January Readin' Roundup!

Books I Read in January!!

2020 started off really great.  I was able to read 8 books in January.  All of them were pretty good and I would recommend them all.  My favorite of the month was A Love Hate Thing by Whitney Grandison and my least favorite was The 13-Minute Murder by James Patterson.   Here is my take on all of the books I read in January.  Click on the book covers below to order the book and the title, to read my full review.   Please share with me your favorite books of January. 

Husband Material by Emily Belden
4 Stars
For the past five years Charlotte Rosen has been living her life, trying to develop a dating app and living with a roommate. When her dead husband's ashes show up on her front door step, she's not sure what to do with them or her life. As she tries to make decisions about the ashes as well as her life, secrets come to the surface that she would never expect. Did she know her husband as well as she thought she did? Will she be able to move on with her life with the ashes or will it bring everything to a screeching halt?




The Gifted School by Bruce Holsinger
4 Stars
The city of Crystal, Colorado is an affluent community in the state of Colorado. When a new public school for gifted students is slated to open just in time for the upcoming school year, close friends will put everything on the line to ensure that their children make the cut. Because out of the 100,000 students who are eligible to apply, only 1000 will gain entrance to the school. Who is smart enough to make the cut and what lengths will the parents and guardians go through to make sure their child is part of the elite who make it into the school.



A Love Hate Thing by Whitney Grandison
5 Stars
When Tyson Trice reappears in Nandy Smith's life 10 years after she had last seen him, she knew right away, he wasn't that same seven year old boy she used to play with. Trice is coming to live with the Smith's after the tragic death of his parents. He is angry and hurting and this is the last place he wants to be. But will he be able to come out of his funk and find the friendship he once had with Nandy? Will he be able to step away from his old life and try to build a new one with these people who are nothing like him?



The 13-Minute Murder by James Patterson
3 Stars
This book was actually three different stories in one.
The first is Dead Man Running:
This book featured Dr. Randall Beck who is a psychiatrist who is also dying of brain cancer. Most of his patients are dealing with some type of traumatic event that he is helping them work through. When a new client shows up at his office and then is gunned down right after the appointment, Dr. Beck has lots of questions, but he's not getting the answers. In order to get the answers, he will have to risk his own life and the life of others in order to find out what is going on.

Next Was 113 Minutes:
When Molly Rourke gets the call that her son has had an overdose at school, the first thing she does is call her brothers because she knows she can't handle this news on her own. They spend the next few months trying to figure out who was behind his death and getting their revenge. There are a lot of surprises in this story.

Finally 13-Minute Murder:
Michael Ryan is given a job to kill a coed in the middle of Harvard. When the job is done, he is determined to find out who ordered the hit. His partner doesn't want to say, but when Ryan uncovers the truth, it's almost too good to be true. He can execute the perfect murder in 13 minutes, but it may take more than that to bring down all the players involved in this.




Tweet Cute by Emma Lord
4 Stars
It's Pepper and Jack's senior year. Pepper is trying to stay on top of her grades and be captain of the swim team. Jack is living in the shadows of his twin brother, Ethan, while helping his family with their deli. Each of their families owns a restaurant, but Pepper's family has gone national. The Twitter battle between the two restaurants will fall into the hands of these young adults. But even though they know each other from school, they don't know that the other is on the other side of the battle. What will happen when it's all laid out on the table?




The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society by Mary Ann Shaffer & Annie Barrows
4 Stars
Juliet Ashton has just published her first book in 1946 and her publisher is eager for her to start on the next one. Her book was a great relief during war time. But she's having trouble coming up with a subject that is interesting to her and will keep her readers entertained. When she receives a letter from a man name Dawsey who found her in a book he had by Charles Lamb, they begin a correspondence. When Dawsey tells her about his book club, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society Juliet is intrigued and wants to learn more about the group. Each member writes her a letter to explain how they became a part of the group. Juliet is so enthralled by their stories, she feels she has to go to Guernsey so she can write a book about this group. Told through a series of letters, telegrams, and packages we learn about Juliet's journey from London to Guernsey.



The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates
3 Stars
Hiram Walker was born into slavery. He doesn't remember much about his mother except that she was taken from him at a very young age. Hiram was born with special gifts, that he discovers when his life is in danger. Will he have to continue to live a life of slavery, or will he find a way out of his situation and find out what happened to his mother.





The Guilty by David Baldacci
4 Stars
Will Robie has just completed a mission when he finds out that his father has been arrested for murder. Instead of stopping his work then and there, he decides to go on the next mission available, but he is is not successful. Is it because of the details of the previous mission or because of the news that he received that he is unable to complete the mission. Ordered to take some time off, he heads back to Cantrell, Mississippi to find out what is really going on with his father. But when you haven't been back to a place without any word in nearly 20 years, it's not so easy to find the answers you're looking for. Is Will able to find out who is really to blame for the murder and will he be able to mend the relationship with his father.



So there you have it.  Here's what I'm looking forward to in February:

Blog Tour Review: Husband Material by Emily Belden

Husband Material by Emily Belden
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Published: December 2019
 

For the past five years Charlotte Rosen has been living her life, trying to develop a dating app and living with a roommate. When her dead husband's ashes show up on her front door step, she's not sure what to do with them or her life. As she tries to make decisions about the ashes as well as her life, secrets come to the surface that she would never expect. Did she know her husband as well as she thought she did? Will she be able to move on with her life with the ashes or will it bring everything to a screeching halt?

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin for the opportunity to read and review this book.

When I first started reading this book, I had though I knew where this story was going to go, but there were twists and turns all along the way that I wasn't expecting. Charlotte has been a widow for much longer than she was married to Decker. For the past five years, she's been living her life trying to best not to let her past intersect with her present. But when her husband's ashes show up after the mausoleum he was buried in burns down, her whole world gets turned upside down.

This was the first book I have read by Emily Belden, but I look forward to reading more of what she writes. I know she has one other book called Hot Mess and I have added it to my TBR.

If you like romance books with a little bit of suspense behind them, you will enjoy this book. The title can have many different meanings in this book which I discovered after I finished reading it. At first I thought it might be the name of the dating app Charlotte was developing, then her husband's ashes show up so it could be that too.

Overall this book was very enjoyable and highly recommended.

View all my reviews

Author Q&A (These are not my questions)

Q: When you begin writing a love story, do you know how you want it to end? Or do you decide as you develop the plot?

A: I generally have an idea of how I want things to wrap up, but what I always struggle with is that final sentence. How do you know you’re REALLY there? I often ready my theoretical last sentence out loud, followed by saying “The End”, and if it feels like it has a certain “ring” to it, then I can shut the laptop. If not, then I know it’s not my stopping point. Wrapping up that final thought with a bow on it is super important. It’s what I want when I read a book, at least.

Q: How was it to write about grief, pain and love for the same character?

A: It was new. That’s really the best word to explain it. HOT MESS has so many autobiographical elements to it (i.e., restaurant industry know-how, dating an addict, etc.) but HUSBAND MATERIAL was all unchartered territory for me. I realized right away that in order to write about the grief of losing a spouse/partner, I had to curate a focus group of real-life women like Charlotte and really learn from them to bring the level of authenticity and nuance needed to successfully write the book.

Q: What type of love stories do you like? Or were there ones you looked to as you began writing Husband Material?

A: I like really unexpected love stories. In today’s literary landscape, there’s certainly a formula that is pretty common. So it’s the books that break or stray from that formula that really do it for me. I like stories where it’s not innately clear who the protagonist is going to end up with. Even with HOT MESS there’s a moment where (I hope) the reader is like “OMG WHAT IS HAPPENING” insofar as Allie’s love story goes. Same with Charlotte in HUSBAND MATERIAL.

Q: Do you prefer to write by planning ahead (ie outlining, etc) or just go with the flow as inspiration hits?

A: I prefer to go with the flow. My general writing pattern is banging out 1-2 chapters at a time and then ending my work with a bulleted list of what I think needs to happen next. That way, when I open up my laptop and start to write the next 1-2 chapters, I’m not totally lost or forgetful of where I left off. It helps me figure out what would make sense in the flow of the pages.

Q: When did you know you wanted to become an author? What are you currently reading and what's on your TBR list?

A: It’s been my only god-given talent since I was a little kid. It started with really creative letters to Santa or the Tooth Fairy. I won a contest to be a kid reporter for the Chicago Tribune when I was 12 years old and after that, my fate was sealed. I knew I wanted to write at the highest level I could! I am currently reading a book called Lulu’s Cafe by an author who is also repped by my agents, Browne & Miller. I really love it and can picture it as an adorable Hallmark Movie. 

Q: What inspired you to write this book?

A: I heard a news story on the TV when I was doing dishes at my (former) home in San Diego. It was about a developer who wanted to buy the land a mausoleum was on so they could tear it down and build luxury condos overlooking the ocean. I thought, how crazy if your loved one’s ashes just got mailed back to you one day and the resting place you thought was final, wasn’t. It wasn’t easy, but turned that general premise into a light-side-of-heavy rom-com.

Q: What theme or message do you hope readers will take away from your book?

A: Over all, that second chances at love take all different forms. You never know the circumstances someone has found themselves in, so be kind. For Charlotte, I intentionally wrote the first few chapters as if she was divorced--talking about her “first marriage”. Then you find out “Oh, sh*t, she’s a widow,” and all the sudden your emotional connection with her changes. I also find it interesting writing about death. We don’t talk about it in society, especially not in contemporary women’s fiction. A tragic, unexpected death is the crux of this book. Let’s dig in!

Q: What drew you into this particular genre?

A: I saw there was room to carve out a spot for someone like me who writes unexpected, voicey, edgy, authentic women’s fiction and so I went full steam ahead with the help of a great agent to make it happen.

Q: If you could sit down with any character in your book, what would you ask them and why?

A: I would sit down with Charlotte. I’ve met the “real life” versions of her when doing my focus groups for research, it would be my honor to meet her. I’d ask her if she wanted to team up and develop a dating app framed around people’s dogs. 

Q: What social media site has been the most helpful in developing your readership?

A: Instagram. I feel like I’ve become friends with people I’ve never met in real life. They cheer me on and I’m humbled by it. I also find other authors on Facebook in certain literary groups. This has been fun and has helped me grow my TBR list with books I otherwise wouldn’t have heard of.

Q: What advice would you give to aspiring or just starting authors out there?

A: Be patient. Be patient with the process - success as an author is fluid and can mean many different things. Nothing happens overnight. It’s a process. And be patient with yourself. If you aren’t vibing your writing, don’t put pressure on yourself to tap keys just because you said you were going to do 1,000 words tonight. There are times two weeks go by and I haven’t opened my Word doc once. But then when I am vibing it, I can cruise for 10K words and absolutely rock it. There’s an ebb and flow, for sure.

Q: What does the future hold in store for you? Any new books/projects on the horizon?

A: I am working on a third novel at my own pace right now. I’m very excited about it and just exploring where the plot takes me. I would love to work on a film/TV/podcast adaption of any of my existing works as a next step, too. I also got married nine months ago and am enjoying life with my soulmate, Matt.

To learn more about this book or to order, click the book cover below: