I read, listened to, and completed ten books in September. That’s largely in part thanks to a good bit of windshield time for work and listening to audio books. I enjoy a good narrator and enjoy listening. It’s like a movie without the picture and I get to make up my own pictures in my mind.
Here is what I read in September. I read some thrillers, women’s fiction, historical fiction and non-fiction.
Her Final Breath- Robert Dugoni- I was having a hard time finding a good thriller/crime story that was grabbing my attention and wasn’t full of filthy language right off the bat, so I decided to give this second in a series a try. Tracy Crosswhite was not my favorite character when I read the first book, but I do like Dugoni’s writing and effort at getting things correct about the law enforcement community. I probably like Tracy a little more now after reading this book, but this character is still not THE reason to read these books. In this story, Tracy is investigating a serial killer that is targeting strippers and killing them by tying them up in a manner that they ultimately strangle themselves. This dude has serious mama/women issues! An old case that was poorly investigated may have clues, so Tracy has to deal with her corrupt boss who is setting her up for failure and some freak who is stalking her. This story has all the elements I’ve seen in Dugoni stories before- good guys, bad guys, a crime, corruption and some excitement. I read and listened to this on Kindle Unlimited. I liked it but it’s not mind blowing, just entertaining. 3 stars
When We Believed in Mermaids by Barbara O’Neal I put this in my Kindle Unlimited list on the recommendation of some other bloggers. This is the first book I’ve read by this author and I will likely read more. Kit and Josie are sisters who have dealt with childhood abuse, drama and tragedy each in their own way. Kit believes Josie is dead but sees someone in the news one day that looks just like her. At the urging of their mother, Kit goes to New Zealand to find her. Kit finds Josie and finds romantic love, something she has denied herself. Finding Josie is not an easy emotional reunion and they have some hard stuff to work through and some secrets to reveal. Their stories are woven in back and forth from past to present throughout this book. I really enjoyed this one. 4 stars. Read and listened on Kindle Unlimited
Here to Stay by Mark Edwards A clever thriller that keeps you interested and engaged. Lots of mystery about what is going on. Elliot and Gemma are married after a very short courtship and very soon afterwards, Gemma’s parents come to stay. You will hate the Robinsons, and love hating them. Worst in-laws ever! Elliot ends up going to the extremes to get them out of his house. I read and listened with Kindle Unlimited. 4 stars
I Am Watching You by Teresa Driscoll Another good thriller and mystery. I originally had this downloaded as a free Prime Reads, but returned it and downloaded it under Kindle Unlimited so I could also have the audio version. Ella witnesses two girls flirting with two strange boys on a train. The boys are just out of prison and Ella thinks she should say something to the girls or their parents, but doesn’t. The next day one of the girls goes missing. Ella begins to receive strange threats that are likely related to her statement to the police. The book takes you through Ella’s guilt, the missing girl’s family trauma and the girls circle of friends, while detailing the police investigation. 4 stars
Forever is the Worst Long Time by Camille Pagan A romance told from the male’s voice. It has all the elements to be a good story, but I really didn’t like this one. The characters fell flat to me and the story drug through too many years for me. I read and listened on Kindle Unlimited. 2 stars
Save Your Breath by Melinda Leigh Book 6 in the Morgan Dane series. It was a brand new release in September and I jumped on it since I’ve read all the other books in the series. It didn’t disappoint. Morgan and Lance have some crazy, action filled events while looking for Lincoln’s new girlfriend who has disappeared. The ending may bring you to tears. There is such a human, family element to these characters. 5 stars
Before She Knew Him by Peter Swanson I listened to this as an audiobook on Scribd. It’ an amazing thriller. I loved it. Hen, short for Henrietta, visits her neighbor’s home for dinner and sees an object she knows to be missing from a murder scene. Could her neighbor be the killer? Hen suffers from some mental health issues and has had psychotic episodes before, so even her husband has a hard time believing her. So she does her own investigating into the neighbor and gets caught watching him commit a horrific act. Is she in danger now? So many unexpected twists. 5 stars
The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris- An extraordinary tale of survival and love, but it didn’t meet the hype it has received. It fell a little flat and lacked depth for me. I’m not criticizing the story as it’s based on the true story of a Jewish prisoner at Auschwitz forced to become the tattooist who marked other prisoners with their number and how he found love in the midst of this tragedy. It’s just not told with as much passion as it could be. I read and listened on Scribd. 3 stars
Unglued by Lysa Terkeurst– I need to read this again. It’s a raw, real look at the way we respond to the little and big things in life and to other people, and how we should really respond as Christians. I can really come unglued when I get stressed and over things that don’t deserve the response I give them. This book was certainly a lesson for me. 4 stars
Habits of a Happy Brain: Retrain Your Brain to Boost Your Serotonin, Dopamine, Oxytocin, Endorphin Levels by Loretta Graziano Breuning This is not a particularly long book, but it took me a while to get through it. I listened to the audio version on Scribd. It’s fairly interesting subject matter, and I did not disagree with any of the points, but the narrator was not very engaging. I might have liked this better if I had read a print copy. Some things were repeated a bit too. It’s presented in a simple manner so the repetition was not necessary. 3 stars
Which good books did you read this month?
Linking up with Show Us Your Books.
