Blogging catch up November reads

November is always a busy month. Whilst I managed to find the time to read, I didn’t blog any of the titles I read. I enjoyed the first magical mystery bookshop and so in November I read the next title in the series Prose and Cons. It’s the annual wine and food festival in Cascade Springs and the bookshop puts on an Edgar Allan Poe reading. Just before the reading starts, one of the Red Inkers, the weekly writing group that meet at the bookshop is found dead. All of the writing group are suspects. It’s such a cozy read, I can’t wait for the next book in the series to be released next year.

Next I read The impossible girl by Lydia Kang. This was a Once Upon a Book Club title for October. I personally never would have picked this for myself, but I loved it. Part historical fiction, part medical mystery. This book is set in the 1850s in New York when grave robbers stole bodies for medical students to practice on. People with medical anomalies are dying suddenly. Cora was born with two hearts, can she protect herself? Such a thriller! As with all the Once Upon a Book club titles, this one came to life with the cleverly selected gifts.

For something a bit different, I enjoyed the Summer beach read The Identicals. Two twin girls are separated from each other and one of their parents when their parents get divorced. One sister lives on Nantucket with her mother and the other sister lives with her father on Martha’s Vineyard. When  the girls father passes away. The girls swap islands and try to find themselves. I loved this Elin Hildebrand novel, won’t be my last that I read.

The year I turned forty had been sitting on my shelf for a while, and so I blew off the dust and was not disappointed. I actually was a bit surprised at the plot line as I didn’t realise it was a time travel book. I may not have picked it up to read had I known this. Three friends go to Vegas for their fiftieth birthday. At a hypnotist show, they have the opportunity to travel back in time to when they were forty and recorrect the way their lives turned out. If they are not happy at the end of the year they can go back to the way things were at 50. An interesting read.

 

The last book for the month was Danielle Steel’s The House. It’s been a long time since I read Danielle Steel. This book was an enjoyable read as tax lawyer, Sarah has been managing the tax affairs of a 99 year old wealthy client for many years. When he passes away, Sarah rethinks her life and makes some risky decisions. 

Week 43

This week I listened to a couple of audiobooks. The first one was When the Lights go out by Mary Kubica. I’ve read a few of her titles and love the thrillers she writes. The story is told in two viewpoints in alternating timelines. We experience Jessie’s story in the present while uncovering her mother’s story told from the past. Then we get to the big reveal, and I must admit, I was disappointed this time.

The second audiobook was a Reese Witherspoon bookclub title Something in the water. I was also listening to this as a bonus title for the Erin 9.0 reading challenge.

What a page turner! This book was full of twists, I never suspected any of them,  I just kept listening  not wanting it to finish! Highly recommend.  

Week 42

This week I worked on the bonus round for Erin 9.0 reading challenge and ticking off more categories for the Ultimate Reading challenge.  Dumplin by Julie Murphy was highly recommended by other readers in Erin’s challenge for the unlikeable character. Willowdean is a curvaceous sixteen year old living in a small Texas town. The highlight of Clover city is its yearly beauty pageant which her mother is head of the committee. Willowdean enters the beauty pageant along with a few unlikely candidates.

This book is due to be a film next year with Jennifer Anniston.

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Next was another highly recommended title, also due to be released as a movie. The goodreads winner for debut author and young adult read, The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas. This was a  powerful story... informative, eye-opening, emotional and message filled. I also highly recommend this one! 

Lastly is a book by someone not known as an author. Mycroft Holmes was a collaboration between Kareem Abdul - Jabber and Anna Waterhouse. After finishing The adventures of Sherlock Holmes I picked this book up based on Sherlock’s brother. It is set in the same time period as the original short stories and feels like it is written in the same voice. This story is set however in 🇹🇹 Trinidad, full of mystery and thrills. 

Once Upon a Book Club - spooky box

I’m really loving the Once Upon a Book Club subscription and they were doing a once off box in October for Halloween. So I had to have it. Earlier this week my mailman delivered it... it was really heavy and this is what the gifts looked like upon unpacking.

The book was The Retreat by Mark Edwards. I was worried that I may not enjoy the book as horror is not my thing, but I found it a real page turner more intriguing than spooky. What happended to Lily the night she disappeared at the river? Who or what is spooking the retreat? 

These were some of the gifts that brought the book to life. 

I just loved the red coat. I read the book last night and it was pouring with rain and very cold. I couldn’t wait to put to on. It was really snuggly as well as spooky.

In the story, Julia and Lucas are given a map. I won’t show you the map, as it’s a plot spoiler but Once Upon a Book club pay attention to detail. It’s written on stationary that has the name of The Retreat on the top. 

Lastly I got a practical gift that has a few uses.

The book was fantastic, one of the best I’ve read this year. It has a gripping ending too. Highly recommend this one! What a great thrilling read for October! 

Week 40

Its spring break and I managed to get some serious reading done this week. I really liked the hint for the young adult once upon a book club title, and as soon as the title was known I ordered the book. In Another Time tells the story of The Women’s timber corp in Scotland during the war. I loved hearing about the strong lumberjills and it was a side of the war I hadn’t heard before. Interspersed in the story is a love story between Maisie and John. 

Americanah has been sitting on my shelf for a while. I bought it second hand as a title for my Read around the world for 🇳🇬 Nigeria. The title was also on an unlikeable character list and so it was one of my titles for Erin’s 9.0 reading challenge. This was the tenth title read for this challenge. This book takes on race, immigration and emigration, the politics of natural hair, interracial relationships, what it means to leave home, and what it means to return, all things I have no experience with wrapped up in a love story. I liked the main characters Ifemeulu and Obinze, I’m not quite sure which character was meant to be unlikeable. I’m unsure about the ending, it left me wanting more. 

So after reading this book, I planned my titles for Erin’s 9.0 bonus round. Walk Two moons was on someone’s TBR pile the longest and it was also sitting in my bookshelf. I had bought this as a Newberry title that might be good to use in the classroom. It had been a while since I had read a Newberry title. I found it slow to start, but the ending was powerful and had me shed a few tears. This book deals with issues relating to internalizing feelings, judging others, coping with emotions and not taking things for granted. All things children in upper primary experience and are learning about. 

Once upon a book club - September review

This month’s subscription contained a historical mystery fiction - The Glass ocean as well as some gifts tied to the plot.

Three females’ stories unravel around the fate of the Cunard Liner the Lusitania. The world’s largest passenger liner in 1915 was travelling from New York to Liverpool. On board in first class was Caroline, and in second class travelled Tess. Caroline is married to industrialist Gilbert who has come into new money. Their marriage is shaky as he spends a lot of time addressing the business concerns. just before departing New York, Caroline meets up with long time friend, :Robert. She feels a spark towards her old friend.  As you read the book, the gifts bring to life the gifts Gilbert bestowed to Caroline.

  

During the story you wonder if  Tess and Caroline will meet? What happens to Caroline and Robert? And what is the mystery regarding  the waltz composition? Who is after the secrets it contains?

Told at the same time in the present timeline is Sarah’s story,  she is uncovering the mystery of the Lusitania after finding a relic of her grandfathers. How does her story link to the other two women? This story is full of intrigue. 

The gifts in the subscription all were beautifully wrapped in designs close to the time period in the story. They were labelled with Caroline’s name which made it. I loved the historical fiction, it is hard to believe it was a collaboration between three authors as it was told seamlessly.

Week 38

This week I pulled a book off my shelf that I’ve had for quite a while, Foreign Fruit by Jojo Moyes. Set in two timelines, 1950s and the present. Lottie is a war evacuee that comes to live in a seaside town. She becomes friends with Celia Holden and together they visit the sea cliff mansion, Arcadia. Bohemian artist have recently moved and caused a scandal in the tiny town. Fast forward to the present, and we are introduced to Daisy who has been hired to renovate the seaside mansion. The story is slow to start, but then a beautiful story unfolds. This was my alliterative title for Erin’s 9.0 reading challenge.

I’ve become hooked to mysteries since starting the Bookies R us challenge, and so another cosy mystery, Killer Transaction was my other title read this week. This was a quick read. Cindy York, a real estate agent just had a listing stolen under by colleague Tiffany. Left feeling angry, Cindy threatens Tiffany in a voicemail. As she comes back to the office later that night, she discovers Tiffany dead and after her threat, she is the prime suspect. This is the first in a series. I actually enjoyed it and would like for the other titles in this series.

7 books read towards the Bookies r us challenge. 57 books in total read for my good reads challenge in 2018. 😊