Last month I managed to get in little more reading, or should I say listening? I was on the road a bit for work so it gave me lots of listening time. I love a good mystery/ crime thriller, so reading what I love helped me get through a few more books.
Here is what I read in September, in no order of significance.
Fiction
The Ex by Alafair Burke If you have read any of Burke’s other books, you know that Olivia Randall is the attorney who often defends a main character. This time she is one of the major characters. She is tasked with defending her ex-fiance who is arrested for murder. She can’t believe he did it, but then again, she hasn’t seen him for twenty years. Maybe he did. There is a twist to it but it’s not a strong shocking twist. Some parts got a little boring, but overall it was still an enjoyable book. Read/listened via Scribd 4 stars
Bodily Harm (David Sloane #3) by Robert Dugoni A thriller for sure. Attorney David Sloane and his investigative partner Charles Jenkins are always getting into something dangerous. The book opens with Sloane winning a big case against a doctor for malpractice, but he is approached by a toy designer who tells him he’s gotten it all wrong. And then the toy designer disappears. Sloane begins to investigate what the toy designer had tried to tell him and finds that in fact, a toy manufacturer may be more culpable for children’s deaths than the doctor. But the toy company and associates have secrets and they will go to great lengths to protect them. Listened via Scribd 5 stars
Small Town Rumors by Carolyn Brown This was my first time reading anything by this author. I wasn’t sure what to expect and there is still something a little too stereotypical about the characters for me, but it was still entertaining. The writing could be a little choppy at times as well. I still managed to rate it 4 stars because the characters become charming enough. Jenny Sue Baker returns home to her rich parents after a failed marriage. Jenny Sue really doesn’t embrace their lifestyle and money, but had no where else to go. Much to her mother’s disgrace, she ends up moving out and cleaning houses for family arch enemies. She also keeps crossing paths with Rick Lawson, a war veteran and simple farmer who thinks he is too scarred and broken to be good enough for anyone, much less Jenny Sue Baker. In spite of their different backgrounds, romance blooms. Read/listened via Kindle Unlimited/Audible 4 stars
The Daydream Cabin by Carolyn Brown-So I read another Carolyn Brown book. I liked the characters in this book much better. Jayden Bennet agrees to be a substitute counselor at a camp for delinquent girls in place of her sister (who is nothing like Jayden.) During her time at the camp, Jayden finds healing and romance with the camp drill instructor, who is a veteran dealing with loss and the fear of getting close to anyone. Read/listened via Kindle Unlimited/Audible 4 stars
Carved in Bone (Body Farm, #1) by Jefferson Bass Jefferson Bass is a team of Bill Bass, the founder of the real body farm in Tennessee and Jon Jefferson. In this first book of a series, Dr. Bill Brockton is the supervisor and forensic anthropologist of the body farm (decomposition research center). Brockton finds himself in the middle of murder case that is years old at the request of a rural sheriff. The science is interesting, mixed with the mystery of the case. Some parts are choppy but overall it’s an entertaining story. I will likely read more of the series. Read/listened via Scribd 4 stars
Right Behind Her (Bree Taggert, #4) by Melinda LeighThis one was released in September so I couldn’t skip it. I love Melinda Leigh’s work and this one didn’t disappoint. This time Sheriff Bree Taggert and her brother find a squatter on their family farm. The farm has been deserted for years but her brother bought it and wanted some answers about their family past. While they are visiting the farm, the discovery of the squatter leads to the discovery of corpses on the farm. Bree is forced to deal with her father’s murder of their mother and his suicide and things she had forgotten about her past. Action packed and still room for characters to deal with how important new-found family and love is to them. 5 stars
Non-fiction
The Artist Way by Julia CameronThis book is meant to be read one chapter per week, for 12 weeks, with daily and weekly exercises to complete. I started it in the middle of January and made it 9 weeks. I decided to finish the last three chapters in September but I didn’t do any of the writing or the exercises during the last three weeks. This book is highly popular with creative people, but it was missing something for me. It is designed to help you regain your creativity and to some degree, parts are helpful but others are not. Lots of people rave about doing the morning pages, which are three pages of journaling, just whatever comes to mind, and if you don’t have anything to write, you can write “I don’t have anything to write” for three pages. That exercise generally took me 20 to 30 minutes every morning, and I did not find it helpful. I found it to be a waste of time. I’ve never been big on journaling, although I do see some benefits to it, but forcing myself to do it daily didn’t help a bit. What I did find interesting were what Cameron call “artist dates.” Those can be anything from going for a walk, to window shopping or any fun activity for yourself once a week. I realized that before COVID, I used to do a lot of window shopping and browsing during lunch breaks and I no longer did that. I think sometimes the browsing does spark creativity and I was missing that. Overall I can only give this 3 stars. It’s not a bad book, just not for me or what I was hoping for.
Younger Next Year for Women: Live Strong, Fit, Sexy, and Smart—Until You’re 80 and Beyond by Chris Crowley and Henry Lodge I read this one on the recommendation of Honey I’m Home. Parts of it are scientific, presented by the doctor (Lodge) and other parts are more practical, as presented by Crowley. Much of it is about what we already know- diet and exercise affect our health. And proper diet and exercise can slow aging. I definitely found it motivating to keep up healthy lifestyle. Spoiler: You are still going to wrinkle and physically show age, but you can stay active and able to move. I’ll take a few wrinkles along with the ability to be able to take care of myself and do things I want to do.
Did you read any good books in the past month? I’d love to hear about them.
Last month’s book reviews: The Books I Read in August.
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