Monthly Reviews Archives - Novel Visits

Favorite Books of April & May 2023

Susie — Wed, 24 May 2023 10:00:54 +0000

So sorry to have been absent for an April post. I’ve been traveling a lot and some of that spanned the end of April. Plus being on the go did not work for getting my usual reading numbers in, but it was worth it! The big trip to Greece and Turkey with my sister was amazing. I’d been to Greece before and it was wonderful, but wow, I loved Turkey. We ended the trip with three days in Istanbul and I could have easily done a couple more. Okay, enough about me. It’s time for books!

My numbers were down a bit in both April and May, but I’ve read some truly wonderful books, including one that just might be my favorite book of the year so far. Three are from authors I’ve read before and I’ve even got a memoir in here. I hope you find something to add to your own TBR list!…

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Favorite Books of March 2023

Susie — Mon, 27 Mar 2023 10:00:32 +0000

Thank goodness for spring and for light! Here in Washington we’ve had some sunshine, but it’s still pretty darn cold. Staying light into the evenings and getting lighter earlier and earlier are always welcome balms to my soul. March has been a busy month, so I’ve not read as many books as usual, but the four favorites I’m sharing today are all books I really liked and feel confident many others will too.

Next month, I’ll be on a trip at the end of the month, so will either do April late or combine it with May in one big post towards the end of May. It depends on how crazy things are when I get home and I suspect they may be crazy. In the meantime, my reviews show up earlier on Instagram. And now, in order of publication……

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Favorite Books of February 2023

Susie — Mon, 27 Feb 2023 11:00:28 +0000

It might have been cold and miserable for much of this month, but the books have been HOT!🔥 In fact, there were so many February books I loved that this month you’re getting a double shot of favorites, six instead of the usual three. You might notice that two are similar…both mythology retellings, but what can I say? They were equally wonderful! Let’s hope March books are just as good, but that’s a high bar.

As always, for ALL my reviews delivered close to publication, you can follow me on Instagram. And now, in order of publication……

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Favorite Books of August 2022

Susie — Mon, 29 Aug 2022 10:00:40 +0000

How’s your summer been? Starting to wind down a bit? Mine has been spent at home much more than usual, but I’ve also been able to enjoy a full gorgeous Pacific Northwest August which I don’t think I’ve done in many years. Being retired has its benefits, including travel in the fall. I have two trips coming up, one in September and finally an international trip in October. Waiting for those, I’ve plowed through quite a few books again this month. Too many have been just okay, so it was easy picking out the three that truly stood out. I hope you might enjoy these, too. As always, for all my reviews, you can follow me on Instagram!

You really couldn’t find three more different books than these! I loved them each for different reasons….

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March 2022 Book Reviews

Susie — Mon, 28 Mar 2022 10:00:23 +0000

March isn’t always my favorite month, but this year a couple things really helped. First, getting out of rainy Washington and spending two glorious weeks in sunny, warm Scottsdale. And second, some truly outstanding books. Not every book I read wowed me, but it was a month of three top level, hangover worthy books. Of course, I’m sharing those today, plus three others that also hit a sweet spot in my reading journey. (The others? Let’s just forget about those!)

In order of publication and nothing more, my March 2022 Book Reviews!…

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October 2021 Audiobook Reviews

Susie — Thu, 28 Oct 2021 10:00:45 +0000

Happy Halloween! I know the little trick-or-treaters in my family are very excited. How about yours? I don’t do the spooky October thing, so the books I listened to were just what happened to come up, and my listening this month was a little slower than usual. I’m not really sure why that was, but I did manage to get in three audiobooks that I truly enjoyed. Perhaps it was in part because they were each so different, filling in space of what I needed in the moment. One was a buzzy thriller, another, a highly lauded novel, and the third an oral history ripe for our times.

No matter what your listening taste one of these audiobooks should work for you and as an added bonus, none are overly long!…

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October 2021 Books Reviews

Susie — Tue, 26 Oct 2021 10:00:46 +0000

Considering I read an 800+ page book this month, I’m feeling pretty good about the number of books I manage to read. I guess that’s retirement for you! I have to admit that I’m loving every single morning when I wake up and think, “Oh, I don’t have to go to work today.” I’m sure it will wear off, eventually, but for now it’s a daily gift. It’s also nice that I’ve been free to help out and spend more time with my three local grandkids. That and more reading time have been exactly what I was hoping for from retirement. Now if we could just get to the point where I felt good about doing some serious traveling, then it would be everything I wanted.

Today I’m sharing five books I read this month, all but one released in October. On Thursday, I’ll be back with the three audiobooks I listened to this month….

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July 2021 Book Reviews

Susie — Tue, 27 Jul 2021 10:00:42 +0000

July has been a big month for many reasons. It’s my first month off school, though technically retirement doesn’t start until September 1, and I really don’t expect to actually “feel” retired for at least another month after that. There’s still a lot going on and maybe that’s the new normal, but I’m hoping not. A week and a half ago, we had buried my mom’s ashes next to her mother’s grave and later that same day had a wonderful party to celebrate her life. It felt good to honor her and to get past that. We still have about 15 tubs of her things to go through, but we’ll save that for a little later. Around all that, I managed to get quite a bit of reading done and am happily sharing six of my favorite books in my July 2021 Book Reviews.

Each of the six books covered in this post I read in print. I’ll share audiobooks in a separate post on Thursday, but for today you’re in for some special books, including one that just might end up being my best of the year!…

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November 2020 Book Reviews – Print & Audiobooks

Susie — Mon, 23 Nov 2020 11:00:01 +0000

Yes, there’s still a week to go in November, but with Thanksgiving only a few days away, and special end-of-year posts filling December, it seems like the perfect day to share the book reviews I’ve yet to share this month. I may finish another book or two before the end of the month, but who knows. (I just started listening to Barak Obama’s memoir, A Promised Land and at 29+ hours, I KNOW I won’t finish it this month.) Most of my November reading time has been spent with books I missed earlier in the year. I’m happy to be sharing some very brief thoughts on those today. Of the six books I’m covering, three I can highly recommend, one I thoroughly disliked and the last two were good enough to entertain.

One bit of exciting news! Be sure to download Sarah’s Book Shelves Live! Podcast on Wednesday where I’ll be her guest for a 2020 Year-End Special episode. We’ll be talking all things 2020 books, including those we loved, a few we didn’t, and some fun superlative categories. And finally, may everyone have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving, even if it’s like none you’ve ever had.

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