It's hard to believe, but July is here and we are halfway through 2024! How are you doing with your reading goals so far this summer? I'm actually a bit ahead of where I was at this time last year, which is a little surprising.
I've been super lucky and won a lot of ARCs (Advanced Reader Copy for those that don't know) this year. A lot of the ARCs I've won have been Kindle books, so I've read a lot more on my Kindle this year. While I love an actual physical book in my hand, the Kindle does make it much easier to take books with you when you are on the go somewhere. Which do you prefer?
Time to dive into the books I've read in June. Hope you find some that interest you!
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Bloomsbury Girls by Natalie Jenner
On the surface, this is a sweet book about a bookshop in London and the people that work in it. But below the surface, this one is about women in the era after WWII, and their journey to find themselves and their place in the world. Extremely well written with a very well developed plot. Definitely recommend! Four out of five stars!
To purchase this book on Amazon, click here.
Mao Zedong Rising: Semi-True Tales by S.E. Bourne
This is a short collection of essays. The style is prose, but almost poetic. Well written, but I found it hard to get into the stories without any depth or detail to get to know and understand the author at all. I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Three out of five stars.
To purchase this book on Amazon, click here.
Do You: A Journey Of Success, Loss, and Learning To Live A More MeaningFULL Life by Regina Lawless
While the main focus of this book is how the author navigated the grief she felt after unexpectedly losing her husband, it also provides insight and good advice for taking a look at how you are living your life. Perfect for "workaholics" and anyone feeling burned out in life. Lots of great and practical advice. I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Four out of five stars!
To purchase this book on Amazon, click here.
The Bizzics Way: Powering Your Small Business To Maximum Momentum by Chip Higgins
This is a well written and practical guide for those looking to start their own business. Lots of great tips written in a way that is easy to understand and digest. As someone who is considering a small business as a post retirement option in a couple years, I found this to be a good guide with some great advice. I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Four out of five stars!
To purchase this book on Amazon, click here.
The House I Loved by Tatiana de Rosnay
I'm a bit torn by this one. The concept sounded fantastic and something I would love. The execution was just not great. It really dragged on and was somewhat boring until the very end. The ending was the best and most intriguing part of the book. Three out of five stars.
To purchase this book on Amazon, click here.
Fiona And Jane by Jean Chen Ho
I think this book had some good potential, but it was just very disjointed. That made it hard to really get into the characters and their story. You felt like you were constantly jumping from one part of their lives to another. The last few chapters were more sequential, but by that point it felt like the author had just thrown some things together to wrap up the book. I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Three out of five stars.
To purchase this book on Amazon, click here.
Middle East In Crisis And Conflict: A Primer by Taufiq Rahim
This is an easy to follow and unbiased discussion of the current state of the middle east. The author does a great job of taking what is a very complicated subject and going into just enough detail. Really good book for anyone that wants to learn more about the current landscape of the area, and the history that led to the situation today. I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Four out of five stars!
To purchase this book on Amazon, click here.
Finding Designated Ground Zero (First Strike, Number 2) by Thomas J. Yeggy
This is a historical fiction book, but it reads more like non-fiction. Definitely well researched and the author has lots of knowledge. But it was a bit too technical for me and didn't feel like a story. It is pretty scary to read about that time at the beginning of the Cold War and realize how close we came to a major nuclear issue. I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Three out of five stars.
To purchase this book on Amazon, click here.
Spheres Of Influence: How To Create And Nurture Authentic Business Relationships by Brad Englert
Good advice in this business book, but nothing earth shattering. I think this is a good read for people entering the workforce. I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Three out of five stars.
To purchase this book on Amazon, click here.
Granite Harbor by Peter Nichols
I really enjoyed this "whodunit". The story was well put together. The characters were interesting and easy to get into. And while I had a suspicion fairly early on of who the serial killer might be, the book still kept me engaged. A bit gruesome at times, so just a warning. I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Four out of five stars!
To purchase this book on Amazon, click here.
Moving To Tax-Free: Strategies For Creating Tax-Free Retirement Income, And Tax-Free Lifetime Legacy Income For Your Children by Bruce Hosler
Retirement planning is very important, and I don't think enough people pay enough attention to it. Any book with information that gets people thinking about it is a good book to have out there. I have two issues with this book. One is that I think it is very repetitive. The author clearly has a theory as to the right way to plan for retirement, and he talks about that theory over and over again. Second, the theory that the author has centers around his guess that tax rates are going to go up considerably in the future. While I have no idea whether he is right or wrong, he totally discounts the value of holding onto as much money as you can now and letting it grow. Good to look at different ideas, and good ideas to bring to your financial advisor. I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Three out of five stars.
To purchase this book on Amazon, click here.
The Twilight Garden by Sara Nisha Adams
This is a super sweet story that I really enjoyed. I do think it could have benefitted from some editing, as it was quite long and sometimes seemed to wander. However, the characters were very likeable and I felt invested in them. The story takes place in two timelines, as the reader learns how one shared garden brings so many people together. I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Four out of five stars!
To purchase this book from Amazon, click here.
Competitive Success: Building Winning Strategies With Corporate War Games by Arjan Singh
I found this book to have some really good advice for businesses. The author used some good real world examples to make points, that I found helpful. The actual parts on how to do the war games were the least interesting to me personally, but actually were only a small part of the book. I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Four out of five stars!
To purchase this book from Amazon, click here.
One Cursed Rose (Grimm Bargains, Book 1) by Rebecca Zanetti
Rather dark and a little over the top for me on the romance part of it. Definitely need to know what you are getting into when you read this one, as it isn't for everyone. It did keep me interested until the end. I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Three out of five stars.
To purchase this book on Amazon, click here.
We Have Liftoff: Envisioning Your Place In The Orbital Age by Tom Vice and Michael Ashley
I just really didn't get this one. I didn't understand the concept. I had a hard time figuring out what the book was supposed to be about from the summary, and still didn't get it after reading the whole thing. It was all over the place. I couldn't tell what was fiction and what was non-fiction. It did make you think about what our future world could be like, which is the only reason I gave it two stars. I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Two out of five stars.
To purchase this book on Amazon, click here.
15 Lies Women Are Told At Work... And The Truth We Need To Succeed by Bonnie Hammer
This is a fantastic book for all women in the working world. Over my career, I've always hated some of the same old pieces of advice women get... you can have it all, don't show weakness, know your worth, etc. Bonnie Hammer squashes so many of those useless pieces of advice, and replaces them with REAL pieces of advice. Highly recommend for young women early in their career. I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Four out of five stars!
To purchase this book on Amazon, click here.
Enchilada Entrepreneur: Ten Lessons In Life and Business From The Founder Of A Successful Tex-Mex Restaurant Group by Russell Ybarra
Once in awhile I feel bad giving a mediocre review, and this is one of those times. In this case, the author seems like a really genuine and good person, and the proceeds of his book are being donated to a charity - Camp Hope. But I have to be honest in my review. The book was less a business advice book, and more about being a decent person. It was very repetitive, and it felt like a big commercial for the author's chain of restaurants. Love the author's outlook on life, but didn't think the book was that great. I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Three out of five stars.
To purchase this book on Amazon, click here.
Arkangel (Sigma Force, Book 18) by James Rollins
This is a great thriller. Lots and lots of action. Great story. Very well written. It's a dense one, but the pace of the story keeps you reading. I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Four out of five stars!
This book will be released August 6, 2024. To pre-order your copy from Amazon, click here.
That's a wrap on my reading from June of 2024! Lots of choices in lots of genres for you this month. I hope you find the next book to add to your to be read list!
What books do you recommend I read next? Let me know! Did you check out any of these books? I'd love to hear what you think! Comment below or e-mail me at tips2livebywriter@gmail.com.
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