Reading for Me

The Books I Have Read…..Just for Me

Nov 13

The View From My Reading Chair – November 13, 2021

by kennithfreeman

I am slowly returning to my life as a multi-book reader. I don’t necessarily enjoy reading this way, but at times it is necessary. Since I have decided to enroll in a graduate class in January (19th Century British History), I need to get a jump start on one of the four (!) book reviews required in this 8-week course. (Yeah, I’m thinking the professor just condensed his normal 16-week course and decided to have us do all of the work in half the time. Crickey!) So I’m slowly making my way through a historical biography and reading a piece of fluff fiction on the side.

The biography on my side table at the moment is Disraeli by Robert Blake. I must admit that I know very little about Disraeli’s role in British history other than that he ultimately served as Chancellor of the Exchequer. Currently, I’m reading about his early life with a special attention to his first novel, Vivian Grey. I’m finding Disraeli an interesting figure to read about and the writing itself is fairly easy to follow. (The same cannot be said for the first book I attempted to read for this assignment. I still don’t really know what I read in the first few chapters of A Mad, Bad, and Dangerous People?: England 1783-1846 by B.A. Hilton!)

When I returned my last book to the local library, I decided it was time to return to My Library Shelf project — I really would like to finish reading that shelf someday! — and picked up two books. Right now, I’m enjoying the last book in Mary Connealy’s The Kincaid Brides trilogy. Over the Edge opens with a stage coach robbery and the discovery that Seth Kincaid’s wife and child — both of which he doesn’t remember — are making their way to Colorado in search of Seth and the benefits of marriage. The situation is made more problematic because Seth has already deserted his young wife once and she does not trust him — but she needs help. A romance that is both a Western and Christian are not my normal fare, but I have enjoyed the previous two books in the series. It’s an easy read so far, so that is a nice change of pace after reading about British history!

biography My Library Shelf non-fiction romance Series update

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Sep 25

#26: Trunk Music (Michael Connelly)

by kennithfreeman

I am so excited to share with you that I finished a book this week! That really is excellent news for me. I dropped the ball in other areas of my life, but I think I have managed to get back into the groove of reading daily for pleasure.

Trunk Music was another of the Harry Bosch novels that I have discovered as part of My Library Shelf project. In this installment, Harry and his partners find a corpse in the trunk of a white Rolls Royce overlooking the summer finale performance of the LA Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl. (I love those kind of details….I can picture the scene clearly in my mind’s eye!) Once the dead man is identified as a second-rate movie mogul who has been laundering money for criminals, everything points to the murder as a mob hit. Harry follows the case to the seedier side of Las Vegas and finds the murderer.

At least, he *thinks* he has found the murderer. Connelly sets up so many twists and turns in this plot that your reading feels like an exciting roller coaster ride. I was never fully certain where I was going to end up, but I knew that I was enjoying the ride! Life-changing things are happening for Bosch on the personal front as well at the close of the novel — he marries Eleanor finally! I’m definitely a fan of the Harry Bosch novels, but I’m ready for something a little different in my reading life for the coming week.

So what’s the next book that I’m diving into? I decided to stick with My Library Shelf and am reading The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins. This is definitely not something I would normally pick up, but I have to admit that I am intrigued by what I have learned about the novel so far. First published in 1868, the novel took London by storm when it first appeared in a serialized form in Charles Dickens’ weekly magazine. It seems to be one of the first versions of the genre we now know as “detective stories.” I’m only a few pages into the book on this chilly Saturday and have found myself struggling to get into the writing. So far, much of the story has been setting the stage about the history of this strange “moonstone” gem and the supposed curse that follows it. As I am beginning the story proper, I’m really hoping that the story will become more engaging. The library card jacket suggests that it is included on Accelerated Reader lists in the city, so I’m anxious to see if I think it can hold the attention of a young reader. It is rather long — 464 pages — so I’m hoping that it grabs my attention and is a rather quick read. I don’t want to spend my time wading through a novel that I’m just not enjoying.

fiction My Library Shelf mystery Series

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Sep 3

The View From My Reading Chair – September 3, 2021

by kennithfreeman

Greetings from the Geriatric Ward – my loving reference to my childhood home and place where my parents continue to live. Today was a travel day for me so I could check on Mom with my own eyes. After a cardiac episode last Friday morning, she received a pacemaker on Sunday morning. She is still weak, but looks pretty good considering she was just released from the hospital 4 days ago.

As you can probably guess, my mind has been distracted this week as I checked on Mom’s progress. I did manage to make my way to the library on Monday afternoon to try to get back into some sort of reading groove. I picked up another novel by James Patterson and the next in the Harry Bosch series. I also selected a biography of John F. Kennedy, Jr.

Life was rather hectic this week since I would have less time in the office to get everything done in order to fly home. So I slowly settled into reading 21st Birthday, the newest book in James Patterson’s Women’s Murder Club series. I was able to spend a little over an hour while on today’s flight to make a rather significant dent in the book and hope to have it finished over the holiday weekend.

My progress in my audio books has slowed this week. They were causing me to fall asleep after very long and stressful days. I’m continuing to make my way through Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, but I’m not flying through the books like I did just a few weeks ago.

So that’s where things stand. Hopefully, I’ll have a book review to share in the coming week. *Fingers crossed!*

Series update

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May 10

#12: The Bookshop on the Corner (Jenny Colgan)

by kennithfreeman

Once I returned from my mini-vacation at the beginning of the week, I was ready to read something light. It was the beginning of summer break, after all! That’s when I fell into The Bookshop on the Corner and was immediately sucked into a charming story set in the Scottish highlands.

Nina finds herself in need of a new job now that the library she has served for many years has been closed, now serving patrons exclusively through technology. Rather than follow the safe path laid out before her, Nina decides to open a mobile bookstore and has found the perfect van — in Scotland!

While picking up the van and telling the locals about her plans for selling books on the move, she realizes that the people here in this quaint village are desperate for books now that their own library has been closed. Despite her efforts to return to her urban home, it seems as though fate is at work and Nina must remain in Scotland. The prospect of a little romance in Nina’s life does not negatively impact her decision either.

Filled with comedy and heart-warming connections, The Bookshop on the Corner is a charming novel that will leave the reader wanting more while reminding them of the magical power that can only be found in the pages of a good book. This book is the first in the author’s “Scottish Bookstore” series.

fiction romance Series

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Dec 22

#38: This Was a Man (Jeffrey Archer)

by kennithfreeman

2020 has been described in lots of ways. For my reading life, 2020 has largely been dominated with The Clifton Chronicles that culminated in this final novel of the series. Archer’s novel did not disappoint. I found myself laughing, hoping, and crying throughout and thought the conclusion of the story was very fitting.

Giles and Karin return to Berlin just as the Berlin Wall is falling. Grace and Emma must deal with the changing views of women as the century begins to come to a close. Harry and Emma face unexpected challenges as Harry pens his literary masterpiece; their love affair concludes in a beautiful expression of love that could only be imagined on the pages of the novel. Giles’ eulogy of his dearest friend is a moving tribute that recalls many of the series’ most memorable passages and explores how his own life has been changed as a result of his unlikely friendship with Harry.

If you are looking for a lovely family saga to dive into, look no further than The Clifton Chronicles. Memorable characters, historical backdrops, and exciting plots make this a series not to be missed.

How am I going to follow up this beloved series? I’m returning to a favorite author and reading The Book of Two Ways by Jodi Picoult as the year begins to wind down. This story of an Egyptologist is intriguing from the beginning. I’ll let you know more about it in this weekend’s update once I get a little farther into the novel.

fiction Series

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Dec 2

#35: Every Now and Then (Karen Kingsbury)

by kennithfreeman

Monday was a travel day for me, so I had plenty of time to read during flights and layovers. Still, I didn’t quite get the novel finished before heading back to my apartment. I was hooked by the story line that I had lived with all day and decided to stay up a little later and finish reading this final book in Kingsbury’s 9/11 series.

In Every Now and Then, we are introduced to Alex, a young K-9 police officer living in Los Angeles. Alex struggles with personal grief due to the loss of his father 7 years prior during the attacks on the World Trade Center. Now, Alex lives his life with one goal: to rid the city of evil in order to bring honor to his father’s memory. In the process, he has managed to cut everyone else out of his life.

In typical Kingsbury fashion, the novel weaves authentic emotion into a riveting story of loss, frustration, and redemption alongside powerful Scriptural truths of hope, healing, and restoration. I have been deeply touched by the three books in the 9/11 series, but Every Now and Then spoke to my heart in a very special way. This is one of those times that this reader encountered the perfect book at just the right moment in my life’s journey.

Christian fiction Series

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Nov 1

#32: Cometh the Hour (Jeffrey Archer)

by kennithfreeman

This week, I read the sixth volume of The Clifton Chronicles by Jeffrey Archer. Set in the 1970s, the novel opens with Emma finally being vindicated in her libel case filed by Lady Virginia. Giles and Seb both find love — one relationship looks very promising while the other is shrouded in questions of espionage and deception. Harry Clifton’s efforts to have a Russian author freed from prison finally have success, but at what cost?

Cometh the Hour is a fast-moving read that keeps the reader engaged. While this volume has many scenes in the English court system, the writing is more interesting than the long political battle that stymied in an earlier novel of the saga. I’m looking forward to reading the final book in The Clifton Chronicles later this month. First, I plan to spend the week reading The House Girl by Tara Conklin as part of My Library Shelf.

fiction historical Series

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Oct 6

#29: Mightier than the Sword (Jeffrey Archer)

by kennithfreeman

As the weekend came to a close, I finished the fifth installment of the Clifton Chronicles and thoroughly enjoyed my reading experience. Mightier than the Sword is set in the 1970s against the backdrop of political turbulence across the globe. This time, the novel does not focus on one character primarily; instead, all four are heavily featured as the Chronicles race to its conclusion.

Harry Clifton decided to use his platform to call for the release of a fellow author who is imprisoned in a Soviet jail for the publication of his controversial biography of Joseph Stalin. Emma struggles to maintain control of Barrington Shipping while fighting a libel case against her nemesis, Lady Virginia. Seb continues his meteoric rise through the British banking system, yet questions if there are more important things in life than just business success. After facing political scandal, Giles finds himself once again in a heated campaign against Major Fisher that just might cost him his position in Parliament as well as his hopes of serving his country as a foreign minister.

Mightier than the Sword is a gripping novel and a great example of Archer’s ability to masterfully weave a story.

fiction historical Series

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Sep 13

#28: The 20th Victim (James Patterson)

by kennithfreeman

I’m happy to say that I have a review of my latest read sooner than I anticipated. The last third of the latest installment of the Women’s Murder Club flew and made for an enjoyable Sunday of reading.

Lindsey, Claire, Cindy, and Yuki are back at it. This time the central story is about a well-trained assassin taking out drug dealers around the country and using a video game to hide behind. Like Patterson’s other books in the series, this novel does not just tell one story. Yuki is charging a teen driver as an accessory to murder for the death of a cop; she knows the teen is innocent, but too afraid to identify the real gunman. Claire is fighting another kind of battle in the form of lung cancer. All the while, Lindsey’s husband, Joe, is reconnecting with a friend from his past that is convinced his father’s recent deadly cardiac event was not a naturally occurring event. Together, the men search for the truth about the man’s death and possible murder.

The 20th Victim was not an earth-shaking read. It was exactly what I have come to expect from the series — a fun read when I need to escape from the pressures of life and just want to have a little excitement with some of my literary friends. Now I’ll just have to wait for the release of the 21st book in the series in order to have my next visit.

fiction Series thriller

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Aug 22

#25: Be Careful What You Wish For (Jeffrey Archer)

by kennithfreeman

I didn’t finish the novel as quickly as I had hoped, but I completed another novel this week. I returned to the Clifton Chronicles and read the fourth novel in the saga, Be Careful What You Wish For. This volume is largely focused on Emma’s development and the trouble Don Pedro continues to bring into the lives of the Clifton and Barrington families.

Emma now finds herself as chairwoman of the family business as the company completes the building of its first luxury passenger ocean liner. Don Pedro is doing everything within his power to make the enterprise fail and force Barrington Shipping into bankruptcy. In typical Jeffrey Archer fashion, the novel ends with a massive cliffhanger that insists the reader return for the next installment to find out what happens to these beloved characters.

Be Careful What You Wish For is filled with love, tragedy, suspense, and humor. Perhaps I enjoyed this installment more than the previous book because I took a break from the saga and did some other reading. Honestly, I think this is a better book that returns Archer to the status of storyteller that he first held with his earlier releases. Either way, Be Careful What You Wish For was a welcome return to a thrilling story that held my attention and captured my imagination.

fiction Series

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