Every time I show up here I make excuses for why I’ve been absent, but I don’t have any excuse today. Sometimes I’m here and sometimes I’m not… I appreciate that when I show up you guys usually do, too.
Enough jibber jabber. On to the books.
Finally linking up with Steph and Jana today for Show Us Your Books! It’s my first one this year!
Bringing Down the Duke by Evie Dunmore | Historical Romance | ★★/5
I know I’m in the minority, but I didn’t love this one. I thought the duke was aggressive and fickle and unpleasant. Don’t get me wrong- I LOVE a grumpy suitor, but this guy had an air of superiority that took him way too long to get over. And Annabelle was super uncreative when it came to escaping or fixing her circumstances. These two dingbats killed it for me.
The Great Train Robbery by Michael Crichton | Historical Fiction | ★★★/5
I wasn’t head over heels for this one like I thought I’d be, but dammit I love the way Crichton writes. He effortlessly makes you root for the bad guys. (And in Jurassic Park he made me HATE the bad guys, lol.) This was a little boring and not what I was expecting. It was like a period drama you’d turn on, watch 2 or 3 episodes, and forget about for another week or so until you had some down time. (Aka, not binge-worthy.)
Book Challenge by Erin 14.0
| 5 p | Freebie: The Unhoneymooners (Christina Lauren)
| 10 p | You’ve been meaning to re-read: HP & the Goblet of Fire (Rowling)
| 10 p | The first book of a series you’ve never read: A Court of Thorns and Roses (Maas)
| 15 p | Mostly green and/or pink cover art: The World of Lore: Wicked Mortals (Mahnke)
| 20 p | A male relationship word in the title: The Many Deaths of the Firefly Brothers (Mullen)| 20 p | Set in a place on your bucket list: Bringing Down the Duke (Dunmore)
| 25 p | Reminds you of 2020: A Vow So Bold & Deadly (Kemmerer) – dark, I know.
| 30 p | Written by an LGBTQIA+ author: Red, White & Royal Blue (McQuiston)
| 30 p | The name of a bird in the title: The Maltese Falcon (Hammett)| 35 p | Protagonist has a questionable profession: The Great Train Robbery (Crichton)
55 points total
What did you read this month?
Life as Louise 
I am not super into Historical Romance, but if a book sounds interesting enough or I see a lot of my book friends rate it high…I give it a go. Glad you were honest about this one, I think I might have added it to my TBR before? I am going to make sure it isn’t there anymore lol.
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I’m sad it didn’t work out. I usually love historical romances and there was a strong women’s rights feel at work… but the dude killed it for me. Too aggressive and self-centered. Just chill, dude.
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I have been toying with the idea of reading Bringing Down the Duke… it’s not something I normally read, but everyone seems to be raving about it. I think I will skip it, thanks! I’ve never read anything by Michael Crichton but I really want to read Jurassic Park. And it’s too bad that you weren’t super into The Great Train Robbery because I LOVE books where you root for the bad guys!
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I’ve seen so many good things about …The Duke. Maybe it was me, but he rubbed me the wrong way.
I freaking loved Jurassic Park and I will recommend it to everyone I meet. Hahaha.
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I haven’t read either of these but have heard a lot about Bringing Down the Duke. Definitely looks like one I’ll skip.
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I heard a lot about it, too! I really thought I’d be super into it.
NOPE.
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“Sometimes I’m here and sometimes I’m not” – yep lol
bummer about bringing down the duke – i don’t remember much, i liked it but didn’t love it, and the fact that i remember very little is probably telling too lol
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Lol. Story of my life this past year.
Haha- perhaps. He was just so hot and cold. I can’t handle that kind of drama. LOL
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DAMNIT I just typed a comment and it disappeared.
“sometimes I’m here and sometimes I’m not” should be everyone’s leading and accepted statement for everything for the past 11 months.
I hate when it takes characters too long to get over themselves. It makes books drag.
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Grr. I HATE when that happens.
Yeah… I need that on a shirt or something. I imagine it’s going to carry me through at least the next 6 months. Ha.
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I had no idea The Great Train Robbery was written by Michael Crichton.
Never any need for excuses although I am always happy when you’re here.
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Thanks, friend! ❤
Yeah… not my favorite of his, but I'm glad I read it. Ha.
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I feel like I need to twirl a moustache just at that train robbery book cover
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VERY TRUE! Hahahaha! I saw after I read it that it’s been made into a movie with Sean Connery.
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Michael Crichton is my husband’s favorite author. I wonder if he’s read this one.
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I’ve only read the Jurassic Park books and this one… and this one dragged in comparison. But it passed the time just fine.
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I’ve never read The Maltese Falcon, but I loooove the movie! I’m struggling immensely with my bird book, maybe I’ll look for that.
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I’ve never seen the movie! I think I’ve seen parts of it, but I’m excited to read the book and then watch the film.
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Sorry to hear you didn’t really love either of these! I hope that whatever you choose next will be much more enjoyable.
-Lauren
http://www.shootingstarsmag.net
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No worries 🙂 I suppose they passed the time just fine. LOL
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YOU READ SO MUCH! I’m wildly impressed. Last year I read like 4 books all year, and I was so proud of myself haha. Have you ever read Beartown? It’s next on my list!
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You are too dang kind. I think that about people who plow through +6 books a month. Lol. Four books is GREAT for the year! Better than 0! You have multiple humans to keep alive!
I haven’t read it but I’ve heard really great things. Something similar to the plot happened in our town and I haven’t been able to get myself to pick up the book yet because of that.
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I get what you’re saying about just not writing sometimes. I’m trying to come up with something *other* than a book review to post on my blog. LOL Like, for months now. Oh well! Thanks for sharing. Love the cover of the Great Train Robbery! Enjoy your month 🙂
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Yeah… sometimes it’s just easier to post a review and disappear for a few weeks. Lol
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