My Favorite Non-Review Books: January 2023

 As a blogger sometimes writing reviews can feel like a chore so it seems I rarely write reviews for non-review books anymore. I feel bad about that, because it's not that I didn't enjoy them less than the books I review here, just that I don't have the time or energy to write a review for each and every book I read. I thought it would be nice to list my favorite non-review books each month to bring more attention to them.

I didn't read a lot of non-review books in January so I only have two to feature. One audio and one read traditionally.

Here are my favorite non-review books for January 2023:

I forget how much I love Kate and Curran and was reminded with Magic Tides! Loved getting to know Conlan a little more since Blood Heir.  Ilona Andrews is in the process of picking an audio narrator for this and I know I'll be listening to it (with the hubby) as a re-read once it comes out. I've just heard there's another book coming and I'm thrilled!

A great twisty mystery with the hint of a romance. A twenty-year old cold case is brought back into focus by an investigative journalist looking into the case to feature on her new podcast. We have her POV as well as Olivia's, one of the four in a car crash where three disappeared never to be seen or heard from again. The audio was fantastic!   I enjoyed The Couple at No. 9 as well, so I think it's time to check out Douglas' backlist.

My Favorite Non-Review Books: December 2022

 As a blogger sometimes writing reviews can feel like a chore so it seems I rarely write reviews for non-review books anymore. I feel bad about that, because it's not that I didn't enjoy them less than the books I review here, just that I don't have the time or energy to write a review for each and every book I read. I thought it would be nice to list my favorite non-review books each month to bring more attention to them.

I had four to feature for November, but December I had eight! A great month of audiobooks. 

Here are my favorite non-review books for December 2022 (all were read by audio):

It's no secret I love Ilona Andrews writing. I was rejected for this ARC when I requested it (thanks again, Harper Audio/Avon), but I bought it anyhow. Catalina's story arc is finished and even though I didn't like it as much as Nevada's it still was really good.

Patricia Cornwell did a sort of re-boot of the Kay Scarpetta series last year and I'm enjoying it. This is the second one. Things get wild and out there, but I didn't want to stop listening!

Kate Forster's writing is beautiful, full of emotion and lots of fun! I loved this The Upside Down Christmas just a little more than The Best Worst Christmas, but they were wonderful and part of Audible Plus catalog where you can listen for free if you have an Audible Membership.

Such a great second chance romance! Loved this novella! 

Hidden Pictures won the Goodreads Choice Award for Horror this past year so I was curious and requested the audio at my library. It was really good and had a twist I didn't see coming! My husband and I were riveted and it made a very long drive home enjoyable. Can definitely understand why it won!

This is an earlier St. James. Sad, spooky, compelling mystery. I'm happy St. James, as usual, included a bit of romance.

I don't read much YA anymore but this one captured my attention when a couple of fellow bloggers reviewed it. Atmospheric with a bit of danger and suspense, this was a page-turning *listening* coming of age story. 

My Favorite Non-Review Books: November 2022

As a blogger sometimes writing reviews can feel like a chore so it seems I rarely write reviews for non-review books anymore. I feel bad about that, because it's not that I didn't enjoy them less than the books I review here, just that I don't have the time or energy to write a review for each and every book I read. I thought it would be nice to list my favorite non-review books each month to bring more attention to them.

Here are my favorite non-review books for November 2022 (all were read by audio):

The gang is back! The third book in the series, all 5 star reads for me! These four octogenarians are full of humor, but also poignant glimpses into aging and life. I LOVE this series so much! If you haven't picked it up you are missing out!

5 Stars

Pretty spooky! Especially when I listened on a night when my husband was out of town.

I've already listened to the second and third installment and have purchased the fourth. Just need to get through a few library lends before I can start. I'm excited to see what happens next as the third one was pretty wild. Great audio performance!

4 Stars

Another great Argeneau paranormal romance/mystery! I read the first couple of book a few years back and then didn't continue. I'm working my way through but I've been doing it backwards. This is installment 34 and I listened to 35 last month. Each can be read as a stand alone IMO. I'm excited that the audios all seem to be at my library. Score!

4 Stars

Simone St. James is a new-to-me author and I've already read five of her books (this is the 5th) and enjoyed every one. There's always a supernatural element to her mysteries and a bit of a romance. Just a little. Ghost 19 was a novella/short story with Brittany Pressley, (one of my favorites!), as the narrator.

4 Stars

How about you? Have you read any non-review books you loved?

My Favorite Non-Review Books: October 2022

It's hard to write a review for every book I read so I thought I'd do up a post each month (not so much this year!) to feature my favorites.  

I haven't done one of these posts since February! With moving and renovations I'm not even sure that I read many books that weren't for review in those past months, but it seems I'm getting a little more free time back so I was able to read four non-review books in October! All of them were hits. 

Here are my favorite non-review books for October 2022 (all were read by audio):

This is a fun series, a bit of mystery, a bit of romance. Easy to get into and hard to put down.

4 Stars

Linda Howard peppers her romantic suspense reads with humor and I was laughing my head off! Written back in 2001 but still a lot of fun! 

4 Stars

Alice Feeney’s writing was hypnotic and lyrical, sucking me into this Darker family tragedy as it played out. It’s a story that’ll have you thinking on it long after you read *listen* to the final page. It was a revenge well deserved. My heart hurt for Daisy.

4 Stars

This romance was heartwarming, sweet and a quick read. Plus, it's set in one of my favorite coastal towns: Cannon Beach, California! Made me want to visit all over again!

4 Stars

How about you? Have you read any non-review books you loved?

My Favorite Non-Review Books November, December & January!

It's hard to write a review for every book I read so I thought I'd do up a post each month to feature my favorites.  I didn't get a chance to post my favorite non-review books for the last three months (ack!!) so here they are.

November:

Click on cover for Goodreads link

December:

January:

What non-review books did you love recently?

My Favorite Non-Review Books: October 2021

 As a blogger sometimes writing reviews can feel like a chore so it seems I rarely write reviews for non-review books anymore. I feel bad about that, because it's not that I didn't enjoy them less than the books I review here, just that I don't have the time or energy to write a review for each and every book I read. I thought it would be nice to list my favorite non-review books each month to bring more attention to them.

Here are my October 2021 stand outs:

5 Star all the way! Definite Schitt's Creek, (a series I totally love) vibe here!

Tied with Kiss of Snow for favorite in the series.

Kaleb and Sahara's story exceeded my expectations! Don't want to spoil anything, but finally! Can't wait to see how everything plays out after that stunning conclusion! I'm already listening to the next one and loving it!

Atmospheric and spooky! Perfect Fall read! 

Riaz and Adria were great, but I think I was more captivated by all that's happening with the ongoing story arc with the Psy and Silence and all the players. 

My Favorite Non-Review Books of September 2021

As a blogger sometimes writing reviews can feel like a chore so it seems I rarely write reviews for non-review books anymore. I feel bad about that, because it's not that I didn't enjoy them less than the books I review here, just that I don't have the time or energy to write a review for each and every book I read. I thought it would be nice to list my favorite non-review books each month to bring more attention to them.

Here are my September 2021 stand outs:

My husband and I listened to this on our way back from the coast after switching from one audio to the next without having any story grab us. Neanderthal Seeks Human hit the spot and my husband made me promise to wait to finish the book until we drove up to our daughter's house the next week. It was hilarious! I was laughing so hard in parts and it made our trips just fly by. Definitely recommend the audio! Jennifer Grace knocked it out of the park with her performance!

Hard to go wrong with this series (Psy-Changeling), even nine books in, but I have to say the romances where the female is the more dominant of the two are not my favorites, but Drew was only a little less dominant so it mostly worked.

To be honest, I was more interested in the ongoing story arc. I want to know how everything will play out with the Psy Council and I want to know who the Ghost is. I have my suspicions.

So good I stayed up late to finish this one! Book 10 in the Psy-Changeling seires is my favorite in the series so far. 5 Star all the way!

Been waiting for Hawke and Sienna's story for a while and it did not disappoint! As a bonus we got Lara and Walker's story and thrilling events with the ongoing story arc. What will happen to the Council and the future of the Silence now? Well, I'm well into Trinity, the spinoff, so I know, but seeing how it all came about has been exciting!

As usual the audio narrated by Angela Dawe was excellent. She narrates the series and I highly recommend the audio version.

I've been reading the Psy-Changeling series as part of Anne @Books of My Heart's read-a-long. I'm finally catching up!

I've been a fan of Loreth Anne White for a while. Her mysteries are atmospheric and captivating! I finally carved out some time to read her newest. 

A young crime podcaster starts a series of interviews with convicted killer, Clayton Pelley. A guidance counselor behind bars for killing an unpopular student he was said to have an affair with. 

However, over twenty years later Clayton claims he didn't do it. 

The podcast drags up an unpleasant past for the investigator, Rachel Walczak, and raises up unanswered questions. Could Clayton be telling the truth? It's a messy situation for this small town where everyone knows everyone. 

A riveting mystery! I think I blazed through this audio in a 24-hour period. I just had to find out how it all turned out. 

It's a Kindle Unlimited right now, read and listen to for free as part of their program. 

How about you? Did you have any non-review gems? 

My Favorite Non-Review Books of August 2021

I'm back with My Favorite Non-Review Books!

I've been a little MIA lately because I'm just so tired. Work last week just about killed me and then we drove up to my daughter's house (4 1/2 hours each way) and while I loved seeing the kids there was absolutely no rest. I'm looking forward to Thursday since I only work half-day then I'm off the rest of the week. 

I have mixed feelings on Friday since the root-canal I had scheduled last Friday got pushed to this one coming and I don't relish the idea of spending 3 hours in a dental chair: shots, drilling and other horrors. Can I fast forward to Friday afternoon, please?

I'm a little late as September is halfway over (how is that possible?!), but here are my August picks.

 

As a blogger sometimes writing reviews can feel like a chore so it seems I rarely write reviews for non-review books anymore. I feel bad about that, because it's not that I didn't enjoy them less than the books I review here, just that I don't have the time or energy to write a review for each and every book I read. I thought it would be nice to list my favorite non-review books each month to bring more attention to them.

Emma's involved in an accident and wakes from a coma to find her BFF and fiancé together while trying to put her life back together again. I love these triumph over extreme adversity type of stories, and the romance was oh-so-good! 

It was hard to stop listening to this one, but I do think it would've benefited by some editing down. Great audio with a full-cast of characters.

Book #9 in the Psy-Changeling series. One of my favorites. I'm already almost done with the next book. 

I only read three non-review books in August, but I think I've already exceeded that in September. I'm too tired to look right now. 

How about you? What were your favorite non-review books recently?