A Reading Recap

I absolutely love to read - so much that sometimes it consumes me. And during my last obsessive stint, I read a few books I'd highly recommend and some that I'd say you could probably overlook on your next trip to the library.

I am officially caught up with Stephanie Plum and her bounty hunter adventures. I've read books one through nineteen in the series and am waiting on book twenty to be released in November. This series, written by Janet Evanovich, is a perfect combination of suspense, mystery, romance, and comedy. I love the suspense and that it's not so edgy that I am not laughing at Lulu or forgetting about who Stephanie's going to lean more toward this time around in her love triangle. These books are fast reads and I highly recommend you at least try book one. If you must, you can even watch the movie first - One for the Money - which has Katherine Heigl as Stephanie.

So, there was all this talk of The Great Gatsby Movie and I realized I had never read the book nor seen the older movie - I had no idea what it was about or why it was such a big deal. We rarely go to the movies and if going, doubted we'd choose that for such a special occasion, so I picked up the book on my Kindle and got caught up with the rest of the world.

I really liked the book - I'm not sure how it compares to the movie, but the book was good. I can see why it's considered a classic and I'm sorry I hadn't read it before now. I'm even surprised it wasn't something we were made to read in high school English. I think the book speaks volumes about consequences for our actions and portrays the reality that not everything is as it seems. I'm probably the only one who didn't know how it all turned out, but if not, it's definitely worth your time.

I've mentioned before that I've read some racy stories here recently - such as the Fifty Shades of Grey Trilogy, Beautiful Bastard, and Beautiful Stranger. So, one day while trying to find something to read, Amazon casually suggests that I read the Just One Night Trilogy by Kyra Davis.

If my memory serves me right, I'm pretty sure I was enjoying a three day weekend and ended up reading one book each day. They are pretty quick reads. A young woman, fresh out of a not so hunky dorey relationship, goes out with friends to a Vegas Casino and meets a stranger. They spend the night together and she intends for that to be the extent of the 'relationship'. However, after returning to her business world, she learns that, crazily enough, his company becomes a client of hers and she must learn to work with him in spite of their connection.

It's a fairly straight forward series with not nearly the Fifty Shades erotic details, but enough that I'd call it racy. The storyline is predictable but still enjoyable. Definitely worth reading - but if you're trying to choose between Grey or Just One Night, go with Fifty Shades.

I then stumbled onto Emily Giffin's Love the One You're With. I loved Something Borrowed and Something Blue so I had high hopes for this novel - and they were well satisfied. I highly recommend adding to your "To Read" List.

Love the One You're With is about a newly, happily married young woman who unexpectedly runs into her ex-boyfriend in the middle of a busy street just as though it were any normal day. I mean, years have gone by since the last time they have spoken to one another. Living completely separate and settled lives, the thoughts of what might have been creeps into their minds and stews and brews. The protagonist is faced with deciding between her current husband or the man from her past, having what she wanted before or what she wants out of life now.

My latest read goes to Sophie Kinsella's The Undomestic Goddess. I've mentioned before that I love Sophie Kinsella novels, but this one is not on my list of favorites for her. The overall story was good but I admit, I had to push to get through it. The book had a slow middle and an even slower beginning. The last several chapters were great and truly made the book, but getting to them was a little painful.

The Undomestic Goddess is about a young, promising lawyer who has everything planned out for her life until she is dealt a heavy and unexpected blow. She runs from her reality and by sheer happenstance, becomes a housekeeper for some folks out in the countryside. Of course there are funny moments, as you can imagine, since the main character knows nothing about cooking, laundry, or cleaning, but it all seems almost unbelievable. I think, had I not felt that way from the beginning, it would have been a faster, smoother read. But again, the overall story is solid and sweet, it just wasn't a page turner for me until about two-thirds of the way through.

Well, I think that's all I've got in the book department. I do have at least a dozen sample books on my Kindle right now. That is one thing I love about my Kindle - if I think I may like a book, I can just add it as a sample. And then, I can actually 'sample' it. I know there have been a couple of books that I was glad for the sample because I didn't end up liking them.

So, what have you been reading? And what should I add to my list?

As always, thanks for reading.

Kate

August 28, 2013