It’s been a couple of months since my last Recent Reads post because my reading has recently taken quite a nosedive! Over the last three months (September – November), I’ve only been averaging about one book a month, which is embarrassingly low (for me). I’ve definitely figured out the cause of this… my Pink Zebra business, because I started it just about three months ago! While I love it, I need to find a better balance and a better system or way to streamline it so that it’s a little less time-consuming. I’m still working out all the kinks and ways to keep myself and my business organized so that I can find more time to enjoy my other interests as well, such as reading.
Anyway, here are the three books I’ve read since my last Recent Reads post. All of these books were for the virtual mystery book club I run at work with my work bestie (we also run a Bookstagram together!).
Title: Chocolate Chip Cookie Murder
Author: Joanne Fluke
Genre: Mystery, cozy mystery
Format & Source: Print, library
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★
This is the first book in a very beloved and well known cozy mystery series that has been on my radar for a very long time. I’m glad that book club gave me the push I needed to finally pick it up because I absolutely LOVED it!
Hannah Swensen runs a bakery in her small hometown, where she spends time concocting cookie recipes, babysitting her niece, and avoiding her meddling mother’s attempts at matchmaking. Life is going along like usual, until Hannah discovers a dead delivery man outside of her bakery early one morning. Hannah immediately finds herself at the center of the investigation, helping her police officer brother-in-law crack the case.
As you might expect with cozy mysteries, this one was full of funny, quirky characters, and that amazing small town feel that I love so, so much. Because I personally crave the small town life myself, I find myself drawn to small town stories like this one. I absolutely fell in love with the characters and town, and found it to be such a comforting read (even if it was about murder). I was sad to finish the book, and was really eager to jump back into Lake Eden. It was just one of those books that felt like it was wrapping you in a hug, ya know? Some of the references are a little outdated at this point (it was published in 2000), but it also kind of added to the charm.
I’m glad this series is a long one because I can’t wait to dive back in!
Title: The House on Cold Hill
Author: Peter James
Genre: Mystery, horror
Format & Source: eBook, library (Hoopla)
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ☆ ☆
Everyone who knows me already knows that I’m a horror junkie, so imagine my delight when my book club voted for this haunted house book for our October read! It sounded incredibly spooky and like the perfect read for Halloween time.
The Harcourt family in England are delighted to move into a dilapidated but stately mansion in the countryside. Ollie, who works from home doing IT consulting services, along with his wife and young daughter, move in for a fresh start and plans to renovate. Almost immediately though, strange things start happening. Ollie sees weird things on his computer. People observe ghostly beings in the house and windows. As the Harcourts begin to dig into the house’s history, they begin to wonder what it will mean for them.
I love a good haunted house story, but I have to say, this one was a bit on the tame side, and nowhere near as scary as I expected. It certainly had a good mystery element to it, which was good since we read it in my mystery book club, but I honestly never found myself getting all that scared. There were some interesting plot twists that kept me engaged enough, but I found the book as a whole to be slightly slow moving.
All in all, it was a good read, but nothing to write home about. I don’t think I’ll pick up the sequel, but maybe I’ll consider it next Halloween.
Title: Somewhere in the Dark
Author: R.J. Jacobs
Genre: Thriller
Format & Source: eBook, library (Hoopla)
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ☆
What a compelling, engaging, and dark story this one turned out to be!
Jessie Duval was abused as a child and bounced around in foster homes. Feeling lost, she decides one summer to follow her favorite country star, Shelly James, on tour around the country. Her devotion, however, is seen as stalking, which leads to a violent and public arrest. Once released, she tries to make a new life for herself, and even lands herself a job, a car, and an apartment, all while undergoing therapy to deal with her trauma. But when Shelly mysteriously turns up dead one night, and Jessie is seen as the number one suspect, she needs to figure out a way to clear her name… fast.
This book was crazy! It was relatively short, but it managed to pack in so much! While I wish it would have delved a bit more into Jessie’s past, it did a good job of explaining how and why she became so attached to Shelly in the first place. It was easy to see where she was coming from, and kind of heart breaking too. It was also gratifying to see her refusal to back down and take the blame. She almost singlehandedly unraveled the crime on her own, and it was all really mind blowing and shocking!
As a big fan of country music, I enjoyed the Nashville setting and would have liked to see it come into play even more! However, the best part of the book was how developed Jessie’s character was, with all of her quirks and interesting mannerisms.
If you enjoy a good psychological thriller, I’d definitely recommend this one!
Monthly Stats for September – November
Books read: 3
Genre
Fiction: 3
Nonfiction: 3
Format
Print books: 1
eBooks: 2
Source
Library (print): 0
Books I own (print): 0
Library (eBook): 3
Netgalley (eBook): 0
