Books Read March 2024

My reading is a daily habit. At least 10 to 15 minutes on my Kindle each night before bed. Somtimes I read while eating breakfast or lunch. In January I read 5 books but remember that included lots of travel time with nothing to do but read. In February I read 3 books and in March just two.

• The Watson Girl: An absolutely addictive and pulse racing crime thriller (Tess Winnett) by Leslie Wolfe. I've remarked on this before and I do so here again, why do writers feel the need to write a paragraph long, ok I exaggerate, subtitle to their books. It does not add a thing to my willingness to choose or not choose my next book and it is irritating! 
• The Antagonists by Ernest K. Gann

That's it for the month of March. We'll see how April goes.

Back with more again soon.

Take care and stay cozy!

Books Read in February

I finished three books in February. One was nonfiction and two were fiction. I enjoyed all of them.

• Storm's Fury (Amelia Storm FBI Mystery Series Book 1) by Mary Stone
• Oath and Honor: A Memoir and a Warning by Liz Cheney
• Don't Forget to Write: A Novel by Sara Goodman Confino

The pictures above are affiliate links directly to the book's page if you want to read them yourself. If you have read any of these I would love to hear your thoughts. Leave a comment.

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Take care and stay cozy!

Black River by Matthew Spencer

I finished my bedtime reading on my Kindle book the night before last. The book was Black River (affiliate link) by Matthew Spencer. It was a good keep turning pages read. I didn't figure out the "whodunit" until the story revealed it. My favorite characters were Rose Riley who is a police detective and Adam Bowman a journalist. This is advertised as Book 1 in a series but there is no information on the next book or books yet on Amazon.

In some other bits of news here on the blog I have added one of those cookie notifying things that makes you accept or reject cookies. Google who owns Blogger said I had to do it. I know they can be annoying, sorry. Accept or reject as you wish, either way you can still read and comment.

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Take care and stay cozy! 

 

What the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon

(photo is affiliate linked)

The description on Amazon's web page for this book begins with the following description...

Anne Gallagher grew up enchanted by her grandfather’s stories of Ireland. Heartbroken at his death, she travels to his childhood home to spread his ashes. There, overcome with memories of the man she adored and consumed by a history she never knew, she is pulled into another time.

I have thoroughly enjoyed the Amy Harmon books I have read and this one I would put at the top of my list of her books. I loved the characters and how they are mixed into the history in Ireland in the 1920s. I learned about how complicated and dangerous those times were. The story of Anne and Thomas' love was inspiring and lovely to read and see it growing. I would love to know more of her grandfather's life, we basically see the beginning and the end, but I suppose that would be another book all on its own.

I know that time travel isn't real, and I have a hard time accepting that in a story line. For this one the time travel facilitator was a lake near where Anne's grandfather grew up. It can be a great way to tell a story however when a character from another time sees a new time and place with a stranger's eyes. 

Would I recommend this book? Heck yeah! Have you read anything lately that you would recommend to me? Leave a comment, I would love to hear from you!

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Take care and stay cozy! 

The Chemistry of Love by Sariah Wilson

Last night I finished reading The Chemistry of Love by Sariah Wilson. This was something I read on my Kindle. I use the Kindle for reading a bit each night in bed before I go to sleep. I love the luxury of reading in bed and with the Kindle I don't need to have a light on which is good because that would disturb Jim. I always have a real book around for reading during the day too.

So, about Ms. Wilson, this is from her about page on Amazon where all her books are available.

"Sariah Wilson is the USA Today bestselling author of The Chemistry of Love, The Paid Bridesmaid, The Seat Filler, Roommaid, Just a Boyfriend, the Royals of Monterra series, and the #Lovestruck novels. She happens to be madly, passionately in love with her soul mate and is a fervent believer in happily ever afters—which is why she writes romance. She currently lives with her family and various pets in Utah and harbors a lifelong devotion to ice cream. For more information, visit her website at www.sariahwilson.com."

I like the positive thinking of believing in happily ever after. A home life created with family and pets and ice cream sounds like a lovely place to be. 

The Chemistry of Love was the first book I have read by this author. I will be putting others on my Wish List which is very long but I hope to read most of it in time. The story involves misplaced affections, changing to a fairy tale happily ever after. The path between that start and the end was fun to read. Some of the feelings expressed by the two female best friends seemed a bit adolescent rather that the thoughts of college educated female scientists, but I guess I can accept that emotional development and intellect don't advance in all of us at the same time or pace. At least Anna, the main character, eventually gave up her infatuation, I won't call it love, with the bad boy and found the nice brother to fall in love with. This kind of lighthearted story is perfect for bedtime reading and I don't regret a minute spent turning the virtual pages.

I need to let you know the links to the book in this post are affiliate links and I could earn a small commission from qualified purchases, of course, at no cost to you.

So, do you read from a Kindle, real paper books or like me do some of both? Let me know, would love to hear from you!

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Take care and stay cozy! 

Lost Light by Michael Connelly

I finished reading Lost Light by Michael Connelly yesterday afternoon. The main character of this and many other books by Michael Connelly is Harry Bosch. Those of you not into books might know this character from the Amazon Prime series Bosch. Even though I thought that series was very well done, and I read this book seeing the actor who played Harry in my mind as I read, nothing is better than the book. In a book you can get more depth because an author can put all the thinking and feelings in and let you understand so much more. 

In this book Harry Bosch has retired from the Los Angeles Police Department. He has an old unsolved case that he just can't let go. Of course, hero that he is, it does get solved. Michael Connelly wrote a book with a path full of twists and turns, characters likeable and not likeable at all, with complicated lives and feelings that lead to a story that kept me turning pages all day to get to the resolution and end.

Other books I have read by Connelly include...

• Void Moon 
• The Last Coyote
• Angels Flight
• maybe some others I have forgotten.
  

 The links to books in this post are Amazon Affiliate Links. I could earn a small commission from qualifying purchases. You could earn my thanks for reading and clicking.

Have you read any books by Micheal Connelly? Do you have another favorite author you would like to share with me in the comments? I'd love to hear from you!

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Take care and stay cozy! 

Someone Else's Life by Lyn Liao Butler

I typically read for a bit in bed before going to sleep using a Kindle. With that device I can read without needing a light on, so I don't bother Jim. I also will read for a little while midday while getting a snack or lunch. I can't imagine my life without books. When I was young in the olden days, as a punishment I didn't get television watching taken away but books instead. This was when my parents wanted me to think about whatever it was I had done instead of going someplace better in a book.

Anyway, I recently finished reading Someone Else's Life (affiliate link) by Lyn Liao Butler. From Amazon's page for this book, it says...

A new life in paradise should have healed her wounds. But for a woman struggling to hold on to her family and her sanity, one stormy night could change everything.

I enjoyed this story but wouldn't put it in a top 10 list. I don't want to put any spoilers here but there was one last surprise at the end concerning the main character's little boy I didn't see coming, however the way the book ended I don't think it mattered or was necessary to the storytelling.

If you are interested, this book is available in all the usual formats on Amazon. What have you read and enjoyed lately? I would love to hear from you.

Back with more again soon. 

Take care and stay cozy! 

Sea of Memories by Fiona Valpy

I recently finished reading "Sea of Memories" by Fiona Valpy. Because we have a Prime membership I was able to get my Kindle copy free with Prime Reading. Thank you for that Amazon! More that free shipping, more than Prime Video I love the chance to read books for free. I will say this book in my opinion would have been worth paying for and I plan on reading other books by this author.

"Sea of Memories" takes you through the years just before WWII to the modern day. Through the words of Ella and her granddaughter Kendra you are presented with themes of love, marriage, loss and life with a special needs child. I enjoyed every page!

Back with more again soon. Take care and stay cozy!

The Art Forger

I recently finished reading The Art Forger by B. A.  Shapiro. This was a book I was able to read free through Amazon Prime books. You can have up to 10 titles at a time downloaded and I always do, stored on your Kindle app or I suppose on a Kindle device which I don't have. Now I can return this book and get another just like using a library. Prime reading has about 1500 titles so I will be sure to find something new.

From the book's page on Amazon.

Almost twenty-five years after the infamous art heist at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum—still the largest unsolved art theft in history—one of the stolen Degas paintings is delivered to the Boston studio of a young artist. Claire Roth has entered into a Faustian bargain with a powerful gallery owner by agreeing to forge the Degas in exchange for a one-woman show in his renowned gallery. But as she begins her work, she starts to suspect that this long-missing masterpiece—the very one that had been hanging at the Gardner for one hundred years—may itself be a forgery. The Art Forger is a thrilling novel about seeing—and not seeing—the secrets that lie beneath the canvas.

I enjoyed reading about the technical details of painting, forgery and determining authenticity of art works. The plot was interesting, paced well and kept the digital pages turning. The character of Claire Roth was a mystery to me. How and why she made some of her choices were beyond my way of thinking but I like to read books with characters very different from me. After all reading about someone just like me would be boring, been there, done that, kind of boring.


Amazon has several versions of The Art Forger to fit your reading preferences, Audible, Kindle, paperback, hardcover and and audio CD.

Affiliate links for shopping below and in the text above if you would like to read this book yourself.

Back with more again soon. Take care and stay cozy!

Amazon Prime Reading

In our house we have an Amazon Prime subscription and enjoy the benefits. My husband has become a shopper and packages show up often for things like his favorite Trader Joe's mints and coffee since we don't have a store in Jackson. He has also found boat parts and other hard to find locally items.

I, on the other hand, am not a big shopper. I feel like I am coming to the time in my life where it makes sense to move toward living more minimally. However I do enjoy a couple of Prime benefits, namely Prime Video and Prime Reading.

With Prime Reading you can have 10 books at a time out on your account. When you finish one you return it and get another. With about 1300 books available for Prime Reading I have plenty to choose from and I am sure the selections change over time so I am not afraid of running out of enjoyable reading. Being able to have 10 at a time means I can download onto my tablet and have vacation reading on that slim device and not have to pack heavier books. Having 10 at a time means also that if I download one that I really don't like, which for me is very rare but happens, I am not left with nothing to read. I love this!

The last two that I read and returned are The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins and The Physician by Noah Gordan. The former was okay but I admit to just skimming parts of it when I felt the author went too deep into the most minor details of his thoughts. As for whether you believe in God or not I leave that up to you. The Physician was a wonderful book. It was historical fiction about a boy driven by a desire to be a doctor that takes him from being an orphan in England to studying in the Middle East and back again during the Middle Ages. I don't want to put spoilers for books in my posts. Let's just say this one was a great read!

Back with more again soon. Take care and stay cozy!

The ads below are affiliate links. Clicking on them to shop on Amazon will not cost you anything but could add a few pennies to my yarn fund. Thanks in advance for clicking and shopping!

Time Life Book Digest 1990

I finished another book last night. This is another volume of best sellers at the time by Time Life rather than Reader's Digest this time. Loved all these stories and maybe you will too.

• The Longest Tunnel by Alan Burgess- Many of you may know of this story through the movie "the Great Escape" but it is worth checking out this book too. 
• Bitter Sweet by LaVyrle Spencer- A story of parting after high school and coming back together later in life. Of course there is more to it than that but wouldn't want to spoil it for you.
• The Gold Coast by Nelson DeMille- A fascinating look into east coast wealth, lawyers and the mafia.
• The Burden of Proof by Scott Turow- Chasing family secrets after the death of his wife in a search to understand drives this great story.

The links in this post are Amazon affiliate links. If you chose to click and make a purchase I get a few pennies at no cost to you.

Back with more again soon. Take care and stay cozy!

George Orwell's 1984

I read this book for the first time many, many years ago. As I am discovering the benefits of an Amazon Prime account that includes books you can download I came across the title and decided to read 1984 again. I was able to load up books on my tablet to take on our recent cruise. I like the feel of a real book in my hand as much as the next reader but the lighter luggage was nice.

This book has themes that echo fears of where our government could go now more than the when I read it the first time about 30 years ago. The book talks about a layered society with no movement from one level to another. Prols will always be prols and the Party members will always be Party members that is unless they get in trouble and then they are gone. Media in the book is not really an enemy but rather a tightly controlled, constantly adjusted, publisher of a history that fits the plans of The Party. I bet our current White House occupants, the guy at the top and his staff, would love those kinds of privileges.

It is a classic and I am glad I spent the time reading 1984 by George Orwell again.


(Amazon links in this post are affiliate links. Clicking and maybe purchasing does not change your cost but gives me a few pennies of yarn money and for that I am grateful.)

Finished The Lion's Game

I finished The Lion's Game last night. This was one of the books I picked up at the library book sale last week.

I have not read anything by Nelson DeMille before The Lion's Game. It was a good thriller. I don't want to give anything away here though. I understand there is a sequel to this book and I am going to look for it next time I go to the library.

I have started reading The Keepers of the House by Shirley Ann Grau which was another book sale find. This book won a Pulitzer Prize in 1965 and I am looking forward to the story.

The Printed Word

I literally could not get through a day without reading something. Many times I have more than one book at a time that I am enjoying. If I don't read during the day I always read at least 10 minutes or so before I go to sleep.

I get my stuff from all sorts of places. Libraries are number one on my list for reading materials. I have checked out Amazon books and lately with my new phone I have found public domain classics that I can read in bed without needing to turn on a light. I love my new phone! (It's a Droid.)

If you are an obsessed reader like me where do you get your books?

Same Decade

With the birthday of my youngest sister this month we are all in our 50's now. We are all grandmothers and well past the age of worrying about thing like blackheads treatment.My youngest sister that you see on the right is a busy lady. She kayaks as a hobby and you see her here with a daughter and granddaughter. She also runs a machine embroidery business out of her home. If you are in the Ventura CA area look up Creative Stitches.

Being the oldest in this bunch the sister you see on the left is the middle one. She stays busy working at the post office in Magna UT. Her passion is for helping kids and she is very involved in BACA (Bikers Against Child Abuse).

As for me? Well I have kayaked with Kristi and had fun. I must confess though that I don't do vehicles that require helmets so I haven't ridden motorcycles with Karen. But my fun is more tame since I am such a homebody. By that I mean a stack of new books from the library, a box of yarn and too many ideas, just simple quiet stuff. Each of us different, but it is all good, we are sisters.

Reading 2009- The War Within by Bob Woodward

Cover via Amazon

Typical of me once again I am catching up on my reading posts. During all my traveling I finished several books and will spread out posts about them over the next couple weeks or so. Many of them came from the library but sometimes I want to own a book to read again and find a good selection at Amazon books. My intent which I seem to fail at so miserably at is to finish a book and then post about it and move on to the next book.

I read The War Within by Bob Woodward hoping to learn more about behind the scenes planning and policy making in the Bush Administration and I certainly did. It was not an easy read, informative but not entertaining but then I doubt the author meant it to be. This book covers two years of the Bush White House, from 2006 to 2008, with an emphasis on the Iraq War, the high level decision makers, politicians and military involved during those years.

To this day I still wonder what it was about George Bush that caused Americans to elect the man president not once, but twice. I did not end my confusion by reading this book.