March Reads

Happy Good Friday! My plans for Easter include an egg hunt and coloring Easter eggs with my nephew and a sunrise service down at The Pier on Easter Sunday. (And perhaps also devouring a hollow Easter bunny. And by perhaps, I mean definitely.)

Lawman Lover by Lisa Childs — 4 stars. Yes, this is a Harlequin romance novel. You can tell just by the title. (What is it about Harlequin and their silly titles?)  This was actually a pretty good novel, with lots of twists and turns. Of course, it was predictable and you could smell the ending a mile away, but sometimes, I like predictability. I felt Rowe and Macy’s relationship was real and authentic, and I could feel the growth of their relationship as the book progressed. For a Harlequin novel with a crazy premise, I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer — 3.5 stars. This book felt very slow-moving and the stylistic approach is one I am not used to. The visuals, drawings, and one-line pages were distracting for me but Oskar’s story and search was the biggest redeeming quality. While some of it felt very contrived, ultimately, I fell in love with this little boy who was so smart and compassionate, but also hurting so much inside. I know there was a reason for the secondary plot of his grandparent’s story but for me, that part fell short. In the end, gave it a 3.5 rating because of Oskar and how it picked up towards the end.

Illusion by Frank Peretti — 5 stars. An amazing, outstanding book. A book that gripped me from beginning to end. Full review here.

Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me? by Mindy Kaling — 5 stars. You have no idea how much I enjoyed this book. Mindy Kaling is one of my new favorite people. I already enjoyed her character on The Office, Kelly Kapoor, so immensely so I had a feeling I would love Mindy as well. And yes. Yes, I did. Was it the funniest book I’ve ever read? No, but I don’t think that was the point. My review on Goodreads is long enough, but it’s definitely a book I thoroughly recommend to anyone. Mindy has a way of writing that completely captured my heart.

Hot Stuff by Carly Phillips — 4 stars. I read this book a few years back and it’s a series that’s always stuck with me, so I’m rereading it. It follows a trio of sisters who run a sports PR agency that their uncle (and sole guardian) founded. The first book focuses on Annabelle, the first sister, as she helps former NFL quarterback, Brandon Vaughn market his newest venture: a lodge he’s building in his hometown. Their romance was the central storyline, but there were plenty of different ones thrown in to keep it from becoming too one-sided. Carly Phillips remains one of my favorite romance novelists.

Sweet Little Lies by Lauren Conrad — 3 stars. Look, this book had no waiting on my library’s Kindle page. I know I said I wasn’t going to read another book of Lauren Conrad’s but I did. Admittedly, the writing in the book was a smidge better than the first but the plot was still excruciatingly predictable that literally nothing shocked or surprised me. It was a quick, easy read and requires absolutely no brain power.

Books read in 2012: 22