Thoughts of an introverted bookworm and avid jigsaw puzzler
I skipped the Amazon First Reads for June, but when the July list came out, I decided to take a chance on them. This month, we were able to choose two of the titles from the list.
I chose a romance and a short story:
First is The Chemistry Test by Georgina Frankie, which is a college romance with a focus on physical disability.
Second is The Toy Car by Rose Tremain, a coming of age story set in Greece and London.
When the Amazon First Reads came out at the beginning of May, I wasn’t initially drawn to any of them and didn’t make a selection. I got an email a couple of days ago reminding me about them, however, so I took another look and decided to take advantage of the offer.
For the book, I chose a cozy mystery that sounds like fun. Homemaker, by Ruthie Knox and Annie Mare, is about a midlife mother called Prairie Nightingale who gets intrigued when another mom goes missing and begins investigating.
There was a bonus short story, a thriller, which I also downloaded. Death Row by Frieda McFadden is about a woman named Talia Kemper who is on death row for murdering her husband despite having an alibi and no known motive. One day in the visiting area she sees a man who she thinks is her husband and has to convince everyone of what she saw.
Amazon First Reads this month included one book chosen from a small selection of different genres and a bonus short story.
My Book Pick
Betting on Good by Wendy Francis – A Kentucky Derby weekend for two couples tests the high-stakes boundaries of friendship and marriage in a witty, winning, and emotional novel by the author of Feels Like Summer.
Bonus Short Story
The One That Got Away by Mike Gayle – A story about exes and how to get over them. Or not.
Amazon First Reads this month included one book chosen from a small selection of different genres and a bonus short story.
My Book Pick
If Tomorrow Never Comes by Allison Ashley – Fate connects two people in life-changing ways in a deeply romantic and emotional novel about hope and second chances by the author of Would You Rather and The Roommate Pact.
Bonus Short Story
The Sublet: A Short Story by Greer Hendricks – A chilling story about the hidden cost of perfection.
Both look good, and I’m excited to read them!
This month, Amazon Prime members are able to pick one free book from a selection of eight from a variety of genres.
My pick:
Not Quite by the Book by Julie Hatcher – a novel about Emma Rini, a bookstore owner who needs a break and rents a crumbling manor house. I am intrigued by this one because it was inspired by the work and life of Emily Dickinson.
Bonus:
We also were able to download a bonus short story, The Fall Risk by Abby Jiminez, about two people who get stuck together on Valentine’s Day. It looks cute!
One of the perks of having Amazon Prime is getting a free book each month from a short list of editor’s picks. Sometimes we get a bonus short story or even a second book for free. It’s a great deal, and even better because I have Amazon Prime at a discounted price since my son is on Medicaid.
Here’s what I have added to my Kindle for free over the last six months:
July 2024 – We could choose two free books that month, although I ended up only picking one of them. I chose The Bookstore Wedding by Alice Hoffman. It is the second in a series of short stories called The Once Upon a Time Bookshop Stories, so I also purchased the first story, The Bookstore Sisters, and pre-ordered the third one, The Bookstore Keepers.
August 2024 – We got one book free plus a short story. I chose Fatal Intrusion by Jeffery Deaver and Isabella Maldonado for the book. The short story was Natural Selection by Erin Hilderbrand. I have read the short story and it was good but I would have liked it to be longer.
September 2024 – We got one book free plus a short story. I chose The Anti-Heroes by Jen Lancaster for the book. The short story was When We Were Friends by Jane Green.
October 2024 – We were able to pick two books from the list that month. I chose When We Were Widows by Annette Chavez Macias and Grave Talk by Nick Spalding.
November 2024 – We were again able to pick two titles from the list. I chose Nobody’s Perfect by Sally Kilpatrick and The Answer is No: A Short Story by Fredrik Bakman.
December 2024 – We were able to pick one free book from the list and, after that, we got to pick a free book out of another list. I chose Happy After All by Maisey Yates and The Autumn of Ruth Winters by Marshall Fine. The Amazon original short story collection Under the Mistletoe is also free this month for Amazon Prime members. There are five stories, so I downloaded all of them. From the descriptions, it sounds like they might be a little bit spicier.
All together, I got seven free books and nine free short stories. Not bad!
In So Many Words 