I haven’t written about the books I’ve read recently, because earlier in the year I was lured away from my audio companions by music, and I fell behind on my Goodreads challenge.

I finally caught up again last night when I finished the fourth Stephanie Plum book (Four to Score by Janet Evanovich). I very much like this series. I started listening to another Evanovich series (the Full series), but after a few minutes switched to something else; it’s not quite the same as the Plum series, so I’ll keep that for (much) later.

I did cheat a bit, by reading two little books, one being “That’s Quite a Dress You Almost Have On” by Craig Bennett (when I grow up I want to have a tongue as sharp and acidic as this collection of work), and “Haiku for the Single Girl” by Beth Griffenhagen, which made me despair and giggle (and a few times giggle in despair).

Two books that stood out for me were “Bellwether” by Connie Willis because I didn’t think I was going to like it very much, but it surprised me and I was sad when it was finished, and “A Stitch in Time” by Amanda James. This was a Choc Lit title I got to review.

The main character, Sarah Yates, is a very relatable and likeable character because of her human-ness. She endures embarrassment, heartaches (and hangovers) – not to mention a few time-travelling adventures. These adventures force her to face her fears and (perceived) failures, and teach her a little more about herself; considering the knock her self-esteem takes in the first few pages, it’s really great to see this character development blossoming so subtly.

At the moment I’m listening to an anthology of somewhat bizarre short stories, and I’m not entirely sure I like it, but it is still entertaining, so I’ll continue with it.

I also have to make a special mention of the generosity of (virtual) strangers. Simon Dingle tweeted at Neil Gaiman about the great South African accent he did in the narration of “The Ocean at the End of the Lane”. I love listening to Neil’s books, especially when he narrates them himself. Unfortunately, I had to give up my Audible subscription as part of cutting down on luxuries. Simon offered to gift the book to me, since he had spare credits and loved the book so much he wanted to share it with others. It was such a treat and one of the most selfless acts of kindness ever facilitated by Twitter (that I’ve been part of). And the book really was fantastic 🙂

What are you reading at the moment?