The President’s Wife by Tracey Enerson WoodMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
View all my reviews
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.
Showing posts with label Fiction. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Fiction. Show all posts
23 December 2023
20 December 2023
08 October 2023
27 August 2023
20 August 2023
19 August 2023
September Book Pick of the Month
I really like the books that Melanie Benjamin writes, she tends to drop me, the reader, in spots that I could never find myself in and they are all very interesting. This month's pick is one that is set on the beach, that in itself is a place I don't much care for (the sand!), but I found myself sucked into this one from the start. It is the story of two sisters, Mindy and Ginger, that bonded in childhood simply because they were afraid social services would tear them away from their mom. Their mom wasn't an abuser, she was just a mom. that wasn't present. Her life revolved around surfing and doing whatever it took to keep her top surfer status. She would cart the girls off to many different locales but would tend to ignore them so she could compete. The system the girls put in place worked beautifully for a while and then the girls were old enough to surf with mom. Here is where the story gets interesting, think about it, two girls about to go through puberty and trying out their talents at their mom's sport.
Fast forward a bit and the girls are apart, they don't even know where the other one is living. You will have to read to find out what happens to cause this and how the book ends, but I think you will enjoy the ride.
Isn't the cover gorgeous?
30 July 2023
04 July 2023
18 June 2023
July Book Pick
The July Book Pick debuted at our Overbooked book club which meets at the McCracken County Public Library on the second Monday of each month. If you live in Paducah, come on down next month, we would love to have you.
Next meeting: July 10, 5:30pm in the upstairs meeting room
Here is my review of the book from when I read it last year.
5 stars!!! Do not pass on this one! Whew, I am going to begin by telling you a little bit about the book. This will show you two women that are expecting babies near the same time. WWII is about to break out and one woman is in love with a man on the wrong side of the Germans, and the other is just trying to mind her bookshop with her family. Elise, is a hunted woman, as the Germans are seeking her and she knows that will mean death, so she makes the ultimate sacrifice to give up her child in hopes she will live. She finds her bookshop-owning friend, Juliette, and asks her to take on her child. Juliette has children of her own, but will gladly take a child that she views as not wanted by her mother.
Fast forward to the end of the war and both of the women's lives have changed, but what has happened to the children? Oh, I can't spoil this for you, but I hope you have become interested because there is most of the book left. There are many times when my heart was on the floor with emotion. I will also add that this book is hard to put down so plan accordingly.
08 May 2023
June Book Pick
I will be the first to admit that I don't enjoy country music, but I will also admit that there are some excellent stories in those classic country songs. This book was like a country song from start to finish, trials, tribulations, sex, cheating, rags to riches....it is all here.
Lillian Water's doctor told her she will soon lose her health battle and the voice that made her a country music mini-queen. She knew she had to go out and do the thing she loved the most, play music. She gathers her band and heads out for that Farewell Tour. While we travel with Lillian through life and touring, she gives us a look into her past. It is an ugly past full of alcohol and forced sexual encounters (this is a warning if you don't like to read about these subject matters).
Lena was born poor, she went to work when she was a child because it was the only way that she could eat. From an early age she loved music and one day she figured out how she could get that first guitar. Once the guitar goal was obtained she headed to make her dreams come true. The guitar was her everything. She escaped her horrible young life for a life of music, but here at the end of her career, she needs to go home to fix some broken fences.
I read the print book because of the cover, I mean look at this, it is gorgeous, then I loved the book so much that I did the audio.
I am going to recommend the audio because the narrator embodies what you think Lena/Lillian would sound like and in a couple of spots, she sings to us.
16 April 2023
May book pick
I finished this book back in November and could not wait to share it with the world!!! Susan Meissner is my top favorite author right now. She always writes a book that gives me a story I didn't expect, a setting that is familiar, but not like other books and she gives me a book that I have trouble putting down. I would love to know what you think about this one. It hasn't become my favorite Meissner book, but I would say it is a solid #3. What are 1 and 2???? A Fall of Marigolds and As Bright as Heaven
Here is my review from November....
Susan can always tell a story that will pull me right into the middle and make me feel all of the emotions and this one is no exception. This one is about a young lady named Rosie, who is raised on a vineyard where her father was employed. One day her family was killed in an accident and she was the sole survivor. The vineyard owners, Truman and Celine, took Rosie in as her guardians. The whole plan was to use Rosie as a maid and not raise her as their child. The story pivots on one fateful night and Rosie later discovers that she is pregnant.
There is a second storyline that features Truman's sister, Helen, as a caregiver for children overseas in pre-war Europe. She and Rosie had developed a relationship over the years whenever Helen visited the vineyard and Helen had written letters to Rosie. They both had a deep friendship.
War then breaks out and uproots everything. Pregnant Rosie is sent away and Helen is struggling to survive in Europe. Each of them longs to talk to the other one and is trying to discover a way out of the turmoil around them.
You're going to love this one!!
19 March 2023
April Book Pick
I was in a Daisy Jones and the Six vibe because everyone has been talking about the book again (thanks to the TV show) so I picked up this book. I loved this dual timeline book from the first chapter. Jackie is the niece of a famous rock star and her well-to-do parents let her go speed the summer with her uncle and her first cousin, Willa at a home named The Sandcastle. Jackie tells us all about the things they did, the places they hid, the family fights, and how she longed to stay at The Sandcastle forever. Forever lasted about two years, until someone dies and someone never returns.
Fast forward to 1999, Jackie inherited The Sandcastle and wants to get rid of it as quickly as possible. There is a musician on-site
recording an album and the two of them form a friendship and figure out how a person can heal from their past.
11 March 2023
26 February 2023
Review: Her Alaskan Return
Her Alaskan Return by Belle CalhouneMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
When I picked up this book, I expected it would follow the Hallmark-ish type romance formula, and just be set in Alaska, but this one turned out a bit different. Instead of boy meets girl and sparks fly, this one had the boy and girl (Judah and Autumn) as being a former couple and were deeply in love, girl dumped the boy because she was told she couldn't have children. Fast forward to 15 years later and this is where our story takes place, Autumn has just moved back to Alaska and is preparing to start over. Judah's wife and son were killed in a car crash and he just wants to stop. The chemistry is there, but there are so many obstacles.
It is a quick, fun read, I only wish there was a bit more of Alaska in the book because of my obsession, otherwise, this was a nice escape.
Thanks to NetGalley for letting me get my hands on this one a bit early.
View all my reviews
19 February 2023
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