An end to another month. I am finding it hard to believe it is October. The temps here have been hitting in the mid 80’s still pretty consistently and besides that one early snow storm it just doesn’t feel like fall during the day. The nights however are a different story and the cooler air has been refreshing. We even got a little tune-up on our fireplace as my time of reading by the fire on a snow day are coming near! We’ve also returned to our empty-nester life and are back in the groove. At the end of August we brought the youngest back to college and got her settled. After wrapping up a few days with her, we tacked on another 4 hours and visited the oldest in his new home. Now we are settling back in to the empty-nester routine, so I do anticipate having a little more time to read in the months to come.
This month I finished eight books and had one DNF. While that may sound great, it really wasn’t. I only had 2 I loved enough for 5 stars and one is a guide book, so take that for what it is worth. But the other was fantastic and jumped right into my top five of the year so far. As far as the other six, I didn’t find that any really fell above a 3.5 for me. I attribute this too a few things – I am still having a CoVid reading hangover. My attention span is shot. Sometimes I want something light and funny and silly – perhaps some good ol’ fashioned chick-lit rom-com. Other times that will bore me and I will go for my favorite the thriller/suspenseful drama. I finally made my way back this month to a wonderful contemporary fiction novel and you will see that below.
The other thing that just isn’t working for me is Netgalley. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely love participating with them and am so very grateful but I have had hard time finding books I want to read lately with them. I still have 5 more in my queue to read (with two already released so I better get cracking!) and I just haven’t been selecting new ones with the same rate I once was. Some just aren’t speaking to me when it is time to read them and I really hate reading a book I am not enjoying. And then I have to review it! That is tough. Who wants to tell the world or someone that you really didn’t like their life’s work. And unfortunately I have felt that way often lately with some of those picks. I also am finding I just want to read what I want to read and when I want to read it – and that can get tough with their model.
Anyhoo – here is what I read in September. I am hoping October is full of five star reads for me!
Ask Again, Yes – Mary Beth Keane
This was a winner book for me and quickly jumped into my top 5 reads of the year. Is it a happy book? No, not really. The story line took place in a fairly similar time frame as my own childhood (I may be just a tad older) and while I grew up in CT, there were many similarities. Throughout the book I could relate to almost all of the pop culture references, and that is always fun. I could picture myself and my neighborhood friends hanging out on the grass and curbs as well as playing on the large boulders throughout our yards and neighborhood.
But that is where the happy memories end. This is a story of family, loss, healing, mental illness, love, forgiveness, compassion, sacrifice, substance abuse and the list goes on. So how could I love a book filled with a list that will make you cry? Well, I did cry but it is masterfully written and is a beautiful example of the overall human condition with a highlight on love. I have no doubt as we wrap up the year that Ask Again, Yes will remain towards the top of my favorites of the year.
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60 Hikes Within 60 Miles: Denver & Boulder – Mindy Sink
Every now and then I wind up reading a cookbook, guidebook or travel book like a novel. This was one of those times. In the age of CoVid-19 we have found ourselves spending a great deal of time outdoors close to home. While this isn’t a new book but a new edition, and I knew of so many of these hikes already, it was a well written trove of goodies on most of the hikes. Some examples would be – places to look for stops along hikes I’ve been on before, or things stop and observe. Additionally, there were a few really good hikes that I had never heard of. If you are in the Denver front range area or plan to visit, this is a must. I originally snatched this one up out of the library but I loved it so much I purchased my own copy.
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How To Save A Life – Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke
How to Save A Life is a Groundhog Day type look at reliving the same day over and over when the love of your life dies at the end of the day. Dom and Mia were deeply in love, but he breaks off their engagement and walks away. Yet he never gets over her. Ten years later they run into each other and plan a date for the next day, but unfortunately tragedy strikes and she dies. Over and over each time the day is repeated. Can Dom save Mia as he keeps reliving the same day?
Overall, the book was entertaining but I never fell in love with Dom or Mia. Dom is shallow and it was hard to get to know Mia as most of the book she’s dead, but we learn more about her from discussions of the past. Sill, she was never a full, vibrant character for me. There were parts toward the end that I did like quite a bit involving other parts of Dom’s life of his repeat day and how he mixes it up and shows a littler personal growth.
An entertaining solid read that lacked some qualities for me to move it into the great category with more stars. Thank you to NetGalley and Lake Union Publishing for providing How To Save a Life in exchange for an honest review.
🍷🍷🍷 1/2
Open Book – Jessica Simpson
Not my normal pick at all, but CoVid quarantine has changed my attention span. I enjoyed listening to this like a guilty pleasure. I generally have very little interest in celebrities but it was something to keep my mind off things as I listened while cleaning or driving. I watched The Newlyweds years ago and enjoyed hearing her stories of Nick and then was able to confirm that John Mayer is indeed what I always thought he was as I listened to her relive her “romance” with him as she told countless stories of his slime ball antics. I appreciate her honesty and willingness to share her mistakes and it was fairly entertaining.
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The Safe Place – Anna Downes
The Safe Place by Anna Downes had deep character development for Emily but once again I was reading a suspense-domestic thriller that had a female main character that was out of her mind. This is getting tired for me. It was entertaining enough but nothing I will likely remember in a few months. Also fairly predictable from early on. Thank you to NetGalley and Minotaur Books for the advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.
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Anxious People – Frederik Backman
I know this will be very unpopular, but this wasn’t for me. I couldn’t help but feel like I was reading the same run on sentences over and over again. Everyone told me to stick with it, and I did, but it still wasn’t my cup of tea. I probably need to move on from this author, I have tried several and only loved one of them (Beartown).
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Perfectly Famous – Emily Liebert
I had been looking forward to this and thought it was going to be that perfect title to pull me out of my reading funk, but boy was I wrong. I was disappointed in this one from start to finish. Thank you to NetGalley for providing Perfectly Famous in exchange for an honest review.
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Good Girl Bad Girl – Michael Robotham
I don’t even know what to say. I had book #2 in the series selected and approved through Netgalley and I decided I wanted to read #1 first. I even decided to select #2 due to liking another by this author. Did the same person even write either of these?
At first I liked it, then it started going downhill and I thought, this has to improve. Nope. It doesn’t. Not for me.
I am completely confused by all the 4 & 5 star reviews online. I question if we read the same book. When I finished, I was not even sure if I was going to read #2, but you will see below that I did attempt it.
A 2* feels generous but I did finish it.
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DNF: When She Was Good – Michael Robotham
I was very disappointed that this became a a DNF for me, but wasn’t surprised after finishing #1. I didn’t love the first at all and I decided quickly that this one wasn’t for me as well and I just couldn’t continue. Perhaps I will try again at a later time. Thank you to NetGalley and Scribner for providing me with When She Was Good in exchange for an honest review. I usually don’t even write commentary for anything that is a DNF for me, but because it was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review, I felt obligated to do that.
Book of the Month: Ask Again, Yes
