It's All About The Books - Vol. 6

Time for every book lovers favorite day of the month, show us your books with Steph and Jana. The day we all cruise around finding new reads and blowing up Goodreads with adds to our to read lists. I  had a couple of really great reads this month which is all a bookworm can ask for.

// Blueprints by Barbara Delinsky - An okay read, light an easy. I found the characters somewhat annoying especially Caroline who should learn to age gracefully instead of getting all upset about it. I'm sure their are aging women out their who can identify with her character, I just don't happen to be one of them. 3 out of 5 stars.

// Ocean Beach by Wendy Wax - The sequel to Ten Beach Road which I really enjoyed a while back I was expecting a little more story and character development from this book but what I found was an author who had taken the plot formula from her first book and reworked it with new details for book two. I still enjoyed the book and am hoping book three adds a little something more to the story. 3 out of 5 stars.

// Driving With The Top Down by Beth Harbison - I won this book from Goodreads although I almost bought it the week before I won it. Good thing I convinced myself I didn't really need another book in my to read pile. A fun read with characters from different generations, I found that I could identify with Tamara the troubled youth and really liked her character. Bitty's character on the other hand seemed a little flat and her fairy tale ending was far beyond realistic in any way. 3 out of 5 stars.

// Meditation to Go by Chris Rodenbeck - (not pictured) I happened to find this book at Goodwill while browsing their shelves. Great meditation exercises to get your started, the author did have a my way is the right and only way attitude at times. 3 out of 5 stars.

// The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah - I am always hesitant to read books set in WWII but I always end up loving them. It took me about 200 pages to really get into this book and I almost put it down a couple of different times. I am so glad I didn't, this story really picks up. A great story about the power and strength of women this book is a must read. 4 out of 5 stars.

// All The Single Ladies by Dorthea Benton Frank - Another Frank Flop I am sad to report, I really loved her early works but her last few books have all left something to be desired. I appreciate where she was trying to go with this book but this book just didn't get me there. I did not finish this book, stopped on page 100. 100 pages of people sitting around talking is more than I can handle, at least have someone wash some dishes or something. 1 out of 5 stars.

// A Blue Spool of Thread by Anne Tyler - Another did not finish for this month, I read to page 112 and still couldn't find the hook. I couldn't determined the point of the book or where the plot was attempting to go. 1 our  of 5 stars.

// The Last Days of California by Mary Miller - By the time I got to this book and did not finish I figured out what all the books I did not finish this month had been missing. Action. Yes you spend a lot of time in characters heads during books but there needs to be some action too. This book follows Jess and her thoughts on her parents and the rapture which they are going to meet in California. Stopped reading  on page 93. 1 out of 5 stars.

// The Summer's End by Mary Alice Monroe -  The third book in the Low Country Summer trilogy ended predictably but I didn't enjoy the books any less. Interesting characters, lots of setting changes, a book that kept me interested from beginning to end. Sometimes books for me are more about character and setting than they are plot and this was one of those books. 4 out of 5 stars.

// She Jane Write: A Girl's Guide To Chick Lit by Sarah Mlynowski - I saw this book on a list of books about writing and I had my doubts. Just look at the title! I checked the Goodreads reviews and even the lone guy reviewer had great things to stay so I picked this book up from the library. I finished it in less than 24 hours and ordered my own copy from half.com. This book address everything from tone and plot to getting over whatever hang ups that keep you from writing. If you are a writer or you want to be a writer of any genre you should really not judge this book by it's cover or it's title. 4 out of 5 stars.

What did you read last month?  Did you really enjoy something that surprised you?