Rhoda Baxter's Blog, page 23
February 27, 2019
Book review: Bollywood Wives by Alex Khan
Bollywood Wives by Alex KhanMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I absolutely galloped through this book. I didn't read the 80s era bonkbusters but I imagine they were like this. Even though I knew nothing about the glamorous world of Bollywood stardom, I got totally sucked into the lives of Zara Das and the Bollywood wives and the various conflicts between the women who all inhabit this rarefied circle.
The action is fairly relentless (lots of beautiful people bonking each other, the occasional attempted...
February 20, 2019
Book review: The Hopes and Dreams of Lucy Baker by Jenni Keer
The Hopes and Dreams of Lucy Baker by Jenni KeerMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
What a lovely heartwarming book.
Lucy is a kind soul, if a little lacking in confidence. Her neighbour Brenda is a colourful character who may or may not be a little bit magic. When Brenda gives her a locket which urges Lucy to do some spells to help her win the new neighbour George's heart.
There were some lovely touches in this book. I especially liked the office awkward/sexist guy Adam was a really nice guy at heart, d...
February 5, 2019
book review: one bed for christmas by jackie lau
One Bed for Christmas by Jackie LauMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
I really enjoyed this story!
The basic outline is that Caitlin is a workaholic app developer. Wes is more relaxed and does odd gigs - like dancing in an inflatable dinosaur costume. Caitlin's heating breaks down, so she ends up at Wes's place. It's cold. One bed.
What made the book special was the characters! Caitlin is highly driven, but unable to relax. I liked that she was so confident in her abilities but yet a little vulnerable...
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...
