Reading for Me

The Books I Have Read…..Just for Me

Dec 23

Santa Claus is Coming to Town (December 23, 2024)

by kennithfreeman

It’s nearly Christmas, so this week has featured a little shopping, a little baking, and a lot of lazy reading on the couch! It’s the perfect way to celebrate the season. My reading has taken the turn to holiday stories all week.

What I Finished This Week

The Christmas Tree Farm by Laurie Gilmore. I decided to return to Dream Harbor since I had enjoyed the story of the Cinnamon Bun Book Store. Gilmore once again did not disappoint. The story centers around Kira, the new owner of the local Christmas tree farm. The residents of Dream Harbor are convinced that there are dead bodies — or buried treasure — hidden on the property, so they send in Bennett to get to the bottom of things. Only problem? Kira despises Bennett from first sight and wants nothing to do with him. Bennett’s past dating history has not done him any favors in his interactions with women. This is a cute rom-com that is sure to please most readers while putting them in the Christmas spirit.

My Favorite Holidate by Lauren Blakely. I really enjoyed this read. After being betrayed by her boyfriend at Thanksgiving, Fable enlists the help of her billionaire boss, Wilder, to get them both through the holidays by being each other’s “fake date” for the season. Once their escapades take the couple to a small village for events leading up to Fable’s sister’s wedding, the line between “fake dating” and falling in love become blurred. I found myself laughing and rooting for this unlikely pair as their emotions became real. A little more spicy that what I normally enjoy in a romance, Lauren Blakely once again provides a fascinating story peopled with believable characters that readers are invested in. One of my favorite stories of the month!

The Christmas Pearl by Dorothea Benton Frank. After finishing the other books, I was looking for something short and engaging that wasn’t a romance, but still a holiday story. This short novella fit the bill perfectly! Theodora is a 90-something woman who longs for the Christmases of yesteryear. Largely influenced by the housemaid of her childhood, Pearl, Theodora’s memories are associated with good food, laughter, respect, and worship of the Christ child. Sadly, Pearl passed away many years ago and there is no one who is able to fill her shoes. Now in the present day, the new housekeeper has to leave the home unexpectedly and will not return until after Christmas. She has spoken to her neighbor who has agreed to help the family out. Theodora is shocked when she greets the replacement and discovers it is Pearl! Part Ghost of Christmas Past and part Clarence Odbody from It’s a Wonderful Life, Pearl’s story is filled with warmth, magic, and love. I strongly encourage you to read this short work as a way to celebrate the holiday season.

What I’m Currently Reading

The Most Wonderful Crime of the Year by Ally Carter (p. 56 of 293) This book came to me as part of the December Book of the Month Club. I was drawn to the pun in the title. I have seen people reading it all over social media with good responses. I am not typically a mystery reader, but I decided to take a chance and give this a read. Still early in the book, but I am enjoying the interactions and the writing style so far. Hopefully, I’ll have this finished by the end of the week without too much difficulty.

The Thief who Saved Christmas by Angela Casella (p. 20 of 391). First, let’s address my frustration with this reading. I am reading it as an ebook, but this edition does not have a page count on my Kindle. Therefore, I only know the percentage that I am through the entire book, but I have no way of knowing how much reading I’ve actually accomplished in each sitting. That is a bad recipe for me. Now….as far as the story goes, I’m fascinated and thoroughly engaged in what has been presented. Rather than tell you what I know of the plot thus far, I’ll just say that this is definitely one that you should look into reading if you are searching for a fun read to finish out the holiday season.

What’s Coming Up

As the year is winding down, I wanted to give you a glimpse into what you should expect from the blog next week. I will be back on Monday with my regular weekly update. On Tuesday, I’ll post a special 2024 in review. This post will include stats from the year — books completed, books that I DNF’d, and total pages read. I’ll also include my favorite selections from each month as well as naming my best read for the year. I’ll conclude with my plans and goals for the upcoming year. (I have some lofty goals and should be an entertaining journey in the year ahead. Above all, I plan to have my nose firmly planted in the pages of books.)

Book of the Month Christmas family saga mystery romance

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Dec 16

Let Christmas Vacation Begin (Dec 16, 2024)

by kennithfreeman

Grades have been turned in. Holiday road trip is complete. Final performance of the season is behind me. I am officially on vacation! I started the change of pace before leaving Plainview and got quite a bit of reading done along the way.

What I Finished This Week

The Cinnamon Bun Book Store by Laurie Gilmore. Even though this wasn’t the Christmas novel that I thought I was going to be reading, I thoroughly enjoyed this trip to the town of Dream Harbor. Hazel manages this cute bookstore in town. She is searching for adventure as she nears her 30th birthday at the end of the summer. Mysteriously, some books are being shelved backwards and have pages earmarked (the horror!). Each book seems to indicate a personal adventure for her to take. What fun are adventures alone? So Hazel enlists the help of Noah, Dream Harbor’s handsome fisherman. As any reader would expect, the adventures turn into romantic outings, our characters fall in love, and the outrageousness ensues. Is this series rather cheesy? Absolutely. Did I still enjoy it? Apparently, because I’m reading the next book in the series as part of the Christmas mini-challenge.

A Christmas Murder by Mary Grand. I’m not sure if this short novel qualifies as a cozy mystery, but it was a book that I struggled to read. The premise is simple enough — father of an eccentric family dies under questionable circumstances — and an amateur sleuth steps in to save the day. I suppose the book was well-written enough. I just didn’t find the plot or characters compelling. I think I need my mysteries to include a little more intrigue and suspense. I made it through because I just wouldn’t let myself pick up anything else until I had attempted to finish this mystery.

JFK Jr.: An Intimate Oral Biography by Liz McNeil and RoseMarie Terenzio. With large portions of four days spent in my car last week, I was able to devote significant time to finishing this 14 hour audiobook. Truly, the account of the life of John Kennedy, Jr. by those who knew him personally was fascinating. However, I think the book could have been shortened by a few hours without negative impact. After the reports about the plane crash, the public’s response, and John’s funeral, the biography should have ended. While Carolyn Bessette-Kennedy’s death is clearly linked to John’s story, the lengthy exploration of her memorial service and the family’s blame of John for her death was unnecessarily long. The coda included a final opportunity for each contributor to say one final thing about why JFK Jr. was so important to society. The reader already had a clear understanding about how much each cared for the man based upon their statements throughout the book. The coda simply felt like an unnecessary pissing match — an attempt to say “I knew him best.”

What I’m Currently Reading

I needed new books before heading to Nashville for a quick performance. I wasn’t ready for another mystery and I certainly did not want another biography. I wanted something fast-paced and still in the holiday spirit, so Christmas romances are the order of the day again. The plan is to head to the local library this week to see if I can find another holiday genre to clear my palette after reading these.

The Christmas Tree Farm by Laurie Gilmore (p. 56 of 342). Another of the Dream Harbor books, I knew exactly what to expect when I started reading this short novel. Like Cinnamon Bun Book Store, I’m finding the book has a very slow start. Since the main characters were briefly introduced in the previous book, I’m not coming into this environment completely blind, but I’m still not invested in their relationship. I’m hoping that the pace will pick up as I get a little further into the book and the romance begins to bloom between our unlikely lovers.

My Favorite Holidate by Lauren Blakely (p. 112 of 479). Talk about a cliche premise! Fable, our heroine, walks in on her boyfriend having a little too much fun with the caterer at her boss’ Thanksgiving dinner. When Fable’s sister announces at the same dinner that she is getting married at Christmas at the boss’ Christmas extravaganza and the two-timing ex-boyfriend is also in the wedding party, Fable has to come up with a plan to survive. That’s when she and her handsome billionaire boss concoct a scheme to “fake date” through the end of the holidays. Fable wants to stick it to her ex; her boss wants to show her how a woman should be treated….and maybe fall in love in the process. Blakely’s books are always for mature audiences and are mixed with lots of humor and innuendo. I’m really enjoying this read just because of how outrageous the situation is, but I’m also rooting for Fable to land the man who will treat her as she deserves.

audio Christmas mystery romance

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Dec 9

The End is in Sight (December 9, 2024)

by kennithfreeman

The Fall semester is quickly winding down at Wayland. Classes are finished in Plainview and all that remains are finals and turning in grades. I cannot wait to be done! It’s been a long semester and I’m ready for some down time with family.

Thankfully, the last week of classes aren’t insane for me. Mostly, I’m just making sure everyone knows what will be covered on their finals and scheduling piano juries. That means that I had lots of time to do some reading. So I was a very happy little bookworm until the respiratory infection made another appearance at week’s end.

What I Finished This Week

The Twelve Days of Christmas by Debbie Macomber. On Tuesday, I took a quick trip to the local library to see what kind of Christmas themed book I could find that I could read fairly quickly to complete one of the prompts for the December mini-challenge on The 52 Book Club. I had seen Macomber’s name on shelves many times before, but I don’t think I have ever read any of her works. It seemed like the perfect time to give this short novel a try. Julia lives across the hall from Cain, a curmudgeon who is bringing down Julia’s joyful Christmas spirit. After describing her interactions with her personal “Ebenezer” to her best friend, she is given the advice to “kill him….with kindness.” As Julia launches her Kindness Project on Cain, she also decides to blog about the experience. Since it is a Macomber romance novel, of course the two will fall in love. Will their love be strong enough when Cain discovers what Julia has said about him in the blogosphere? This was a really cute book that warmed my heart without playing too hard on the romance.

How My Neighbor Stole Christmas by Meghan Quinn. As I shared in my introduction to this book last week, this novel centers around a local contest to see which of the villagers has the most Christmas spirit. With clear references to Dr. Seuss’ How the Grinch Stole Christmas, the narrator speaks in rhyming couplets and regularly speaks directly to the characters. Quinn’s novel is humorous and filled with spirit. It is also very mature in its content. This is not an “open door romance”; that term does not adequately express the extremely spicy content. Reader, beware of your surroundings!

What I’m Currently Reading

The Cinnamon Bun Book Store by Laurie Gilmore (p. 186 of 347). When the December Mini Challenge arrived in my email on Monday evening, I made my way directly to Barnes and Noble to see what Christmas books were on display that might grab my interest and fulfill one of the prompts. I was disappointed to find that only holiday romances were prominently featured. (What does this say about our society? Do only those who read romance novels want to be in the holiday spirit? I digress….) Since one of the prompts has to do with seasonal treats, the title caught my eye; what I failed to notice is that the cover clearly indicates an autumnal setting. What’s most funny is that this novel’s opening is at the end of summer…so I completely missed the prompt. Anyway, I have the book so I’m reading it and must admit that it is cute. Hazel, the manager of the bookstore, will soon turn 30. She feels as though her 20s have slipped away and she hasn’t had much adventure in life. It seems as though she is being prompted to be more adventurous as she is finding books shelved in the wrong places with dog eared pages and highlighted passages. Hazel takes these as clues to her personal adventure (yeah…it’s as cheesy as it sounds). In a blueberry patch late one evening, Hazel has had too much to drink and tells the handsome fisherman, Noah, about the clues she has found. Noah agrees to follow the clues with Hazel to see where they may lead.

A Christmas Murder by Mary Grand (p. 66 of 317). My reading life began with mysteries. I spent many hours in the pages of books featuring Nancy Drew and the Hardy Boys. Somewhere along the way, I ventured away from the mystery genre. It was partially because of the violence and the suspense. (In case you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m not a fan of things that go bump in the night!) Since I am on a bit of a romance overload at the moment, I decided this was a good time to try out a mystery. Set in an English manor during Christmas, Grand’s novel features the members of a large, wealthy family who are coming to the countryside to celebrate Christmas together. As I have forced myself to get started in the book, I am realizing why I tend to avoid this genre. The novel opens with the murder that must be solved before jumping back in time to slowly bring all of our parties together in the manor. I’m still in the “introductions” stage when what I really want to know is what happens to the corpse that has been discovered. It just feels that mystery writers take forever to fully develop their characters before moving forward with the plot. I’m hoping that this book gets better quickly and that I am mistaken in my assumptions about mysteries since I have a few of them on my reading plan for 2025. I guess I’ll just have to let you know how things turn out as I continue to plow ahead in A Christmas Murder.

JFK Jr.: An Intimate Oral Biography by Liz McNeil and RoseMarie Terenzio (6:18 of 14:54). I did a little more listening this week about JFK Jr. This week explored his entry into the spotlight, being named People Magazine’s Sexiest Man Alive in 1988. From this point on, people were aware of his relationships with Brooke Shields, Julia Roberts, and Daryl Hannah. It was also around this time that John made his entry into the political landscape, introducing his uncle at the 1988 Democratic National Convention. As I have said for several weeks now, my hope is to make significant progress in this audiobook while driving home to Arkansas later this week.

There you have it. Hope you all have a great week of reading!

~Kennith

Christmas Mini Challenge romance The 52 Book Club

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Oct 7

Back to Reality (October 7, 2024)

by kennithfreeman

As should be expected, I left a piece of my heart in Malibu. I didn’t want to come back to West Texas, but responsibility beckons.

Last weekend, I attended Waves Weekend at Pepperdine University. This year was targeting 1990s alumni (that’s me!) and there were lots of special faces that returned to the ‘Bu to reminisce and celebrate with us. Additionally, I was asked to coordinate an alumni coffeehouse to close out the weekend on Saturday evening. While most of the music wasn’t my typical rep, it was exactly how I stretched my wings as a collaborative pianist and music director while I was at Pepperdine, so it felt very natural to agree.

Were there challenges? Absolutely! Just lining up performers and rehearsals from Texas was a challenge in and of itself. But if I hadn’t had the responsibility of performing, I probably wouldn’t have made the trip back to California. There never seems to be a convenient time to leave work if I’m not performing or recruiting students. So I had to steal away from the reunions for a few hours to grade a few submissions, but nothing too daunting.

Am I glad I went? Absolutely! There is really nothing quite like spending time with cherished people who poured into my life during some formative years. Hugs with Hung, Bob, Stuart, LaJuana, Scott, and Kim lingered as I soaked in their love. Spending time with men and women who did life with me on campus for six years as friends, musicians, and fraternity brothers cannot be given a price. (Oh how I treasure the time I got to spend with Jessica, Andy, Amy, Jen, Alan, Ben, Tim, Natalie, Gina, and Brian Lee….as well as lots of others!) Sometimes I think I forget just how much I need to be in a safe space with people who know me best and love me most. These people are my family…and it felt as though we just picked up as though we were still roaming the halls of Pepperdine as we did 30 years ago. My heart is so full!

Besides traveling and seeing friends, I also managed to get some significant reading done. And that’s what we are here to talk about, right?

What I Finished This Week

Returning to Eden by Rebecca Hartt. For the flight, I decided that I wanted an ebook to read on my Kindle that I could easily come in and out of as the weekend went by. Hartt’s novel is the first in the Acts of Valor series and was listed as a Christian thriller. I was intrigued and pleasantly surprised. The story centers around Jonah, a navy SEAL who was taken captive when a mission went south. After a year of being gone, he is presumed dead and his wife and step-daughter have begun to move on with their lives. Then the call comes that changes everything — Jonah is alive, but he has no memory of his wife, his capture, or his imprisonment. Being treated for PTSD, Jonah has a very real sense that his life is still in danger. This gripping novel is a lovely story of transformation through Christ while keeping us on the edge of our seats as we follow the mystery to its chilling conclusion. If you like John Grisham and would like to have something with a Christian worldview, this might be the perfect novel to check out.

What I’m Currently Reading

Blue Sisters by Coco Mellors (p. 205 of 342). I started reading this novel last week and didn’t get very far. As I kept reading, I found myself struggling through the first 150 pages of the novel. Everything was so depressing as the remaining Blue sisters dealt with the death of Nicky. I am normally fine with dark themes, but these characters seemed irredeemable. I just didn’t like any of them. FINALLY, it appears that the three are going to come together to help each other with their various demons. It seems that the tone and tempo of the book has improved with everyone’s arrival in New York. The chapters are very long in order to maintain a single point of view, but I think the same thing could have been accomplished simply by providing big headings and breaking the chapters into smaller, digestible chunks. I’m ready to see how this one is going to end and hope that I will keep up the progress that I’ve made this weekend.

There you have it! Happy reading, y’all.

~Kennith

Book of the Month Christian ebook family saga fiction romance thriller

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Jul 22

Of Water Heaters and Shower Doors (July 22, 2024)

by kennithfreeman

Greetings, friends! It has been another unforgettable week here in the Geriatric Ward. This is not one I will soon forget. Sure, I continued to struggle with a little congestion and not feeling terribly well, but that wasn’t the biggest event of the week.

Let’s just “dive” in…..the water heater in my parents’ bathroom developed a severe leak this week. Truly, there was water standing all over the floor. The old linoleum has torn from the floor and the area rug that was in the room is completely ruined. Patient #1 decided to order a tankless water heater to install. It sat unboxed in the living room as he puzzled over the instructions. The next morning, his crew joined him before deciding that this was too complicated to install. So off to the store they went to buy a new water heater.

Once I returned home, this merry band of workers had installed the new water tank — after shoving the vanity that sat next to it over a few inches. It was clearly obvious to any observer that the new tank was wider than the previous resident. That’s when the hilarity began.

The next thing I hear is Patient #1 calling Patient #2 to tell her that we have a “little problem.” While installing the heater, the crew had kept the door to the shower open — still not entirely sure why they were in the shower, but sometimes questions are better left unanswered! Anyway, now the shower door can’t be closed because the top of the vanity sits in the door’s path! Over the next few hours, there is talk of cutting the corner off of the vanity by the same crew of merry men — I could just see the entire thing collapsing to the ground — or buying a new shower. The last time Patient #1 bought a shower, he had gotten something so small we can barely stand in it…..so I had to think quickly and come up with a solution that would buy time for Mom to find the shower she wants.

So off I go to Walmart, a place I hate more than any other, and purchased a shower curtain, liner, and rings. We have removed the door of the shower and installed the curtain. It’s not pretty and it’s certainly not ideal, but it gets things started. Now I just have to make some phone calls to get estimates to redo the bathroom. Nothing like the end of the summer for things to start falling apart in the Geriatric Ward!

What I Read This Week

My Best Friend’s Secret by Romeo Alexander. I don’t really have a lot to say about this book. It was an easy read when I wasn’t feeling well. It wasn’t the best use of my time, but it kept me reading when I didn’t necessarily feel like it. I don’t think I would recommend it to others though.

What I’m Currently Reading

Blackout by Connie Willis (p. 290 of 491) I made progress this week. I didn’t make much progress, but I put a few more pages in the rear view mirror. When I finally sit down to read the book, I don’t hate the experience. I just have to consciously make a choice to pick this book up. It just doesn’t call to me. So I’m trying something new this week to see if I can help get a little further along and finish the #BigBookSummer selection for July.

Hillbilly Elegy by J.D. Vance (p. 11 of 257) I’m going to see if a non-fiction selection will help me devote a little more time to Blackout this week. I read Hillbilly Elegy in the summer of 2017. I remember the basic details, but now that Vance has been named the Republican Vice-Presidential nominee, I think it is important to revisit the narrative so I have my own opinions about the book’s content. I just started reading late yesterday, so clearly I’ve not gotten very far — actually, just the introduction. I think I will probably read a little more slowly this time through since I am looking for Vance’s philosophy and if that lines up with my personal feelings on important topics.

So I’m not really feeling very good about my reading in the past few weeks. I had hoped to get much more done, but we deal with the circumstances of life. I did reach the halfway point in my personal reading goal for 2024 — finishing my 20th book of the year. We are now in the 30th week of 2024, so i need to get in a few extra books if I hope to get back on pace for reaching that goal.

There you have it! Hope you have a good week ahead filled with lots of happy reading!

~Kennith

Big Book Summer memoir romance update

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Jul 16

Music and a Little Summer Sickness (July 16, 2024)

by kennithfreeman

I’m back in the Geriatric Ward after a quick trip to Cincinnati, Ohio last week. The trip included attending a recital by my friend, Jessica Rivera Schafer. It was lovely to sit at the back of the hall and just listen to some quality singing after a long summer hiatus from any classical music.

The trip also included a lot of sleeping. After the recital on Thursday evening, I slept for nearly 14 hours and simply could not seem to get enough rest. I don’t know if I was sick or exhausted, but I was confined to bed for the next couple of days — even deciding to skip going to the baseball game (Marlins at Reds) that I had been looking forward to all summer long.

I felt poorly enough after getting home on Saturday night that I made my way to the medical clinic yesterday morning. That visit took longer than I anticipated, putting me completely off of my regular routine. While the tests came back negative for COVID and the flu, I didn’t feel like doing much of anything when I got home. Thus this week’s update post is a day late….but here it is.

What I Finished This Week

The Truth About the Devlins by Lisa Scottoline. A couple of short flights to Cincinnati made my Kindle the perfect reading companion. This relatively short novel was packed with intrigue and interesting characters. As I mentioned last week, the story opens with John Devlin suspecting that he had killed a man and asking for help from his brother, TJ. As the story continues John attempts to pin the murder on TJ in order to hide his own secrets. Can anyone say dysfunctional?! Having enjoyed other novels by Scottoline, I had high hopes for this one. It was okay…..I didn’t hate reading it, but it felt rather routine and formulaic.

What I’m Currently Reading

Blackout by Connie Willis (p. 264 of 491) Your eyes don’t deceive you. I have read all of 10 pages of this book this week. I didn’t try to pick it up until I got to Cincinnati when I was expecting quiet time in my hotel. However, I didn’t feel like reading and wanted to sleep instead. I forced myself to read a chapter and a bit more of this month’s entry for #BigBookSummer. I hope to get back to this novel this week and see if I can make some progress. I’m not really sure why, but this one is just not grabbing my attention at the moment.

My Best Friend’s Secret by Romeo Alexander (p. 138 of 313) I needed a new Kindle read for the flight home and picked up this one. I’m barely halfway through the book and it’s just now getting to the basic premise. Since I started it when I wasn’t feeling very well, I didn’t get acclimated to the story right away. The alternating voices seem very similar in tone to me, so I’m having some difficulty keeping the characters straight in my head as well. It’s not a bad book…..I’m just not in a good place with it.

What’s Ahead?

My intentions this week are to finish My Best Friend’s Secret and to make significant progress in Blackout. However, I also have a couple of memoirs in my sights that I want to dive into this week. One was written by my sister and I feel obligated to give it a cursory glance at least. The other is J.D. Vance’s Hillbilly Elegy; since he has been named as the Republican nominee for the Vice-Presidency, I feel it is important to re-read this piece and reacquaint myself with his story as the nation makes an important decision later this fall.

There you have it. I’ll return to my normal Monday posts next week and let you know what I’ve managed to get done.

Happy reading, y’all!

~Kennith

Big Book Summer historical romance Sci-Fi Series

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Jul 1

Finding Quiet Moments (July 1, 2024)

by kennithfreeman

The Geriatric Ward continues to be in recovery mode. Mom has continued to convalesce from her latest infection. The antibiotics simply sap her of all energy and strength. She does appear to get stronger with each passing day, so I’m hoping that she is able to get back to her normal routine slowly this week.

Since she has been getting better, I was able to sneak into the back room much of the week and get some serious reading done. That brings me to the first success of #BigBookSummer.

What I Finished This Week

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon. Few things are more enjoyable than turning the last page of a big book and knowing that you have accomplished something significant. When you can admit that you thoroughly enjoyed the book as well, that just makes it better!

I know I’m late to the Outlander phenomenon. I had resisted reading these books for some time. I was expecting something that had a lot more to do with time travel. I was anticipating something more magical and supernatural. You cannot imagine how excited I was to find that I couldn’t have been more wrong while also kicking myself for missing out on such an enjoyable read for so long!

Outlander is a love story at its core. As the relationship between Claire and Jaime grows, the readers’ understanding of the danger and implications it has on both of their lives makes for an exciting story. Gabaldon does an exceptional job of making the Scottish landscape come to life while setting us firmly in the political intrigues of the 17th century. I found myself laughing out loud at the outrageousness of events only to be twisted in knots as I waited to see how Claire and Jaime would escape those who wanted to harm them. I was pleasantly surprised by the beautiful conversations between Claire and Anselm in the abbey at the novel’s conclusion. These explorations of issues of faith were incredibly enlightening and extremely well written. I’m looking forward to Dragonfly in Amber, but I think I’m going to wait a little longer so my Outlander experience can be extended.

What’s Up Next?

With the arrival of a new month, it is time to begin another big book as I celebrate #BigBookSummer. This month’s selection is Blackout by Connie Willis. I haven’t started reading it yet, but the description sounds intriguing. Essentially, the story centers around time-traveling historians in 2060’s Oxford who are returning to events of World War II. (I know, I just said that I’m normally not one who enjoys time travel!) I heard the description on a podcast and thought it sounded really interesting, so I’m going to give it a try. Coming in at 491 pages, it is one of the shorter “big books”, so I decided it was worth a try.

In addition to the big book, I’m also hoping to read a few more small books this month. First up is Crusher by Daryl Banner. This is another installment in Banner’s Texas Beach Town Romances, the first of which I read in honor of pride month. Just beginning the book, it is a funny MM romance that is just a fun read.

There you have it. Hope you all have a great week and lots of happy reading along the way.

~Kennith

Big Book Summer romance Sci-Fi

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Jan 27

#3: On the Run (Whispering Key #2)

by kennithfreeman

Reading more books means that I have less time to blog my reviews! LOL! I’m slowly catching up with the books that I have completed in this first month of 2023. My goal is to be current before the last day of the month. Good grief!

On the Run is the second book in the Whispering Key trilogy that I have listened to on Audible. The story centers around Beale Goodman, the lovable gentle giant of Whispering Key who is aware of people’s auras and patiently waiting for his soulmate. When Beale meets Toby, a New York writer who has been photographed in an unflattering light and has fled to the quaint Florida town to wait for the media circus to pass. Toby’s drama-filled life is full of secrets as well. There is no way that Beale and Toby are meant to be together…..or is there?

On the Run was a fun-filled, laugh-a-minute read that kept me on the edge of my seat and constantly returning to see what would happen next. I couldn’t get enough of the story and absolutely fell in love with the characters. I immediately knew that I wanted to complete the trilogy and see how things would be resolved for the charming Goodman family living on the island of Whispering Key, Florida.

2023 Reading Challenge audio romance

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Jan 14

#1: Off Plan (May Archer)

by kennithfreeman

The New Year got off to a bang with some great reading before the insanity of the Spring semester began. The first completed book fulfilled the requirement of reading an audio book for the Booklist Queen Reading Challenge 2023. Off Plan is the first installment in May Archer’s Whispering Key series.

Mason Bloom has accepted a position as a doctor in an upscale resort in Florida after the demise of his marriage. At least, he thinks he has accepted this dream position! The job is in Florida and he will be paid, but Whispering Key is not a resort at all. Unfortunately, it seems to be the place that time has forgotten. Upon his arrival, while everything else is going wrong, Mason encounters the most annoying man he has ever met in Fenn Reardon. Add in a community with no hope for growth and an inexplicable obsession with buried treasure and you have a formula for a nightmare. But it is in this nightmare that Mason discovers that sometimes when things go Off Plan you may just happen to find friendship, happiness, and love.

Off Plan is a fun read, but it is not for the faint of heart. As an audio book, the romance and lust is rather intense. Let’s just say that I was very glad that no one else was in the car while I was reading on my long drive to Texas. I definitely would have blushed!

2023 Reading Challenge audio romance

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Dec 31

#34: Five Winters (Kitty Johnson)

by kennithfreeman

To bring 2022 to a close, I finished my first ebook on the Kindle that I received for Christmas. I’ve not been incredibly interested in getting a digital reader since I spend so much of my day reading music from my iPad. I wasn’t sure how this gift was going to work out at all. So I just purchased the first inexpensive book that I thought I could handle to give it a fair shake.

That’s the best thing I can say about Five Winters. It wasn’t horrible. It wasn’t great. It was okay and a decent companion to actually beginning to read A Tale of Two Cities this week as well. The Dickens is going to take me a little longer to plow through for sure. Johnson’s novel was a nice diversion at the end of a long day.

ebook fiction romance

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