I went to a party last night where we talked about books.
What we’ve been reading lately.
Books we loved.
Books we couldn’t put down.
And someone asked me, “When do you have time to read all these books?”
How could I not make time?
I couldn’t live without books.
I’m in three book clubs. I always have a list of books I’m reading (or about to read). It’s kind of an eclectic mix because of all the book club (which I love because they challenge me to read something that I might not pick up normally). There’s something so wonderful and amazing how 26 characters and some random punctuation can make your heart beat faster or your eyes fill up with tears or make you laugh out loud.
There are so many adventures waiting for all of us between the covers of a book.
So in case you love books as much as I do?
Here are 9 books I’ve read recently that I couldn’t put down.
// The Blue Hour //
1. The Blue Hour
Only read this book if you like murder mysteries.
And try not to read it at night.
This is our book club book this month and it is a THRILLER and it’s so good that I couldn’t put it down. It’s about an artist who lives on a remote island with only one house. At the very beginning of the book, her work is featured posthumously and it’s discovered that potentially one of her sculptures features something that might not be what it seems.
And so the mystery begins.
This is the same author of “The Girl On the Train” (which I haven’t read) and the book is so well written she uses words like pieces of art.
You can see The Blue Hour here.
// Next Year In Havana //
2. Next Year in Havana
I didn’t really know anything about Cuba and the takeover of Cuba by Fidel Castro
It’s told from the perspective of Elisa Perez in 1950 and her granddaughter, Marisol, in 2017, who visits Cuba to scatter her grandmother’s ashes.
When she arrives there, she discovers a box of her grandmother’s things with a package of letters that tell a love story that she never knew about between her grandmother and a revolutionary.
It’s a mystery and a beautiful, wonderful love story set during war-torn Cuba (spoiler alert: the ending is so beautiful).
You can see Next Year in Havana here.
// The Personal Librarian //
3. The Personal Librarian
This book is based on a real life person called Belle da Costa Green who was J P Morgan’s personal librarian.
She led a fascinating life with a secret that could have destroyed everything she built.
But she didn’t let that stop her and she single-handedly built the Morgan library and the JP Morgan collection into what it is today.
It’s an incredible story of triumph and determination.
You can see The Personal Librarian here.
// The Lost Bookshop //
4. The Lost Bookshop
This is the SWEETEST book.
Someone in my book club recommended it and it’s a mystery and a fairy tale all rolled into one.
There’s a bookshop that was there and then it wasn’t and there are three characters who’s lives all intertwine—Opaline, Martha and Henry.
There’s a reason why it has over 120,000 reviews on Amazon.
I couldn’t put it down and read it in two days.
You can see The Lost Bookshop here.
// An American Beauty //
5. An American Beauty
You know how much I love a book about the Gilded Age.
I’ve recommended so many in the past and this one is one of my new favorites. It’s a rags to riches story about a woman named Arabella who marries a multi-millionaire self-made railroad baron.
She then begins the process of seeking acceptance (kind of reminds me of the show called The Gilded Age) with the society matrons. The challenge is that she has secrets that can prevent her from becoming a part of society.
It’s such a beautiful story and if you like historical fiction, this is a really good read.
You can see An American Beauty here.
// First Lie Wins //
6. First Lie Wins
Here’s another mystery that kept me guessing.
I love a book that TOTALLY surprises me. I read this for book club (somewhat reluctantly) and I couldn’t put it down.
It’s a mystery within a mystery.
Evie Porter takes on the lives of other people because she works for a man called “Mr. Smith” who has a multitude of assignments for her.
The ending was so surprising that I had no idea and I LOVED it so MUCH.
You can see First Lie Wins here.
// Long Way Home //
7. Long Way Home
This story takes place after the end of World War II.
Peggy watches as her best friend, Jimmy Barnett, comes home from the war completely changed.
He loses all hope and ends up in the hospital and Peggy begins her journey to unravel what happened to him during the war.
It’s a beautiful story of faith and family with a romance and a little mystery, too.
You can see Long Way Home here.
// The Paradise Problem //
8. The Paradise Problem
I didn’t expect to like this book as much as I did (I love the way this author writes), but it had me hooked from the very beginning.
Anna Green marries Liam Weston to be able to share an apartment in college and then after they are done sharing the apartment they get divorced.
Or so she thinks.
Actually, it seems she and Liam are still married and due to a clause in his grandfather’s will, Liam has to stay married for five years to get his 100 million dollar inheritance.
But she doesn’t even like Liam.
Or does she.
You can see The Paradise Problem here.
// Never Lie //
9. Never Lie
See what I mean about a mystery kick?
Here’s another one. This book is from a new author to me, Freida McFadden.
I read another book by her that was good, but this is my favorites list and this one was my favorite.
A newlywed couple Ethan and Tricia go to look at a new house and discover a mystery when they arrive.
It has a GIANT twist at the end that literally made me GASP out loud.
You can see Never Lie here.
I’m so thankful that I found books all those years ago.
I’m so thankful for my grandmother who introduced me to reading. I wish my grandmother was still here so she could see how all those times she took me to the library instilled a love of reading that I still have after all these years.
If she could see me with my nose in a book. I know what she’d do. She would smile and stop by my house and pick me up and her little Toyota Corolla would turn to the left.
Right into the parking lot of the library.
You can see all my favorite reads from last year and the beginning of 2025 here.
PS Have you read any books recently that you couldn’t put down?
Let’s discuss in the comments.
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