ARC, Books

Book 1,060: The Nightmare Before Kissmas (Royals & Romance #1) – Sara Raasch

Book cover of "The Nightmare Before Kissmass"This was one of those that almost didn’t happen. Not because of anything particular in the book, even though it does start off pretty slow.

And OOF—it took me so long to get this, Raasch is actually getting ready to publish the sequel next month, which the publisher has also reached out to me about!* And after finishing this one I did accept, so fingers crossed I get to it a lot sooner than it took me to get to this one.

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ARC, Books, Professional Development

Book 1,052: Supercommunicators – Charles Duhigg

I’ve read a few books by Charles Duhigg and in all honesty The Power of Habit, the first I read of his, was the best and the rest have felt like attempts to recapture the success that one had. That being said, when the publisher reached out with a copy of this one I said “Sure, why not?”*

I work in communications and I’m always interested in how others see it and what the latest trends/fads/ideas are. In reading this, I found that I do quite a few of the things Duhigg observes the best communicators do, so that was reassuring. Duhigg takes a look at communications from across all walks of life from FBI interviewees (both HR and interrogation), lawyers, simple spousal conversations, group interviews, jury proceedings, television shows, and so many other examples.

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ARC, Books

Book 1,051: Excavations – Hannah Michell

If there is one book that I regret not getting my review pushed out as soon as I finished it to tell everyone about it, it is this one! Seriously, this book has stuck with me and I’ve thought of it off and on since I read it. And even when I read it, it was a year later than I should have because the publisher reached out in July of 2023!* OMG I didn’t even realize that which is a shock to me—I guess 2022-2024 were even more blurred than I thought.

This isn’t as hauntingly powerful as Ishiguro’s Never Let Me Go or Murakami’s 1Q84, but it could hold its own. Interesting those are both also author’s of Asian descent, as is Hannah Michell. Michell has the British connection also to Ishiguro, but that is tangential to this review and this probably says more about me than it does those three authors.

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Book 1,031: Speak of the Devil – Rose Wilding

OMFG. I can’t believe I waited as long as I did to read this. I accepted an ARC ages ago from the publisher, but then school and life got in the way and I blew past the publication date.* Then there were so many MM Holiday Romances I just had to read, and this is where we ended up me reading it in January 2024, six months after publication, and then finally getting the review posted almost a year to the date after publication (six months after I read it but back-scheduling). OH, THE SHAME.

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ARC, Books

Book 1,019: The West – Naoíse Mac Sweeney

This was a fascinating read. Mac Sweeney takes what you think you know about “Western Civilization” and attempts to flip it on its head via fourteen mini-biographies about historical figures, only a few of which I knew immediately.

I feel horrible it’s taken me this long to push my response out. The publisher reached out in January 2023. I blew past the publication date in May 2023, and finally read it in December 2023. So, I’m hanging my head, because it’s now taken me another month and a half to actually publish my response.

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