On the Shelf

This Page has always been about books - what's on my shelf, what I'm reading, and (sometimes) what my friends wrote. (To see/purchase what I have written - click here to go to my GumRoad page.) 

It may be because I was
born on a Thursday, but
Thursday Next novels rock!

I do like a good book. The last time I moved, the movers said "Ma'am, we moved a doctor last week. You have more books than he does."

They weren't wrong. My books are not my treasured possessions. They are my friends. My portal to new worlds (of imagination or knowledge - depends on the book.) I read when I'm happy; I read when I'm sad; I read when I'm tired. I read. When I have extra $$, I buy books (and perfume - but that's another story). I am "a book person". 

"She is too fond of books, and it has addled her brain."

- Louisa May Alcott

Books are my favorite reason to run out to the library on a weekend. My favorite life "rules" came from a book. Books are my favorite vice. Non-Fiction. Fiction. Mind-candy. Decorating. Kids books. Science books. Perfume. History. Self-improvement. Science. Cooking. Marketing. Wine. Etiquette. Poetry. Gardening. Stats. Pablo Neruda. William Butler Yeats. Sarah Addison Allen. Dr. Suess. Patrica McKillip. Malcolm Gladwell. Steve Chandler. Alexandra Stoddard. Lynda Resnick. Neil Gaiman. Lacey Baldwin Smith.

2021 Reading Goal is 75. Once again, the goal is 10 business books. Let's see what shakes out in 2021. May we all be healthy and happy.

The 2020 Reading Goal is .....104 books. Of which, I'd like to read 10 business books. (Current count: 59 books. 3 on business.)

12/31/2020 Update. Hi. The pandemic hit this section hard. According to my GoodReads tracking, I hit over 150 books! Most of it light fiction. I really have very little to "say" about the reading. But if you'd like to see what I read - please check out my GoodReads profile. Or check the blog post of the month - they are listed. 

I've stopped tallying - for the most part - audiobooks versus digital books versus physical books. Here's the thing - if it's easy reading, digital works for me (And Kindle Unlimited has made that super affordable.) I do get bored of audiobooks, so I don't do many of those. If it requires concentration (like a book I would learn from - a business book or spiritual book), it's likely to be a physical book because my brain retains those better. I do have a good number of physical books from that "one" time I could not resist around the house which I'm trying to power through and then share out in Little Free Libraries or distribute to friends. (No Marie Kondo, I'm not just throwing them out.)

• May 2020 - I read an insane amount this month. With Covid, there are limited options for even going out for exercise or out with friends.  You Are a BadAss by Jen Sincero - which I found a bit repeative to other self-help books. Audible find The Messengers by Lindsay Joelle which I find all audibles hard to deal with because they seem slow. Burying the Honeysuckle Girls by Emily Carpenter which was a pretty good read. Good to read at the beach or on vacation.  The New Rules of Money by Rick Edelman (Little Free Library find). Seriously out of date. Skip it.  Then I went through all the Kindle Unlimited. Ridiculous amount. Seriously. I know. Once Bitten  and Wicked Deal, a new series by Linsey Hall - and I love her well-plotted and quick reads; The Jezebel Files (Books 1 & 2) by Deborah Wilde, which is the best thing I've read in forever - I did not know Jewish paranormal was a thing! Fangs & Fiction (part of the Library Witch Mysteries) by Elle Adams and remains a decent quick read. I started the Pandora's Pride series - Double Down on Demons  and High Stakes and Vampires by Annabel Chase; this is a strong recommend. There seem to be a lot of books on women in their 40s in paranormal. It's kind of nice. I enjoyed Suddenly Psychic and Semi-Psychic Life from Elizabeth Hunter's Glimmer Lake series quite a bit. Knights Magica  by B.R. Kingsolver (finale? of the Rosie O'Grady's Paranormal Bar and Grill series) was better than some of the others in the series.  All 4 of the Stolen Magic series by Jayne Hawke. (Which, after reading the first book of her Hidden Magic series is apparently a total repeat. And explains the name mix up in book 3 of Stolen Magic.) This one was a skip. 
• April 2020 - This was the month I broke the Kindle Unlimited. (Not really but I gave it a good try!) The business books of the month were split   - unfortunately one was not terribly inspiring or useful - Blue Goldfish: Using Technology, Data and Analytics to Drive both Profits and Prophets by Stan Phelps and Evan Carroll (hard copy). But Talk Triggers by Jay Baer was fantastic! (All businesses should read it!). In a bonus for the month two of my favorite authors out out their next books: a) Linsey Hall did Connor's story - Secrets and Alchemy - which is the perfect beach read. (Despite the beach being closed) and b) Midlife Fairy Hunter by Shannon Mayer which is laugh out loud funny and super fun.  I did a lot to catching up on some lightweight series including Number 4 in Rosie O'Grady's Paranormal Bar and Grill, Well of Magic by B.R. Kingsolver, the last two of CN Crawford's Court of the Sea Fae Trilogy, Fallen King  and Rising Queen as well as the last two of an Amy Boyles Southern Belles and Spells Matchmaker Mysteries -  Magical Dames and Dating Games + Some Pig and A Mummy Dig. I also started a new series Newborn Pixie Cozy Mystery Books by Willow Mason - there were 3 and they were a nice read. (All of these were a nice bit of time but nothing earth-shattering.) . Whisper of the Moon Moth by Lindsay Jayne Ashford has been in my to-be read digital pile forever - and I wish I had read it sooner! Fantastic historical fiction. Oddly better than the movie, The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger (hard copy).  If you haven't done a lot of work on mindset,  Reset Your Mindset by Nicole Eckdahl, is a good starter. (For me it as a little boring.) 
• March 2020 -  Was a pretty decent book month! I finally finished out  Irish Fairy and Folk Tales by WB Yeats (editor) which I gave to a good friend because it did not bring me joy.  I quite enjoyed the latest Mercy Thompson, Smoke Bitten by Patricia Briggs (digital).  I keep 1 self-help, good thoughts book on my shelf and this month it was The Four Spiritual Laws of Prosperity by Edwene Gaines - not bad but I didn't love it. I sent it off to a friend. (It's nice during covid to get things at your house - brightens the days.)  And my find of the month was The Checklist Book by Alexandra Franzen. It's a beautiful way to cope with the chaos our busy lives can be.
• "A step in the wrong direction is better than staying on the spot all your life" - pg 58, Edwene Gaines book
• Great Gothe quote - " Whatever you do, or dream you can, begin it. Boldness has genius and power and magic in it." - pg 71, Edwene Gaines book
• February 2020 - February is for reading! (Show that love of books!) I started with Untouchable by Jayne Ann Krentz (typical of her and a great beach read - I left it poolside in Tampa for another to enjoy). Got another business book everyone should read - Marketing to the Entitled Consumer by Nick Worth and Dave Frankland. Gold! We've all got to work in the age of Amazon and changing consumer expectations. Yes. When reading, balance of materials is essential so, next I went motivation and mind candy.... The Elegant Warrior by Heather Hansen was not my cup of tea for tone. Our 3 "beach reads" of the month are: When We Believed in Mermaids by Barbara O'Neal (although Kit deserved a guy as hot as the Aussie. Smart sister gets the hottie please); The Art of Inheriting Secrets by Barbara O'Neal; and Sea of Memories by Fiona Valpy (a good beach read). Next up "guilty pleasures" - Killed off Claire's series from Linsey Hall with Queen of the Light, then moved to Hell Hath No Fury by Annabel Chase, Love Spells & Late Fees by Elle Adams. Continued the h-i-l-a-r-i-o-u-s Josie Brown series - The Housewife Assassin's Guide to Gracious Killing and The Housewife Assassin's Killer Christmas Tips. Shannon Mayer has started a new series Grave Magic Bounty and I ADORE her new heroine. I am on pins and needles for the next in the series! (OOOOOH. New Mercy Thompson book coming out in March, too!).

• January 2020 - I like to start the year with a signature book. In 2020, that book was Marianne Williamson's The Law of Divine Compensation! (Everyone should read it. MUST read.) Linsey Hall has opened a new series, The Forbidden Fae. I started with Crown of Fire (Book 1) and Fate of Fire (Book 2). Like all of her series these are nice beach reads.  Witch Way to Death & Destruction by Jane Hinchey. (beach read).  What the Wind Knows by Amy Harmon (recommend!!!) I also did some audio books - Junkyard Cats by Faith Hunter (most enjoyable of the bunch), Born a Crime by Trevor Noah (too slow moving for my taste and I did not like his mom), and Marie Kondo's  Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up (big fat NOPE on that one.)

For 2019, I set an actual goal for reading. 52. One per week. This seems very reasonable - or at least did at the beginning of the year. (And blasted right past it to 153 books!) 

• December 2019 - We were traveling at the beginning of the month and I read a few books then. I dumped 1000 White Women: The Journals of Mary Dodd by Jim Fergus at an AirBnB in Belize. It was horrific and should never be read. As always, JD Robb delivers with Secrets in Death. Then, on the plane back I started - and snorted aloud laughing on the plane - The Housewife Assassin's Handbook by Josie Brown. (Go get you that one!) 
• November 2019 -  I read Nikki Rausch's next book, The Selling Staircase which is brilliant. Anyone in business for herself - and hello, we all are - needs to read this ASAP!!! I also did a digital deep dive into C.N. Crawford's Shadow Fae series (7 books) which hits the beach read vibe.  And the first book of her Dark King book which is another series. I started a new series, Laura Thalassa's War and Pestilence books - very good overall except I wish the heroines were just a bit older to match the maturity of their actions. I powered through all 4 books of Elle Adam's Library Witch series - and who wouldn't want to find out they have magical relations and inherit part of an amazing library? I finished out the Linsey Hall Dragon's Gift: Dark Fae!!! Rise of the Fae. But folks, I still have questions about Mari and Aeri. (Who is Aeri's mom? How is Mari royal?)
• "... my survival code, otherwise known as Miriam Elmahdy's Guide to Staying the ...Alive: 1) Bend the rules - but don't break them. 2) Stick to the truth. 3) Avoid notice. 4) Listen to your instincts. 5) Be brave.  Five simple rules, that while not always being easy to follow, have kept me alive the the last seven years." War by Laura Thalassa
• "Plants. Of course the Queen of Poisons gave directions by way of plants." C.N. Crawford (one of the Shadow Fae last 3 books)
• "...men never had to be flexible in that way. He could just stand there, rigid as a rock and say this is who I am, and I'll be ... if I'm changing. Women - like me and Queen Nan here - we were used to being mutable." C.N. Crawford (of the the first 4 of the Shadow Fae books).
• "How immensely human to be scared of bumblebees and ghosts while speeding around in flaming death machines all day like it was nothing." Dark King by C.N. Crawford
• October 2019 - Go run yourself out and buy a copy of these 2 business book recommendations - Buying Signals by Nikki Rausch, Hello! My Name is Awesome by Alexandra Watkins.  While I quite enjoyed  the All 3  books of the Rosie O'Grady's Paranormal Bar and Grill books by B.R. Kingsolver, I hesitate to recommend them. There is just something a little unbelieveable about the heroine. Winter Hours by Mary Oliver has been hanging about my Kindle a good while. It's a short read, but I would not say I loved it. 
• "What did you do in the morning when the man was still alive? You'd probably have to talk to him. What would you talk about?" - Shadow Hunter by B. R. Kingsolver
• "I just knew I was very lonely and wished an adult would show up to make everything better." - Night Stalker by B. R Kingsolver
• "Every word is a messenger. Some have wings; some are filled with fire; some are filled with death." - Winter Hours by Mary Oliver
• September 2019 - Continued binging on Linsey Hall  - all the series (The Dragon's Gift: The Huntress;  The Dragon's Gift: The Amazon; and The Dragon's Gift: Queen of the Fae by Linsey Hall). I am a hard recommendation on that author! I just love her stories and the pacing. Mixed it up a little with JR Ward's Black Dagger series - The King - electronic, The Shadows - electronic , and The Chosen - physical. - which are always a good beach or escapist read. (And I needed that this month.) I'm also a hard recommend on Katherine Tree's The Bear's Wife. If you liked FireFly the TV series, I think this is your book. (And I can give no higher accolade. #BrownCoatForever) It's available on Kindle Unlimited! Also up this month on Kindle Unlimited (I got my money's worth this month!): a nice read with a bit of smart history in A Beautiful Poison by Lydia King (RECOMMEND); beach read recommendations on Southern Belles and Spells Matchmaker Mysteries by Amy Boyles; NEW SERIES ALERT on the Federal Bureau of Magic by Annabel Chase; picked up the fluffy next in line for Susan Harper's Beaten at His Own Game (BackRoom Bookstore #9); and my newly favorite series by  by  Ashley Beasley book 3 of the Eve Williams series - Shadows and Souls (RECOMMEND).
• "Electric happiness mixed in with the horrific, like when you saw a broken robin's egg on the ground in spring, full of smashed baby bird, and still thought - what a splendid color of eggshell." - A Beautiful Poison by Lydia King.
• "I am the villain of my story."  Great Balls of Fury by Annabel Chase.(I feel like this ALL the time with my family!)
• August 2019 - This was a digital month. Heavy on the Kindle Unlimited. The Wiched Witches of Destiny Cove by Sara Bourgeois. (Not recommending. It goes LEFT in book 3 and never comes back.) Jane Hinchey's Witch Way series, books 1-4. (I'm team Blake. I'm likely in the minority there) Recommendation level=Beach Read. Susan Harper's Back Room Bookstore series, books 1-8. Easy fluff but not a recommend as it needs editing. Finished out Olivia Swift's Blooms, Bones and Stones Cozy Mystery set books 3-6. Recommend level=rainy day. And then I found a new author and just freaking binged. If you need an escapist read that has a fast pace, Linsey Hall is the way to go! The Dragon's Gift: The Valkyrie (books 1-5), The Dragon's Gift: The Sorceress (books 1-5 and hello I'm team Declan), The Dragon's Gift: The Dark Fae (books 1 & 2). 
• July 2019 - Highly digital, I finished out the rest of the Lainwich Witch books by Raven Snow (recommended for a beach read only). Bramble and Blood and Birdsong and Bone by Ashley Beasley which had extraordinary world building and I can't wait for the next one! (RECOMMEND. Big-time) The first 2 of Olivia Swift did a series of cozy mysteries - 6 total - called Blooms, Stones & Bones. I made it through the first 2 one weekend. Enjoyable.  In hard copy, just two books. Priam's Lens by Jack L Chalker from the Little Free Library (pass) and Create Your Own Luck by Susan Hyatt (recommend - I also love her podcast.)
• June 2019 - Another few of the Lainwich Witch books (Murder Comes Calling and Murder Before Marriage, both digital)  - Book and A Certain Age by Beatriz Williams. The Witch Cozies were obviously lighter reading but A Certain Age was more interesting. It would be a good summer read at the beach.
• A man never knows how to say good-bye; a woman never knows when to say it. (Helen Rowland) - A Certain Age by Beatriz Williams
• ...she had explored vast and intricate worlds from the worn cushions of the parlor sofa, only to return those worlds to the nearby public library a week later. Books after all, were expensive, and it was better to eat than read. So the little shelf in Sophie's bedroom contained a selection of volumes amassed lovingly over successive  birthdays, and Christmases, and the idea of an entire gilded library, old and venerable, covered with the fingerprints of one's ancestors, never needing to be returned to its rightful owner - why, it stole her will! - A Certain Age by Beatriz Williams.

• May 2019 - This month, we went digital: Raven Snow's Lainswich Witches, books Number 5 through Number 17 so far. (Beach read recommendation). Shannon Mayer's Celtic Legacy trilogy. (Rainy day recommendation). Little Boy Lost by JD Trafford. Storm Cursed by Patricia Briggs. Plus The Orphan Daughter by Cari Noga. (If you like Michigan and enjoy the twists of family, recommend). In physical books, Lysa TerKeurst's Uninvited: Living Loved When You Feel Less Than, Left Out, and Lonely. (Good perspective on life issues.)
• She didn't like those little get togethers where everyone acted like they had always been close, not in the least bit estranged. - Cursed Romance by Raven Snow.
• Let's look at the word terrified as it is used in these scriptures. It's tarasso, which means "to set in motion what needs to remain still." - Uninvited by Lysa Terkeurst.
• Heartbreaking seasons can certainly grow me but were never meant to define me. - Uninvited by Lysa Terkeurst.

• April 2019 - Moreau Factor by Jack L Chalker. The Now Revolution: 7 Shifts to Make Your Business Faster, Smarter and More Social by Jay Baer and Amber Naslund. Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll. Race Against Time by Piers Anthony. (It was kind of awful. It didn't age well but was easy to read.)  Connections in Death by JD Robb. Hexes and Exes by Raven Snow. (Kindle Unlimited).And well, I really needed a break after a stressful month - so I ripped through the Kindle editions of all 4 of Shannon Mayer's Questing Witch series. Plus her The Venom Trilogy series. (Pick up any Shannon Mayer book. You won't regret it. But she is addictive. You are warned.)
• March 2019 - Nada. I did start Blinkist so I read summaries of about 10 non-fiction books.
• February 2019 -  Lewis Carroll's  classic Alice's Adventures in Wonderland! was the book of the month - in part due to the gorgeous edition I got at Barnes & Noble. Apprentice in Death and Dark In Death by JD Robb were both great sick day reads - I love the series (Dallas and Roarke forever). All books for the month recommended! (Stamp!)
• January 2019 - LaRae Quy's Mental Toughness for Women Leaders and Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil were both good. (But, LaRae - call me. I can help with editing.) So I felt very tough and Southern. Not a bad combination! (MitGoGaE went back to the in-town Little Free Library.) If you would like a shot of thinking differently pick up LaRae's book.

2018 started off to be another slower reading year. Not even one book a week! (After college I remember reading 2 books a week at minimum. I wonder where that time went?) August Update - A friend told me her one book per week goal, and it seemed reasonable. So, now I'm hitting about 1 book a week if you average it. (But what I'm really doing is binging books. 3 one week, none for several weeks.)

• December 2018 - The Art of Social Media: Power Tips by Power Users by Guy Kawasaski and Peg Fitzgerald; Crimson Death by Laurell Hamilton;  and Your First 100: How to Get Your First 100 Repeat Customers by Meera Kothand was a quick digital read - and nothing new to learn. In total, while I read, this was not the best use of my reading time as I did not love any of these.
• "That's not fair." "Life isn't supposed to be fair." "What does that mean?" "It means children whine, That's not fair. Grown-ups understand that fairness is rare and good treatment must be earner." - Crimson Death by Laurell Hamilton

• November 2018 - - The Colony by John Tayman was filled with personal accounts of the leper colony on Hawaii and was quite interesting. The Divine Secrets of the YA-YA Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells was a very enjoyable read from my local Little Free Library and is a recommendation! Lynchpin by Shannon Mayer via my Kindle Unlimited because I'm a finisher. I ran through the whole Blood singer series by CT Adams after finding Book 5 at the local Little Free Library the week before. Thanks to the awesome digital option - I was able to download the others to my Kindle for instant gratification. (Blood Song, Siren Song, Demon Song, The Isis Collar, The Eldritch Conspiracy, To Dance with The Devil, and All Your Wishes.) And here's what I thought of those - they were good. But full of character/plot holes. Seriously, they needed a chronology and outline as they went along because they kept getting details wrong from prior books. (A good editor is a valuable thing.) It did not get better on book 7 when it came down to 1 author as the vibe changed. And here's my comment - I'm team Creede. But I think I got out-voted (kind of like I'm team Ranger, and that won't happen.)
• "I did not understand then that my mother lived in a world that could not or would not acknowledge her radience, her pull on the earth - at least not as much as she needed. So she made up her own solar system with the other Ya-Yas and lived in its orbit as fully as she could." - The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood  by Rebecca Wells.

• October 2018 - believe it or not, nothing super quotable as a one off! Although I would say nearly all of Get Rich, Lucky Bitch by Denise Duffield-Thomas  was worth paying attention to. But to pull out quotes would've been like excerpting the whole book! Great self-improvement read. Perfect for a beach! Big recommendation. It's Not About You, It's About Bacon: Relationship Marketing in a Social Media World by Brian Basilico by Laura Shapiro - was a decent re-read from about 8 years ago. The info holds up well. The Greensmith Girls: A Supernatural Witch Cozy Mystery (recommend) by Raven Snow (via Kindle Unlimited) which is shaping up to be a nice cozy mystery series. I like a series as it lets me get to know the characters in new ways. 
• September 2018 - The Mermaid by Christina Henry (so-so recommendation - enjoyable but low depth); What She Ate by Laura Shapiro (total recommend - and OMG, I'm a Helen Gurley Brown feminist which shows my age); The Secret Garden by Francis Hodgson Burnett (no). And... my Quotle app died... so I'm going to start adding delicious quotes here! This is Month 1 of that. Let me know if you like them here or would rather see them in the Book section of the monthly post.
• "He would not be convinced. Amelia finally realized it was because he himself did not understand what it mean to be different and to have people expect you to change for their sake. She realized that no man could understand this, really, though they expected their wives to do so every day."  - The Mermaid by Christina Henry (This is a #MeToo moment in beautiful prose. We know this.)
• "She had no ill will: she was merely incompetent and inflexible." - Eleanor Roosevelt chapter of What She Ate by Laura Shapiro (oh that reminds me of someone in my work world...)
• “Life’s problems are often eased by hot milky drinks.” - Barbara Pym chapter of What She Ate by Laura Shapiro (Hello, Sheldon!)

• August 2018 - And continuing my streak, I finished up that very dense book of economics - Local Dollars, Local Sense! (The last 60 pages are the easiest bit. And I disagree with his math on home ownership because it does not include repairs.) I also demolished The Elemental Series by Shannon Meyers, all 7 + the novella knocked out on the Kindle. I also ready Burn Bright by Patricia Briggs on the Kindle and re-read her Silence Falls digitally after catching a copy of Fire Touched on sale. My friends  - pick any long weekend or beach day and read any of these 3!
• July 2018 - Joyous dancing on the streets! I finished the Retha Warnicke book on Queen Elizabeth! Still plowing my way through Local Dollars, Local Sense - whew, that one has ALL the maths! And added Empire Falls by Richard Russo (don't even see the movie on that one - no), and The Dark Sacred Night by Julia Glass (hard no), and the guilty pleasure of Blood Fury by JR Ward. I think that series is tapped out. The overlaps are huge - I literally spent 1/2 the book thinking I'd already read it
• June 2018 - I'm done with the whole 10 minute reading technique experiment! It's too slow - I'm still on the Anne Boleyn and Local Dollars book (although that one is dense). I'm a power reader. Embracing it! Powered through Pamela by Shannon Meyer during a long DMV wait. And during a weekend trip got a few new books: The Marsh King's Daughter by Karen Dionne (recommend), Lab Girl by Hope Jahren, Brotherhood in Death by JD Robb and Promise Not To Tell by Jayne Ann Krentz. (The last two are guilty pleasures - and I don't apologize!)
• May 2018 - We got kittens. Need I say more? (More: I'm still doing that reading technique with the 10 pages. I'm much less in love with it. Slooow going.)
• April 2018 - I'm still trying the new, slower reading technique which combines ready 10 pages per book per day of up to 5 books. But it got interrupted by a binge of the Rylee Adamson series - all 10 of them plus 2 of the "after" novels! This is why we love ebooks! Also grabbed a few books for reading on my business trip: Norse Mythology from Neil Gaiman (recommend), Career Kred (recommend) and Build Your Dream Network.
• March 2018 -  J.R. Ward's The Beast; Amber Hurdle's The Bombshell Business Woman (recommend); The Way of the Witch is actually 3 novels in one; and using the 5 books-10 pages-a day technique, tackled  The Rise and Fall of Anne Boleyn by Retha Warnicke and Local Dollars, Local Sense by Michael Shuman.
• January 2018 - The Birth of Venus by Sarah Dunant, The Roanoke Girls by Amy Engel (recommend), and The Speckled People by Hugo Hamilton (highly recommend, especially to anyone who grew up in 2 worlds). (I ranked those by enjoyed least to enjoyed most.)

2017 was like the year of reading that wasn't. Time has just been at such a premium! But what I did read has been documented a good bit via my new favorite app, Quotle. (I've also included links the books I loved.)

• December 2017 - Bullet by Laurell K. Hamilton, Lagom by Linnea Dunne, The Furies by Natalies Haynes, The Blank Wall by Elisabeth Sanxay Holding, and  The Innocent Mrs. Duff by Elisabeth Sanxay Holding. (Ranked least to most enjoyed - totally recommend the last two) 
• November 2017 - Twenty Three by Janet Evanovich and The House at the Edge of Night by Catherine Banner.
• October 2017 - An Interpretation of Murder by Jed Rubenfield, The Immortals by Tamora Pierce (which actually has 4 books in one), Drafter by Kim Harrison, and The Child Finder by Rene Denfeld (I ranked those by least to most favorite - totally recommend the last)
• August 2017 - The Third Translation by Matt Bondurant,  Echoes in Death by J.D. Robb, and The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George (which is a great read) 
• June 2017 - The Job (Janet Evanovich), Broken Open (Elizabeth Lesser), The Ice Queen (Alice Hoffman), Silence Falls (digital edition) by  Patricia Briggs
• May 2017 - The Danger Box by Blue Balliett
• April 2017 - My Kind of Place by Susan Orleans and a "business" book, The Decision to Join by The Center for Association Leadership
• February 2017 -  Not in Kansas Any More by Christine Wicker 
• January 2017 - Patricia Briggs' Alpha and Omega series - Hunting Ground, Fair Game, Dead Heat; plus Fire Touched from her Mercy Thompson series.

I've read that Elon Musk is not a fan of business books. And so, I apologize not for the lessons I learn in other genres.

2016 was the year of fiction reading. (Business, too I expect - but it started with Irish literature.) But I didn't read enough books to do the write-ups I started a few years ago. So, I wrapped up notes on what I read in the monthly updates (Currently, Month) but here's the short list:

• November 2016 - Night Broken by Patricia Briggs
• July 2016 - Dead Deceiver by Victoria Houston (digital)
• April 2016 - A Star Called Henry by Doyle
• February 2016 Books - just a bit of reading on a plane. A reading tourney always seems to fit with a physical journey.

My "to be read" shelf

2015 started with a a bit of self-reflection in January and has progressed. 

• October 2015 Books - And we are back! In a small way.
• Extra: A list of ways to read more
• July 2015 Books - Didn't happen. New discovery: yard sales are not good times to read. And perhaps I should have read this list on reading more sooner....
• June 2015 Books - Bits and pieces of reading. Things captured on a summer day.
• Extra - A reading list from a bank? Yes!
• May 2015 Books - Reading is fundamental. For me it was fundamental to who I am.
• Extra - A basketball coach's book list 
• April 2015 Books - A good bit of reading happened this month. The best result of which was that I now have a vacation drink of choice - mint juleps  - as an ode to the historically significant main ingredient.
• Extra - Marilyn Monroe's library
• March 2015 Books - No reading happened this month. For several reasons. One good. One very, very deeply sad.
• Extra - Secret libraries
• February 2015 Books - what I haven't been reading and why cooking was a substitute this month.
• Extra - Libraries to live in
• On a more serious note, I read this enlightening article by The Atlantic Monthly about the fundamental state of ISIS. I strongly believe every American should read the article: "What ISIS Really Wants".
• January 2015 Books - why I've been reading what I've been reading.

A list of readings from 2014 by month (+ assorted extras, like what I didn't say - a 2014 feature):

• December 2014 Books
• What I didn't say: I call certain genres "mind candy" but some books are more than that. Books that weave true science and true history into worlds of new making deserve respect for their creations.
• November 2014 Books
• What I didn't say: Oyi. I totally echo the sentiments of the reviewer who said about MaryJanice Davidson's Betsy series - "She needs to stop writing these so I can stop feeling I must read them." They are a trainwreck. And getting more incoherent and harder to join in progress as they go. Self-implosion pending.
• October 2014 Books
• What I didn't say: I started The Story Sisters on a plane to NOLA and finished it on the flight home. I cried. It's beautifully written. But privileged and a little unrelatable. Not everyone has grandparents willing to foot their housing bills and find them jobs. In Alice Hoffman's work, I often find this element of old money. For me, it's off-putting. (However, I adored that the wisest of the characters was of Russian extraction.)
• September 2014 Books
• What I didn't say: Laurell K Hamilton is a guilty pleasure. The books are not fabulously intricate. They are unlikely in the extreme for relationships - which are exactly the same in each series she writes. And yet, I read them eagerly!
• August 2014 Books
• What I didn't say: The Weird Sisters spoke to my heart. It was  - at the heart of it - about books! The relationships mirrored the ebb and flow of sibling relationships I've seen within my own family. I wanted to buy copies and send them - marked, of course, to certain passages - to family. They won't read them though or see themselves. It's funny what we choose to see in the mirrors of ourselves.
• July 2014 Books
• What I didn't say: First lines of books! Oh, what a delightful concept for a blog. Of course, the Wall Street Journal would think of it first. 
• June 2014 Books
• What I didn't say: I actually regret reading Shadow Spell. It was so predictable! I should've abandoned it and focused on another book. And oyi! Mad About a Boy? I should know I only like Helen Fielding's Olivia Joules book. (It does have my favorite rules.)
• May 2014 Books
• What I didn't say: Being Miss Rumphius may be my new life goal. To be surrounded by books, to live by the sea, and to make the world beautiful. 
• April 2014 Books
• What I didn't say: Reading kids books means pretty pictures. That's just fun. Yes, I "had" to read these for the Sunday school class I was teaching, but I enjoyed it.
• March 2014 Books
• What I didn't say: I Spy DYI Style was fun! I should've made a copy of a few projects! There is a scarf I want to make into a cute top...
• February 2014 Books
• What I didn't say: Green Eggs and Ham is probably the best sales book ever! And I love Dr. Seuss. 

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