Sunday, December 31, 2017

Between the Pages - Books I Read in 2017


"A good book should leave you... slightly exhausted at the end. 
You live several lives while reading it." ~ William Styron


 The aspect of reading I love the most is the escapism it offers, especially during difficult times. 

As I haven't discovered a better way of expressing the following, I shall repeat what I said in previous years...

The books I select as my favorites each year are those that: I get lost in; the ones that while reading, I lose all track of time; the ones that evoke the strongest emotions; the ones that make me laugh, cry, blush, gasp, and sigh. Yeah, those books!

Each year I meticulously review my database and Goodreads shelves to select my favorites. Even though I arbitrarily decide upon the categories, I am careful in considering which books deserve each designation.

To all the authors whose stories entertained me this year, and especially those who wrote my favorites below, you've earned my highest esteem, gratitude, and adoration. Thank you!

Sadly, no matter how much I love a book, I am unable to recall details. In other words, although my devotion is clear, my memory is not. I would, indeed, like to attempt to explain my choices to anyone who may be interested.

(Note: I receive no monetary compensation. I only wish to show my appreciation!)

Here are my stats for 2017
  • My Goodreads Challenge total was 284 (first reads and rereads of single titles).
  • My database total was 258 (book bundles are counted as a single title).
There are several books that were published in 2017 that I was unable to read this year, some of which were published late in the year. I may have to make an exception for some of them and include them in next year's list.

 My favorite genre remains romance, but I also enjoy select mysteries, thrillers, and popular fiction.

In 2017, I finished a total of 123 digital library books and didn't finish an additional 13. In total, 18 books were added to my did-not-finish shelf this year.

I'll be starting out 2018 with over 200 books (nearly all priced under $2.00!) on my to-be-read shelves—primary and secondary—and nearly 100 books on my library wish list. I've chosen A Charm of Finches (Venery #2) by Suanne Laqueur as my first read of 2018 and set my Goodreads Challenge goal at 225 books.

Here's to 2018 being an outstanding year in books!


My Favorites Published in 2017
(alphabetical by author)

Single Titles

Mists of the Serengeti by Leylah Attar (my short and sweet review)
Tempting Fate (Colorado High Country #4) by Pamela Clare (my short and sweet review)
Tied (Devils Wolves #2) by Carian Cole (my short and sweet review)
Battle Scars by Jane Harvey-Berrick (my short and sweet review)
On Second Thought by Kristan Higgins (I was unable to express its impact on me)
Egomaniac by Vi Keeland (my short and sweet review)

Series Titles (two or more installments published within 2017) 

The Player Duet by K. Bromberg
Colorado High Country by Pamela Clare
Temptation Series by Ella Frank
Raven Riders Series by Laura Kaye
New Camelot Trilogy by Sierra Simone


Favorites by Category

Favorite Mainstream Romance - Devil's Cut (Bourbon Kings #3) by J.R. Ward
Favorite Contemporary Romance - Battle Scars by Jane Harvey-Berrick
Favorite Romantic Suspense - Ride Wild (Raven Riders #3) by Laura Kaye (my short and sweet review), (tie) The Man in the Black Suit by Sylvain Reynard
Favorite Inspirational Romance - Without Merit by Colleen Hoover (my short and sweet review)
Favorite Paranormal Romance - The Night Mark by Tiffany Reisz
Favorite New Adult - The Gravity of Us (Elements #4) by Brittainy C. Cherry
Favorite Young Adult - Autoboyography by Christina Lauren
Favorite Romantic Series - Colorado High Country by Pamela Clare
Favorite Audiobook - Egomaniac by Vi Keeland. Narrated by Joe Arden & Andi Arndt
Favorite Romantic Hero - Jackson Connor from Battle Scars by Jane Harvey-Berrick
Favorite Romantic Heroine - Margaret Jean "MJ" Buckman from Battle Scars by Jane Harvey-Berrick
Favorite Romantic Couple - Sam "Slider" Evans and Cora Campbell from Ride Wild (Raven Riders #3) by Laura Kaye, (runners up) Logan Mitchell and Tate Morrison from Tease, Tate, and True (Temptation Series #4, 5, & 6) by Ella Frank
Favorite Alpha Male - Lorenzo "Scar" Gambini from Grievous (Scarlet Scars #2) by J.M. Darhower (my short and sweet review)
Favorite Suspense - The Late Show (Renee Ballard #1) by Michael Connelly
Favorite Thriller - Stillhouse Lake by Rachel Caine
Most Pleasant Surprise - On Second Thought by Kristan Higgins
Most Luscious Romance - The Undoing of a Libertine (Somerset Historical #2) by Raine Miller {republished 04/06/2017}
Most Erotic Romance - American King (New Camelot Trilogy #3) by Sierra Simone
Most Outside My Comfort Zone - Stillhouse Lake by Rachel Caine (my short and sweet review)
Most Heartrending - Mists of the Serengeti by Leylah Attar
Most Humorous - Drunk Dial by Penelope Ward
Most Tormented Hero - Aden Colt from Wrecked by J.B. Salsbury (my short and sweet review)
Most "Kick Ass" Heroine - Sydney Rose Parnell from Dead Stop by Barbara Nickless
Most Guilty Pleasure - American Prince and American King (New Camelot Trilogy #2 & 3) by Sierra Simone
Most Striking Cover - The Indigo Girl by Natasha Boyd (my short and sweet review)


Most Anticipated Books of 2018

Go Tell the Bees That I Am Gone (Outlander, #9) by Diana Gabaldon
All Your Perfects by Colleen Hoover
Sex, Not Love by Vi Keeland
The Blessings of Ethan Blackstone (Blackstone Affair #5) by Raine Miller
My Lord (Rothvale Legacy, #2) by Raine Miller
Undefeated - A Rugby Romance by Stuart Reardon and Jane Harvey-Berrick
Amped (Trent Brothers #2) by Tina Reber (I hope this one will finally be released in 2018!)
Prince Charming by C.D. Reiss
White Knight by C.D. Reiss
Chaser (Dive Bar #3) by Kylie Scott
Gentleman Nine by Penelope Ward


Book Bundles I Read in 2017

I buy book bundles when I can due to the bargain pricing. (The first three bundles were only $0.99 each and the fourth was available through Kindle Unlimited.) However, since my book database counts a multi-book bundle as a single book, the following is a list of the 12 individual books from within the book bundles. The remainder of my 2017 book database follows that.

Laura Cardinal Series (3 Book) Bundle by J. Carson Black
Dark Side of the Moon (#2) 04/23/2017 (6 out of 10 stars)
The Devil's Hour (#3) 08/12/2017 (8 out of 10 stars)

King Series (4 Book) Bundle (no longer available) by T.M. Frazier
King (#1) 03/12/2017 (6 out of 10 stars)
Tyrant (#2) 03/12/2017 (8 out of 10 stars)
Lawless (#3) 03/13/2017 (6 out of 10 stars)
Soulless (#4) 03/13/2017 (4 out of 10 stars)

Rook and Ronin (7 Book) Bundle by J.A. Huss
Slack (#4) 06/21/2017 (6 out of 10 stars)
Bomb (#5) 06/23/2017 (4 out of 10 stars)
Taut (#6) 06/23/2017 (6 out of 10 stars)
Guns (#7) 06/26/2017 (4 out of 10 stars)

Surviving the Storm (2 Book) Bundle by Shay Savage
Surviving Raine (#1) 12/16/2017 (8 out of 10 stars)
Bastian's Storm (#2) 12/17/2017 (8 out of 10 stars)

 
 Individual Books I Read in 2017
(The (a) following a book's title designates an audiobook.
A rating of zero denotes a book that defies a rating.
Table best viewed in landscape mode on mobile devices.) 


Title Author Publication Year Reading Date My Rating
Ashley, Kristen Walk Through Fire 2015 3/25/2017 0
Ashley, Kristen Rock Chick Reawakening 2017 4/20/2017 0
Ashley, Kristen Three Wishes 2011 12/5/2017 4
Attar, Leylah Mists of the Serengeti 2017 1/31/2017 10
Austen, Jane Mansfield Park (a) 2005 4/20/2017 6
Backman, Fredrik A Man Called Ove 2014 3/15/2017 10
Banks, Maya Keep Me Safe (a) 2014 5/8/2017 4
Banks, Maya In His Keeping (a) 2015 5/31/2017 4
Black, J. Carson The Laura Cardinal Chronicles 2011 8/12/2017 6
Bohjalian, Chris The Sleepwalker 2017 4/12/2017 6
Bowen, Rhys Away in a Manger 2015 8/17/2017 8
Bowen, Sarina Keepsake 2016 5/2/2017 8
Bowen, Sarina Bountiful 2017 11/24/2017 8
Bowen, Sarina; Kennedy, Elle Him 2015 1/30/2017 8
Bowen, Sarina; Kennedy, Elle Us 2016 2/17/2017 8
Boyd, Natasha Eversea (a) 2017 12/5/2017 10
Boyd, Natasha Forever, Jack (a) 2017 12/6/2017 10
Boyd, Natasha Beach Wedding 2017 4/30/2017 10
Boyd, Natasha The Indigo Girl 2017 10/26/2017 10
Bromberg, K. Raced (a) 2015 9/18/2017 4
Bromberg, K. Slow Burn 2015 4/3/2017 8
Bromberg, K. The Player (a) 2017 12/8/2017 10
Bromberg, K. The Player 2017 6/30/2017 10
Bromberg, K. The Catch (a) 2017 12/9/2017 10
Bromberg, K. The Catch 2017 7/1/2017 10
Brown, Dan Inferno 2013 2/3/2017 4
Brown, Sandra Friction (a) 2015 3/10/2017 8
Brown, Sandra Seeing Red 2017 9/2/2017 8
Brown, Sandra Sting (a) 2016 3/9/2017 8
Burton, Jaci The Perfect Play 2011 7/15/2017 10
Caine, Rachel Stillhouse Lake 2017 9/17/2017 10
Callihan, Kristen The Friend Zone 2015 10/1/2017 10
Chase, Emma Royally Screwed (a) 2016 3/18/2017 10
Chase, Emma Royally Matched 2017 3/3/2017 8
Chase, Emma Royally Raised 2017 6/1/2017 6
Chase, Emma Royally Endowed (a) 2017 11/2/2017 8
Chase, Emma Royally Endowed 2017 9/1/2017 8
Chase, Emma Twisted (a) 2014 11/5/2017 8
Chase, Emma Tamed (a) 2014 11/8/2017 8
Chase, Emma Tied (a) 2014 11/9/2017 8
Chase, Emma Overruled (a) 2015 2/16/2017 6
Cherry, Brittainy Behind the Bars 2017 12/12/2017 8
Cherry, Brittainy The Gravity of Us 2017 4/26/2017 10
Clare, Pamela Falling Hard 2017 3/1/2017 10
Clare, Pamela Tempting Fate 2017 7/2/2017 10
Clare, Pamela Close to Heaven 2017 10/29/2017 10
Clare, Pamela Seduction Game (a) 2015 11/23/2017 10
Clayton, Alice Buns 2017 6/14/2017 6
Cole, Carian Storm 2014 7/4/2017 8
Cole, Carian Vandal 2015 12/6/2017 10
Cole, Carian Lukas 2015 12/13/2017 10
Cole, Carian Talon 2015 12/14/2017 10
Cole, Carian Torn 2016 9/12/2017 10
Cole, Carian Tied 2017 10/23/2017 10
Connelly, Michael A Darkness More Than Light 2001 9/30/2017 8
Connelly, Michael The Closers 2005 1/11/2017 8
Connelly, Michael Echo Park 2006 5/8/2017 8
Connelly, Michael The Overlook 2007 9/11/2017 8
Connelly, Michael The Late Show 2017 8/24/2017 10
Crownover, Jay Retreat 2016 11/14/2017 6
Crownover, Jay Honor (a) 2016 8/28/2017 6
Crownover, Jay Built (a) 2016 4/27/2017 6
Crownover, Jay Riveted (a) 2017 7/27/2017 6
Cunning, Olivia Rock Hard (a) 2013 11/22/2017 8
Darhower, J.M. Ghosted 2017 8/26/2017 10
Darhower, J.M. Menace 2017 1/21/2017 8
Darhower, J.M. Grievous 2017 2/6/2017 10
Davis, Fiona The Address 2017 9/9/2017 8
Davis, Fiona The Dollhouse 2016 9/16/2017 10
Day, Sylvia Afterburn & Aftershock 2014 5/29/2017 8
Day, Sylvia Captivated by You (a) 2014 11/17/2017 10
Dedman, Bill; Newell, Jr., Paul Clark Empty Mansions 2013 7/26/2017 10
Deveraux, Jude A Knight in Shining Armor 2002 6/16/2017 8
Dray, Stephanie; Kamoie, Laura America's First Daughter 2016 1/9/2017 10
Erickson, Megan; Hassell, Santino Fast Connection (a) 2016 11/19/2017 6
Evans, Katy Manwhore (a) 2015 3/20/2017 8
Evans, Katy Manwhore +1 (a) 2015 3/21/2017 8
Evans, Katy Ms. Manwhore (a) 2015 3/21/2017 6
Fairstein, Linda Deadfall 2017 10/9/2017 6
Force, Marie Fatal Threat 2017 8/13/2017 8
Force, Marie Delirious 2017 9/13/2017 8
Force, Marie Sex Machine 2016 5/30/2017 8
Foss, C.M. Jock 2015 2/11/2017 6
Foster, Melissa Truly, Madley, Whiskey 2017 9/7/2017 6
Frank, Ella Tease 2017 5/8/2017 10
Frank, Ella Tate 2017 9/9/2017 10
Frank, Ella True 2017 12/22/2017 10
Frank, Ella; Blaine, Brooke Aced 2016 5/15/2017 8
Frank, Ella; Blaine, Brooke Locked 2016 11/19/2017 8
Frank, Ella; Blaine, Brooke Wedlocked 2017 12/7/2017 6
Frazier, T.M. King Series Bundle 2016 3/14/2017 6
Garner, Deborah Above the Bridge 2012 5/5/2017 4
Gerritsen, Tess I Know a Secret 2017 9/6/2017 8
Grafton, Sue "W" is for Wasted 2013 10/13/2017 8
Grayson, K.L.; Urruela, B.T. A Lover's Lament 2015 1/14/2017 10
Greenwood, Bryn All the Ugly and Wonderful Things 2016 4/24/2017 8
Gregor, Michael How Not to Die 2015 5/6/2017 10
Halle, Karina Before I Ever Met You 2017 4/28/2017 10
Halle, Karina Heat Wave 2016 4/10/2017 10
Hardt, Helen Craving 2016 10/10/2017 4
Hardt, Helen Obsession 2016 11/29/2017 4
Hardy, Thomas Far from the Madding Crowd 2000 8/19/2017 6
Harvey-Berrick, Jane Battle Scars 2017 10/15/2017 10
Harvey-Berrick, Jane Slave to the Rhythm 2016 9/15/2017 10
Hemingway, Ernest The Old Man and the Sea 1995 1/29/2017 8
Henry, Marguerite Misty of Chincoteague 2012 1/13/2017 6
Higgins, Kristan On Second Thought 2017 6/3/2017 10
Hoag, Tami Dark Paradise 2003 1/2/2017 8
Hoover, Colleen Without Merit 2017 10/30/2017 10
Howard, Linda Blue Moon 2017 4/28/2017 6
Hunter, Elizabeth Omens and Artifacts 2017 2/3/2017 8
Hunter, Elizabeth The Scarlet Deep 2015 7/11/2017 6
Hunting, Helena Shacking Up 2017 7/8/2017 8
Huss, , J.A. Rook and Ronin: Complete Seven Book Series 2015 6/26/2017 6
Huss, , J.A. Sexy 2015 2/12/2017 4
Jackson, Brenda A Brother's Honor 2013 9/26/2017 6
Jackson, Brenda A Man's Promise 2014 10/3/2017 6
James, E.L. Darker 2017 12/2/2017 10
James, Eloisa My American Duchess (a) 2016 6/8/2017 6
James, Nicole Maxwell 2017 10/9/2017 10
James, Nicole Blood 2017 4/15/2017 10
Jones, Kim Cutslut 2017 6/19/2017 6
Jones, Lisa Renee Denial 2015 4/13/2017 10
Jones, Lisa Renee Demand 2016 4/14/2017 10
Jones, Lisa Renee Surrender 2017 5/13/2017 8
Jones, Lisa Renee Provocative 2017 10/17/2017 8
Jones, Lisa Renee Shameless 2017 10/20/2017 8
Jordan, Skye Rendezvous 2016 7/21/2017 8
Kaye, Laura Mastering Her Senses 2017 9/18/2017 6
Kaye, Laura Ride Rough 2017 5/19/2017 8
Kaye, Laura Ride Wild 2017 11/21/2017 10
Keeland, Vi The Baller (a) 2016 3/18/2017 6
Keeland, Vi Beautiful Mistake 2017 9/4/2017 10
Keeland, Vi Bossman (a) 2016 5/12/2017 10
Keeland, Vi Egomaniac 2017 2/7/2017 10
Keeland, Vi Egomaniac (a) 2017 6/3/2017 10
Keeland, Vi; Ward, Penelope Mister Moneybags 2017 4/11/2017 10
Keeland, Vi; Ward, Penelope Mister Moneybags (a) 2017 12/16/2017 10
Kell, Sheila His Desire 2014 1/17/2017 6
Kennedy, Elle The Score (a) 2016 1/16/2017 10
Kenner, J. Release Me (a) 2013 2/23/2017 6
Kenner, J. Anchor Me 2017 8/1/2017 8
Krentz, Jayne Ann River Road 2014 9/21/2017 4
Lacey, Rachel Only You 2016 1/9/2017 6
Lacey, Rachel Crash and Burn 2017 9/19/2017 6
Lake, Autumn Jones Bullets and Bonfires 2017 8/5/2017 8
Lake, Autumn Jones Corrupting Cinderella 2014 2/21/2017 6
Lapena, Shari The Couple Next Door 2016 1/4/2017 10
Laquer, Suanne An Exaltation of Larks 2016 2/15/2017 10
Lauren, Christina Autoboyography 2017 11/7/2017 10
Lauren, Christina Beautiful (a) 2016 5/6/2017 6
Lauren, Christina Dating You / Hating You 2017 7/17/2017 10
Lauren, Christina Dating You / Hating You (a) 2017 11/13/2017 10
Lauren, Christina Roomies 2017 12/21/2017 6
Lauren, Christina Sweet Filthy Morning After (a) 2014 10/12/2017 6
Leighton, M. The Empty Jar 2016 5/28/2017 10
Lynn, Cherrie Raw Deal 2017 1/24/2017 10
Lynn, Cherrie Raw Need 2017 7/3/2017 6
Lynn, Cherrie Raw Heat 2017 11/4/2017 6
Madden-Mills, Ilsa Fake Fiancee 2017 2/9/2017 6
Madden-Mills, Ilsa Spider 2017 11/16/2017 4
Madden-Mills, Ilsa; Louise, Tia The Last Guy 2017 6/17/2017 8
March, Meghan Bad Judgment (a) 2016 8/27/2017 8
March, Meghan Beneath This Mask (a) 2015 7/12/2017 8
March, Meghan Beneath This Ink (a) 2015 7/13/2017 6
March, Meghan Beneath These Chains (a) 2015 8/10/2017 8
March, Meghan Beneath These Scars (a) 2015 8/14/2017 8
March, Meghan Beneath These Lies (a) 2016 8/15/2017 8
March, Meghan Beneath These Shadows (a) 2016 8/26/2017 8
March, Meghan Beneath The Truth (a) 2017 10/9/2017 8
March, Meghan Ruthless King 2017 10/26/2017 0
March, Meghan Real Dirty (a) 2017 7/25/2017 6
March, Meghan Real Sexy (a) 2017 9/2/2017 6
March, Meghan Real Good Man (a) 2017 5/26/2017 8
March, Meghan Real Good Love (a) 2017 6/3/2017 8
McGuire, Jamie Beautiful Disaster (a) 2014 3/2/2017 6
McKenna, Cara Curio and the Curio Vignettes 2016 2/18/2017 10
McKenna, Cara Ride It Out 2017 10/5/2017 10
Milan, Courtney The Heiress Effect 2013 5/27/2017 4
Miles, Ava Nora Roberts Land 2013 3/8/2017 8
Miller, Raine The Undoing of a Libertine 2017 4/6/2017 10
Nickless, Barbara Dead Stop 2017 10/24/2017 10
Orwell, George 1984 2013 4/8/2017 0
Paige, Laurelin; Simone, Sierra Hot Cop 2017 10/19/2017 6
Parker, T. Jefferson The Fallen 2009 1/20/2017 6
Patrick, Phaedra The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper 2016 11/22/2017 8
Patterson, James; Paetro, Maxine The 6th Target 2007 2/26/2017 6
Pendziwol, Jean E. The Lightkeeper's Daughters 2017 8/31/2017 8
Phillips, Susan Elizabeth First Star I See Tonight (a) 2016 5/10/2017 8
Phillips, Susan Elizabeth Kiss an Angel (a) 2007 3/29/2017 8
Preston, Beverly A Taste of Summer 2015 1/6/2017 6
Preston, Beverly Holding onto Hope 2016 4/8/2017 8
Reichs, Kathy Two Nights 2017 8/21/2017 8
Reid, Penny Attraction: Elements of Chemistry 2015 10/28/2017 10
Reid, Penny Heat: Elements of Chemistry 2015 10/28/2017 10
Reid, Penny Capture: Elements of Chemistry 2015 10/28/2017 10
Reid, Penny Ninja at First Sight 2015 6/27/2017 6
Reid, Penny Happily Ever Ninja 2016 6/29/2017 6
Reid, Penny Beard in Mind 2017 12/31/2017 8
Reiss, C.D. King of Code 2017 10/15/2017 10
Reiss, C.D. Bombshell 2017 5/4/2017 8
Reiss, C.D. Bodyguard 2017 12/12/2017 6
Reiss, C.D. Marriage Games 2016 8/2/2017 10
Reiss, C.D. Separation Games 2017 8/3/2017 10
Reisz, Tiffany The Bourbon Thief (a) 2016 9/16/2017 8
Reisz, Tiffany The Night Mark 2017 5/14/2017 10
Reisz, Tiffany The Siren 2012 7/31/2017 10
Reisz, Tiffany The Headmaster 2015 7/19/2017 10
Reynard, Sylvain The Man in the Black Suit 2017 12/31/2017 10
Roberts, Nora Come Sundown 2017 6/8/2017 8
Salsbury, J.B. A Father's Fight (a) 2015 3/13/2017 6
Salsbury, J.B. Wrecked 2017 7/18/2017 10
Savage, Shay Surviving The Storm 2014 12/17/2017 8
Scott, Kylie Twist 2017 4/16/2017 8
Scott, Kylie Trust 2017 10/22/2017 8
Shalvis, Jill The Trouble with Mistletoe (a) 2016 8/20/2017 8
Shalvis, Jill The Trouble With Mistletoe 2016 8/7/2017 6
Sheehan, Madeline UnDeniable (a) 2013 12/11/2017 6
Sheridan, Mia Stinger 2014 2/27/2017 8
Simmons, L.B. The Resurrection of Aubrey Miller 2014 3/17/2017 8
Simone, Sierra American Prince 2017 3/9/2017 10
Simone, Sierra American King 2017 11/1/2017 10
Simone, Sierra Priest (a) 2017 6/29/2017 10
Spencer, LaVyrle Family Blessings 1993 6/10/2017 10
Spencer, LaVyrle Forgiving 1991 10/16/2017 6
Springsteen, Bruce Born to Run 2016 1/24/2017 10
Stevens, Amanda The Sinner 2016 4/19/2017 8
Stevens, Amanda The Awakening 2017 12/21/2017 8
Symmons, Kevin V. Out of the Storm 2015 1/11/2017 6
Thorne, Sally The Hating Game 2016 11/11/2017 8
Torre, Alessandra Hollywood Dirt 2015 3/28/2017 10
Torre, Alessandra Love in Lingerie 2017 8/9/2017 8
Torre, Alessandra Trophy Wife 2017 5/3/2017 10
Tucker, K.A. Burying Water (a) 2014 2/13/2017 4
Tucker, K.A. Until It Fades 2017 7/18/2017 8
Vanderbilt II, Arthur T Fortune's Children: The Fall of the House of Vanderbilt 2013 8/8/2017 8
Ward, J.R. Dark Lover (a) 2009 5/20/2017 8
Ward, J.R. Lover Eternal (a) 2010 6/12/2017 8
Ward, J.R. The Angels' Share (a) 2016 5/25/2017 8
Ward, J.R. Devil's Cut 2017 8/27/2017 10
Ward, Penelope Drunk Dial 2017 11/28/2017 10
Ward, Penelope Mack Daddy 2017 9/10/2017 8
Ward, Penelope Mack Daddy (a) 2017 11/29/2017 8
Ward, Penelope Stepbrother Dearest 2014 1/28/2017 6
Ward, Penelope; Keeland, Vi Cocky Bastard 2015 5/3/2017 10
Ward, Penelope; Keeland, Vi Cocky Bastard (a) 2015 11/23/2017 10
Ward, Penelope; Keeland, Vi Dear Bridget, I Want You 2017 10/21/2017 8
Ward, Penelope; Keeland, Vi Playboy Pilot 2016 8/22/2017 10
Ward, Penelope; Keeland, Vi Playboy Pilot (a) 2016 10/22/2017 10
Webber, Tammara Sweet (a) 2015 3/1/2017 8
Wilder, Jasinda Harris 2016 2/1/2017 4
Wilder, Jasinda Badd Motherf*cker 2016 1/23/2017 4
Wilder, Jasinda Badd Ass 2017 5/21/2017 8
Wolff, Tracy Exposed 2015 9/23/2017 6
Wolff, Tracy Flawed 2017 11/2/2017 4
Wylde, Joanna Reaper's Fire (a) 2016 4/1/2017 8
Wylde, Joanna Shade's Lady (a) 2017 12/2/2017 8
Wylde, Joanna Shade's Lady 2017 3/17/2017 8
Exported from Book Collector 12/31/2017 12:53:31 PM



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Sunday, February 19, 2017

A Book Lover's List of Literary Grievances

 


First, let me say that I believe myself to be very tolerant when it comes to the books I read. My average book rating is 3.55 (out of 5) stars, which I feel speaks to my preference to acknowledge the positive more often than the negative. I read a lot of self-published romance books and overall have been blown away by the quality of the writing. (I believe most of the books on my year-end favorites lists are self-published.) However, there are some inaccuracies I'm finding repeated all too often—grammatical,  formatting, and publishing, mainly. 

Sometimes we just have strong preferences and become bothered when books don't conform, though, right?

These are some of the "repeat offenders" I find particularly irksome.

  • The words "floor" and "ground" should never be used interchangeably! (This writing blunder is the one that irritates me most. Authors, please stop misusing these words!)
  • Whoa is not spelled w-o-a-h!
  • Lightning, the atmospheric occurrence, is misspelled lightening.
  • Qualifying "unique" with very, more, really, etc. Unique means something is one of a kind; it can't be more unique than something else!
  • The verb needs to agree with the subject. For example, "One of the boxes is open." "The woman with all the dogs walks down my street." "All of the books, including yours, are in that box."
  • The excessive overuse of some words is highly annoying (e.g "core" in romance novels), particularly when listening to audiobooks.
  • Using "zip" as a noun instead of as a verb. In the U.S. it's a zipper, folks.
  • First-person internal monologues should not contain excessive descriptive adjectives! Do our inner voices actually say things like the following? "I brush my long, curly, blonde  tresses..." or "I drive my large black custom SUV..." or "I clean my  beautifully decorated monotone apartment..." These fabricated examples seem silly, yes? Well, I've read much sillier, believe me.
  • When asked something like, "Do you mind if...?" the answer, if it is okay, should be NO!
  • If a book represents more than one character's point of view, each change in narration should be obviously attributed to whose voice it is. Sometimes it's just not obvious! 
  • Book covers should be representative of the story and/or characters. If the hero's and/or heroine's physical appearance is mentioned in the book, the cover models should at least resemble them. Things like hair color are obvious, yes?
  • When authors use initials in lieu of their given name(s) and don't use periods, it can appear to be a two (or more)  letter name. I know the modern trend is straying away from periods, but it can be confusing. I mean, I see a name like AL JEFFERSON as AL (short for Albert, Alfred, etc.) and not A.L. Although, maybe it's just my preference and doesn't matter to others.
  • In dialogue exchanges or conversations, the character should be rather easily identifiable.
  • A character's idiosyncratic personality and verbal language patterns should belong to one character only and not every character an author creates.
  • When characters in who the author repeatedly emphasizes intelligence and articulateness don't live up to those standards at all.

I am no grammar queen, but I know some things. I know the above things take away from my reading pleasure. What about you? What are some of your pet peeves in regards to books?

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Tuesday, January 24, 2017

Book Review: Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen

Rating: Five out of five stars
Published: 09/27/2016
Publisher: Simon & Schuster
Genre(s): Memoir/Autobiography

DESCRIPTION

“Writing about yourself is a funny business…But in a project like this, the writer has made one promise, to show the reader his mind. In these pages, I’ve tried to do this.” —Bruce Springsteen, from the pages of Born to Run

In 2009, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band performed at the Super Bowl’s halftime show. The experience was so exhilarating that Bruce decided to write about it. That’s how this extraordinary autobiography began.

Over the past seven years, Bruce Springsteen has privately devoted himself to writing the story of his life, bringing to these pages the same honesty, humor, and originality found in his songs.

He describes growing up Catholic in Freehold, New Jersey, amid the poetry, danger, and darkness that fueled his imagination, leading up to the moment he refers to as “The Big Bang”: seeing Elvis Presley’s debut on The Ed Sullivan Show. He vividly recounts his relentless drive to become a musician, his early days as a bar band king in Asbury Park, and the rise of the E Street Band. With disarming candor, he also tells for the first time the story of the personal struggles that inspired his best work and shows us why the song “Born to Run” reveals more than we previously realized.

Born to Run will be revelatory for anyone who has ever enjoyed Bruce Springsteen, but this book is much more than a legendary rock star’s memoir. This is a book for workers and dreamers, parents and children, lovers and loners, artists, freaks, or anyone who has ever wanted to be baptized in the holy river of rock and roll.

Rarely has a performer told his own story with such force and sweep. Like many of his songs (“Thunder Road,” “Badlands,” “Darkness on the Edge of Town,” “The River,” “Born in the U.S.A.,” “The Rising,” and “The Ghost of Tom Joad,” to name just a few), Bruce Springsteen’s autobiography is written with the lyricism of a singular songwriter and the wisdom of a man who has thought deeply about his experiences.


MY THOUGHTS 

Reading Born to Run was like being handed an all-access backstage pass to spending time with the musical artist I've admired for over thirty years. It certainly felt more intimate than my seats in the nosebleed seats at his concerts I attended so many years ago.

Memoirs/autobiographies can certainly be tricky things—we read them to learn about the person but we don't want to know too much. Too much can taint our opinions, alter our perceptions, dull our affections, and lead us to believe our idols are...human. And man, does he ever come across as human here. From his rocking with the highs to his rolling with the lows, he shares with a keen self-awareness and honesty how he pursued his musical dream and found a love he could accept. If anything, my admiration for him has only increased. He handled sensitive subjects and his relationships with tact and respect.

For decades, he's been known for his songwriting, guitar playing, and epic performances. This book shows his writing skills aren't limited to songwriting. It may not have the energy of one of his epic, four-hour-long concerts, but it certainly spotlights his storytelling abilities, page after page. Bruce was born to write!
HIGHLIGHTS 

"There is a place here—you can hear it, smell it—where people make lives, suffer pain, enjoy small pleasures, play baseball, die, make love, have kids, drink themselves drunk on spring nights and do their best to hold off the demons that seek to destroy us, our homes, our families, our town."

~*~

"I desperately want to fit in but the world I have created with the unwarranted freedom from my grandparents has turned me into an unintentional rebel, an outcast weirdo misfit sissy boy. I am alienating, alienated and socially homeless . . . I am seven years old."

~*~

"Unfortunately, my dad’s desire to engage with me almost always came after the nightly religious ritual of the “sacred six-pack.” One beer after another in the pitch dark of our kitchen. It was always then that he wanted to see me and it was always the same. A few moments of feigned parental concern for my well-being followed by the real deal: the hostility and raw anger toward his son, the only other man in the house. It was a shame. He loved me but he couldn’t stand me. He felt we competed for my mother’s affections. We did."
~*~

"Their deep love and attraction and yet the dramatic gulf between my mother and father’s personalities was always a mystery to me. My mother would read romance novels and swoon to the latest hits on the radio. My dad would go so far as to explain to me that love songs on the radio were part of a government ploy to get you to marry and pay taxes."

~*~

"I still can’t read music to this day, and back then, my seven-year-old fingers couldn’t even get around that big fret board. Frustrated and embarrassed, shortly, I told my mom it was a no-go. There was no sense wasting her hard-earned cash."

~*~

"I was standing on a street corner before a college gig in Connecticut as a car pulled up to a light and I heard “Spirit in the Night” blasting from the radio, your number one rock ’n’ roll dream come true! You never forget the first time you hear your song on the radio."

~*~

"No one you have been and no place you have gone ever leaves you. The new parts of you simply jump in the car and go along for the rest of the ride. The success of your journey and your destination all depend on who’s driving. I’d seen other great musicians lose their way and watch their music and art become anemic, rootless, displaced when they seemed to lose touch with who they were. My music would be a music of identity, a search for meaning and the future."

~*~

"Writing about yourself is a funny business. At the end of the day it’s just another story, the story you’ve chosen from the events of your life. I haven’t told you “all” about myself. Discretion and the feelings of others don’t allow it.

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Tuesday, January 10, 2017

Book Review: America's First Daughter by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie

Rating: 5 out of 5 Stars
Published: 03/01/2016
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Genre(s): Historical Fiction


DESCRIPTION

The New York Times and USA Today Bestseller

 In a compelling, richly researched novel that draws from thousands of letters and original sources, bestselling authors Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie tell the fascinating, untold story of Thomas Jefferson's eldest daughter, Martha "Patsy" Jefferson Randolph--a woman who kept the secrets of our most enigmatic founding father and shaped an American legacy.

 From her earliest days, Patsy Jefferson knows that though her father loves his family dearly, his devotion to his country runs deeper still. As Thomas Jefferson's oldest daughter, she becomes his helpmate, protector, and constant companion in the wake of her mother's death, traveling with him when he becomes American minister to France.

 It is in Paris, at the glittering court and among the first tumultuous days of the revolution, that fifteen-year-old Patsy learns about her father's troubling liaison with Sally Hemings, a slave girl her own age. Meanwhile, Patsy has fallen in love--with her father's protégé William Short, a staunch abolitionist, and ambitious diplomat. Torn between love, principles, and the bonds of family, Patsy questions whether she can choose a life as William's wife and still be a devoted daughter.

 Her choice will follow her in the years to come, to Virginia farmland, Monticello, and even the White House. And as scandal, tragedy, and poverty threaten her family, Patsy must decide how much she will sacrifice to protect her father's reputation, in the process defining not just his political legacy, but that of the nation he founded.

MY THOUGHTS 

I rarely read nonfiction. I believe one reads it to learn about the subject of the book, especially to be able to recall that information at a later date. I have no ability to remember details and facts, so I let myself enjoy reading fiction and leave it at that. This book, though—reading a fictional account of the life of America's First Daughter, Martha "Patsy" (Jefferson) Randolph—was the ultimate compromise between the two genres. It took me three days to read. It's a substantial story; and yet, her life was necessarily condensed to 624 pages for the purposes of this novel. I put my Kindle down frequently and not because I didn't find the story compelling. I did that because I wanted to read the novel and reference sources concurrently.

My daughter is a Virginian, and I lived there for many years. I visited Monticello and Poplar Forest. Nothing I read (or saw) before this novel had me so interested in the lives of the residents of those two historical places. My main interest in the family previously (and mistakenly) lay with the facilities, rather than their inhabitants. I felt extremely fortunate to have walked the grounds where the Jeffersons made history, and I feel grateful to Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie for giving me a personal insight into who the Jeffersons were known to be and who they may have been beyond the letters.

HIGHLIGHTS 

"You see, girls, I wooed your mother by making music with her in the parlor—me with my violin and tenor, she with her harpsichord and soprano. And when two other waiting suitors heard the beauty of our song, they left, vanquished, without another word, knowing they had heard the sound of true love.”

~*~

“If there is, beyond the grave, any concern for this world, then there’s one angel who must pity the misery to which life confines me. I’m in a stupor of mind that has rendered me as dead to the world as she whose loss occasioned it.” 

~*~
 
He ought to have been downstairs with us, reacquainting himself with the little daughter who still didn’t remember him. He ought to have been sipping cider with the young man who fancied me, giving his permission to court. He ought to have been doing a hundred other things. Instead, he was preying upon my dead mother’s enslaved half-sister—and the wrongness of it filled my voice with a defiant rage.

~*~

I never would have a say, because in the world outside the convent, men did as they pleased and women were left to simply accept the consequences.  
 
~*~
 
After the House of Representatives voted thirty-five times in a deadlock, on the thirty-sixth ballot my father was elected, peacefully and democratically, to the presidency of the United States. 


My Signed Copy

This book and I have quite the history...I purchased a paperback copy from Amazon in February 2016 to be signed by Laura Kamoie at an event in Virginia that April. I wasn't able to attend, so it was not signed. In May I mailed it to California ahead of my move. In June I purchased the Kindle edition but did not read it until January 2017. After reading and reviewing it, I wrote to Laura Kamoie asking if she would sign my copy if I mailed it to her. Not only did she say yes, but she also said she would have Stephanie Dray sign it as well. So, in February I sent my copy with a self-addressed stamped envelope. When I hadn't received it after two months I wrote to Laura; she replied immediately apologizing about the delay. When she wasn't able to find my exact copy she and Stephanie signed another copy and mailed it right away. I feel extremely fortunate to have this signed copy and will treasure it always.


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Saturday, January 7, 2017

My Proposed 2017 Reading Challenge



A friend posted this reading challenge on Facebook yesterday, and I definitely recognize it a challenge. I will be updating this as I finish the book from each category. The first challenge is going to be extremely difficult (read: impossible!), as I specifically remember only one book I read in school! And, since I have no interest in ever reading that book again...I chose a book that I should have read while in school.

Are you up to taking this challenge?  If you are, good luck, and happy reading!

*Last Revised: 07/25/2017* 

 1.) A book you (should have) read in school - 1984 by George Orwell  [Library Book - Read 04/08/2017]

 2.) A book from your childhood - Misty of Chincoteague by Marguerite Henry [Library Book - Read 01/13/2017]

 3.) A book published over 100 years ago - Mansfield Park by Jane Austen [Library Audiobook - Finished 04/20/2017]

 4.) A book published in the last year - The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena [Library Book - Read 01/04/2017]

 5.) A non-fiction book - Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune by Bill Dedman [Read 07/28/2017]

 6.) A book written by a male author - The Closers (Harry Bosch #11) by Michael Connelly [Library Book - Read 01/11/2017]

 7.) A book written by a female author - Raw Deal by Cherrie Lynn  [Read 01/24/2017]

 8.) A book by someone who isn't (known primarily as) a writer - Someday, Someday, Maybe by Lauren Graham [Library Book - Did Not Finish 05/17/2017]

 9.) A book that became a film - Inferno (Robert Langdon #4) by Dan Brown [Read 02/03/2017]

10.) A book published in the 20th Century - The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway [Borrowed - Read 01/29/2017]

11.) A book set in your hometown/region - (San Diego) The Fallen by T. Jefferson Parker [Library Book - Read 01/19/2017]

12.) A book with someone's name in the title - Stinger by Mia Sheridan [Read 02/27/2017]

13.) A book with a number in the title - The 6th Target by James Patterson [Library Book - Read 02/26/2017]

14.) A book with a character with your first name - Virginia Clay by Meredith Rich [Did Not Finish 05/27/2017]

15.) A book someone else recommended to you - An Exaltation of Larks by Suanne Laqueur [Read 02/15/2017]

16.) A book with over 500 pages - American's First Daughter by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie [Read 01/09/2017]

17.) A book you finished in one day - A Lover's Lament (386 pages) by K.L. Grayson and B.T. Urruela [Amazon Prime Reading Book - Read 01/14/2017]

18.) A previously banned/challenged book - Looking for Alaska by John Green [Library Book - Did Not Finish 06/09/2017]

19.) A book with a one-word title - Jock by C.M. Foss [Read 02/11/2017]

20.) A book translated from another language - A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman [Library Book Read 03/15/2017]

21.) A book that will improve a specific area of your life - How Not to Die by Dr. Michael Gregor [Library Book Read 05/06/2017]

22.) A memoir or journal - Born to Run by Bruce Springsteen [Library Book Read 01/24/2017]

23.) A book written by someone younger than you - Egomaniac by Vi Keeland [Read 02/07/2017]

24.) A book set somewhere you may be visiting this year - Wrecked by J.B. Salsbury [Read 07/18/2017]

25.) An award-winning book - Commonwealth by Ann Patchett [Library Book - Did Not Finish 04/09/2017]

26.) A self-published book - Mists of The Serengeti by Leylah Attar (Pitch73 Publishing) [Read 01/31/2017]



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