I must confess that this is my first book by the writing duo Christina Lauren and I'm not sure I picked the best one as my first! Twice in a Blue Moon is a tale that starts with two college aged kids on a family trip with a grandparent. It is a bit of a love at first sight moment with chemistry and intimacy and neither could imagine that they were falling in love so quickly in such a short amount of time. Their time together abruptly ends with an emotional crisis and a betrayal and that section ends and section two begins.
Fast forward 14 years, and now, these same two people, who are now very different, reconnect and hardly even discuss why they didn't stay in touch all of these years (which is a huge occurrence but let's not focus on a catalyst that changed lives and all)… It feels a bit like two different books and I really enjoyed the first half when the kids were teens/young adults but then when they reunited, it felt like different people and I never really connected with their present day lives. I think the book would have been better if we hadn't skipped ahead 14 years but just continued the story - there would have been plenty of material to use without a 14 yr gap of hurt emotions and unexplained loss. The ending was gratifying but still disjointed with another emotional crisis thrown together. Others have loved their earlier works so I am going to work on the backlist for this author! I am grateful to NetGalley and to Gallery Books for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I rated this book 3 Stars on Goodreads...(wished it had half stars so I could have rated it 2.5 stars..)
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This novel was aptly chosen as the latest title in Oprah's Book Club! I am so grateful to NetGalley and Penguin Randomhouse for the opportunity to read The Water Dancer by Ta-Nehisi Coates. It is a story of a tasked man with a dream to escape the bondage of slavery at a corrupt Virginia plantation that eventually takes him to the intricate network of the Underground Railroad. There is so much history and heartbreak (and magic!) and the novel is full of beautiful prose, I am going to have to read it again just to absorb the beautiful language he used since I read it the first time to pursue the plot lines and to see what was going to happen to dear Hiram! The main character Hiram has a photographic memory, lost his mother at age 9, and he is an orphaned slave whose father is the master and has a brother for whom he is tasked to serve.
I am from Mississippi and had never heard the term "gone Natchez Way" until I read this book. I recently learned that Natchez was a significantly large slave trading port but had never heard the phrase before. This book has definitely spawned my interest to read and learn more about The Underground Railroad and Harriet Tubman. I really enjoyed this book and its descriptive and beautiful language. It took me a bit of adjustment to become accustomed to the writing style but once that adjustment period was over, I was hooked. Many thanks to NetGalley and Penguin Randomhouse for an advanced reader copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review. Hells Bells and Godfrey! Olive is Back! Elizabeth Strout has produced another novel full of quirky characters and aging narrators and I don't know how she can create a whole town full of characters full of back stories and trauma and personality! This book takes us back to Crosby, Maine, a follow up to her Pulitzer Prize winning novel Olive Kitteridge, where Olive is now a widow...and is on the heels of marrying again. I know! Who would have thought grumpy ol' Olive would find love again! She is still somewhat estranged from her son and is trying to navigate the world in this new normal without Henry.
I enjoyed the book and this author has brought us Olive back, but this time in her golden years and maybe final years as she watches loved ones pass over the bridge. I enjoyed this collection of stories, all about Crosby, Maine and its citizens, but preferred the stories where Olive was the focus. If you have previously read Amy and Isabelle or The Burgess Boys, you'll find some of these characters making an appearance in the stories. Thank you to NetGalley and to Random House for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Cilka's Journey is based on Cilka who was first introduced to us in The Tattooist of Auschwitz. This novel tells the story of Cilka who is charged as a collaborator for sleeping with the enemy and sent to a Siberian prison camp! Her hardships and tragedies she endured are incredulous, but an important part of history for us to learn. I am glad I got to know more about Cilka. This novel is based on numerous stories similar to Cilka's Journey. Thank you to NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I did not connect with the characters as much as I did in The Tattoist of Auschwitz but I am glad I read this follow up novel and appreciate the author's research and retelling. Tha"Little girls don't stay little forever. They grow into strong women that return to destroy your world." - quote from What is a Girl Worth This book is a strong memoir from the woman who successfully pressed charges against the USA Gymnastics and Michigan State University doctor Larry Nassar. (Note that I said successfully because many other women had come before her to press charges and they were ultimately dismissed.) Rachael went on to be an attorney, and without her legal background and knowledge, I wonder if her case would have also been dismissed. Her tenacity and legal research helped to build the case against Dr. Nassar, which ultimately led to more athletes coming forward. Rachael was a young gymnast with a hip injury and although she was not on the Olympics team, she was a competitive gymnast in her hometown and when she became injured, it was recommended that she seek treatment with the Gymnastics Doctor of the Stars, Dr. Larry Nassar. It took her many years to come forward to press charges and to speak about her experiences...mostly because he was so notable and highly revered in the industry. As a result of her activism, more than 250 women came forward as survivor of Nassar's abuse. She was named one of Time magazine's 100 Most Influential People and received the Inspiration of the Year award from Sports Illustrated, and was a joint recipient of ESPN's Arthur Ashe Courage award. This is her story. I highly recommend it! Thank you to NetGalley and to Tyndale Momentum for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. September was a whirlwind of back to school activities and although I was still able to squeeze in some reading, the blogging took a backseat. Thus is how it is with everything right?
For September, I read a fun YA novel entertaining the idea that the governing rulers of the USA are descendants of King George Washington...American Royals by Katharine McGee was a great read and I was happy to get all of the pre-order goodies by ordering from the publisher earlier this summer! I finally read The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society...after it had been sitting on my bookshelf for YEARS AND YEARS - I enjoyed it (3 Stars) but not quite sure why there is such a strong devotion for this book among soo many readers. I read I Miss You when I Blink by an adorable and insightful Mary Laura Philpott. I had the opportunity to meet her in August at the Mississippi Book Festival and her captivating personality (in person) totally matches here voice on the page. I had an advanced readers copy of Cilka's Journey which is a follow up to the novel The Tattooist of Auschwitz by Heather Morris. I am grateful to NetGalley and to the publisher for allowing me to read the digital ARC. It was a captivating book about the war criminals who were sent to a Siberian prison camp. Poor Cilka was charged as a collaborator for sleeping with the enemy and this novel, based on a true story, is a heartbreaking one. I also listened to a short novel by Dolly Parton, based on her commencement speech delivered at the graduation at the University of Tennessee in 2009. It tells of her humble beginnings and her ability to accomplish more by dreaming more...which is the theme throughout. I need to read more by Dolly Parton and about Dolly Parton. Her literacy/reading initiative alone is remarkable! August Wrap Up! The number of titles isn't crazy impressive but considering it was a month of back to school activities, reading just one book can be challenging!
And many of them were 4 star Reads! Here is a list of the books I enjoyed this past month! The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Devotion by Madeline Stevens ⭐️⭐️⭐️ The Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Keeping Lucy by T. Greenwood ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Sound of Gravel by Ruth Wariner ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ Thanks to the #babeswhobookclub & the other bookish friends who joined me in many buddy reads, including #thegoldfinch Buddy Read. Hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend! Keeping Lucy by T. Greenwood is a precious and engaging book that will tug at your heartstrings! When Ginny gives birth to a baby with Downs Syndrome in 1969, her baby is whisked away from her soon after childbirth, because it would be 'best for the baby to be in a hospital where her special needs will be met.' Ginny tried to stand up and insist that her baby would best be cared for at home, but affluent and powerful family members intervened and Ginny relented.
Years pass and when Ginny learns that her baby's medical facility might be less than ideal, she gathers up the courage and unleashes her maternal instinct (previously suppressed) to investigate and to see what she could do to protect her child. What happens next takes us on a wild and compelling ride, as Ginny tries to navigate a now uncertain future for herself and for her children. I have been in a bit of reading slump and have not been thoroughly engaged by so many books I have read, the this book has ended the cycle! Keeping Lucy was engaging, its characters were well written, the time and setting of the book was described thoughtfully without cliché, and I really enjoyed this book! The author says that the idea for this book was sparked by an actual institution in Massachusetts that was exposed for its horrific living conditions in 1971. My heart breaks for these families! Keeping Lucy will be released on August 6! My sincere thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review! Recursion is a Sci Fi thriller that is centered around a society where False Memory Syndrome is plaguing citizens, causing a rise in suicide attempts. As NYPD detective Barry begins to investigate FMS, neuroscientist Helena has a rich benefactor who is sponsoring her on pushing her to make a breakthrough on her research for a chair that helps those suffering from Alzheimer's and memory loss. And then the story gets weird.
This book is full of alternate timelines and neurological tampering and time warps...oh my! This is my first time to read a book by Blake Crouch and his legions of fans are embracing this novel. I found the first half of the book easy to follow and understand but my brain wasn't capable of keeping track of the complicated plot twists and turns for the second half. Clearly the author has some enlightened ideas about alternate memory lines and time travel, and my reading life could use more imagination and futuristic plot infusions. However, this book was a miss for me. I would like to thank NetGalley and Crown Publishing for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. The Miracle & Tragedy of the Dionne Quintuplets by Sarah Miller is a detailed account of the triplets birth in Ontario, Canada in 1934 to Oliva and Elzire Dionne. The mere fact that these babies survived their extremely premature births without medical intervention is a miracle indeed. These five girls were born in 1934 in a small farmhouse to parents with five older children.
Their birth made the newsreel and once word circulated that quintuplets were born and still living, word began to spread. Once the babies became more stable and began to thrive, the World's Fair exhibition wanted to feature the babies, and not long after, many other commercial offers began to pour in. Because of the commercial interest in these still-delicate quints, the parents were convinced to share medical supervision of the quints and ultimately guardianship papers were drawn up. As a result, the quints became wards of the state and began to live their lives separated from the Dionnes and their siblings. Separate facilities were built and staffers were brought in, and the quints began to grow up "on display". The government realized how much public interest there was for the quints, and so they proceeded to cultivate a tourist industry around them. The girls were made wards of the government until they reached the age of 18. This book is full of details about the hardships that these children endured as a result of being raised as wards of the government instead of daughters of the Dionne family. Their notoriety and their fame and their constant pressure to 'perform' and be smiling daughters on display eventually takes its toll on them, and the money donated/raised/pledged to help them was whisked away into a trust fund for their adult years which caused further scrutiny and struggle to try to retain control of the girls. I didn't know much about the Dionne quintuplets before reading this book, and I found their story captivating. However, I am not sure the writing style is for a YA/Teen book. It reads a tad more tedious. Thank you to NetGalley and Random House for an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. #TheMiracleTragedyOfTheDionneQuintuplets #NetGalley |
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