Author: Jana

The Ten Most Recent Books I’ve Read Because Someone Recommended Them

Posted October 19, 2020 by Jana in Top Ten Tuesday / 16 Comments

Welcome to another TTT! This week’s topic is “books I read because someone recommended them to me”. I love getting recs from people and think it’s so much fun to discuss books with friends. I figured it would be too hard to narrow this list down to the top ten best ones because I’m not sure I could pick. So instead, I’ve chosen to share the ten most recent books I’ve read (good or bad) because someone recommended them to me.

Halloween Boo by Sarah Spade
My friend, Elley, recommended this Hocus Pocus-inspired romance between a ghost and a human. It was a fun little story, but a bit too steamy in places for my comfort level.

Nine Rules to Break When Romancing a Rake by Sarah MacLean
Elley also recommended this entire trilogy, and said the first one is her favorite. I really enjoyed this historical romance!

Agnes at the End of the World by Kelly McWilliams
I picked this up because my friend, Caro, LOVED it. Unfortuately, I had a really hard time with some of the themes throughout the story, It was a unique concept, though! Although… it featured an apocalyptic plague, which… well, you know.

Neanderthal Seeks Human by Penny Reid
I’ve seen these books everywhere, so I’m not sure who specifically made me decide to pick it up… but I loved this book! So much fun.

Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant
My friends Harker and Elley both LOVE this book, and now I do too! Murder mermaids, guys.

The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager
My friend, Michelle, loved the camp setting in this one and it was definitely a great book. I love Riley Sager.

The Dark Unwinding by Sharon Cameron
My friend, Lindsey (Bring My Books), said the audio of this was amazing and she was right!

Roomies by Christina Lauren
My first Christina Lauren! I have no idea who recommended them. Maybe it was a bunch of voices yelling at me. In any case, I love Christina Lauren now so thank you!

Heart’s Blood by Juliet Marillier
My friend, Bonnie, got me this book because she loves it so much and it’s WONDERFUL. Get it!

A Court of Thorns and Roses by Sarah J. Maas
I never would have read this if the entire book blogging world hadn’t exploded when the ARCs went out. I was lucky enough to get one, too, and it’s such a good book.

Which of these have you read? What did you think?
What’s the best book you’ve ever read because someone else recommended it?
Have I ever recommended anything on this blog or on social media that you read and loved?

Paradise Cove by Jenny Holiday | Book Review

Posted October 15, 2020 by Jana in Adult Fiction, Book Review / 2 Comments

Paradise Cove by Jenny Holiday | Book ReviewParadise Cove by Jenny Holiday
Series: Matchmaker Bay #2
Published by Forever on July 28, 2020
Genres: Contemporary Romance, Romance
Pages: 368
Format: eARC
Source: Publisher (Netgalley)
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Dr. Nora Walsh has just been dumped in spectacular fashion, making it the perfect time for a major life change. She figures taking over the medical practice in tiny Matchmaker Bay for a couple of years will help her get over her broken heart, and then she can head back to the big city. But when the first man she sees looks like a superhero god, she wonders if maybe there's something to small-town living after all.

Jake Ramsey also has a broken heart -- one he never expects to heal. He doesn't need people anyway and is content hiding out in his secluded cottage on the beach. But after helping Nora with a medical emergency, he finds himself opening up to the witty, warmhearted doctor. Soon the local matchmakers are working overtime to pair them off, and Jake begins to wonder if his campaign to get Nora to stay is for the town or because he can't bear the thought of her leaving.

I’ve struggled with books by this author in the past, so I was a bit worried about trying again. But my friend, Estelle at Forever, pitched this to me so hard while we were talking on the phone one day that I decided to give Jenny Holiday another try! I’m glad I did, because I really enjoyed this for the most part! I do have a few tiny complaints, but I’m definitely interested in reading the other books in this series. As always, my main points are bolded.

1. We’ve got Nora, the city girl who moves to a small town to take over the medical practice there. I love stories like this, because I really enjoy anything medicine (even though it plays a tiny part in the story). She’s also running from a bad relationship and wants a new start. She’s a very energetic, bright personality and I enjoyed the contrast between her and Jake, the hero of this story.

2. Jake is a very quiet Mr. Fix-it that everyone loves even though nobody knows him very well. Well, they know his story but they don’t know him. He’s a man of very few words, but when he does speak it’s important. He lives off in a secluded part of town and goes around quietly fixing things that need fixing. He randomly shows up at Nora’s house to re-build her deck, and she stumbles upon him while he’s out there working. That’s just what he does! He’s the fix-it fairy, and I loved him for that. He’s got major heartbreak in his past, and watching him go through the grieving process and learning to open up again was very sweet. Oh, and Nora refers to him as Aquaman, if that does anything for you. I’m not a fan of the long-haired, man-buned man but I know many are!

3. Nora’s and Jake’s relationship is very organic. They start out as friends with benefits, which I actually hate. lol. But then things get deeper as he opens up to her. She expects absolutely nothing from him, and lets him open up slowly and quietly and on his own terms. When he tells her his story, she responds in a very comforting way without exhausted cliches. She reacts to him in a way nobody else has. She asks him tough, but meaningful, questions about his son instead of glazing over him as if he never existed. It’s hard on Jake, but also helps him realize that he can look to the good times and remember than fondly, rather than feeling guilty for the bad times.

4. The sex scenes were a bit too much and too frequent for me. I enjoy steam in my books, and I like it when it adds to the story. But when these scenes just keep happening and happening I start to skim over them because I need more than that in my books. I begin to disconnect from the characters because I’m not seeing them grown and learn and love. I’m just seeing how much stamina they have in the bedroom and that gets old. lol.

5. That being said, I really had fun getting to know these two characters and seeing their love story unfold. I loved Jake’s dog and his house, which was in a cute little cove. I loved that Jake bought Nora some rain boots that stayed at his house so he could put them out for her when he knew she was coming over. That way, when the tide rolled in she could traverse the wet rocks and wade through the water to get around the bend and make it to his house without getting wet. How sweet is that?

6. I loved the supporting characters and all the friendships that were developed in this story between the townspeople and Nora. I’d like to go back and read the first book in this series so I can get more info about some of these characters.

All in all, I enjoyed the story and am excited to read more books in the Matchmaker Bay series! Jenny’s writing is great and her characters are loveable. I could do with a little less heat and steam and more actual story, but it’s not enough of a drawback for me to keep me from reading more of her books!

Top Ten Long Book Titles

Posted October 12, 2020 by Jana in Top Ten Tuesday / 22 Comments

Welcome to another TTT! This week’s topic is about super long book titles. Maybe you’ve chosen to only include the titles of books you’ve read or want to read, titles you just simply like but are not necessarily interested in reading, or even long titles you hate. Or all of the above? I’m a huge fan of a good title, so I’m only focusing on ones I like, both on and off my TBR/read lists.

1.The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer
This title is super unique, unforgettable, and I’d love to read this someday!

2. Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day by Judith Viorst
I liked this book as a kid, and I sometimes refer to my days as terrible, horrible, no good, very bad ones so the title has stuck with me!

3. You Are Not So Smart: Why You Have Too Many Friends on Facebook, Why Your Memory Is Mostly Fiction, and 46 Other Ways You’re Deluding Yourself by David McRaney
This just made me laugh. I have no idea what it’s about, but I know a few people I’d like to fling this book at based on the title alone!

4. Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt
My mom mentioned this one while I was talking to her about this topic, and I’ve always thought it was a pretty and intriguing title.

5. The Statistical Probability of Love at First Sight by Jennifer E. Smith
I didn’t love this book, but the title sure is cute!

6. The Unlikely Romance of Kate Bjorkman by Louise Plummer
One of the cutest Christmas books ever.

7. On the Bright Side, I’m Now the Girlfriend of a Sex God by Louise Rennison
I laughed when I saw this one, so I had to include it.

8. Ten Ways to Be Adored When Landing a Lord by Sarah MacLean
I just finished the first book in this series, and am excited to start the next one!

9. Christmas Wishes and Mistletoe Kisses by Jenny Hale
Because it I can add a Christmas book, I will!

10. Snowflakes at the Little Christmas Tree Farm by Jaimie Admans
Hey look, I did it again! I’m actually hoping to read this one soon.

Which loooong book titles did you find this week?

Top Ten Book Covers That Give Off Fall Vibes

Posted October 5, 2020 by Jana in Top Ten Tuesday / 21 Comments

Welcome to another TTT! I hope you’re doing well. It’s finally October (yay!!) and even though it’s not getting cold enough fast enough for me to really feel like it’s fall, I’m excited to share books with covers that give off fall vibes!

Something Wicked by Lucy Hudson
Harvest Moon by Robyn Carr
Halloween Boo by Sarah Spade
Halloween at the Graff by Sinclair Jayne
Thankfully in Love: A Thanksgiving Anthology by Anna J. Stewart, Kayla Perrin, Melinda Curtis, & Cari Lynn Webb
Pumpkin Everything by Beth Labonte
Bewitching You by Katana Collins
All I Want for Halloween by Marie Harte
A Thankful Heart by Melissa McClone
A Match Made for Thanksgiving by Jackie Lau

Which covers did you choose to feature this week?
Do any of these capture your feelings of fall?
Have you read any of these book? They’re all on my TBR, so please share your non-spoilery thoughts if you’d like!

Ten Quotes for Book Lovers

Posted September 28, 2020 by Jana in Top Ten Tuesday / 16 Comments

Welcome to another TTT! I hope your week is off to a good start. What are you excited about right now? The Animal Crossing: New Horizons Halloween update drops tonight, so that’s what I’m looking forward to right now!

This week’s topic is “Favorite Book Quotes”. I share quotes a lot on my blog, so I chose to share quotes for book lovers today. These are quotes about books and reading and how wonderful it is to be bookish. I’m excited to see which quotes you featured this week!

1. “A good book is an event in my life.” – Stendhal

2. “The unread story is not a story; it is little black marks on wood pulp. The reader, reading it, makes it live: a live thing, a story.” — Ursula K. Le Guin

3. “Reading makes immigrants of us all. It takes us away from home, but more important, it finds homes for us everywhere.” — Jean Rhys

4. “You think your pain and your heartbreak are unprecedented in the history of the world, but then you read. It was books that taught me that the things that tormented me most were the very things that connected me with all the people who were alive, who had ever been alive.” – James Baldwin

5. “Books are the quietest and most constant of friends; they are the most accessible and wisest of counselors, and the most patient of teachers.” ― Charles W. Eliot

6. “A book, too, can be a star, a living fire to lighten the darkness, leading out into the expanding universe.” ― Madeleine L’Engle

7. “I lived in books more than I lived anywhere else.” ― Neil Gaiman, The Ocean at the End of the Lane

8. “I shall be miserable if I have not an excellent library.” – Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice

9. “Books make people quiet, yet they are so loud.” – Nnedi Okorafor, The Book of Phoenix

10. “Everything in the world exists in order to end up as a book.” ― Stéphane Mallarmé

It was so much fun looking through quotes I’ve saved and browsing a bunch online! There were so many great ones to choose from, but I tried to pick some of the ones I don’t see all over the place. Hope you enjoy!

What are some of your favorite bookish quotes?