Ok, November was a little more exciting and I managed to finish four books. I spent the beginning of the month on my trip to the Netherlands, so I had a lot of time to listen to books while I was alone, however, much of the trip was spent on a bit of a group trip so I didn’t listen much then.
- The first book I finished was the newest novel by H.S. Cross. I have to say, Amanda caught me off guard in some ways but I have read Cross’ earlier novel, Wilberforce (and have her middle novel, Grievous, to finish) and knew I’d enjoy the story. It took me a while to find my footing and by the end of it, I felt I needed to read it again. This isn’t a negative for me for a book though – some books, the more you read them, the more you discover and fall in love. I realize this all sounds a bit cryptic but I suggest you pick it up and prepare to be a little lost in the love story, the coming of age, the finding and losing of self. I went to a book talk with the author, and she inscribed my copy with something I really needed to hear at the moment: Hope is real.
- I also caught up on the Thursday Murder Club series by Richard Osman with The Impossible Fortune. Elizabeth, Ron, Joyce, and Ibrahim return to murder solving after the events of the last book, with gusto – and more than a bit of excitement.
- Would it even be a month without a KJ Charles novel? Unfortunately for me and you all, I think I am caught up on her books after the December ones? I’ll have to make a check list, I think! Band Sinister was a fun read about another sibling pair, Guy and Amanda, who live rather isolated after their mother ran off with the neighbor in their childhood. Unfortunately, the neighbors son, with a questionable reputation at his home, becomes their literal safe haven, and a lot of shenanigans ensue.
- I stumbled onto The Women of Oak Ridge in the Hoopla app, and picked it up because it was about the women working in the secret town of Oak Ridge in TN, during WWII. These women contributed invaluable resources and work to the projects that lead to the development of the atomic bomb. Something felt off about this book by the end and I realized one of its primary genre tags was “Christian Fiction” – this is the second time this has happened! I wish there were more works about this topic, I’ll have to hunt them down.
Coming in hot on the heels of this will be my final round up for December, where I returned to my more typical pace of 10 books, including a classic I’d been meaning to read for years.
-M
