What I've Been Reading - September 2017

Saturday, September 30, 2017
Welcome to What I've Been Reading, where I share my (quick and personal) thoughts on what I've been reading this past month. For specifics (plot summary, etc.) about each book, click on the provided links.

A Place For Miss Snowby Jennifer Moore (3 stars)

After finishing out last month with The Lying Game, I needed something a little more (or a lot more) sweet to read. A Place for Miss Snow fit that need and I dove right into it. As usual, I don't have a lot to say about this type of book, but I enjoyed this Regency Romance. It was sweet, simple and just what I needed.

Miss Whitaker Opens Her Heartby Jennifer Moore (3 stars)
Obviously, I was still feeling the need for something sweet, because after finishing A Place for Miss Snow, I dove quickly into another Regency Romance, this time Miss Whitaker Opens Her Heart. This one was just as sweet and simple.

Castle of Water: A Novelby Dane Huckelbridge (4 stars)
After two Regency Romances, I was ready again for something with more substance. I decided to pick up Castle of Water. I had seen this book all over Instagram, and I mean all over, and every single review was amazing. That put a lot of pressure on this little book. Well, I'm not sure it lived up to all its five star reviews, (however, that could simply be because my expectations had been set so high,) but it definitely was worth its hype. I am so glad I read it. It was really, really good. I didn't love it likes other have, but I really, really liked it. 

Crossing to Safety (Modern Library Classics)by Wallace Stegner (5 stars)
My first Wallace Stegner and I loved it. It was a slow book, but in the very best way. I was able to fully savour it. I loved its sense of place, its storyline and its well developed characters. And the writing. I really loved the writing. It had been a while since I read a book that had such beautiful writing. I filled my library copy with so many book darts marking my favorite passages. When it was time to return it to the library, I couldn't bear to part with all the beautiful passages I had marked, so I quickly bought my own copy, transferred my book darts and then returned it to the library. I can't wait to get my hands on more Stegner. Next I plan to read Angle of Repose.

Young Jane Young: A Novelby Gabrielle Zevin (2.5 stars)
After slowly savouring Crossing to Safety, I immediately jumped into Young Jane Young. That was probably not fair to Young Jane Young. I did not enjoy this book. The only thing I enjoyed was its structure, specifically the use of different female narrators each telling their side of the story, one through emails with a pen pal. But the storyline was not a happy one, most of the characters weren't super loveable and it was a little sexually explicit in places. I can take a sad story, but the characters at least need to be redeeming if so. This just wasn't the book for me. I am not giving up on Gabrielle Zevin though. I loved her other novel, The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry. I hope for more like it in the future.

Romancing Daphneby Sarah M. Eden (5 stars)
Much like when I finished The Lying Game, after finishing Young Jane Young, I needed something sweet to read. I got that with Sarah M. Eden's most recent novel and so much more. Eden knows how to write Regency Romance. Every time she releases a new book, I am a little afraid it might not live up to her past works which have been so fantastic, but every single one does. Five stars may seem a little high for a Regency Romance, but I read a lot of them. Most deserve three stars. They are perfectly enjoyable, but not much else. Eden takes Regency Romance beyond enjoyable and writes stories and characters full of such depth. I laugh and cry more with her books than anyone else's and Romancing Daphne was no exception.

Love Remainsby Sarah M. Eden (5 stars)
I hadn't had enough of Sarah M. Eden just yet, so I dived right into another of her novels, Love Remains. Its not Regency Romance, but its close cousin, Historical Romance. She does it all perfectly. I loved it. Another five star rating from me.

I had such high expectations for this one. The cover is beautiful and the subtitles are perfect. However, that's the only love I can give this book. The actual book fell short for me. If you'd like to read my full review of Dear Fahrenheit 451, click here.

I'd love to know what you read this month. Anything I should add to my list?

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