historical myster

Best Books to Read Now - April 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!

Best books to read in 2019.png

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!

The best book club recommendations for you and your friends!

There’s a bit more variety in my fiction choices this month - a contemporary rom com even made the list!

Gimme Some Sugar - Molly Harper
Amazon || Apple Books

I think I’ve read all of Molly Harper’s Southern Eclectic series now and I have to say, I just love Lake Sackett, Georgia. This one features a best friends to lovers storyline and deep fried red velvet cake balls. It’s perfect to satisfy your cravings for small town romance AND sweets.

When We Left Cuba - Chanel Cleeton
Amazon || Apple Books

I featured Chanel Cleeton’s Next Year in Havana last year (and it was a Reese Witherspoon book club pick) and I chatted with Chanel on the Women With Books podcast here.
This continues the story of the Perez family and the Cuban Revolution and focuses on Beatriz. It’s hard for me to say if this is a standalone story, since I read the first one and I think reading the first one really enriches this story because it gives you the whole background of the family in Cuba. So get both books and immerse yourself in 1960 Cuba & Florida!

Too Wilde to Wed - Eloisa James
Amazon || Apple Books

I read the first in this series and really couldn’t wait to see how Eloisa turned a frippy fop with a wig and high heeled shoes into a hero that we could all swoon over and Ms. James totally delivered! I love the Wilde family!

What the Wind Knows - Amy Harmon
Amazon || Apple Books

I devoured this book over road trip to Colorado during Spring Break. I saw it described as “perfect for fans of Outlander” so I knew I had to at least give it a shot. There were some similarities between it and Outlander - this story also involves time travel to the British Isles (Ireland in this case). But there was a unique family twist to this story that made it a little different and the history was much more recent. I turned the pages very quickly trying to find out exactly how Ms. Harmon was going to tie up the huge dangling mystery in this middle of this book.

Agnes Moor’s Wild Knight - Alyssa Cole
Amazon || Apple Books

I’ve had this book for FOREVER and I’ve been saving it for a rainy day. And, well. A gloomy Spring day finally came that could only be cured with an Alyssa Cole book. I have a soft spot in my heart for medieval romances and this is a novella by an author that I know handles lesser trod time periods with graceful prose and well-researched details. The only thing that disappointed me was that now I don’t have another Alyssa Cole medieval romance novella to look forward to.

And yes, 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!

Best Books to Read Now - March 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!

Best books to read in 2019.png

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!

The best book club recommendations for you and your friends!

I just realized that all four of these books are (mostly) historical fiction. Huh. Weird how the subconscious book picker works, right? Let’s see what I read this month!

A Wicked Kind of Husband - Mia Vincy
Amazon

Do you love historical romance? Do you love a marriage of convenience, sharp characters, smart, funny banter and sobbing your guts out at the end of a book? If yes, then you absolutely have to read this DEBUT book from Mia Vincy. You won’t believe it’s her first novel.

32 Likes, 4 Comments - The Royal Runaway; 10/9/18 (@lindsayemory) on Instagram: "I ❤️ this book. A Wicked Kind of Husband by @miavincywrites #amreading #thursdayreads"


Daisy Jones and the Six - Taylor Jenkins Reid
Amazon || Apple Books

This book is everywhere so I’m not the only one shouting about it from the rooftops but I cannot stop thinking about this book. I got an ARC and I’ve been harassing everyone on social media who has a copy because I NEED TO TALK ABOUT THIS BOOK. Get it, read it and then let’s chat.


The Shell Seekers- Rosamunde Pilcher
Amazon || Apple Books

I first read this book… a long time ago. Let’s just say I was in my formative years. I’m sure I re-read it several times, each time swept away by this multi-generational family saga. Recently, the author, Rosamunde Pilcher, passed away and when I heard the news, I immediately went to Amazon and picked up the digital copy of this book because I’m sure the paperback version in my family was falling apart. Sometimes these types of books don’t age well but I can report that The Shell Seekers still is a wonderful read, and if it were repackaged as the WWII books are today, with ladies in hats looking up at the spitfires in the sky, it would fit right in. If you’re loving the recent trend in historical fiction, do yourself a favor and pick this one up again - or for the first time.

The Lieutenant’s Nurse - Sara Ackerman
Amazon || Apple Books

Speaking of women in 1940’s clothing looking up at the sky (LOL at myself), I LOVED this book, the second historical fiction novel by Sara Ackerman. It’s the story of Pearl Harbor, seen through the eyes of a recent arrival to Hawaii and yes, I was SO WORRIED about what was going to happen! If you want to hear all the details about this book, check out my Women With Books podcast episode with Sara Ackerman here.


And yes, 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!







Best Books to Read Now - February 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!

Best books to read in 2019.png

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.

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I have fewer books this month that I can talk about because I had to finish up my Rita judging books - and those I cannot talk about! But these are all soooooo good! I can’t wait for you all to snatch them up!

The Woman in the Lake - Nicola Cornick
Amazon || Apple Books

I listed Nicola Cornick’s last book, The Phantom Tree, as one of my favorite books of 2018 and this one also just knocks it out of the park. Something about her writing and her creative genre-blending of English historical fiction, time-traveling mystery and romance seduces me. I’ve been haunted by this book much like The Phantom Tree and I can’t wait to dig deeper into her backlist.

The Psychology of Time Travel - Kate Mascarenhas
Amazon || Apple Books

I saw this book on Netgalley and requested it as soon as I read “Hidden Figures-type story about the female pioneers in time-travel.” UM, YES. And that was a good description but also it was so much more. When I tell you this is a twisty time-travel mystery, it IS but that’s also not doing it justice. There are diverse characters, multiple POVs, multiple time-periods, deeper themes and an exploration of mental illness all smushed together in a page-turning well-written speculative fiction whodunit. Which is ALL my catnip. If you read it, I’d love to know what you think!

For the Duke’s Eyes Only - Lenora Bell
Amazon
|| Apple Books

I picked this one up when I saw Jenny from Wicked Wallflowers posting about it on Instagram. I’ll just quote her - see if you can tell why I instantly one-clicked: “Enemies to lovers, a badass lady archaeologist and witter banter for days.”

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…Right?

It was the best historical that I’ve picked up in a while. LOVED it.

Dear Writer, You Need to Quit - Becca Syme
Amazon
|| Apple Books

Now I know this nonfiction book might not be a book that a lot of you want to read, but if you are a working author, you definitely want to take a look at this. I’ve taken three courses with Becca and I can attest that she’s a fantastic coach with career advice that is down-to-earth yet also inspiring. (Listen to me interview Becca on the Women With Books podcast here.) If you’re interested in other recommendations of books that are about writing / creativity check out my list here: HBIC Creativity Books.

What I’m Reading Next: My real-life book club picked Pretend I’m Dead by Jen Beagin for our next book. I don’t know anything about this and I have no idea if I’ll like it (or if you’ll like it.) But the good thing about book clubs is it exposes us to new things, right?

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!





Best Books to Read Now - January 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!

Best books to read in 2019.png

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 we’re simpatico con los libros. 

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Scandal Above Stairs - Jennifer Ashley

Amazon || Apple Books

The second book in the Kat Holloway historical mystery series (or 3rd if you count the prequel novella?). I enjoyed going back to the world of Victorian London cook Mrs. Holloway and following along as she helped solve another mystery - this one involving stolen artifacts. 

Becoming - Michelle Obama

Amazon || Apple Books

If you’ve ever day-dreamed about being part of the former FLOTUS’ #girlsquad, this book might be closest you’ll ever come but Mrs. O lets you in to her world, her life and her experiences. The book sounds like one of her speeches, smart, affirming, disarming and no BS. I was thoroughly charmed (and also still a little disturbed by a description of one of her girls’ weekends at Camp David. Morning workouts? Really? I mean, yes Mrs. O. Anything you say! )

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99 Percent Mine - Sally Thorne

Amazon || Apple Books

I had an ARC of this and I’m so excited that it’s finally out in the world and I can talk to people about it! A “warning” to romance readers: Ms. Thorne does NOT follow the typical romance structures. This book - even though it’s romantic - is so much more than that. It’s a story of a friendship, of a family (birth and chosen) and a woman who finally discovers the life she should have been leading. And yes, I’ve mentioned it on the podcast but I cried - HARD - at the end. And I usually avoid books that make me cry. 

Summoned to 13th Grave - Darynda Jones

Amazon || Apple Books

Speaking of crying, don’t cry ‘cause it’s over. The final installment in the Charley Davidson series is hopeful, powerful and leaves LOTS of room for Ms. Jones to continue following the ABQ supe crew as they protect the savior of the world.  This is one of the few long-running series that I’ve ever finished all the way through so I feel like I need to get a medal or something. 

The Light Over London - Julia Kelly

Amazon || Apple Books

Another one I read last year and is FINALLY out there!!!  Yes, Julia Kelly is a dear friend (and she’s been on my podcast HERE and HERE ) but this book is so good. It’s a dual timeline story and follows Cara in the present day as she unravels the history behind a WWII era journal that she discovers. If you want to hear more about it, please listen to the podcast episode and also READ THE BOOK. 

What I’m Reading Next: RITA books! As part of my membership in RWA, I volunteer to judge the books for the Rita awards. So YAY! Free books! The downside? As part of the judging process, I promise to not talk about the books. Boo.  That doesn’t mean I don’t sneak them into recommendations at other times throughout the year though…. Wink wink. So keep reading the blog and hopefully they’ll all be so good I can slip them in and it will be our little secret, okay? 

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!