I was so excited when the mailman finally delivered my Brenda Novak book club pin. A pin earned for reading all 12 books from her book club last year. You can substitute of her books for a month you don’t like or want to read. I did that for October.
I hope to work through her backlist of book club books.
Join the book club today on Facebook. Just look up Brenda Novak book club. Lots of fun things happen throughout the month.
Would you do anything for your child?
That is the theme throughout The Good Father. Travis is the sole parent of four year old, Bella. He has fallen down on his luck and trusts his neighbor about a “job” in Raleigh. Once there he befriends a young mother, Erin, who has lost her child in a freak accident. He asks her to watch Bella while he does the job. One nightmare turns into another. When he fails to return to pick up Bella, Erin remembers the photo Bella carries of her mom. Erin and Bella take a trip to Beaufort to find Bella’s mom, Robin.
Robin has had a hard life in that she almost died from her heart disease while carrying Bella. A disease she had all her life. She had an overprotective father who was just trying to protect her and keep her alive. Decisions he made changed her life. One was not keeping her daughter. The daughter she can’t stop thinking about. She finds herself having to face a past no one knows about.
This book felt familiar to me so I think I must have read it previously. It is a book that makes you question what would you do? Thankfully I have never been in any of these situations. All the main characters will pull at your heart one time or another.
January Wrap Up 🥳❄️🥶
20 books total, 0 DNF
11 books donated/given to others
10 books (kindle/physical) of my own read
Reviews of most books on my blog. www.kentuckybooklover.com
B Borrowed from friend/family
L Library
KO Kindle Owned
O Physical Owned
EL E-library (Libby/Overdrive/Hoopla)
AB Audiobook
KU Kindle Unlimited
NG NetGalley
ARC Advanced Reader Copy
#bookstagrammer #kentuckybooklover #readersofinstagram #monthlywrapup
A cozy mystery series that keeps growing on me.
Daisy is catering the snacks for a fundraiser for a future homeless shelter unfortunately not everyone in town is on board. A small group of protesters upended the snack tables and let themselves be heard. While there Daisy befriended a young lady who has had her world turned upside down from a mistake at the fertility clinic. The lawyer for the clinic is in attendance. The lawyer ends up dead with a cup of Daisy’s orange pekoe tea next to him. By now we know Daisy is on the case.
I enjoy learning about the different teas. I have had orange pekoe tea and didn’t realize it isn’t orange flavor it is when the tea leaves are harvested.
These are the chocolate espresso cookies from the included recipes. They are delicious. I made them a little bigger than the recipe said. They have a cake like consistency which is nice. Changes I made: Splenda instead of sugar and added caramel chips with chocolate chips. Mine baked perfectly at 10 1/2 minutes.
Grace and Henry’s Holiday Movie Marathon shows you can love again with the right person at the right time.
Both Grace and Henry lost their spouses right after Christmas. One to a plane crash and one to cancer. Their moms decide to throw them together to see if they can help each other move forward in life. They find their love of holiday movies helps progress a friendship that works its way through their grief.
A lighthearted read even with the heavy theme of grief.
It’s not very often that a book will leave me speechless but Winter Sisters did just that.
I am not sure how this ended up on my bookshelf but last week in anticipation of snowpocalypse 2026 I looked for a wintry book cover. Set in the late 1870s New York during an unexpected blizzard a family is torn apart and those who loved them set out to find out what happened.
I am hesitant to give too much into the story because the “aha” moments are best discovered yourself. I will say I am appalled to learn that the age of consent was 10 years old! WTH???
There are a lot of triggers in this book but it is very eye opening. At times I wanted to throw the book out in the snow I was so disgusted and other times I couldn’t turn the page quick enough.
Definitely a 5 star read and the best read in January.
It is amazing how Miss Marple watches the small nuances of people and it able to suss out the murderer.
The Body in the Library is book two in the Miss Marple series. I enjoyed it more than book one. A couple wake up one morning to find a dead girl in their library. Having no clue how she got there the police are called. While the police are investigating another body is found in a burned car. Are the two related? When the police are at a stalemate Miss Marple is called to help.
A quick mystery on the shorter side of a little over 200 pages. My word of caution is write characters down with a small note. There are always a bunch to keep straight.
Have you ever loved and hated a character at the same time? Anthony Bridgerton was such a character for me.
He kind of reminded me of the Grinch. He had a big heart full of love but decided to close it off to others that was until the right woman came along.
Anthony has decided at 29 years of age that he must marry but only if married without love. He sets off to court Edwina Sheffield but it’s her older sister, Kate, that sets his heart a thumpin’. An unfortunate incident sets his and Kate’s future. Sometimes the those incidents lead us to the best thing ever.
I’ve been told this is season two of the Bridgerton tv series.
Oh Lana! Dead bodies find her everywhere. Now bookstores aren’t even safe.
Lana agrees to help bookstore owner, Cindy, with an author visit after Cindy’s employee quits without notice. Everything is running smoothly until the author starts roaming the store talking with fans. Suddenly, without witnesses, she is murdered in the mystery aisle. What makes it even more eerie is she is found exactly like the victim in her newest book. Lana vows to investigate and gets the surprise of her life when Detective “Hottie”, her boyfriend, asks for her help.
I devoured this newest entry in the Noodle Shop series almost as fast as I devour crab rangoons. I don’t care that they aren’t authentic I still love them. This long running series gets better and better. I’m interested in seeing how a certain side character’s story develops in future books.
If you like books with a food theme, a take no cr*p from anyone female amateur sleuth, and fun side characters then this series is for you. Book 13 is scheduled to release later this year.
A poignant short story that reminds us we are all stronger than we think when we have to face problems we don’t like.
Paul goes to Venice, Italy by himself when his husband asks for a divorce. What was to be a romantic Christmas trip is now a trip for one. He struggles with the language, with his new singleness, and what his future will hold. Paul spits a dog outside his window and in at time following the dog and at other times searching for the dog he experiences Venice.
Kentucky Book Lover 