First Read with Michelle book pick of 2023

If you are returning to my book pick list, thank you for coming back.  If you are new to Read with Michelle, thanks for stopping by and I hope you find some inspiration.  Whichever category that you belong to, please be sure to return to my Facebook page and share your thoughts on this book, or any book for that matter, sharing is caring!!! Near the last day of every month, I would love it if you would share all your books that you read that month, whether it is one book or twelve, please just share your love of books!!! 

 

*If you are looking for a way to sum up your 2022 reading life, I have created a list here.  I find it fun to rate the books I have read in a top ten list and other random facts. I have been making top ten lists since 1996 and it is fun to look back on some of these books and smile at the memory or wonder why did I choose that one? 

*If you are looking for a challenge in 2023, here is my reading challenge. I encourage you to be creative with the prompts and remember to read what you like.  If you don't like a category, change it!!! 

*Follow me on Goodreads if you want to learn about books that are soon to be published, I read a lot of fiction books before they hit your shelves and many of them will end up as a monthly book pick before the year is over.  

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Now for January's book pick.  I was looking for something fresh and different and NOT a World War II book.  What I found was a book about a future First Lady that I found unique and worthy of a share.  

Imagine reading about an icon before she was a household name? We all know her name, Jackie Kennedy, but do we know how she became "Jackie Kennedy"? 

  Jacqueline Bouvier wasn't sure what she wanted to do outside of spending a year in Paris.  Somehow she convinced her mother to let her go to school in Paris for her junior year of college.   It would be a year that Jackie would experience freedom from her home life and what was expected and she could just be Jackie.  While she is discovering her path, she is traveling through a countryside that still felt the sting of WWII.  You will see the characters weave in and out of areas still feeling the destruction from the Occupation and see the strength of Parisians during the rebuilding.  I couldn't just quit the WWII books that easily :). 

It was nice to see a Jackie that I didn't know, a carefree young woman discovering who she wants to be and experiencing love with Paris as a backdrop.  

Thanks again for stopping by, I hope you will enjoy this year's monthly books. There are many on this year's that are simply spectacular!!! I will try to publish the next pick around the 20th of each month, just in case you want to read the book during that month, but feel free to skip around, mix it up, and do your own thing.  Come back and share what you thought on the blog or the Facebook page, Read with Michelle.  

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My favorite books that were published in 2018

I try hard to read new releases every year....why?  Because a new great book is released all the time.  I can't stand not being able to partake of this newness.  The problem is there is no way I could read every fiction published in 2018, but here is a list of the ones that I did and enjoyed.  Some of these books made it to my favorite book of 2018 list (includes new and old releases).  I will start with what I think is the best new book written in 2018.  I do want you to know that this was a hard list to compile because so many of the books that I read and were published in 2018 were exceptional.  Please check out my GoodReads Reading Challenge and read a few of the books published in 2018.

1.  The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah-This book was featured on every list that I could add it to.  I loved every part of this book. It is hard to read if you have domestic violence issues because it is pretty harsh in how the violence happens.  I love how the great story is set in my favorite place, Alaska.  Alaska is its own character in the book.  She shines bright and shows you that she is pretty, but she is strong and if you aren't strong she will defeat you.  It took me two days to finish this great book because I could not put it down.

2.  Next Year in Havana by Chantel Cleeton-I adored this book almost as much as #1.  This book has two time periods, modern day and the 50's right before the revolution in Havana.  I visited Havana last year so I knew some of the places described, but I think that even if you had not been to Cuba the text is so descriptive that you would feel like you were in Havana with the characters.  The story also paralleled the story that our tour guide told us while we were there, I mean the story of the revolution.  It was a difficult time and violent...this book has some violence, but not too much.  I read this book in two days also.

3.  As Bright as Heaven by Susan Meissner- Another terrific book by Susan. I pretty much love every single thing that she has written.  This time she covers the Spanish flu that hit the US in the early 20th century.  I had a little bit of knowledge about this time but had no idea what people could have gone through.  This story took it a bit further by being set in a funeral home.  So many people died that the funeral home was the best setting to show how the flu touched everyone's lives.  I read this book in three days.

4.  My Dear Hamilton by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamole-I will read pretty much anything I can on the American Revolution.  Since Hamilton entered my life I will read anything associated with him.  Some Hamilton books are not well written or feature rehashed facts/situations; however, this one stood out on its own.  It took me 28 days to read this because I read this during my busiest time at work and had NO extra time.

5. Prisoner of the Castle-By Susan Ella MacNeal-Warning this one is a series, if you haven't read the first Maggie Hope books you don't need to read this one.  I advise you to get the first one and get started NOW!!!  It is a superb series about a woman that is a secret agent during WWII.  She has grand adventures, dangerous situations and a pretty violent life (ok, so I expect WWII books to be a little violent).  Excellent series.  I read this book in two days




6. The Tattooist of the Auschwitz by Heather Morris-I admit that I choose most of my books based on the cover. I can't help it, it is just what I do and this one did not disappoint.  I read this one in 4 days.  Parts of it was hard to read because of what happened to our hero.  The camps were simply horrible and they are described in detail here (remember I told you that I expect WWII books to be disturbing/violent).  This had horrible conditions, you can't even call them "living conditions".... What shocked me was that this book was based on a real-life couple.  You need to read the story at the end of the book on how the author met our hero and had his blessing in the creation of this book.  I did cry with this one and it took me four days to get through it, but it is so worth your time.






7.  Room on the Rue Amelie by Kristin Harmel-WOW just WOW!!!  Ok, so I never expected this book to happen as it did.  A woman has a goodish marriage but it has secrets....then the secrets are revealed.  She, in turn, takes up with a child that would be killed if she didn't help her and they do their part for the resistance to save the world from the Germans.  I loved this book and devoured it.  I did not put it down once I started it.  I read it in one day.  A day well spent in my opinion.  I read this one in four days.





8.  The Subway Girls by Susan Orman Schnall-This reminds me a tad of one of my favorite movies On the Town starring Gene Kelly, Vera-Ellen, Ann Miller, and Frank Sinatra. There is a contest for finding a subway girl poster model.  Becoming a subway girl could change a girls life in the '40s.  While we are dealing with that time period, we also flash to the future where an ad exec is trying to do a campaign on the Subway Girls.  I found this dual timeline fun and I loved how the story ends. Finished this book in two days.




9. The Paris Seamstress by Natasha Lester- I just barely got this one in before 2018 ended....and it was a great way to go out.  I don't want to spoil the plot, but let's just say that a woman raised in France learns all kinds of things about life, the war and her own history once the Germans invade the country.  I love how the tale weaves through two countries and a few characters. I was slow to catch the twist, but when I did....oh my!!!  I didn't want this to end and it took me six days to stretch it out.





10. Tony's Wife by Adrianna Trigiani-I could not put this down.  Read it in about 5 hours.  It started out with me feeling sorry for a character and then completely changed.  I mean completely.  I had no idea it was going where it did.  I loved that surprise!!!







There were so many other good books that were published in 2018 that I read so I will tell you a few more titles, you can check my opinion out on my GoodReads page.

Hope Never Dies by Andrew Shaffer
The Glass Ocean (I wanted it in the top ten) by Beatriz Williams, Karen White, and Lauren Willig
The Restless Wave by John McCain
The Kennedy Debutante by Kerri Maher
The Wedding Date and The Proposal by Jasime Guillory
The Masterpiece by Fiona Davis
My Girls by Todd Fisher
The President is Missing by Bill Clinton and James Patterson
The Reckoning by John Grisham (I just finished this today and I loved it, maybe my new Grisham favorite)

Review: The Affair: An enthralling story of love and passion and Hollywood glamour

The Affair: An enthralling story of love and passion and Hollywood glamour by Gill Paul
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I expected this book to be full of the tales of Liz and Dick as they fell in love on the set of Cleopatra. What I got was a book where that happened...PLUS, there was a Dateline twist! I loved that little surprise. Diana was hired to be the historian on the set of the epic film. She's married to an older man and disappointed he didn't want to go to Rome with her. She left her man at home and had all kind of adventures. These adventures changed her life forever.

I very much enjoyed this journey.

View all my reviews

Michelle's Musings PopSugar Reading Challenge

Every year I do a Reading Challenge and in the last few years, it has been the PopSugar one.  They have fun lists that tend to challenge me to get out of my reading box.  I encourage you to Google "reading challenges" and see all the variety of lists out there.  There are some that are based on certain tastes, some to get out of your rut and even some off the wall lists.  PopSugar (to me) seems to be the perfect list.  They have a variety of book genres on their list....and more that suit what I can handle. I am never going to read that horror book but I will read a book based on the illustration on the cover!

 Here is my challenge list as of today.  I will update this by adding more books until December 31, 2018, when the list is closed.  Please share any books you know of that fit a category that I am missing as I am always looking for my next read.

https://www.popsugar.com/entertainment/Reading-Challenge-2018-44138581


A book made into a movie you've already seen

True Crime-Killing Lincoln by Bill O'Reilly (if you haven't given this a chance, this reads like a Grisham book, but it really happened)

The next book in a series you started-Prisoner in the Castle by Susan Ella MacNeal

A book involving a heist-The President is Missing by Bill Clinton and James Patterson

Nordic Noir

A novel based on a real person-Shadow Queen by Rebecca Dean

A book set in a country that fascinates you-Between Here and Gone by Barbara Ferrer (Cuba)

A book with time of day in the title-Alaskan Dawn by Edie Claire (I am reaching a bit, but dawn is a time, kind of)

A book about a villain or anti-hero-

A book about death or grief-The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah

A book with female author who uses a males pseudonym-Women and Children First by Gil Paul

A book with an LGBTQ protagonist-City of Myths by Martin Turnbull (this series is soooo good)

A book that is also a stage play or musical-The day the world came to town by Jim DeFede (play is based on the book)

A book by an author of a different ethnicity than you-Falling Up by Leslie Odom, Jr

A book about feminism-Room on the Rue Amelie by Kristen Harmel (she can do the same thing her husband did, just watch)

A book about mental health--This is Me by Chrissy Metz

A book your borrowed or what was given to you as a gift-Magnolia Table by Joanna Gaines (this was soooo good)

A book by two authors- You can't spell America without me by Alec Baldwin and Kurt Anderson

A book about or involving a sport

A book by a local author

A book with your favorite color in the title

A book with alliteration in the title-Espressos, Egg Nogs and Evil Ex's by Harper Lin

A book about time travel

A book with a weather element in the title- The Cloud Atlas by Liam Callanan

A book set at sea-Summer Wives by Beatriz Williams

A book with an animal in the title-The Rooster Bar by John Grisham

A book set on a different planet- William Shakespeare's The Force Doth Awakens by Ian Doescher

A book with song lyrics in the title

A book about or set on Halloween

A book with characters who are twins Sister's First (nonfiction) by  Jenna and Barbara Bush

A book mentioned in another book

A book from a celebrity book club  Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton

A childhood classic you never read

A book that was published in 2018-As Bright As Heaven by Susan Meissner

A past Goodreads Choice Awards winner-Hamilton: The Revolution by Lin Manual Miranda (2016)

A book set in  the decade you were born-The Masterpiece by Fiona Davis (some of it is set in 75)

A book you meant to read in 2017 but did not get to-Margot by Julian Cantor

A book with an ugly cover-The Lost Letter by Jullian Cantor (I have since seen a different cover that is much nicer)

A book that involves a bookstore or library-Alaska Skies by Debbie Macomber)

Your favorite prompt from 2015, 2016, 2017 PopSugar Challenges-A novel set during war time...The War Bride's Scrapbook by Caroline Preston (beautiful book)

2018 Books of the year (so far)

I am almost at the 50 books read mark for 2018.  I wanted to take a few moments of your time today to recommend my favorites reads of 2018 (so far).

1. Next Year in Havana-Chanel Cleeton
   I saw in October in searching for Cuba books that it was to be released in 2018 and I couldn't wait to get my hands on it. I wish I had it in October because that is when we went to Havana, I would have looked for more stuff that was featured in the book.

2.  As  Bright as Heaven-Susan Meissner
   I love every book of Susan's that I have picked up....her words and story are so creative.  This one is about the flu pandemic in the early 20th century.  It was hard to put down because the story sucked you into the life and death choices made by people and how one little cough could and would change a whole family.

3.  The Great Alone- Kristin Hannah
   There isn't a day of my life I don't long to live in Alaska.  I search for Alaska books all the time, and usually, they are sapping romance stories, so I didn't have high hopes.  Boy was I wrong!!!  I was taken right back to the place I love and there was a thrilling story to go along with it.  The dad is this book is a horrible human being and you will long to kill him, the state takes on a role of a character all on it's own (as Alaska tends to do).  I love the twists in the plot too!!

4.  The Room on Rue Amelie-Kristin Harmel
    I read a lot of WWII historical fictional and I had been told this one would be perfect for me. I waited for months for my turn for the digital book and when I got my turn, I finished it in a night.  This tells of an American woman in war-torn France trying to save the Allies and her Jewish friend.

5.  Margot-Jullian Cantor
   Another WWII historical fiction book, this time about the life of the sister of Anne Frank.  A nice creative read. I like books about people in history that we know little about and this one was written like that.

6.  My Dear Hamilton- Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie
  I will never turn down a book about a President or a President's aide.  I also happen to be finishing my full second year of being obsessed with the play Hamilton.  I like that this story told how Eliza felt (well could have felt) about the events that happened solely on her account, not Jefferson, Adams, Washington, Angelica, just Eliza.

7.  The War Brides Scrapbook-Caroline Preston
  A book with tons of ephemera inside...it's a story that has tons of WWII memorabilia to go with it.  A graphic novel scrapbook with a great story!!! I loved this.  Visually it was thrilling, the pages were crammed full of information and lovely illustrations.  The story could have very well been written by a young bride who sends her man off to war while she worked the factories and her life when the war was over.

8.  The Rooster Bar-John Grisham
  I shall always be a Grisham fan, but this one was my favorite one in years.  Law students realize they will never pay off their debts and take matters into their own hands and try to stay out of the reach of the law.  Thrilling!!!

9.  The President is Missing-James Patterson and Bill Clinton
   I could not wait for this to be released!  I wasn't disappointed.  Too much ISIS or I would rank higher, but I thought it was great.  I loved the President and loved how smart he was and how he was willing to do whatever he needed to do to save America.

10.  The Wedding Date-Jasmine Guillory
   Not at all like a book that I would read, but I saw the cover and I was intrigued.  It was light and fluffy, but not all that mushy romance that keeps me away from those type of books.  This was about two professionals of different races, making it work, or are they?

There is the top 10 for the first half (ok, a little over) the year 2018.

Michelle's Book Choices

I am an avid reader of many a great books and folks are always asking, "What do you recommend that I read?"  Well, I decided to try and get back into this little blog thingy by posting the books that I am currently passionate about.

I try to read brand new books along with classic books and I have some rules that I hold myself to when reading.

1.  If it doesn't grab my attention in the first hour or so, ditch it.  There are too many good books out there to waste on something that is mediocre or difficult to read.
2.  Reading Challenges are fun and I try to participate, but if a category is something I hate or don't care to read, I will ditch the challenge and make my own.  I find Goodreads Reading Challenge is a better way to go for me because I can say, "I want to read ___ books" and be done with it instead of trying to find a book to fit into a category so obscure that it makes me nuts.
3.  Put up my phone!  I don't sit it anywhere where I am reading. I have wasted entirely too much time answering an email, checking facebook or looking up a city on Google that I had lost too MUCH reading time, so I put that stupid thing away.
4.  I always have a book on me.  I read in lines at the store, waiting in traffic, while waiting on a friend....etc.  My Kindle goes where ever I go.  My rule is the purse MUST be big enough for the Kindle or I don't carry it.
5.  I always know when my favorite authors have a book coming out and pre-purchase those books.  It gives me something to look forward to and makes sure the authors have at least one book sold.
6.  I utilize my library every single day!!!  I have 3 library cards, my local library, another KY library and I pay for a non resident card to a library out of state (I will try to do a post on this later).  I have close to the maximum amount of books on hold on each card.  I primarily read via Overdrive so I loaded all my cards on there and click back and forth looking for books at each one.  It is very easy on Overdrive to go back and forth between the libraries and I can read just about everything that I want to read. If you don't know Overdrive I would LOVE to talk about it.
7.  I am not afraid to listen to an audiobook in the car or at work, that counts.
8.  I never forget the classics.  I go back to them whenever I can. I can't count how many times I have read "The Great Gatsby", but I can tell you I have read "Gone with the Wind" 41 times.  As a teen it was one of the only books I owned so I read over and over and over.
9.  I keep a journal.  I started in 1996 on paper and still keep it that way, but I also keep an excel spread sheet that calculates how many books I have read, were they paper, audio or ebook and other stats.  My reading journal just logs the author, dates read, whether I liked it and a few lines for notes (I may share this at some point too).
10.  Read around 100 pages every day. It is easier than I thought it would be when I started.

Now as I type this July has started....the year is half over. I have read 40 books of varying types....here are my favorites of the first 6 months of 2018.

1.  The Great Alone-Kristin Hannah.....WOW!!!
2.  As Bright As Heaven-Susan Meissner ......She is one of my faves!!
3.  My Dear Hamilton-Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie....just as good as America's First Daughter
4.  Margot-Jullian Cantor
5.  The President is Missing-Bill Clinton and James Patterson
6.  Magnolia Table-Joanna Gaines
7.  The Day the World Came to Town 9/11 Gander-James DeFede
8.  City of Myths -Martin Turnbull...this is a series that I highly recommend for old movie buffs
9.  Failing Up-Leslie Odom Jr and This Is Me-Chrissy Metz
10.  Island of Sweet Pies and Soldiers-Sara Ackerman

2015 Reading Challenge

So I have not written in forever.  Life got in the way.  Actually, I have posted my artwork to my Michelle's Musings Facebook page instead of here.  I kind of like that immediate response you can get when someone hits "like", it's very good for your self-esteem.

Today I decided to come back to you, Mr. Blogspot.  No promises I will be here all the time, but I will work on it. If you have ever read this junk that I put on the internet, you know like to read.  Every year I set reading challenges for myself.  Usually, the overall goal is to read 100 books and I add other elements in like so many non fictions, and not so many Hollywood bios.  This year while wasting some time on Pinterest, I discovered this PopSugar reading challenge.  It was a wonderful collection of stuff.  Varying stuff to get me to think out of my box.

http://www.popsugar.com/love/Reading-Challenge-2015-36071458I  thought I would share the books I have read in the hopes to inspire you to pick up a good book.  I had to tweak the list, just a tad. I will update this list every few weeks.  I hope to finish by the end of May....we shall see.

1.   A book with 500 pages---Encyclopedia of Dead Rock Stars by Jeremy Simmonds
2.   A classic romance--- Special Delivery by Ginny Band
3.   A book that became a movie---Serena by Ron Rash 
4.   A book published this year---I was here by Gayle Forman
5.   A book with a number in the title--Million Dollar Mermaid-Esther Williams
6.   A book written by someone under the age of 30: Call of the Wild-Jack London
7.   A book with nonhuman characters--Pen & Ink: Tattoos and the stories behind them by Isaac Fitzgerald
8.   A funny book-The Jerk by Steve Martin
9.   A book by a female author-Anything but Normal by Melody Carlson
10. A mystery or thriller----Gray Mountain by John Grisham
11. A book with a one word title---Frozen by Sarah Nathan
12. A book of short stories ---The Caretakers by Matt Jaeger
13. A book set in a different country---Rubber Soul by Greg Kihn
14. A nonfiction book---Disney by Rees Quinn
15. A popular author's first book---Will Grayson, Will Grayson by John Green
16. A book from a author you love but have not read: Family Room-Mia King
17. A book a friend recommended---El Deafo by Cece Bell
18. A Pulitzer Prize winning book: Goldfinch
19. A book based on a true story---Romance is my day job by Patience Bloom
20. A book at the bottom of your to read list: Cup of Murder
21. A book your mom loves
22. A book that scares you: Christopher Walken from A to Z (he freaks me out)
23. A book more than 100 years old: Call of the Wild (sorry for the cross post)
24. A book based entirely on it's cover: I'm so glad I did - Cynthia Weir
25. A book your were supposed to read in school but didn't: By the Shores of Silver Lake- Laura Ingalls Wilder
26. A memoir---Seriously, I'm kidding by Ellen Degeneres
27. A book you can finish in a day----Maleficent by Elizabeth Rudnick
28. A book with antonyms in the title: Seriously, I'm Kidding -Ellen DeGeneres
29. A book set somewhere you have always wanted to visit Tinseltown:Murder, Morphine, and Madness at the Dawn of Hollywood by William J Mann (Always wanted to visit 1920's Hollywood!!!!)
30. A book came out in the year you were born Freaky Friday by Mary Rodgers
31. A book with bad reviews: The Way I see it-Melissa Sue Anderson
32. A trilogy---Just one day, Just one night, Just one year all by Gayle Forman
33. A book from your childhood: The Long Winter-Laura Ingalls Wilder
34. A book with a love triangle: The Beautiful American
35. A book set in the future: Birthmarked -Caragh M O'Brien
36. A book set in high school: The Duff
37. A book with a color in the title: Man with the Golden Gun-Ian Fleming
38. A book that made you cry---This Star won't go out by Esther Earl
39. A book with magic: Life and Death-Stephanie Meyer
40. A graphic novel---Baby's in Black by Arne Bellstorf
41. A book by an author you have never read---Winter in Sweetwater County and Spring in Sweetwater County by Ciara Knight
42. A book you own, but have never read--- Sweet Memories by Steena Holmes
43. A book that takes place in your home state---Love finds you in Miracle, KY by Andrea Boeshar
44. A book that was originally written in a different language
45. A book set at Christmastime
46. A book written by an author with your same initials---Double Take by Melody Carlson
47. A play: Twelve Angry Men
48. A banned book: Face on the Milk Carton 
49. A book based on or turned into a TV show: I read every Little House book for a class
50. A book you started but never finished: The Story of the Von Trapp