Best Books to Read Now - May 2020

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!

We’re all still stuck at home, hopefully healthy or recovering. Because we need books now more than ever, I’m still doing this.

My book recommendations for May….

Untamed - Glennon Doyle
Amazon || Apple Books

I’ll be honest. I bought this book.

Yes, I know I’ve been on a book no buy this year but my book club wanted to read this and what, exactly was I supposed to do in the middle of the pandemic?

WAIT for it to become available on the CloudLibrary app???

Dear reader, I hate to wait for books.

I mean, I do it all the time, but I don’t have to like it.

I recommend this book, a selection of essays mostly written about the last few years of Ms. Doyle’s life, for anyone who’s reached their 40s and are rediscovering who they are supposed to be or wondering why they are the way they are. This book won’t necessarily explain it for you, but you’ll definitely walk away with new insights about how we’re all still growing up even when we’re supposed to be adulted already. I highlighted a bunch of parts that I need to go back and re-read so I’m really glad I bought it.

Say Yes to the Duke - Eloisa James
Amazon || Apple Books

I did NOT buy this book. Instead, it was graciously sent to me by my good friends at Avon/ Netgalley. (Thanks guys!) I’ve read the entire Wilde series now and jumping back into the pages with this fictional family meant this was an extremely comforting read. I felt like I used to feel, back when I could see friends in person. Remember those days???

Manhunting - Jennifer Cruisie
Amazon || Apple Books

I DID buy this book… a long time ago. It’s from my TBR pile! Look at me! I think I bought it a long time ago because a friend told me it was her favorite Jennifer Crusie book. Now, I’ve loved and read Ms. Crusie’s romcom classic, Bet Me, at least five times but I’ve never dug into her other books and let me tell you, I LOVED THIS. Another comforting, funny, easy read during my stay-at-home days. It was published in 1993 (I think) which somehow added to the 2020 comfort. Why? No one had cell phones or internet or email in this book. It’s set at a resort and everyone there has to basically TALK TO EACH OTHER THE WHOLE TIME. What a concept. I can’t even imagine.

I saw some reviews that stated that the book was dated for another reason: The female main character keeps getting grabbed on dates/ in bars. Unfortunately, I’m not sure I can say that this is what dates the book as this kind of behavior does still happen, and often. I will say that it is done for comedic effect and the female main character is in NO WAY a victim. In fact, she handles each of the offenders efficiently and on her own, which is very au courant.

The Forbidden Rose- Joanna Bourne
Amazon || Apple Books

Another one from the TBR pile! This one is a prequel/ sequel to a book I included in my uber popular Swooniest Book List: The Spymaster’s Lady. (I think it’s officially the first book in the series if you go by events but it was published after The Spymaster’s Lady so it’s listed as #2). A Joanna Bourne book is like a box of expensive, dark rich chocolates. Exquisitely crafted. Meant to be savored. Extremely satisfying.

If you’re looking for EVEN MORE comfort read recommendations, I made a separate list (along with everything I’ve ever recommended, practically) here: What To Read During a Pandemic.

As always, I’ll be talking more about the books I don’t finish 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 while stuck at home 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 2020!

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!

Best Books to Read Now - April 2020

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!

We’re all still stuck at home, hopefully healthy or recovering. Because we need books now more than ever, I’m still doing this.

My book recommendations for April….

Such a Fun Age - Kiley Reid
Amazon || Apple Books

This was an interesting read for me and I 100% recommend it for book clubs because I think that everyone can pull something different out of it. But it’s not a usual read for me, as it’s not a mystery, romance, etc. It was a page turner because the author did such a good job twisting and turning the characters until you weren’t quite sure how or if you should root for anyone… which is probably the point. So no HEA but definitely worth your time.

Where the Lost Wander - Amy Harmon
Amazon

LOVE.
LOVE.
LOVE.

Already one of my best books of the year. You can hear my full gush on the Women With Books podcast soon but here’s an abbreviated version:

WAGON TRAIL.
HISTORICAL FICTION.
ADVENTURE!

ROMANCE!

CHOLERA!

Okay, that part might not be alluring, but y’all. If you’re part of the Oregon Trail generation especially (See here if you don’t know what that is), you need to pick up this book ASAP.

The Virgin and the Rogue - Sophie Jordan
Amazon || Apple Books

I knew I had to read this book as soon as I saw that cover, that deliciously old-school romance cover. I knew the plot involved a love potion trope but here is a content warning for anyone who might want to know about consent issues. The female main character is under the influence of a love potion when she first… ah… puts the moves on the unsuspecting male main character. Trying not to spoil this, but I want to give fair warning that there’s a fine consensual line, on both their parts.

Anyway, I felt that the love potion plot made for a topsy-turvy romance book, one that was very enjoyable and easy to read. It’s mostly in the heroine’s voice, as she untangles what her feelings are, which are due to the love potion, and why she’s never known her true self before.


Feels Like Falling - Kristy Woodson Harvey
Amazon || Apple Books

A great read for your Mother’s Day gifts or just a quiet quarantine day or your book club! I’ve included Kristy Woodson Harvey books multiple times on the blog (and had her on the Women With Books podcast here) and as soon as I saw she had a new release, I requested an early copy. This one is set in a new beach town in North Carolina and has alternating stories of two very different women who soon become best friends. It’s a story of friendship, but it’s also a story of how women can mother each other, their friends, their siblings - which is why I’m recommending this for Mother’s Day! Get this for all your friends who are also willing to set you up on dates/ hold your hair back/ let you come live in their guest house on the beach. (And also I would like to be that person’s friend, thanks).

If you’re looking for EVEN MORE comfort read recommendations, I made a separate list (along with everything I’ve ever recommended, practically) here: What To Read During a Pandemic.

As always, I’ll be talking more about the books I don’t finish 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 while stuck at home 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 2020!

Comforting Books - What to Read During {Insert Chaos Here}

I’ve hesitated writing this blog post because when the COVID19 pandemic started, I wasn’t sure anyone wanted to hear from me.

What do I have to tell people? I have no medical recommendations, I’m a mom who’s pretty darn happy letting her kids watch TV, and…. well, I’ve been figuring all this out, same as everyone.

But I’ve had many of you asking for book recommendations right now, so…. yeah. I’m pretty good at that. That’s what I have to give to my country so, that’s what you’ll get!

Here are my ultimate comfort book recommendations to help you get through a time when you need an escape…

Mysteries

Because nothing gets your mind off your problems like someone else’s fictional problem of a dead body…

Her Royal Spyness series - Rhys Bowen - Set in the 1930s, a distant cousin to the Queen solves mysteries. Lighthearted, cozy historical mysteries with just enough royalty and romance to keep it escapism. If you like the first, there are 13 more books in the series to keep you engaged!

The Kit Holloway Series - Jennifer Ashley - Another historical mystery series set in England (this one in Queen Victoria’s day), the main character is a cook so you not only get a mystery, another century, a pinch of romance but you also get lots of comforting cooking scenes and comfort food. A four (soon to be five) book series for you to dive into.

Rom -Coms

These were very hard to narrow down, but I’ll explain…

Who Rescued Who -Victoria Schade- There are SO MANY good rom-coms out right now! But I picked this one because it has the ultimate feel-good ingredients (for me, at least)- England and dogs.

Hear me talk to Victoria on Women With Books podcast.

Waiting For Tom Hanks - Kerry Winfrey - And this one because we were ALL waiting for Tom Hanks to recover from COVID-19. In his honor, read this sweet, funny rom-com.
Also, at the time of this blog, this e-book is $2.99

Hear me talk to Kerry on Women With Books podcast.

The Royal Runaway -  Lindsay Emory

And if you want the ULTIMATE ESCAPE, try my book! A princess who gets left at the altar on her royal wedding day goes on an adventure to uncover what happened to her groom with a spy who has secrets of his own…

Women’s Fiction

Also very hard to narrow down, but I have my reasons…

Things You Save in a Fire - Katherine Center - I just discovered this book last month and honestly, if I could rewind time and save this book for my shelter in place time, I would. You can read my thoughts on it here.

The Coincidence of Coconut Cake - Amy E. Reichert - Okay. This book has a failing restaurant in it. I felt I should say that up front. BUT - it’s a great, cozy book that reminds us of the things that hold us together - and sometimes that’s food and cake and stuff, okay? Don’t judge.
Hear me talk to Amy E. Reichert on my podcast Women With Books, here.

Coming Home - Rosamunde Pilcher - OH. What can I say that hasn’t been said about Rosamunde Pilcher books when the world is nothing but a huge dumpster fire. I love love love The Shell Seekers, I’m currently re-reading September, but Coming Home is my ultimate comfort read recommendation. It always makes me cry and it’s set during World War II but you can escape into 1940’s Cornwall and that’s an awesome place to be.

Urban Fantasy

Um, Lindsay. Hold up. You call these comforting??? You know these have vampires, monsters and bloody fight scenes, right?

Sure, but as I explained in a recent Best Books to Read Now blog post, Urban Fantasy novels can still be comfort reads. I picked both of these for the same reasons. Alternate time-lines, magic and paranormal creatures can take you out of this world and mentally drop you into another one. But these specific series stand out for me as comfort reads because of the strong (reassuring) relationships between family and friends.

The Black Dagger Brotherhood is a completely unrealistic other-world but they are also filled with tight bonds and passionate relationships and maybe that’s exactly the recipe some of us need to read right now.

Burn For Me - Ilona Andrews (Book 1 of the Hidden Legacies Series)

Dark Lover - Book 1 of the Black Daggerhood Series by JR Ward

Those are my recommendations for comfort reads, but I’m well aware that my favorite ingredients may not be yours. The good news is, I’ve been doing this awhile. If nothing on the above list strikes your fancy, here are some other lists I’ve compiled. Go explore and see what you find!

Royal Book Recommendations

Nonfiction/ Writing/ Creativity Book Recommendations

Favorite Swoony Historical Romance Books

Favorite Mystery Series

Are You Ready for some Football Romances!

BUT WAIT! There’s MORE!

If you sign up for my newsletter, there are TWO freebies waiting for you.
1) A link to the free Drieden Christmas story that was exclusive to my newsletter in 2020, and
2) A handy dandy list of ALLLLLLLLLL the books I recommended in 2019 (with buy links, of course.)

Now. You have no excuse. Go forth and get lost in a book.

Best Books to Read Now - March 2020

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!

We are living in strange times, my friends. Most of the world is in quarantine/ shelter in place / social distancing. We’re working differently, we’re exercising differently and we’re going to school differently. But. What’s fascinating is that - for those of us who are privileged enough to be reading this blog post - many of us are not entertaining ourselves differently.

TVs, computers, books, cell phones, podcasts… they’re all still functioning as normal. Movie theaters shut down but movie studios seemingly flipped a switch and my family and I were able to watch a new Pixar release from the comfort of our living room.

With so much uncertainty, I’ve taken comfort in seeing that my books and music and favorite re-watched movies are still available to me.

So for the time being, until these things drastically change, I’m still going to be sharing my favorite new books every month. And next week (or sometime soon) I’ll be posting my list of ultimate comfort reads, books to pick up when you’ve turned off the news and want to tune out the world.

But for now… My Best Books for March 2020. Let’s get started, shall we???

Who Rescued Who – Victoria Schade 
Amazon || Apple Books

First of all, Victoria is a fantastic person and when she asked me last fall if I’d be interested in reading an early copy of this book, I jumped on the opportunity. AND I AM SO GLAD I DID.

Me when Victoria asked me to read her book.

It’s a rom-com set in the middle of a Rosamunde Pilcher book. It’s got an English village, a rescued dog, a found family and it’s the perfect thing to read on a drizzly spring day when you’re trying to avoid the real world. Go. Read. It. Now.
(Also, hear me talking to Victoria on my podcast, Women With Books, here.)

You reading WHO RESCUED WHO.

Scoundrel – Zoe Archer
Amazon || Apple Books

When I saw this book on sale before Christmas, I sort of freaked out. HOW did I not know this series existed??  It sounded like it was totally up my alley: action / adventure AND romance? 

I’ve stated my love for this The Mummy-like combo here and here and of course you can see my affection for it in The Royal Runaway and The Royal Bodyguard.

Love when the heroine saves the hero….

The book is #2 in a series that follows Victorian-era secret societies that battle over powerful magical artifacts. I KNOW. But now I know. And so do you.

Catch & Kill – Ronan Farrow
Amazon || Apple Books

I listened to the podcast first and then decided to check the book out at the library. Even though I have followed the story in real life AND I’ve listened to Ronan Farrow telling the story on the podcast, I was still sucked into the book, that reads as fast and as gripping as a spy/suspense novel but has the added elements of being true life. Now I’m tossing around the idea of reading She Said, by Jodi Kantor and Megan Twohey, two New York Times reporters who also broke similar stories about Harvey Weinstein in 2017. (Actually, now that I’m thinking about it, this book also kinda sorta fits my romance-mystery-adventure genre love because Ronan Farrow gives us little peeks at his relationship/ proposal to his partner.)

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill – Abbi Waxman 
Amazon || Apple Books

In some ways, this book was right up my alley. Nina Hill is a trivia-nerd who keeps a planner and who loves books. I mean, she could be me.  It’s not at plot-heavy as some of my other reads this month but the world building and interesting voice grabbed me and wouldn’t let me put the book down.

This GIF reminded me of the cover and I also think Nina Hill would appreciate it.

As always, I’ll be talking more about the books I don’t finish 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 while stuck at home 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 2020!

Three Months of a Book No Buy - What Worked, What Didn't

Brief Recap:

I decided not to buy books for the first three months of 2020. I talked about it a bit here, in January’s Best Books To Read Now post.

Why? I bought a lot of books in December and one day, I was scrolling through the hundreds of other unread books in my Kindle and thought, “I really want to read some of these things in here. They look really good. But I keep getting distracted by the new shiny books that I keep one-clicking.”

Temporary solution: Pause book buying for 3 months so I could re-discover my TBR pile.

We’re almost at the end of the quarter so let’s see what happened…

What I’ve Bought:

You didn’t think it would be ZERO, did you??

Well, I’ll admit, I REALLY thought I could stick to it. But I didn’t.

I’ve bought four books since December 31, 2019. I will say, they were all on sale. Two were backlist books that rarely go on sale; September by Rosamunde Pilcher and Paradise by Judith McNaught. These are two books that I’ve read many times, that I own the paperbacks of and the paperbacks are falling apart. They shouldn’t even count as new book purchases, TBH. Think of it as updating my bookshelf with new technology.

Then I bought one of the books in Rhys Bowen’s Royal Spyness series. I’m trying to acquire them all, so when one goes on sale, I pinch it. And then I bought another Rhys Bowen book, because (1) it was on sale and (2) I’m a sucker for WWI stories.

Still. Four books in 3 months, four purchases that were (mostly) well-thought out, not that impulsive? Is a pretty good success for me.

What I’ve Read (aka How did that TBR pile work out for you?)

So how many books have I finished from the TBR pile?

One.

How many have I started and DNF’d (Did Not Finish) from that TBR pile?

Three.

How many free books have I finished from the library/ review copies from NetGalley?

Uh… a lot.

What the heck, Lindsay?

Here’s what I’m thinking.

My Kindle is essentially a compilation of three piles: Books I’ve Read, Books That Were on Sale, and Books I Probably Should Read (Because someone said so/ asked me to / recommended it). But that doesn’t mean that the Book I WANT To Read At This Moment is in any of those three categories. So. That’s a problem.

Also, in the past three months, I have to recognize that the Thrill of a New Book is a great high, whether it comes from the library or a publisher. It’s that same dopamine hit that feels so good when we shop online at 11:30 pm. Finding something new at the library is so fun and cheaper than the bookstore but it’s still not helping my bookshelf issues.

Also, I declared this the Year of Hell Yes.

In 2020 I’m trying to apply the maxim, “If it’s not a Hell Yes, it’s a No.” And it’s come up a lot when I’m scrolling through my Kindle, looking for something to read.

Hard truth time: If books are still sitting in my TBR pile… they were a “NO” at some point.

OUCH, right?

Still, I have this stubborn belief in The Myth of an Undiscovered Favorite Book. That one day I’ll decide to open up Yadda Yadda Yadda and it will be the best thing I’ve ever read and OMG where has this been my whole life. It does happen. I still believe. Also…

Will I continue the no (low) buy for Q2?

Yes. Surprised?

I’ve enjoyed a more thoughtful approach to my reading in the past three months. The combination of Hell Yes and No Buy has resulted in me being picky, but in the best ways. I do think there are still treasures buried deep in my bookshelves, virtual and real, which I really want to discover. And if this also means I’m frequenting the library more (and the library app while I’m self-isolating), I have no complaint about that.

So stay tuned for three more months of book discovery! I’ll still post my Best Books blog posts here and go into the blind details of my DNFs in the secret posts of my Inner Circle Newsletter. Get on the list if you haven’t yet!