October 2019 Reading

Can’t believe that 2019 is starting to wrap up reading wise.  My 2019 ReadIng Challenge through the Goodreads app was 72 books. I’m at 70 books right now, so I’m pretty sure I will reach my goal. Last year I read 70 books, but I didn’t start the challenge until March,  This month was the first time I did not finish (DNF) a book.  It was Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo.  It ended up being too dark for me to continue, but there were aspects of the book I did enjoy. The author is so gifted.  It was definitely a personal preference with me, nothing to do with the writing.  So, I did manage to complete seven books this month, despite a lot of things going on in my life.

Say You Still Love Me is the first book I ever read by K.A. Tucker.  I enjoyed it.  The main characters are Piper Calloway, a VP at her father’s multi-billion dollar firm and Kyle Miller, the new security guard at the same firm.  However, Piper and Kyle met and fell in love years ago at summer camp.  Piper is unsure if Kyle’s employment is a coincidence.  Will they rekindle their love?

Surprise Me by Sophia Kinsella is about happily married couple, Sylvie and Dan.  Everything in their life is going right, until they go to the doctor, and he tells them they could live another 68 years.  They started to panic at the idea of being together for seven more decades.  They begin Project Surprise Me, as a way to keep the spark in their marriage, only to have things not go quite the way they planned.  There are laugh out loud moments in this book, but other times it can really tug at your heartstrings.  Kinsella is also the author of My Not So Perfect Life that I read in May of this year.

Otherwise Engaged by Lindsey J. Palmer is about Gabe and Molly, an artsy couple who live in New York City.  I liked this book because the characters aren’t the usual one-dimensional type you might find sometimes in a novel.  Gabe is a writer and when he publishes a book about his crazy ex-girlfriend, Molly’s life starts to spin out-of-control.

Never Have I Ever by Joshilyn Jackson is quite a story.  Amy and Charlotte are best friends.  Their lives are disrupted when a new neighbor, Angelica Roux, joins the book club Charlotte runs every month. Let the games begin!  So many twists and turns!

When I first read the title of the book, The Friend Zone, I immediately thought what most people think when they are in a relationship that becomes ”friend-zoned” instead of having a romantic connection.  Yes, there is a bit of that in The Friend Zone by Abby Jimenez, but not for the reasons one might suspect.  This is the story of Kristen, who struggles with infertility, and Josh, the fellow she meets at her best friend’s wedding.  I loved this book!

The novel, The Most Fun We Ever Had by Claire Lombardo, is the story of David and Marilyn Sorenson, who live in the Chicago suburbs and are madly in love after years of marriage. They have four very different daughters.  Once I got to know all of the daughters’ personalities, the book was easier to follow. (I listened to the audio version of the book.). This is a long book, but the plot is well-developed and the drama that ensues kept me listening.  I ended up really liking this book, and  I could easily see it as a movie or mini-series.  Amazingly, this is Claire Lombardo’s debut novel.

I just finished The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes.  I loved this book from the start because it is based on the 1930’s Horseback Librarians Program started by Eleanor Roosevelt to bring books to educate the people of the Appalachian in Kentucky.  The main character, Alice Wright, is English and comes to America to marry Bennett, the wealthy son of a mine owner.  Alice is trying to escape her life in England, but soon finds herself in a worse predicament in Kentucky. Alice decides to join the Horseback Library Program under the notorious Margery O’Hare.  This books is a great story about these courageous women who traveled the hills of Kentucky to deliver books.  It touches on many social issues, the dangers of mining, and gives beautiful descriptions of Kentucky.  I highly recommend this book.

Currently I am reading Summer of ‘69 by Elin Hilderbrand.  I wanted to read it this summer, but never did.  I’m really enjoying it so far!  I am also listening to Twice in a Blue Moon by Christina Lauren.  This was such a highly anticipated book, and it is so good!  Let me know what you are reading.  Happy Reading!

October 2019 Reading