Best Books to Read Now - May 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!

It’s so interesting to look at these every month and look for patterns. This month on the list I have 2 new releases that are both contemporary romantic comedies and two older books that are historical romance.

The Unhoneymooners - Christina Lauren
Amazon || Apple Books

This is a true romantic comedy and it’s a perfect release for vacation reading lists everywhere. Light, breezy, sexy in Maui!

Passion on Park Avenue - Lauren Layne
Amazon || Apple Books

The first in a new series, this book hooked me from the very start with its voice and sense of humor. I CANNOT WAIT for the next two books in the series and neither will you. Another perfect beach read - think Sex and the City but for the Hallmark Channel (read: not quite as spicy.)

The King’s Man - Elizabeth Kingston
Amazon || Apple Books

I’ve been seeing recommendations for this author all over the freaking place and then last month, after I included Alyssa Cole’s medieval romance on my list, I went looking for more… and found this one had been praised all over social media. I really enjoyed it, partially because, again, it’s a new -ish historical time period for me and also because the heroine is a F*CKING BAD ASS. Think Brienne of Tarth from Game of Thrones.

Mr. Impossible - Loretta Chase
Amazon || Apple Books

Loretta Chase wrote one of my ALL-TIME FAVORITE ROMANCES, Lord of Scoundrels, so when I saw this one recommended for fans of The Mummy, I thought, um, YES PLEASE. And it now is my second favorite Loretta Chase book and it could be a re-read, along with my other favorite Egypt-set historical romance (and Swooniest Romance), As You Desire by Connie Brockway. (One thinks that perhaps I should write a book about two archeologists or something given my love for all things set in Egypt…)

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!

My favorite (fun) (feminine) (fabulous) mystery series...

As I continue with my Deep Thoughts on Books (c), I’ve noticed that I have a definite preference for the types of mystery series I read… and by read, I mean, devour and swallow up all the books in one go.

If you’ve looked at my list of why I love the books I do, you’ll see instantly that all these books I’m about to recommend pretty much tick all of my boxes: female-focused, mystery, humor/ great voice, and with a fair share of romantic interest.

So here are my most beloved mystery series… (in no particular order.) I’ve helpfully included the link to book 1 in each series. You’re very welcome.

The Royal Spyness series by Rhys Bowen
Amazon || Apple Books

This is one of the few that I have NOT read all the books in the series, but I still feel confident recommending it. I’m savoring each of the adventures of Lady Georgianna, 34th in line to the throne.

Stephanie Plum series by Janet Evanovich
Amazon || Apple Books

This is pretty much the book that inspired a thousand authors to try to be half as funny and half as engaging as the mishaps of a bounty hunter in Trenton, NJ.

Sookie Stackhouse series by Charlaine Harris

Amazon || Apple Books

This is the series that got me back to reading after I had my youngest child. I read the first eight of these books in a week, I think. They were so addictive and original and, this may be an unpopular opinion, but I enjoyed the books far more than the show. Which was good, too! For reasons.

Below Stairs Mysteries by Jennifer Ashley
Amazon || Apple Books

Now this series is still ongoing, but I’ve recommended it to so many people (and on this blog!). I just love the heroine and all the Downton Abbey-esque details of her Below Stairs life.

Lady Julia Grey Mysteries by Deanna Raybourn
Amazon || Apple Books

Now Ms. Raybourn has two wonderful historical mystery series out, this one and her Veronica Speedwell series and I did hesitate about which one to recommend. After all, the Lady Julia Grey series has concluded and Veronica Speedwell is still continuing, to the best of my knowledge. In the end, I picked Lady Julia Grey because I’ve actually re-read them (is that weird? Even though I’ve already read the resolution?) and because if you start with Julia, you can keep going all the way through Veronica.

And of course, I have to recommend my own fun, fabulous, feminine mystery series. If you like Sookie Stackhouse and Stephanie Plum all rolled up in a Elle Woods package, check out Margot Blythe.

Amazon || Apple Books

What are your favorite mystery series? I know there are so many more that I need to dive into… like JD Robb. I KNOW I KNOW. But the sheer number of books in the series just intimidates me. I fear I won’t be able to read anything else and then a year will go by and I’ll come out of my cave not knowing what has happened in the world.

So. Any recommendations for me? ;-)

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!

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!

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.

This book totally inspired me to do a pretty #bookstagram shot with #christmascookies and candy. Diving back into @mollyharperauthor's #southerneclecticseries was a great #holidaycomfort read. And this first line!!!🥰🥰🥰🥰 #amreading #thursdayreads #womenwithbooks #gimmesomesugar @gallerybooks @onemorepagenews

58 Likes, 4 Comments - Lindsay Emory (@lindsayemory) on Instagram: "This book totally inspired me to do a pretty #bookstagram shot with #christmascookies and candy...."

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!

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!

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.

I ❤️ this book. A Wicked Kind of Husband by @miavincywrites #amreading #thursdayreads

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!

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.

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.”

…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!