Junely means part of June and part of July since the last Show Us Your Books was mid-June and it's now mid-July (how?). But you get my drift.
I officially broke my brain a little by over-reading as you can see by my burly list of books below. Breathe, brain. Breathe.
Linkup Guidelines:
This link up happens the second Tuesday of every month.
The next one is Tuesday, August 9, 2016
1. Please visit and comment with both of your hosts, Jana & me2. Please display the button (need it? let me know) or link back to us on your blog post
2. Please visit a few other blogs who've linked up and get some book talk going!
Here's what I've read since the last linkup.
Engrossing Reads
Curious Minds (Knight and Moon #1) by Janet Evanovich and Phoef Sutton - I am a huge fan of the Stephanie Plum novels by Evanovich. One of the reasons I like them: the characters. I liked the characters in this new foray into a series as well. I will surely read more of them. (free e-copy from Netgalley)
Things I would Say: Essays, etcetera by Alyssa Ammirato - Alyssa's collection took me less than a half hour to read but left my mouth hanging open for longer than that. Raw, intense, gripping. Get it. (kindle edition purchased from Amazon)
Passed the Time Just Fine
Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes (Rose Gardner Mystery #1) by Denise Grover Swank - It's hard to find a cozy mystery that isn't droll or dimwitted as fuck. This series seems to fit the bill. I could have happily leapt into Rose Gardner world for the rest of the series after this like Kristin did, but I'm going to spread them out a little. (this has been on my kindle forever)
Murder in Missoula by Laurence Giliotti - I read it in less than 24 hours, which is typically always a good sign for me in a suspense novel. It means I'm on the edge and I need to know what happened. (free e-copy from Netgalley)
Dropped Third Strike: A Portland Pioneers Novel (#1) by Micah K. Chaplin - Micah blogs over at Unabashedly Me, and I've read about her writing this so I was excited to actually read it. No offense to anyone who has self published or published without editors, but I always find a ton of errors in those books and it always detracts from them. I was relieved to find that was not the case here. The writing is tight and the story is enjoyable. I enjoyed the integral role of baseball to the story and loved the male lead. The female lead...I wanted to tell her to get over her damn self many times. I'll read the next one. (kindle edition from Amazon)
Do Not Disturb (Deanna Madden #2) by A.R. Torre - I still like Deanna, but I didn't like this one quite as much as the first. I feel like the story was more natural in unfolding in the first one. It seemed a little pushed and perfunctory in this second attempt. (library paperback)
The Distant Hours by Kate Morton - This one leans a little more towards engrossing than just passing the time. I enjoy Morton's books. This one was a little spooky and I felt sort of like I was reading a modern day summer Poe-ish ghost story. (library hardback)
Hyacinth Girls by Lauren Frankel - Eh...this one leans a little more towards not worth it than just passing the time. I've read a lot of girls are bitches books and this wasn't one of the better ones. (library hardback)
Things I would Say: Essays, etcetera by Alyssa Ammirato - Alyssa's collection took me less than a half hour to read but left my mouth hanging open for longer than that. Raw, intense, gripping. Get it. (kindle edition purchased from Amazon)
The Forgotten Girls: A Bella DeFranco Mystery (Suburban Murder #1) by Alexa Steele - This one has been sitting on my kindle for an eternity. I could kick myself for that, because I liked it and I'll definitely read more of them. (e-copy purchased from Amazon)
Everything We Keep by Kerry Lonsdale - This was the book that sucked me out of my reading slump. It was quick and good even though it took quite a few liberties with what is conceivable. Perfect for a hot summer day. (e-copy, free, I think this was an Amazon first book?)
The Lost Girls: A Bella DeFranco Mystery (Suburban Murder #2) by Alexa Steele - Officially a fan of this series, I hope Steele writes more. They're quick reads and I enjoy the main characters that carry over to the next book. (e-copy purchased from Amazon)
Girls on Fire by Robin Wasserman - Jesus Christmas, this book was fucked up. I didn't love it - if you're into star ratings it was a lower three for me - but I did find it engrossing in a cannot look away from an accident scene sort of way. So there is something to be said about that. Jana & I will be discussing this on The Armchair Librarians. (library hardback)
Passed the Time Just Fine
Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes (Rose Gardner Mystery #1) by Denise Grover Swank - It's hard to find a cozy mystery that isn't droll or dimwitted as fuck. This series seems to fit the bill. I could have happily leapt into Rose Gardner world for the rest of the series after this like Kristin did, but I'm going to spread them out a little. (this has been on my kindle forever)
Murder in Missoula by Laurence Giliotti - I read it in less than 24 hours, which is typically always a good sign for me in a suspense novel. It means I'm on the edge and I need to know what happened. (free e-copy from Netgalley)
Dropped Third Strike: A Portland Pioneers Novel (#1) by Micah K. Chaplin - Micah blogs over at Unabashedly Me, and I've read about her writing this so I was excited to actually read it. No offense to anyone who has self published or published without editors, but I always find a ton of errors in those books and it always detracts from them. I was relieved to find that was not the case here. The writing is tight and the story is enjoyable. I enjoyed the integral role of baseball to the story and loved the male lead. The female lead...I wanted to tell her to get over her damn self many times. I'll read the next one. (kindle edition from Amazon)
Do Not Disturb (Deanna Madden #2) by A.R. Torre - I still like Deanna, but I didn't like this one quite as much as the first. I feel like the story was more natural in unfolding in the first one. It seemed a little pushed and perfunctory in this second attempt. (library paperback)
The Distant Hours by Kate Morton - This one leans a little more towards engrossing than just passing the time. I enjoy Morton's books. This one was a little spooky and I felt sort of like I was reading a modern day summer Poe-ish ghost story. (library hardback)
Hyacinth Girls by Lauren Frankel - Eh...this one leans a little more towards not worth it than just passing the time. I've read a lot of girls are bitches books and this wasn't one of the better ones. (library hardback)
Not Worth It
Since She Went Away by David J. Bell - Started out strong, but got over-complicated in the middle for no good reason. Bell seems to trip over his own suspense novels. I don't have the patience for the bumbling. (free e-copy from Netgalley)
Intrusion by Mary McCluskey - Another book that appeared to be leading up to something and in the end, it was like a soft fart in the wind. Not worth the time, and the lead up wasn't that great either. (kindle first e-copy free from Amazon)
Since She Went Away by David J. Bell - Started out strong, but got over-complicated in the middle for no good reason. Bell seems to trip over his own suspense novels. I don't have the patience for the bumbling. (free e-copy from Netgalley)
Intrusion by Mary McCluskey - Another book that appeared to be leading up to something and in the end, it was like a soft fart in the wind. Not worth the time, and the lead up wasn't that great either. (kindle first e-copy free from Amazon)
What have you been reading?
