Best Books to Read Now - January 2020

Reminder/ Caveat/ Disclaimer: This is my (hopefully) monthly list of books I’ve read and enjoyed. These are not reviews, I do not include books I didn’t enjoy because life is too short to speak badly of books!

Welcome to the Best Books to Read Now Book Club! My (hopefully) monthly blog featuring my reading list, my TBR pile and the books I think you and your best friends should be reading. 

If you’re not sure whether you’ll agree with  my recommendations, check out my blog post on My Reader Wheels and my podcast, Women With Books . Those should help you decide if you’re going to be into my recommendations.

The best book club recommendations for you and your friends!

I want to cry, y’all.

First, take a moment to look at those books. The past few months have been a GOOOOOOOD time to read books.

So there’s that. These are all awesome books and there’s a genre here for everyone.

But then I realized.

Lauren.

Mia.

Julia.

Kate.

These women… well, I might be slightly presumptuous to call them all friends but I. KNOW. THEM. I’ve hung out with everyone but Mia and only because she lives very very far away. But I’ve talked to Mia (here) (And Julia HERE) (and Kate HERE) (and Lauren HERE) and I can tell you these women are LEGIT.

They have it all. They’re talented, intelligent, funny, interesting and DAMN GOOD AUTHORS.

Don’t believe them. They TOTALLY KNOW ME.

A Beastly Kind of Earl - Mia Vincy
Amazon || Apple Books

The MUCH anticipated second book from Ms. Vincy, it’s loosely connected to her award winning debut last year, A Wicked Kind of Husband. This book was also charming in UN-anticipated ways, funny and bright and sparkling, in a refreshing Beauty and the Beast take.

Love Lettering - Kate Clayborn
Amazon || Apple Books

What can I say about this book that hasn’t been said? It’s a romance, but it’s also a book about friendship and New York City and discovery. And the beauty of letters. It’s sweeter than you expect and understatedly sophisticated, but that’s Kate Clayborn for you.

The Whispers of War - Julia Kelly
Amazon || Apple Books

Now I think I CAN call Julia a friend, since I’ve helped her remove a hedgehog from her laundry room. I mean, if that doesn’t say ride or die, what does? This is also a MUCH anticipated book, the second historical fiction from Ms. Kelly. Once again, she takes a smaller, unknown story about women from World War II and brings it to life in heartbreaking and heartwarming ways.

Marriage on Madison Avenue - Lauren Layne
Amazon || Apple Books

IT IS HERE! I just included the 2nd book in this series in November and the third installment is here! This is a friends to lovers romance, which (to be 100% honest) is NOT my usual catnip. BUT Ms. Layne surrounds the couple with enough external conflict (and has made us wait for this story for SO LONG) that it worked for me!!

I love this life. I love my JOB! I get to befriend fabulous women who are ALSO amazing authors and then I get to tell everyone to buy their books?!

And now for a completely different note. I’ve mentioned it on Instagram briefly but I made a quarterly resolution to NOT BUY ANY MORE BOOKS.

I know.

Yes, I’ve been examined by doctors. Several, in fact.

But I bought A LOT of books in the last few months of 2019. And people keep sending them to me! And last month I just looked at my TBR pile and I said, I want to focus on all the amazing books I have stored up.

I’m not saying it won’t be hard, but I’m really really excited by this. So for the next three months (because my March reads might be in April’s BEST BOOKS BLOG), you should only see older releases OR the books I’ve been sent by publishers to review/ blurb.

Me snuggling up with my TBR pile!!!

As always, I’ll be talking more about the books I don’t finish and why I think they didn’t connect with me in my newsletter this month.

Do you like books on sale?
Make sure you’re following me on Facebook because that’s where I post great books on sale!

And what about you?
I’d love to hear what you’ve read and loved lately or what you’re looking forward to reading next!  If you want these book recommendations (and a sneak peek at my TBR list and advanced reading copies) sent straight to your inbox, remember to sign up for my newsletter where I’ll be including all the best book club recommendations throughout 2020!

What I Learned About What I Read in 2019

What I Learned From What I Read in 2019

It will surprise no one who has followed me on Instagram to learn that I kept track of the books I read and the books I did not finish (DNF) last year. Of course, a lot of the books I read I talked about on my Best Books to Read Now blogs. Some of them I didn’t. This isn’t because they were bad, really. It was usually because I didn’t think you, my blog audience, would be that interested. Or because I ran out of room/ time (I publish these blogs in the middle of the month and sometimes books fall in the cracks in between.)

And in 2019, for the first time ever, I started including my DNFs in my Inner Circle Newsletter. Now, I didn’t give people too many details about them. It would be unprofessional for me to identify the authors or titles of these books, especially when, like I said, there’s probably nothing intrinsically bad about the book. It’s usually just something that I, as a reader, don’t care for. Okay, sometimes it’s something that I, as an author, don’t care for. At this point, I can’t separate Reader-Me and Author-Me. It is what it is.

I kept track of all of this because I was curious. Were there any trends in my reading/ writing? Were there any glaring holes that could give me insight into my personality or writing? What reader wheels could I identify and would this be something that would be useful?

I’m not a super analytical person, but I think starting with some numbers could be interesting.

Books FINISHED: 53 (obviously this does not include the ones I DNF’d, in some cases, a significant way through.)

Genres:

Mystery:  2

Paranormal/ Some Type of Fantasy/ Speculative: 5

Memoir/ Non Fiction: 8

Contemporary Romance: 15

Historical Romance: 15

Historical Fiction / Women’s Fiction: 8

Random Observations About The Books I Finished:

• There is a LOT of bleeding from the Contemporary Romance genre to the Women’s Fiction genre and vice versa. A lot of books could be classified as both and I made the decision based on how many friends and families I could remember from the plot. If all I could remember was a love story, I classified it as a contemporary romance, even though it might have been packaged as a women’s fiction / contemporary fiction. If I could mostly remember a story about sisters, or a job or a murder or something, I classified it as a not-contemporary romance.

• It felt like I read a LOT more mysteries this year but I think this is because so many of the other books have a strong mystery subplot. I was getting my mystery fix in books of other genres.

• My most recommended books this year were in all the genres. 

Top DNF Reasons:

• Headhopping - this is when the story skips between different points of view without a clear designation of whose “head” we’re in

• Didn’t Connect with Voice - the “Voice” is the author’s voice. It can be simplistic, overly complicated, casual, formal, etc.

• 1st Person Present - my least favorite POV. I CAN and HAVE enjoyed books with this, but if it’s done poorly and I start noticing it, it starts to drive me crazy. #sorrynotsorry

• Dragging Plot - self-explanatory

• No Conflict – I know a lot of people are all about the cozy, snuggly feel-good reads right now and in theory, so am I. But in reality? I need some sizzle and crackle to keep me turning the pages.

• Didn’t FEEL IT.

That last one is one that I didn’t talk a lot about in my newsletters. Because this, again, doesn’t mean that the book is bad. Or was written poorly. Or that I wouldn’t recommend it to someone, somewhere, out there. A lot of times I put books aside because I’m writing my own and for whatever reasons, I don’t want to read that book while I’m writing. I don’t even count that as a DNF. It’s just me saving it for another time. This is the hardest thing for me to explain to myself, let alone my Inner Circle, but it’s definitely a THING and it’s something I’d love to understand about myself.

What do I like to read while I’m working? And why? At the beginning of my career, I avoided certain “strong voice” authors while I was writing because I didn’t want their voice/ humor infiltrating my manuscript. But that’s not always the case anymore and I’m looking forward to keeping my records in 2020 and seeing if I can identify what kind of input I need and when. (I’m a #6 input on the Clifton Gallup Strengthsfinder - I talked about that a little bit here.)



What’s Going to Change in 2020…

Nothing… and maybe everything.

Because I have a new phrase of the year: Hell Yes. (Read about it HERE)

And if I’m going to live with it, it should apply to the books I’m reading, too. Meaning, I need to ask myself do I really want to read this book in my TBR pile? And if the answer isn’t HELL YES, then I’m not going to waste my precious hours on it.

I’ll need to ask myself, “Am I really enjoying this genre/ book / author?” And… you guessed it… if the answer isn’t HELL YES, then it’s going to be a DNF for me. And I’ll have to talk about why in the Inner Circle Newsletter secret posts.

It will be interesting to see if my DNFs go up in 2020. Or if they go down?

Also, as I’ve mentioned it on Instagram lately, I made a quarterly resolution to NOT BUY ANY MORE BOOKS.

I’ll explain more in my newsletter, but the main reason for this is that I have SO MANY good books in my TBR pile and I really wanted to focus on reading and enjoying those for a few months.

Why Does This Matter, Lindsay?

I don’t know, maybe it doesn’t. Except if you’re here, you might love books and reading as much as I do. And you might also be interested in how to maximize what you love. How to find great books and how to find them on sale. How to spend your precious reading hours immersed in exactly what you want to read. And if we want more of what we love, we might have to make sure we’re throwing the stuff out that we don’t love. If these things sound great to you, then you’re my people. Welcome to my journey.

I’d love to hear how you keep track of your reading journey, too! Follow me on Instagram and Facebook to chat about books and whatever and also make sure you’re in the Inner Circle for the secret posts about books that I won’t share publicly…

What Books To Read this Christmas Holiday Season!

What Holiday Book Should I read?

It’s that time of year! Time to curl up in a front of a fire – or go to bed early – with a lovely, cozy holiday book.

But there are so many! How can you choose?

I developed the Lindsay Emory Holiday Book Quiz to help you pick the perfect read this Christmas.

Get a piece of paper and a pen and answer this easy 6 question quiz!

1.       My favorite holiday recipes come from …

a.   Great Grandma Margaret’s time tested recipe books

b.      Pinterest

c.      Hallmark Home & Family

d.      Nigella Lawson

2.       My feelings about Emma Thompson…

a.       She was iconic in Sense & Sensibility

b.      She’s ruined Christmas with Last Christmas

c.       Oh! She married her cute coworker, right? That actor?

d.      I just love her British accent. It sounds so posh.

3.       My perfect holiday season isn’t complete without…

a.       Traditions like Christmas crackers, stockings & caroling

b.      A re-watch of Love, Actually

c.       A marathon of Hallmark movies & baking cookies

d.      A charcuterie board & champagne

4.       My Spotify holiday playlist includes…

a.      Carols and Celtic music

b.      Last Christmas by Wham!

c.       All I Want For Christmas is You by Mariah Carey

d.      Classics by Michael Buble and Tony Bennett

5.       My must-have holiday wardrobe accessory…

a.      A hand-knitted Scottish wool scarf

b.      A red Starbucks cup

c.      A fun Christmas sweatshirt & holiday leggings

d.      A French linen apron & Loro Piana sweater

6.       The holiday recipe I most want to try to make:

a.       A traditional figgy pudding

b.      Hot chocolate spiked with Peppermint Schnapps and Godiva liqueur

c.       Stuffed Caramel Pretzel Skillet Cookie (from Hallmark Channel Home & Family)

d.      Martha Stewart’s classic eggnog with fresh grated nutmeg

Now review all your answers… Did you get…

Mostly A’s? You will LOVE a historical romance!

Carriages, long walks in the country and yule logs make you swoon like a debutante at a Christmas ball.

A Christmas Gone Perfectly Wrong – Cecilia Grant (FREE!)

The Swan – Piper Huguley

How the Dukes Stole Christmas – Tessa Dare, Joanna Shupe, Sophie Jordan and Sarah MacLean

Mostly B’s? You’re a Rom Com Fan (Who’s Probably Pissed about that Last Christmas Plot Twist)

Mix meet cutes with a little banter and add a whole lot of romantic tension and that’s your recipe for a perfect holiday read…

The Island Christmas Spirit – Lindsay Emory

Royal Holiday – Jasmine Guillory

One Day in December – Josie Silver

UPDATED FOR 2020: Try the Christmas Actually anthology! 11 short holiday romantic comedies!

Mostly C’s? You’re a Tried and True Hallmark Addict

You know exactly what you want to read about - a reindeer farm, a baking contest, a small town inn. Lucky for you, I have the best Hallmark movies in book form picked out for you…

The Secret Ingredient – Nancy Naigle

Sleighbell Sweethearts – Teri Wilson

A Gingerbread Romance – Lacey Baker

Mostly D’s? You Will LOVE yourself some Designer Destination Holiday Porn

How does Christmas in Cornwall, Colorado, Nantucket, or Wales sound? You’re sure to love a literary trip to a beautiful spot where breathtaking views, charming villages and decadent dinners await…

Christmas with the Duke – Katrina Cudmore

Named of the Dragon – Susanna Kearsley

A Perfect Cornish Christmas – Phillipa Ashley

A Wedding in December – Sarah Morgan

Let it Snow – Nancy Thayer

Did I get it right? Or just mostly right? I can’t wait to hear what you’re reading and loving this season!

Some links on this page may be affiliate links, which means I could receive a few coins for posting them. As always, thank you for your support and encouragement!

Best Books to Read Now - November 2019

Reminder/ Caveat/ Disclaimer: This is my (hopefully) monthly list of books I’ve read and enjoyed. These are not reviews, I do not include books I didn’t enjoy because life is too short to speak badly of books!

Welcome to the Best Books to Read Now Book Club! My (hopefully) monthly blog featuring my reading list, my TBR pile and the books I think you and your best friends should be reading. 

If you’re not sure whether you’ll agree with  my recommendations, check out my blog post on My Reader Wheels and my podcast, Women With Books . Those should help you decide if you’re going to be into my recommendations.

The best book club recommendations for you and your friends!

Oh man. I’m sorry. I knew it had been a minute since I’d done one of these posts but I didn’t realize I’d skipped TWO MONTHS!

What have I been reading?

Well, a lot. And not a lot.

I’ll explain. I finished writing a book, editing it, and then editing it again. And then I had to do some work to get THE ROYAL BODYGUARD ready for its release. And honestly, I’ve started reading A LOT of books, but these are the only ones I’ve finished. I’ll go into more detail in my newsletter about why I didn’t finish reading more books in the last few months (spoiler: It’s a combination of DNF’s and my writing process). But in the meantime, let’s look at what I finished AND enjoyed!

Love on Lexington Avenue - Lauren Layne
Amazon || Apple Books

This one came out in September I think? And it’s the second in a trilogy that I love sooooooooooooo much. I call it Sex and the City for the Hallmark Channel. Three women who are brought together by one lying, cheating jerk become friends at his funeral and promise to help each other navigate dating and relationships. I can’t WAIT for the third book, in January, too!

My Fake Rake - Eva Leigh
Amazon || Apple Books

Y’all. Eva Leigh has become one of my favorite historical romance authors this year. This book comes out on November 26th and is a slow burn, friends to lovers, fake relationship delicious story with two scholarly main characters.

It Had To Be You - Susan Elizabeth Phillips
Amazon || Apple Books

I already wrote about this in my Best Football Romances post but yes, for real, I had to re-read this first book in SEP’s Chicago Stars series. Like I said, at this point it qualifies as an “old school” romance but the development of the relationship between Phoebe and Dan is a masterclass, IMO.

A Wedding in December - Sarah Morgan
Amazon || Apple Books

If you want a holiday book that is basically a luxurious winter getaway in paper form, grab this book. The story centers around a Christmas wedding at a luxury resort in Aspen and if you’re anything like me, you’ll fall for the descriptions of the accommodations, the food, the shopping trips and the scenery as much as the multi-generational stories of romance, second chances and family.

What you need to do when you get this Sarah Morgan book.

And like I said, there were some books I did not love this month…. I’ll be talking more about those and why I think they didn’t connect with me in my newsletter this month.

Do you like books on sale?
Make sure you’re following me on Facebook because that’s where I post great books on sale!

And what about you?
I’d love to hear what you’ve read and loved lately or what you’re looking forward to reading next!  If you want these book recommendations (and a sneak peek at my TBR list and advanced reading copies) sent straight to your inbox, remember to sign up for my newsletter where I’ll be including all the best book club recommendations throughout 2019!

And one more book!

Like I mentioned, my latest release, THE ROYAL BODYGUARD came out last week! It’s also a Best Book To Read Now, if I may say so.

Claim your copy here:

• APPLE BOOKS

• AMAZON

• KOBO

• BARNES AND NOBLE

• BOOK DEPOSITORY

Some links on this page may be affiliate links, which means I could receive a few coins for posting them. As always, thank you for your support and encouragement!

URGENT PRESS RELEASE FROM THE ROYAL FAMILY OF DRIEDEN

Per the Palace’s instructions, please do not go to these sites and support the amazing author of this scandalous piece of fiction:

Amazon || BN.Com || Apple || Amazon UK || Kobo US || Amazon CA || Waterstones || Blackwells || WH Smith

Some links on this page may be affiliate links, which means I could receive a few coins for posting them. As always, thank you for your support and encouragement!