I’ve been reading a lot! I have throughout the pandemic, but have heard a lot of people have had trouble reading these past couple of years. Reading has always been a way to escape from problems and it continues to be. Books are my drug of choice. I thought I’d share some of the books I’ve read.
Last week I read A Moment After Dark by Janet Raye Stevens who did a guest post on Monday. While it has some paranormal elements it didn’t feel like a paranormal to me. Great characters and great suspense!
Over the weekend I read Law of Innocence. I love Michael Connelly’s books and am so grateful my sister told me to read them years ago. I started this book around Christmas but it felt too dark so I set it back down. I have to say I had to suspend belief just a little to accept the premise, but I enjoyed the ride.
I’m now reading two books. My day reading is an early copy of Mint Chocolate Murder, the second Ice Cream Shop Murder by Meri Allen aka Shari Randall. I love her protagonist Riley Rhodes and Meri always packs so much into her stories. You can scoop it up (pun intended) by preordering! It comes out on July 26th! Update — I finished the book last night! Wow!
My before I go to sleep book is Slow Horses by Mick Herron. I bought it for my husband last summer because I’d read good reviews and it sounded interesting–washed up MI5 agents get sent to Slough House. My husband needed a new series to read. Not always an avid fiction reader, he’s caught up on the series now.
I’ve also been reading in fits and starts a YA novel The Project by Courtney Summers. I saw it on a list of best books somewhere. It’s about two sisters one who joins a cult and the other who wants to save her. I’ve been fascinated by cults since college when I took a psych class and ended up a reading a book called Snapping: America’s Epidemic of Sudden Personality Change.
Over Christmas I had a brief period where I just couldn’t read any crime fiction so I turned to romance. It’s pure escapism, but apparently I needed an escape. But all three have great character development and didn’t feel formulaic.
Readers: Have you been reading a lot? Do you ever change up what you’re reading?
The Wickeds 
I always read a lot, but I, too, hit a period of just not feeling up to starting a new book. So I caught up on a lot New Yorkers, Smithsonian’s, National Geographic’s, and various other reading. I’m making a renewed effort at tackling the falling over TBR pile. So far I’ve read four books in the last two days. I think I’m back in the groove. I mostly read cozies for the escapism, but I always have one or more non-fiction tomes underway, too.
LikeLike
Magazines is a great idea! And four books in two days?!!! I say your back in the groove!
LikeLike
It’s too early to tell, but so far I’ve read three books, all of them ARCs. Next book is up is THE BIG SLEEP by Sandra Balzo.
LikeLike
book should be THE BIG STEEP
LikeLike
How fun, Dru Ann! I can’t wait to hear about them!
LikeLike
I finished the ARCs for the C.J. Box thriller SHADOWS REEL and John Gilstrap’s BLUE FIRE. I submitted reviews of those to Mystery Scene and got the edits back yesterday.
I finished the ARC for Maddie Day’s BATTER OFF DEAD. While I did indeed love it, I haven’t written my Goodreads review of it yet.
I’m currently reading SAVAGE ROAD by Chris Hauty, the 2nd Hayley Chill thriller. After that I’ll be reading Paige Shelton’s DARK NIGHT, one of the books I got for Christmas.
I’m also reading copies of Classic Rock and Yankee magazines.
LikeLike
That’s a lot of reading!
LikeLike
Combine a pandemic’s lack of a social life with my normal terminally single status and that leaves me with a lot of time to read when I’m not writing or listening to music.
LikeLike
That’s a great selection, Sherry. I just finished In This Grave Hour, another fabulous Jaqueline Winspear historical. I didn’t lose reading mojo at all, although I find it harder to focus on kindle books these days.
LikeLike
My mom loves Jacqueline’s series. I’ll have to make sure she knows about this one.
LikeLike
It’s in the middle-ish of the series. When I read it, I realized I had missed three or four after I’d stopped! Just picked them up from the library.
Jacqueline will be our guest here in March!
LikeLike
According to Goodreads I read 78 books last year. My goal was 60 so yay me! Right now I’m trying to give Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time series another shot, but I have HER NAME IS KNIGHT and ALL HER LITTLE SECRETS at Mystery Lovers Bookshop waiting for me.
LikeLike
I’m going to try to remember to track my reading this year. I’m always curious how many books I’ve read but never keep track.
LikeLike
Liz, my Goodreads goal was 56. I finished 2021 with 101 so I did a big yay for me as well. The local paper has a freelancer who writes about books and has a yearly series called The Century Book Club. I’ve submitted every year but alway less than the 100. This year will be the first year I join The Century Club. Sadly, there is no member’s jacket or secret club handshake. LOL!
LikeLike
Not even a secret decoder ring? 😦
LikeLike
Jay, I agree with Ginny. You should at least get a secret decoder ring. LOL
LikeLike
I often read a variety of boooks, and since I get a lot of my books through the library, I don’t always have a choice in the timing. I just finished the second Fox Crossing book and enjoyed it. I picked up the first one since a few years ago my oldest son hiked the AT, and my younger son joined him for the last 100 miles, so when I read about the setting for the book I was hooked. I also recently read the newest Atlee Pine book (David Baldacci) and it answered a lot of questions for me about the series.
LikeLike
What an amazing accomplishment for your sons! I can’t imagine trying it after reading Fox Crossing! I read the third Atlee Pine and enjoyed it!
LikeLike
Wow, Sherry, that’s a lot of reading! I just finished Lethal Relations by Lol Monaco, a P.I. novel in that reminded me of Sue Grafton. I’ve also started reading Margery Allingham for my golden age fix.
LikeLike
Oh, Lethal Relations sounds good! And I haven’t been writing as much so have been reading more!
LikeLike
Thank you for the suggestions! I see my TBR growing.
I have buried myself in books since the pandemic began. My Goodreads goal was 75, I read 98. In the “before times” my reading varied. Since 2020 I have developed the habit of reading through a series from start to current. Right now, I’m on book 12 of Deborah Crombie’s Kincaid and James series. Not sure where I’ll go after, but I am taking part in Escape With Dolly Cas’s cozy mystery challenge – I think I selected 25 books for my goal this year. Shouldn’t be too hard to accomplish! I’ve books from all the Wickeds on my tbr challenge list! Keep writing ladies. Please.
LikeLike
Wow! I hardly ever read straight through a series. I should try that sometime. Thanks so much for reading our books!
LikeLike
I have read books since childhood, good times and bad…books are my happy place! In December I read:
Melinda Metz’ Fox and Mac the cat books, all five of them
Stella Bixy’s Mistletoe Malarkey
Maria DiRico’s It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Murder
Paige Shelton’s Of Books and Bagpipes
Katie Oliver’s Pride, Prejudice and Peril
Verity Bright’s Death On A Winter’s Day
Laura Bradford’s A Plus One for Murder
And, yesterday I read The Fixer on ebook from the library by Jennifer Lynn Barnes YA Author
I can highly recommend all these books I have read and have Wicked books in my wishlist queue.
Currently I am reading An Eggnog to Die For by Amy Pershing in paperback and Nobody by ebook from the library, another Jennifer Lynn Barnes YA book
LikeLike
What a fabulous list!
LikeLike
Sadly I had to return Nobody to the library, just not the book for me. Sometimes that happens.
LikeLike
These ALL look really interesting, Sherry; your eclectic tastes resemble my own. I enjoy a good paranormal,(a GOOD one), but when it is sci-fi or para and doesn’t seem like one, all the better. Strangely, I have read LESS during the pandemic; you’d think it would be easier.I have gotten in a lot of audiobooks while I am doing ‘busy work’. I went through a lot of older works( Like all of Elizabeth von Arnim’s novels). Many have been from writers whose works I have read, like Roald Dahl’s autobiographical and adult works, or non-fiction by Dough Adams. Right now,I am on The Witcher books.Game-of-Thrones-ish, but shall we say, written with greater finesse? (Nothing is very graphic)
I will be looking at this list again for future reference. I need to find something lighter for in between…not like I don’t have books allover the house and a library in my Kindle that I will never get through! Stay safe; snow is heading your way as it is coming down here at a pretty good clip!
LikeLike
You stay safe too! You’ve given me a lot of books to look up. I think Witcher is already a series on Netflix. But I’m guessing the books are better.
LikeLike
The Witcher TV series is funnier, but convoluted and graphic, (of course, there is Henry Cavill!) The books are much better, (but no Henry!)
We already have more snow than they expected, but it’s still coming down hard.
LikeLike
I definitely read more than one book at a time. Right now I’m reading Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead, Summer of the Big Bachi by Naomi Hirahara, and I just started the golden oldie, The Floating Admiral.
LikeLike
I’ve heard great things about both books and need to give Agatha another try one of these days. I didn’t enjoy her when I was young.
LikeLike
I’ve been reading up a storm the last couple of years. Working from home, I’m constantly surrounded by my screaming TBR bookcases, so that helps motivate me. As does my blog, which is constantly calling for new content.
I just finished up THE TURNCOAT’S WIDOW by Mally Becker. A tad darker than a cozy, but just a few shades, it’s set during the Revolutionary War. I really enjoyed it and am looking forward to the sequel in the Spring.
LikeLike
Oh, that sounds good!
LikeLike
Hi Sherry, what a nice surprise to see Mint Chocolate here. Happy dance!
I love that you have daytime books and before I go to bed books – I’m the same way. My TBR is eclectic, like yours, and right now I’m reading “I Feel Bad About My Neck” by Nora Ephron. She’s hilarious, though the book is dated. I came to it in a roundabout way. I’ve been watching way more TV than ever, and fell for Only Murders in the Building, which is set in a version of NYC’s Apthorp Apartments. Such a fabulous building! I started googling it and discovered that Nora Ephron was one of its famous residents and that led to picking up her book!
LikeLike
I read I Feel Bad About My Neck when it came out and loved it! Although at the time I didn’t get hating my neck. Fifteen years later — I understand!
LikeLike
Reading has always been an escape for me. My go to favorites are cozies because they are short and I love the characters. I am currently reading The Exiles.
LikeLike
I love books with great characters!
LikeLike
Reading is my escape. I read a lot last year and I’m hoping to read even more this year. I don’t keep track of how many books I read. I should though as I’m always wondering how many I read! I usually read cozy mysteries and some romance/Christmas books thrown in there too. I’m excited for the next book by Leslie Meier that comes out this month.
Happy reading!!
LikeLike
Leslie Meier is amazing! Happy reading to you too!
LikeLike
I generally read mysteries like J.A. Jance and Kathy Reichs, cozy mysteries like Kate Lansing, Leslie Meier, etc. I did make a change and picked up The Venice Sketchbook by Rhys Bowen which is more of a Historical type, and it was better than expected and ended up buying a copy to send to my mom.
LikeLike
I have not been reading alot. I am part of Brenda Novak’s readers group. I am currently reading The True Cowboy of Sunset Ridge by Maisey Yates.
LikeLike
Looks like some pretty solid reads. And “Mint Chocolate Murder” is an awesome title if I’ve ever heard one.
LikeLike
I have definitely been reading a lot! I used my amazon gift cards to get all the ebooks my library doesn’t have that I have been wanting to read. Nice seeing you post a Melinda Metz book! If anyone remembers the Roswell show on the CW, she wrote the original Roswell High book series. I recommend that if anyone likes teenager/alien drama 🙂
LikeLike
Thanks for adding to my list! I was looking at THE WEDDING DATE. Will add it to my list.
LikeLike
According to Goodreads, I read 396 books last year and I am 1 book behind schedule to read 360 this year.
LikeLike