Tuesday, January 4, 2022

New Authors in 2021

Good news - this is my LAST post about 2021.  Here is a list of new authors for me this past year:

Kevin Schewe
Catherine Ryan Hyde
Susan Wiggs
Helen Fisher
Susan Meissner
Alison Littman
Andrea Dunlop
Bob Boylan
Sejal Badani
Alex Michaelides
Hazel Gaynor & Heather Webb
Colin Whitehead
Eric Kasum & Michael N. Smith
Sanjay Prasad
Ed Duncan
Jaime Lynn Hendricks
Martha Hall Kelly
Sam Subity
Scott A. Shay
Christopher Taunton
Amy Mason Doan
Tasha Alexander
Stephanie Dray
Gail Tsukiyama
Beverly Jenkins
Alka Joshi
Maryles Casto
Lucy Leonelli

28 out of 61 - 46% 

3.5s and up for 2021

Here is the list of books that are 3.5 and up for 2021, IMHO:

4.25 - 
The Clover Girls - Viola Shipman (yes, I know that 4.0 is supposed to be my highest rating)

4.0+ -
The Rose Code - Kate Quinn (see the 4.25 above)

4.0 - 
Three Words for Good-Bye - Hazel Gaynor & Heather Webb
Peeps - Erin Gordon
The Women of Chateau Lafayette - Stephanie Dray
The Pilot's Daughter - Meredith Jaeger

3.75 -
The Lost and Found Bookshop - Susan Wiggs
The Four Winds - Kristin Hannah
The Storyteller's Secret - Sejal Badani
Lilac Girls - Martha Hall Kelly
The Forest of Vanishing Stars - Kristin Harmel
The Samurai's Garden - Gail Tsukiyama
What the Lady Wants - Renee Rosen
The Other Einstein - Marie Benedict
A Year in the Life - Lucy Leonelli

3.625 -
The Younger Wife - Sally Hepworth (yes, I know that this is an odd rating)

3.5 -
Posing Naked - Betty Auchard
Have You Seen Luis Vellez? - Catherine Ryan Hyde
Winter Garden - Kristin Hannah
Faye, Faraway - Helen Fisher
The Nature of Fragile Things - Susan Meissner
We Came Here to Forget - Andrea Dunlop
How to Save a Life - Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke
The People We Keep - Allison Larkin
The World Played Chess - Robert Dugoni
The Henna Artist - Alka Joshi
Heard It in a Love Song - Tracey Garvis Graves
Shattered - C. Lee McKenzie

I've got 2 other 3.5s that I read for my job as a professional reviewer for a publicist.  The reason I am listing these separately is that they are not novels.  One is inspirational, and the other is historical:

4 Ideas with Actionable Wisdom - Bob Boylan
100 of the Worst Ideas in History - Michael Smith & Eric Kasum

Get reading, people!

Saturday, January 1, 2022

Books in 2021

Here is the list of books read for 2021.  Coincidentally I read the same number of books in 2021 that I read in 2020 - 61.  My page count is lower, though.  I went from 20,500 to approx. 19,000.  No complaints here.  And...voila:

Posing Naked - Betty Auchard - 3.5

Bad Love Beyond - Kevin Schewe - 3.0

Have You Seen Luis Velez? - Catherine Ryan Hyde - 3.5

The Lost and Found Bookshop - Susan Wiggs - 3.75

Before She Disappeared - Lisa Gardner - 3.25

Winter Garden - Kristin Hannah - 3.5

Faye, Faraway - Helen Fisher - 3.5

The Nature of Fragile Things - Susan Meissner - 3.5

Radio Underground - Alison Littman - 3.0

We Came Here to Forget - Andrea Dunlop - 3.5

4 Ideas with Actionable Wisdom - Bob Boylan - 3.5

Retirement:  Your New Adventure! - Bob Boylan - 3.0

The Four Winds - Kristin Hannah - 3.75

Win - Harlan Coben - 3.0

The Fellowship of the Flames - A.R. Silverberry

How to Save a Life - Liz Fenton & Lisa Steinke - 3.5

The Storyteller’s Secret - Sejal Badani - 3.75

Transcendant Kingdom - Yaa Gyasi - 2.75

The Silent Patient - Alex Michaelides - 3.25

Heads You Win - Jeffrey Archer - 3.25

Three Words for Goodbye - Hazel Gaynor & Heather Webb - 4.0

The People We Keep - Allison Larkin - 3.5 

The Nickel Boys - Colin Whitehead - 2.75

Peeps - Erin Gordon - 4.0

100 Worst Ideas In History - Eric Kasum & Michael N. Smith - 3.5

The Rose Code - Kate Quinn - 4.0+

Resetting Healthcare - Sanjay Prasad - 3.25

Pigeon-Blood Red - Ed Duncan - 2.5

Finding Tessa - Jaime Lynn Hendricks - 3.25

Lilac Girls - Martha Hall Kelly - 3.75

Bad Love Medicine - Kevin Schewe - 3.0

The Last Shadow Warrior - Sam Subity - 3.25

The Unwilling - John Hart - 3.25

Conspiracy U - Scott A. Shay

The Tear of Tybaleth - A.R. Silverberry - 3.0

The Forest of Vanishing Stars - Kristin Harmel - 3.75

A Summer Classic, The Bew White Story - Christopher Taunton - 2.75

Dreaming in Provence - Jennifer Skully - 3.25

Lady Sunshine - Amy Mason Doan - 3.0

In the Shadow of Vesuvius - Tasha Alexander - 3.0

The Women of Chateau Lafayette - Stephanie Dray - 4.0

The Samurai’s Garden - Gail Tsukiyama - 3.75

What the Lady Wants - Renee Rosen - 3.75

In the Event of Contact - Ethel Rohan - 2.5

The Clover Girls - Viola Shipman - 4.25

Women of the Silk - Gail Tsukiyama - 3.0

Wishing in Rome - Jennifer Skully

The Taming of Jessi Rose - Beverly Jenkins - 3.25

The Other Einstein - Marie Benedict - 3.75

Last Call - Sheldon Siegel

The World Played Chess - Robert Dugoni - 3.5

The Younger Wife - Sally Hepworth - 3.625

The Wickett Sisters - Stephen Houser

Shadow House - A.R. Silverberry

The Henna Artist - Alka Goshi - 3.5

Heard it in a Love Song - Tracey Garvis Graves - 3.5

Shattered - C. Lee McKenzie - 3.5

The Answer to His Prayers - Ellen Kirshman - 3.0

A Hole in the Clouds - Maryles Casto - 3.25

A Year in the Life - Lucy Leonelli - 3.75

The Pilot’s Daughter - Meredith Jaeger - 4.0


61 books