JULY WAS A GOOD READING MONTH…

Another month has flown by, almost literally, as I scarcely blinked before it was over.  But…I read more books this month than any previous ones in the last while.  In fact, the last month in which I read FOURTEEN books was January!  So I guess something went right this month.

I had several books that vied for favorites, so I ended up choosing two fiction books and one nonfiction for that title.

Fiction Books:

 

Nonfiction Book:

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Genres:

     Thrillers:  8

     Contemporary Fiction:  4

     Nonfiction:  2

 

Here are my books, with titles linked to my reviews:

JULY 2020:

1.Dead Letters (e-book), by Caite Dolan-Leach -(332 pages) – (contemporary fiction) – 7/4/20

2.Friends & Strangers (e-book), by J. Courtney Sullivan – (416 pages) – (contemporary fiction) – 7/31/20

3.Girl from Widow Hills, The (e-book), by Megan Miranda – (332 pages) – (psychological thriller) – 7/21/20

4.Half Sister, The (e-book), by Sandie Jones – (304 pages) – (contemporary fiction) – 7/6/20

5.House Guest, The (e-book), by Mark Edwards – (294 pages) – (thriller) – 7/2/20

6.Night Swim, The (e-book), by Megan Goldin – (352 pages) – (thriller) – 7/28/20 (NG-8/4/20)

7.Nomadland (e-book), by Jessica Bruder – (287 pages) – (nonfiction) – 7/15/20

8.Playing Nice (e-book), by JP Delaney – (417 pages) – (domestic suspense) – 7/25/20 – (NG-7/28/20)

9.Request, The (e-book), by David Bell – (403 pages) – (suspense thriller) – 7/26/20

10.Safe Place, The (e-book), by Anna Downes – (342 pages) – (domestic thriller) – 7/24/20

11.Stranger in the Lake (e-book), by Kimberly Belle – (352 pages) – (mystery) – 7/13/20

12.Swap, The (e-book), by Robyn Harding – (315 pages) – (psychological thriller) – 7/10/20

13.Too Much & Never Enough (e-book), by Mary L Trump, Ph.D. – (236 pages) – (nonfiction) – 7/16/20

14.What You Wish For (e-10book), by Katherine Center – (320 pages) – (contemporary fiction) – 7/8/20 – (NG-7/14/20)

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NUMBER OF BOOKS READ IN JULY 2020:    14

NUMBER OF PAGES READ IN JULY 2020: 4,702

BOOKS READ YTD:  86

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How did your July unfold?  Come on by and share.

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GOODBYE TO MARCH!

Another month has flown by!  While I didn’t read a lot of books (just ten!), I did enjoy them.

My Favorite for the Month:

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Genres:

     Mysteries/Thrillers:  7

     Nonfiction:  1

     Fictionalized Memoir:  1

     Contemporary Fiction:  1

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Here are the books!  Click titles for my reviews.

MARCH 2020:

1.And They Called It Camelot, by Stephanie Marie Thornton – (450 pages) – (fictionalized memoir) – 3/24/20

2.Coconut Layer Cake Murder (e-book), by Joanne Fluke – (352 pages) – (murder mystery) – 3/11/20

3.Eight Perfect Murders (e-book), by Peter Swanson – (288 pages) – (murder mystery) – 3/20/20

4.Heaven Adjacent (e-book), by Catherine Ryan Hyde – (320 pages) – (contemporary fiction) – 3/28/20

5.Mssing Sister, The (e-book), by Elle Marr – (294 pages) – (thriller) – 3/21/20 (Amazon freebie)

6.Other Mrs., The (e-book), by Mary Kubica – (361 pages) – (thriller) – 3/18/20

7.Pretty as a Picture (e-book), by Elizabeth Little – (333 pages) – (murder mystery) – 3/14/20

8.Red Lotus, The (e-book), by Chris Bohjalian – (400 pages) – (mystery/suspense) – 3/8/20 – (NG-3/17/20)

9.Wallis In Love, by Andrew Morton – (334 pages) – (nonfiction/biography) – 3/27/20 – (Nonfiction Challenge)

10.When You See Me (e-book), by Lisa Gardner – (382 pages) – (mystery/thriller) – 3/4/20

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NUMBER OF BOOKS READ IN MARCH 2020:    10

NUMBER OF PAGES READ IN MARCH 2020:  3,514

BOOKS READ YTD:  34

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What did your month look like?  Come on by and share.

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MONTHLY WRAP-UP

July sped by, and while I didn’t manage a lot of reading, I did read and review ten books.  Here is how things broke down:

 

FAVORITE:

GENRES:

Mysteries/Suspense Thrillers

     3

Contemporary/Historical Fiction

7

 

Click on the titles to read my reviews:

JULY 2019:

1.Because You’re Mine (e-book), by Rea Frey – (400 pages) – (domestic thriller) – 7/14/19 – (NG-8/6/19)

2.Better Sister, The (e-book), by Alafair Burke (336 pages) – (contemporary fiction) – 7/3/19

3.Bookish Life of Nina Hill, The (e-book), by Abbi Waxman – (351 pages) – (contemporary fiction), 7/21/19

4.Escape Room, The (e-book), by Megan Goldin – (352 pages) – (suspense thriller) – 7/13/19 – (NG-8/6/19)

5.Friends We Keep, The (e-book), by Jane Green – (384 pages) – (historical fiction) – 7/6/19

6.Keeping Lucy (e-book), by T. Greenwood – (304 pages) – (historical fiction) – 7/11/19 – (NG-8/6/19)

7.Missing Years, The (e-book), by Lexie Elliott – (382 pages) – (contemporary fiction) – 7/30/19

8.Perfect Wife, The (e-book), by J P Delaney – (432 pages) – (suspense thriller) – 7/9/19 – (NG-8/6/19)

9.Things You Save in a Fire (e-book), by Katherine Center – (320 pages) – (contemporary fiction) – 7/24/19 – (NG-8/13/19)

10.We Are All Good People Here (e-book), by Susan Rebecca White – (304 pages) – (historical fiction) – 7/17/19 – (NG-8/6/19)

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NUMBER OF BOOKS READ IN JULY 2019:    10

NUMBER OF PAGES READ IN JULY:  3565

BOOKS READ YTD:   67

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How did your month unfold?

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GONE NOVEMBER! WELCOME TO DECEMBER…

 

Where did November go?  It flew by so quickly, and the rainy days that have obliterated the sunny ones are a constant reminder of winter, which lies ahead.  Check in at Book Date to link up with other monthly updates.

FAVORITE BOOK: 

GENRES:

     Literary Fiction: 1

     Mysteries/Thrillers: 7

     Contemporary Fiction:  3

 

Click titles to read my reviews:

NOVEMBER 2018:

1.A Spark of Light (e-book), by Jodi Picoult – (356 pages) – (literary fiction) – 11/2/18

2.In Her Bones (e-book), by Kate Moretti – (352 pages) – (suspense thriller) – 11-8-18

3.Her Pretty Face (e-book), by Robyn Harding – (352 pages) – (domestic thriller) – 11/11/18

4.Island House, The (e-book), by Nancy Thayer – (280  pages) – (contemporary fiction) – 11/10/18

5.Liar’s Wife, The (e-book), by Samantha Hayes (372 pages) – (suspense thriller) – 11/28/18

6.Other Wife, The (e-book), by Michael Robotham – (400 pages) – (domestic thriller) – 11/22/18

7.Three Beths, The (e-book), by Jeff Abbott – (352 pages) – (domestic thriller) – 11/20/18

8.Three Days Missing (e-book), by Kimberly Belle – (352 pages) – (domestic thriller) – 11/13/18

9.Under My Skin (e-book), by Lisa Unger (416 pages) – (suspense thriller) – 11/26/18

10.We Were Mothers (e-book), by Katie Sise – (311 pages) – (contemporary fiction) – 11/30/18

11.Winter in Paradise (e-book, #1), by Elin Hilderbrand – (320 pages) – (contemporary fiction) – 11/16/18

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NUMBER OF BOOKS READ IN NOVEMBER 2018:    11

NUMBER OF PAGES READ NOVEMBER 2018:   3,863

BOOKS READ YTD:   135

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How did your November unfold?

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HELLO, NOVEMBER! MONTHLY WRAP-UP…

As we say goodbye to October, we anticipate the holidays ahead…and we may be changing up our reading in honor of the occasions.  Let’s join Kathryn at Book Date to see what others have done this month.

My Favorite for October:

GENRES FOR THE MONTH:

Mysteries/Thrillers/Suspense:  5

Contemporary Fiction:  3

Nonfiction:  1

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My numbers weren’t great this month, with only 9 books read and reviewed!  But I did enjoy a nice mix of plots and titles.  I am in the midst of another book that I had hoped to finish by day’s end…but I decided to go ahead and write this post.

Click the titles to read my reviews.

 

OCTOBER 2018:

1.A Year of Extraordinary Moments (e-book), by Bette Lee Crosby – (368 pages) – (contemporary fiction) – 10/8/18 – (NG-10/16)

2.Book Club, The (e-book), by Mary Alice Monroe – (400 pages) – (contemporary fiction) – 10/13/18

3.Day of the Dead (e-book, Frieda Klein Novel), by Nicci French (416 pages) – (suspense thriller) – 10/27/18)

4.First Flurries (e-book), by Joanne DeMaio – (239 pages) – (contemporary fiction) – (Author Review Book) – 10-15-18

5.I Know You Know (e-book), by Gilly Macmillan – (348 pages) –  (murder mystery/suspense)-10/5/18

6.In Pieces, by Sally Field (396 pages) – (memoir) – 10/21/18

7. Neighbors, The (e-book), by Hannah Mary McKinnon – (384 pages) – (domestic thriller) – 10/30/18

8.Open Your Eyes, by Paula Daly, (339 pages) – (domestic thriller) – 10/29/18

9.They All Fall Down (e-book), by Tammy Cohen (377 pages) – (suspense thriller) – 10/18/18

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NUMBER OF BOOKS READ IN OCTOBER 2018:    9

NUMBER OF PAGES READ OCTOBER 2018:   3,267

BOOKS READ YTD:   124

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How did your month turn out for you?  Enjoy November.

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TOP TEN FAVORITES OF 2017….

On my Favorite Books of 2017 page, I had a total of 14 favorites throughout the year.  So weeding out four of them to create my Top Ten List was no easy task.

If you want to see them all, check out this page…

And, drum roll!  Here are the Top Ten: (Click titles for my reviews)….

1.Orphan’s Tale, The, by Pam Jenoff – 342 pages – (historical fiction) – 1/16/17 (Amazon Vine Review)

2.Never Let You Go (e-book), by Chevy Stevens – 384 pages – (suspense thriller) – 2/26/17 (NetGalley – 3/14/17)

3.Night the Lights Went Out, The (e-book), by Karen White – 406 pages – (contemporary fiction) – 5/13/17

4.Marriage Pact, The (e-book), by Michelle Richmond – 432 pages – (suspense) – 7/17/17 –(NetGalley – 7/25)

5.Good Daughter, The (e-book), by Karin Slaughter – 528 pages – (suspense thriller) – 8/28/17

6.  Sunday Morning Coming Down, by Nicci French – 406 pages – (suspense thriller) – 8/1/17

7.Stolen Marriage, The (e-book), by Diane Chamberlain – 384 pages – (historical fiction) – 9/28/17 – (NetGalley – 10/3)

8.Then She Was Gone, by Lisa Jewell – 424 pages – (mystery) – 10/25/17

9.Poison (e-book), by Galt Niederhoffer – 304 pages – (psychological thriller) – 11/15/17 – (NG – 11/21)

10. Wife Between Us, The (e-book), by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen -352 pages – (thriller) – 12/4/17 (NG – 1/9/18)

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What were your favorites?  Come on by and share…

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GOODBYE, DECEMBER…AND 2017!

Another great month has passed, and as always, I am grateful for the truly wonderful books I found on my shelves this month…and this year.

Visit The Book Date to add your link for your month in review.

Genres Read This Month:

     Mysteries/Thrillers – 6

    Contemporary Fiction – 3

    Literary Fiction – 3

    Historical Fiction – 1

 

FAVORITE BOOK OF DECEMBER 2017:

The Wife Between Us, by Greer Hendricks/Sarah Pekkanen

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NUMBER OF BOOKS READ IN DECEMBER 2017:        13

NUMBER OF PAGES READ IN DECEMBER 2017:      4.189

BOOKS READ YTD:                                                                          174

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Click my titles to read my reviews…

DECEMBER 2017:

1.A Bella Flora Christmas (e-book, Ten Beach Road Novella), by Wendy Wax – 87 pages – (contemporary fiction) – 12/3/17

2.A Hundred Small Lessons (e-book), by Ashley Hay – 290 pages – (literary fiction) – 12/15/17

3.A Season to Lie (e-book, Detective Gemma Monroe Novel), by Emily Littlejohn  -290 pages – (mystery) – 12/13/17

4.Cruelest Month, The (e-book, CI Gamache Mystery), by Louise Penny – 318 pages – (mystery) – 12/1/17

5.Dead of Winter (e-book, Lily Dale Mystery), by Wendy Corsi Staub – 288 pages – (mystery) – 12/24/17

6.Fragments of the Lost (e-book), by Megan Miranda – 370 pages – (psychological mystery/YA) – 12/7/17

7.Girls in the Picture, The (e-book), by Melanie Benjamin – 448 pages – (historical fiction) –(NG-1/16/18)

8.Little Broken Things (e-book), by Nicole Baart – 346 pages – (contemporary fiction) – 12/9/17

9.Lost & Found Sisters (e-book) , by Jill Shalvis – 400 pages – (contemporary fiction) – 12/29/17

10.Snap Judgment (e-book, Samantha Brinkman #3), by Marcia Clark – 448 pages – (mystery/thriller) – 12/19/17

11.These Violent Delights (e-book), by Victoria Namkung – 220 pages – (literary fiction) – 12/23/17

12.Wife Between Us, The (e-book), by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen -352 pages – (thriller) – 12/4/17 (NG – 1/9/18)

13.Wonder Valley (e-book), by Ivy Pochoda – 332 pages – (literary fiction) – 12/22/17

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HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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IT’S A WRAP! GOODBYE, NOVEMBER….

The month flew by.  Check out my reading, and head on over to The Book Date to see what others read.

November was a great reading month!  I read and reviewed FIFTEEN books.  My Favorite Fiction Book was Poison, by Galt Niederhoffer- (Click title/cover for review)

 

My Genres Included:

       Literary Fiction – 3

      Suspense/Mystery/Psychological Thriller – 6

      Contemporary/Historical Fiction –   6

 

Here are the books I read.  Click the titles for my reviews.

NOVEMBER 2017:

1.All the Best People (e-book), by Sonja Yoerg – 332 pages – (historical/contemporary fiction) – 11/13/17

2.Bonfire (e-book), by Krysten Ritter – 290 pages – (suspense thriller) – 11/23/17

3.Cold As Ice (e-book,Country Club Murders #6), by Julie Mulhern – 268 pages – (cozy mystery) – 11/8/17

4.Last Mrs. Parrish, The (e-book), by Liv Constantine – 400 pages – (psychological thriller) – 11/11/17

5.Merry & Bright (e-book), by Debbie Macomber – 272 pages – (contemporary fiction) – 11/22/17

6.Moral Defense (e-book, Book Two Samantha Brinkman), by Marcia Clark  – 406 pages – (mystery/legal thriller) – 11/28/17

7.One and Only, The, by Emily Giffin – 415 pages – (contemporary fiction) – 11/7/17

8.Play It as It Lays (e-book), by Joan Didion – 214 pages – (literary fiction) – 11/25/17

9.Poison (e-book), by Galt Niederhoffer – 304 pages – (psychological thriller) – 11/15/17 – (NG – 11/21)

10.Seven Days of Us (e-book), by Francesca Hornak – 355 pages – (contemporary fiction) – 11/5/17

11.Storied Life of A. J. Fikry, The (e-book), by Gabrielle Zevin – 258 pages – (literary fiction) – 11/17/17

12.Story of Arthur Truluv, The (e-book), by Elizabeth Berg – 240 pages – (literary fiction) – 11/16/17 – (NG – 11/21)

13.Unraveling Oliver (e-book), by Liz Nugent – 258 pages – (psychological thriller) – 11/3/17

14.Without Merit (e-book), by Colleen Hoover – 384 pages -(contemporary fiction/YA) – 11/29/17

15.Young Jane Young (e-book), by Gabrielle Zevin – 295 pages – (contemporary fiction) – 11/19/17

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NUMBER OF BOOKS READ IN NOVEMBER 2017:         15

NUMBER OF PAGES READ IN NOVEMBER 2017:      4,691

BOOKS READ YTD:                                                      161

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What did your month look like?  Come on by and share.

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WRAPPING UP AUGUST!

It’s time to look back at August!  I read more pages this month than the previous ones, but I read one less book than in July.  There were so many books to love…so it was hard to choose favorites. 

Check in at The Book Date, to see what others have read and enjoyed.

Here are my favorites, despite how difficult it was to choose:

Top Favorites:

 

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My Book Genres:

Literary Fiction:  2 books read

Contemporary Fiction:  2 books read

Historical/Contemporary Fiction:  2 books read

Mysteries/Thrillers:  8 books read!

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Click on my titles to see my reviews:

AUGUST 2017:

1.After She Fell (e-book), by Mary-Jane Riley – 323 pages – (psychological thriller) – 8/26/17

2.Before We Were Yours (e-book), by Lisa Wingate – 352 pages – (historical/contemporary fiction) – 8/12/17

3.Bookshop on the Corner, The (e-book), by Jenny Colgan – 331 pages – (contemporary fiction) – 8/3/17

4.Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands, by Chris Bohjalian – 266 pages – (literary fiction) – 8/7/17

5.Good Daughter, The (e-book), by Karin Slaughter – 528 pages – (suspense thriller) – 8/28/17

6.Here & Gone (e-book), by Haylen Beck – 288 pages – (suspense thriller) – 8/18/17

7.Home, by Harlan Coben – 385 pages – (mystery) – 8/30/17

8.Identicals, The (e-book), by Elin Hilderbrand – 418 pages – (contemporary fiction) – 8/17/17

9.Lying Game, The (e-book), by Ruth Ware – 384 pages – (mystery) – 8/24/17

10.Other Girl, The (e-book), by Erica Spindler – 256 pages – (mystery/thriller) – 8/4/17 – (NetGalley – 8/22/17)

11.Secrets She Keeps, The (e-book), by Michael Robotham – 367 pages – (mystery) – 8/15/17

12.Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, The (e-book), by Taylor Jenkins Reid – 400 pages – (historical/contemporary fiction) – 8/21/17

13.Sunday Morning Coming Down, by Nicci French – 406 pages – (suspense thriller) – 8/1/17

14.Swimming Lessons (e-book), by Claire Fuller – 356 pages – (literary fiction) – 8/8/17

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NUMBER OF BOOKS READ IN AUGUST 2017:         14

NUMBER OF PAGES READ IN AUGUST 2017:     5060

BOOKS READ YTD:                                                      117

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Enjoy September!

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REVIEW: TALKING AS FAST AS I CAN, BY LAUREN GRAHAM

In Talking as Fast as I Can, Lauren Graham hits pause for a moment and looks back on her life, sharing laugh-out-loud stories about growing up, starting out as an actress, and, years later, sitting in her trailer on the Parenthood set and asking herself, “Did you, um, make it?” She opens up about the challenges of being single in Hollywood (“Strangers were worried about me; that’s how long I was single!”), the time she was asked to audition her butt for a role, and her experience being a judge on Project Runway (“It’s like I had a fashion-induced blackout”).

In “What It Was Like, Part One,” Graham sits down for an epic Gilmore Girls marathon and reflects on being cast as the fast-talking Lorelai Gilmore. The essay “What It Was Like, Part Two” reveals how it felt to pick up the role again nine years later, and what doing so has meant to her.

Some more things you will learn about Lauren: She once tried to go vegan just to bond with Ellen DeGeneres, she’s aware that meeting guys at awards shows has its pitfalls (“If you’re meeting someone for the first time after three hours of hair, makeup, and styling, you’ve already set the bar too high”), and she’s a card-carrying REI shopper (“My bungee cords now earn points!”).

Including photos and excerpts from the diary Graham kept during the filming of the recent Gilmore Girls: A Year in the Life, this book is like a cozy night in, catching up with your best friend, laughing and swapping stories, and—of course—talking as fast as you can.

My Thoughts: I was probably one of the last people to come to the Gilmore Girls party, but once I discovered the show on Netflix, I couldn’t stop watching. The term “binge watching” completely describes my experience.

Before I found myself a real fan of this show, I had already discovered Lauren Graham in movies and on Parenthood.

Now, in Talking as Fast as I Can, I liked discovering her personal take on her movies, TV shows, and relationships. Her self-deprecating voice kept me smiling, even as I felt like someone who was having a conversation with her.

I liked learning how she came to start writing, and enjoyed her descriptions of her writing process, which included tidbits from someone whose process became part of her writing style.

But my favorite moments were the peeks behind the scenes on the sets, especially the ones related to the Gilmore Girls reboot. Special moments involved the connections with the cast who felt like family, and the emotions they experienced as they wrapped up the show. As a reader, I felt like I was part of it all. 4.5 stars.

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