspense immediate.  I like the slight twist on the typical time-travel ending (it's an HEA, don't worry) and the fact that the two characters couldn't understand each other immediately (modern day English is very different from 13th century English).   I'm definitely going to pick up her other books in this series, Must Love Breeches and Must Love Kilts to tide me over until Outlander returns...

Big Little Lies was my book club selection for January/February and mostly because I saw the HBO show was starting and remembered I always wanted to read a Liane Moriarty book.  I'm pretty embarrassed it took me this long but... um... see my Darynda Jones delays. I'm a busy woman. I can't read everything!  I loved the book. I found it refreshing, suspenseful and real and I've got a couple of episodes saved up to binge watch this weekend. (I've heard great things - are you watching?)

As always, I'd love to hear about what you're reading, watching and loving lately.  Hit me up on my  Instagram, Pinterest, Twitter and Facebook.  And are you subscribed to my newsletter?  I hope to have some announcements about new books coming soon!

P.S. I'm also participating in a multi-author contest this week featuring books with women sleuths!  Check it out here to win 45+ books!

Best Books to Read Now: February 2016

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!

So this last month has been a hard reading month. You'll notice that I'm not including four books and that's not because I didn't read four (or more) books, it's just I can't talk about all of them (*cough* RITA *cough*).

Hopefully next month I'll be right back to devouring my 2016 TBR pile, which will include diverse authors and genres to talk about! Yay!

But actually, this month's reads were pretty diverse. In fact, they're so diverse, I'm finding it hard to find a theme that will hold all of them. I have a memoir by an Indian-American actress/writer/producer, a paranormal about the Grim Reaper and an Italian literary novel translated into English.

Why Not Me? by Mindy Kaling

mindy kaling

I've been a HYUGE (say in a Donald Trump voice) fan of Mindy Kaling since WAY back in the day. I even used to follow her shopping blog back before shopping blogs were a thing (like, circa 2004). I love her voice in her television shows (The Office and The Mindy Project) and I loved her voice in this memoir, as well. It was seriously LOL funny. I know, lots of people say that but trust me. I've also decided that one day Mindy and I will develop a project together. This is a serious Bucket List item, along with

1. *meet Dolly Parton,*

2. *see Hamilton on Broadway* and

3. *get my eyebrows on fleek.*

Eighth Grave After Dark by Darynda Jones

eighth grave

I feel kind of dumb talking about this book, when apparently book #9 in this series was just released?  I don't know how I got behind, because I usually jump on new releases in series I love.  This is another book / series where I just love the voice (Wait....

I now know the theme for this entry. VOICE.  All of these books have great VOICE. Carry on.

Charley Davidson (the main character in this series, also known as the Grim Reaper) is one of those voices that can inspire me, make me laugh and make me feel immediacy.  It took me a little longer to get into this book, probably because I waited so damn long between books, but the cliffhanger and the way Ms. Jones wrapped up on plot point and jumped into a new direction has me so excited to pick up #9, The Dirt on Ninth Grave ASAP.

My Brilliant Friend, by Elena Ferrante

elena

Last month I mentioned that I had been invited to a real, grown-ass, booky book club. I was so excited! All of my other book clubs have dissolved like:

[embed]http://https://youtu.be/qkTzDh8IKNU[/embed]

This month's selection was MY BRILLIANT FRIEND and I'm still trying to process it. The voice is incredibly intimate yet distant, with a beautiful musical quality.  It's a story of a complicated friendship between two girls in post-War Naples and I flipped through the pages trying to figure out what was going to happen next, who was good, who was a psychopath, who was maybe a mentally ill murderer.  I'd love to discuss this one with more of you!

rushing cover

In case you aren't a digital reader, RUSHING TO DIE came out in paperback yesterday!  If you've read it (or any of my books), please consider leaving a review wherever you bought it.  I'm also giving away two copies on Goodreads and you have until February 14th to enter there!

As always, I'd love to hear what you've been reading and what you thought about it!  Leave a comment or hit me up on Facebook to discuss books, #mancrushmonday and more.