Tag Archives: free books

Goodreads recommendations: February 2022

It’s almost the end of February and I realized I didn’t share my monthly book suggestions with you. So, instead, I’ll share what books I have read and a brief summary.

Some of you may recall my Good Reads challenge that I started in December 2020. The challenge was to find at least three sources of media each month. Whether it was a new podcast, movie or book – I’d share a review with you.

In January, I gave myself a challenge of reading 12 books for the year. That adds up to about one per month. Well, we’re only two months into the year and I’ve already read SIX books.

I am on Good Reads, so you can follow me there for a list of books that I have on my to read shelf. I’m also doing a retro-reread and reading books from my teenage angst years. I ordered a couple of books from Thriftbooks that I’m excited to read again, since many of them are out of print.


Books read so far

  • Forever, Judy Blume
  • Friends for Life, Ellen Emmerson White
  • Life Without Friends, Ellen Emmerson White
  • The Forbidden Games, L.J. Smith (currently rereading)
  • The Widow’s Watcher, Eliza Maxwell
  • Things We Never Got Over, Lucy Score (currently reading)

The Widow’s Watcher by Eliza Maxwell

Click on the image for my review


Things We Never Got Over

Currently reading


The Forbidden Game, L.J. Smith (reread)

If the same L.J. Smith sounds familiar to you, then you might a Vampire Diaries fan. Or as some of us call it, TVD. Long before the TVD universe was brought to us via the CW network, there was a series called The Forbidden Game released in the early 1990’s.

Also, speaking of which. The show is a guilty pleasure that I have re-watched probably seven times since it ended. I’m team Stefan all the way. Damon is like the abusive boyfriend you can’t shake. Paul Wesley is dreamy.

My seventeen year old self fell in love with this trilogy and it is one that I’ve reread the most. I’m kicking myself now for giving away my copies of the books.

This was the book that introduced me to a world of Norse mythology. I think I liked it so much because I am Danish and related to the Nordic lifestyle so much.

Then there’s Julian, the main villain of the story. This tall dreamy blonde haired immortal being with Nordic blue eyes (it’s a thing, I looked it up) falls in love with a mortal being named Jenny. He has magical powers beyond anything we could ever imagine. He sucks Jenny and her friends into this magical world of his full of danger and romance.

Oh gosh. My teen self loved Julian so much. I’m currently rereading this book and am taking my time with it. I visit it once a year, so I finally ordered myself a physical copy.

Julian still invokes all those innocent feelings I had as a teenager. He’s even inspired the novel I’m working on now, though I’m really trying to give my character his own voice and sex appeal.

But god damn, if you’re into supernatural or Norse mythology like I am, you should definitely check out this series.

So, I guess that’s three books in one that I’m reading which bumps up my total to 9!! That’s crazy!


Previous recommendations


Good reads profile

If you are looking for new books to read, then you should follow me on Good Reads. I did sign up for a few other services but most of my friends are on this platform. I enjoy it better and use Kindle for books. I’ll also be sharing a list of sites where I read and download free books – legally.

https://www.goodreads.com/challenges/11636-2022-reading-challenge


What are you reading right now? Let me know in the comments. Bonus points if the book is available through Kindle Unlimited.

Have you read my new book yet? It’s free for a limited time on Smashwords.

Reviews are welcome – this is my first e-book that I self-published. I’m using a penname for all my books and novels.

Free download

September Good Reads

It’s September already which means it’s time for another batch of Good Reads recommendations! Here we are a few days into the month and I haven’t even started my reading list. As you know, I started these challenges back in February and have shared some of my favorite media with you. When I say media, I mean all formats – paper books, audiobooks, podcasts and whatever I happen to stumble across during the month.

Movie recommendations will be offered in separate posts – typically on Friday nights. But they may be posted more often during some seasons like Halloween and Christmas.

I thought it would be a fun addition to share these finds with you every month. And you guys loved my recommendations for August – so – let’s get to it! If you want to follow me on Good Reads and find out what I’m reading, I’ll link to my profile below. We could totally start a book club and all read the same things together!


Talking as Fast as I Can – Lauren Graham

Lauren Graham is an actress and author who is most known for her role as Lorelei Gilmore on the hit 2000s show, Gilmore Girls. I’ve begun to watch the show on Netflix recently and forgot how great it was for the time that it aired. I think what made the show fun was how relatable the characters were.

I recently saw an interview with Lauren on TikTok and she is making a comeback to television with Emilio Estevez. The pair will be starring in a reboot of the much beloved 90’s series, The Mighty Ducks. As an Emilio fan, I’m actually a little excited for this and will be checking the series out. I just re-watched St. Elmo’s Fire last night and forgot how much of a crush I had on back in his days of Young Gun movies.

I haven’t listened to the book yet as I used up my free Audible credits last month. But according to reviews, Lauren talks about real life stories, inspiration and experiences while on set of Gilmore Girls and other projects including Parenthood.

The book is available in multiple formats including paperback, Kindle Edition or you can listen to Lauren narrate the book herself on Audible. If you have an Amazon Prime account, you can get a free 30 day trial and listen to two books in your first month. The cost to purchase the book is $24.32 on Amazon Canada. The audiobook is 4 hours and 35 minutes long and was released in 2016.

Talking as Fast as I Can: From Gilmore Girls to Gilmore Girls (and Everything in Between)


Best Books of 2021

I decided to check out the Best Books of 2021 on Good Reads to search for something new to read. I may renew my Kindle membership and start reading digital books. I had to cancel my Ipad order as it was on backorder and Rogers had no idea when they would be in stock again. So, I’m relying on my phone which is not great for reading. I may just bite the bullet and get a cheap tablet from Amazon.

To be honest, I didn’t see anything that sparked my interest. But if you’re looking for something new to read, here’s the list. I guess I’m more into rereading books from my teen years these days or listening to autobiographies.

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/157516.Best_books_of_2021?page=2


Audiobooks on Spotify

You read that right. I just found out that Spotify has a collection of audiobooks! I’m already a Spotify premium member so I am excited to try this feature out. A quick search tells me that there are tons of channels and playlists dedicated to audiobooks. And if you’re like me, and prefer to listen to books while you work on other things – then you’ll have to check these playlists out.

Just head on over to Spotify, search for Audiobooks and you’ll find everything from literacy classics to podcasts by authors.


Good Reads Best Books Ever List

The thing I love most about this site is that they have lists upon lists of books to recommend. You can search for books you read as kid or search for new ones. I’ve mostly stuck to autobiographies, memoirs or podcasts in the last few years, but I hope to get back into reading again.

https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1.Best_Books_Ever


My Good Reads Book List

I started my own Good Reads list last year. I’ve been slowly adding books that I read from my childhood too. There were so many of them. I think it would be fun to go back and reread books from my teen years. One book that I reread recently was Forever by Judy Blume. I think I read that last year. It still holds up today.

I don’t have a lot of books left from my teen years but as I discover digital copies online, I’ll share this journey with you. If you’re looking for a serious throwback to your past, then I recommend selecting some of your most memorable books.

For me, it was authors like Judy Blume, VC Andrews (oh man), Danielle Steel, Stephen King and series like Sweet Valley High – I still have all those books. And no, sadly, those are really hard to read as a 40s something woman. But my teen self in the 90’s, loved them.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/list/96153844-wendy-j

I wish I still had my 80’s copy of the book. The cover has changed!

Forever . . . by Judy Blume

Previous Recommendations

Good Reads search: https://atomic-temporary-134655889.wpcomstaging.com/?s=good+reads


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