The Year of Pleasures by Elizabeth Berg – I am almost done with this book, and it is really good!
UnClobber by Colby Martin – This book addresses the “clobber passages” from the Bible that are often used to condemn homosexuality and also tells Martin’s own story of how his views on the subject changed and how it has affected his life. It is very easy to read and I am enjoying it.
What I Recently Finished
The Silver Bullets of Annie Oakley by Mercedes Lackey – This is #16 in the Elemental Masters series and was very enjoyable, as all of them have been.
Holiday Hideaway by Mary Kay Andrews – This was a Christmas-themed short story and was a cute romance.
Gryphon in Light by Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon – This is #1 in Kelvren’s Saga and who knows what book in the entire Valdemar series. It took me a little while to get into the story, but I ended up liking it by the end.
The Christmas Inn by Pamela M. Kelley – This is a heartwarming holiday romance. I couldn’t put it down – very sweet!
Nantucket Summer House by Pamela M. Kelley – This is #9 in the Nantucket Beach Plum Cove series. It wasn’t my favorite in the series but I did still enjoy it.
Faith Unraveled: How a Girl Who Knew All the Answers Learned to Ask Questions by Rachel Held Evans – I loved this book. I will share a more detailed review in a few days.
The Cookbook Club: A Novel of Food and Friendship by Beth Harbison – This was a fun book about three women who start a book club based on cookbooks. It was charming and I really enjoyed it.
Close Knit by Jenny Colgan – I have read a lot of Colgan’s books and I still like them, although not as much as I used to like her older books.
What I Added to my TBR
Nobody’s Perfect by Sally Kilpatrick
The Answer is No by Fredrick Backman
Star-Spangled Jesus: Leaving Christian Nationalism and Finding A True Faith by April Ajoy
Shoe Addicts Anonymous by Beth Harbison
Hope in a Jar by Beth Harbison
TBR Stats
I currently have 111 books on my TBR
Of those, 17 are non-fiction and 94 are fiction
All but 1 of the books were added in 2024. I plan to read the last book added in 2023 this month
If you’re on Goodreads, feel free to add me as a friend. I’m always looking for new recommendations!
The Silver Bullets of Annie Oakley by Mercedes Lackey – This is #16 in the Elemental Masters series. I added it to my TBR back in January 2022 and kept waiting for it to be added to the Libby app so I could borrow it. I recently decided to start investigating all the different ways I could access books (Hoopla, Kindle Unlimited – not a current member but could join if there were a lot of TBR books available there, and physical books from the library). I found several books from my list available as physical books, so I’m going to start from the oldest and work my way forward.
Gryphon in Light by Mercedes Lackey and Larry Dixon – This is the 1st book in the Kelvren’s Saga series, but the 56th book in the overall Valdemar world. This is another one that has been on my list for a while, since July 2023, and I was able to get a physical copy from the library.
What I Recently Finished
Passions in Death by J. D. Robb – This is #59 from the In Death series about Eve Dallas, a police detective in futuristic New York City. Amazing, as always!
Open House by Elizabeth Berg – This novel is about a woman finding her way after divorce. Samantha’s husband has left her and, in order to keep the house she and her son Travis live in, she takes in roommates and begins working temp jobs. Along the way, she makes new friends and discovers the self she lost a long time ago. It seemed a bit slow at first, but as I relaxed into the pace of the story, I found myself drawn into it. The style of this book reminds me a bit of Jamie Langston Turner, who is one of my favorite writers.
The Last List of Mabel Beaumont by Laura Pearson – The whole time I was reading this book, I had the feeling I had read it before. So much of it seemed very familiar. I didn’t remember the ending, but it is still possible I had previously read it. I really enjoyed it.
The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams – I very much liked this debut novel about a teenager and a widower who bond over a reading list. The story weaves the books they are reading around the events happening in their lives in a compelling way.
Ambush at Sorato by John Flanagan – This is #7 in the Ranger’s Apprentice: The Royal Ranger series, which is a spinoff of the original Ranger’s Apprentice series. I have read all of Flanagan’s books and always look forward to a new one coming out. Even though they are written for kids, I find them very readable and fun.
Freckles by Ceclia Ahern – I wanted to like this book because I have enjoyed several others by Ahern, but I just couldn’t. Perhaps it is because I could acutely feel the main character’s confusion at the situations she gets herself into due to her lack of understanding of how the world works and of people and relationships. This is one of the more obviously autistic-coded characters I have read, and I can see so much of her in myself as well as other autistic people I know.
What I’ve Added to my TBR List
When We Were Widows by Annette Chavez Macias
Grave Talk by Nick Spalding
I’ll Be Seeing You: A Memoir by Elizabeth Berg
Durable Goods by Elizabeth Berg
Joy School by Elizabeth Berg
True to Form by Elizabeth Berg
Ordinary Life: Stories by Elizabeth Berg
The Day I Ate Whatever I Wanted: And Other Small Acts of Liberation by Elizabeth Berg
Lies and Other Love Languages by Sonali Dev
A Christmas Duet by Debbie Macomber
Did Not Finish
Her Gates Will Never Be Shut: Hope, Hell, and the New Jerusalem by Bradley Jersak – I have tried twice to read this book and have finally given up. The writing is very dry and I just can’t stay focused on it while reading. I am interested in the topic, but I think I’ll stick to listening to podcasts about it from now on.
If you’re on Goodreads, feel free to add me as a friend. I’m always looking for new recommendations!
Passions in Death by J.D. Robb – This is book #59 of her In Death series about Eve Dallas, a homicide detective in futuristic New York City. I always love these!
Freckles by Cecelia Ahern – I have enjoyed several books by this author. This one is middling for me so far.
Her Gates Will Never Be Shut: Hope, Hell, and the New Jerusalem by Bradley Jersak – I had put this book down a few months ago and recently picked it up again. I have read some other nonfiction in the meantime that I liked, so I’m hoping this will be easier for me to read this time.
What I Recently Finished
Tapestry of Fortunes by Elizabeth Berg – Berg never disappoints. I raced through this enjoyable novel about a woman who makes major changes in her life after the death of her best friend.
The Fifth Avenue Apartment by Pamela M. Kelley – This was a fun, lighthearted read about a woman who has been searching for what she wants to do with her life and how she finds a career that seems right for her. It was enjoyable. The author also released a bonus short story that set the stage for a possible second book.
Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-reum – This book was recommended by someone on Instagram, and I am so glad I took a chance on it. It was very thoughtful and warm. I appreciated both the story and the lessons shared as the characters grow.
The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church by Sarah McCammon – Very well-written book that is part memoir and part informational discourse on the issues that arise for people who don’t fit or start to question the church. I really liked this book.
Natural Selection by Erin Hilderbrand – Nice short story about a woman in love who has things turned upside down on what is supposed to be a romantic trip to an exotic location.
Look on the Bright Side by Kristan Higgins – A fake relationship romance with a twist. Cute book.
The Husbands by Holly Gramazio – Loved this magical realism novel about a woman whose life changes in an instant and how she copes with her new reality. I wrote a longer review of this a couple of weeks ago. Highly recommend!
What I’ve Added to my TBR List
I added a lot of books again this month. A lot of them are my standard fare, but I’m also trying to expand my horizons a bit:
The Anti-Heroes by Jen Lancaster
When We Were Friends by Jane Green (short story)
Smells Like Tween Spirit by Laurie Gelman
Nantucket Summer House by Pamela M. Kelley
Love, Theoretically by Ali Hazelwood
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang
The Bride Test by Helen Hoang
More of Less Maddy by Lisa Genova
The Little Italian Hotel by Phaedra Patrick
The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick
Rise & Shine, Benedict Stone by Phaedra Patrick
The Secrets of Love Story Bridge by Phaedra Patrick
Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree
Emily Wilde’s Encyclopaedia of Faeries by Heather Fawcett
Summer Island by Natalie Normann
The Hygge Holiday by Rosie Blake
The Healer’s Apprentice by Melanie Dickerson
Crime Scene by Jonathan Kellerman
Lethal Prey by John Sandford
Gryphon’s Valor by Mercedes Lackey
Bonded in Death by J.D. Robb
Show Don’t Tell by Curtis Sittenfeld
Open Season by Jonathan Kellerman
Billy Straight by Jonathan Kellerman
UnClobber by Colby Martin
If you’re on Goodreads, feel free to add me as a friend. I’m always looking for new recommendations!
The Husbands by Holly Gramazio – This is Holly’s debut novel, and I am thoroughly enjoying it. The main character, Lauren, returns home one night to find that reality has somehow shifted and she is married. As she tries to figure out what is going on, her husband goes to the attic to change a light bulb and disappears and a different husband comes down the ladder. So fun!
What I Recently Finished
Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation by Kristin Kobes DuMez – This was a fascinating account of the development and evolution of white evangelicalism in America written by a historian. I found it very easy to read and extremely educational.
Pack Up the Moon by Kristan Higgins – This novel is about a man whose wife wrote him letters before she died and had them delivered to him every month for the first year after she passed. It was reminiscent of P.S. I Love You by Cecelia Ahern – in a good way!
The Library of Borrowed Hearts by Lucy Gilmore – I love books about books, and this novel features a librarian who discovers a 60-year old love story written in the margins of books. It was a charming book!
Earth’s the Right Place for Love by Elizabeth Berg – This is a another great installment from a writer I have admired for many years. It is a coming of age story which provides the backstory for the Arthur Moses, the main character in The Story of Arthur Truluv.
Once Upon a Time, There Was You by Elizabeth Berg – This is the story of John and Irene, who are divorced but are still connected by their 18-year old daughter Sadie. It is beautifully written, as are all of her books.
Clockwork Angel by Cassandra Clare – This is Book 1 of the Infernal Devices series, which is the prequel to the Mortal Instruments series. Both of these series are part of the Shadowhunter Chronicles. It was a recommendation from my friend Kim, who is a big fan of young adult romance and fantasy books. I don’t always love her selections, but I really enjoyed this one and am going to continue reading the series.
What I’ve Added to my TBR List
I added quite a few books to my list this month:
The Bookstore Sisters by Alice Hoffman (short story)
The Bookstore Wedding by Alice Hoffman (short story)
The Bookstore Keepers by Alice Hoffman (short story)
Fatal Intrusion by Jeffery Deaver
Natural Selection by Erin Hilderbrand (short story)
Heartstopper: Volume One by Alice Oseman
The Lonely Hearts Book Club by Lucy Gilmore
Slow Dance by Rainbow Rowell
Close Knit by Jenny Colgan
The Summer Pact by Emily Giffin
The Book Swap by Tessa Bickers
The Life Impossible by Matt Haig
Tell Me Everything by Elizabeth Strout
The Banned Books Club by Brenda Novak
The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams
Found in a Bookshop by Stephanie Butland
The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods
The Door-to-Door Bookstore by Carsten Henn
Days at the Morisaki Bookshop by Satoshi Yagisawa
Welcome to the Hyunam-dong Bookshop by Hwang Bo-reum
What You Are Looking For Is In The Library by Michiko Aoyama
Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors
Clockwork Prince by Cassandra Clare
Clockwork Princess by Cassandra Clare
The Exvangelicals: Loving, Living, and Leaving the White Evangelical Church by Sarah McCammon
If you’re on Goodreads, feel free to add me as a friend. I’m always looking for new recommendations!
Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation by Kristin Kobes DuMez – I am just a few chapters in and I am totally engrossed in this book.
Pack Up the Moon by Kristan Higgins – I just got this one on my Libby app; haven’t started it yet.
What I Recently Finished:
The Sister Effect by Susan Mallery – I gave this one five stars. It was so well-done.
The Excellent Lombards by Jane Hamilton – I gave this one two stars, which is pretty rare for me. I did finish it, but it just wasn’t my favorite style of writing.
The Rom-Commers by Katherine Center – This was an enjoyable book about two writers writing and falling in love. Very good.
Expiration Dates by Rebecca Serle – Another five star book. I loved the premise and I didn’t guess the twist, which doesn’t happen very often.
The Summer Book Club by Susan Mallery – This was a good read.
Toxic Prey by John Sandford – Yet another five star rating – I have hardly given any this year and now I have three in one month! This is listed as #34 in the Lucas Davenport series. Goodreads also has it filed as #3 in the Letty Davenport series since it includes her as well (she is Lucas’s daughter.) I flew through this one.
What I’ve Added to my TBR List:
Miss Amelia’s List by Mercedes Lackey – This is #17 in the Elemental Masters series
Nashville Dreams by Pamela M. Kelley
If you’re on Goodreads, feel free to add me as a friend. I’m always looking for new recommendations!
The Irish Cottage: Finding Elizabeth by Juliet Gauvin – A charming story about a woman who goes to a faraway place to grieve the loss of the woman who raised her and reevaluate her life choices.
She Deserves Better: Raising Girls to Resist Toxic Teachings on Sex, Self, and Speaking Up by Sheila Wray Gregoire, Rebecca Gregoire Lindenbach, and Joanna Sawatsky – I don’t have a daughter, but I have heard that this book can be good to help reframe some of my own past.
I am also still reading my Lenten devotional, Where We Meet: A Lenten Study of Systems, Stories, and Hope.
What I Recently Finished:
That’s What Love Is by Amy Rose – Got for free on stuff your Kindle day. It was not terrible, but not very good either. It ended quite abruptly, I thought.
Coming Home by Piper Reece – Another stuff your Kindle find. Cute story.
The Beauty of Perhaps by Eryn Marie – Another stuff your Kindle find. I actually liked this one quite a bit. I seem to enjoy stories where people go to faraway places to get away and find a new job or love interest.
The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan – I read this one because I had watched The Wheel of Time series on Amazon Prime and had never read the books. I will probably not read anymore of the series because this book was just so long and didn’t hold my interest very well. It’s also hard to keep track of everything that’s going on, which I also found true of the show.
No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister – This was a really good book illustrating how a book can affect different people at different times and in different situations. Very enjoyable.
The Lighthouse Cafe by Bebe Reed – Another stuff your Kindle acquisition. It was okay, a sweet story.
Pride, Prejudice, and Pledging by Sara Marks – This was a decent retelling of Pride and Prejudice. I didn’t hate it, but it wasn’t great.
What I’ve Added to my TBR list:
Baby Dinosaurs on the Ark? The Bible and Modern Science and the Trouble of Making it All Fit by Janet Kellogg Ray – Very interested in this topic
God and the Gay Christian: The Biblical Case in Support of Same-Sex Relationships by Matthew Vines – One I have wanted to read for a while
What Is Love? by Jen Comfort – This is my free Amazon First Reads for March.
If you’re on Goodreads, feel free to add me as a friend. I’m always looking for new recommendations!
I haven’t written about what I’m reading since December of 2020, but of course I have been reading all along. According to my records on Goodreads, I read 79 books in 2021, 73 books in 2022, and 58 books in 2023. I have decided to start posting about my reading again.
What I’m Reading Now:
Unmasking Autism: Discovering the New Faces of Neurodiversity by Devon Price – This would have been a great book to have when I was first diagnosed with autism, although much of it relates to more recent discoveries about autism and how it is expressed in various marginalized groups.
Launching Your Autistic Youth to Successful Adulthood by Katharina Manassis – This has some really helpful information for parents of kids on the spectrum. It’s another one I wish I had sooner because a lot of it applies to kids who are still in high school. It is still helpful even with Michael being out of school for a couple of years.
The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan – This is the first book in The Wheel of Time series. For some reason, I never picked it up back when it was first published in 1990, but I have watched both seasons that are out of The Wheel of Time on Amazon Prime, so I thought it would be good to read at least the first book in the series. It’s a good book but harder to read because I already know the basic plot from the show. I have borrowed it from the library twice but not finished it yet, and now the Libby app is showing all copies expired. I’m not sure if I want to finish it badly enough to buy it on Kindle.
What I Recently Finished:
I haven’t finished any books yet this year, so I’m not going to list any books here this month. I plan to start listing books I’ve read with the next update.
What I’ve Added to my TBR list:
Her Gates Will Never Be Shut: Hope, Hell, and the New Jerusalem by Bradley Jersak – I had started this book a long time ago and didn’t finish it, but I have decided to give it another try. I believe this one is mainly about universal reconciliation. I am interested in reading books on the other beliefs about hell as well.
Leave It To Us by A.C. Arthur – I got this book for free as part of Amazon’s First Reads. It looks like an interesting story about three sisters who inherit their grandmother’s beach house.
Postscript by Cecelia Ahern – This is a sequel to P.S. I Love You, which was a great book. I bought it with some of my Christmas money from my mom.
Freckles by Cecelia Ahern – Another book by Ahern, who I enjoy. Also bought with Mom’s Christmas money.
If you’re on Goodreads, feel free to add me as a friend. I’m always looking for new recommendations!
The Caldera by John Flanagan – Brotherband Chronicles #7 – Just started last night but it’s good so far. It sounds like it will be very similar to the other books in the series, which isn’t a bad thing.
What I Recently Finished:
The Printed Letter Bookshop by Katherine Reay – Found this browsing the Libby app and it was enjoyable.
Jingle All the Way by Debbie Macomber – Holiday romance, okay read.
The Marriage Code by Brooke Burroughs – This was one of the Amazon First Reads for December, and I really enjoyed it. It is the story of an American woman and an Indian man working together in India and falling in love.
Of Literature and Lattes by Katherine Reay – Sequel to The Printed Letter Bookshop, also quite fun to read.
Scorpion Mountain by John Flanagan – Brotherband Chronicles #5 – enjoyable but very similar to many of his other books.
Hurricane Season by Lauren K. Denton – This was another random find and was very good.
The Summer House by Lauren K. Denton – Another book by this new-to-me author. I liked it a lot.
The Ghostfaces by John Flanagan – Brotherband Chronicles #6 – this was probably my favorite from this series so far.
Jolene by Mercedes Lackey – Elemental Masters #15 – I wasn’t familiar with the story this is based on, which is The Queen of the Copper Mountain, but this book was right up my alley in terms of a good read. I loved it!
What I’ve Added to my TBR list:
Return of the Temujai by John Flanagan – Brotherband Chronicles #8 – As far as I can tell, this will be the last of his books set in the world of the Ranger’s Apprentice, at least until he writes some more, hopefully!
The Hideaway by Lauren K. Denton – Can you tell I like this new-to-me author? I have already read two of her books and have added her other two to my to-read list.
Glory Road by Lauren K. Denton
If you’re on Goodreads, feel free to add me as a friend. I’m always looking for new recommendations!
The Printed Letter Bookshop by Katherine Reay – Found this one browsing the Libby app. Looks interesting.
What I Recently Finished:
Perfectly Impossible by Elizabeth Topp – Very enjoyable read!
The Tutor’s Daughter by Julie Klassen – I liked the characters, but wasn’t too crazy about the plot.
Being Known by Robin Jones Gunn – I’m not quite the demographic for this series, but it was fairly good anyway.
The Midnight Library by Matt Haig – Amazing book! Even though I could tell where it was headed fairly early on, I was still entranced by the story and I cried at the ending (which is rare for me).
The Shepherd’s Wife by Angela Elwell Hunt – This was actually better than the first one in the series. I liked it.
The Museum of Desire by Jonathan Kellerman – Satisfying read. #35 in the Alex Delaware series.
Your First Step to Celebrate Recovery by John Baker – Easy read about the founding of Celebrate Recovery as well as an overview of the principles and steps.
By John Flanagan
The Hunters, Brotherband Chronicles #3
Slaves of Socorro, Brotherband Chronicles #4
The Missing Prince, The Royal Ranger #4
By Sherryl Woods
Sea Glass Island, Ocean Breeze #3
The Inn at Eagle Point, Chesapeake Shores #1
Isn’t It Rich?, Million Dollar Destinies #1
What I’ve Added to my TBR list:
Serpentine by Jonathan Kellerman
Christmas at the Island Hotel by Jenny Colgan
A Picture of Love by Beth Wiseman
Scorpion Mountain by John Flanagan
Hurricane Season by Lauren K. Denton
Did Not Finish:
Memories in the Drift by Melissa Payne
If you’re on Goodreads, feel free to add me as a friend. I’m always looking for new recommendations!
In So Many Words 