I did very little actual reading in November but I had some days off and lots of time in a car, so I did a lot of listening to audio books. I like to listen while driving and while doing chores like sweeping and folding laundry.
Fiction
I took advantage of a discount Audible subscription for two months and a free month of Audible escape. If you are an audible member, You Can Thank Me Later is well worth the listen. Just grab the tissues right away. Sophie’s sister-in-law and best friend is diagnosed with cancer and the family and Sophie cycle through a couple of Thanksgivings dealing with loss, grief and changes. 4 stars
The Summer’s End- Mary Alice Monroe I really enjoy this series but had been letting this one sit in my saved Scribd books unfinished for quite a while. The audio version was available for free with Audible Escape so I finished it up via the audio version. The author is the narrator but I’d rather read than listen to her. I’m a snob about southern accents. Leave it alone if you can’t get it right. Accents aside, the book is worth reading. This one focuses more on Taylor, the younger sister and her finally finding love and her purpose in life. 4 stars
The Kiss Quotient by Helen Hoang Even though the description should be sufficient, it should have included a rated R warning! lol. I still enjoyed the story. Stella has Asperger’s and relationships and intimacy don’t come easy for her. She decides to hire Michael, an escort, to teach her some things. There is a sweet love story in there amidst all the sex. The audio version was free on Audible Escape so I listened to this one. 4 stars
The Bride Test by Helen Hoang- also listened free on Audible Escape. Michael’s cousin, Khai, is Austic and struggles with the same issues as Stella. Khai’s mom hires a girlfriend to make him learn to and fall in love and to marry him. Does it work? You will have to read it to find out, but this one needs an R rating as well. It’s still a fun story. 5 stars
The Color of Heaven by Julianne Maclean Another free listen with Audible Escape. It’s also a Kindle Unlimited book. Sophie deals with the loss of her young daughter and the affair of her husband. She has a death experience and learns the details of her past. It’s a decent enough story to pass the time but the end became a little choppy for me. I think the story could have ended sooner without all the details at the end. 3 stars
The Color of Destiny by Julianne Maclean– Listened via Audible Escape. Even though the first book in the series was not my favorite, I moved onto the next book and I enjoyed this one much more. You can read these out of order. They have a small link to each story but it’s not necessary to have read book one before reading two. Kate is a paramedic who lost a baby in a bad accident. Or did she? She always had the sense her daughter was out there somewhere. Other life events place her in another location where she finds truth and fresh starts. 3 stars- (I would probably give it 4 if I read it, but one of the narrators was annoying to me.)
Non-fiction
The Year of Yes– by Shonda Rhimes. Read and listened via Scribd. Either way this is a good one. Shonda does her own narration. She is hilarious and encouraging. The creator of Grey’s Anatomy decided to spend a year saying yes to all the invitations and things that scared her. Prior to her year long experiment, she preferred to be the one behind the scenes. She shares how she changed her life through her year of saying yes and putting herself out there. 4 stars
The Gifts of Imperfection- Brene Brown Read via Scribd I’ve loved her other books but this one was a little off for me. I can’t put my finger on what was wrong. There are still some great nuggets of info in there. 3 stars
Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport– listened to the audio version. Lots of great info in there. I need to read or listen again to take it all in. Newport talks about the adverse effects of technology and how to make it work for you in a minimal way. 4 stars
Think and Grow Rich by Napolean Hill- Originally written in 1937. I started the audio version about four months ago and finally finished it. It has a lot of great info on how to succeed. It was hard for me to digest at once, but worth the read. The truths and ideas from years ago are still applicable to today. 4 stars
What good books have you read lately?
Linking up with Show Us Your Books.
