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7 Word Reviews: December 2018

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I’m trying something new beginning with my December 2018 Book Reviews. 7 Word Reviews. 

Why?

Because over the past two years, I spent an inordinate amount of time writing my monthly book review blog posts. And I want-need-must spend that time elsewhere. But because I LOVE to read and I still want to recommend books to you, this is the idea I’ve come up with for now.

Writing a 7 Word Review feels like a fun challenge for me—like trying to tell the shortest of stories in the least amount of words. Yes, I’ll continue to provide my favorite quote from each book. I believe this gives you a glimpse into the author’s voice as well as the setting of the story. I will also continue to share my ratings on Goodreads, so I hope you’ll be my Goodreads buddy. I find so many great reads via books my friends add to their “want to read” shelf.

Tip: Adding books to your “want to read” shelf helps authors by making the books more visible to readers.

So here we go…Continue Reading

December Book Reviews

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December Book Reviews

‘Tis the season to hole up with a good book in front of a cozy fire. In December, I didn’t do as much of that as I’d have liked, but January is already shaping up to be a hibernating sort of month. Brrrr!

I read five books in December, all very different in genre and themes. My December reads ranged from a heart-wrenching war tale to a fluffy Christmas yarn. I explored secret passageways behind bookshelves and launched missiles beneath the sea. December brought a heist involving rare manuscripts. I went along for wild rides as one mystery was solved using old-fashioned girl sleuth clue-gathering and another using Google-designed pattern recognition software.

But first.

Before I get to my December Book Reviews, let’s talk about the 2017 Goodreads Book Challenge. Did you participate? My goal for 2017 was to read 55 books. With the addition of these five December books, I exceeded my goal and read a total of 68 books in 2017. I read some fantastic books, and I’m not exaggerating when I say I’m a changed person for having read them. I’ve reviewed each book here on the blog, so if you missed any of my reviews, the links are included at the end of this post. (I’ve posted my reviews on Goodreads, too.)

I’m setting my 2018 goal at 70 books which may be wildly optimistic on my part, but hey, goals are good, right? If you are interested in participating, click HERE. It’s fun!

Enough with the blathering. On with my December reads.Continue Reading

Book Reviews: August 2017

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August Book Reviews

And with this post of August Book Reviews, I’m saying goodbye to summer reading 2017. (Can you believe today is the last day of August?) I enjoyed six books during operation broken wrist. Really, these books provided sanity and escape. And while they are wildly different, they all involve relationship and/or family. From fantasy to possibly the greatest American play of all time, which will you add to your September stack?

The Widows’ Adventures
by Charles Dickinson

My sister-in-law told me about this book and loaned me her copy. Thank you, Paula! If Thelma & Louise met The Bucket List you’d have this witty tale. Imagine two elderly sisters driving from Chicago to Los Angeles. One is blind. The other has never driven in her life. The blind sister drives while the other navigates. They take the back roads during the wee hours. Yes, it’s absurd and hilarious. Would make an entertaining movie.
This book made me: think about all the fabulous books written years and years ago still waiting to be discovered. (This book was published in 1989.)
Favorite line: “If I’m driving and you’re drunk, does that make me a drunken driver?”Continue Reading

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