What Do I Know by Kathy Flake

Yes, I know. This blog is supposed to cover books, not blogs. Too bad. That’s the nice thing about having your own blog, you can write about whatever you want to write about. Maybe my subtitle should be “Find a good read” not “Find a good book.”

I’m not much of a blog reader, but I do enjoy Kathy Flake’s What Do I Know. Kathy is an American ex-pat living in the UK. She writes about politics, food, dogs, life, and observations on the UK from an enlightened American’s point of view. Check out the Blueberry and Almond Crisp recipe. Delish! Or read The Story of How I Don’t Exist. It’ll give you a chuckle. Kathy has some interesting photographs as well. Check out these signs .

Warning: Reading What Do I Know can be addictive!

The True Confessions of Charlotte Doyle by Avi

This historical novel is a little slow to start, but stick with it because it will soon take you on a rollicking, high seas adventure. Charlotte Doyle boards the Seahawk believing she will be chaperoned by not one, but two suitable families. That is just one of her firmly held, prim and proper misconceptions to be shattered during her voyage across the Atlantic. Adventure, mystery, tension, and surprises await the reader with every page. My eleven-year-old daughter and I read this book together, and we both enjoyed it. A Newberry Honor Book. Four out of four bookworms.

Jan Karon’s Mitford Year Novels

When I first began this series with At Home in Mitford, I thought it was a cozy mystery. A friend had loaned it to me, and it sat on my shelf for a year before I finally decided to read it. As I read, I kept wondering, “Where’s the mystery?” About halfway through, I finally realized, “This isn’t a mystery, although it is cozy. It’s a darned good book!” Karon creates characters I want to spend time with, from compelling to quirky. I want to live in Mitford with these characters. I want the warm, flawed character of Father Tim as my rector. I want to sit in the park and scratch Barnabas behind the ears. I want to enjoy Cynthia’s humor as we visit across our backyards. This is one of those rare books that I didn’t want to end. Fortunately, there are eight more in the series. Karon has created a warm and engaging world you won’t want to leave. Four out of four bookworms.

Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum Series

I’ve only read the first four books in the Stephanie Plum series, but I’m looking forward to the next eight. These books are laugh-out-loud funny. This is another series that I didn’t start with the first book. I started with the fourth, then the third, then the first and second. Don’t do what I did! Start with the first book, One for the Money! Evanovich’s strength is her wacky characters and the equally wacky situations in which they find themselves. The mystery is good, but the characters keep me coming back. Four out of four bookworms for the first four books in the series.

One for the Money
Two for the Dough
Three to Get Deadly
Four to Score


I’ve tried reading some of Evanovich’s other books, as well as a couple penned with her sometime-writing-partner Charlotte Hughes, but none worth recommending.

Where’s My Teddy by Jez Alborough

Eddie has lost his teddy. Where he finds it will surprise everyone!

This is my all-time favorite read-aloud book for children. My kids loved it as well. Playfully suspenseful, with a surprise ending. The expressions on the characters faces are priceless and add to the suspenseful yet fun tone of the book. Four out of four bookworms.

Sun Kissed by Catherine Anderson

I’ve waited a long time for the last Coulter man to find love! As with all the other Coulter men, Tucker Coulter is the perfect man. Handsome, hardworking, sexy, funny, and not turned off by a successful, independent woman. Samantha Harrigan is the wounded heroine he falls in love with. Anderson wastes no time with introductions, but gets right to the action—one reason I love her books. And she wastes no time with misunderstandings. Samantha’s internal conflict provides all the problems these two characters need to keep them apart. Throw in a deadly mystery to solve, and they have their hands full. Fast-paced and emotional. It kept me up way past my bedtime.

With the introduction of Samantha Harrigan’s four brothers in this book, I wouldn’t be surprised to see a new series of heroes as perfect as the Coulter men. I’m keeping my fingers crossed! Three out of four bookworms.

                                                                                             

Romance Favorites

Catherine Anderson’s Kendrick/Coulter series

For some reason, I always pick up a book in the middle of a series, read it, then go back to the first book in the series. Such was the case with the Kendrick/Coulter series. I started with My Sunshine. Loved it so much that I picked up the next one I could find in the bookstore, Phantom Waltz. I suggest reading them in order, if possible. Start with Baby Love, then Phantom Waltz (my favorite), and go from there. Real people with real problems, not misunderstandings. Sexy, funny, smart. Men the way we want them to be.

Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton Series

Another series that I started in the middle with When He Was Wicked. Start with the first book, The Duke and I. I haven’t been able to get excited about any of Julia Quinn’s other books, but the Bridgerton Series is funny and sexy.

Connie Brockway

Everything this author writes is gold. My favorite, My Dearest Enemy. Funny, passionate, sexy. Or maybe, My Pleasure. Tense, sexy, smart. Reading Connie Brockway is like eating Lay’s potato chips. You can’t read just one.



Keep checking back for more favorites.