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22 March 2021

April Book Pick

The book pick for April is......







 I will admit I had no idea what this month's pick was about when I put it on hold.  I only knew that anything Susan Meissner writes, Michelle will read. I loved this one from the first page.  

Imagine a mail-order bride traveling across the country to an unknown place knowing she will become a wife and mother almost the minute she steps off the train in San Francisco.    Martin (her new husband)  will, at first, seem like a perfect husband, gentle, patient, giving, that will soon fall as Sophie sees he is a bit standoffish with his child, a bit evasive with her, and not willing to share much about his life.  He is a man with a secret, but then she is a bride with a secret, and the child will also have a secret.  Secrets tend to have a way of revealing themselves, and come out when you least expect them to.  Throw in a natural disaster like an earthquake and you have lots of drama that will literally keep you on the edge of your seat.  


I don't think there is anything about this book that you won't like.  

01 March 2021

Review: Hollywood Babylon

Hollywood Babylon Hollywood Babylon by Kenneth Anger
My rating: 3 of 5 stars



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Review: The Two Lives of Lydia Bird

The Two Lives of Lydia Bird The Two Lives of Lydia Bird by Josie Silver
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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Review: Working on a Song: The Lyrics of HADESTOWN

Working on a Song: The Lyrics of HADESTOWN Working on a Song: The Lyrics of HADESTOWN by Anaïs Mitchell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars



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Review: You Had Me at Hola

You Had Me at Hola You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Daria
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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Review: Riding the Elephant: A Memoir of Altercations, Humiliations, Hallucinations, and Observations

Riding the Elephant: A Memoir of Altercations, Humiliations, Hallucinations, and Observations Riding the Elephant: A Memoir of Altercations, Humiliations, Hallucinations, and Observations by Craig Ferguson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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Review: Bluegrass: A True Story of Murder in Kentucky

Bluegrass: A True Story of Murder in Kentucky Bluegrass: A True Story of Murder in Kentucky by William Van Meter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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Review: RESPECT: Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul

RESPECT: Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul RESPECT: Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul by Carole Boston Weatherford
My rating: 5 of 5 stars



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Review: The Children's Blizzard: A Novel

The Children's Blizzard: A Novel The Children's Blizzard: A Novel by Melanie Benjamin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars



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Review: Nick

Nick Nick by Michael Farris Smith
My rating: 3 of 5 stars



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Review: Black Buck

Black Buck Black Buck by Mateo Askaripour
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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Review: Under the Alaskan Ice

Under the Alaskan Ice Under the Alaskan Ice by Karen Harper
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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Review: The Kindest Lie

The Kindest Lie The Kindest Lie by Nancy Johnson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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Review: Lion In The White House: A Life Of Theodore Roosevelt

Lion In The White House: A Life Of Theodore Roosevelt Lion In The White House: A Life Of Theodore Roosevelt by Aida D. Donald
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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Review: The Echo Wife

The Echo Wife The Echo Wife by Sarah Gailey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I was excited to read this one from the first second that I heard about it, and it did not let me down. Imagine a woman's husband is leaving her for another woman. She only has to sign the divorce papers and it is all done. He and his secret love can do whatever they want. The problem is he just didn't fall in love with any woman, he fell in love with her clone. A clone he created from her genetic makeup. She wasn't quite the perfect woman for him, so he made the perfect woman. All is fine until the close, Martina, calls her on the phone and says "I need help." From this moment the two women form a bond that will never be broken and they will take the reader on a journey of all types of twists and turns.

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Review: The Children's Blizzard

The Children's Blizzard The Children's Blizzard by Melanie Benjamin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars



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17 February 2021

Review: Three Days in January

Three Days in January Three Days in January by Bret Baier
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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March comes in with a book pick

 I know that March is still a bit away, but I simply could not wait to share this book with you.  


Ruth had a grand life in Chicago, America was on the brink of Barack Obama becoming the 44th President, and Xavier, her husband, wants a baby and possibly a career like Barack.    A life that is vastly different from where Ruth grew up. Ganton was a town full of depression, racial injustice, and unemployment.  Ruth loved her family, but she wanted out.  

Ruth went to Yale, landed a great job as an engineer, and a good husband, but she has a secret she has told no one and it is time to make amends. Ruth had a child in her youth.  A child she has not seen since the day it was born.  She doesn't even know what happened to the child.   To move on, Ruth must go back to Ganton and face her past.  


I loved this book for the first moment I read the first paragraph.  So much so that I have been excited all weekend to tell you all about this debut novel by Nancy Johnson.  Like Obama's motto, this book is full of HOPE.  





16 February 2021

Review: Brown Girl Dreaming

Brown Girl Dreaming Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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Review: You Have a Match

You Have a Match You Have a Match by Emma Lord
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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Review: The Man Who Saved the Union: Ulysses Grant in War and Peace

The Man Who Saved the Union: Ulysses Grant in War and Peace The Man Who Saved the Union: Ulysses Grant in War and Peace by H.W. Brands
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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Review: The Nature of Fragile Things

The Nature of Fragile Things The Nature of Fragile Things by Susan Meissner
My rating: 5 of 5 stars



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Review: Make Your Art No Matter What: Moving Beyond Creative Hurdles

Make Your Art No Matter What: Moving Beyond Creative Hurdles Make Your Art No Matter What: Moving Beyond Creative Hurdles by Beth Pickens
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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Review: A Book to Kill For : A Bookish Cafe Mystery

A Book to Kill For : A Bookish Cafe Mystery A Book to Kill For : A Bookish Cafe Mystery by Harper Lin
My rating: 5 of 5 stars



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25 January 2021

February book club pick

Time has flown, we are now approaching the end of January.  I am shocked at how fast this month has flown by.  I have gotten so many great books off my TBR as I tend to read more in the months before spring.  I know, I know most folks read more as summer gets here, but that is my busy time at work so I take massive advantage of the winter slow down.  



The book for February is Stories from Suffragette City.  A novel that was written by many big names in the world of historical fiction.  

Lisa Wingate
M J Rose
Steve Berry
Paula McLain
Katherine J Chen
Christina Baker Kline
Jamie Ford
Dolen Perkins-Valdez
Megan Chance
Alyson Richman
Chris Bohjalian
Fiona Davis


The events of this book take place on October 23, 1915.  What is special about that day?  It was the day that over one million women marched for the right to vote in New York City.  We, as women, have come so far, and yet we have so much more to accomplish.  #votesforwomen


I hope you enjoy this read as much as I did.  


Review: Following Jimmy Valentine