tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-22254169523368704782024-03-21T17:29:09.796-07:00Smart Girls ReadUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger600125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2225416952336870478.post-87093607543793243222024-03-21T17:28:00.000-07:002024-03-21T17:28:26.807-07:00Love & Saffron by Kim Fay<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh4hYnZBrsYpngmeVJJzyKCDVUvaxlWkAfb6umEwD9waeY9KDpz1_ViueZ1ZLXcHXbkE9p3X7R9uUqiZFVZCVngxnzQJA8J6dOhsMID1EVmT50JYKLOcP9JTotM9vRKjJKQyQ07iUvT7YFlrgBD9Hs3vBrP_a6BgIjEmAqEVhvKpbMwCgTUWgFWTGbhsA/s234/Love%20and%20Saffron.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="234" data-original-width="149" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhh4hYnZBrsYpngmeVJJzyKCDVUvaxlWkAfb6umEwD9waeY9KDpz1_ViueZ1ZLXcHXbkE9p3X7R9uUqiZFVZCVngxnzQJA8J6dOhsMID1EVmT50JYKLOcP9JTotM9vRKjJKQyQ07iUvT7YFlrgBD9Hs3vBrP_a6BgIjEmAqEVhvKpbMwCgTUWgFWTGbhsA/s1600/Love%20and%20Saffron.jpg" width="149" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Love & Saffron</i> by Kim Fay is a sweet little book that the author intended to be read in one sitting. Consisting almost exclusively of letters back and forth between two women of very different circumstances, it is easy to rip through it. Joan is a young, single woman finding her way in the world and Imogen is the married, middle-aged columnist to whom Joan sends what is essentially a fan letter. Along with the letter, she sends a sample of saffron for Imogen to try. Thus begins a pen pal friendship that changes both of their lives.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I didn't quite read this in one sitting, but it was pretty fast for me. I have always had friends of various age groups and so I particularly enjoyed the way the women were able to relate to one another despite their very different lives. Joan is looking down the road at her future and Imogen is looking back, remembering, while also not giving up on a future of her own.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I really liked this darling story and I think you will, too.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2225416952336870478.post-26447862503684703282024-03-14T18:52:00.000-07:002024-03-14T18:52:22.329-07:00The Spectacular by Fiona Davis<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx-1OLDNrmI6fLHwO-W2Z5yOJWa0Q14eyJfJfyy7_pbYQYPsAM3f0PDm6VsLsylyo-eDp5lAnLB8Q1XPI01EDaZirtULlhv975InjQJ6YXOEt4qQgklkYUR7eKHzezdSLGIi_yi6UKEXMlgSysagY1HXO2HRV7nQA0vvm3QPh6f61up6MK2HTtSAeksps/s234/The%20Spectacular.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="234" data-original-width="154" height="337" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx-1OLDNrmI6fLHwO-W2Z5yOJWa0Q14eyJfJfyy7_pbYQYPsAM3f0PDm6VsLsylyo-eDp5lAnLB8Q1XPI01EDaZirtULlhv975InjQJ6YXOEt4qQgklkYUR7eKHzezdSLGIi_yi6UKEXMlgSysagY1HXO2HRV7nQA0vvm3QPh6f61up6MK2HTtSAeksps/w222-h337/The%20Spectacular.jpg" width="222" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p style="text-align: center;">This month's book club pick is <i>The Spectacular</i> by Fiona Davis. In 2022, we read <i>The Lions of New York</i>, which was very good so I was happy we were revisiting her. Davis sets all her books focused on New York landmarks and this one stars Radio City Music Hall and The Rockettes in 1956. Marion is a dance teacher who still wants more and when she learns about auditions to join the famous Rockettes, she figures she has nothing to lose. Well, except maybe her father's approval. This also happens to be during a streak of bombings all around New York that the police haven't been able to solve.</p><p style="text-align: center;">I enjoyed this book even more than I did our previous choice. Davis does a wonderful job of researching actual events and tying them into her own story that it would be easy to believe it all really happened. The only frustration I had was at the very beginning of the book, the narrator is 36 years older and recalling her time as a dancer. When she mentions that she is 55 years old, it pulled me out of the story because everything up to that point had me believing she was in her 80s. The description makes her sound so old and perhaps it is showing my own advancing age, but 55 doesn't seem all that old to me, especially considering the 55-year-olds that I know.</p><p style="text-align: center;">Otherwise, the characters are compelling, there is both family and societal drama, and it is fun to learn about how such an elite performance group makes the magic happen. I think you'll like this one, SmartGirls!</p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2225416952336870478.post-83522194978886870572024-03-10T15:01:00.000-07:002024-03-10T15:01:33.195-07:00The Rise of Magicks by Nora Roberts<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDLzw7mAM-Pk6SCy8XLkk7vPBpV5C261z37cVC9HuQuHbNgw9UO19mVvBOgsFJMi5agpQeb0hZjfoYUtCxU89jOyc1dXoCqWGJs0vhu37Dij54JLzfJmBQM0sH36f5ynbSFo3mv7LHhs9brBGRODB2iOoodsAhGgrIQEjLHa-5aIVIhSW0mZw0EU_hrSY/s400/rise%20of%20magicks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="262" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDLzw7mAM-Pk6SCy8XLkk7vPBpV5C261z37cVC9HuQuHbNgw9UO19mVvBOgsFJMi5agpQeb0hZjfoYUtCxU89jOyc1dXoCqWGJs0vhu37Dij54JLzfJmBQM0sH36f5ynbSFo3mv7LHhs9brBGRODB2iOoodsAhGgrIQEjLHa-5aIVIhSW0mZw0EU_hrSY/s320/rise%20of%20magicks.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I've just finished reading the third book in the Nora Roberts The One series, <i>The Rise of Magicks</i>. I think I've mentioned before that fantasy isn't really my favorite genre, but this series was easy to read. The characters were compelling enough to keep me turning the pages and I never felt like the story got bogged down with world-building. By the end of this book, I even stopped getting snagged on the superfluous <i>K</i> in the word magick.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I haven't ever read any other Nora Roberts, so I can't say how this compares to her other books, but it was enjoyable enough. If you are a fantasy reader, you might like to give this one a chance. The story wraps up nicely. Love is found, evil is vanquished, families and home are the best place to be. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Now I'm off to put my nose to the grindstone, or actually, in a book. I have a huge stack that came in at the library all at once! Happy reading, Smart Girls!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2225416952336870478.post-15147104122491645922024-02-01T18:00:00.000-08:002024-02-01T18:03:09.300-08:00The Housemaid by Freida McFadden<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyk4s8H5TvFOafiHJf1vwDZdFikejVzqfa8_ugUIYF2x6oyhgMZd0Xx9HPdNt6OwWsQN8zq2x18g9Uq92umyGFLOssxCOUKjGJxEBiNntNNuAIJ6JbgRTieHt_C71O23HxpxrrISNF_wCw7aqFL0c9bN4-nQx-Lbrk8nFfX_Vl24QkR804YB5O-pa-CaQ/s401/Housemaid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="401" data-original-width="261" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyk4s8H5TvFOafiHJf1vwDZdFikejVzqfa8_ugUIYF2x6oyhgMZd0Xx9HPdNt6OwWsQN8zq2x18g9Uq92umyGFLOssxCOUKjGJxEBiNntNNuAIJ6JbgRTieHt_C71O23HxpxrrISNF_wCw7aqFL0c9bN4-nQx-Lbrk8nFfX_Vl24QkR804YB5O-pa-CaQ/s320/Housemaid.jpg" width="208" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The first book club book of 2024 is <i>The Housemaid</i> by Freida McFadden and it is a great start!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It's always a daunting task to choose the book of the month. There is so much pressure to choose one everyone will like and that will also have enough meat for a good discussion. It was my turn to pick, and I was thrilled to find that I had chosen well.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Millie is a recently released convicted felon in desperate need of a job and a place to live. When she sees the ad for a live-in housekeeper, it seems like the perfect arrangement. She will be well paid and also have a secure, if tiny, small attic bedroom and bathroom all to herself. She will need to cook and clean and babysit a little girl, but she's looking forward to working hard and seeing the results of her efforts.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Nina is the woman who hires Millie. She has been happily married for a decade to a very handsome, very wealthy man who adores her. And yet, something just isn't right. Millie can't put her finger on what seems off, but she needs the job enough to not look too closely. Until she has no other choice...</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This book was a quick, enjoyable read. I flipped the pages more quickly than I have in a while. One night it was so compelling that I had to <i>make</i> myself close the book. I like to read in bed before falling asleep, but on this particular night, this book was having the opposite of the desired effect. I could feel my adrenaline rising with each twist and turn and my choices were to put it away or stay up the rest of the night to finish it. I had work in the morning, so it had to wait. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I'd love to discuss character development and story arc, but I would be a terrible book friend if I gave away any of the secrets. And I would <i>never</i> do that to you, Smart Girls! I'll tell you it was exciting enough that I had to give my husband a play-by-play each day as I read it. There was just too much excitement to keep it to myself! No spoilers, but I'll leave you with this one quote:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>I'd say there's at least a twenty-five percent chance she's going to murder me in my sleep if I get this job. But I still want it.</i> </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2225416952336870478.post-86175982166437860532024-01-27T10:24:00.000-08:002024-01-27T10:24:35.584-08:00Of Blood and Bone by Nora Roberts<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdq_ggt06jxRhq_2mdkhI_U1O2XkDzX6oV42tQZSDm4_w-WA2bP0sfqpGqM-UX6myeBzAVMfT6hq0uVDNUC3ZAJnoQqmx0zuyU_sX1r53PuALnJyNnn2CQlXlOzOHVqkAVqEDdCLRtDxBIRCM62ohP4VWh7GaIaQ5fWBCLDXiJe4qATBzmN9HpHf6mtLI/s400/Blood%20and%20Bone.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="262" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdq_ggt06jxRhq_2mdkhI_U1O2XkDzX6oV42tQZSDm4_w-WA2bP0sfqpGqM-UX6myeBzAVMfT6hq0uVDNUC3ZAJnoQqmx0zuyU_sX1r53PuALnJyNnn2CQlXlOzOHVqkAVqEDdCLRtDxBIRCM62ohP4VWh7GaIaQ5fWBCLDXiJe4qATBzmN9HpHf6mtLI/s320/Blood%20and%20Bone.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Book two in the series <i>Chronicles of The One</i> by Nora Roberts is <i>Of Blood and Bone. </i>We've jumped ahead in time nearly thirteen years from the end of <i>The One</i> and we see how the survivors of The Doom and the ensuing chaos are managing to rebuild society. We also begin to learn about The One, the savior in this post-apocalyptic world. Like any good fantasy book, our hero is a teenager, this time a girl. Fallon Swift leaves her family on her thirteenth birthday to begin her rigorous magickal, logical, and physical training.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Can we pause here and allow me to rant for a moment? Okay, I don't read a lot of fantasy; a little, but not a lot. I understand there are rules and conventions to the genre, but it makes me twitch a little every time I read the word <i>magick </i>or <i>magickal</i>. I'm sure there is a long-standing tradition for adding that k, but it trips me up and pulls me out of the story a little every time I read it. Okay, rant over. My apologies to all the fantasy fans out there. It's just not my thing.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Often, the second book in a trilogy is a bit of a bridge book: the story needs to move from the interesting part at the beginning (book one) to the interesting part at the end (book three). Book two can be less compelling, but not in this case. I enjoyed reading about Fallon's training and growth from young thirteen-year-old lightly-skilled witch to nearly-adult sixteen-year-old leader and warrior.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">We are introduced to more characters (oh, the list grows ever longer), but they continue to add to the story rather than weigh it down. We also see the way power-hungry men have taken advantage of the vacuum of organized government to terrorize and impose their religious fanaticism. They rule with mandatory conversion and attendance to worship services. Public torture and executions are used to rid the world of those they deem evil and to keep everyone else in line.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The battles are laying the groundwork for the coming war. I hope the final book in the series delivers a satisfying end. I'll leave you with this quote that I'm adding to my collection:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Knowledge is a blessing, and a power, and a weapon.</i></div><br /><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2225416952336870478.post-63509257599959848192024-01-09T14:01:00.000-08:002024-01-09T14:01:58.931-08:00Year One by Nora Roberts<p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinLHiDKygXz81yxlUhTnlcx3rhZvVqZrphhL-2Xuv3k6KTLNYMjz7AFQ1q4TRUI4ozq8UkTuOp6JHHvk3vT5_t7z5N-QHZsEJ2Fu8DO84Tg8XyQoaPhGSOssaRL28VoQ79OjK8O8vZj63ShkZA_TCbMOdQLAFjLNBlh19F7l_3MxdNluCg8E9lmZoSVFg/s595/Year%20One.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="595" data-original-width="391" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinLHiDKygXz81yxlUhTnlcx3rhZvVqZrphhL-2Xuv3k6KTLNYMjz7AFQ1q4TRUI4ozq8UkTuOp6JHHvk3vT5_t7z5N-QHZsEJ2Fu8DO84Tg8XyQoaPhGSOssaRL28VoQ79OjK8O8vZj63ShkZA_TCbMOdQLAFjLNBlh19F7l_3MxdNluCg8E9lmZoSVFg/s320/Year%20One.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">WHERE have you been, Smart Girls??</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Oh, wait. It was me that was missing in action. I will not insult you by offering a weak excuse for my absence, but please know that I have recommited to sharing the books I read. The last couple of years have been less read-y for me, but I'm hoping that changes as well. All we can do is try.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">My first book of 2024 is <i>Year One</i> by Nora Roberts. I've never read a Nora Roberts book before now because I only knew of her as a romance writer and that's not really my jam. When a friend recommended this sci-fi trilogy, I was intrigued. The copyright is dated 2017, but boy was this book about a global plague ahead of its time. Fortunately for us, the pandemic we just endured was not nearly as bad as the one in Roberts' books.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">A mysterious flu sweeps the Earth, taking out 80% of the world's population. In its wake, some of the survivors discover new magical abilities. It isn't difficult to imagine the power struggle that ensues.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The cast of characters in this first book is lengthy and I did find myself forgetting who they were and needing to flip back a bit to remember. Max, Lana, Arlys, Fred, Chuck, Poe, Kim, Jonah, Rachel, Will, et cetera, et cetera. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">It's a lot.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I was immediately drawn in by the description of how The Doom, as they call it, makes its way across the globe. The different groups of characters that we watch as they begin their survival is interesting. This being the first in a trilogy, it needed to lay out a lot of information. At times, that became a little tedious for me, and near the end, I wasn't sure I would want to continue the series. Fortunately, the last couple of chapters renewed my interest.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I will give this book a hopeful three stars.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">🌟🌟🌟</div><br />I hope you're reading something wonderful, Smart Girls. There are so many fantastic books out there!</div><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2225416952336870478.post-35231770340537262532022-11-20T15:47:00.002-08:002022-11-20T15:47:14.705-08:00What I've Heard- Conviction<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdqzfxNieyAQk81rPLKEvvmu0ZBtQ6s2WTM4hdSIM_9pXVGCDjPtHOaZgGpdNGqSZiYNmkbj8fwxwRUDDNen3ceiZSl3kYZPssllMvZXWmAu6el86G7BIzO9ikqXqnSNgWPXD-ywjwaLUKOKz7MzMGFf0QjvfHs_Il8yg6nR4W-n7uGfbWZsndwJZP/s267/conviction.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="267" data-original-width="267" height="267" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdqzfxNieyAQk81rPLKEvvmu0ZBtQ6s2WTM4hdSIM_9pXVGCDjPtHOaZgGpdNGqSZiYNmkbj8fwxwRUDDNen3ceiZSl3kYZPssllMvZXWmAu6el86G7BIzO9ikqXqnSNgWPXD-ywjwaLUKOKz7MzMGFf0QjvfHs_Il8yg6nR4W-n7uGfbWZsndwJZP/s1600/conviction.jpg" width="267" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I really enjoyed reading <a href="http://smartgirlsread.blogspot.com/2020/08/conviction-by-denise-mina.html">Conviction</a> by Denise Mina and honestly, the audio version was even better! This book is all about a woman who loves listening to true crime podcasts and then gets pulled into her own crime mystery. Listening to the characters makes it seem like listening to that podcast. This was a good one.</div><br /> <p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2225416952336870478.post-15930675023083367712022-11-20T13:45:00.001-08:002022-11-20T13:45:54.242-08:00The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkbs-nY5SPmGr8j6l03iGUE4W2u-LBudqSJ7H0LmRJtDRJhvstxQs9pH5Zz3huYJ-FPKAev9MKXdvV4CqIDAWzwR10_gmnXm5vTLoxRF5OHkWyuos39UOTPl1gTSohUSho69tZpEK01_DDTG8ScY1ys288qwcMKI6NooHKmyZ-H76FQSMRn2ZcUOCM/s385/The_Wife_Upstairs.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="385" data-original-width="252" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkbs-nY5SPmGr8j6l03iGUE4W2u-LBudqSJ7H0LmRJtDRJhvstxQs9pH5Zz3huYJ-FPKAev9MKXdvV4CqIDAWzwR10_gmnXm5vTLoxRF5OHkWyuos39UOTPl1gTSohUSho69tZpEK01_DDTG8ScY1ys288qwcMKI6NooHKmyZ-H76FQSMRn2ZcUOCM/s320/The_Wife_Upstairs.jpg" width="209" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">When I was in high school, one of the few classics I enjoyed reading was <i>Jane Eyre </i>by Charlotte Bronte. <i>The Wife Upstairs</i> by Rachel Hawkins is a <i>Jane Eyre</i> retelling featuring Jane, a dog walker in an affluent neighborhood in Alabama who is trying to escape an ugly past, and Eddie, a wealthy presumed widower whom she meets while working. Eddie's wife has been missing for months after a boating accident and he takes quite an interest in young Jane. He could be her ticket to a better life, one she's always wanted, but they both have a lot of secrets to overcome.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I really liked this as a classic reimagined. While I knew the plot of the original, I never knew if Hawkins would stay true to it or if she would decide that 175 years of perspective might have changed how we see some of the characters. Social climbing may not have been the original Jane's goal, but this Jane wants to improve her station in life. The mystery of who Eddie's wife was and what happened to her kept me turning the pages late into the night. This was a fun thriller. Add it to your winter reading list!</div> <p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2225416952336870478.post-18882158737797480562022-11-12T16:32:00.001-08:002022-11-12T16:32:13.660-08:00Upgrade by Blake Crouch<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitFUNft8xBvhnqTME-UDHIreVYOQFIe3roD_UF813wqo80D2-UITqK8MdahAj6X5AJhSAR37yffftfPuYOY1Cd6Hzc6ywadvClaJcdqJvIdWDFXBD9B3Z_wT1Od5ibY-Co-tVKP_1u5V5AZ4f9FIcRlIGHtuz953szk0i15u7TZCoq92ZIPyJqHGuu/s277/Upgrade.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="277" data-original-width="182" height="277" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitFUNft8xBvhnqTME-UDHIreVYOQFIe3roD_UF813wqo80D2-UITqK8MdahAj6X5AJhSAR37yffftfPuYOY1Cd6Hzc6ywadvClaJcdqJvIdWDFXBD9B3Z_wT1Od5ibY-Co-tVKP_1u5V5AZ4f9FIcRlIGHtuz953szk0i15u7TZCoq92ZIPyJqHGuu/s1600/Upgrade.jpg" width="182" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Whoa, Nelly! I don't think I was ready for the whirlwind that was <i>Upgrade</i> by Blake Crouch. This technothriller follows Logan, an investigator with the government agency tasked with enforcing the new laws against genetic research. When he becomes the victim of a genome hack, he has to fight against his friends and his family to find a way to stop this from happening to anyone else. He is smarter and stronger and faster than ever before, but would this be the answer to humanity's problems, or will it usher in the end of the world. And how many will die if it all goes wrong?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This fast-moving thriller was exciting and kept me up well past bedtime. It got a little technical at times, but the research that went into writing it must have been massive. The science is fascinating, but the real enjoyment for me came from the philosophical questions raised. If we can, should we? What would make the world better? And what is an acceptable loss to save the human species?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>The end of Homo sapiens lies just over the horizon. We can see it in a thousand metrics. Which means we have a chance. But only if we collectively decide to act. If nothing changes, we will die off for the stupidest reason imaginable- because we refused, for so many childish reasons, to do the obvious things that would save us.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Science fiction set in the near future is my favorite. The reader can see the world they know, but also begin to imagine what could be. We know what our problems are now and to see them solved is exciting, even if it isn't quite real. Yet. There are other quotes I'd love to share with you, but I'd hate to spoil such an entertaining read for you. I can't wait to read more Blake Crouch.</div><br /> <p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2225416952336870478.post-83483896025738128612022-11-12T16:13:00.001-08:002022-11-12T16:13:05.747-08:00The Bodyguard by Katherine Center<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgisVVqS2g9dBJeWLOaA5SWmb94hNpgDU-sKtoO0BpV2g9arLuhRosI2c1R-CjY2zzQoM7AMBcPqfmPs_ghb-Hhjp6jBEh-udDHEH2JskYGvHA_33MzYHfejwNOTYeWxZtjx1298Bh4VdC-i3D0dessqJlyJkroaRJDQ0xqq3LL-f6aHPtIdkCYZOV-/s234/The_Bodyguard.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="234" data-original-width="149" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgisVVqS2g9dBJeWLOaA5SWmb94hNpgDU-sKtoO0BpV2g9arLuhRosI2c1R-CjY2zzQoM7AMBcPqfmPs_ghb-Hhjp6jBEh-udDHEH2JskYGvHA_33MzYHfejwNOTYeWxZtjx1298Bh4VdC-i3D0dessqJlyJkroaRJDQ0xqq3LL-f6aHPtIdkCYZOV-/s1600/The_Bodyguard.jpg" width="149" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I was really feeling in the mood for something fun and light. Katherine Center is always a good author for that and her latest, <i>The Bodyguard</i>, fits the bill perfectly. Hannah is an Executive Protection Agent, a bodyguard. She looks like she couldn't harm a fly, but as she says, her job is to make sure she stops a threat before it ever comes to physical fighting. And yet, she can still toss a fully grown man to the ground before he can blink. She's just had the worst few weeks of her life: her mother has died, her boyfriend has broken up with her, and her best friend is on the other side of the world. The worst part of it is that she can't distract herself the way she normally does- work. Happy to call herself a workaholic, Hannah feels fulfilled by her job. When her boss finally gives her another assignment, it isn't what she's expecting. She has to pretend to be the girlfriend of a gorgeous movie star. He doesn't want his family to know that he needs protection. But how good are their respective acting skills?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This book was super cute. It was sweet and romantic while not being saccharine. I really liked it, and I can't wait to listen to the audio version. Add this one to your list. It will definitely make you smile.</div><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2225416952336870478.post-45600424873103975232022-11-12T15:48:00.001-08:002022-11-12T15:48:27.454-08:00End of the World House by Adrienne Celt<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDLgDJkdR9Q_QFQV8Ja34YbtAfN8awFUGgK01unZHCWZbEJOuLXg98z3619bIQY6eXQyOxa9N8MPI6_BUxqNu2x7Gt8nMPQRox2fK7jh4HGxgjClFHtw_zU8arvQrFpVOIVj8jr8-s9SyVxZ3DEK9PPUPi-fns1FO4xbtpC9oSKU2QA4s7yArkagwj/s358/End-of-the-world-house.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="358" data-original-width="232" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDLgDJkdR9Q_QFQV8Ja34YbtAfN8awFUGgK01unZHCWZbEJOuLXg98z3619bIQY6eXQyOxa9N8MPI6_BUxqNu2x7Gt8nMPQRox2fK7jh4HGxgjClFHtw_zU8arvQrFpVOIVj8jr8-s9SyVxZ3DEK9PPUPi-fns1FO4xbtpC9oSKU2QA4s7yArkagwj/s320/End-of-the-world-house.jpg" width="207" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The world is not doing well in <i>End of the World House</i> by Adrienne Celt. War is rampant, the climate has had enough of humanity, and the economy is devastated. And yet, life continues mostly as normal. People go to work, they hang out in bars, and they argue with their roommates over whose turn it is to take out the trash. The biggest concern in Bertie's life is that her best friend Kate is moving to another city. As one last hurrah and, Bertie hopes, for a chance to change Kate's mind, they fly to Paris. Travel is a luxury, but now that the ceasefire is in place, it may be their last chance before the world ends. One very strange day in the Louvre, and it all changes. Somehow the day keeps repeating itself, but it takes Bertie a while to figure that out.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This book was... interesting. It was confusing and when I thought I had it figured out, it completely flipped on me. A bit existential, a bit of a mindf... well, you know what I mean. Maybe the world doesn't ever actually end. Maybe we don't ever die. Maybe where we are right now isn't where we actually are right now. Maybe this book made me a little dizzy, but I kind of liked it. The choices we make are the foundations of who we are. If we make different decisions, maybe we turn out to be different people.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This book wasn't what I was expecting, but I still liked it. You should give it a try and see how it makes you feel. It could be very intriguing. </div><br /> <p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2225416952336870478.post-33196094933753036722022-10-20T12:14:00.000-07:002022-10-20T12:14:35.226-07:00The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaqLiSksA2Tolxd9D65mqJ3qn5fBioHH15hNZDEHxUmTiPzz-xFTr_Eq3Pb40R3XTnPdDrC2KkbfLnvK2Jx_rszzxFc-LPxoQU-PMkaXZ5ewF7r5ZfiwNhbWBZP1sSOs4fR1n7rQDZTx7NcwxMXzXLP9PZO0Xk_1cQoSSSdzp-PgOYs9rvyfqgekws/s234/the_very_secret_society_of_irregular_witches.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="234" data-original-width="149" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaqLiSksA2Tolxd9D65mqJ3qn5fBioHH15hNZDEHxUmTiPzz-xFTr_Eq3Pb40R3XTnPdDrC2KkbfLnvK2Jx_rszzxFc-LPxoQU-PMkaXZ5ewF7r5ZfiwNhbWBZP1sSOs4fR1n7rQDZTx7NcwxMXzXLP9PZO0Xk_1cQoSSSdzp-PgOYs9rvyfqgekws/s1600/the_very_secret_society_of_irregular_witches.jpg" width="149" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">In <i>The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches</i> by Sangu Mandanna, Mika is a young woman who never stays in one place for long. If she moves every six months or so, never making any permanent connections, then no one will ever discover her secret. The only rule she breaks is in making internet videos where she pretends to be what she really is- a witch. No one would ever believe it is real magic, but then someone sees through the facade. This leads her to break more rules, sharing her secret with a ragtag, makeshift family who is trying to raise three young witches of their own.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I thought this book was a sweet read for the spooky season. I've always loved books about witches, and this one was cute. More family drama/ found family than magic spells, I think this one could be enjoyed by most. There are definite feminist views expressed, which I really like, and it kept the romance aspect of the story from pushing it too far into saccharine territory. If you're looking for a cozy read for Halloween, this one is pretty good.</div><br /> <p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2225416952336870478.post-75919461623625619352022-10-11T07:56:00.002-07:002022-10-11T07:56:46.346-07:00Good Morning, Midnight by Lily Brooks-Dalton<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbah2LneMDiByqqa3bHk7ZOdSXFz0B_4cC5LwHJ-F_miSigFiCX2UDg82xG86YHSBx_nnS5qf5WCB0RW9isjB4ndY_m7bNnGk7W4eKuf_a1o3Bx7eDsGtCExegxwvgaeC-vs3NqCRPlry5TwV6CCUnxqRy4p2gNiFNx9XMEEFW9QfcWJ_SsMopdL2L/s404/good_morning_midnight.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="404" data-original-width="260" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjbah2LneMDiByqqa3bHk7ZOdSXFz0B_4cC5LwHJ-F_miSigFiCX2UDg82xG86YHSBx_nnS5qf5WCB0RW9isjB4ndY_m7bNnGk7W4eKuf_a1o3Bx7eDsGtCExegxwvgaeC-vs3NqCRPlry5TwV6CCUnxqRy4p2gNiFNx9XMEEFW9QfcWJ_SsMopdL2L/s320/good_morning_midnight.jpg" width="206" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Early this morning I finished reading <i>Good Morning, Midnight</i> by Lily Brooks-Dalton. I watched the Netflix movie shortly after it came out and I liked it, but I have to admit I had forgotten most of the plot. Last week I stumbled across this slim paperback version at my local library sale and I was intrigued. I brought it home with me and immediately started reading. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Augustine is a world-renowned scientist at the end of his days studying the stars from a research facility near the north pole. When a mysterious world-ending event forces the evacuation of the post, he chooses to stay. He has no family to go back to and he would rather spend what time he has left gazing through the massive telescope at the universe. When he discovers a small child has been left behind in the emergency departure, he must force himself to keep living a little longer and set up some way for her to survive.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Sully is an astronaut halfway through a two-year expedition to Jupiter when mission control suddenly goes silent. She and the rest of the six-person crew have no idea what has happened and must wait until they are back in Earth's orbit to make a plan for their future. There is no way to know what has become of the families they've left behind or if there is any way for them to return to terra firma.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I loved this book. It is beautifully written and filled with so much emotion in so few pages. It is a quiet kind of book with plenty of internal examination by the characters, and yet it is far from slow. I was struck repeatedly by how a book like this should be a bit boring with all the reflection on memories and lives now passed, but Brooks-Dalton crafted it in such a way that I couldn't put it down. When I finally closed the back cover, all I could say to myself was, "Damn. That was a good book." Over and over again, I said it. It probably seems silly, but I actually cried because it was so good, not because of what the characters faced or their outcomes, but just because it was so good.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I love this book. I wish there were more of it. I wish I knew more at the end, but I also respect the way the author chose to tell the story. It was magnificent.</div><br /> <p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2225416952336870478.post-75582956615081835382022-10-02T17:07:00.002-07:002022-10-02T17:07:24.020-07:00A Beginner's Guide to Murder by Rosalind Stopps<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKmoFBnDLprIt0k6b22pMarl128HzwoqHbsC1rQk2K1yZfm2Oq3ho1Z--ggqB2W7O1Gky5zaa9nLFMuQQjwgXAZO3bDlqoc2i75FWFLBszpxDmH8OPs7iCbTOaU7Vuy3MG_KOusjVoxmuQhzUXok_g-RRX6AHOUbuMFdvVVEZA1sjbhnOzLOqc5dUK/s390/a_beginners_guide_to_murder.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="390" data-original-width="248" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKmoFBnDLprIt0k6b22pMarl128HzwoqHbsC1rQk2K1yZfm2Oq3ho1Z--ggqB2W7O1Gky5zaa9nLFMuQQjwgXAZO3bDlqoc2i75FWFLBszpxDmH8OPs7iCbTOaU7Vuy3MG_KOusjVoxmuQhzUXok_g-RRX6AHOUbuMFdvVVEZA1sjbhnOzLOqc5dUK/s320/a_beginners_guide_to_murder.jpg" width="203" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">As we were approaching Spooky Season, I thought <i>A Beginner's Guide to Murder </i>by Rosalind Stopps could be a fun way to get into the spirit. Three elderly women are having coffee in a shop when a teenage girl comes running in and begging for help. In that moment they are transformed from lonely old ladies to heroines in the making. Set in southeast London, Meg, Daphne, and Grace must find a way to save Nina from a terrible fate and stop a very bad man.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Told from each of their four perspectives, we get to know these women and the tragedies that have affected their lives. I liked the main characters, but some of the secondary characters were frustrating. It is assumed that old ladies won't know anything about murder, but the bumbling about seemed excessive. Stopps did a good job keeping the tension ramping up, but then the resolution was too quick and without much of a satisfying ending, almost as if she had run out of pages. A good ending could have made all the difference with this book, but as it stands I have to say it was only okay.</div><br /> <p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2225416952336870478.post-74713854746830854852022-09-22T16:10:00.001-07:002022-09-22T16:10:41.391-07:00Taste by Stanley Tucci<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8yG0r8tE12jHzZ06recNCqanv0rlVFLXbCkSwsGNgHJFoAERpMHqTPmNgRBFGnivGr3hjpfm-EANJaKkiIkBA5-e-p3Knz-IispyFVcjG92ZajPcIbqqVSVkDCI9XlRd9xqK4zze2nWAI7LneCqk92GIqmGxw80uoN1ZJOHGyqO_Rw79Pn7tTFEyc/s383/taste.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="383" data-original-width="253" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh8yG0r8tE12jHzZ06recNCqanv0rlVFLXbCkSwsGNgHJFoAERpMHqTPmNgRBFGnivGr3hjpfm-EANJaKkiIkBA5-e-p3Knz-IispyFVcjG92ZajPcIbqqVSVkDCI9XlRd9xqK4zze2nWAI7LneCqk92GIqmGxw80uoN1ZJOHGyqO_Rw79Pn7tTFEyc/s320/taste.jpg" width="211" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I like to listen to audiobooks while I ride my bicycle. Usually, I listen to books I've already read so that I don't miss anything in the plot if I get distracted. One of the exceptions that I make is memoirs. It is usually easier to keep up with the story being told and my favorite way to experience a memoir is through the voice of the person. My latest listen is <i>Taste </i>by Stanley Tucci. I have long enjoyed the parts he's played in movies, but now that I've listened to his book, I absolutely <i>adore </i>him!</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Tucci tells about growing up in New York state with Italian parents and grandparents who loved food more than life itself. He shares family recipes and draws the listener into the family kitchen so that they feel like they are really there at the table. In one scene, he describes trying to leave his grandparents' house after a visit and the argument that ensued when his grandmother was trying to get his mother to take a large bag of food with her. I would try to describe it to you here, but that would only ruin the joy of you hearing Tucci telling the story himself.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">He also talks about his first wife, who died from cancer, and his current wife with whom he lives in London. He talks about his acting career a little, his famous friends a bit, and even shares his own fight with cancer. Every story he tells drips with love, and also butter. He says only the nicest things and always in a way that you can tell he truly means it. I cannot recommend this book enough. Please add it to your list, and if possible, choose the audio version.</div><br /> <p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2225416952336870478.post-40766174344376683712022-09-22T15:58:00.002-07:002022-09-22T15:58:13.594-07:00Meant to Be Mine by Hannah Orenstein<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt3XIDP21SgjYpWMNMtTHhzmiiXGFuf1sA5337kVrPMA8FDSuh2zmR_sfdHRLNswPke4bh0kaEONCqwJ6yRalUfozVg7Yem8RkruEMgyQpcAhYEURNONdauR4X1nglJm8GWOupxLPIrO1KdDsgtudQi_ek_ZI61KSZYLUEZAzY93bbyLGLQGx8r1sn/s225/Meant_to_Be_Mine.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="148" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt3XIDP21SgjYpWMNMtTHhzmiiXGFuf1sA5337kVrPMA8FDSuh2zmR_sfdHRLNswPke4bh0kaEONCqwJ6yRalUfozVg7Yem8RkruEMgyQpcAhYEURNONdauR4X1nglJm8GWOupxLPIrO1KdDsgtudQi_ek_ZI61KSZYLUEZAzY93bbyLGLQGx8r1sn/s1600/Meant_to_Be_Mine.jpg" width="148" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I was feeling the need for something light and fun to read and the synopsis for <i>Meant to Be Mine</i> by Hannah Orenstein sounded about right. This is the story of Edie, a twenty-something living in New York who runs her own fashion business, has her own apartment, and loves her life. She has been waiting for the day at the beginning of the novel since she was sixteen years old. It is the day that her fabulous grandmother, Gloria, has predicted she will meet the love of her life. Gloria has never made a bad love prediction and so Edie's eyes are peeled in the airport and on the flight to see her twin sister get engaged to her own match. When a handsome sits down next to her on the plane, Edie can't help but wonder if this is it.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This book was pretty cute. I'm not a huge romance fan, but this one was smart and featured strong female characters who, while happy with the men they find, are also more than capable of having amazing lives without them. Edie's sister has postponed her engagement until after she's finished all her training as a doctor so that nothing gets in the way; Edie's mother chooses an unexpected path to get what she wants from her life without a man; Edie's grandmother rejected all of the conventions of the time as a young woman to seek out the fun that society thought inappropriate for her.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This was light and fluffy reading, and I'm all for that when you need it. The characters were people with whom I'd like to be friends and Gloria is a role model for us all. Add this book to your list.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /> <p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2225416952336870478.post-70115512629654645042022-09-15T16:55:00.003-07:002022-09-15T16:55:35.200-07:00Corinne by "Rebecca Morrow"<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMf6gN13uf7kexrFQeHtpR5hopgGWxgZs5lwsMOr83M6-BXypwvgRsqI0bQce64NfFuhpOfXVWL9k4vdEBKbzc7OSIS3zChiVSqf8W6C2omgdtLq_ByoTomtosl2CnEUF7ZVjROaL1LJgV1dA1VXE0W-A_O_NHYd5Gma_KiamFrw652ayXrZEz3xXz/s176/Corinne.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="176" data-original-width="115" height="176" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMf6gN13uf7kexrFQeHtpR5hopgGWxgZs5lwsMOr83M6-BXypwvgRsqI0bQce64NfFuhpOfXVWL9k4vdEBKbzc7OSIS3zChiVSqf8W6C2omgdtLq_ByoTomtosl2CnEUF7ZVjROaL1LJgV1dA1VXE0W-A_O_NHYd5Gma_KiamFrw652ayXrZEz3xXz/s1600/Corinne.jpg" width="115" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Corinne</i> by Rebecca Morrow is about a young woman who is cast out of her fundamentalist religion and shunned by her entire family. When she is finally able to begin mending fences nearly fifteen years later, she is pulled right back into the thing that got her into trouble in the first place.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I heard about <i>Corinne</i> while watching a video speculating that it was actually written by Stephenie Meyer. If you look at the back flap of the book cover, a space usually reserved for the "about the author" blurb, it simply says this:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Rebecca Morrow is a pseudonym for a </i>New York Times<i> bestselling author.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">That's it. That's all the publisher will cop to, but speculation abounds. What was <i>actually </i>said about the possible author of this book in the video I saw was that it <i>could</i> be Stephenie Meyer, but that the prose was just too good. She couldn't have improved enough to have written this so it was probably someone else.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Folks, I could not disagree more. This <u style="font-weight: bold;">ABSOLUTELY</u> could have been written by the author of <i>Twilight. </i>And the prose was <u style="font-weight: bold;">NOT</u> too good. In fact, I thought it was pretty awful. I'm sorry. I know that's not very nice, but please allow me to give an example. First of all, remember how annoyed everyone was that Bella in <i>Twilight</i> was constantly described as being clumsy and awkward? The same thing happens with Corinne except that the descriptor of choice is "fat". Perhaps the author meant to imbue this book with body positivity and prove that chubby girls deserve love, too, but it just comes off as pandering, insulting, and lazy.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Corinne still looked exactly how she'd looked in high school-- like a fat girl with a mildly unpleasant disposition.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This is repeated many times throughout the novel.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Also included with the terrible prose is the excessive use of the parenthetical. Far too frequently, the author adds in several asides in the middle of a paragraph that I found unnecessary. Perhaps she was hoping to give the reader insight into the mind of the character, but it was heavy-handed. Take this paragraph for example:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>And once, they'd laid out Monopoly, Parcheesi, and Clue, and played them all at once. (When it was your turn you'd roll the dice, then decide which piece you wanted to move, on any board.) (It was fun. They should play that again.) (They called it Monocheesue).</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">My third complaint is the numerous sex scenes that to me seemed excessive and excessively awkward. Perhaps this is why Meyer, if that's the actual author, chose to write under a pen name. She received a lot of criticism from a large portion of her readership that there was too much "fade to black" when there should have been more spice. Frankly, I prefer the fade because most authors make such a bumbling mess of love scenes, but that isn't the only reason I didn't like those scenes in this book. Let me share a couple of lines with you:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>He opened his mouth to catch hers. Corinne licked his fat tongue, his gappy teeth. </i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Gross, right? And how about this one:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>He rubbed his big hand against the pad of her pubic bone. ("Pubic bone"; English was a failure.) Corinne hadn't shaved or done anything weird to get ready -- she'd be damned if she resorted to pubic grooming, even for the love of her life. Enoch was growling into her mouth. He didn't care. Or notice. Corinne tried not to imagine Shannon Frank's no doubt impeccable vagina.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Ewww... and just one more, I promise:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Enoch kissed her. He kissed her with his jaw thrust forward, looking down at her from the very bottom of his eyes. It made her heart drop into her vaginal canal. Like a key dropping into a lock.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">What. The. Heck. And someone was saying the prose was too good to be SM? No. No, no, no.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">And then there's this line that seems to clinch it for me:</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>But Enoch had always been different. Maybe she'd imprinted on him -- no really, she thought that she probably had.</i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i><br /></i></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Sure, this could have been written by someone else, but I can't help but think this is either SM or someone who read her books so many times that they <i>imprinted</i> on the author's own style. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Lastly, and then I'll stop tearing this book to shreds, the story is flat. It is missing any type of arc at all. This is supposedly written by a NY Times bestselling author so perhaps the editors were afraid of offending her by telling her it was not good, but they have done neither her nor the readers any favors. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I will say that it was a fast read. The chapters are short and the pace is quick. I kept reading because I kept hoping that beautiful prose was just over the next hill, but alas it was not. The cover of the book has a blurb written by Jodi Picoult that says "It's a modern-day <i>Romeo and Juliet</i>, and you'll whip through pages to hope for the impossible." This was <b>not</b> <i>R & J</i>. This was a story about two people who weren't supposed to be together, but that is far from all that is needed for an <i>R & J</i> story. The mystery and the hype are all that will sell this book. The words on the page do it no good.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Again, I'm sorry. This seems like a mean review, and I hate to be mean, but it's just that bad.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2225416952336870478.post-23625237749955507682022-09-07T19:30:00.000-07:002022-09-07T19:30:11.682-07:00Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgop0pm8hVDdKrMq0mZeG3-GcRr7wW2mMcwsvu_XGnFqjnLLhWIU7bgRqDUvh9lhKyVXz4OUjEpq7M6ppL3IW7Tl-G9RCdBcyTWtMxMtFPmt7xWv8wmyRgIcVlpGF0R5ZvN3b547Ny3Eq0uSxkZAe0lL89NrI8KhoXQBfb6IsZj_64sd2bcectFQReF/s400/tomorrow.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="400" data-original-width="263" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgop0pm8hVDdKrMq0mZeG3-GcRr7wW2mMcwsvu_XGnFqjnLLhWIU7bgRqDUvh9lhKyVXz4OUjEpq7M6ppL3IW7Tl-G9RCdBcyTWtMxMtFPmt7xWv8wmyRgIcVlpGF0R5ZvN3b547Ny3Eq0uSxkZAe0lL89NrI8KhoXQBfb6IsZj_64sd2bcectFQReF/s320/tomorrow.jpg" width="210" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I absolutely <b>adore</b> <a href="http://smartgirlsread.blogspot.com/2017/02/the-storied-life-of-aj-fikry.html">The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry</a> by Gabrielle Zevin and I was super excited about her newest release, <i>Tomorrow and Tomorrow and Tomorrow</i>. Set at the dawn of the video game age, Sam and Sadie have been friends since childhood when they, as seniors at separate elite universities, decide to try making their own game. Teaming up with Sam's roommate as producer, the three of them become famous in the world of gaming. There are successes and failures, loves and losses, and heartbreak both temporary and permanent. These characters are brilliant and brilliantly written. They are flawed and perfect in the most wonderful way. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The push and pull of friendship and the various kinds of love in this novel give it so much heart. The prose is beautiful. Zevin forces the reader to <i>see </i>her characters and so is drawn into their adventure and plight. I truly enjoyed this book. It was a fast read that kept me up too late at night. I hope you'll read and enjoy it, too.</div><br /> <p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2225416952336870478.post-73454197566571856292022-08-31T15:22:00.000-07:002022-08-31T15:22:46.818-07:00Other Birds by Sarah Addison Allen<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3O0tCXHlWL45f-7EIlEd-Y2exhNSqpiuLo-1yNZk86ECLlxxbdLf97EHWDYSIQ2kzQQajAgFEsJ05Ru2EHAmVDDxDhvLGrE78fkpSijbsXzyZQgV48TeDdMCKitNEM6fJvyx4jDSJBu_FtM31CdUSC9ao-zKTLEFwwvPRPbywzeK0cxTEw-gnyEUd/s234/Other_Birds.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="234" data-original-width="149" height="234" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3O0tCXHlWL45f-7EIlEd-Y2exhNSqpiuLo-1yNZk86ECLlxxbdLf97EHWDYSIQ2kzQQajAgFEsJ05Ru2EHAmVDDxDhvLGrE78fkpSijbsXzyZQgV48TeDdMCKitNEM6fJvyx4jDSJBu_FtM31CdUSC9ao-zKTLEFwwvPRPbywzeK0cxTEw-gnyEUd/s1600/Other_Birds.jpg" width="149" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">There are very few authors about whom I can say that I've read <i>all</i> of their books, but Sarah Addison Allen is one of them. I love her sweet tales of magic in real life and <i>Other Birds</i> does not disappoint. First, we meet Zoey, freshly graduated from high school, she is spending the summer before college hoping to learn more about her mother who died when Zoey was a child. She has moved into her mother's condo on Mallow Island off the coast of South Carolina, more than a thousand miles away from where she was raised in Oklahoma. The small condo community is populated with a strange cast of characters that include a hermit, an award-winning chef, a henna artist, and a mean old busy body who gets angry when people make any noise at all. Zoey is determined to get to know her new neighbors, but when one of them suddenly passes away, it changes the entire dynamic of the group.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Also part of this tiny little community is a reclusive author no one has seen for years, tiny birds named Dellawisps that rule the roost, an invisible pigeon, and several ghosts. The magic isn't as prominent in this book as it has been in some of Allen's other novels, but it was still a fun element that gives the reader a little break from the real world. I am a big fan of this author, and I will <i>always</i> auto-preorder anything she releases. I hope she continues to write for many years to come.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /> <p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2225416952336870478.post-74033023167018585492022-07-30T10:57:00.002-07:002022-07-30T10:57:42.085-07:00The Maid by Nita Prose<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUDGetByDmsyjETFYn0DmfBNwxVssqoDjOcQa3farasH3u2E1HrAj-PgwuA3j0w9Kn3nwODNz5sdzWh7hJiLDMBoWrZu92s5cMU51qSAJwdnqx4s2o-nfc0838n35FUIjbbhjLTu_1dEKlCBV-16JKr2EpuYYfPLMem7aqQdEksk7wmeVJNi8_22qe/s385/The_Maid.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="385" data-original-width="252" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUDGetByDmsyjETFYn0DmfBNwxVssqoDjOcQa3farasH3u2E1HrAj-PgwuA3j0w9Kn3nwODNz5sdzWh7hJiLDMBoWrZu92s5cMU51qSAJwdnqx4s2o-nfc0838n35FUIjbbhjLTu_1dEKlCBV-16JKr2EpuYYfPLMem7aqQdEksk7wmeVJNi8_22qe/s320/The_Maid.jpg" width="209" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">In <i>The Maid</i> by Nita Prose, we meet Molly- sweet, innocent, unusual Molly. A young maid at the fancy Regency Grand Hotel, Molly doesn't understand a lot about the world. She frequently misses social cues the rest of us take for granted and she is obsessive about rules, etiquette, and cleanliness. She enjoys her job and works hard to return every space to "a state of perfection." When she discovers a guest dead in his bed, she faints right where she stands. She faints again when she is charged with the guest's murder. What follows is a quirky who-done-it that is absolutely adorable.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Molly is different, but that doesn't stop the reader from connecting with her. Each of the other characters in the book are wonderfully drawn as well. Molly's recently deceased Gran is exactly the grandmother we'd all love to have; Molly's work nemesis is fun to hate; and the hotel doorman and dishwasher are both so sweet. This was a very quick read and a fun mystery with no gore or anything else that I sometimes find difficult to read. Add this little gem to your list.</div><br /> <p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2225416952336870478.post-55964244260768652192022-07-30T10:12:00.002-07:002022-07-30T10:12:25.061-07:00The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX8LWYTSHmjlQR6kPpbh-IbsuplWet3NiWx30DKFJ9znTZJ1zirhPrilJOUsr9QyBaQt0oFaF1EpPP9ZVPmcStvZO8n2KgY5coHGU9kQv5CUnSqD8_Bs675wpnSPHHfRwCssC3fUlY3BP7DIWm1S56IloUsWTQuxc5Yk_AVQWKJBcoCEe_cXfpsrQK/s230/The_Echo_Wife.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="230" data-original-width="151" height="230" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX8LWYTSHmjlQR6kPpbh-IbsuplWet3NiWx30DKFJ9znTZJ1zirhPrilJOUsr9QyBaQt0oFaF1EpPP9ZVPmcStvZO8n2KgY5coHGU9kQv5CUnSqD8_Bs675wpnSPHHfRwCssC3fUlY3BP7DIWm1S56IloUsWTQuxc5Yk_AVQWKJBcoCEe_cXfpsrQK/s1600/The_Echo_Wife.jpg" width="151" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">In Sarah Gailey's <i>The Echo Wife,</i> Evelyn is an extremely successful and lauded geneticist whose marriage has just fallen apart. She tries not to care- she has so many more important things to do- but the woman for whom her husband has left her is... her. Well, not <i>her</i> but a clone of her. He stole her research and her supplies and built his own custom-made wife. If he'd left Evelyn for anyone else, it wouldn't matter, but this is her research, and she is responsible for anything that happens with it. And something <i>so big</i> has happened. When he turns up dead, Evelyn and the new wife have to work together to keep all the secrets from getting out.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This book was fun! There are social dynamics and conversations on the value of women. What does it mean for the woman to be the more successful partner in a marriage and how will that affect the relationship? Is motherhood the occupation that should take precedence once it is on the table and what if that is never the goal? Also, how many bodies can one backyard hold?</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I really enjoyed the tension and resolution of this book. Add it to your list and keep your eyes on the science news- this could be real someday!</div><br /> <p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2225416952336870478.post-41028613803412387842022-06-22T17:42:00.002-07:002022-06-22T17:42:28.076-07:00Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQBZucDp6M3LOjTzkh38313e0HEDl_6bBTx1ypVTg6WWIn7K8ZNYckXZA2-QKy1MMZG2nbTZ1KZ5pnPt4a1EoGQF9YmQz5Hx3WZ6tLPlX0jtF-zUZ6dmiiN_vDclChr_ClLxV4KXV33K4lT52B2jGP9trlgDTyNyBT36whfq0JiAtNe2iE7q-Jf5c_/s225/Lessons_in_Chemistry.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="225" data-original-width="143" height="225" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhQBZucDp6M3LOjTzkh38313e0HEDl_6bBTx1ypVTg6WWIn7K8ZNYckXZA2-QKy1MMZG2nbTZ1KZ5pnPt4a1EoGQF9YmQz5Hx3WZ6tLPlX0jtF-zUZ6dmiiN_vDclChr_ClLxV4KXV33K4lT52B2jGP9trlgDTyNyBT36whfq0JiAtNe2iE7q-Jf5c_/s1600/Lessons_in_Chemistry.jpg" width="143" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">In Bonnie Garmus' <i>Lessons in Chemistry</i>, we meet Elizabeth Zott, a budding chemist in early 1960s California. Struggling to be taken seriously in an exclusively male lab, she meets Calvin Evans who is on track to win a Nobel Prize. They are the perfect couple until something goes terribly wrong and Elizabeth is left jobless and alone with a child to raise. Since no actual lab will take her on, she agrees to host what will become the most successful cooking show of its time. As she lifts up her viewers, mostly housewives, she wants more for herself as well.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I absolutely adored this book! Elizabeth is a fantastic character brimming with grit and wit. And Garmus' excellent writing doesn't stop at her main character- each supporting cast member brings something special to the story, not least of whom is Elizabeth's dog, Six-Thirty. While I was frequently furious about the treatment Elizabeth receives from the other scientists she encounters, I loved the way she handles herself. This book is inspiring as well as entertaining and I hope you'll add it to your list.</div><br /> <p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2225416952336870478.post-67085604773672247022022-06-02T11:02:00.000-07:002022-06-02T11:02:18.014-07:00The Disappearing Act by Catherine Steadman<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfXPWt5FOLK-2tczUWYmz863mv-QlbZkMKy6I4i_YwMYtEYQs7Si51_deBznKrVkEENdqYAgAS1QP8uWYaxELupCs00cQKYCj-VqetKB80-7kIklOF4eHr3AtPZEZBQE7b9wpix1PdMsC9qK9OrU2C6ycnnHuBFkMJlk12tWQQE7sj-eNZ7F-8d9UQ/s386/disappearing%20act.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="386" data-original-width="252" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfXPWt5FOLK-2tczUWYmz863mv-QlbZkMKy6I4i_YwMYtEYQs7Si51_deBznKrVkEENdqYAgAS1QP8uWYaxELupCs00cQKYCj-VqetKB80-7kIklOF4eHr3AtPZEZBQE7b9wpix1PdMsC9qK9OrU2C6ycnnHuBFkMJlk12tWQQE7sj-eNZ7F-8d9UQ/s320/disappearing%20act.jpg" width="209" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Catherine Steadman's <i>The Disappearing Act</i> features Mia, a British actress on the verge of her big break who has traveled to Los Angeles to find the role of a lifetime. While waiting for an audition, she meets a woman named Emily who asks a small favor of her. When Emily doesn't show up for their agreed meeting time, Mia starts to worry something bad may have happened to her. Mia should be focused on making her career dreams come true, but she can't get Emily out of her head.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">Steadman is also the author of <a href="http://smartgirlsread.blogspot.com/2020/03/something-in-water-by-catherine-steadman_29.html">Something in the Water</a>, which I thought was a fantastic thriller. This newest book of Steadman's didn't quite meet it, but it was very close. There were times I felt like the writing took a little too long to get where we were going, as if she was trying a little too hard to build tension, but I really enjoyed reading it. The ending was especially satisfying. When I started this book, I was in dire need of a distraction from real life and a missing person mystery set in LA was perfect. This would make a fun addition to your summer reading list.</div><br /> <p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2225416952336870478.post-16162200078593938782022-06-02T10:38:00.002-07:002022-06-02T10:38:30.505-07:00The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot by Marianne Cronin<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs73qTdXsRcdJS345U6Qwlr2bgfIPX6UDtt1LpPcp6PL6zNhgnT_68IhXWFS3Ie09_uxtpXUPHuD6xQASFkfrgUyw4V2HRDg2ql0Gk-lrldfMwpD3gkqp26zJXHVXUabhJ3kZ6JH-4MZyunc1qZ6tV8rMQI7oMPnYVShJU1dkfTPuI3FiQbvYqD1gt/s263/Lenni-and-margot.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="263" data-original-width="176" height="263" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgs73qTdXsRcdJS345U6Qwlr2bgfIPX6UDtt1LpPcp6PL6zNhgnT_68IhXWFS3Ie09_uxtpXUPHuD6xQASFkfrgUyw4V2HRDg2ql0Gk-lrldfMwpD3gkqp26zJXHVXUabhJ3kZ6JH-4MZyunc1qZ6tV8rMQI7oMPnYVShJU1dkfTPuI3FiQbvYqD1gt/s1600/Lenni-and-margot.jpg" width="176" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">In <i>The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot</i> by Marianne Cronin we meet the most wonderful cast of characters. Lenni is a seventeen-year-old terminal patient who has been in the hospital for a very long time. When she meets eighty-three-year-old Margot under mischievous circumstances, they become fast friends and vow to tell, and paint, the stories of their combined one hundred years. </div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">This book is sweet and comforting and lovely and heartbreaking. Lenni has far too few stories, but she makes the most of the days she has, forming friendships and getting right to the point of things. Margot's stories are full love and loss and she becomes the surrogate mother Lenni, and maybe also the reader, needs.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">I adored this book. Add it to your list today. </div><br /> <p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2225416952336870478.post-55524927347750947752022-05-12T08:24:00.000-07:002022-05-12T08:24:24.081-07:00Black Cake by Charmaine Wilkerson<p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh69lR2wwXTIw6zjgq0FSzXc-V1yOMezvO39955wI2xu_pn6Ri7I1ii6MK-a24f7Pw8DZZbGH5rOYzw0gh_wW-7szKqoEgoGrdov8FQg43mM-ReuLoUTI6YGKGWJfHS_d3miWEO0IlGmhsA9TeifITaIajnDnJCzX6sf1UnGCYhg1M4fp9G4uxL8hcT/s700/Black_Cake.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="700" data-original-width="700" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh69lR2wwXTIw6zjgq0FSzXc-V1yOMezvO39955wI2xu_pn6Ri7I1ii6MK-a24f7Pw8DZZbGH5rOYzw0gh_wW-7szKqoEgoGrdov8FQg43mM-ReuLoUTI6YGKGWJfHS_d3miWEO0IlGmhsA9TeifITaIajnDnJCzX6sf1UnGCYhg1M4fp9G4uxL8hcT/s320/Black_Cake.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><i>Black Cake</i> by Charmaine Wilkerson features the story of a family grieving the loss of their mother, Eleanor. The family has been fractured for years and part of Eleanor's will includes a voice recording of her sharing her life story with her children, Benny and Byron. The story takes them back to the Caribbean island on which Elanore was born, to London where she went for her education, and finally to California where she raised her family. The number of surprises revealed rock Benny and Byron's foundations and lead them to question all they ever thought they knew about their mother and about their own lives. The only thing they have left of her is a single black cake in the freezer, a family tradition about which they are finally going to learn.</div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">The number of storylines Wilkerson introduces could have been dizzying, but she expertly weaves them into a beautiful tapestry of family history, tragedy, love, and secrecy. I adored this book! I was so heartbroken by the loss and the forfeited opportunities. The writing was absolutely beautiful. I was thrilled with the way all the little ribbons of stories braided together and nothing was left dangling at the end. This was Wilkerson's debut novel, but I can't wait to read more of her work. </div><br /> <p></p>Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0