6 Books of my favorite books I read this summer

How was your summer? 

(I hate that summer is over).

Mine? CRAZY BUSY! 

I had a daughter return home after living in California for 18 Months; my oldest daughter got married; my husband opened his own business. ALL within a month. 

Yup. Crazy. Busy. 

Somehow, I still found the time to read. This year, I took a break from reviewing books to just read what I wanted to read.

 I met my goal of reading 5 nonfiction books as well. One of them made this list. 

This list is the books I truly enjoyed and would recommend to anyone. If you'd like to chat about any of them, message me! I love a good book chat! 🧡

FIRST: GET CAUGHT: A STALKER'S GUIDE TO LOVE by Crystal Liechty (Pruitt Prep Book 1)

Let's start off with a fun young adult read. Set in a private school, the author takes us through the angst of teenhood and watching, or in this case, drawing your crush from afar and what happens with said crush finds the drawings. 

I can't wait for the second book set at this school!

SUMMER IN NEW YORK COLLECTION (A Timeless Anthology Book)

What is better to read in the summer than FIVE stories set in summer in New York? Janette Rallison, Heather B. Moore, Sarah Eden, Luisa Perkins and Lisa Mangum all contributed to this anthology and their stories are perfect for reading at the beach or in a hammock. 

THE BEST OF INTENTIONS (Canadian Crossings #1) by Susan Anne Mason

This is a sweet story of love and family. Grace sails from England to Canada to help her sister and new baby. But when she arrives, she learns her sister passed away from the Spanish Flu and the baby is in the home the very family who rejected her sister. I love the author's writing style. I'll read more of her books.

THE PAPER DAUGHTERS OF CHINATOWN by Heather B. Moore

This is an amazing historical fiction set in San Francisco in the late nineteenth century, the story is based on the life of Donaldina Cameron and how she saved thousands of Chinese women who are sold to brothels and used as sex slaves. It's an amazing story of one woman's courage, hope and strength as she fights for social justice. 

THE INDIGO GIRL by Natasha Boyd

Another book based on actual events. Eliza Lucas is sixteen when her father leaves her in charge of three plantations in South Carolina. While her father is gone, the plantations start to suffer financially and Eliza tries to figure out how to save her home. She learns that indigo dye is a precious commodity and is determined to grow it. I had to keep reminding myself that she was a TEEN! 

THE LIFE CHANGING MAGIC OF TIDYING UP: THE JAPANESE ART OF DECLUTTERING AND ORGANIZATION by Marie Kondo

I confess, I 'Kondo-ed' my home this summer. AND IT WAS AMAZING. I'm serious.The way she explains the process and how to stay clutter free works...so far. hahaha 

Basically, you keep what you love. That is so positive and better than 'get rid of what you don't use.'

I'm amazed at the clothes, cleaning products, decor, etc that I had out of sight that I love and am now using. 

There you go! Six of my favorite books for summer 2020. How about you? Did you have any favorite reads this year?

 

SUMMER IN NEW YORK Collection A Timeless Romance Anthology

In USA Today bestselling author Janette Rallison’s delightful novella, JOB HAZARDS, Lydia Robinson is posing as a prostitute. Undercover of course. Lydia’s job as a police officer hasn’t reeled in her prince charming yet. That is, until Harrison Aldridge, old high school flame, pulls up to the corner to rescue the fallen damsel. Lydia can’t exactly give Harrison the truth without blowing her cover, and it takes a series of mishaps and another whole set of misunderstandings before Lydia will even consider letting Harrison back into her life.

In Heather B. Moore’s enchanting novella, A TASTE OF SUN, Winona Grant embarks on a summer-long visit to NYC to house-sit for her great-aunt after a nasty break-up with her boyfriend Paul. But when her aunt commissions neighbor Steve Monti to tour Winona around, they strike a deal. Winona has too many deadlines to play tourist, and Steve is looking for a distraction from his looming gallery opening. So Steve goes on the tours by himself, and Winona reports back to her aunt as if she’d gone too. The longer this happens, the more Winona wants to change her mind. Seeing the city with Steve might be the perfect solution to forgetting about Paul.

In Luisa Perkins’s sweet romance novella, DULCE DE LECHE, Marisol is desperate for another nanny job after being unfairly fired from her previous position. She has only two more semesters of college, but she’s too proud to ask her wealthy parents for financial help. When her potential new employer, a single father working long hours as an anesthesiologist, decides she’s too young and pretty to hire, she practically begs him for the job. Darius finally agrees, and as he watches her work miracles with his Asperger’s son, he realizes there is much more to Marisol than he first believed.

In TAKE A CHANCE, a captivating story by Sarah M. Eden, Miguel Santos has a stopover in New York. When the announcement of delayed flights comes over the PA system, Miguel is looking at spending several hours at the airport. Determined to get comfortable for the long wait, he’s surprised when he spies a familiar face amongst the stranded passengers: Jane Schoonenburg, the last person he expected to see. Three months have passed since he asked Jane to marry him—three months of misery. And now he knows that he must talk to her, if only to find out why she broke his heart.

Annette Lyon’s entrancing novella, FIRSTS AND LASTS, begins with Dani’s last week in New York. She’s failed in her dreams to catch a break as an actress and is now ready to return home and dust herself off. As she visits the places on her final to-see list, she meets Mark, another New York City transplant with big dreams. Except Mark hasn’t given up on his. As they spend the day together, Dani realizes that even though she hasn’t hit the “big time” she might be living her dream after all. Only problem: she has a one-way ticket back home.

In Lisa Mangum’s whimsically titled story: &, Lucy is riding a wave of success at having found a bestselling novel in the slush pile at an exclusive New York publishing house. If only her personal life was storybook perfect as well. Her relationship with Devon is on the rocks, and even though she's been put in charge of the house while her boss is gone on business, Lucy isn't sure she's up to the task. It will take a chance encounter with a handsome wordsmith to help Lucy claim the courage that has always been a part of her heart. 

Favorties reads from August 2018

I had a productive reading summer! We didn't travel as much as we usually do, we were home more often and the kids were all busy so I got caught up on a lot of my TBR!

Drum roll... I read 45 books! HOLY COW! I didn't think I'd read that many until just now when I counted! WAHOO! That cleaned out a lot of my list plus new books.

But I can't believe summer is coming to an end. I LOVE the sun! I love the relaxed schedules and routines. I LOVE sleeping in. I love the fresh food and BBQ's and being outdoors. I'm going to let myself grieve a little bit over the next few weeks.






These were my favorite books from the summer (in order of last read):

TELL THE WIND AND FIRE
by Sarah Rees Brennan

Opening line:
"It was the best of times until it was the worst of times."

 GRACE AND FURY
by Tracy Banghart

Opening line:
Serina Tessaro stood on the steps of the fountain in Lanos's central piazza flanked by nine other girls her age, all in their finest gowns."

SHADOW OF THE FOX
by Julie Kagawa

Opening line:
"It was raining the day Suki came to the Palace of the Sun, and it was raining the night that she died."

THE SOUND OF GLASS
by Karen White

Opening line:
"An unholy tremor rippling through the sticky night air alerted Edith Heyward that something wasn't right."

AS WIDE AS THE SKY
by Jessica Pack

Opening line:
"Two hours, forty-three minutes."

AS BRIGHT AS HEAVEN 
by Susan Meissner

 Opening line:
"Morning light shimmers on the apricot horizon as I stand at the place where my baby boy rests."

 THE DISAPPEARANCES 
by Emily Bain Murphy


 Opening line:
"I want something of hers." 






Other FAVS!

 

Update post #1 ~ Summer TBR Wipeoout 2018!

I can't believe it's time for an update already! How is everyone doing with their summer reading goals??

How's your summer? We've been busy some weeks and other weeks it's been nice and slow. The heat turned up here in Utah and our AC is having a hard time keeping up. Those days we hunker down and read and watch TV and drink lots of water and eats lots of ice cream. LOL

So far, I'm on track for my summer reading goals. BUT I've been distracted with other books so I've added a few to my list. That's not a bad thing...right?

This is what I've read so far:

SOOOOO...I got only THREE off my TBR list but FIVE others. LOL

This is what I hope to read:

Summer TBR Wipeout! Here are the books I hope to wipeout!

 

 

 What are you reading this summer??

In no particular order (because who am I kidding?? I have to be in the mooooood):

ACE OF SHADES by Amanda Foody

Welcome to the City of Sin, where casino families reign, gangs infest the streets…
and secrets hide in every shadow.

VEINS OF GOLD by Charlie N. Holmberg

Desperate to save her siblings from poverty, a young woman discovers magic fueled by gold . . . and a love for the man who wields it.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

THE ROMANOV EMPRESS by C.W. Gortner


Even from behind the throne, a woman can rule.

SPELL & SPINDLE by Michelle Schusterman


Doll Bones meets Splendors and Glooms as a boy trades bodies with a wooden marionette.

 GRACE AND FURY by Tracy Banghart


In a world where women have no rights, sisters Serina and Nomi Tessaro face two very different fates: one in the palace, the other in prison.

 LOVING LIEUTENANT LANCASTER by Sarah M. Eden


 For the first time since returning to life on land, Linus Lancaster has something challenging to look forward to: the seemingly impossible task of preventing his infamous brother-in-law from wreaking havoc on a house party he is being forced to attend against his will. But Linus's sisters have something far more dangerous in mind... matchmaking!


⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 WARCROSS by Marie Lu

...when a game called Warcross takes the world by storm, one girl hacks her way into its dangerous depths.

WILDCARD by Marie Lu


Caught in a web of betrayal, with the future of free will at risk, just how far will Emika go to take down the man she loves?

AS WIDE AS THE SKY by Jessica Pack

Five a.m.: Amanda Mallorie wakes to the knowledge that her son Robbie is gone. 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐