I set my annual Goodreads reading goal at 100 books. I don’t actually expect to read 100 books this year (90 tends to be my sweet spot), but I continually low-ball my Goodreads reading goal and I wanted to give myself something of a challenge this year. Luckily, I started the year off strong in January with 9 books read. My favorite book this month was The Mothers and I encourage everyone to read that novel – it’s fantastic!

Here are my reviews for the books I read in January:

Straddling the Line by Jaci Burton (★★★☆☆) – Jaci Burton is truly one of my favorites when it comes to sexy romances, but there was something missing in this novel. This is the love story between Haven and Trevor, two characters that have been present in other novels in Burton’s Play by Play series. I was excited to read about them, but there was something… almost mechanical… about the plot. It was almost as if Burton has some sort of algorithm for writing. It was still a good novel and I devoured it in a matter of days, but I was a little disappointed in it, too. (e-book)

Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand by Helen Simonson (★★★★☆) – This was a slow, sweet book about family and love and grief and community. It follows Major Pettigrew, a witty and opinionated older gentleman who has just lost his brother. He’s a widower and has a smarmy son who he’s not particularly close to. And when he begins to court Mrs. Ali, the Pakistani shopkeeper, they both receive backlash from the people in their small village. I loved how slow and meandering the story was because it fit the way Major lived his life and the setting of the novel. It was a book that just captivated me in its slowness. There were no crazy twists and turns, just a sweet novel with a completely lovable hero. (print)

Be Frank With Me by Julia Claiborne Johnson (★★★☆☆) – This novel is about Alice who works for a book publisher and is given the task of making sure the company’s most beloved author, M.M. Banning, delivers her much-anticipated second novel on time. So, she travels to California to keep tabs on Banning and, in doing so, she meets the author’s quirky nine-year-old son, Frank, and quickly becomes his companion. I really wish Frank had been the protagonist in this novel, and not Alice, because Alice was a little bland for me and never really grew as a character. But Frank. Oh. He was phenomenal. He brought so much to the story. Read this novel for Frank… just don’t expect too much from the plot. (print)

A Certain Age by Beatriz Williams (★★★★☆) – I reviewed this novel last month for TLC Book Tours. You can read the review in its entirety here. (print)

Ten Ways to Be Adored When Landing a Lord by Sarah MacLean (★★★★☆) – Well, it’s official. I have a new favorite romance author. Sarah Maclean writes fun, feisty, hilarious Regency romances and I am here for all of them. Her female protagonists are sassy and smart and vulnerable without being over the top. Her male protagonists are sexy and funny and supportive without seeming too unrealistic. I’m just very, very glad that I have a long list of backlist titles to read from her. Happy sigh! (library e-book)

The Mothers by Brit Bennett (★★★★★) – This novel was a quick read for me, mostly because I could not put it down. I wouldn’t be surprised if it makes my top ten list this year because it was just that good. The book is about Nadia who, at the start of the novel, is seventeen, in her last year of high school, and grieving the loss of her mother to suicide. She starts to see Luke Sheppard, the pastor’s son who is dealing with his own demons and soon finds herself pregnant and conflicted. Throughout the rest of the novel, Nadia and Luke grow up and are soon adults who are still wondering what if they had chosen differently that fateful summer. I loved the voice of this novel and thought it was such a brilliant debut from Bennett. (print)

Anything for You by Kristan Higgans (★★★☆☆) – This is the fifth book in the Blue Heron series from Higgans and this time, we finally get Connor’s story, the grumpy yet lovable chef who plays a behind-the-scenes role in all the other books. It starts with a proposal, Connor proposing to his longtime-in-secret girlfriend, Jessica. Jessica gives him a very firm “no,” and then the story delves into the past for Connor and Jessica and how they got to where they are today. Honestly, this novel was just okay for me, mostly because I didn’t really like Jessica as a character and didn’t really feel any emotional connection to them as a couple. (library e-book)

Before the Fall by Noah Hawley (★★★★☆) – This novel has gotten a lot of hype and I was worried about it falling short of my expectations, but I’m happy to report that it didn’t. The writing was truly exquisite and I just really enjoyed my experience with reading this novel. The premise is that a plane crashes and the only survivors are a four-year-old boy (son of a wealthy media mogul) and a man, a washed-up painter who had gotten on the plane last minute. As the story progresses, the back story of each person on the plane (including the flight staff) is perfectly woven into the novel and we learn about these characters and their motivations in the days leading up to the flight. And, ultimately, why the plane crashed in the first place. (library, print)

The Best Advice I Ever Got: Lessons from Extraordinary Lives by Katie Couric (★★★☆☆) – This was an okay nonfiction book, but nothing too life-changing. It was written in 2011, and some of it already feels dated (such as the “lessons” from Bill Cosby and Donald Trump, blech). I also didn’t think we needed 3-4 lessons from Jay Leno, but maybe that’s just me. But some of the advice was pretty great – like the fact that Kathryn Stockett’s novel The Help was rejected more than 60 times before someone took a chance on it, so really, you should never give up on something you believe in. (library audiobook)

JANUARY NOTES

• I abandoned 3 books in January: The Life-Changing Magic of Not Giving a F*ck by Sarah McKnight (I honestly don’t struggle with saying no and generally give only the “f*cks” I have to give, so this book just wasn’t for someone like me); Salt Sugar Fat by Michael Moss (tried listening on audiobook, but it didn’t keep my attention); and Razor Girl by Carl Hiaasen (not my style of book at all and I gave up after 90 pages)
• It took me 9 days to finish Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand, so that was the longest time spent reading one book. In contrast, it took me less than 2 days to read Straddling the Line.
• My rating average was 3.7 and I had a good mix of 3 and 4 star books.
• I read 3 diverse books. I’m trying to read at least one book by a POC every month.
• I didn’t read too many library books this month: only 3 out of 9. I have a feeling this will be atypical.
• I spent $16.44 on books this month, which also feels atypical.
• Four out of the nine books I read were published in 2016. All of them were published by a traditional publisher.

What was the best book you read in January?

I closed out the year with a strong reading month – 9 books read in December! Lots of romance and light reads this month, which is just what I like for December. My favorite book this month was The Queen of the Tearling, which came very close to knocking The Hating Game from my favorite book of the year. I’m so glad I was given the chance to read that novel for TLC Book Tours and can’t wait to get my hands on the second book in the trilogy.

Here are my December book reviews!

Dare to Desire by Carly Phillips (★★★★☆)

Just a really fun and sexy romance novel that I read on my way home from my cruise. It had great characters and an easy-to-follow plot. I really liked the chemistry between Alex and Madison, and I’m really enjoying the “Dare to Love” series by this author. It’s hot, hot, hot.

Commencement by J. Courtney Sullivan (★★★★☆)

This book started off really, really slow and I nearly abandoned it because nothing was clicking for me. But I’m so glad I powered through and kept going because, about 60% of the way in, the story picked up immensely. It follows four girls who were assigned to the same dorm during their freshman year of college. There’s a chapter devoted to each character for each different time period – during college, five years after graduation, and then a year later. I felt like the characters were so well-written and real; they were unlikable at times, but wholly lovable at others, just like any regular person. If you love a good novel about female friendship, pick this up!

The Queen of the Tearling by Erika Johansen (★★★★★)

I reviewed this novel on my blog last month, and you can read my review here. (It was also my #2 book of the year!)

Mosquitoland by David Arnold (★★★☆☆)

There is something about the way that male authors write female teenagers that rubs me the wrong way. They always have to be these brash, sassy, overly philosophical characters. John Green is the biggest offender, and David Arnold definitely follows his style. To be fair, the novel was good. I liked the movement of the plot and thought the way everything was revealed at the end was fantastic. But I just couldn’t get past my annoyance with the main character and the fact that she just didn’t feel real at all.

If You Only Knew by Kristan Higgins (★★★★☆)

This novel felt more serious than Higgins’s other novels. Most of her novels are more of the chick-lit variety with a sweet plot and characters getting into all sorts of crazy trouble. This one involved a heavier topic (infidelity) intermixed with a lighter love story. Even though I was looking to read a light-hearted romance novel, I’m glad I picked this up and read it because it was thoroughly well-written. I really enjoyed the relationship between the two sisters, and the love story made me so, so happy. Still, I wish at least one of the author’s main characters could not be a marriage-obsessed woman who needs to find a man NOW so she can have kids. It feels like every single character has the same motive, and it’s tiresome.

Then Came You by Jill Shalvis (★★★★☆)

Another super fun, super sexy romance novel from Shalvis. She never lets me down. 🙂 This story followed the romance between Wyatt, a new vet in town, and Emily, who is an intern at the veterinary hospital. They hooked up one night during a vet conference a few months ago, never thinking either would see the other again. But surprise! They now have to work together. The novel was fun, sassy, and heartwarming. Her books just make me so happy!

Dare to Touch by Carly Phillips (★★★★☆)

Another sensational romance from Carly! You’ll notice this is the second book of hers I read in December – what can I say? I was in the mood for another steamy, quick romance and this fit the bill completely. I read it within 24 hours on Christmas Eve, and it was truly the perfect light novel for that time of year. The main characters in this book had cameos in the first two books in the series, so it was fun to finally dig into their story and see them get their happy ending. Totally recommend this series for romance lovers – it’s fantastic!

The Sum of All Kisses by Julia Quinn (★★★★☆)

Julia Quinn writes such delightful characters, and I was so happy to dive into one of her novels during Christmas. I love the dialogue the most in these novels because it feels so very real. So many times, the dialogue in romance novels feels forced and doesn’t read the way most people talk. In this novel, we get the love story between Hugh Prentice and Lady Sarah Pleinsworth, two characters that were introduced in the previous books in the series. Hugh is dealing with a disability after a duel and Sarah is longing for marriage – but the last guy she would ever marry is Hugh, as he was the one who called for the duel involving her cousin. But, as love stories go, the more time they spend together, the more they realize how much they have in common and begin falling in love. The romance is a slow build and I love the way everything falls into place so sweetly.

Scrappy Little Nobody by Anna Kendrick (★★★★★)

If I had finished this book before I published my favorite reads for 2016, this would have made the cut – and probably in the top five. It was excellent. I am generally neutral about celebrity memoirs – usually, I like them but I don’t love them. But I loved this book. It was exactly the kind of book I would imagine Anna Kendrick would write – full of snark and self-deprecation, but also with a whole lot of heart. She’s really had such an amazing career and has worked with some really amazing people in the industry, and I like how honest she was about how terrifying it can be to be in Hollywood. This book made me laugh out loud more than a few times, and I really hope this is just the beginning of her writing career.

DECEMBER BOOK STATS

• Number of books read: 9 (3,082 pages)
• Format breakdown: e-books (6), physical books (3)
• Genre breakdown: romance (5), fiction (1), nonfiction (1), YA (1), fantasy (1)
• Number of diverse reads: 1 out of 9 (11%)
• Where I got my books from: Overdrive (3), TLC Book Tours (1), library (2), Amazon (3)
• Money spent on reading this month: $15.47

What was the best book you read in December?

November was a pretty excellent month for reading! I really loved just about every book I read and wound up reading 8 books in total, to bring my yearly total to 86 books. So, now I know I will break 90 books read, which is a feat! I haven’t hit that number in a few years. This month, my favorite book was Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake. (Fun story: on a whim, I downloaded this title to my Kindle to read on my cruise and when I came back to work, my coworkers had generously gifted me with a copy of the book, as well as an adorable tote bag that has a portion of the novel printed on it. They were bummed they didn’t manage to find a book I hadn’t yet read, heh, but I was so excited because I loved the book so dang much that it’ll be fun to carry the words around on a tote!)

Let’s dive into the reviews!

First Comes Love by Emily Giffin (★★★☆☆)

This was not my favorite novel from Giffin, but it was a good one. It explored how deeply a loss can affect a family, even if the loss happened fifteen years ago. I didn’t love how contentious the relationship between Meredith and Josie was, and I found Meredith to be so incredibly unlikable that I didn’t care for her storyline at all. But I think the novel does a good job of tackling the subject of grief and how it changes a family.

Show No Mercy by Cindy Gerard (★★★★★)

This was my third reread of this novel and I loved it just as much as all the other times I read it. Gabe and Jenna are two characters who are so easy to like and root for. You just want Gabe to let Jenna into his life, and you want Jenna to “tame the bad boy.” (Trope-y, I know.) It’s fun, it’s fast-paced, and it has a pretty startling conclusion.

And Then There Were None by Agatha Christie (★★★★☆)

My first Agatha Christie novel! I read this for my work book club and we all raved about it. I found the first 100-150 pages to be a little slow, mostly because there were so many characters to keep track of. It was such a fascinating premise: ten people are summoned to a private island by a man they don’t really know and once they all arrive at his house, they start getting killed one by one. It’s like a game of Clue! There’s no doubt that Christie is a phenomenal writer and I can totally see why her novels are so popular and beloved. I kept trying to figure out the “whodunit” but I couldn’t, and I was super surprised by the ending.

Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince by J.K Rowling (★★★★★)

This book destroyed me the first time I read it, and even though I knew what was going to happen this time around, I was still just as devastated. The final 100 pages are just tough to get through. Why did I put myself through this misery again? The story. The story is just so good and I still have so much love for Harry. I know what’s coming in the last book of the series, and I’m trying to prepare myself.

10% Happier by Dan Harris (★★★★☆)

Dan Harris writes in such an easy, relatable way, which made this whole book really fun to read. It’s a book about meditation and mindfulness, but it’s coming from a skeptic’s point of view. Really, nobody would have ever expected Harris to ever go on this journey, and it’s only after he has a panic attack on national TV and can’t find beneficial ways to control his anxiety that he embarks on it. Skeptics of meditation and mindfulness will really enjoy this book, I think. One of my favorite quotes:

“‘What you need to do,” [Eckhart Tolle] said, interrupting me this time, and speaking with uncharacteristic brio. ‘Make the present moment your friend rather than your enemy. Because many people live habitually as if the present moment were an obstacle that they need to overcome in order to get to the next moment. And imagine living your whole life like that, where always this moment is never quite right, not good enough because you need to get to the next one. That is continuous stress.'” (p. 67)

The Girl with the Lower Back Tattoo by Amy Schumer (★★★☆☆)

I’m not even sure why I requested this book on Overdrive – maybe I’m just obsessed with women in comedy memoirs? – because I’m not a huge fan of Amy Schumer. Her humor is a little too vulgar for my tastes, so I went into this book a little apprehensive. I was pleasantly surprised to end up liking it. I mean, it doesn’t compare to Bossypants or Yes, Please or Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me?, but there were quite a few great essays in this book. When Amy decided to get real and personal, and left out the vulgar comedy bits, that’s when she was at her best. I think she has an important message to share, and I think it’s worth picking up this book, as long as you can handle plenty of talk about penises and vaginas.

Melting the Ice by Jaci Burton (★★★★☆)

This was probably one of my favorite novels by Burton, and I was glad for the chance to read it nearly uninterrupted while on my cruise. It was sexy and heartfelt and had a male lead that made my heart go pitter-patter. I also really loved the female protagonist. I can get easily annoyed with female protagonists in romance novels, especially ones that are underdeveloped, but I felt that Carolina was really fleshed out and fun to read. I think the dark moment of the novel was a little silly and too easily solved, but overall, a very solid novel from Burton.

Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean (★★★★★)

I’m so glad I finally read my first Sarah MacLean novel after hearing her books raved about by book bloggers. I am a convert and cannot wait to start making my way through her entire backlist. I felt that MacLean nailed down the right verbiage and the right setting, something I feel isn’t always present in historical romance. She really did her research and it made for such an authentic read. And, maaaaaan, did I love Callie. She was so spunky and fun and vulnerable and brave. I loved every minute I spent with her story and was so happy when she got her happy ending. Swoon, swoon, swoon.

NOVEMBER BOOK STATS

• Number of books read: 8 (2,931 pages)
• Format breakdown: e-books (5), physical books (3)
• Genre breakdown: romance (3), fiction (1), nonfiction (2), mystery (1), fantasy (1)
• Number of diverse reads: 2 out of 8 (25%)
• Where I got my books from: Overdrive (5), library (2), friend (1)
• Money spent on reading this month: $0.00

What was the best book you read in November?