Since I did so well after planning out my reading last month, I decided to do the same thing again this month! Here are the books next up on my radar.
Coming Clean by Seth Haines
Why was it on the list? I've heard great things about this memoir of faith & sobriety. And when the Kindle version went on sale, I couldn't resist snagging it.
Did I read it? I haven't finished it, but I have started it! I'm about 40% in. It's more poetic than I was expecting, but I'm enjoying it.
Modern Eclairs by Jenny McCoy
Why? For review. And because I love reading cookbooks when I need something that doesn't require too much brain power. Also - hello? Did you see that cover? Who's not going to read that?!
Did I read it? Surprisingly, no. But it's still sitting on my bookshelf, because I think my friend Meghan and I may tackle a recipe or two from it later.
Modern Romance by Aziz Ansari
Why? Well, I know I said I was going to take a celebrity memoir break. But I've heard this one isn't really a memoir. And I've been on hold for about 5 months, so I'm going to listen to it when I get it!
Did I read it? Yes! It was SO funny. It's completely NSFW, but the audio production was great.
Cambodia Noir by Nick Seeley
Why? For review. I decided to select this one from the choices Shelf Awareness sent me, because it's set in Cambodia, the premise seemed fairly interesting, and I'm trying to read more books set in Asia this year.
Did I read it? Yep. It was surreal, to say the least. I liked it, although it was a little hard to figure out what was actually happening and what was a drug-induced hallucination...
Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier
Why? Finishing Rebecca is one of my reading goals for 2016. I'm about 45 minutes in - it's pretty good... although the nameless heroine thing is kinda bugging me a little.
Did I read it? I'm stalled out about halfway through. Le sigh. I'm just not enjoying it on audio. Gonna have to check the library for a hard copy so I can finish it up faster.
The Waters of Eternal Youth by Donna Leon
Why? For review. And because I LOVE Donna Leon's books. Spoiler alert: I'm already just about done with this one. And it's really, really good! I wish I could go to Venice right now. It moves higher up my bucket list with every Leon book I read.
Did I finish it? Yes. It was wonderful. Watch for a glowing review soon.
The Etymologicon by Mark Forsyth
Why? It's a whole book about etymology! And it's laugh-out-loud funny in an intellectual, British sort of way. I keep randomly texting people info from it. (Sample text: Did you know that the words testament, testify, and testicle are all from the same root? In Old Testament times people testified/swore oaths by putting their hands under each other's testicles! HA!) I'm sure everyone around me is going to be sick of it before I'm done, but I'm loving it.
Did I read it? Yep! It was so fun. I listened to it in snippets in between other audiobooks, to be able to spread out the etymological awesomeness.
So I did pretty well again this month! I think I'm definitely going to have to keep up the monthly planning here on the blog, because the accountability is making me read more. I read 4/7 completely, and I'm partly through 2 more. So since I'm posting this a couple of days earlier, I think it's likely I'll finish 5/7!
In addition to those, I also read The Infidel Stain by M.J. Carter, A Curious Beginning by Deanna Raybourn, Far From True by Linwood Barclay, When Falcons Fall by C.S. Harris and Only in Naples by Katherine Wilson.
The Infidel Stain and A Curious Beginning both happened to be Victorian mysteries, although A Curious Beginning took place a half-century later than The Infidel Stain. I particularly enjoyed A Curious Beginning for two reasons - one, the audio production was great (yay Audible sales!), and two, it reminded me a lot of the Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters. Far From True is a modern thriller, which I read for Shelf Awareness. It was well written, but that style of thriller is not my favorite.
Also for Shelf Awareness was Only in Naples whose subtitle ("Lessons in Food and Famiglia from my Italian Mother-in-Law") is pretty self-explanatory.
My favorite of those five "unplanned" reads was When Falcons Fall, which the publisher sent me for review. I adore the Sebastian St. Cyr series, and I thought this was a particularly strong entry. I enjoyed the rural setting (as opposed to the typical London one), and I thought the cast of potential suspects in the murder was intriguing.
What did YOU read this month?
I received some of these books (for free) in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own. Also, the book images are affiliate links.
