Monday, December 31, 2018

Books Read in 2018

My reading is heading in the right direction—2018 was an improvement over 2017 as I managed to read 22 books this year, 7 more than in 2017.

These are the books I tackled in 2018. You can follow the links to their journal entries on BookCrossing; those books without a link were either borrowed, or are in my permanent collection for the moment. (E) indicates they were read on my Kindle/Nook; (A) means they were audiobooks; (L) means I borrowed them from my local library; (R) means I re-read some old friends.

My favorites this year? Always Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen; Call The Midwife, by Jennifer Worth; and Life After Life, by Kate Atkinson.

January
1. Marriage Most Scandalous, by Johanna Lindsey

February
2. Pride and Prejudice, by Jane Austen (A) (R)
3. Sleeping Giants, by Sylvain Neuval (A)
4. Breakfast at Tiffany's, by Truman Capote (A)

March
5. Call The Midwife, by Jennifer Worth (A)
6. Call The Midwife: Shadows of the Workhouse, by Jennifer Worth
7. Call The Midwife: Farewell to the East End, by Jennifer Worth

April
8. The Body in the Library, by Agatha Christie

May
9. Hardcore Twenty-Four, by Janet Evanovich (E) (L)
10. In The Company of Cheerful Ladies, by Alexander McCall Smith

June
11. Blue Shoes and Happiness, by Alexander McCall Smith
12. March, by Geraldine Brooks
13. Girl in Hyacinth Blue, by Susan Vreeland
14. Armada, by Ernest Cline (A)

July
15. Into the Water, by Paula Hawkins (E) (L)
16. Claire of the Sea Light, by Edwidge Danticat

August
17. The Casual Vacancy, by J.K. Rowling
18. Life After Life, by Kate Atkinson

November
19. Beautiful Tempest, by Johanna Lindsey

December
20. Hearts Abroad, by Skye McNeil (E)
21. Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them: The Original Screenplay, by J. K. Rowling (E)
22. Fantastic Beasts: The Crimes of Grindelwald: The Original Screenplay, by J. K. Rowling

Tuesday, December 18, 2018

Hearts Abroad, by Skye McNeil

I received this book as part of the LibraryThing Early Reviewers program. Overall, this was an enjoyable read, both predictable and unpredictable, but oftentimes, that is what I am looking for in a romance novel. I want the familiar formula and I want the unexpected and this book delivered both. I liked the characters and I believed the fairy tale.