My August library book picks are Texas Rain by Jodi Thomas and Virgin River by Robyn Carr. The reviews for both books seem to be good, so I thought I’d give them a try.
Both novels are set in a small town. I love small-town romance novels, especially those set in the South, since I’m originally from Tennessee.
Texas Rain is a historical romance novel, which is another fiction genre that I enjoy reading.
Virgin River is actually a TV series on Netflix, but the previews of the show don’t look interesting to me.
I’ve heard that the books are quite different from the show, though, so that’s why I checked out the book.
I’m currently watching Ransom Canyon on Netflix. The romance drama is inspired by Jodi Thomas’ novel series.
However, when I discovered the show last summer, I didn’t know it was based on a book until halfway into watching the show.
I almost checked out the Ransom Canyon, but it’s really hard for me to get into a book after watching the show/movie it was based on. (That’s why it’s been taking me what seems like forever to finish reading Outlander. 😫)
So, I decided to give Texas Rain a try instead. It’s the first book in her Whispering Mountain series.
What are you reading this month?
💜 XO
I can’t read the books after seeing the show or movie either. This month, I’m giving Tom Perrotta another chance. The endings of his stories are so ambiguous that it’s maddening. He leaves a lot for us to fill in. I wanted to see if everything he writes is like that, so I’m reading a book of his short stories and a full length novel. So far, every short story has had the kind of ending I hate, lol!
Reading a book after seeing the show or movie just changes things for me. It’s hard for me get into the book since I know what’s going to happen next. Lol 😫🤣
I have a hard time finding books I like to read. I haven’t heard of Tom Perrota. What kind of books does he write?
He’s kind of all over the place with what he writes. He wrote the books that became the movies Election (with Reese Witherspoon), Little Children (with Kate Winslet). Those were both a little edgy and a bit dark. His book The Leftovers became a miniseries on HBO and that had a semi-sci-fi/religious cult piece to it. His character development is phenomenal. Very, very interesting characters.
Oohhh, I remember the film Election with Reese Witherspoon and Matthew Broderick! I didn’t know about the HBO miniseries, though. I will have to checkout his work because I didn’t even know Election was based on a book!
These both sound like great picks, Jenn. I love a good small‑town story, and Texas Rain seems right up my alley. Hope they turn out to be good reads.
Thank you, Kymber! 😁 I hope both books are good reads, too. I already started Texas Rain, and so far, I am enjoying it. 😊📚💜
What a delightful August reading list! 📚❤️ I love how your choices reflect such a clear affection for small-town romances, especially with the Southern setting adding that extra sense of warmth, community, and familiarity.
Texas Rain sounds particularly tempting with its historical-romance setting, while Virgin River should be an interesting experiment in discovering whether the book really does offer something quite different from its Netflix adaptation. Sometimes the book and the screen version feel like distant cousins rather than the same story! 😄
Haha yes, that is a great way to put it—the book and screen version are distant cousins! I love that! 😅
It’s very rare I come across a film or tv show that does a good job following the book version. The Lord of the Rings films did an excellent job following Tolkien’s books as best as the creators/director could do. 😊