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A Year of Personal Growth Through Reading: Top Picks for 2024
Reading is one of the most powerful ways to transform your life. Here’s how you can grow exponentially through books. In our digital world, the allure of reading may not be what it used to be. But at the same time, people are suffering from digital burnout, a lack of purpose, and the constant dissatisfaction that comes with existing online in the age of social media. While there’s no turning back the clock to the pre-internet era, the good news is that reading books is one of the most powerful ways you can develop your mind and spirit. Read on to learn how we can harness the power of reading in…
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Review: Happy Place by Emily Henry
I absolutely loved Emily Henry’s debut novel Beach Read. But you know, sometimes those amazing debut novels don’t always mean the author will be able to replicate that magic in follow up books. Before I decided to make Emily Henry an auto buy author, I decided to give check out her second book, People We Meet on Vacation, a try and see how the sophomore novel went. It was a great second novel and enough to confirm me as a big fan. But it was truly her novel Book Lovers that made Emily Henry an auto buy author for me! Seeing her latest novel Happy Place was coming out this…
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Special Feature: The Seaside Library by Brenda Novak
There are a few ‘beach read’ authors that I love featuring and reading as the sunshine starts peaking out in the spring and one of them is Brenda Novak! I have enjoyed her books and while she also write holiday themed books, I have a special place in my heart for her summer beach reads. Novak is a prolific writer and has many many many novels under her belt most of which are women’s fiction/romance but some have elements of mystery as well. I am super excited to share this one with you guys today, as it sounds like it’s going to have her trademark women’s fiction/romance blend but also…
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Review: Well Traveled (Well Met #4) by Jen DeLuca (Audible Edition)
This series was my favorite obsession last year. I binge read the books and loved them all in their own ways and had no idea that Renaissance Fair romance was even a thing that I would be into but here we are. I honestly thought the third book would be the last as most of the reoccurring characters had indeed met their matches but then this one came up as Dex’s story. If you have read the previous books you will remember Dex as the Ren Fair Romeo who has a ‘girl at every fair’ that he hooks up with. So I thought this one sounded like it would be…
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Special Feature: The Sister Effect by Susan Mallery
I have been a Susan Mallery fan for some time now and I am always excited to check out whatever new book she comes out with! Susan Mallery is a prolific writer with many many many novels under her belt. Some run more toward romance while others are more women’s fiction but I always find something to love whenever I crack open one of her books! She is one of my top beach reads authors, I always feel like I read something well written and worth while when I read her books. I couldn’t fit this one in on my review schedule—but I have all the details and a little…
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Special Feature/Excerpt: Johanna Porter is Not Sorry by Sara Read
Something about this book just spoke to me. Hot rising star in the art world, turned no body soccer mom. I mean isn’t that the fear of every woman who has a child—that they will fade into obscurity. Not that I would regret ever having a child, but I can totally relate to just this single summary sentence. The second I had my son and became a stay at home mom, I felt completely out of the loop at my old job. I never heard from anyone and the education world moved on without me which was hard to process. So when I saw this little part of the summery…
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Review: The True Love Bookshop (Somerset Lake #3) by Annie Rains
Prior to reading this book, I had never heard of Annie Rains. But then when I looked her up on Goodreads, I found that I did recognize some of her book covers! They all look like Hallmark holiday movie covers and I am totally here for it! After recognizing her covers I was even more excited to read this book, considering I had in fact picked up one of her holiday books in line at the grocery store this year to check out while waiting to check out! So what made me say yes to reading this one? Well, when it came across my desk for review, I couldn’t wait…
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Special Feature: In it to Win it by Sharon C Cooper
In the last few years, the publishing industry has been blasting our bookshelves with BIPOC authors and novels and I am absolutely here for it! I think representation is so important even if I am Caucasian, I have a biracial child and LOVE seeing diversity in books, television, and movies! I also love all the focus on having more plus size characters in books, overall this movement for inclusion and representation has been such a welcome change in many different media—books being one of them! Author Sharon C Cooper has written multiple successful romance novels and series and this latest novel, In it to Win it, is just her latest!…
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Review: Two Wrongs Make a Right by Chloe Liese
I have been knee deep in romantic suspense murder novels and while I am loving them, I always love a good romance. When I decided to review this one it was because I loved the cover (the girl with the sleeve tattoo spoke to me since I have a sleeve too!) and I loved that it was a Much Ado About Nothing retelling! While Much Ado About Nothing isn’t my favorite Shakespeare play, I did enjoy it and was eager to check out this more modern retelling. I haven’t read anything by author, Chloe Liese, but I loved that she is a dedicated romance writer committed to everyone having their…
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Review: Kiss Me, Catalina by Priscilla Oliveras
I read the first book in this series (West Side Love Story) earlier this year and thought it was really well written with lots to enjoy. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this second novel by Priscilla Oliveras. New readers do not need to read the first book, West Side Love Story, to enjoy this latest book though. It works well as a standalone novel and you will not feel lost with in the story or characters at all as this book has it’s own set of independent characters and it’s own plot. The thing that caught my eye about this one (besides having read the first book…