Tuesday, February 12, 2019

Recently Read - Vol. 34 (Jan. '19)


Ladies and Gentlemen, you'd better sit down before I continue.  

Ol' girl here (yeah, I'm talking about myself) read four books since the last Show Us Your Books linkup day back in January!  That's right - FOUR!  I know in the grand scheme of things that reading four books in a month isn't a big deal, but for me, the gal who averaged 1-2 books a month all throughout the fall, it is a BIG deal!  HUGE!  And, here's the icing on the cake - all four were very good or great reads!


Puddin' by Julie Murphy
My Rating: 5/5

Think:  An unlikely friendship between two high school girls and the journey each one takes in finding herself.

Puddin' is the follow-up book to Dumplin' and I was really doubtful that it could hold a candle to its predecessor.  But, you know what?  It did!  In fact, I think I liked Puddin' more!  I enjoyed development of the two main characters and their unlikely friendship.

FINAL VERDICT:  HIGHLY RECOMMEND  

The Sentry by Robert Crais
My Rating 4/5

Think:  When an L.A. shop owner and his niece go missing, Joe Pike will do whatever he has to in order find them before  someone else does.

This is the 14th book in the Elvis Cole/Joe Pike private detective series.  The story was solid and offered some mysterious intrigue.  I also liked that this book offered the reader a deeper look into the quiet, Joe Pike, and it also allowed us to see his vulnerabilities. 

FINAL VERDICT: RECOMMEND 

Erotic Stories for Punjabi Women by Balli Kaur Jaswal
My Rating: 5/5

Think:  Nikki, a young, modern daughter of Indian immigrants takes a job teaching traditional, conservative Punjabi women how to write creatively.  But, despite her modern ways, nothing could prepare Nikki for what these women want to write about.

I have no idea what lead me to acquire this book, perhaps it was just on title alone, but for whatever reason, I'm glad I did.  Erotic Stories for Punjabi Women is not only a story of cultures and generations clashing, but it's also a story of the power of the female friendship.  

FINAL VERDICT:  HIGHLY RECOMMEND


After I Do by Taylor Jenkins Reid
My Rating: 4/5

Think:  A married couple decides to spend a year away from each other in hopes of saving their marriage.

One of the things I like most about TJR is her ability to craft characters and situations that are so real that you feel as if you know that characters or, at the very least, you can understand the situation they find themselves in because it feels plausible.  The story is told by Lauren and chronicles her experience during the year in which she and her husband, Ryan, are living apart.  Elements of their relationship, going back to when they first met, are also revealed in flashbacks, and are also told from her viewpoint.

FINAL VERDICT:  RECOMMEND  



Have you read any of these?  What are your thoughts?

Linking up with Steph and Jana


23 comments:

  1. I really loved Punjabi as well! Puddin and Dumplin have been on my list forever

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    1. I'd recommend both Dumplin' and Puddin'. When (and if) you read them, just be sure to read them in order. :)

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  2. I love all of TJR's books and I especially really liked After I Do - it was so good. Puddin and Punjabi Widows are on my list!! Yay reading! Glad you enjoyed all of these - I know I am always inclined to read more when I'm on a good book streak.

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    1. Thank you! Yes, I'm definitely inclined to continue reading given that I've been on a great streak! TJR can seriously do no wrong, can she? LOL!

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  3. I still need to read Dumplin. Did you watch the movie? Worth it?

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    1. Yes, I watched the movie. It was different from the book in several ways, but I think these changes were good and necessary given the time constraints of only having so much time in a movie. I thought it was very cute.

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  4. Yay for reading four books that you really enjoyed! I didn't really LOVE Dumplin', but I liked Millie a whole lot so I might need to try Puddin'.

    -Lauren
    www.shootingstarsmag.net

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    1. Thank you! If you liked Millie, you should really enjoy Puddin'!

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  5. LOVE Puddin'! And I really hope we get a movie soon, because the actress who played Millie in Dumplin' was PERFECT! I'm sure the actress for Callie is great too, we just didn't get to see her as much.

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    1. You know, I hadn't even considered Puddin' as movie until you just said that! I think it would be a good one! (Yes, the girl who played MIllie nailed it!)

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  6. I just got Erotic Stories from the library so excited to see some good reviews this month. I was not completely sold on Puddin' but I really do think it was just the timing when I read it. I was up to my eyeballs with teenage angst at the time.

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    1. I really, really liked it... so much so that I recommended it to one of my friends in real life (which says A LOT!).

      I believe that timing is EVERYTHING, be it with jobs, opportunities, relationships, and books. Sometimes we're just not in the right mindset for whatever reason for certain books and themes. Being up to your eyeballs in teenage angst could definitely prevent you from wanting anything to do with YA! ;)

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  7. i'm so glad to hear about puddin! i keep getting it from the library and then not reading it in time but i really want to. the friendship was definitely my favourite part about the punjabi widows book. after i do is the only TJR i haven't read - i'm scared to because i don't want to dislike it haha.

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    1. I've had After I Do for a while and was a bit leery of reading it out of fear of messing up TJR's streak with me, too! I didn't like it as well as The Seven Husbands, but I liked it. I'm looking forward to reading her new one.

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  8. I loved the female friendship aspect of Punjabi Widows too. Especially across generations and breaking down barriers together.

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    1. I also liked the fact that the the women's desires and sexuality were validated. I think we all too often consider older people to be non-sexual just because of their age. It's easy to forget that they were young once and had sexual desires. It was refreshing.

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  9. I still haven't read Dumplin' yet! So behind. It's just one of those books that seems so universally beloved that I've put it on quite a high pedestal. Some day I will get to it (and no doubt love it) and then onto Puddin'. Everyone is loving Punjabi Widows and I honestly wasn't quite sure if it was my jam. But hearing you say it's really about female friendships makes me interested. Adding it to my TBR! So glad you had a good reading month. I want one too! ;)

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  10. Puddin' was so so wonderful. I love Millie even more than Willowdean.

    TJR is fantastic. I will read anything she writes. As evidenced by the fact that I have read all of her books.

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  11. The more reviews I read for Punjabi Widows the more I think I want to add it to my tbr!

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  12. I keep seeing Punjabi Widows on everyone's lists this month! I'm going to have to see about reading that one. I also will add TJR's book to my list because I read another by her recently and liked it a lot. I didn't read Dumplin' but watched it on Netflix and really enjoyed it!

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  13. That punjabi book keeps popping up on lists, I need to check it out. I've had the after I do on my list for awhile, I'm glad its recommended.

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  14. I can't WAIT to read Puddin'! Everyone is really hyping it up! :) I loved Erotic Stories for... it was so cute but I feel like I learned about the culture, and it wasn't completely fluffy. Glad you liked it too! :) Gotta bump Puddin' up my list! :) XO - Alexandra

    Simply Alexandra: My Favorite Things

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  15. Glad you had so many good ones! And four is an awesome amount! That's about how much I average and I can't understand how people can read more! I definitely need to pick up Dumplin and PUddin!

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