Top Ten Tuesday: 10 Reasons It's Obvious That I Love Books

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.  This week's topic is so fun - the signs of a book lover.  So, how might the people around me know that I love books?

1. My Instagram feed has more pictures of books than anything else.
2. My Christmas list is always about 90% books.
3. I'm more likely to listen to an audiobook than the radio in the car.
4. My weekend errands often include a trip to the library.
5. When we moved into our house, I unpacked my books before anything else. 
6. I kept a book in my desk at work, and during my lunch break you could find me reading in the building's atrium. 
7. If I hear the word "book" come up in a conversation, even if I'm not a part of it, I'm jumping in with questions, recommendations, etc.
8. My personal book collection is known as the "Lawrence Library" because I'm always loaning my books out. 
9. There are stacks of books on almost every available surface in our house. 
10. My dream job is to work in a library or even own a bookstore, so I can be surrounded by books all day! 

How about you - what are some signs that you're a book lover?

 

Audiobook Mini-Reviews

The Gifted School by Bruce Holsinger (2019)

When a community announces that a school for gifted students will be opening soon, four families become caught up in the storm of trying to get their children a place in it.

There were so many things to love about this book!  I enjoyed the realistic feel of it - these wealthy families who all believe their child is intelligent and special enough to deserve a place in the gifted school, doing some questionable things to get them there, and how the community as a whole responded to the new school.  There were a lot of relationships at play, and a lot of pressure put on them (spouses, friends, parents and children).  I thought the narrator did a great job distinguishing between the many characters, as the various chapters flitted between women, men, teenagers, and even children.  Although I'm not usually a fan of child POVs, it worked here because we get to see the story from all angles.  I wasn't super-crazy about the twist/reveal near the end of the book; the story needed something but I'm not sure that was it.  But, if you're a fan of stories about friendships, competition, and secrets, I'd highly recommend this one!  4 stars

Twice in a Blue Moon by Christina Lauren (2019)

I am fairly new to the writing duo of Christina Lauren and I've loved pretty much all the books I've read by them, but this one wasn't my favorite.

Tate meets Sam in London, and because they share such an instant connection, she feels comfortable telling him her biggest secret - that her dad is one of the most famous actors in the world and she and her mom have been hiding their identities for years.  Sam ends up leaking the secret to the press, and the two don't see each other for 14 years, ending up together on the same movie set.  Can Tate forgive Sam?

One thing that bothered me a little about the story is that I felt there were holes in Tate's background that were never really explained.  Did her dad ever try to get in touch over the last 10 years?  Why the need to stay completely hidden and change their names?   And Sam's betrayal seemed to work out pretty well for her - I understand she was hurt, but it catapulted her into an acting career, and the issues she seems to have with her fame felt like things that are common to lots of celebrities and not unique to her.   I had some issues with the audiobook narrator - it's not easy for a woman to mimic a man's voice, but all the male characters sounded the same and kind of smarmy.  However, I liked the movie set setting and all the behind-the-scenes industry stuff, and I appreciated that Tate was still close with her childhood best friend. 3.5 stars

Can't-Wait Wednesday: The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires

Can't-Wait Wednesday is hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings and helps us spotlight upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating!

The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires
Grady Hendrix
Expected publication date: April 7, 2020

Fried Green Tomatoes and Steel Magnolias meet Dracula in this Southern-flavored supernatural thriller set in the '90s about a women's book club that must protect its suburban community from a mysterious and handsome stranger who turns out to be a blood-sucking fiend.

Patricia Campbell had always planned for a big life, but after giving up her career as a nurse to marry an ambitious doctor and become a mother, Patricia's life has never felt smaller. The days are long, her kids are ungrateful, her husband is distant, and her to-do list is never really done. The one thing she has to look forward to is her book club, a group of Charleston mothers united only by their love for true-crime and suspenseful fiction. In these meetings, they're more likely to discuss the FBI's recent siege of Waco as much as the ups and downs of marriage and motherhood.

But when an artistic and sensitive stranger moves into the neighborhood, the book club's meetings turn into speculation about the newcomer. Patricia is initially attracted to him, but when some local children go missing, she starts to suspect the newcomer is involved. She begins her own investigation, assuming that he's a Jeffrey Dahmer or Ted Bundy. What she uncovers is far more terrifying, and soon she--and her book club--are the only people standing between the monster they've invited into their homes and their unsuspecting community. - from Goodreads

I love that it's up to a book club to save the neighborhood!

Down The TBR Hole #9

Down the TBR Hole is a feature created by Lost in a Story (although the blog seems to be down recently).  I've seen it on a few other blogs and thought I would try it out myself!  It seems like a really good way to cull your TBR of those books you're no longer interested in.  So, how does it work?

• Go to your Goodreads to-read shelf.
• Order on ascending date added.
• Take the first 5 (or 10 (or even more!) if you’re feeling adventurous) books. Of course, if you do this weekly, you start where you left off the last time.
• Read the synopses of the books
• Decide: keep it or should it go?

Here are the books I'm looking at this time:

One Night Gone by Tara Laskowski

Thirty years ago, a woman went missing in a wealthy community.  Today, another woman starts to dig into what happened.  I'm just kinda meh on this one, so I'll pass!

 Home for Erring and Outcast Girls by Julie Kilber

I like the based on a true story aspect of this book about a home that provides sanctuary for "troubled" women, but it's just not really grabbing me.  Pass!

 Pretty Revenge by Emily Liebert

A woman vows to take revenge on the person she thinks ruined her life.  Keeping this one because I kind of want to know how this all plays out!

Eliza Hamilton: The Extraordinary Life and Times of the Wife of Alexander Hamilton by Tilar J. Mazzeo

I'm always on the lookout for more nonfiction books, and Eliza Hamilton was a truly amazing woman! Keep!

 Whisper Network by Chandler Baker

So this was a Reese's book club pick and although I haven't enjoyed all her selections, this one about corporate politics and sexual harassment intrigues me!  Keep!

 We Speak in Storms by Natalie Lund

This story about a small town trying to recover from a deadly tornado sounds really interesting!  Keep!

 Tell No One by Barbara Taylor Sissel

I think I will pass on this book about a woman searching for her missing father.

Have you read any of these?

Retellings Mini-Reviews

Wife After Wife by Olivia Hayfield (2020)

I am kind of obsessed with England's Tudor dynasty, so when I heard about this modern retelling of Henry VIII and his six wives, I knew I had to read it!  This book starts in 1985, when Harry Rose (Henry VIII) is married to Katie (Catherine of Aragon), and continues all the way to 2018, encompassing all the major events of the historical figure's life, but with a twist.

Instead of being the King of England, Harry Rose is a media mogul always at the cutting edge.  I thought it would be really difficult for Hayfield to create justifications for six marriages in this day and age, but she managed it in some clever and unexpected ways.  Likewise, he obviously couldn't actually behead his wives, yet Hayfield was still able to include some untimely deaths.  A huge portion of the book is spent on the first two wives, which basically fits with the original timeline, but it also then felt like the last four marriages were rushed a bit.  The writing was a bit stiff and stilted at times, and there were some cheesy scenarios, but the story was generally a soapy, gossipy, drama-filled delight that I couldn't stop reading.  Hayfield also included a lot of pop culture references, which helped ground the story in the time period and setting.  4 stars

The Clergyman's Wife by Molly Greeley (2019)

In The Clergyman's Wife, Molly Greeley explores a side character from Pride & Prejudice and what her life might have been like after that story ended. Charlotte Lucas is known for being Elizabeth Bennet's best friend and the woman who married Mr. Collins after Elizabeth rejected him.  It seemed like an abrupt decision, and in this book, we go inside Charlotte's head and get to know her much better.

This book is a short, quiet, and thoughtful read.  Greeley explores the marriage between Charlotte and Mr. Collins; as the years have passed, Charlotte begins to wonder if she made the right decision in marrying him.  She saw it as an opportunity for security and comfort but never as a love connection.  When she meets farmer Mr. Travis, she feels things she has never felt for her husband.

I enjoyed this new look at the Pride & Prejudice world.  It was nice to revisit the characters.  Mr. Collins is still an awkward man who is constantly looking for praise from others.  Elizabeth and Darcy make an appearance, as well.  But Charlotte is undoubtedly the star, and we get to see her in a whole new light.  4 stars

Can't-Wait Wednesday: So This Is Love

Can't-Wait Wednesday is hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings and helps us spotlight upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating!

So This Is Love
Elizabeth Lim
Expected publication date: April 7, 2020

What if Cinderella never tried on the glass slipper? Unable to prove that she's the missing princess, and unable to bear life under Lady Tremaine any longer, Cinderella attempts a fresh start, looking for work at the palace as a seamstress. But when the Grand Duke appoints her to serve under the king's visiting sister, Cinderella becomes witness to a grand conspiracy to take the king-and the prince-out of power, as well as a longstanding prejudice against fairies, including Cinderella's own Fairy Godmother. Faced with questions of love and loyalty to the kingdom, Cinderella must find a way to stop the villains of past and present . . . before it's too late. - from Goodreads

I know I've mentioned this series a lot, but I'm such a Disney fan and it's finally Cinderella's turn!

Top Ten Tuesday: My Spring TBR

Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly feature hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl.  This week's topic is our spring TBR!  Here's a look at a few of the books I hope to get to in the next couple months (and since my library is currently closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, it looks like I might be reading a lot of e-books!):

What will you be reading this spring?  Anyone else grateful for online library resources?

 

Backlist Fiction/Nonfiction Mini-Reviews: The Kennedy Edition

Jackie After Jack: Portrait of the Lady by Christopher Andersen (1988)

Thank you to Amy at A Magical World of Words for the recommendation!

In Jackie After Jack, author Christopher Andersen has put together a fairly comprehensive look at Jackie Kennedy Onassis' life after the death of John F. Kennedy, despite the fact that she was one of the most private people in the world.  I find the Kennedy family fascinating, yet there was still so much I didn't know about Jackie.  This book was well-written, gossipy, and surprising at many turns.  I almost feel like if you are a Jackie fan, you might not want to read this book, because it doesn't always present her in the most flattering way.  She comes across as strong at times, set in her ways, very protective of her children - but also a compulsive spender, potentially addicted to drugs, and having affair after affair.  Honestly, I couldn't believe some of the "previously unreported" stories - including a brief romance that both she and the alleged man kept completely secret.  I wanted more of how Jackie cultivated the Camelot myth, which I didn't realize wasn't promulgated until after JFK's death.  I did enjoy the parts about Jackie's foray into the publishing world - she seemed to be an exceptional editor and really came into her own in a job she didn't even need.  For me, Jackie is always associated with JFK, but she also lived a complete life after him, and this book is a look inside that extraordinary life.  3.5 stars

The Summer I Met Jack by Michelle Gable (2018)

In this historical fiction novel, Michelle Gable crafts a story around the real life woman, Alicia Corning Clark, and her alleged affair with John F. Kennedy.

In 1950, Polish refugee Alicia Darr finds herself in Hyannisport, where she meets JFK while working for his family as a maid.  Their relationship is quite hot and cold - although at one point they are engaged and just days away from marriage, they also spend a lot of time apart as JFK fulfills his duties in Washington.  Eventually, Alicia moves to Hollywood and even Rome, in an attempt to create a new life for herself, but JFK seems to pop up everywhere, never letting her forget their affair.

Alicia is not the most likable character - to me, she seemed very haughty and forward, and besides her high-profile relationships, I'm not quite sure what else she did with her time.  Her attempts at being an actor and artist were not successful.   The Kennedy family, likewise, is not portrayed very well here, either.  Gable notes that she read extensively on the Kennedy family before starting this book, so maybe they really weren't the nicest people?  It's also interesting to note that although Alicia Darr/Alicia Corning Clark was a real person who might have had a relationship and even a child with JFK, this story is almost completely from the imagination of the author.  3 stars

Can't-Wait Wednesday: Universe of Two

Can't-Wait Wednesday is hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings and helps us spotlight upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating!

Universe of Two
Stephen P. Kiernan
Expected publication date: May 5, 2020

From the critically acclaimed author of The Baker’s Secret and The Curiosity comes a novel of conscience, love, and redemption—a fascinating fictionalized account of the life of Charlie Fisk, a gifted mathematician who was drafted into Manhattan Project and ordered against his morals to build the detonator for the atomic bomb. With his musician wife, he spends his postwar life seeking redemption—and they find it together.

Graduating from Harvard at the height of World War II, brilliant mathematician Charlie Fish is assigned to the Manhattan Project. Working with some of the age’s greatest scientific minds, including J. Robert Oppenheimer, Enrico Fermi, and Leo Szilard, Charlie is assigned the task of designing and building the detonator of the atomic bomb.

As he performs that work Charlie suffers a crisis of conscience, which his wife, Brenda—unaware of the true nature of Charlie’s top-secret task—mistakes as self-doubt. She urges him to set aside his qualms and continue. Once the bombs strike Hiroshima and Nagasaki, the feelings of culpability devastate him and Brenda.

At the war’s end, Charlie receives a scholarship to pursue a PhD in physics at Stanford—an opportunity he and Brenda hope will allow them a fresh start. But the past proves inescapable. All any of his new colleagues can talk about is the bomb, and what greater atomic weapons might be on the horizon. Haunted by guilt, Charlie and Brenda leave Stanford and decide to dedicate the rest of their lives to making amends for the evil he helped to birth into the world.

Based on the life of the actual mathematician Charles B. Fisk, Universe of Two combines riveting historical drama with a poignant love story. Stephen Kiernan has conjured a remarkable account of two people struggling to heal their consciences and find peace in a world forever changed. - from Goodreads

There are so many interesting elements here - based on a real person, historical fiction, and a love story to boot!

Quotables #16

This is totally how I feel about my library - it's still just so amazing to me that I can go to this place where there are practically unlimited amounts of books, and they're FREE, and I can take them all home with me!  There are so many genres, so much to learn - it's really astounding.

As sad as it is, I agree with this.  Sometimes it feels like no matter how hard you work or how good of a person you are, you might not win or get ahead.

As book lovers, I believe our favorite stories become a part of us.  We feel so close to the characters and relate to every word and chapter.  It's amazing how books can affect us so much.

Which of these is your favorite?

 

Mini-Review: The Keeper

The Keeper
Jessica Moor
Expected publication date: March 10, 2020

An addictive literary thriller about a crime as shocking as it is commonplace

When Katie Straw's body is pulled from the waters of the local suicide spot, the police are ready to write it off as a standard-issue female suicide. But the residents of the domestic violence shelter where Katie worked disagree. These women have spent weeks or even years waiting for the men they're running from to catch up with them. They know immediately: This was murder.

Still, Detective Dan Whitworth and his team expect an open-and-shut case--until they discover evidence that suggests Katie wasn't who she appeared. Weaving together the investigation with Katie's final months as it barrels toward the truth, The Keeper is a riveting mystery and a searing examination of violence against women and the structures that allow it to continue, marking the debut of an incredible new voice in crime fiction. - from Goodreads

I received this book for free from Goodreads Giveaways.

Told in alternating "then" and "now" chapters, The Keeper tells the story of Katie Straw, a woman found drowned in a river, as the police try to determine if she committed suicide or was murdered.  I wouldn't characterize this one as a thriller; there's definitely not a lot of action, especially in the "now" chapters.  The police kind of go back and forth on their theories, but there doesn't seem to be any real urgency.  The "then" chapters captured my interest more, as we follow Katie through the last months of her life.  As a warning, this book heavily features domestic violence and abuse.  It's not terribly graphic, but it's definitely there.  Moor did a great job detailing the many types of abuse - physical, mental, emotional.  In addition to Katie's story, we are also introduced to several women at the domestic violence shelter where she worked.  I did think many of the characters were not well-drawn.  They often felt one-dimensional with harsh edges, and then there's Detective Whitworth, who was so obtuse and clueless.  He was constantly saying the wrong thing, especially to women.  The writing was good and kept me interested, although there were a couple areas where the author incorporated a different writing style that I felt didn't work with the story and just left me confused.  A big twist near the end helped save the book for me a little and was definitely something I never saw coming.

3 stars

Can't-Wait Wednesday: All Your Twisted Secrets

Can't-Wait Wednesday is hosted by Tressa at Wishful Endings and helps us spotlight upcoming releases we're eagerly anticipating!

All Your Twisted Secrets
Diana Urban
Expected publication date: March 17, 2020

This thrilling debut, reminiscent of new fan favorites like One of Us Is Lying and the beloved classics by Agatha Christie, will leave readers guessing until the explosive ending.

Welcome to dinner, and again, congratulations on being selected. Now you must do the selecting.

What do the queen bee, star athlete, valedictorian, stoner, loner, and music geek all have in common? They were all invited to a scholarship dinner, only to discover it’s a trap. Someone has locked them into a room with a bomb, a syringe filled with poison, and a note saying they have an hour to pick someone to kill … or else everyone dies.

Amber Prescott is determined to get her classmates and herself out of the room alive, but that might be easier said than done. No one knows how they’re all connected or who would want them dead. As they retrace the events over the past year that might have triggered their captor’s ultimatum, it becomes clear that everyone is hiding something. And with the clock ticking down, confusion turns into fear, and fear morphs into panic as they race to answer the biggest question: Who will they choose to die? - from Goodreads

Honestly, this sounds like it would make a great movie - I need to know how it ends!

Month in Review: February 2020

February was a pretty busy month!  My sister and I did a wood pallet painting class - it was Disney themed and so much fun!  Tom and I saw Birds of Prey - I think he was way more interested in it than I was, but it wasn't bad.  For Valentine's Day, Tom and I went out to lunch and also visited an axe throwing pit (I'm not sure what this says about our marriage, haha!).  He was better at it overall, BUT I got the first bullseye!  We held our annual Project Linus Make a Blanket Day and had a great turnout.  We collected over 75 blankets and made another 23 at the event!  The weather overall this month was warmer than normal, but it also rained a ton, so we couldn't really do anything outside.

The Books

Fairest (reread) // Work in Progress // Temper // The Two Lives of Lydia Bird

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone (reread) // Golden // Wife After Wife (review to come) // Nine Perfect Strangers (audio)

Wait For Me // 100 Hikes of a Lifetime // Anna K. // The Summer I Met Jack (review to come)

A Better Man (audio) // Children of Blood and Bone // Red, White & Royal Blue // A Bend in the Stars

The Keeper (review to come) // The Other Windsor Girl (review to come)

The Posts and Reviews

Can't-Wait Wednesday: The Kingdom of Back
Backlist Mini-Reviews 
Top Ten Tuesday: Quotables, The Love Edition 
Can't-Wait Wednesday: He Started It 
Review: The Two Lives of Lydia Bird 
Down The TBR Hole #8 
Can't-Wait Wednesday: Lost Autumn 
Blog Tour + Review: 100 Hikes of a Lifetime 
DNF&Y #4 
Can't-Wait Wednesday: And They Called It Camelot 
Review: Anna K.

How was your February?