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!

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 :) 

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.  

February Book Pick

 I have been waiting for so long to share this month's book pick and bonus pick.  Yes, we get two picks this month.  That is because on January 31 on FX there is a series starting that I cannot wait to see.  Let me give you a back story.

I have always been fascinated by Truman Capote, In Cold Blood is one of the best-written books I have ever read.  As brilliant as his writing was, the opposite is true about his personal life, it was an utter train wreck. He had a long-time boyfriend, Jack, but he often cheated on him.  Jack was so loyal, Truman just could not be faithful.  Truman also loved drugs.  Drugs to keep him thin, drugs to keep him going, and just drugs because he liked drugs and alcohol. 

There was a bright spot in his personal life, he was best friends with Babe Paley.  Babe was rich, connected, thin, beautiful, and did I say rich?  With the friendship of Babe came more women whom Truman called his "Swans".  Lee Radizwell (Jackie Kennedy's sister), Ann Woodward (she would murder her husband),  CZ Guest,  Slim Keith,  Gloria Guinness, and Joanne Carson (he would die in her home). Just Google these women, they were gorgeous!  Truman would write a book (unpublished) about these women, betraying them all.  In the end, only Joanne and Lee would still love him.  With just this little bit of info, you can just feel the drama and want to see how this will play out, right?  Well, you can!!!! Feud: Season 2 is all about the Swans and Truman.  The season premieres on FX on January 31 and the next day on Hulu.  

Now, I do believe you will want more info before this show premieres, this is where my book picks enter the scene.  Just like I am with Wallis Simpson, I read every book I can find about the Swans and these are two of the best.  I am going to give you a fiction and a nonfiction book.  The main pick is fiction and the bonus is the nonfiction.  

The Swans of Fifth Avenue by Melanie Benjamin

This book is based on Babe Paley and the life she led with her husband, Bill (the founder of CBS).  It wasn't a good life for Babe until Truman entered lighting up her world.  Bill and Truman would become friends and Truman would take take of them both.  Why?  Because they paid for everything and had a social standing that Truman craved.  When Babe's life spins out of control Truman betrays her on a level no one thought possible.  

The Bonus book is the nonfiction version, where you will learn a lot about all the Swans.  In real life, there was a murder committed by one of the Swans, and wait until you read what happened to her!!!!  As a matter of fact, this book explains in great detail exactly how Capote betrayed his friends and why.  Capote's Women is very interesting and I had to keep reminding myself, this stuff is TRUE!!!!

I hope you enjoy them both.  

November Book Pick

 Beatriz Williams is one of those authors that I either love her book or hate it.  The last one did not make me happy, but the one before thrilled me. Of course I am going to read every book she writes because she has written far too many that I like to avoid her.  I found this one to be fantastic!  We meet Emilia, who is very smart, but realizes she won’t go to college, her destiny is to take care of her mother. Everything changes when she meets Olive.  She beginning by babysitting for Olive and then gets wrapped up in a world she never expected.  She will juggle this new world that has Olive, a boyfriend with money, the possibility of college and a life outside of Winthrop.   

Fast forward a few year, Emilia achieved some of her goals in life, the love of her life is gone, and Olive has re-entered her world…..this does no make Emilia happy.  What the reader finds out here is how Emilia and Olive split and why Emilia wants far away from Olive. 

I liked the mystery aspect of this one, the fact it happens AFTER WWII and it has a lovely setting. Give this one a whirl and see what you think.  I would love for you to drop a comment with your thoughts.  

October Book Pick

 John Grisham will forever be one of my favorite authors.  I have read every book he has published,  loved most of them and hated a couple (sports ones).  The Firm was the first book of his that I read and immediately became a fan. When I read that Mr. Grisham was going to publish a sequel to The Firm I was all over it. I counted down the months til the release and was lucky enough that NetGalley let me get a copy before the release date.  I devoured it!!!  Right out of the gate, Mitch showed us that he is the same guy, just living a new life in New York. The fact that he and Abby were still together, with kids, thrilled me!!! 

If you loved The Firm, you need this book in your life.  If you didn’t read The Firm, I think you had better pass, or read it and then this one.  

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? 

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 

I am such a fan of Kristin Harmel and her wonderful WWII books.  Her book The Book of Lost Names was simply spectacular, and I do believe I would rate this one a close second to that one.  

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.

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.  

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!!

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.   

March Monthly Book Pick

 I have been waiting for this book to be released so I can share it with you.  I really tried to not pick too many WWII books, but I can't help it with this one.  Pam Jenoff is one of the greats and you won't be sorry if you read this one.  

Here is the review that I wrote last month....

Ms. Jenoff is one of my favorite WWII writers.  She always tries to come up with a unique story about a woman that tries to save something.  This time Hannah is trying to save Jewish people in a Sapphire Network.  She ends up making a mistake that will cost her cousin, Lilly everything.  Hannah will now have to try and make amends to her cousin, while still trying to keep herself safe and the man she loves.  There's a little twist with that man, watch out for him.  

This is a WWII story, there will be death, there will be suffering, there will be sorrow, and war is hell after all....but Ms. Jenoff always finds some good and I think she was so successful.  I hope she has a brilliant launch to this book because it is superb.  

Please let me know what you think about this one, and if you have never tried a book by Pam before and loved this one, please try another, they are all wonderful.  

Review: Code Name Sapphire

Code Name Sapphire by Pam Jenoff
My rating: 5 of 5 stars



View all my reviews

February Book Pick

 Not a WWII book, I am trying so hard to get out of that genre...this one interested me the second I saw the cover.  As a matter of a fact, I didn't even read the synopsis, I just started reading and I am glad that I did.  Obviously, it features Memphis, TN in some way, but what you can't tell by the cover is this book covers a couple of generations of a family. I just adore these kinds of books that will take us through the lives of a family over the years.  Even though there are many characters, I believe Joan is the main one. You see things happen to Joan when she is a child and then see her become an adult that uses art to hopefully change lives.  

When I finished the book I read about it, I now see it is a debut novel (exceptionally well done, I must add) and the author said it was the type of fairy tale she wanted to read as a child.  Actually, I am going to quote the synopsis from Goodreads because it is written much better than I could.

Inspired by the author's own family history, Memphis--the Black fairy tale she always wanted to read--explores the complexity of what we pass down, not only in our families, but in our country: police brutality and justice, powerlessness and freedom, fate and forgiveness, doubt and faith, sacrifice and love.

This book is perfect for now!!! So far, it is my favorite book of the year (book #12).   

 

First Read with Michelle book pick of 2023

If you are returning to my book pick list, thank you for coming back.  If you are new to Read with Michelle, thanks for stopping by and I hope you find some inspiration.  Whichever category that you belong to, please be sure to return to my Facebook page and share your thoughts on this book, or any book for that matter, sharing is caring!!! Near the last day of every month, I would love it if you would share all your books that you read that month, whether it is one book or twelve, please just share your love of books!!! 

 

*If you are looking for a way to sum up your 2022 reading life, I have created a list here.  I find it fun to rate the books I have read in a top ten list and other random facts. I have been making top ten lists since 1996 and it is fun to look back on some of these books and smile at the memory or wonder why did I choose that one? 

*If you are looking for a challenge in 2023, here is my reading challenge. I encourage you to be creative with the prompts and remember to read what you like.  If you don't like a category, change it!!! 

*Follow me on Goodreads if you want to learn about books that are soon to be published, I read a lot of fiction books before they hit your shelves and many of them will end up as a monthly book pick before the year is over.  

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Now for January's book pick.  I was looking for something fresh and different and NOT a World War II book.  What I found was a book about a future First Lady that I found unique and worthy of a share.  

Imagine reading about an icon before she was a household name? We all know her name, Jackie Kennedy, but do we know how she became "Jackie Kennedy"? 

  Jacqueline Bouvier wasn't sure what she wanted to do outside of spending a year in Paris.  Somehow she convinced her mother to let her go to school in Paris for her junior year of college.   It would be a year that Jackie would experience freedom from her home life and what was expected and she could just be Jackie.  While she is discovering her path, she is traveling through a countryside that still felt the sting of WWII.  You will see the characters weave in and out of areas still feeling the destruction from the Occupation and see the strength of Parisians during the rebuilding.  I couldn't just quit the WWII books that easily :). 

It was nice to see a Jackie that I didn't know, a carefree young woman discovering who she wants to be and experiencing love with Paris as a backdrop.  

Thanks again for stopping by, I hope you will enjoy this year's monthly books. There are many on this year's that are simply spectacular!!! I will try to publish the next pick around the 20th of each month, just in case you want to read the book during that month, but feel free to skip around, mix it up, and do your own thing.  Come back and share what you thought on the blog or the Facebook page, Read with Michelle.  

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December book pick

 When I was a high schooler, I did enjoy the required reading of The Scarlett Letter.  I have probably read it 10 or 15 times over the last 35 years.  This book attracted me because of the cover, and then I found out it was about the inspiration behind the telling of The Scarlett Letter.   

 Isobel married for what she thought was love, to a man she thought she would love forever.  He was going to provide everything she needed and he dabbled in medicine.  Isobel was a brilliant seamstress, almost witch-like with the needle she was which was fitting as she was descended from witches.  

I won't tell you how she and her husband arrived in Salem, but they did.  They lived in a little cottage in a town that once murdered "witches". Here is where Isobel meets Nathaniel Hawthorne and the sparks fly, the townspeople mention witchcraft and a book is born.  

That's it, I will tell you no more.....just read this, it is a scandalous tale in so many ways, and beautifully written.  The cover is equally attractive....look at this gorgeous thing!! 

November Book Pick

 It is no secret that I am a big fan of Gill Paul.  I think I have loved every book she has written.  My favorite is still the one about Wallis Simpson and Diana Spencer, The Other Woman's Husband, but I think this one might be my second favorite.  I simply love to read about this time period, the Jazz Age.  This book is about four women, three of which are writers, and one is an actress, that forges a deep friendship over a game of bridge.  

They each have different experiences with romance and careers, but their lives still intertwine at every intersection and with every relationship.  Three of the women have their lives more together than Dorothy Parker does, and they seem to always be there to help her in the latest crisis.  Dorothy is pretty much all about sex, booze, and jazz, and every once in a while she puts together some brilliant writing.  

I could not help thinking the whole time I was reading this, if Dorothy really lived this hard, I just can't imagine how she ever wrote a thing.  

Oh, one more thing, one of the girls in this novel, in real life co-founded The New Yorker.  I found that fascinating.   ENJOY!!

October book pick

 Good day to you all,

I am so excited to bring my October book to you, I read this book many months ago and found it thrilling!!!  Actually, today, September 20, is the publication day for this book! 

It is by Susan Ella MacNeal, the author of the Maggie Hope book series (if you have not read Maggie's books and like WWII fiction, check them out).  Susan Ella has written a stand-alone book this time around that kept me on my toes and had me constantly turning the corner and seeing a new surprise. 

The book starts out in a controversial way, the daughter, Veronica is caught up in some drama with a married man.  Mom, Violet, sees they have no choice but to relocate to California to start a new life in every way imaginable.  Once WWII breaks out, each of the women gets caught up in espionage involving the war effort.  

Here is my review on NetGalley....

I am going to tell you one thing that you must know, if you have not read one of Susan Ella MacNeal's novels, you must remedy that soon.  Every book that she writes is full of intrigue and moments where I go "NO, that can't happen!!".  

This book is NOT part of the Maggie Hope series, this one is about a mother and daughter who have to leave their life in New York for a new life in California.  Almost immediately they become entangled in a web of Nazi sympathizers and have to figure out a way to bring them down, and enter the spying.    

I was not happy I had to go to work because I would have loved to finish this book in one sitting.  This is perfect for an afternoon by the pool or an excellent road trip accompaniment.

September book pick

 Good day to you all,

A couple of years ago, I discovered Sara Ackerman and found her books exciting. She writes books set in Hawaii during WWII.  The first one that I read was Island of Sweet Pies and Soldiers in case you want to check it out too.  

This book is all about Izzy and how the death of her brother completely changes the course of her life. I love books that feature the setting as a character and this one falls right into that category.  

Here is what I wrote on Goodreads:

This dual timeline book is set in Hawaii during WWII and the mid-1960s. During the wartime plot, Pearl Harbor was attacked and Walt was killed. We meet Izzy a code breaker who has joined the war to avenge the death of her brother, Walt. She also tries to spend all of her free time doing the Hawaiian things her brother loved so much.

In the 1960s timeline, we meet Lu who has been sent to photograph a fancy hotel opening. She spends her time with the hotel owner and a local photographer. When they discover a body in a cave, it brings back the photographer's past and ties the two timelines together.

August book pick

My August book pick is late because I have been at work, I apologize for that.  Still, this book is worth waiting for.  I have always been a big fan of Jamie Ford, always.  I read his first book (On the Corner of Bitter and Sweet) because it was the local "meet the author" event at our local community college.  The book was spectacular!! Jamie sent out a digital book on one of the characters from that book and with those two books, I knew I was going to read anything he would write from now on.   Fast forward to November 2021, this book was scheduled to be published in early 2022 and I got ahold of an advanced reader's copy.  I just adored it!!! The book got delayed and I read it again because I loved it so much.  I decided that when it was published, it would be my monthly book pick.  The day has finally come, and before I could tell you how much I loved it, Jenna Bush Hager picked it for her monthly book.  I am telling you, it is spectacular!!!!!  Here is what I wrote on Goodreads:  First of all, this was a complete departure from anything I have ever read. Secondly, once I started reading I did not stop until I finished the book, it just sucked me right into its grasp. I was a bit wary of keeping all the women straight, but I worried for nothing because the book was written so that you didn't get lost in the characters, you got lost in the story. Dorothy is our main character and she struggles with life, mentally. Dorothy is a former poet laureate and married to a man that she really doesn't love (maybe doesn't realize it), and absolutely adores her little girl. Her problems arise when her husband tries to make her feel she is inadequate and she feels haunted by the past (enter all the other characters). The book takes you on. the journey of how Dorothy seeks therapy and experimental treatment that is supposed to help her connect these bridges to her past (and the other characters).