Rinda's Reads for May: Two Authors

My reading list wasn't super varied this month...basically, I just wanted some nice stories I could sit back and relax with during my travels. That lead to me reading about six books, all by only two authors:

Carla Kelly
I recommended one of her books last month (Mrs. Drew Plays Her Hand) and I think that is still my favorite of all the books I've read by Carla Kelly to this point. This month I read Borrowing Light and Enduring Light, a series about a chef who goes to work on a middle-of-nowhere Wyoming ranch. They were pretty good--nothing spectacular, but enough to keep my attention through two cross-country plane rides. Here is my disclaimer about Carla Kelly: if you are looking for non-trashy romance, make sure you read ONLY the books that have been published while she has been living in Utah! In other words, if Deseret Book sells it, you are okay. I made the mistake of grabbing one of her older titles on the library shelves and boy was I surprised...

Sarah Addison Allen
Here is my disclaimer about Allen: she definitely isn't an LDS author, and so her books aren't 100% clean. I read three of them this month and had to skip 2-3 pages in all three, but that is all. Of the three I read, The Peach Keeper was probably my favorite, with Garden Spells and The Girl Who Chased the Moon close behind. Her books combine Southern charm with a bit of the mystical and strong, somewhat quirky characters with strong plot lines.

So there you go for May. I only have 40 pages left in my first read for June and I have to say, I have highly enjoyed it, and it has been a little more intellectually stimulating that my May reads.

Here is Kevin's pick of the month:

Just What Mama Needs by Sharlee Glenn


My mom gave me this book for Christmas and I've pulled it out a couple of times in the last month to read to Kevin. Each time I was reminding how much I love it! The adorable story tells about Abby's week of different characters: On Monday she is a pirate, on Tuesday she is a detective, on Wednesday she is a cowboy, and so on. Each of Abby's "characters" is just what her Mama needs on that particular day. At the end of the week, Abby discovers that the person her Mama needs most is for Abby to just be herself.

Bonus: the book is by a Utah author!