Books I Read in September

 With the 9 books I read this month that brings my yearly total up to 93 which leaves 27 books left for me to read to reach my yearly goal of 120.  I think I can meet that!  



1. Wedding Cake Crumble by Jenn McKinlay (Book #10 in the Cupcake Mystery series) -- Obviously I really enjoy this series since I keep reading it! In book 10 Mel and Angie are prepping for a wedding when the vendors start turning up dead one by one.  Determined to help her friends Mel goes snooping to try and figure out who is murdering these unsuspecting workers.



2. The Hot Flash Club Strikes Again by Nancy Thayer (Book #2 in the Hot Flash Club series)-- I wasn't so sure I was going to like the second book as much as the first book since they introduced a second whole set of characters (with the characters from the first book playing just small rolls) but I really did!  The 4 women from the first book come up with a plan to get a few of the younger women from the spa together in the hopes that they'll make friends and support one another like the hot flash club does.  It ends up working out really well and I can't wait to read book 3!



3. Sing You Home by Jodi Picoult-- So I was 95% sure I had read this book as I began reading. Everything seemed fairly familiar and yet at the same time I really had zero idea how it was going to end or the events that were going to unfold until just a few pages before they happened.  Whether this was a new to me book or a reread of something I read long ago I did really enjoy it.  Zoe and Max have been struggling with infertility for years and after her life completely falls apart Zoe finds solace in her work as a music therapist and eventually finds love again. Not everyone is supportive of Zoe's new relationship though since this time around Zoe is in love with a woman. She ends up battling Max and his family in court for their last frozen embryos which turns into a whole to do with a local church getting involved to and turning their simple case into a high profile case. 



4. The Silent Sister by Diane Chamberlain-- When Riley's father dies she feels so alone in dealing with the house and everything he left behind.  Her mother died when she was in high school, her sister killed herself when Riley was just a toddler, and her brother has never been the same since he returned from the war.  Riley is stunned when she's going through her father's paperwork and uncovers family secrets that start to ravel and pull apart everything she thinks she ever knew about her family and the stories she has heard about her sister. I found this story to be quite riveting even though I did manage to figure out most of the secrets and surprise plot twists before they were actually revealed. 



5. Hello, Sunshine by Laura Dave-- I thought this was a cute enough book and a light, easy read.  Sunshine has everything and thinks her life just could not get better... until someone hacks her social media accounts and starts outing her on all the lies she's told through the years.  In one fell swoop her husband, career, friends, and home are gone.  Fleeing the ruins of her life she finds herself back in her hometown licking her wounds and trying to figure out her next steps. 


6. Instructions for Dancing by Nicola Yoon-- I thought this was such a cute young adult novel! I flew through the story in 24 hours.  Evie's parents are recently divorced and she has lost all faith in love.  One day a Evie notices that she has the ability to see every couple's relationship as soon as she witnesses them kissing; how they met, the highlights of their time together, and how the relationship ends.  Daunted by this "gift" her friend suggests that in most movies the person loses their gift when they learn a lesson so she needs to learn a lesson if she wants this ability to go away.  The other only thing out of the ordinary about her day is the dance lesson book that fell into her lap. She heads off to take dance lessons where she meets X. The two could not be more different but the more Evie gets to know him, the more she likes him. Can she really put her heart on the line when relationships always seem to end in heartbreak? 



7. This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger-- While I did enjoy this book, it seemed to take me forever to get through.  It was such a sad tale about 4 children who have escaped from an American Indian Boarding school during the great depression and are on the run.  Odie and Alfred are white boys who are orphaned and they are on the run with Moses, a Native American boy with no tongue, and Emmy, a girl from a nearby farm.  The first several chapters explain what life was like in the school before they take to the river.  Along the way they meet many people who are down on their luck and some that have no problem taking advantage of the young kids situation.  It reminded me a bit of a modern take on Huck Finn.   


8. Forgotten in Death by JD Robb-- This is the 53rd book in the In Death series.  I love them so much and usually devour each book in just a day or two.  In this latest book Eve is called to a murder scene where a body has been found in a construction dumpster. Before she has even finished she gets called to another scene just a few blocks away where human remains have been found.  Since both bodies are found on construction sites they seem tied together and Eve's digging leads her to believe they might somehow have been tied to the Russian mafia.  


9. Apples Never Fall by Liane Moriarty-- Once fall officially arrives I like to try and find some fall themed books to read (even if it's only the cover art that makes it a fall story!).  I typically love Liane's books and a good family drama throw in a murder mystery/ missing person aspect and you have a book that is pretty hard to put down!




DNF:

The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams-- I thought this sounded like an amazing story but it fell just a bit flat for me.  Mukesh is an elderly widow trying to find his way after his wife's death.  Aleisha is a young woman working at the library trying to juggle her job and taking care of her mother.  Both are lost and seeking an escape from their lives when Aleisha finds a book list at the library where she works she ends up passing it along to Mukesh.  I made it about 1/2 way through the book and could have finished it but decided I just wasn't invested in the story at all.


Linking up with: Spread the Kindness, 

















Comments

  1. I think you are easily going to reach your goal of reading 120 books this year. What great sounding books. x

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  2. Nine books in one month? I am just about to finish my third and though that was good! The Jodi Picoult sounds interesting. Thanks for the recommendation.

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    1. Thanks! I set a goal to read 10 a month at the start of the year knowing some months I could read more and other months I'd read less.

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  3. Oh what an awesome list- definitely adding some of these to my queue - thanks for sharing!

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  4. Wow, 9 books!
    Thanks for sharing them.

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  5. Hello Sunshine sounds good! I just added it to my list. And, wow, nine books in one month is a lot! Thanks for sharing all of them!

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    1. I enjoyed it so much that I requested another book by the same author for this coming month's reading.

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  6. I am pretty sure I read Sing You Home. I love Diane Chamberlain's books but not sure if I read that one! And I loved The Reading List, I'm sorry it didn't work for you!

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    1. I'm pretty sure I had too but I really could not remember much about it but there is no way I could have predicted everything so accurately if I hadn't read it before.

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  7. Nine books is amazing. Great job. Thank you for sharing. I’m not sure which one I would read first. Happy Monday.
    www.rsrue.blogspot.com

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  8. I have heard good things about Apples Never Fall. You read a lot this month!!!

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  9. Thanks for the tip on the Reading List - taking it off my TBR. :)

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    1. I know a few people really loved it but I just did not connect with the characters at all.

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  10. Thanks for the list!! I've been looking for a new book and Apples Never Fall sounds perfect for this time of year!

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  11. You are a prolific reader, Joanne! I find I read only about two books a month, one of which is "required reading" for the book club I am in. I admit to watching too much Netflix or Hulu...lol

    Liane's book "9 Perfect Strangers" was recently shown as a series on HuLu and was very engrossing and now I want to read that book. I will also look for her new book "Apples Never Fall" Thanks!

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    1. Yes, I have been watching 9 Perfect Strangers too; I know I read the book but I just can not remember everything that led up to ending.

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  12. You really are doing well with your reading goals, Joanne! You are definitely inspiring me. I really enjoyed reading this post, as I love to read!

    Thank you for sharing and for being a part of the Hearth and Soul Link Party Community. I’m featuring this post at the party which goes live on Sunday this week. Hope to ‘see’ you there! Take care and I hope you have a lovely weekend.

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  13. Great reads! Thanks for sharing with us at Inspire Me Monday at Create With Joy!

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  14. I adore Jodi Picoult books and have read this one so I know your other choices are going to be great for me too! So pleased to discover your website and recommendations. Many thanks

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  15. Hello Sunshine sounds really good. I'm adding it to my list.

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  16. You'll definitely hit that goal.

    I get the "have I read this?" feeling a lot when I am reading older books.

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    1. I hate when that happens! It's usually when they change the cover art that gets me too.

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  17. I read Sing You Home ages ago but loved it. I like the story plot of Instructions for Dancing. I may have to read that one! The Silent Sister has been on my to read list for awhile now.

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    1. I thought Instructions for Dancing was so darn cute! And I really enjoyed The Silent Sister.

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  18. I just pulled This Tender Land off my shelf. Sounds like a good melancholy November read.

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    1. It was definitely one of those books that will stick with me!

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  19. Way to go on your reading goals! This is a great list of books.

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  20. And I thought 52 books in a year was a lot, lol. I'm happy surpassing my goal of 20 books this year. I requested Apples Never Fall from my library, but the waitlist is long -- can't wait to finally get my hands on a copy!

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  21. I've read How to Kill a Rock Star (or is it God Shaped Hole? Same author) about 4 times because, like you with Sing You Home, I seem to forget that I've read it until I start reading it and it feels familiar but I can't remember a thing.

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    1. I both love and hate when that happens! I like rediscovering an old book I enjoyed but it drives me nuts when I'm trying to remember if I really did read it before and what will happen next.

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  22. A great list of books Joanne, and you're almost at your goal number of books, well done! I have just finished Apples Never Fall and enjoyed it but it wasn't a favourite of Liane Moriarty's. I've heard good things about the Reading List so it was interesting to see your thoughts. I've not read any of the others you mentioned! Thanks for joining in with us for #whatsonyourbookshelfchallenge

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    1. I managed to read another 9 in October so I just have 18 left!

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