Book Connections

Books Read from my Shelf in January

I set out to read five book off my print TBR shelf each month and I have accomplished this for January. It feels good to see them being read. And of course I have given myself incentive, because for every three I read, I will allow myself to buy a new print book! At present I am actually fitting in a sixth off my shelf because I want to buy another book! I was so tempted to break my own rule and buy the book, but how could I break the intention in January!!

  1. How to Stitch An American Dream by Jenny Doan. A memoir that gives insight into Jenny’s early life, especially as she starts off into married and family life. I come from a large family and it was interesting to compare. I loved how when her children were adults they all worked together to form an amazing quilting company that now is a mega quilting shopping complex in Hamilton Missouri. Jenny Doan is well known through her quilting videos. I have learned from them and I may have shopped via international shipping from time to time!  Really liked the book.
  2. Have You Seen Her by Karen Rose.  A romantic suspense/thriller. Fast paced and full of action as all her books are. This is #2 in her series. It takes place in North Carolina. There are chilling abductions and murders. It kept me reading. I loathed the sickening crimes, I loved the main characters, who contrast so well with the evil. These good characters have issues but inherently they move the world to being a better place.  Great reading, but I hated the crime parts. Of course I take another and read #3 at some point.  Well actually I reading #3 right now and so good!
  3. Meet Me in Scotland by Patience Griffin.  #2 in the Kilts and Quilts series. Set in Scotland of course! Most likely can be described as romance. I liked the main characters, and Deydie the crusty old woman and the main quilter was her usual delightful self. However I wanted to see more of a link with the last book’s characters. Not enough. I enjoyed the book but I am not sure I will continue with the series.  Sometimes with a series like this, its kind of the same story but with different characters! Maybe at some point I might borrow one from the library.
  4. The Shell Collector by Nancy Naigle would be termed Women’s Fiction I think. It was a sweet, inspirational story with an older woman and a woman dealing with the death  of a husband and her care for her children. A friendship develops between the two women and both of them are enriched. Loved the shells that are found on the beach with sayings that a person needs at that time of picking it up. My first book of the year and worthy of it.
  5. The Moon Over Kilmore Bay by Carmel Harrington was on the whole a good read, but I would have to say was the one least liked by myself by this author.  Well written and plotted, however what happens to the main character just put me off. Probably if I had realised I wouldn’t have read it, but no warning! Just in case you read it, you probably won’t but still, I will not give away the major plot point! But of course I’ll read everything else she writes.

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It’s Monday! What are You Reading?

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a place to meet up and share what you have been, and are about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organise yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment and er… add to your groaning TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn here at The Book Date.
Jen Vincent, Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee of Unleashing Readers decided to give It’s Monday! a kidlit focus. If you read and review books in children’s literature – picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels or anything in those genres – join them.

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What I read last week:

A quiet week, I’ve had a sore throat and bronchial thing which meant I stayed close to home so that I don’t pass anything on. Ready to get out though now. So I spent the week reading and sewing and joining more quilt alongs than I had intended!

What I am reading now:

A memoir.

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Listening to…

The Whispered Word

Up next:

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading?#1 2022

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It’s Monday! What Are You Reading? a place to meet up and share what you have been, and are about to be reading over the week. It’s a great post to organise yourself. It’s an opportunity to visit and comment and er… add to your groaning TBR pile! So welcome in everyone. This meme started on J Kaye’s blog and then was hosted by Sheila from Book Journey. Sheila then passed it on to Kathryn here at The Book Date.
Jen Vincent, Teach Mentor Texts, and Kellee of Unleashing Readers decided to give It’s Monday! a kidlit focus. If you read and review books in children’s literature – picture books, chapter books, middle grade novels, young adult novels or anything in those genres – join them.

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Happy New Year to all those I haven’t caught up with yet. Hope it has started well.

I am feeling the heat these couple of days. Can hardly drag myself around the house its so hot, I guess though it will cool in a few days. In the meantime all the doors and windows are open!

I didn’t see the New Year in, I think I may have slept through the midnight change over!

What I read last week:

What I am reading now:

My first book of the year

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And listening to…

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Up next:

My first review read for 2022.

The Family You Make

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First Book 2022 and Happy New Year

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And I see for the ninth time we celebrate our first book of the year. I chose mine off the print TBR shelf. I chose a new to me author, and one with a summer cover… because of course its summer down here in New Zealand. As I post, it is the evening of January 1st and I have read a few pages. Very promising.

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And my first audiobook for 2022 is Venetia because I felt like an historical and fun. Listened to some of this so far today, hmmm jury is still out!

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May 2022 be one of health and happiness for you and your family. May the books read be fantastic.

Book Connections

Recent Book Buys!

It’s the time of year when there are so many new books coming on the market. I had promised myself that I wouldn’t buy books this year, but I’ve broken my promise and I think it’s not going to be any better in the next month or two!  So five recently published books I’ve bought. Some I have and some are on the way as they all come from the Book Depository. Our shops don’t usually carry these authors.

book club Many of you will be familiar with this, I tossed up buy or library but decided buy because then I can read it at leisure when ready.

With the help of books, laughter, and the joy of ever evolving friendships, Jazmine, Judith, Erin and Sara find the courage to navigate new and surprising chapters of their lives as they seek their own versions of happily-ever-after.

Firekeepers Daughter final 7.12 This is both a debut novel and a YA thriller. I have seen some really good reviews for it and so I’ve chosen it to read.

As a biracial, unenrolled tribal member and the product of a scandal, eighteen-year-old Daunis Fontaine has never quite fit in, both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. Daunis dreams of studying medicine, but when her family is struck by tragedy, she puts her future on hold to care for her fragile mother.

Gone too farI read the first one in this series awhile back and the library still only has it on order. So I decided to buy as I really liked the first one.

As veteran detectives of the Birmingham Police Department, Kerri Devlin and Luke Falco have seen it all. So when the city’s new hotshot deputy district attorney turns up dead as part of a double homicide, the partners immediately get to work.

The Shell collector I heard about this one on a podcast and it isn’t at the library so that was a good excuse to buy! Plus I see Mary from Bookfan gave it 5 stars. Need no more reason at all to buy.

From USA Today bestselling author Nancy Naigle, The Shell Collector is a touching novel of a friendship that crosses generations, and learning how even the smallest gifts can change a life for good.

The Last thing he told meSo many reviewers have given this good hype and as I was no.33 at the library for it I decided to take my name off the list and buy it.

We all have stories we never tell.
Before Owen Michaels disappears, he manages to smuggle a note to his beloved wife of one year: Protect her.

Despite her confusion and fear, Hannah Hall knows exactly to whom the note refers: Owen’s sixteen-year-old daughter, Bailey. Bailey, who lost her mother tragically as a child. Bailey, who wants absolutely nothing to do with her new stepmother.

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