Michelle's Musings

08 May 2022

Review: The Codebreaker's Secret

The Codebreaker's Secret by Sara Ackerman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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.

I very much enjoyed how the two timelines intertwined throughout the book and the way they gelled near the end of the book was great! This may be my favorite book by Ms. Ackerman.

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01 May 2022

May Book Pick

I am a bit late posting this one, I apologize for my tardiness.

This month is a book that pulled me out of my book slump. This book is about a young woman that is very close to her mother. Katy and her mom were so close that when Carol was diagnosed with cancer, they were still planning an epic trip to Italy. Carol had lived in Italy when she was younger and she had talked about it for years. Carol passes away before they could take the trip and Katy, being unhappy in her marriage decides to take the trip alone. Here is where I will stop telling you about it and give you some general. Katy will meet someone in Italy that will completely change her life and make her rethink every decision she had made.

I found the setting beautiful and the story fun. I hope you enjoy it.

16 April 2022

Review: One Italian Summer

One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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Review: The Blue Butterfly, A Novel of Marion Davies

The Blue Butterfly, A Novel of Marion Davies by Leslie Johansen Nack
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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Review: Nine Lives

Nine Lives by Peter Swanson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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Review: He Killed Them All: Robert Durst and My Quest for Justice

He Killed Them All: Robert Durst and My Quest for Justice by Jeanine Pirro
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

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Review: Crime Before Christmas: A Bookish Cafe Mystery

Crime Before Christmas: A Bookish Cafe Mystery by Harper Lin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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01 April 2022

Review: Live Long and...What I Learned Along the Way

Live Long and...What I Learned Along the Way by William Shatner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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Review: The Book of Cold Cases

The Book of Cold Cases by Simone St. James
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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Review: The Tobacco Wives

The Tobacco Wives by Adele Myers
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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Review: Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup

Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup by John Carreyrou
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

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Review: A Brilliant Night of Stars and Ice

A Brilliant Night of Stars and Ice by Rebecca Connolly
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

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26 March 2022

April book pick

For some reason, as the winter turns to spring, I just want to read a book with a vacation-like vibe. As soon as I started this one, I wished I had saved it for Spring Break (less work) week. Looking at the cover I expected the general fiction book of romance on a beach or something. What I got was a book about two almost has-been movie stars trying to make another hit movie like they did years before. The male lead, Cole, is full of himself and his ex-wife, Stella On the movie set is a young girl, who is a social media influencer, that wants nothing more than to make a name for herself, at any cost. We also get to meet a producer who doesn't really have patience for any of the actors, because she may have been violated and has no memory of the event. Oh yes, and there is a hurricane coming ashore and a possible murder. The Siren is a great book!

05 March 2022

Review: The Discovery of the Titanic

The Discovery of the Titanic by Robert D. Ballard
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Finally picked this book up at a used bookstore (it was rather pricey as a new book), and it is just as spectacular as I imagined. There are notes and an in-depth look at how the team found the Titanic. The photos are simply outstanding!!!

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Review: Marilyn Monroe: The Complete Last Sitting

Marilyn Monroe: The Complete Last Sitting by Bert Stern
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

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Review: Century Girl: 100 Years in the Life of Doris Eaton Travis, Last Living Star of the Ziegfeld Follies

Century Girl: 100 Years in the Life of Doris Eaton Travis, Last Living Star of the Ziegfeld Follies by Lauren Redniss
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is the most perfect book! I mean perfect! The book tells the life story of Doris Eaton Travis and is beautifully put together, full of ephemera, cutouts, illustrations/doodles, and a fun text. I think Doris must have had the most catching personality if she was anything like this book.

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