Rhoda Baxter's Blog, page 23
January 30, 2019
Book Review: Louis and Louise by Julie Cohen
Louis & Louise by Julie CohenMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
This is a wonderful, thought-provoking story. I picked it up because it was written by Julie, mainly. I've enjoyed every single one of her books so far.
A baby is born in 1978. In one version of the story, it's a girl (Louise) and in the other, it's a boy (Louis). Both are often called Lou.
Lou is the grandchild of the owners of the paper mill around which the whole town is built. They have two best friends - the twins, Benny and Allie. As a...
January 24, 2019
The Fall and Rise of the Amir Sister by Nadhiya Hussein
The Fall and Rise of the Amir Sisters by Nadiya Hussain (and Ayisha Malik)
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I’m torn about how to review this book. On the one hand, it’s brilliant to see warm-hearted rom com with British-Asian characters whose main conflict isn’t their Asian-ness. On the other hand… this is a sequel to The Secret Lives of the Amir Sisters. I haven’t read that book, so I think I missed some of the details that might have enhanced the experience.
This book focuses mainly on Farah and Bu...
January 22, 2019
book review: a Christmas gone perfectly wrong by cecelia grant
A Christmas Gone Perfectly Wrong by Cecilia Grant
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I bought this book because about a bazillion people recommended it on Twitter. I don’t often read historicals, but I figured why not?
It’s delightful, it really is. The heroine, Lucy, was home educated, so she’s not well versed in etiquette, which allows her freedom of sorts. Andrew is very buttoned up and a slave to protocol. When their coach crashes and t...
January 15, 2019
Book review: a princess in theory by alyssa cole
A Princess in Theory by Alyssa ColeMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I picked this book up because everyone was talking about it and just look at that cover! The colours! It's got a STEM heroine and I was told that she was realistic.
I wasn't disappointed. Ledi is a very realistically represented grad student. She works ridiculous hours, is quite nerdy and is essentially being bullied by the sexist git post-doc. I loved the various microbiology references (and epidemiology stuff) and was delighted that...
January 14, 2019
Belonging wins Chill with a Book award
Belonging has won a Chill With A Book award! How exciting is that?!
[image error]The cover of Belonging, next to the shiny award badge.The Chill with a Book awards are a long running prize which is awarded to indie published books of high standard. The readers assess each book against a set of criteria like:
Were the characters strong and engaging?Was the book well written?Did the story have you turning pages to find out what happened next?Was the ending satisfying?Would you recommend this book to someon...January 9, 2019
Book Review: A Literal Mess by J C Kenney
A Literal Mess by J.C. Kenney
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Allie Cobb returns to her home town of Rushing Creek, Indiana following the death of her father. She’s there to attend the funeral and wind up his literary agency. After that, she’s going back to New York.
At least, that’s the plan.
Being the one who went away to pursue a career means that there’s a rift between her and her siblings – some of it is in her head, some of it isn’t. Coming back to where you grew up is complicated. Then, when her...
December 28, 2018
Looking back on 2018’s reading
According to Goodreads, I read 38 books this year. I actually read more than that, but I don’t often review the non fiction books (I really must!). Here, in no particular order are 10 books that stood out for me. I’ve linked to longer reviews if you wanted details:
The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas – I read this book while my daughter and husband were chain watching Fresh Prince of Bel Air, so we had some interesting discussions around the dinner table. The story was compelling and absorbing an...
December 10, 2018
Book review: Christmas Secrets By the Sea by Jane Lovering (@janelovering)
Christmas Secrets by the Sea by Jane Lovering
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
I’m a fan of Jane’s books, so when I saw an ARC was available, I snapped it up and read it straight away.
Tansy is living in a camper van (in winter!) and is currently parked up somewhere near the Dorset coast. Something has happened to her in the past and she’s mostly trying not to think about it. She’s been adopted by a smelly dog called Brian. I love the idea of Brian, but I don’t think I’d like to meet him in real life....
December 6, 2018
Girl In Trouble – at a bargain price this week
Girl In Trouble is on special offer for 99p this week. If the greyness is getting you down, this might be the burst of summer that you need. 
November 27, 2018
Book review: Better at Weddings Than You by Mina V Esguerra (@Minavesguerra)
Better At Weddings Than You by Mina V. Esguerra
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
This book just delightful. I picked it up partly because someone said the heroine was super competent in it (and she IS) and also, I loved the cover.
Daphne is a wedding planner. The best wedding planner. She gets unexpectedly dragged in to take over a wedding from new-to-the-scene wedding planner Aaron. Both Daphne and Aaron like being free spirited and unattached. Hook ups work fine for them and that’s that. So when the...
