I just finished another book reading binge, which means we went to the beach 🙂 and I realized I haven’t shared some of my favorite books that I’ve read lately with you guys! I love that so many of you love the same kind of books I do and I love even more that you give me book suggestions that always turn out to be great!
I’ve got eight books for you here that I’ve read since March or so. I don’t think I could pick a favorite one out of the bunch because they are all so good and most are pretty varied in content as well.
Here ya go, fellow bookworms!
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Latest Good Reads
The Ashford Affair
After reading The Forgotten Room which was co-authored by Karen White, Beatriz Williams and Lauren Willig, I really wanted to read more books from Williams and Willig since I loved that book so much but hadn’t read anything else from either of them. As you probably know by now, I was already a huge fan of Karen White’s books. I decided to go with The Ashford Affair by Lauren Willig and oh man, was it good! After attending her grandmother’s birthday party, Clemmie, a young lawyer, starts to unravel a family secret that will take her all the way to Europe and Africa. This book was absolutely wonderful and sucked me in from the beginning. It most definitely will not be the last Lauren Willig book I read.
The Secret Life of Violet Grant
The Secret Life of Violet Grant
Like I said, I also wanted to read something from Beatriz Williams, another author of The Forgotten Room. For my first book of hers, I went with The Secret Life of Violet Grant. I will say that the book started out a little slow for me, but once things started speeding up, I was hooked! The main character is Vivian and when a suitcase shows up at her apartment belonging to an aunt who was thought to have disappeared or died over 50 years ago, Vivian becomes curious and starts to investigate into this mysterious aunt Violet of hers to find out what really happened. Vivian is a really fun, tell it like it is character and I loved Williams’ writing style in this book – I even found myself calling girlfriends fun old broads. This book definitely gets a five star rating in my book and it also won’t be the last Beatriz Williams book I read.
The All-Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion
The All-Girl Filling Station’s Last Reunion
I am a bit ashamed to say this, but this was the first book I’ve ever read by Fannie Flagg. I know – it’s a downright disgrace. But after reading this one, I will be reading more of Miss Flagg’s work. This books goes back and forth between the 1940’s and the present day when Sookie Poole from Alabama nearly has a mid-life crisis when she discovers that her mother isn’t actually her mother at all. She traces her roots back to the mid-west and a filling station in the 1940’s that was ran by a group of tough, but fun old broads. 😉 In this story, Sookie soon discovers that life can start all over again anytime you damn well please for it to.
The Night The Lights Went Out
Of course, none of my book review posts would be complete without a couple of Karen White novels thrown in. The Night the Lights Went Out is a wonderful book. It’s about scandal in a small southern town with twists and turns like you wouldn’t believe, yet in the end it comes full circle. Merilee is recently divorced and thinks she has found a friend in the midst of the saga, but really it’s someone masquerading from her past. Another main character in the book, Sugar is a sassy southern style older lady that everyone needs a dose of in their lives! Sugar has her own secrets as well though and as it turns out, both she and Merilee are more strong and courageous than they thought. Definitely a must-read in my book!
The Sound of Glass
Quite a few of you had suggested The Sound of Glass to me in one of my previous good reads posts and once again, you were right – it’s so good! The Sound of Glass is definitely one of my favorite Karen White novels. Merritt has been a widow for a couple of years when she finds out that she is now the owner of her deceased husband’s grandmother’s home in South Carolina. Merritt’s husband had never spoken of his past with her, so she is shocked to say the least. Upon arriving in South Carolina, she is soon also greeted by her stepmother and half-brother which complicate things for her even more. Soon, she begins to discover that her deceased husband and his grandmother were hiding something and somehow it connects to her. On top of that, her stepmother is also holding something back as well. Merritt has to gather her strength in order to create a new life for herself and face the things she’s pushed aside for so long. If you haven’t read The Sound of Glass, you simply must!
Mississippi Blood
If you’ve read any of my previous favorite books posts, then you know that I love Greg Iles and that his Natchez Burning trilogy is an absolute favorite of mine. Mississippi Blood is the final book in the trilogy and I was so happy when it was released. I won’t give away any of the details of the book here because if you haven’t read the first two books, then it would give too much away that’s in them. The whole trilogy takes place in Natchez, Mississippi and starts with Penn Cage’s father being arrested for murder. However, that turns out to be just one small piece in the puzzle. The series goes back to he 60’s linking the Double Eagles group, similar to the KKK, but much more terrifying, to the event that has put his father in jail. This whole series is a roller coaster ride that will literally have you catching your breath in some moments and in tears at others. If you love books based in the South and thrillers, then read this series. Start with Natchez Burning, then The Bone Tree and finally Mississippi Blood. I promise you won’t be disappointed.
The Quiet Game
After reading the Natchez Burning series, I wanted to read more of Greg Iles’ Penn Cage novels, who is the main character in Natchez Burning. I started with the first Penn Cage novel, The Quiet Game. Just as with the Natchez Burning series, it did not disappoint. You definitely don’t have to read this book first to read the Natchez Burning series. It’s also set in Natchez, Mississippi and is another thriller. Secrets that are threatening to destroy his family and a secret that could take down notable people in his city are all linked together. Penn must uncover the truth to set his family free.
Dead Sleep
Yes, another Greg Iles book. I had been wanting to read Dead Sleep for a while now, as it’s one of the few books of Iles that has a female as the main character. It’s a stand-alone book, it’s not part of a series or anything, but the characters in this book do show up in the Natchez Burning series later on. Jordan Glass is the main character and is a world-traveling photographer. She stumbles into an art museum all the way across the world and sees a painting of her sister, who appears either dead or sleeping, but who has definitely been missing for a year or so. The painting is part of a series of paintings and will lead her on a journey to find out what really happened to her sister and the other women in the paintings. I loved this book. While it’s different than most of Iles’ other books, Dead Sleep is just as good of a thriller as the rest of his books.
Ready to get cozy with a new book yet?
Be sure to leave me some of your latest favorite books in the comments!
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