The Story She Left Behind by Patti Callahan HenryMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
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Welcome to my altered journey through life. You never know if I will be into home improvements, knee deep in a good book, on an Alaskan cruise or just being silly. I hope this blog will give you tips, tricks, ideas and books to add to your TBR list. Thanks for stopping by.
31 December 2024
25 December 2024
Review: Christmas with the Queen
Christmas with the Queen by Hazel GaynorMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
The book is more about Olive than the Queen, but don’t let that deter you….Olive is a fascinating creature. She’s a strong woman, single mother, making a career in a world dominated by men, in the early 1950s. Olive is a journalist working in the circles around the Queen. She evens shares a little friendship with the Queen. Jack is a chef for the Queen and longs to own his own restaurant. Here comes a great little romance. This is a sweet book.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me get my hands on this one.
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13 July 2024
06 July 2024
21 June 2024
Review: American Daughters
American Daughters by Piper HuguleyMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
The book is the story of two women, daughters of two powerful men, who meet and instantly become friends. Alice Lee Roosevelt is the daughter of Teddy and Alice Lee. Alice Lee, the mother, died right after her birth leaving Teddy to dismiss the baby, and making Alice a bit of a wild child who raised herself. Portia Washington was the child of Booker T. and Fanny Washington. Fanny also died when Portia was a young child and Portia was sent to school. These childhood losses would be the basis of this friendship that crossed racial, political, and social class lines. Both women married men who weren't the best for them, and that common bond may be what deepened their friendship.
The book was excellent, alternating between the women and their feelings/lives. I have read a few books about Alice Lee; this is the first one I felt she cared about someone other than herself. Any historical fiction fan should find this book engaging. Ms. Huguley did a fantastic job of making me want to be friends with both women.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me get my hands on this one.
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08 June 2024
13 May 2024
June Book Pick
Oh, I am going to be so sad if you have not read the first books of this series. I hope you fix that problem, if you haven’t. This book ties up the whole war and the series in a nice little bow, maybe, remember it is wartime. In this book, Maggie is still doing what she can to help England win the war, while straightening out her personal life and working with none other than Coco Chanel on how to fight the Nazis and kill one of the top men in command.
Susan Elia MacNeal started this series with a book based during WWII and set in England. She tells the story of a regular woman who somehow gets plucked from others to become an agent for England. She is trained like any other agent would be and is assigned to work directly with Winston Churchill. I will give you a list of the books so you can get started.
1. Mr. Churchill’s Secretary
2. Princess Elizabeth’s Spy
3. His Majesty’s Hope
4. The Prime Minister’s Secret Agent
5. Mrs. Roosevelt’s Confidante
6. The Queen’s Accomplice
7. The Paris Spy
8. The Prisoner in the Castle-this one is kind of violent
9. The King’s Justice
10. The Hollywood Spy-I love this one!!
11. The Last Hope
Here is the review that I posted on NetGalley….
What an excellent way to end a marvelous series. In this book, we have Maggie still trying to find a way to do her part to help the Allies win WWII. She is going to drop herself into Spain, take on a different persona, and immerse in the local culture. I hate to give anything away for you, but I will tell you if you have grown accustomed to intrigue and edge-of-your-seat text, you will not be disappointed. I think Ms. MacNeal wrapped this series up nicely with a pretty yellow bow (for WWII).
If you have not read this series, stop and do it now. The entire series is spectacular!
If you have not read this series, stop and do it now. The entire series is spectacular!
12 May 2024
04 May 2024
01 May 2024
May Book Pick
Gill Paul always writes books that are unique, but about women in strong roles. This book is no exception, this one takes place in the world of beauty.
Two women have built massive empires around the world of women’s skincare. They each hate each other and tend to do things to each other to sabotage the other. One of the women will go so far as to plant a false employee in the other’s camp. This person is being paid by one as a true employee and the other as a spy. You can’t make this stuff up!
Another of Gill’s best traits is she can make you side with whatever person you are reading about, so I was all over the place with my loyalty, do I like Elizabeth Arden or Helena Rubinstein. They both scared me too :)
21 April 2024
01 April 2024
April Book Pick
One of my favorite movies of all time is The Women starring Norma Shearer, Joan Crawford, Rosilind. Russell, Marjorie Main and other big time actresses. The film came out in 1939, the year of the greatest films ever, and is all about a group of women (except Joan) that travel via train from their homes to a Divorcee farm in Nevada. The law was if you were a resident of Nevada for 6 weeks, you could obtain your divorce and move on. These women would live on the farm for 6 weeks, get the divorce and go back to their lives. During the 6 weeks, friendships are born, women will explode at each other and they have to work a little on the farm for their keep.
There was a similar movie in 1961 starting Marilyn Monroe. We don’t see her living on a ranch, but we see her living in Reno and spending her days and nights flirting with cowboys, falling for other men and chasing wild horses. (FUN FACT, it was the last film of both Gable and Monroe-not that great of a film but she looks absolutely stunning throughout the whole thing).
This book follows a similar path, a group of women are living at the Golden Yarrow ranch to fulfill their residency requirement and form new relationships and discover new things about each other, and themselves. Lois is our protagonist and she lives a little bit of a sheltered life. She isn’t really sure what she will do after this divorce or even what she wants to do. Enter a new soon to be ex wife, Greer. Greer will cause Lois to rethink life, love, freedom and limits.
Here is my review from NetGalley….
The Women is one of my favorite movies of all time. The Misfits isn't one of my favorite but it is Marilyn so I watch it. This book makes me think of both of those movies, with more character development than The Misfits and less pretension than The Women. Set in the 1950s, we meet, Lois, the main character seeking refuge in Reno for six weeks so that she could obtain her divorce. She's living at a ranch with many other women waiting the time for their divorce to come through. She meets some women that become temporary friends and one day a new woman arrives...Greer. Greer shows Lois a life she never dreamed of, a way she could live alone after the divorce is complete and how to be a strong woman. Then Greer tries to destroy Lois. Lois will have to become strong and independent all by herself.
I very much enjoyed this one!
16 March 2024
01 March 2024
March Book Pick
I chose this book for March, because I simply could not stop reading it and the story reminded me of a spring concert tour that is full of fun (and other things-I was thinking Coachella or Woodstock).
The Last Days of the Midnight Ramblers, does not really tell you much about the music the band wrote/performed, instead, the book will show the reader about life BEHIND the band. You see the sex, drugs and rock and roll side, but also get brought in on a murder/suicide, what exactly was it?
Here is the quick review I posted before….. It is on the vibe of Daisy Jones and the Six, but holds its own very well. What we have here is a book about a ghost writer, Mari, that’s been hired to write the book of Anke. Anke is the widow of Mal and he was the leader of the Midnight Ramblers. While Mari is meeting with Anke, she starts to uncover the cause of Mal’s death and gets herself caught up in a world she never dreamed about.
I did try to cast the movie while I was reading and I was thinking someone like Steven Tyler for Mal. Come on, he needs to get into acting. I saw Mari as Emma Stone, because she can do anything!!!!! And Anke, well that one is Cher. Cher would nail a role like this. I would love to know what you think about the book and casting.
17 February 2024
Review: The National Parks Bucket List: The Ultimate Adventure Journal for all 63 Parks
The National Parks Bucket List: The Ultimate Adventure Journal for all 63 Parks by Linda MohammadMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
I am National Park obsessed, so I just had to grab this one. The text explains the features of the parks to you, and there are very detailed journal pages that you can leave as much or as little detail as you want. I love the journal part!!! But the best part? The illustrations!!! OH MY, they are just beautiful, darling, and make me want to go to the parks, TODAY!!! They are a little reminiscent of the park posters from way back, just fantastic.
I am going to highly recommend this book for anyone obsessed with the parks, who wants a list of all the parks so they can start visiting, a person who wants to keep up with hiking the parks, and finally, someone who wants a bucket list that looks like none other.
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