I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdyMy rating: 4 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.
25 November 2022
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!!
Review: Live Long and...What I Learned Along the Way
Live Long and...What I Learned Along the Way by William ShatnerMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
This is a typical Bill Shatner book. I enjoyed it because I adore Bill. If you are not a Shatner fan, you probably aren't going to like this one. Bill will tell you how he manages life and how to not sweat some of the small stuff.
View all my reviews
20 November 2022
20 September 2022
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.
10 September 2022
24 August 2022
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.
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.
20 August 2022
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