Hey friends! Here are three books that I enjoyed lately!
The science one took me a while to read because I took so many notes. I always take at least a few notes on the books I read so that I can remember them better, and I have a new journal for all the books I read in 2016.
Here’s what I read!
Worth Waiting For, Delaney Diamond
In this sweet and unique multicultural romance, Julie is a hard-working venture capitalist, and Freddie is the contractor she’s hired to remodel her home. I know I’ve said it before, but I am a sucker for heroines who take their work seriously, and Freddie is charming. I liked both of these characters, and I appreciated how this story explored class differences in a realistic way while still being a light-hearted love story. Julie’s warm, funny relationship with her dad was a bonus.
Genome: The Autobiography of a Species in 23 Chapters, Matt Ridley
This book, from my 50 Books That Might Make Me Smarter list, is a fascinating exploration of some of what scientists learned from the Human Genome Project. Ridley has an energetic, casual, and frequently clever prose style. I was most interested in the studies that parse out nature versus nurture in human behavior and in Ridley’s discussions of the history of IQ testing and of eugenics. Ridley struck me as conservative in some of his asides and analogies, so I googled him: he is a British viscount and a Conservative member of the House of Lords.
A Wicked Way to Win an Earl, Anna Bradley
This is the kind of historical romance that first made me fall in love with the genre, with a strong period feel, witty dialogue, and deep feeling. Bradley has a lovely prose style that’s a pleasure to read. The romance is a slow burn, and it’s really hot when it catches fire. Even the descriptions of kisses were outstanding. I admired both Alec and Delia for the difficulties they had overcome in their past, and they had great chemistry. Alec’s strained relationship with his brother Robyn especially held my interest, and Robyn’s the hero of the next book!
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Do you have any books you’d like to recommend? Let me know in the comments! Happy reading!
I loved The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton. Also, Comfort and Joy by Kristin Hannah. Enjoy!
I also loved The Forgotten Garden. I enjoy books that have an obvious, or sometimes subtle supernatural or mystical element. Definitely recommend this book.
I hadn’t heard of that one! Thanks for the recommendation.
Kate Morton is fantastic! Have you read The Secret Keeper?! Absolutely great.
https://darrensharpewrites.wordpress.com
How have I not heard of her?! Thanks!
So amazing 🙂
You sold me on “A Wicked Way to Win an Earl.” Just picked it up on Amazon. It’s been a little while since I’ve read a good historical romance.
Aw yay, I hope you enjoy it! It had been a little while for me too. 🙂
Just finished it today. I loved it and I’m looking forward to Robyn’s book in August. 🙂 Prose was a little flowery, but one expects that in historical romances. The sexual tension was very well done. I thought she was going to leave me hanging, but she delivered in the end. Thanks again, Bryn!
Thanks for the recommendations. I always love getting book recs from awesome people. The Genome Book looks interesting. I see that he is a conservative politician though. Is the book have a political or conservative agenda? Or is it pretty objective/straightforward?
As for what I’ve enjoyed recently, I was just on vacation and got to read Mindy Kaling’s first book Is Everyone Hanging Out Without Me, Thomas Friedman’s book Outliers, and Letter to a Christian Nation by Sam Harris. They were three quite distinctive book.
Mindy Kaling’s book was lighthearted and funny. I enjoyed it because I always enjoy reading about women who manage to break into and lead in a male dominated field like comedy. It always requires them to create their own material and opportunities and have enough faith in themselves to take risks and be bold. That’s inspiring. (I felt similarly with Felicia Day’s book You’re Never Weird on the Internet. I relate more to Felicia and she was incredibly inspiring. It’s never as easy as it looks.)
Tom Friedman’s seemed incredibly obvious. Talent, intelligence, and hard work don’t make you successful. You need other factors–wealth, luck, connections, pragmatic skills of persuasion, etc. I mean, why do we even need a book about that? However, so many of the stories were absorbing and fascinating. In some arenas it matters deeply what month or what year you were born. It also includes profiles of successful people. The backstories these remarkable individuals are much more messy and surprising that we know. I couldn’t put it down. It was a fun read. And it made me even more motivated to help my son get his start in life with as many benefits as possible.
Sam Harris’s book was enjoyable and interesting to me, but itsn’t for everyone. Anyone who is devoutly religious will likely be offended because he is a bit snarky and pointed in his criticisms of religion at its affects on civilization. But for any reader who would like to think critically about religion and its role in society it is a thought provoking, good read.
Beks!! <3 These all sound really interesting. I had no idea what Outliers was about at all.
The Genome book guy just had a few asides that made me go “Oh really?”, such as a couple of comments about the free market that didn’t seem germane to the discussion, and a comment that humans were genetically disposed to monogamy. (If the latter were somehow tested and proved, he didn’t mention it… I’m about the most monogamous person on the planet and I write exclusively monogamous romance, and I was still a little skeptical.) The book is pretty apolitical overall though (unless one considered the condemnation of racism and eugenics political, I guess. 🙂 )
cool thanks!!
*pardon the typos. I’m just typing away all happy not really paying attention to such things. 😀
I do a lot of re-reading. When I love something, I like to keep the pages working! I finally decided to try to write down the books I’ve read this year. I’ve only read about 20 so far. I did pick up 5 the other day at the library, though! I’m in a Sci Fi Fantasy mode at the moment (YA to adult). I enjoy Jaimey Grant on my kindle, though. Patricia Briggs is one of my favorite authors as is Elizabeth Hunter. fun fun fun!!!
I don’t do a lot of re-reading, but sometimes I want to! I’ve heard good things about Elizabeth Hunter…
I read one of her books and could NOT forget it. I finally got a series in a set and devoured it! twice!