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Some of you may have been wondering when we’re going to get on the bandwagon.  We’ve considered and discussed, we’ve contemplated and debated, and gentle readers, in June is when.  What better time to officially announce than when we’re thoroughly enjoying our time with Kindle Unlimited?  Right!  With that, we’d like to formally invite you to a special tea we are giving, on Friday, June 10 at 7:30 p.m. CST for an evening of entertainment and discussion of Julia Quinn’s The Duke and I.  Yes gentlefolk, we are finally reading the Bridgerton books, and we’d love for you to join us for this fun read!  Répondez s’il vous plaît ici.  

Ashley IN MEDIAS RES

• The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot
• The E-Myth Revisited: Why Most Small Businesses Don’t Work and What to Do About It by Michael E. Gerber
• A Year of Positive Thinking: Daily Inspiration, Wisdom, and Courage by Cyndie Spiegel

Nikki IN MEDIAS RES

• Dear White Peacemakers: Dismantling Racism with Grit and Grace by Osheta Moore
• We Should All Be Millionaires: A Woman’s Guide to Earning More, Building Wealth, and Gaining Economic Power by Rachel Rodgers (presently available on Kindle Unlimited)
• Shifter Mail Order Bride Agency Complete Series by Ruby Knoxx
• The Happiness Project: Or, Why I Spent a Year Trying to Sing in the Morning, Clean My Closets, Fight Right, Read Aristotle, and Generally Have More Fun by Gretchen Rubin

Ashley FIN

• Too Good to Leave, Too Bad to Stay: A Step-by-Step Guide to Help You Decide Whether to Stay in or Get Out of Your Relationship by Mira Kirshenbaum
• When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole
• Crimson Kiss (Onyx Assassins #5) by Samantha Whiskey
• Crimson Truth (Onyx Assassins #4) by Samantha Whiskey
• The Romanov Oracle by Molly Tullis 
• The Guide by Peter Heller 
• Crimson Warrior (Onyx Assassins #3) by Samantha Whiskey
• Crimson Highlander (Onyx Assassins #2) by Samantha Whiskey
• Crimson Covenant (Onyx Assassins #1) by Samantha Whiskey
• Barbarian Lover (Ice Planet Barbarians #3) by Ruby Dixon
• Barbarian Alien (Ice Planet Barbarians #2) by Ruby Dixon
• The Sweetest Oblivion (Made #1) by Danielle Lori
• House of Sky and Breath (Crescent City #2) by Sarah J. Maas*

Nikki FIN

• Try Softer: A Fresh Approach to Move Us out of Anxiety, Stress, and Survival Mode and into a Life of Connection and Joy by Aundi Kolber (audio)
• When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole
• The Romanov Oracle by Molly Tullis 
• Her Lovestruck Lord (Wicked Husbands #2) by Scarlett Scott
• The Guide by Peter Heller 
• Sutton’s Surrender (The Sinful Suttons #3) by Scarlett Scott
• Barbarian Lover (Ice Planet Barbarians #3) by Ruby Dixon
• Barbarian Alien (Ice Planet Barbarians #2) by Ruby Dixon
• House of Sky and Breath (Crescent City #2) by Sarah J. Maas*

*Fini in March*

When I look at my list this month, I have two immediate thoughts.   1.  I CONTAIN MULTITUDES! and 2. In case you didn’t connect the dots, Ashley and I got Kindle Unlimited again earlier this month.  

After the accidental YA fest that was the first few months of 2022, this month has felt much more normal, although looking at the list…well, maybe it is normal.  We’ve revisited our favorite blue aliens together, binged beloved Kindle Unlimited authors, and read and reviewed some pretty great books.  I feel like I’ve doubled down (for me) on nonfiction this month, but I have also been getting my comfort reads in because all those nonfiction titles are sort of in the vein of self help, but they’re also really great.

For this month’s (on purpose this time) listen, I chose Try Softer after hearing author Aundi Kolber talk to my beloved Kendra Adachi about the book, despite some reviews.  Here’s the deal friends, this book is amazing.  It gave me some great insight around big T and little t trauma, coping techniques, and made me feel seen.  It also includes a lot of Bible verses and discussions of Christianity and mental health, a lot.  The reviews weren’t wrong saying it’s too Christian, and neither was Kendra saying it’s great, but if you’re not Christian, I’d guess this book isn’t for you.  It wasn’t everything I wanted it to be, but it was a great listen, and read by the author who has a very soothing voice.  

Even though I have about 100 pages left in Dear White Peacemakers, I’m going to start recommending it to every white person I know who appreciates Christian perspectives in books.  Osheta Moore is a pastor’s wife and she is a gift to the world!  This book is the kindest invitation in I’ve ever experienced.  She starts with Belovedness and goes from there to talk about how Christians are called to love, the example of Jesus in that love, and how love can be used by Peacemakers to overcome systemic racism.  This book is full of emphasis on how to embody a posture of love, curiosity, and appreciation for all of God’s people.  

Darling readers, if you missed Virtual Book Club, please let me give you a recommendation for this thriller, When No One is Watching.  It’s a dual POV of a Black woman who’s experiencing the neighborhood she grew up in as it goes through rapid gentrification and a white man who’s just become her neighbor.  There are issues of race, class, gentrification, community, and some pretty evil business too.  I’m not likely to reread this, but I’m more likely to pick up Cole’s other titles now and very interested to see where she’ll take readers next.  She also contains multitudes.  

And because I can’t leave it alone, I want to say a quick word about Ice Planet Barbarians.  Here’s the deal readers, I don’t need any book to be critically good, I need it to accomplish its goals.  These open door romance novels do that in creative and interesting ways.  They don’t take themselves seriously, and they are fun, engaging reads.  If you enjoy the genre, then give these a try.  If open door romance isn’t your cup of tea, then don’t. There are plenty of books out there.  We’ll never run out of titles to read, so don’t read books that aren’t right for you, but also don’t judge a book by goals it wasn’t striving to reach.  

What’s a book you enjoyed but isn’t critically “good”?
~Nikki

Oh, darling readers, this month has been a reading adventure. KU has been both a blessing and a curse. And I learned something from it, too. I can’t do mafia romance. Can I do big blue aliens for a main character? Yes. Can I do vampires as main characters? Absolutely. But, might-could-happen-in-real-life criminals who kill without remorse and consider women as property? Absolutely not. Hard pass, will not again. Now, to piggyback on what Nikki said above, I was not trying to look at this mafia romance as something it wasn’t. Was it a good representative of the romance genre? Sure, since all the necessary plot points and HEA were there, so were the open door sexytimes scenes. But, I just could not get over the way the female characters had no agency in their own lives. I read romance to give females more agency in their lives and love choices not to make them be subservient to the males in their lives. I read The Sweetest Oblivion all the way through, but I will not be continuing with the series, nor will I be picking up any other mafia themed romances in the future. Truly this should not have been any type of surprise for me because I despise all mafia movies and shows. The fact that Canadian Adam loves The Sopranos is the literal worst. It’s not my jam and I don’t know why I thought that a romance novel could change me… in that opinion anyway.

The Onyx Assassins Series by Samantha Whiskey totally made up for the disappointment of the mafia romance on so very many levels. The tropes were different for each book (oh the one bed trope showed up in the ‘mating’ of convenience paired with a friends to lovers situation) but the series as a whole hit so very many. Adam kept asking me what I was reading during those few days and I always kept saying ‘Vampire Smut.’ He just kept turning away and wincing and that reaction is worth every word I read.

I finished one non-fiction book this month so far, and I’m not going to discuss it here for reasons, but if you are interested in my opinion you can hit me up in a direct message/email and I’ll be happy to discuss in a more private setting. I did start working on The E-Myth Revisited again, and I am a solid 35% into the book. I don’t think I’ll have enough time to finish it up by the end of the month, but who knows. Additionally, I started reading The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks which has been on my TBR since it was written, and I am so grateful that my book buddy persuaded me to read it before attending a virtual presentation on the topic this Thursday the 28th of April. If you’re interested in learning more about the presentation, please DM us for the details.

May probably won’t be as filled with Kindle Unlimited selections…who am I kidding? I’m going to read so much more smut next month before my subscription goes away, I might just be halfway to my book goal for the year before the end of the quarter. I just wish that the 30 hours of continuing education class counted for book reading time. Le sigh.

~Ashley

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