Monday, March 23, 2020

Monday Mini-Reviews: I Can Only Handle Some Light Reads Right Now

After a week of little blogging and not much reading, either, I hope I am back on track.  We are still at home - social distancing, folks, and will probably be here for the foreseeable future.  

I have had projects waiting for me to find time to do for years: vacation photo albums, organizing my recipes, finishing up the family cookbook I started a couple years ago.....now is the time I can attempt to get some of these things knocked off the to-do list.  

I also have an entire room full of books that I've lamented not having time to read.  And now I have time.  

What I didn't have last week was focus.  It's hard to read a book when I get sucked into the news.  I'm still trying to figure out the happy medium of staying informed vs staying too informed.

The books I read were entertaining and easy to read: exactly what I need right now.  




I've read a few books by Taylor Jenkins Reid and always mean to look into her older titles but just never seemed to get around to it.  Annie B Jones mentioned enjoying Forever, Interrupted by TJR on one of her podcast episodes and I decided it was time I get a copy. This book is such a fast read.  A love story, but also a story you may shed a tear or two over while reading.  When Elsie meets Ben one night while picking up a pizza the two instantly have a connection and begin a whirlwind romance.  Readers get to see their love story unfold bit by bit in chapters that are alternated with the present time where Elsie is grieving Ben's death after just nine days of marriage.  In addition to grieving, Elsie must meet Susan, Ben's mom, who knew nothing about her or her son's marriage.  There are some real pearls of wisdom in this book and now that I've read another TJR book, I feel like I should find copies of all of her novels.  They are definitely worth the time spent reading them.

Undercover Bromance is the second book in what is to be a trilogy by Lyssa Kay Adams.  I was skeptical about the first book, The Bromance Book Club, but liked it so much I ordered this one to be delivered as soon as it was published.  I admit I didn't love this one as much as the first, but it was still fun...and perhaps the conditions I'm reading under have something to do with that as well.  This novel focuses on another guy from the Bromance Book Club - a group of men who read and discuss romance novels in an effort to be better husbands, fathers, and boyfriends.  The main characters from the first book were just supporting characters in this one, which was fine and I enjoyed reconnecting with them.  Mack seems to have it all together, except he is striking out in the relationship department. His most recent girlfriend told him everything was too perfect.  When he meets his friend's sister-in-law, Liv, sparks fly - and the two can't stand each other.  You can see where this is going, right?  This might be rather predictable in the romance department, but there is another story unfolding as well as Liv and Mack work to bring down a wealthy businessman who has been taking advantage of female employees. There are a few laugh out loud moments in this book, and by the book's end, I was sad to close the last page - and am now waiting the third book in this series.  

Who knows where my reading will take me this next week.  What have you been reading lately?  Has your reading suffered with this global pandemic taking center stage in your life? 

Wishing you a healthy week ahead with lots of time to reconnect with your family, curl up with a good book, and appreciate all that we have to be thankful for.


1 comment:

Kay said...

I have not read much this last week, though I am listening to JD Robb's Eve Dallas series one after the other. I'm listening more than reading in print because I'm out there walking around. However, I'll settle down at some point - maybe. Ha! I also thought about doing some of those organizing jobs that I've been 'meaning' to do. However, I decided they were a little dull and I didn't really settle to that either. Maybe in upcoming days. Take care, Tina. Hope you and family will stay well.