What I've Been Reading

I've read some great books in the last six months

This is an intriguing novel by Ariana Franklin that blends history with science. I enjoyed the premise, coupled with solid writing and a cover I kept looking at over and over again.

This book by Nancy Werlin is also an interesting mix of genres. Not only that, but she did some great things with POV, seamlessly moving from third person to first.




.
I really enjoyed this book by Camy Tang. Lots of twists and I wasn't sure who the villain was, which is always nice in a suspense.


A sweet love story by Ruth Logan Herne that introduced a lifestyle I didn't know existed, or not much about it. (raising sheep)



I absolutely loved this book by Cathy Gohlke. I've never read her before but I thought her writing was exquisite and she brought the era of the story to life for me, as well as the characters.

What are you reading? Do you tend to span genres or stick with the tried and true?

Comments

Jessica R. Patch said…
I haven't read any of them, but love books when I can't guess the bad guys! That first one looked pretty intriguing too. Thanks for sharing.

I just read Christa Allan's Walking on Broken Glass. :)
June 1, 2011 at 7:56 AM
B Kaur said…
Currently I'm reading Atonement. I like to think I span genres, but mostly I read "literary" fiction.
June 1, 2011 at 8:59 AM
Linda Kage said…
If it's a romance, I'll read it. Doesn't matter if it's historical, contemporary, paranormal, YA, sweet, erotic, or whatever. I love spanning all the subgenres in romance.
June 1, 2011 at 9:03 AM
Jaime Wright said…
Wow!! Great lineup!! And all of them I have not read. Sheesh, my TBR pile is growing longer!!!

I tend to stay within my genre ... mostly because I have my favorites and I just finish the pile and the next books are coming out! But I enjoy branching out too ... it's all in how much time I have.
June 1, 2011 at 9:39 AM
Jessica Nelson said…
Hey Jessica, yeah, I'd like to read that one. I've heard it's very good.

Eeek! B, thanks for visiting. Literary is usually something I steer clear of. I read Atonement in high school and it was an emotionally difficult read for me. You'll have to let me know what you think. :-)

Linda, I'm similar. I like different genres, but if there's a romance in the story, that's an automatic hook for me.

Jaime, yeah, time is def. an issue. Wah! I remember the days as a kid where I spent hours reading.
June 1, 2011 at 9:57 AM
Erica Vetsch said…
I'm currently reading Without Remorse by Tom Clancy, Deeds of the Disturber by Elizabeth Peters, and Along the Ribbonwood Track by Mary Moore.

A general fiction/military thriller, a historical mystery, and a romance. :)
June 1, 2011 at 10:00 AM
Anita Grace Howard said…
That book on top! That's the one you were telling me about a while ago. I'm going to go put it on my Amazon wish list right now. :)

You've been a busy little reader, BQE. :) Thanks for sharing your thoughts on the books, and letting us glimpse those amazing covers!
June 1, 2011 at 10:33 AM
Jessica Nelson said…
Oooh, you go, girl! Erica, that is quite the mix and besides Clancy, authors I've never heard of.

Heeeheee, you're welcome Anita. And I can send you the one on top if you want so you don't have to buy it. :-)
June 1, 2011 at 11:37 AM
Jill Kemerer said…
I loved Camy's book too!

I just finished A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway--loved it! Now, I'm working on Michal by Jill Eileen Smith!
June 1, 2011 at 11:40 AM
Jeanette Levellie said…
I love Camy Tang, and want to get this suspense novel from her. I also like Ruth LH. The others sound great, too!

I'm reading Be Anxious for Nothing by Joyce Meyer right now.

And I love all genres, except sci-fi.

Happy Day to you, Jessie!
June 1, 2011 at 12:26 PM
Tana said…
That first cover is way creepy! Right now I'm reading Divergent, and writing my third YA story like the insane person I am. It's a whirlwind.
June 1, 2011 at 12:36 PM
Nancy said…
Mostly I like mysteries and children's books. I will try other things if they look interesting. I enjoy a few historical romances.
June 1, 2011 at 12:43 PM
Karen Lange said…
Great list. Will have to check them out. I've read Cathy Gohlke's books and LOVED them. Can't wait for her next book, which happens to be set in NJ near where I used to live. :)

Thanks for sharing your thoughts!
June 1, 2011 at 1:18 PM
Mistriss Bonez said…
Mistress of the art of death was a great novel, and you have to love the twists and turns as well as the ending. The part I liked the most was how strong a character she was and ho she didn't let anything stop her from finding the truth.
June 1, 2011 at 5:38 PM
Terri Tiffany said…
I like the idea of going from third person to first--hmmm--- wonder what that would be like?
June 1, 2011 at 5:43 PM
Jessica Nelson said…
Jill, wow, I'm impressed!

Happy Day to you too, Jeanette. :-)

Go, Tana!!!

Cool, Nancy.
June 1, 2011 at 8:01 PM
Jessica Nelson said…
Karen, ooh, I'll have to check that one out. I'd like to see how she handles a different setting.

Mistress B, I totally agree! The heroine was a great mix of determined and vulnerable. It was excellent.

Terri, I almost didn't catch it! It was pretty cool.
June 1, 2011 at 8:04 PM
Susan J. Reinhardt said…
Hi Jess -

I've read Cathy Gohlke's books. They're both Christy Award winners. I hope people will pick up her books and spread the good word.

Blessings,
Susan :)
June 1, 2011 at 8:27 PM
Deb Shucka said…
Thanks for some new titles to add to my summer reading list.

I skip around, alternating and rarely sticking with one genre for long periods of time. I read lots of memoir, always return to mystery, enjoy literary, historical and some women's fiction. Once in a great while even science fiction and fantasy.

I'm reading Steve Martin's An Object Of Beauty right now - not my usual thing, but I can't seem to put it down
June 2, 2011 at 3:04 PM
Stephanie Faris said…
Thanks for the recommendations. I miss romance sometimes, but I've been writing MG and YA for so long, I'm not sure I'd know what to do if I read one. I'd be wondering where the parents were and how they were staying up so late on a school night!
June 2, 2011 at 4:34 PM
Jennifer Shirk said…
That's interesting! I've been looking for a good book that switches tenses too.
June 3, 2011 at 10:07 AM
Kathryn Magendie said…
Oh, some of those covers are beautiful!

I love books :-D
June 3, 2011 at 12:26 PM
Jessica Nelson said…
Susan, I'm certain I heard of her first book through your review, which is why I picked up the second.

Aren't they, Kathryn? Me lub books too!

Wow Deb! You're varied. That's a great thing!

Hahaaa, you're hilarious Stephanie!

Good luck, Jennifer! I read a romance that did it, but the pov throughout was somewhat distant so imo it wasn't as effective. Tricky stuff, pov.
June 4, 2011 at 8:26 AM
Warren Baldwin said…
Is the last one a historical novel?
June 6, 2011 at 5:54 PM
Eileen Astels Watson said…
I just finished Laura Frantz's Courting Morrow and still think about the characters lots. I have lots on my TBR pile that I long to get to!
June 7, 2011 at 9:03 PM
Melanie N. Brasher said…
Oh, these look like great books. Thanks for sharing.

-Mel
June 8, 2011 at 12:59 AM
Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

We All Got to Learn to Do It Sometime

*grossness alert* We all have to learn to deal with doo-doo eventually. Consider me a newbie mom, but it never occurred to me that my son should be wiping himself until about a month before kindergarten. And then the flashbulb went on and I scrambled to teach him. One problem. He didn't want to. He's fastidious and doesn't like to make mistakes, so the thought of taking care of this daily chore literally reduced him to screaming and crying on the toilet. Basically, he didn't trust himself. He was afraid. Scared to get his hands dirty. Afraid he'd miss something. This is probably weird, but it made me think of us as writers. There comes a point where we have to "grow up" and trust ourselves. We can't always rely on a crit group, agent, or editor to wipe up our mess. I think this should be a part of maturation for every writer, that we can look at our work and be confident in our ability to clean it up. Not saying we'll make it perfect or that we won
Read more

Work First, Play Later

I'm back! I had a wonderful time with my family. Thank you all for asking. :-) In 2009 my schedule evolved into a blog first/write later kind of thing. It happened that way because my husband began using the computer in the afternoons and evenings for his project, but now that I have a router, my schedule's changing. It's time to work first, play later. That means I do my chores/errands in the morning, write at naptime, and visit your wonderful blogs in the afternoons and evenings. So if I don't show up in the morning, don't be alarmed (if you even notice, lol). I'm just changing things up. I'm too exhausted in the evening to write, that's why. During the day I have way more energy to write but at night there's a fifty percent chance I won't do it because I'm so tired. When's the best time for you to write? I also need to shout out my awesome crit partner, Linda Glaz! Some of you may have met her at ACFW. She's a wonderful, faithful,
Read more

Melodramatic Mother

Mom, this one's for you. *wink* The other day we were on the phone and my mom was describing some of her ailments to me. She's normally a healthy person, but she does suffer from allergies and sinus issues. She's also a vivid person and this comes across in her language. In this case, she told me her pain was skewering up through her nose. Skewering. She never finished the description because I laughed. What a perfect word! Strong, to the point, I had an exact (if somewhat gross) image of what was happening. Do you have a vivid person in your life? Someone who thinks in ways you forget to? And in your WIP, are you using the strongest verb possible to convey EXACTLY what you mean?
Read more