I wanted to buy this audiobook but sadly I cannot find that is available for purchase anywhere! Thankfully Hoopla has a copy and I‘ve been listening on my commute. Davina Porter narrates—I LOVE her narration. I‘m only about 1/4 thru the book, but enjoying the large, sweeping scope of it and the Australian setting.

I‘m starting off my week reading both of these:

• This is my first time reading The Thorn Birds and I‘m very excited. I love reading long family sagas in the evenings because I love getting swept away in those worlds.

• I love RaeAnne Thayne‘s books for their ease and the absence of drama. I have a super busy work week with lots of travel time, so I‘m thinking the audio of Redemption Bay is just what the doctor ordered for my time on the road.

This is a beautifully written book about the consequences of bad decisions and also about the power of forgiveness. I was initially worried that I might not enjoy it given all of the mixed reviews, but I truly did. I felt every different emotion throughout and as I approached the end, I had no idea how things would end up. But I loved it. A brilliant read. Tom Sherbourne is a wonderful character.

Started this book this morning. I bought it several years ago because of the lovely cover but I‘m just now getting around to reading it. The writing is beautiful and it plays out like a movie in my head. But I have a feeling it will have some very sad moments based on some of the reviews I‘ve seen in the past.

I was a full 2/3 into the book before I actually started enjoying the story and caring about Becky Bloomwood. I‘m surprised I didn‘t DNF, honestly. Of course, the ending wraps up too quickly and there is no way Becky would end up as lucky as she did. For now, I‘m just glad I‘m finished and can move onto something else. I have no idea if I‘ll ever pick up the rest of the series, but I do own them.

Sidenote: I‘ve never seen this movie!

Needed something light after two heavy books. Since I‘m driving a lot for work this week, I chose this Sophie Kinsella because her standalones are so charming. I‘m almost half thru this one, though, and the MC Becky is insufferable!! I‘m going to listen while I drive today but if it doesn‘t start to turn upward soon, I‘m bailing.

I liked Becky more when I read from my paperback this morning, so perhaps I‘m just not clicking with the audio🤷🏻‍♀️

It‘s so much fun to anticipate a book SO MUCH and then it 100% lives up to it. The possibility of nuclear war is definitely a serious subject but I enjoyed every second of reading about it here. My heart raced, I held my breath, I couldn‘t stop turning the pages. I adore Ken Follett‘s work for the exciting ride it takes me on while I‘m reading it. I‘m so glad I bought this one for myself!!

I‘m starting Never by Ken Follett today! This was my most anticipated 2021 read and I bought it at the B&N 50% off hardcover sale a few days ago. So, so excited to be starting it going into the weekend!! I‘ve seen mixed reviews — I‘m hoping I‘ll fall on the side that loves it.

Finished my reread! It‘s a true joy to revisit a book I love and find it just as exciting and emotional as the first time I read it. Resolute is one of my top favorite female leads ever. This book spans her life, from a 10 yr wealthy child living on a Jamaican plantation in the 1700‘s to capture by pirates, to indentured servitude, to a Canadian orphanage, to her little home outside of Lexington and Concord. A very strong historical saga.

I‘m really proud I met this goal!! 🙌🏻🎉 I started a new part-time job in August and ended up working overtime every week for my first three months of working. Things have settled a little bit now and I‘m really enjoyed reading at a slower pace than in previous years.

My goal for 2022 will be 100 books.

I decided on a whim yesterday to reread one of the best books I‘ve ever read (maybe THE best) for my first book of 2022. The main character, Resolute, is a force and her story is incredible. I‘ve thought about this book a million times since I last read it 5 years ago.

My house is quiet right now so I‘m getting some really good reading time.

My last read of 2021 is a reread of one of my top favorites. I chose to read my treasured ARC copy because I love this cover more than the others on my shelves. Every time I read this book, the characters speak new things to me. I relate with some *so much* and I find great humor in others. The part of me that loves food and cooking narratives loves this story SO HARD, as does the part of me that loves stories about found family. Just brilliant.

One of the books I got at the B&N Hardcover 50% sale today. The recipes in this collection use shortcuts in one way or another: perhaps store bought pizza crust, various cans, or store-cooked rotisserie chickens. I really love cooking from scratch, but I seriously need some help making good meals when I work long days. I‘ll be trying some of these as soon as this week. 🍽

I promised myself I wouldn‘t cry with this reread but as I came to the end of the series today, I couldn‘t help it!! I‘m so attached to the Quinn family and if there were ten books in this series (instead of four) I would reread them all every year. It was great fun to sit and read the entire book straight thru today. It doesn‘t feel like Christmas is complete until I‘ve finished rereading these books🎄🎄🎄

If you enjoyed Pumpkin Everything and Maple Sugar Crush by this same author, you will enjoy this too. Every business in the small town in the story is Christmas themed, and the family is quirky. There is a sweet second chance romance between the MC Caitlin and the local high school band teacher Shane. This is a quick, fun read that was perfect to pick up in little snippets over the past few days while things have been busy around here🎄

This was a nice story up until the last quarter or so. I liked the trip across the country in a decorated RV, spreading Christmas cheer to people who are down on their luck for one reason or another. But the romance at the end was completely out of left field and unnecessary. It ruined the entire story for me and I‘m bummed about that because I love the cover so much.

I read this entire book today-haven‘t done that in a long time. I love this series so much, way down deep in my soul. It was particularly comforting to me several years ago after my dad passed, and every year when I reread it, something new stands out to me.

Doesn‘t happen very often, but my house is completely quiet right now. Bear is keeping my feet warm while I read. I can hear the wind and rain outside and the Christmas tree lights are on. A perfect Sunday afternoon before a busy workweek🎄🎄🎄

I first read this three years ago and still think about it all the time! So I decided to reread this Christmas and I loved it so much more than the last time I read it. The story is filled with Christmas, snow, and family, which is exactly what I wanted. The large family gathering and the small town community are some of the things I love most about stories like this. Will definitely reread again in a few years. 🎄❄️🍽

Bought this for myself today. Can‘t wait to cook thru it! 🍽

I immediately followed the first in this series (Winter Street) with this one. These are so much fun for me. The Quinn family is even more disorganized and dysfunctional in this installment than in the first one, and that‘s why I love them so much. Jennifer‘s story is my favorite in this book; she develops a pill problem after her husband goes to jail for insider trading. The author gives levity to several otherwise heavy situations = I love it.

I‘ve read this book every Christmas since 2014 and I could not love it more!! It always feels like Christmas is truly here when I get to spend time with the Quinn family🎄⛄️

It was an “okay” pick. My favorite part is the beginning when the mist rolled in. It was creepy and suspenseful and atmospheric up until the characters get stranded at the grocery store. I think the story lost its steam at that point and never gained it back. I‘ve never *loved* Lovecraftian fiction (don‘t hate me!) so all of the killer creatures almost felt more darkly comedic than scary.

Up next in my #readingStephenKing project is Firestarter!!

Finished this in the wee hours last night with my eyes burning to close. I enjoyed this book so much, particularly the bits involving food and gardening, and I loved the found family aspect that emerged as the story progressed. This is not a sad or heavy WWII book, like so many are. It‘s truly lighthearted and delightful. The characters are resourceful with their cooking and seasoning of foods in order to stretch out their rations.

This is my current read and I‘m loving it so much. There is cooking and gardening in the story plus the parts about wartime rationing are interesting.

I did not love this one like I loved Salem‘s Lot and The Stand, but I‘m still glad I read it. It became more and more boring the further I read.

But I DID love that I was able to spend the first part of my Thanksgiving Day in PJ‘s, snuggling with my husband, both of us reading.

Onto the next book in my #readingStephenKing project: The Mist!! Reading King‘s books in chronological order is a personal challenge for me and I‘m really enjoying it.

Always fun to find literary Easter eggs!! #readingStephenKing

Next up in my #readingStephenKing project: The Dead Zone!!

I started this six months ago but didn‘t make it past the second chapter. I got a slight start on it today. Feels like it is sticking this time 🙌🏻

This is not one to pick up if you want a pulse-pounding thriller. This is a really good mystery that starts slowly, building and layering as you keep reading. I never would have guessed the direction the story ended up taking and I absolutely loved the way it ended. The relationship between Hannah and her stepdaughter Bailey was complicated and wonderful and, for me, they were the driving force of the book.

Guess what: Today is my birthday!! 🥳🎂🎉

My husband gifted me these books!! I‘m so excited to start reading them!

Great end to the Black Death duet!! The first book (tagged) is about the spread of the pestilence in 1348 and how the characters deal with it in the immediate. This installment begins immediately after the first book and is the story of rebuilding homes, businesses, and status after so much loss. Much conflict stands in the way of Lady Anne and the people of Develish and it was thrilling to watch the conclusion unfold.

Reading outside after a long workday. This is the last of today‘s sunlight and 72 degrees is the perfect temperature.

This book began immediately after the last book ended so I feel fully immersed in the Black Death and its aftermath. Both despair and hope are present in Dorsetshire in the late 1340‘s.

I enjoyed every second I spent reading this. The Black Death is interesting on its own, but my favorite part was how the Lady of Develish and all of her serfs made accommodations so they could survive the pestilence. Lady Anne was ahead of her time in methods for cleanliness and sanitation, and the grace and love she showed each class of people that worked for her made her a pleasure to read about. Waiting on my hold for the second book!! So good.

After I started my new job in August, I sort of gave up on making my goal because I‘m reading so much less these days. Imagine my shock today when I found that I met my goal early!!

I‘m proud of myself! 🥳 🥳 🥳

I liked the story but the book took me forever to read. A full month! I understand why so many love it, but I doubt I‘ll ever read it again. I just don‘t love SciFi as much as some people.

THAT BEING SAID: the 2021 movie is FANTASTIC, a great adaptation. We saw it in IMAX and my entire family loved it. We‘re going to watch it again and we‘re already excited for the next installment which hasn‘t even been filmed yet. Movie better than the book!!

Started this morning and loving it so far!!

Set in Dorsetshire, England in 1348 just as the Bubonic Plague makes landfall and begins to spread. This subject, time, and location are all in my wheelhouse and I‘m excited to have a book like this to fall into this weekend.

Didn‘t love it, didn‘t hate it. Loved the mythology parts and the way I wanted to read more about Ragnarok on my own. But I was annoyed by these characters and their vindictive drama. I wanted it to be atmospheric tale but it really was not.

Glad I read it. Probably won‘t read it again.

My husband always reads Davis Sedaris books with his eyes, but I can‘t think of ingesting this humor any other way than listening because Sedaris reads it himself. We took a road trip a few days ago and listened to this-my husband‘s first time, my third time. I think my husband has converted to a Sedaris audiobook fan. He‘s so funny and we love his humor so much.

Also: When I feel stressed or overwhelmed, I listen to his books.

I‘ve been reading Dune for three weeks now. I‘ve been working a lot lately which has seriously cut into my reading time!!

But I‘m finally caught up at work and tonight is perfect for reading outside. Slightly chilly as the sun goes down and the dog is playing beside me.

Can‘t wait to see the movie this weekend!!

My current listen. Absolutely riveting, I love it.

This is my current listen, narrated by Mark Bramhall who is one of my absolute favorites.

A compelling work of fiction, even though I really don‘t think much of this story is true. The idea that Henry VII spent so much time fearful and paranoid is new to me, and I don‘t buy it the way it is presented here. Still, I loved Elizabeth of York and the way Ms Gregory portrayed her. She was caught in the middle of her York family and her husband‘s family, the Tudors. And I really felt compassion for the difficult choices she had to make.

#currentlyreading while working on dinner: tacos 🌮 and enchiladas!! This book is about Elizabeth of York, daughter of Elizabeth Woodville and Edward IV, and her marriage to Henry VII.

Impossible to know if this story bears any resemblance to Queen Anne Neville‘s real life because hers was so poorly documented. But I‘m fascinated by what Ms Gregory did with her depiction of Richard III who I‘ve always thought of as terrible. He isn‘t terrible at all in this book. Interesting the way Ms Gregory portrayed Elizabeth Woodville (The White Queen) as disliked and feared in this account. I‘ve always known her as well-liked. Great book.

#currentlyreading about Anne Neville, who eventually marries Richard III and becomes Queen. This is the third in a trilogy-within-a-series about The War of the Roses and I‘m surprised to say that so far I like it more than the previous two books. I knew almost nothing about Anne going into this book and I know that much of this is fiction, but I‘m still learning a lot.

I love this series so much. This installment takes place as summer has changed over to fall, so Melinda spends a lot of time readying her farm for the winter. Lots of animals and nature make this one of my favorite series. There are two very lite mysteries, which is new for the series but I enjoyed them. Also there is a contentious small-town mayoral election and a fall festival. The small-town/farm vibes make this an enjoyable read with no angst.

Margaret Beaufort believed absolutely that her son Henry Tudor (later Henry VII) was destined to be king because God willed it. Philippa Gregory‘s version of her was manipulative, cold, and heavily involved in the disappearance of the Princes in the Tower. I didn‘t like her at all, but I appreciate her determination to secure the throne for her son. The end of this book is exciting and fantastic, as Henry faces Richard III in battle for the crown.

Finished my book while the puppy napped. This was an enjoyable read featuring the first people to come across what is now the Bering Strait back at the end of the Ice Age. The characters aren‘t super developed but their relationships are quite dynamic and I really enjoyed the “politics” between tribes. Started sort of slowly but built to a dramatic end. This is the first in a very long series of standalones. Will probably work my way thru slowly.

I‘ve seen this book compared to Jean Auel‘s The Clan of the Cave Bear (one of my favorites) but since I‘m only one-third thru, I don‘t have any concrete opinions about that yet. Both are pre-history in terms of time period and both have the characters on a long journey. Otherwise the writing is very different and the characters are too. I‘m enjoying this read. #currentlyreading

Queen Elizabeth Woodville, wife of Edward IV, was mother to Edward V who was one of the lost Princes in the Tower. I desperately wish some new piece of evidence would be discovered that would tell us for sure what happened to the Princes and who was at fault. Elizabeth was conniving and manipulative a lot of the time, at least in this particular story, and I found her hard to care for. But I still loved this story and the politics of the time.