Soldiers, shifters, ghosts, and immortal cells… here’s what I read and enjoyed in the past month!
I’ve explained this before, but I never give negative reviews, because if I’m not into a book, I stop reading it. I figure it might not even be a bad book… maybe it’s just not for me.
But these books were great!
This Revolutionary War romance novella is just my kind of story — it’s emotional, dramatic, and fast-paced, with a strong, compassionate hero. When Elijah and Kate meet, they have chosen different sides of the conflict, both motivated by promises of freedom. Ms. Cole perfectly evokes the historical setting, and I loved the ending.
The Mammoth Book of Southern Gothic Romance, edited by Trisha Telep.
My wonderful sister-in-law sent me this book more than a year ago. I was delighted! And then I lost it immediately! Booo.
Well, just as I was writing a haunted Southern romance, it turned up again. Coincidence? Yeah, probably. I lose and find things all the time.
These stories are filled with decrepit mansions, Spanish moss, ghosts and shifters, and fried chicken. I loved most of the stories. My favorites were the beguiling and deeply weird “Sweet the Sting” by Dianne Sylvan, “Wylde Magic” by Erin Kellison, “Return to Me” by Elle Jasper, and “Savage Rescue” by Shelli Stevens.
Amazon has this 512-page paperback at $8 right now, which is a great deal.
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks, Rebecca Skloot.
This is where everyone who reads my blog thinks, “Oh yeah, I read that.” Mr. Donovan and I were literally the last people on the planet to read it. I knew I would love it, since everyone does, and I did. It’s a fascinating story that touches on racism, history, medicine, and ethics. Henrietta Lacks’s daughter Deborah is someone I will never forget.
A good deal of this book is about the story of writing it, and I found Ms. Skloot’s tenacity so inspiring.
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Have you read anything you loved lately? Let me know in the comments, and thanks for stopping by!
My favorite read of recent months was The Rest of Us Just Live Here by Patrick Ness. It’s set in a world where aliens, vampires, or werewolves are always about to attack, and there are chosen ones to fight them. The main characters, though, are the normal teens who just want to get through graduation without the school burning down (again).
I love that premise… it’s kind of like, “What was life like for the rest of the kids at Buffy Summers’s high school?” The title makes me smile, too.
Looks like a great book. Thanks for sharing.
🙂 Thanks for stopping by!
Three Day Road by Joseph Boyden, The Afterlife of Billy Fingers by Annie Kagan, and Furiously Happy by Jenny Lawson…all three completely different from one another, and all three mind expanding!
I love it that you read such a range of things 🙂 Thanks for the suggestions!
Erin Kellison’s shifter story was my favorite in TMBOSGR. I think she has plans for continuing that story, and I cannot wait. 🙂
She packed a lot of emotion in such a small space! I would love to read more.
When I finally watched “Seventh Son” movie, it drove me to look for the “The Last Apprentice” books by Joseph Delaney. The movie could have done better though. Re-readed book one “The Revenge of the Witch.” A YA series that’s fast becoming my fave. 😀
These sound right up my alley, actually. Thanks for the recommendations!