Tuesday, October 1, 2013

September Reading Recap

Yes. I read in September. A decent amount. But for once? I really wasn't blown away by anything. There were a lot of so-so pages turned last month.

I ended up reading seven books last month. So to go through 1,940 pages of so-so words? That was kind of surprising to me. Anyway. That brings the yearly total to 59 books and 19,586 pages (give or take a few since some were Kindle titles with no page info).

Remember last month I said I may need to revamp the reading goal? To refresh your memory, Reading Goal Version 3.0 was set at 60 books. I started 2013 aiming for 40, then upped it to 52 and then had to bump it up to 60. Well. Guess what? I'm upping it again. Reading Goal Version 4.0 is now set at 75.

Anyway. What'd I read last month?

Bridesmaid Lotto by Rachel Asstor
Gamble on Engagement by Rachel Astor
The Wedding Wager by Rachel Astor
The First Affair by Emma McLaughlin
The Confession by John Grisham
Just One Day by Gayle Forman
The Week Before the Wedding by Beth Kendrick

See a theme there? Other than somewhat sub-par reading selections. Yup. Lots of wedding-related chick lit.

And now for the brief reviews, complete with number of stars given out on GoodReads. Follow me here if you’d like a more timely update on what I’m reading, what I think and what’s been added to my to-read list.

Bridesmaid Lotto by Rachel Astor  ***
A Kindle freebie, so I wasn't expecting much. It was an easy read, a cute story. Which is why I picked up...

Gamble on Engagement *** and The Wedding Wager *** both by Rachel Astor 
Neither were amazing. I really didn't get the point of Gamble on Engagement other than it was needed to make it a trilogy and throw a little bit of, oh no! Is the wedding going to happen? Overall, the series was quick, fluffy, easy reading. Actually kind of perfect for a summertime beach read.

The First Affair by Emma McLaughlin  **
Oh, such a waste of reading time. The first half was slow, the second half was better, but not much. Basically, a White House intern who has an affair with the President. And I guess we're supposed to feel sorry for her when the crap hits the fan and the affair becomes public. Do yourself a favor. Stay far away from this and pick something else up.

The Confession by John Grisham ***
Not my favorite John Grisham novel. Drawn out, long. I kind of gotten the feeling it was never going to end. It's about an innocent man who's executed for a murder he didn't commit and the actual murderer who comes forward at the last minute, but not before the innocent man is killed. The third part, where the innocent man is exonerated dragged and I felt like it got a little too preachy for my taste.

Just One Day by Gayle Forman ****
Some YA reading for the month. And I liked it. Good story. And it made me want to pick up some Shakespeare.

The Week Before the Wedding by Beth Kendrick ****
It's been a long time since I've plowed through an entire book in one day, much less one work day. But that's what I did with this one. It was a good piece of chick lit with a good story. Not too cliche. An entertaining read.