Phew! I finished this post just in the nick of time after losing power for 48 hours after Hurricane Dorian swept through the Maritimes. Fortunately, there were no major injuries in this area and we personally did not have any major damage done to our home or neighbourhood. Others were less lucky and I am keeping them in my thoughts this week.

Anyway, time for another book review link-up for Show us Your Books with Steph & Jana!! I felt like I barely read at all in August – I had no energy to do so after chasing the girls around for 18 days straight. Haha. I definitely get more reading done when we are more in our “fall/winter/spring” routine aka the kids are in school 🙂 That being said, I did read a few books!! I’m back on my reading game the last week or so too and looking forward to some great fall reading.

A Conspiracy in Belgravia by Sherry Thomas

This series is so excellent. I love Charlotte Holmes’ character and the parallels to the deductive mind of Sherlock Holmes. SO fun. It is excellent feminist fiction for the time period and so well written and interesting. Definitely reminds me a lot of Deanna Raybourn’s Veronica Speedwell series, which is one of my favourites ever. Definitely start with the first book.

The Hollow of Fear by Sherry Thomas

This third book in the series completely blew me away. I could NOT stop listening to it. Not only is the audiobook narration absolutely fantastic, but the plot was also thick in this novel and the character development was spot-on. I loved it. 4.5 stars but rounding up to 5 because it was just so highly readable (listenable?!). Cannot wait to continue the series ASAP and see what the future holds for this wonderful cast of interesting characters. There is plenty of feminism, friendship, a hint of love, intrigue, mystery, and humor in this series and I am here for it 100%.

The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes

Oh, wow. This book. I loved (most of) the characters in this book. I loved the setting. I loved the characters’ resilience and determination to better their lives. I loved the tension created near the ending. This book was so wonderfully written with such an interesting plot and storyline that was well-paced and so enticing to read. I can’t recommend this historical fiction about traveling librarians enough.

Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Twice in a Blue Moon by Christina Lauren

As far as Christina Lauren books go, this one was more along the lines of Love and Other Words than similar to Josh & Hazel or My Favorite Half-Night Stand. It’s not a funny book, but it was well-written and I gobbled it all up in one sitting and loved the characters so it was still wonderful in that sense. I could have easily read another 50 pages ish about the whole plot and especially towards the end, I felt like it wrapped up a bit earlier than I wanted it to – but that’s life!! I definitely liked it a lot and I will probably eventually read everything they’ve ever written.

Thank you to Netgalley and Simon & Schuster Canada for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Aussie Next Door by Stefanie London

This book was super cute and absorbing, but it wasn’t my favourite in this genre. I did love the characters, especially Jace and his career, but I found parts of it a little bit too disjointed. Overall, still a cute little book about an American in Australia with some fun side characters and a HEA ending.

Thank you to Edelweiss and the publisher for the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Best Thing by Mariana Zapata

I tried to hold off on reading this one for a little bit, but I couldn’t, and I’m glad I didn’t. This book is definitely maybe one of my favourites from Mariana Zapata and it was so good. It was EXTREMELY readable and even though her books are always quite long, I had no trouble at all finishing this in a day. I loved Lenny and Grandpa Gus, and Jonah and everyone. It was cute, it made me laugh, and it brought a tear to my eye as well. Highly recommend if you like contemporary romance or her other books.

The Love Solution by Ashley Croft

This book made me laugh out loud at times. I really enjoyed the dynamic between the sisters and certain moments definitely pulled at the heartstrings. I much preferred one of the love stories to the other, which is often the case. Overall, it wasn’t a hit-out-of-the park romance for me but it was cute at times and easy to read. The Britishness always bumps it up just a touch for me, too.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Side Hustle: From Idea to Income in 27 Days by Chris Guillebeau

This book was good, and I liked the audio version. It was motivating and there were some great ideas. It wasn’t EXACTLY what I was expecting/hoping for, but it is certainly a worthwhile read if you are trying to figure out some plans to grow your income on the side.

READ ALOUD RECOMMENDATION:

The Secret World of Og by Pierre Berton

It was a total delight to read this book aloud to my children this summer. My grade 3 teacher read it aloud to us and it has stayed with me for years. The illustrations in this edition are wonderful and the story kept both my girls quite captivated.

Currently reading: The Dreamers (but I’m getting closed to DNFing it) and The Art of Theft, which is the 4th in the Sherry Thomas series I am hooked on. Also started A Heart So Fierce and Broken!!

What have you read lately? Any good recommendations for me? It’s been a while since I’ve read a good contemporary-ish mystery/thriller….