Jane Litte's Blog, page 32

REVIEW: Cassandra by Chance by Betty Neels

He needed her as a nurse, not a woman

Benedict van Manfeld was one of the surliest, most unfriendly men Cassandra had ever met. But when she learned he was a brilliant Dutch surgeon who had severely damaged his sight in an accident, her attitude changed. Benedict asked Cassandra to go to Holland with him as his nurse. She agreed and soon began to feel something deeper than sympathy for him. But with his close friend Paula nearby, why should he even notice Cassandra?

CW – There is a Polish con...

Open Thread for Readers for November 2023

Got a book you want to talk about? Frustrated with a book or series? In love with a new one? Found a buried treasure? An issue that keeps popping up in the books you are reading? Just want to chat about stuff in general? Post about it here!

Review: Brendan and the Beast by Fox Beckman

Brendan just wants to save his sister.

Their fool of a father promised her to some “fearsome beast” in a magic castle, but since there’s no such thing as magic or talking beasts, Brendan sets off to see this strange man for himself. Surely he’ll be reasonable.

Beast has been trapped for so long that he’s nearly given up all hope of ever undoing his curse. So when an unwelcome guest turns his life upside down, Beast can’t get rid of him soon enough. Too bad the castle has other ideas.

A spellbin...

REVIEW: Divine Felines: The Cat in Japanese Art : with over 200 illustrations by Rhiannon Paget

From Hello Kitty to Maneki Neko–Japan is the epicentre of global cat culture!

Whether lurking in corners or taking center stage, cats are a ubiquitous presence in Japanese art. Depending on the situation, they may invite good fortune, prompt the viewer to meditate on a tale or provide evidence of an unseen world of magic and supernatural happenings.

In 200 charming woodblock prints, paintings, screens and figurines spanning three centuries, Japanese art expert Rhiannon Paget celebrates the ric...

REVIEW: The Dictionary People by Sarah Ogilvie

A history and celebration of the many far-flung volunteers who helped define the English language, word by word

The Oxford English Dictionary is one of mankind’s greatest achievements, and yet, curiously, its creators are almost never considered. Who were the people behind this unprecedented book? As Sarah Ogilvie reveals, they include three murderers, a collector of pornography, the daughter of Karl Marx, a president of Yale, a radical suffragette, a vicar who was later found dead in the cupb...

REVIEW: Rough Around the Hedges: an Uncanny Romance Novel by Lish McBride

Will Murphy spends his down time doing subversive cross-stitch, crafting saucy baked goods for the romance book club he attends with his Nana, and desperately trying to hide the fact that he’s been in love with Vanessa Woodbridge for, well, ever. For years, he’s been content to wear the best friend label. But suddenly it’s starting to chafe, right when Vanessa needs a trusted friend more than ever.

Vanessa Woodbridge wants to be a hedge witch more than anything, but her chances of becoming one...

REVIEW: Disney Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas: Beyond Halloween Town: The Story, the Characters, and the Legacy by Emily Zemler

After 30 years, discover the inspirations behind Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas and its legacy as a certified pop-culture experience.

What is it about Jack Skellington that is so compelling? Why does the love between Sally and Jack resonate with so many? The feature-length, stop-motion movie about the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town who becomes obsessed with celebrating Christmas is a fascinating musical and love story that has transcended the original film and captivated the worl...

REVIEW: Midnight is the Darkest Hour by Ashley Winstead

For fans of Verity and A Flicker in the Dark, Midnight is the Darkest Hour is a twisted tale of murder, obsessive love, and the beastly urges that lie dormant within us all…even the God-fearing folk of Bottom Springs, Louisiana. In her small hometown, librarian Ruth Cornier has always felt like an outsider, even as her beloved father rains fire-and-brimstone warnings from the pulpit at Holy Fire Baptist. Unfortunately for Ruth, the only things the townspeople fear more than the God and the Devi...

REVIEW: The Beacon at Alexandria by Gillian Bradshaw

I’m reposting this review as I’ve just discovered that the book has finally been released digitally! Hopefully it’s a sign that more of Bradshaw’s older books will become digitally available soon.

In the Fourth Century A.D., independent and determined young Charis is forbidden to become a doctor because she is a woman. Disguising herself as a eunuch, she flees Ephesus and an unwanted marriage for Alexandria, then the center of learning. There she apprentices to a Jewish doctor but eventually ...

REVIEW: Anything But Yes : A Novel of Anna Del Monte, Jewish Citizen of Rome, 1749 by Joie Davidow

Anything but Yes is the true story of a young woman’s struggle to defend her identity in the face of relentless attempts to destroy it. In 1749, eighteen-year-old Anna del Monte was seized at gunpoint from her home in the Jewish ghetto of Rome and thrown into a convent cell at the Casa dei Catecumeni, the house of converts. With no access to the outside world, she withstood endless lectures, threats, promises, isolation and sleep deprivation. If she were she to utter the simple word “yes,” she...