Tag: women’s fiction

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What I’m Reading – December 2024

What I’m Reading Now

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!

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The Christmas Inn

If you are looking for a feel-good holiday story as Christmas gets closer, then The Christmas Inn by Pamela M. Kelley is the book for you.  I started reading Kelley’s books in 2021 with The Restaurant and have since read a number of her books. Most of her books are set in the Cape Cod area of the United States, which provides a charming setting no matter the time of year.

In The Christmas Inn, we meet Riley Sanders, who has just lost her job and comes home to the Cape to help her mother with her inn while she looks for another job.  During her stay, we meet several other characters, including a possible love interest, and also get to experience what it’s like to be on the Cape during the holidays.

I read this in one day so I would definitely say that it’s an easy read and also very inviting.

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What I’m Reading – November 2024

What I’m Reading Now

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!

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Recent Reads from Elizabeth Berg

Elizabeth Berg is a prolific American author that I have enjoyed reading for many years.  I recently made a sweep through my Goodreads author list to see what books of theirs I hadn’t read yet, and I found several of Berg’s to add to my TBR.  In the last few months, I have read four of them.

Earth’s the Right Place for Love (2023) is the story of two young people growing up in Mason, Missouri.  One of those people is Arthur Moses, who is the main character in The Story of Arthur Truluv, published in 2017.  It focuses on love and grief and is an insightful, compelling story.

Tapestry of Fortunes (2013) is the enjoyable story of four women who live in a house together.  They decide to take a road trip together, each of them looking for a specific outcome.  It is great for anyone who enjoys feel-good books celebrating women’s friendships.

Once Upon a Time, There Was You (2011) follows Irene and John, divorced parents who are forced to come together when their daughter Sadie faces a tragedy.  There were some details that felt a bit contrived, but I still liked the book.

Open House (2000) 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.

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What I’m Reading – October 2024

What I’m Reading Now

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!

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The Husbands by Holly Gramazio

I did a thing – I started a Bookstagram. My handle for that account is jumbledbookshelf, and I just have one post so far. I’m not sure what all I am going to post on there, but I thought it would be nice to have an outlet to share the books I am reading.

I used Canva (the free version) to create the graphic. Here’s what I came up with:

And here’s my review:

This debut novel by Holly Gramazio is the captivating story of Lauren, a single woman who returns home from a night out with friends to find that her reality has shifted and she has a husband, Michael. As she is trying to figure out what is going on, Michael goes to the attic to replace a lightbulb and disappears, only to be replaced by a different husband and a slightly different reality. Realizing that her attic is creating an infinite supply of husbands, Lauren confronts the question: If swapping lives is as easy as changing a lightbulb, how do you know you’ve taken the right path? When do you stop trying to do better and start actually living?

I was drawn in from the beginning and was fascinated by how Lauren’s thinking changes and grows throughout the course of the book. I have read several reviews where people lamented the slower pace of the middle of the story, but I didn’t mind that – I simply enjoyed the journey she was on.

This book spoke to the part of me that regularly wants to reinvent my life or get a do-over when I make a mistake. As Lauren moves through husband after husband, changing her reality each time, she finds a lot of freedom because she can do what she wants and avoid the repercussions by just sending the current husband up to the attic. As this continued, I started to wonder what the point was and where it was headed, but I don’t see this as a flaw in the story, I see it as reflective of the emotional journey Lauren is on herself.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Looking forward to more from this author!

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What I’m Reading – August 2024

What I’m Reading Now

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!

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What I’m Reading – July 2024

What I’m Reading Now:

The Sister Effect by Susan Mallery – This novel centers around two sisters and their troubled relationship, but it also has a strong supporting cast and shows a lot of soul searching and personal growth. I am enjoying it.

What I Recently Finished:

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center – This was a fascinating novel about a woman who experiences face blindness after a surgery. I enjoyed it and I did not see the twist coming.

Summer Ever After by Jane Crittenden – I think this was my Amazon First Read for the month. It was pretty good. I had to really pay attention to the chapter titles to see which character’s POV it was and whether it was in the past or the present.

The Ghost Orchid by Jonathan Kellerman – This is #39 in the Alex Delaware series. It hit all the right places for one of his books. Highly enjoyed!

After Annie by Anna Quindlen – This is the story of how the family and friends cope with a woman’s death in the year after her passing. I appreciated the depth of the characters and the way Quindlen handles the different situations that arise.

Out of the Clear Blue Sky by Kristan Higgans – This could have been very formulaic, as it was about a woman whose husband leaves her for another woman just as their son graduates from high school. But it goes deeper than that and shows how life can go on and families can evolve.

Liturgy of the Ordinary: Sacred Practices in Everyday Life by Tish Harrison Warren – I appreciated this book and it’s call to observe God in the everyday things of our lives. The chapter on sleep spoke to me especially as I tend to stay up way too late oftentimes. Even though I enjoy sleeping, I have trouble forcing myself to put down what I am doing to turn in for the night. This is something I want to work on.

Revelation for the Rest of Us: A Prophetic Call to Follow Jesus as a Dissident Disciple by Scot McKnight – I actually had to add this one to my DNF list. I got through a chunk of it but found it too esoteric for my liking. I skimmed the rest and filed it away.

What I’ve Added to my TBR list:

Sunrise on the Reaping by Suzanne Collins – This is another book in the Hunger Games series. It takes place 40 years after the events in The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Publication isn’t expected until March 2025, but I went ahead and added it to my list now.

If you’re on Goodreads, feel free to add me as a friend. I’m always looking for new recommendations!

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What I’m Reading – June 2024

What I’m Reading Now:

Hello Stranger by Katherine Center – I’m about a quarter of the way through this one. It’s a cute story about a woman who loses the ability to see faces after a surgery.

The Ballot and the Bible: How Scripture Has Been Used and Abused in American Politics and Where We Go From Here by Kaitlyn Schiess – I just downloaded the audiobook from the library for this one, so I haven’t started it yet.

Revelation for the Rest of Us: A Prophetic Call to Follow Jesus as a Dissident Disciple by Scot McKnight – I have made a little progress on this one since last month. It’s a bit esoteric for me, but I plan to finish it still.

What I Recently Finished:

Random Death by J.D. Robb

Let’s Pretend This Will Work by Maddie Dawson

One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle

I Still Dream About You by Fannie Flagg

The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth by Beth Allison Barr

What I’ve Added to my TBR list:

I haven’t added anything new to my TBR in May. I currently have 90 books on my list.

If you’re on Goodreads, feel free to add me as a friend. I’m always looking for new recommendations!

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What I’m Reading – May 2024

What I’m Reading Now:

Random In Death by J.D. Robb – this is #58 from the In Death series, and it’s great so far, as they all are!

Revelation for the Rest of Us: A Prophetic Call to Follow Jesus as a Dissident Disciple by Scot McKnight – I haven’t made much progress on this one since last month. I’ve been reading mostly fiction.

What I Recently Finished:

What is Love? by Jen Comfort

Second Chance at Christmas by Emily Engberts

Blank by Zibby Owens

Secrets of Bella Beach by Kate Wentworth

Christmas at Bella Beach by Kate Wentworth

No Home Like Nantucket by Grace Palmer

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center

Midnight at the Christmas Bookshop by Jenny Colgan

The Happiness Plan by Susan Mallery

A Little Ray of Sunshine by Kristan Higgans

What I’ve Added to my TBR list:

Beyond Fragility: A Skills-Based Guide to Effective Anti-Racist Allyship by Yara Mekawi

A Flexible Faith: Rethinking What It Means to Follow Jesus Today by Bonnie Kristian

I also added 63 fiction books to my TBR list. Instead of participating in Stuff Your Kindle Day, which gave me mixed results in book quality, I went through my list of books I have read and looked up what my favorite authors had written since I last read them.

If you’re on Goodreads, feel free to add me as a friend. I’m always looking for new recommendations!