MyBookBlog

To DNF or not to DNF I’m not a book author. It’s too hard. I give huge props to anyone who can write a book. Not all books are loved by all readers. Reading is a choice, something we do for pleasure. If a book isn’t bringing you the joy, action, suspense, sci-fi, romance, knowledge you’re looking for,  put it down. Pick up another. By my saying it’s okay to put down a book you’re not into, I’m not saying that it’s not written well, (or is it well written? See?) it’s just that it’s not working (for whatever reason) for you at that particular space in time. It’s okay. I used to think not finishing a book was weak. Now I see it as a strength. It’s a tough decision to put down a book you had high hopes for. If a book doesn’t work for us, it’s a disappointment; we want to like what we’re reading. But, honestly, why waste the time you could spend reading something you enjoy on one you are not. First of all, we are never going to run out of books to read. If this one isn’t holding your in...

My latest read was Forever, Interrupted by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I finished this book in two days. Two work days. It wasn’t that it was suspenseful, it just flowed and moved along very well. I just kept reading and reading. It was a quick, easy read. It’s a story about two people who meet while picking up pizza. Unplausably they connect immediately. (Okay let’s get past that or the book doesn’t work at all.)  From then on they are almost inseparable. They are both only children with Ben very close to his mom, and Elsie’s parents distant, with whom she has little contact. Then something dramatic happens (yeah, they get married, but that’s not what I’m talking about). The book switches back and forth from before and after the thing happens.  It’s hard to go on without spoiling ……. But, suffice it to say, this book, however cynical or skeptical you might be, gives one the feels. The meet cute and ensuing relationship parts are actually my least favorite parts of the book. The even...

 I just finished a real page turner - Beautiful Ugly by Alice Feeney. Another new to me author. This book is what I’ve learned is called a domestic thriller? I’m gonna try and explain it without giving away too much.  In the beginning we meet the married couple Grady and Abby. Grady is a book writer and Abby is an investigative journalist. Grady is anxiously awaiting a phone call from his agent to find out if his latest book is on the NYT bestseller list. He’s also waiting for Abby to come home so they can hopefully celebrate the good news together. When she doesn’t arrive after he gets the call, he phones her. She picks up as she driving. She’s on her way home.  While they’re on the phone Abby sees someone lying in the road and stops her car. Grady hears what’s going on, tells her not to get out of the car, but she does. Grady doesn’t hear anything more from Abby.  She’s disappeared. Gone.  Grady struggles to go on without Abby somewhat unsuccessfully. His writ...

 Although Jane Kirkpatrick is definitely on my author spotlight list, after finishing her latest book, ‘Across the Crying Sands’, I just had to write about it now.  My earliest memory of reading one of her books was when my family and I were moving from Northern California to the Pacific Northwest, traveling in an RV. Maybe twenty years ago? I recall feeling a little like the characters in her book who were traveling across the country, the new frontier, looking to make something of their lives in a new place, starting over with ambition and hope in their hearts and minds. This book takes place in the late 1880s and tells the story of a young woman, Mary Gerritse (née Edwards) who meets and marries John Gerritse. He is a kind and loving, somewhat ‘traditional’male of the times. Which is to say he, like most of them, think the place for women is in the home tending to child rearing, cooking, sewing, and taking care of them. I’m tempted to say these were easier, simpler times fo...

While I’m reading my new Jane Kirkpatrick book, Across the Crying Sands, I’ll leave you with this … A Gentleman’s Gentleman by TJ Alexander...       This is a book, if I’m being honest, I kept wanting to put down. I’m definitely not a fan of romance books but I heard good things - and I did not put it down. I must have found the good things about it because I kept reading. I wanted to see how it resolved. Not necessarily resolved, but where it would go might be a better description. I think the main reason I kept reading was the likability of the main character, Lord Christopher Eden. There were very few characters in this book so that was probably very important. He presented as a down to earth, kind and caring sort of Earl. Very private. He doesn’t want nor does he need a houseful of servants. Unfortunately his slow, quiet and easy life in the country is interrupted when he learns that in order to keep his earldom and all that goes with it, he must take a wife. By his 2...

 Hi there. Every once in a while I’m going to feature one author for the entire blog. It’s obviously going to be a favorite author of mine. All of the books I’ve read by this author (so far) will be talked about.  This week I’m talking about a fairly new to me author, Kristin Hannah .  I’ve just come across Hannah’s books within the last six months or so. Boy am I glad that I did. I like the history lessons I get from the stories she tells, I like the way she writes, the flow of the stories, the strong characters, and the fact that there’s no fluff or filler. It’s all story. I would recommend any of these books I’ve read highly. Very highly. The first book I read by Hannah is The Nightingale (pub.2015). I think I’ve mention my attraction to historical fiction and this book is of that genre. It takes place in a French village during the WWII Nazi occupation. It involves two sisters, Vianne and Isabelle, trying to survive the best they can under the circumstances they now ...