The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion
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What are you currently reading?
Truly Madly Guilty – Liane Moriarty – 3.5***
As much as I’ve grown tired of dual timelines, I have to admit that Moriarty excels at this device. And, as she has done with previous novels, here she also uses changing points of view to explore the basics of our lives: marriage, friendship, sex, family, guilt and forgiveness. Who among us hasn’t been plagued by “what if…”?
LINK to my full review
Mrs Plansky’s Revenge – Spencer Quinn – 3***
Mrs Loretta Plansky is a recent widow, living in Florida, when she falls prey to a scam and finds her bank accounts drained. When the police and FBI tell her there is little to no hope of finding the culprits, let alone getting her money back, Loretta decides SHE will do it herself. This was a fun lark of a novel. She may be in her seventies, but Loretta Plansky is one kick-a$$ heroine! Brava!
LINK to my full review
Counterfeit – Kirstin Chen – 4****
This is an engaging, entertaining, twisty heist involving counterfeit designer goods, a scheme to trick high-end department stores out of money, and an ever-increasing number of lies told to everyone about what is really going on. Chen goes back and forth in time to tell this story, occasionally interrupting the chronological flow to give the reader a snippet of Ava’s interview with a detective. This device is handled brilliantly by Chen. Keeping the reader off balance and guessing about what will finally happen.
LINK to my full review
What Happened to Ruthy Ramírez? – Claire Jiménez – 3.5***
Twelve years ago, thirteen-year-old Ruthy Ramírez disappeared without a trace, leaving her family emotionally scarred. But now, Jessica, her older sister, is certain that a woman participating in the latest reality TV show is really Ruthy. Jiménez uses multiple narrators and dual timelines to explore what happens to this family after Ruthy’s disappearance. It’s hard not to grab onto the sliver of hope that this “maybe” Ruthy on TV gives to the Ramírez women. I went along on the roller coaster ride with them, and hoped, almost as desperately as they did, that they would find her and bring her home once again.
LINK to my full review
Elvis And the Dearly Departed – Peggy Webb – 1*
I like a cute and sassy cozy mystery as well as any reader. I love eccentric characters and outlandish plots. But I DO expect at least a semblance of a coherent plot. And at least SOME law enforcement involvement. In this case, I think the author was trying way too hard to make this “cute” and “sassy” and failed to deliver any plot worth remembering.
LINK to my full review
One Of Us Is Next – Karen M McManus – 2.5**
This is a sequel to the immensely popular One of Us is Lying . I understand the pressure, especially in the YA market, to produce series, especially when you have a hit with the first effort. But I think the author should have quit when she was ahead. I really did not like this sequel. I was never invested in the kids and thought the plot was manipulative (although, that was probably the point). Just way too much drama for drama’s sake, in my opinion.
LINK to my full review
Miss Julia Meets Her Match – Ann B Ross – 3***
Miss Julia is back in the 5th book of this charming series about a Southern lady of a certain age and her household. This time practically the entire town joins Miss Julia in her favorite “exercise” – jumping to conclusions. From Hazel Marie to Pastor Ledbetter and his wife Emma Sue everyone is ready to act on suspicions.
LINK to my full review
Canary Girls – Jennifer Chiaverini – 3.5***
Chiaverini turns the reader’s attention to the British women who, during The Great War (i.e. World War I), worked in munitions factories to produce the shells the British men fighting on the continent needed to win the war. I was completely unaware of this part of the history of WWI, and I really appreciated learning more about it. Parts of the book reminded me of the nonfiction work, RADIUM GIRLS, while other parts made me think of the movie, A League of Their Own .
LINK to my full review
The Paris Apartment – Lucy Foley – 4****
Foley has crafted a mystery / thriller with more twists and turns than the most treacherous mountain road. Not a single character – including Jess – is to be trusted. Everyone has a hidden agenda, a secret they wish to keep hidden. Most are master manipulators and accomplished prevaricators. I was engaged and enthralled throughout and could not put it down.
LINK to my full review
Everything We Didn’t Say – Nicole Baart – 2.5**
Been there, read that. There’s all kinds of crazy going on in small town Jericho, Iowa. Juniper’s secrets are par for the course, as her parents, her brother and just about everyone else in town seems to harbor secrets. I get that authors use this device to help build suspense, but I just found it tiresome. Also, I am so tired of the ubiquitous dual timeline. Still, it held my attention throughout. And I can see the appeal for a great many readers. So. my final rating is just shy of “okay.”
LINK to my full review
The Indifferent Stars Above – Daniel James Brown – 4****
Subtitle: The Harrrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride. Brown looks at the events that led to and resulted from the infamous Donner Party trapped in a blizzard in the mountains near present day Lake Tahoe. He chose to focus on one particular young woman, Sarah Graves, who was a 21-year-old newlywed when the group set out from Illinois bound for California, and who survived the ordeal. This made the tale more personal, even visceral, and helped this reader feel connected to Sarah and the entire Donner party.
LINK to my full review
Explosive Eighteen – Janet Evanovich – 3***
Ah, Stephanie Plum. So, this starts with a bang as Stephanie is on a plane coming BACK from Hawaii, alone, but with an obvious tan line on her left ring finger. There are the usual stops at Cluck-in-a-Bucket, the usual “problems” with Stephanie’s car(s), the usual skips who refuse to be captured, the usual viewing at the funeral home and the usual push/pull between Stephanie, Morelli and Ranger. It’s been quite a few years since I’ve read one of these, and I’m sure that’s why I found it so entertaining.
LINK to my full review
The President’s Hat – Antoine Laurain – 4****
A fable for adults. Can a hat make a difference in one’s life? Apparently. I found the entire story charming and fun. I loved roaming the streets of Paris along with each person who had possession of the hat. I liked learning about each one of them, what made them tick, why they felt “less than” and how they found their courage to move on and up. It left me feeling happy and optimistic. Just delightful.
LINK to my full review
The Rose Code – Kate Quinn – 3.5***
Quinn uses her talent for historical fiction to explore the women (and men) who worked at Bletchley Park during WWII, and who were credited with breaking the German Enigma code. She focuses on three women who would never have met were it not for the war work they undertook. I really liked how Quinn showed how the friendship between these three developed. And how their loyalty to one another, though severely tested, became central to the conclusion of the story.
LINK to my full review
Trespasses – Louise Kennedy – 3.5***
A novel of one woman’s longing for a positive, peaceful life, in Belfast during the Troubles. Kennedy packs a lot into a slim volume. Cushla is a marvelous character. She’s caring and passionate about her teaching. She longs for a steady life on her own. She does her best to help her students navigate this troubling time. She wants to live her life without strife and terror. The novel made me think of how often I want to just hide from what is happening around me and be left in peace to live my life, rather than to face the issues head on and DO something.
LINK to my full review
The Secrets We Kept – Lara Prescott – 3.5***
Prescott’s debut is a literary espionage novel told from the perspectives of three different women and revolving around the publication of Boris Pasternak’s Doctor Zhivago . Although I have gotten tired of the multiple-narrators device, I have to admit that Prescott did a good job of it in this novel of intrigue and manipulation. Sally and Irina, in particular, each had information that the other lacked, and their push/pull relationship had to be affected by this.
LINK to my full review
The Unbearable Lightness of Scones – Alexander McCall Smith – 3***
Book number five in the 44 Scotland Street series, featuring the residents of a particular apartment building in Edinburgh, as well as a few of their neighbors. I really enjoy reading these books. It’s like visiting with old friends. The story bounces around from character to character, so the reader gets a glimpse of Bertie, then of Domenica, then of Matthew, etc. It’s the same way we frequently experience our friendships. You don’t learn someone’s entire life story in one sitting but get snippets here and there before you eventually truly feel you know him or her.
LINK to my full review
The Lido – Libby Page – 3.5***
Also titled “Mornings With Rosemary.” A young journalist with anxiety disorder befriends and elderly woman who wants to save the public swimming pool. Their friendship helps them both deal with various issues and I really grew to love these characters. This is Page’s debut work and I’ll be watching for what she writes next.
LINK to my full review
Encore Provence – Peter Mayle – 3***
Subtitle: New Adventures in the South of France. Gosh, but I love Peter Mayle’s memoirs of his move to and life in Provence! This is the third in the series and he writes with his usual humor.
LINK to my full review
Why Me? – Donald E Westlake – 3***
This is book # 5 in the Dortmunder series, featuring a “professional “ burglar with a gang of inept misfits. I love this series. Dortmunder is a pretty good guy – for a thief. He does have his standards, and his crew of accomplices is laughably inept. Except for his lady companion – May. What a woman! Unflappable, loyal, assertive … she is not to be messed with and she doesn’t take any guff from anyone.
LINK to my full review
I am reading Home Front by Kristin Hannah.
I am reading The City and Its Uncertain Walls I bought this lovely limited edition. Whilst it has many of the Murakami trademarks it is a bit slower (so Far) than others I have read.
The Five – Hallie Rubenhold – 5*****
Subtitle: The Untold Lives of the Women Killed by Jack the Ripper. The book is divided into five parts, each victim getting as full an accounting of her background and life as possible given the years that have passed since their deaths and their relative obscurity in society at the time. Rubenhold did extensive research and she really brings these women to life.
LINK to my full review
Reading the Christmas cottage by Sarah Morgan and finished the Christmas book hunt yesterday.
An Elephant In the Garden – Michael Morpurgo – 5*****
A frail and elderly Lizzie tells the story of her youth in Dresden Germany during World War II, the elephant her zookeeper mother helped save from American bombing. What a wonderful and heart-warming story! Inspired by true events, Morpurgo has crafted a tale of courage, perseverance, and kindness in the face of horrific deprivation. He shows that while nations may be enemies at war, individual people can (and do) disagree with their leaders. Morpurgo also shows people doing what they believe is best and morally right despite the difficulty and even personal danger in doing so.
LINK to my full review
The Trouble With Christmas – Debbie Mason – 2.5**
If you’ve seen one Hallmark Christmas movie, you’ve seen them all. Don’t get me wrong, I enjoy these sappy films and the books that inspire or are inspired by the movies. But they aren’t really memorable. Here you have a big city real estate developer sent to a small Colorado town to calm the residents after the developer’s plans have been leaked. It’s a fast read and the snowy setting helped keep me cool during the heat of summer.
LINK to my full review
The Paris Library – Janet Skeslien Charles – 3.5*** (rounded up)
This is a work of historical fiction based on the real story of the librarians and staff at the American Library in Paris during WW2. The dual timeline features Odile in 1939, and Lily in 1983. I loved all the literary references. In both cases there will be betrayals and the parties involved will have to come to terms with whether they can forgive. Charles did a fine job of exploring the various emotions and reactions to incredible stress.
LINK to my full review
Miss Graham’s Cold War Cookbook – Celia Rees – 3.5***
This was an interesting twist on the typical WW2 story, taking place after the war. It is a spy novel at its heart, so there are twists and turns in the plot, betrayals and double (even triple) crosses. I liked the central premise and enjoyed reading the recipes that Edith uses to convey information, though I never did crack that code!
LINK to my full review
Big Panda & Tiny Dragon – James Norbury – 5***** & a ❤
Two unlikely friends set off on a journey of discovery. They have no specific plan and go where life leads them over the course of four seasons. The story is told through Norbury’s wonderful drawings and the pair’s quiet conversations. There were times when I just sat and looked at one of those drawings and let my mind take me where it wanted. I recommended this to my F2F book club as a lovely quick read during the holiday season. They LOVED it. Brought everyone a sense of peace and joy and hope.
LINK to my full review
Enough – Cassidy Hutchinson – 4****
Cassidy Hutchinson was an idealistic young woman fresh out of college when she landed a job in the Trump White House. She remained relatively unknown outside the inner circle until she made the decision to testify at the January 6 Hearing before Congress and the nation. It’s a very interesting memoir and I was glad to see her growth and maturation through this ordeal.
LINK to my full review
Dragon Pearl – Yoon Ha Lee – 3***
First book in the Thousand Worlds series. This space opera is a quest, an adventure, and a coming-of-age story. I was intrigued by the world the author has created, melding traditional Korean folk tales / mythology with a futuristic space odyssey plot. Thirteen-year-old Min is determined, resourceful and intelligent, but she is young and makes several mistakes.
LINK to my full review
Ellie And the Harp Maker – Hazel Prior – 4****
I really enjoyed this modern-day fable. I loved seeing how Ellie and Dan grew emotionally throughout the book. I loved spending time with these characters in the English moors. There are several bumps in the road here, but I was with them all along and Prior gave the reader a perfect heart-warming ending.
LINK to my full review
A Snow Country Christmas – Linda Lael Miller – 3***
A typical cowboy Christmas romance. The tropes are all here, but who cares. Love the snowy setting, the Christmas cheer, the uber wealthy Branson who has managed to get unique and spectacularly appropriate gifts for virtually everyone, and the fiercely independent Raine who is ready to succumb to “Mr Hollywood.”
LINK to my full review
Artificial Condition – Martha Wells – 3***
Book two in the Murderbot series. Science fiction is not really my jam, but I am enjoying this series. It feels fresh and inventive, and I’m surprised by how much I connect with Muderbot and ART – two non-human characters that fully support this story.
LINK to my full review
To Kill a Mockingbird – Harper Lee – 5***** and a ❤
A singularly powerful novel that had a great impact on me when I first read it at age 13 and has never failed to move and inspire me as I’ve re-read it over the years. It has touched generations of readers in the 60-something years since it was first released and remains high on many “must be read” lists. I think the major theme of the novel is personal integrity and courage – doing what you know is right when all about you seemingly disagree and even when it may be dangerous to do so, being true to your own moral compass, and instilling those values in your children by example not just words.
LINK to my full review
Jacqueline In Paris – Ann Mah – 3.5***
This is historical fiction that gives the readers a glimpse into the life of a young Jacqueline Bouvier, spending a year as a student in Paris shortly after the end of WW2. Mah did extensive research, and while most of Jackie O’s private papers have remained private, many of the people she came in contact with have made their remembrances available. What we see is a young woman just beginning to spread her wings and try independence from family.
LINK to my full review
Frontier Christmas – Ana Leigh, Carolyn Davidson & Kate Bridges – 3***
There are three novellas in this collection of Christmas stories set in the latter part of the 19th century: Ana Leigh’s The Mackenzies: Lily, A Time for Angels by Carolyn Davidson, and Kate Bridges’ The Long Journey Home. They are all predictable historical holiday romances, and suitably entertaining.
LINK to my full review
Hark! The Herald Angel Falls – Tricia Goyer – 3***
This is number 31 in the Sugarcreek Amish Mystery series (I think), but the first one of the group that I’ve read. It is a charming cozy mystery featuring an Englischer woman, and her Amish mother-in-law as the amateur sleuths. I like how the women go about gathering information and deliberating about possibilities. I figured out the perpetrator as soon as the character was introduced, but still enjoyed watching how the women (and law enforcement) came to the same conclusion.
LINK to my full review
The Book of Dragons – E Nesbit – 3***
This collection of short fairy tales was first published in 1899. Nesbit populates her stories with all manner of dragons … big, small, hungry, kind, fierce, curious, sleeping. Some feature children as the heroes. All of them are delightful and all feature marvelous illustrations by H. R. Millar.
LINK to my full review
Raymie Nightingale – Kate DiCamillo – 4****
On the first day of baton-twirling lessons, Raymie Clarke meets Louisiana Elefante and Beverly Tapinski, her fellow competitors in the Little Miss Central Florida Tire competition. This is a lovely coming-of-age tale suitable for the middle-school crowd, where three girls with different circumstances form a bond of friendship. As far as I’m concerned, these three girls are ALL winners.
LINK to my full review
This Lovely City – Louise Hare – 4****
Hare’s debut work captured me from beginning to end. There are several twists in the story as we learn a bit about these young people’s background and history, and watch their relationship mature. London shortly after the war is still experiencing rationing. And while the Jamaicans who have come to London were invited to come (and are British subjects), they are not necessarily welcomed by all the residents. Prejudice and discrimination are the rule rather than the exception, and things get ugly. But these two face the future with hope.
LINK to my full review
The Seasonal Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
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Authors mentioned in this topic
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Mother-Daughter Murder Night – Nina Simon – 3.5***
I enjoyed this fresh take on the typical whodunit / cozy mystery. The amateur sleuths here are intelligent and reasonable in the risks they take. I appreciated that Simon crafted a plot that kept me guessing right up to the reveal. But what I really enjoyed about the book was the family dynamics. The ending of this novel makes me hope for a sequel.
LINK to my full review