February Wrap Up
Mar. 3rd, 2025 03:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
asphaltcowgrrlI had another good month, although it didn’t feel like I’d gotten many read!
What I read:
My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier. Audio. Read this for a group read and… I did not enjoy it. I tried to read Rebecca a few years ago, and DNF’d it. I think she’s not for me. 2/5
New Witch on the Block by Louisa West. Midlife in Mosswood #1. Audio. A fun little paranormal romance. It wasn’t quite as good as I hoped, but it was fun. 3.5/5
Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent. Ebook. What a delightfully weird little story about a girl who was essentially a psychological experiment of her adoptive father’s. The ending was a letdown, however. 4-ish/5
Hot Flashes and Hockey Slashes by Marika Ray. Hot Flash Hookups #1. Audio. There was a lot I liked about this book. The humor, the inclusion of menopause-aged women (and all the BS that goes with it). But there were other things that fell a bit flat. Also, I should not have chosen this for audio. 3.5/5
The Dogs of Venice by Steven Rowley. Audio. I loved The Guncle, so I grabbed this when I saw it in the Audible Plus catalogue. I was reminded of Stephen McCauley in a lot of ways – the loss of something you treasured and learning to move one despite it all. But this was a short and sweet little story with a happy-for-now kind of ending. 4/5
The Ultimate Anti-Inflammatory Diet Cookbook for Beginners by Sofia Michael. Ebook. This was offered to me for review purposes through my blog. And since I like to cook so much, I said, sure. I don’t really deal with inflammation issues, but the book had a lot of information and some very good sounding recipes. 4/5 REVIEW.
Midnight Come Again by Dana Stabenow. Kate Shugak #10. Audio. This was a tough book. Kate’s in deep denial over Jack’s death and my heart ached for her. She is more herself by the end but, man, this was a hard read. 4/5
Game Changer by Rachel Reid. Game Changers #1. Ebook. I started this book last year (don’t look at me like that) and I kept putting it aside for review copies. I really hate that it took me so long to finish because I really did enjoy it. Even if the couple was a bit over the top in all things.
Death Track by Sally Rigby. Cavendish & Walker #3. Audio. I think I like this series more and more as it goes on. Whitney is Whitney no matter what, but George has loosened up quite a bit since the first book. 4/5
Accidental Leigh by Melanie James. Literal Leigh Romance Diaries #1. Audio. As you can tell by the book and series titles, this was utterly ridiculous. BUT. I laughed a lot. Enough that I’ll give book 2 a shot and hope that the ridiculous settles down some. 3.5/5
Star-Crossed Egg Tarts by Jennifer J. Chow. Magical Fortune Cookie #2. E-ARC. Another ARC I grabbed blindly not realizing it was second in a series. I liked it well enough and you didn’t feel like you were dropped in the middle of a story either. 4/5 REVIEW.
The Shots You Take by Rachel Reid. E-ARC. Anyone up for some ANGST? Because this book has got it all. I cried more times than I want to admit. Hahaha. While I still think Time to Shine is my favorite (and no, I have not started Heated Rivalry yet, before you ask), this comes a close second. But I’m also a huge sucker for a pining idiot. 5/5 REVIEW (to be posted on March 4th)
Napoleon’s Hemorrhoids:… and Other Small Events That Changed History by Phil Mason. Audio. A collection of tidbits and factoids about different historical events, sporting events, iconic products, etc. It’s a bit nerdy, but fun. 4/5
Total Books: 13
Ebooks: 5
ARCs: 2
Print: 0
Audio: 8
Favorite of the month: The Shots You Take by Rachel Reid.
What I’m reading now:
Midnight is the Darkest Hour by Ashley Winstead. Audio. A weird thriller/myster/possibly paranormal story set in a small Louisiana town.
Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Caroline Fraser. A nonfiction account of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s life and how she came to write her iconic books. Also, it’s supposed to address the things that were either changed or ‘prettied up’ when the books were sent for publication. As a lifelong fan of the series, I’m eager to learn more about her and her life.
Whelp, at least I know now why I can’t manage to get anything else done during the month. Hahaha. Reading anything good? Let me know!
What I read:
My Cousin Rachel by Daphne du Maurier. Audio. Read this for a group read and… I did not enjoy it. I tried to read Rebecca a few years ago, and DNF’d it. I think she’s not for me. 2/5
New Witch on the Block by Louisa West. Midlife in Mosswood #1. Audio. A fun little paranormal romance. It wasn’t quite as good as I hoped, but it was fun. 3.5/5
Strange Sally Diamond by Liz Nugent. Ebook. What a delightfully weird little story about a girl who was essentially a psychological experiment of her adoptive father’s. The ending was a letdown, however. 4-ish/5
Hot Flashes and Hockey Slashes by Marika Ray. Hot Flash Hookups #1. Audio. There was a lot I liked about this book. The humor, the inclusion of menopause-aged women (and all the BS that goes with it). But there were other things that fell a bit flat. Also, I should not have chosen this for audio. 3.5/5
The Dogs of Venice by Steven Rowley. Audio. I loved The Guncle, so I grabbed this when I saw it in the Audible Plus catalogue. I was reminded of Stephen McCauley in a lot of ways – the loss of something you treasured and learning to move one despite it all. But this was a short and sweet little story with a happy-for-now kind of ending. 4/5
The Ultimate Anti-Inflammatory Diet Cookbook for Beginners by Sofia Michael. Ebook. This was offered to me for review purposes through my blog. And since I like to cook so much, I said, sure. I don’t really deal with inflammation issues, but the book had a lot of information and some very good sounding recipes. 4/5 REVIEW.
Midnight Come Again by Dana Stabenow. Kate Shugak #10. Audio. This was a tough book. Kate’s in deep denial over Jack’s death and my heart ached for her. She is more herself by the end but, man, this was a hard read. 4/5
Game Changer by Rachel Reid. Game Changers #1. Ebook. I started this book last year (don’t look at me like that) and I kept putting it aside for review copies. I really hate that it took me so long to finish because I really did enjoy it. Even if the couple was a bit over the top in all things.
Death Track by Sally Rigby. Cavendish & Walker #3. Audio. I think I like this series more and more as it goes on. Whitney is Whitney no matter what, but George has loosened up quite a bit since the first book. 4/5
Accidental Leigh by Melanie James. Literal Leigh Romance Diaries #1. Audio. As you can tell by the book and series titles, this was utterly ridiculous. BUT. I laughed a lot. Enough that I’ll give book 2 a shot and hope that the ridiculous settles down some. 3.5/5
Star-Crossed Egg Tarts by Jennifer J. Chow. Magical Fortune Cookie #2. E-ARC. Another ARC I grabbed blindly not realizing it was second in a series. I liked it well enough and you didn’t feel like you were dropped in the middle of a story either. 4/5 REVIEW.
The Shots You Take by Rachel Reid. E-ARC. Anyone up for some ANGST? Because this book has got it all. I cried more times than I want to admit. Hahaha. While I still think Time to Shine is my favorite (and no, I have not started Heated Rivalry yet, before you ask), this comes a close second. But I’m also a huge sucker for a pining idiot. 5/5 REVIEW (to be posted on March 4th)
Napoleon’s Hemorrhoids:… and Other Small Events That Changed History by Phil Mason. Audio. A collection of tidbits and factoids about different historical events, sporting events, iconic products, etc. It’s a bit nerdy, but fun. 4/5
Total Books: 13
Ebooks: 5
ARCs: 2
Print: 0
Audio: 8
Favorite of the month: The Shots You Take by Rachel Reid.
What I’m reading now:
Midnight is the Darkest Hour by Ashley Winstead. Audio. A weird thriller/myster/possibly paranormal story set in a small Louisiana town.
Prairie Fires: The American Dreams of Laura Ingalls Wilder by Caroline Fraser. A nonfiction account of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s life and how she came to write her iconic books. Also, it’s supposed to address the things that were either changed or ‘prettied up’ when the books were sent for publication. As a lifelong fan of the series, I’m eager to learn more about her and her life.
Whelp, at least I know now why I can’t manage to get anything else done during the month. Hahaha. Reading anything good? Let me know!
