The Orphan House by Anne Bennett

The Orphan House by Anne Bennett
Publish Date: February 28, 2020

Synopsis
Baby born September 5th 1934 approximately. Place of birth, unknown; father, unknown; mother unknown.

Present day. Sarah Jennings knows there’s one place she can go to find some peace and quiet during her difficult divorce. But arriving at her beloved father’s home in the countryside, she finds him unwell and hunched over boxes of files, studying the records from Cedar Hall, the crumbling orphanage in town. He says that hidden behind the wrought iron gates and overgrown ivy are secrets about their family, and he asks for her help.

Sarah goes to speak to Connie Burroughs, the only person left alive who lived at Cedar Hall. Her questions take Connie from the comfort of her nursing home right back to a chilly night in 1934, when as a little girl she saw her own father carrying a newborn baby, bundled in rags, that he said he’d found near the broken front gate. The day Connie began to protect his secrets.

But just as Sarah begins to convince Connie that the truth can set her free, she realizes that unlocking the past might have heartbreaking consequences…

My Thoughts

While I did really enjoy the concept and story line of this novel, it was just a bit too drawn out for me. I enjoyed the different POV's and time periods the story is told in and found it very easy to follow. There constantly was suspense build-up that it almost seemed to be too much at times. Not that I don't enjoy a good chapter cliff hanger, but it was just build-up, build-up, build-up that it almost seemed too predictable of what was coming next. When Connie's big family secret was finally revealed, it was very obvious and felt anticlimactic. I almost wish Sarah's story line did not have a love story element, she was a strong enough character that she did not need it. Also really liked Anna's story line and wish there had almost been more of her's. Overall a quick but satisfying read that focuses on family, faith and finding the truth. Many thanks to Bookouture and NetGalley for and ARC in exchange for an honest review.  My Rating: ««« The reviews made here are my personal opinion. I’m not being paid to review any of these books. I am by no means a professional book reviewer or editor.  I do this for the love of books.

The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes

The Giver of Stars by Jojo Moyes
Publish Date: October 8, 2019

The Synopsis
Alice Wright marries handsome American Bennett Van Cleve hoping to escape her stifling life in England. But small-town Kentucky quickly proves equally claustrophobic, especially living alongside her overbearing father-in-law. So when a call goes out for a team of women to deliver books as part of Eleanor Roosevelt’s new traveling library, Alice signs on enthusiastically.

The leader, and soon Alice’s greatest ally, is Margery, a smart-talking, self-sufficient woman who’s never asked a man’s permission for anything. They will be joined by three other singular women who become known as the Packhorse Librarians of Kentucky.

What happens to them–and to the men they love–becomes an unforgettable drama of loyalty, justice, humanity and passion. These heroic women refuse to be cowed by men or by convention. And though they face all kinds of dangers in a landscape that is at times breathtakingly beautiful, at others brutal, they’re committed to their job: bringing books to people who have never had any, arming them with facts that will change their lives.

Based on a true story rooted in America’s past, The Giver of Stars is unparalleled in its scope and epic in its storytelling. Funny, heartbreaking, enthralling, it is destined to become a modern classic–a richly rewarding novel of women’s friendship, of true love, and of what happens when we reach beyond our grasp for the great beyond.

My Thoughts
I've heard a lot of hype surrounding this book over that last 6 months and not the good type of hype.  I want to read The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek to be able to compare the two, and had wanted to do so before reviewing this one, but figured a review shouldn't be about comparisons. So here goes...

I've been a fan of Jojo Moyes for some time and have read a number of her books - 7 to be exact.  When I read the synopsis for this book found, I found it quite out of the norm for her genre and setting.  To me it read more like a Kristin Hannah novel and seemed like something I would expect from her.  Even the cover artwork was not what I would expect from Jojo Moyes.  That being said, I did really enjoy the story and it was fascinating learning about a piece of history I knew nothing about.  I love books about strong female women, I love books about books and I especially love Little Women.  Not that my opinion of the novel had anything to do with my passion for Little Women, but I enjoyed that it was somewhat it's own "character".  

I thoroughly enjoyed all the characters, even the the men, because let's face it, what would a 1930's setting novel be without a cast of discouraging male characters for the females to prove wrong?  Am I right?  Overall, great message, great story all set against the beautiful backdrop of Kentucky. 

My Rating: ««««

The reviews made here are my personal opinion. I’m not being paid to review any of these books. I am by no means a professional book reviewer or editor.  I do this for the love of books. 

The Aviator's Wife by Melanie Benjamin

Publisher: Delacorte Press
Publish Date: January 15, 2013
Format: Kobo 
Pages: - 
ISBN: 9780345534699

For much of her life, Anne Morrow, the shy daughter of the U.S. ambassador to Mexico, has stood in the shadows of those around her, including her millionaire father and vibrant older sister, who often steals the spotlight. Then Anne, a college senior with hidden literary aspirations, travels to Mexico City to spend Christmas with her family. There she meets Colonel Charles Lindbergh, fresh off his celebrated 1927 solo flight across the Atlantic. Enthralled by Charles’s assurance and fame, Anne is certain the celebrated aviator has scarcely noticed her. But she is wrong.
 
Charles sees in Anne a kindred spirit, a fellow adventurer, and her world will be changed forever. The two marry in a headline-making wedding. Hounded by adoring crowds and hunted by an insatiable press, Charles shields himself and his new bride from prying eyes, leaving Anne to feel her life falling back into the shadows. In the years that follow, despite her own major achievements—she becomes the first licensed female glider pilot in the United States—Anne is viewed merely as the aviator’s wife. The fairy-tale life she once longed for will bring heartbreak and hardships, ultimately pushing her to reconcile her need for love and her desire for independence, and to embrace, at last, life’s infinite possibilities for change and happiness.

My Thoughts

While I had some knowledge of Charles Lindbergh and his life accomplishments, this book gave me so much more information about his personal life as well as professional, told through the eyes of his devoted wife, Anne Morrow.  There is nothing more enjoyable that learning about a strong historical figure and seeing how the driving force behind them is most often a woman.  A strong woman, who no matter what stood beside her controlling husband, sacrificed so much and was "his crew" until his death.

This novel had much more than I thought it would, assuming most of it would have been based on the famous kidnapping of Charles Jr. in 1932, this was only a portion woven in to a much deeper story.  A little bit too political for me at times, but that is a portion of Lindbergh I did not know about and still found it interesting to read about.  Charles and Anne's life and the fascination with it truly was the birth of paparazzi. 

This novel does what any great historical fiction novel does, gets the reader interested in the characters to then do a further search about them after reading to determine fact from fiction.  What I personally love about historical fiction is the just that, fiction woven in to make it interesting. As long as the basis of the novel stays factual, the small details that piece everything together can be as fictitious as the author can create, showing how much imagination an author really has, which is key when writing.

My Rating: ««««

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The reviews made here are my personal opinion. I’m not being paid to review any of these books. I am by no means a professional book reviewer or editor.  I do this for the love of books.

The Blue Moon Circus by Michael Raleigh

Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Publish Date: March 1, 2004
Format: Kobo
Pages: -
ISBN: 9781492616498

Together with a magician, a snake handler, a Russian animal tamer, and a nine-year-old orphan, ringmaster Lewis Tully tours the American West in 1926 with his circus act for one last time before settling down.

My Thoughts:

A book I've never heard of by and author I've never heard of.  I know no one who has read it and a synopsis that is almost non existent.  What an awesome little gem I stumbled upon.  There are few quirky subject I really enjoy and get really excited when I can read a novel about them: Circuses, Pirates and Motorcycle Gangs.


I love the time period, and the idea of the story, a washed up circus guru giving it one last go.  Beautifully told and warms your heart.  The greatest stories are the ones you least expect.

My Rating: ««««

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The reviews made here are my personal opinion. I’m not being paid to review any of these books. I am by no means a professional book reviewer or editor.  I do this for the love of books.

China Dolls by Lisa See

Publisher: Random House
Publish Date: June 3, 2014
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 376
ISBN: 9780812992892

In 1938, Ruby, Helen and Grace, three girls from very different backgrounds, find themselves competing at the same audition for showgirl roles at San Francisco's exclusive "Oriental" nightclub, the Forbidden City. Grace, an American-born Chinese girl has fled the Midwest and an abusive father. Helen is from a Chinese family who have deep roots in San Francisco's Chinatown. And, as both her friends know, Ruby is Japanese passing as Chinese. At times their differences are pronounced, but the girls grow to depend on one another in order to fulfill their individual dreams. Then, everything changes in a heartbeat with the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Suddenly the government is sending innocent Japanese to internment camps under suspicion, and Ruby is one of them. But which of her friends betrayed her?

My Thoughts

Lisa See is an author I have long been wanting to dive into and I was somewhat disappointed.  This book was just ok and I expected a lot more with all the novels See already has under her belt.  I couldn't relate to any of the characters and they all just fell flat and frankly were boring and shallow.  The whole thing just left me scratching my head wondering why these 3 girls were ever friends.  Each chapter was narrated by either Grace, Helen or Ruby and I had a hard time keeping track of who was narrating.  I would have to go back to the beginning to find out who's POV I was reading about. Also sometimes the story was choppy - there wasn't good flow going into the next chapter.

The writing was terrible, terrible, terrible (see what I did there.)  I found it juvenile and poorly put together.  I've read other reviews who stat her other books are beautifully written so I don't know where she went wrong with this one.

I really enjoyed the history and cultural tone of the novel and the Chop Suey Circuit is something I had never heard of prior to reading this novel.  The rich history and detailing of the era is what saved this read for me. 

My Rating: «««

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The reviews made here are my personal opinion. I’m not being paid to review any of these books. I am by no means a professional book reviewer or editor.  I do this for the love of books.

Blackberry Winter by Sarah Jio

Publisher: Plume
Publish Date: September 25, 2015
Format: Download library
Pages: - 
ISBN - 

Seattle, 1933. Single mother Vera Ray kisses her three-year-old son, Daniel, goodnight and departs to work the night-shift at a local hotel. She emerges to discover that a May-Day snow has blanketed the city, and that her son has vanished. Outside, she finds his beloved teddy bear lying face-down on an icy street, the snow covering up any trace of his tracks, or the perpetrator's.

Seattle, 2010. Seattle Herald reporter Claire Aldridge, assigned to cover the May 1 "blackberry winter" storm and its twin, learns of the unsolved abduction and vows to unearth the truth. In the process, she finds that she and Vera may be linked in unexpected ways...

My Thoughts

Cover love! I really really enjoyed this read, even better than Morning Glory which I listened to earlier this year.  Having read 2 of her novels and the synopsis for The Bungalow (which is up next) I have quickly noticed a pattern to her writing style, but I'm ok with a reoccurring theme in her novels as long as the story intrigues me.  I was so engaged with both story lines and Vera and Claire that it was hard to put this one down.  I love how the stories were woven together and although each story line was a little bit too neat and predictable I still really enjoyed this read.

Sarah Jio has very quickly become a must read author for me and can't wait to dive into the rest of her novels. 

My Rating: ««««

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The reviews made here are my personal opinion. I’m not being paid to review any of these books. I am by no means a professional book reviewer or editor.  I do this for the love of books.

The Piano Teacher by Janice Y.K Lee

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Publish Date: January 13, 2009

Format: Audio

Discs: 9

ISBN: 978 0143144410

Exotic Hong Kong takes center stage in this sumptuous novel, set in the 1940s and '50s. It's a city teeming with people, sights, sounds, and smells, and it's home to a group of foreign nationals who enjoy the good life among the local moneyed set, in a tight-knit social enclave distanced from the culture at large. Comfortable, clever, and even a bit dazzling, they revel in their fancy dinners and fun parties. But their sheltered lives take an abrupt turn after the Japanese occupation, and though their reactions are varied -- denial, resistance, submission -- the toll it takes on all is soon laid bare. 

Enter Claire Pendleton from London. Months after her husband is transferred to Hong Kong in 1951, she accepts a position as a piano teacher to the daughter of a wealthy couple, the Chens. Claire begins to see the appeal of the sweltering city and is soon taken in by the Chen's driver, the curiously underutilized Will Truesdale. A handsome charmer with a mysterious limp, Will appears to be the perfect companion for Claire, who's often left to her own devices. But a further examination leaves her with more questions than answers.

My Thoughts

Talk about a yawn fest.  The book was so boring to listen to that if I wasn't driving I would have probably fallen asleep.  I should have listened to this as my bedtime story to lull me to sleep.  The story had so little to do with Claire - the piano teacher - and more to do with Trudy and Will.  I have to say that the only storyline I found remotely interesting was Trudy's and would have maybe enjoyed this book more had it focused on her.  But probably not because I didn't like her.  None of the characters were likable and by the end I just felt frustrated and deflated.  

My Rating: ««

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The reviews made here are my personal opinion. I’m not being paid to review any of these books. I am by no means a professional book reviewer or editor.  I do this for the love of books.

The Girl Who Came Home by Hazel Gaynor

Publisher: HarperCollins
Publish Date: April 1, 2014
Format: Kobo
Pages - 
ISBN: 978 0062316875

A voyage across the ocean becomes the odyssey of a lifetime for a young Irish woman. . . .

Ireland, 1912 . . .

Fourteen members of a small village set sail on RMS Titanic, hoping to find a better life in America. For seventeen-year-old Maggie Murphy, the journey is bittersweet. Though her future lies in an unknown new place, her heart remains in Ireland with Séamus, the sweetheart she left behind. When disaster strikes, Maggie is one of the few passengers in steerage to survive. Waking up alone in a New York hospital, she vows never to speak of the terror and panic of that fateful night again.

Chicago, 1982 . . .

Adrift after the death of her father, Grace Butler struggles to decide what comes next. When her great-grandmother Maggie shares the painful secret about Titanic that she's harbored for almost a lifetime, the revelation gives Grace new direction—and leads both her and Maggie to unexpected reunions with those they thought lost long ago.

Inspired by true events, The Girl Who Came Home poignantly blends fact and fiction to explore the Titanic tragedy's impact and its lasting repercussions on survivors and their descendants.

My Thoughts

I have long since been fascinated by the Titanic and it's ill-fated maiden voyage and I never tire her haunting stories.  It was interesting to learn that this novel was inspired by a group of 14 people from small town Addergoole Ireland who set sail on the RMS Titanic for a better life in America.  I was very fascinated with this story and did further research on this remarkable group of people to learn more  I thoroughly enjoyed Maggie's story and thought it was beautifully written.  There is something about an old woman telling a story of her youth to her granddaughter that is just so beautiful and moving.

It wasn't a literally masterpiece by any means but it was charming and very touching.  Defiantly recommend this to Titanic lovers everywhere. 

My Rating: ««««

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The reviews made here are my personal opinion. I’m not being paid to review any of these books. I am by no means a professional book reviewer or editor.  I do this for the love of books.

The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin

Publisher: Algonquin Books
Publish Date: April 1, 2014
Format: Hardcover
Pages: 260
ISBN: 978 0670068241

On the faded Island Books sign hanging over the porch of the Victorian cottage is the motto "No Man Is an Island; Every Book Is a World." A. J. Fikry, the irascible owner, is about to discover just what that truly means.

A. J. Fikry's life is not at all what he expected it to be. His wife has died, his bookstore is experiencing the worst sales in its history, and now his prized possession, a rare collection of Poe poems, has been stolen. Slowly but surely, he is isolating himself from all the people of Alice Island-from Lambiase, the well-intentioned police officer who's always felt kindly toward Fikry; from Ismay, his sister-in-law who is hell-bent on saving him from his dreary self; from Amelia, the lovely and idealistic (if eccentric) Knightley Press sales rep who keeps on taking the ferry over to Alice Island, refusing to be deterred by A.J.'s bad attitude. Even the books in his store have stopped holding pleasure for him. These days, A.J. can only see them as a sign of a world that is changing too rapidly.

And then a mysterious package appears at the bookstore. It's a small package, but large in weight. It's that unexpected arrival that gives A. J. Fikry the opportunity to make his life over, the ability to see everything anew. It doesn't take long for the locals to notice the change overcoming A.J.; or for that determined sales rep, Amelia, to see her curmudgeonly client in a new light; or for the wisdom of all those books to become again the lifeblood of A.J.'s world; or for everything to twist again into a version of his life that he didn't see coming.

My Thoughts

"There ain't nobody in the world like book people."

This is a story that reminds me of all the reasons I love to read.  And if you don't like to read, read this book and THEN tell me you don't like to read.  Everything about this novel is so charming and quirky - it was instant love.  I couldn't put it down and read it in 2 sittings.  I loved A.J., my heart hurt for him and all the hardships that fell upon him.  People aren't jerks because they want to be, it's a way of masking pain.  And the journey A.J. went on to find true happiness was remarkable filled with humour along the way.  There wasn't a character I didn't love and they all did what a good character is supposed to do - serve a purpose to the story.

I originally rated this a 4 star and had to go back and give it 5 stars because its only once in awhile a book comes along that touches your soul, and those are the best books.

My Rating: «««««

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The reviews made here are my personal opinion. I’m not being paid to review any of these books. I am by no means a professional book reviewer or editor.  I do this for the love of books.

Morning Glory by Sarah Jio

Publisher: Brilliance Audio

Publish Date: November 26, 2014

Format: Audio

Discs: 8

ISBN: 978 1480542006

Fleeing an East Coast life marred by tragedy, Ada Santorini takes up residence on houseboat number seven on Boat Street.  She discovers a trunk left behind by Penny Wentworth, a young newlywed who lived on the boat half a century earlier.  Ada longs to know her predecessor’s fate, but little suspects that Penny’s mysterious past and her own clouded future are destined to converge.

My Thoughts

This was my first novel by Sarah Jio and I quickly fell in love with the characters and her flare for storytelling.   I was instantly pulled in and didn't want to let either Penny or Ada go.  My heart just broke for both of them and their stories were so beautifully woven together I never wanted an ending.  Part love story, part mystery and I really felt like I became part of the houseboat community.  I listened to this on audio and loved the narration - when listening to audio the narrator either makes or breaks a story.  And this narrator was defiantly a winner.  I can't wait to dive further into the tales of Sarah Jio and see where she takes me next.

and P.S. Why haven't her novels been adapted into movies yet?  

My Rating: ««««

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The reviews made here are my personal opinion. I’m not being paid to review any of these books. I am by no means a professional book reviewer or editor.  I do this for the love of books.

The Last Romanov by Dora Levy Mossanen

Publisher:
Publish Date: April 3, 2012
Format: Kobo 
Pages - 
ISBN:978 1402265952

She was an orphan, ushered into the royal palace on the prayers of her majesty.  Yet, decades later, her time spent in the embrace of the Romanov haunts her still.  Is she responsible for those murderous events that changed everything?

If only she can find the heir, maybe she can put together the broken pieces of her own past – maybe she can hold on to the love she found.

My Thoughts

My typical cover loving self got the best of me on this one!  With a new found love for Russian storytelling,especially the Romanov family, I was excited to stumble across this one on sale.  Well there is always a reason a book sells for dirt cheap - it's awful.  And apparently I will never learn.  It took me so long to actually figure out what the story was about that by then I had lost interest.  It was boring, poorly written, and just a down right confusing jumble.

I don't mind a fantasy element in a novel, although it's not my favourite, but in no way did it work with this story.  An opal eye? Really?  And while historical fiction novels have a tendency to be inaccurate, this novel was so beyond inaccurate it makes me think the author knew nothing about the history of the Romanov family.  A little bit of research is necessary when writing a historical fiction novel.  The author attempted to write a story, and I'm sure there was a story in there somewhere, it was just very unclear.  All the characters fell flat and had no real depth to them.

My advice?  Steer clear of this one. 

My Rating: «

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The reviews made here are my personal opinion. I’m not being paid to review any of these books. I am by no means a professional book reviewer or editor.  I do this for the love of books.

The Sandcastle Girls by Chris Bohjalian

Publisher: Random House Audio
Publish Date: July 17, 2012
Format: Audio
Discs: 9
ISBN: 978 0307917379

When Elizabeth Endicott arrives in Syria, she has a diploma from Mount Holyoke College, a crash course in nursing, and only the most basic grasp of the Armenian language.  The First World War is spreading across Europe, and she has volunteered on behalf of the Boston-based Friends of Armenia to deliver food and medical aid to refugees of the Armenian genocide.  There, Elizabeth becomes friendly with Armen, a young Armenian engineer who has already lost his wife and infant daughter.  When Armen leaves Aleppo to join the British Army in Egypt, he beings to write Elizabeth letters, and comes to realize that he has fallen in love with the wealthy, young American woman who is different from his wife he lost.  

Flash forward to the present, where we meet Laura Petrosian, a novelist living in suburban New York.  Although her grandparents’ ornate Pelham home was affectionately nicknamed the “Ottoman Annex,” Laura has never really given her Armenian heritage much thought.  But when an old friend calls, claiming to have seen a newspaper photo of Laura’s grandmother promoting an exhibit at a Boston museum, Laura embarks on a journey back through her family’s history that reveals love, loss – and a wrenching secret that has been buried for generations.

My Thoughts

"How do a million and a half people die with nobody knowing?  You kill them in the middle of nowhere."

I have to admit that I had never heard about the Armenian Genocide before this book.  It's sad, I know, but I'm defiantly not alone.  But once I started reading I needed to know more and spent hours devouring the internet to educate myself on this horrific event that is widely unknown.  The author take you away on such a heartbreaking journey of war and grief, love and loss and I loved how each character leaves a huge impact in unfolding this incredible story.  

I listened to this on audio and absolutely loved the alternating narration with Elizabeth and Laura - I think it's important in audio to have different voices if a story from multiple points of view.  It just makes for a more enjoyable listen in my opinion.

This was such a powerful and insightful novel that was overall unforgettable.  I encourage everyone to read this novel of an important piece of lost history.  This was my first novel by Chris Bohjalian and I am eager to read more.

My Rating: ««««

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The reviews made here are my personal opinion. I’m not being paid to review any of these books. I am by no means a professional book reviewer or editor.  I do this for the love of books.

A Place of Secrets by Rachel Hore

Publisher: Macmillan Audio
Publish Date: February 1, 2012
Format: Audio
Discs: 12
ISBN: 978 

Can dreams be passed down through families?  As a child Jude suffered a recurrent nightmare: running through a dark forest, crying for her mother.  Now six years later her six-year0old niece, Summer, is having the same dream, and Jude is frightened for her.

A successful auctioneer, Jude is struggling to come to terms with the death of her husband.  When she’s asked to value a collection of scientific instruments and manuscripts belonging to Anthony Wickham, a lonely 18^th century astronomer, she leaps at the chance to escape London for the untamed beauty of Norfolk, where she grew up.

As Jude untangles Wickham’s tragic story, she discovers threatening links to the present.  What have Summer’s nightmares to do with Starbrough folly, the eerie crumbling tower in the woods from which Wickham and is adopted daughter Esther once viewed the night sky?  With help of Euan, a local naturalist, Jude searches for answers in the wild, haunting splendor of the Norfolk forests.  Dare she leave behind sadness in her own life and learn to love again?

My Thoughts

Was this a story about trying to understand the reason for Summer's bad dreams or Jude finding love again or solving the mystery of the Wickham family and what happened to Esther or tracking down her grandmother's long lost childhood friend?  I'm not really sure because there were so many sub-plots going on that each got lost.  It was very slow paced and I just found the overall plot to be boring and uninteresting.  The novel had so much potential - why couldn't it just be about Jude unraveling the mystery of Esther and be done with it.  The dream aspect was just plain unrealistic and held no value to the story.  I also found the love story to be unnecessary and boring.  I felt zero engagement with the characters and couldn't wait for the story to end.

I listened to this on audio and I have come to the conclusion that I strongly dislike British narrators!  I have listened to a number of them and the attempt at doing different voices for each character (especially a man or child) makes my skin crawl.  

It had been a few weeks since I listened to this book and I can't real how it even ended.  Hate when that happens.

My Rating: ««

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The reviews made here are my personal opinion. I’m not being paid to review any of these books. I am by no means a professional book reviewer or editor.  I do this for the love of books.

A Murder at Rosamund's Gate (Lucy Campion Mysteries #1) by Susanna Calkins

Publisher: Minotaur Books

Publish Date: April 23, 2013

Format: Hardcover

Pages: 352

ISBN: 978 1250007902

 Lucy Campion, a seventeenth-century English chambermaid in the household of the local magistrate, life is an endless repetition of polishing pewter, emptying chamber pots, and dealing with other household chores until a fellow servant is ruthlessly killed, and someone close to Lucy falls under suspicion.  Lucy can’t believe it, but in a time where the accused are presumed guilty until proven innocent, lawyers aren’t permitted to defend their clients, and – if the plague doesn’t kill the suspect first – public executions draw a large crowd of spectators, Lucy knows she may never find out what really happened.  Unless, that is, she can uncover the true herself.

Determined to do just that, Lucy finds herself venturing out of her expected station and into raucous printers’ shops, secretive gypsy camps, the foul streets of London, and even the bowels of Newgate prison on a trail that might lead her straight into the arms of the killer.

My Thoughts

I'm a cover lover - there is no doubt about that and I found this particular cover so haunting and beautiful I knew I had to read it.  Then reading the synopsis and a promise of a good mystery set in the seventeenth century I was sold.  I loved the time period, loved the setting and the description of London and the premises of the story.  However there too much going on for me to fully engage in the story.  In addition to Lucy trying to solve the mystery of her friends murder there was also a number of other sub stories going on as well.  There was a romance budding with Lucy.  The plague struck and then became a focal point of the story.  There was also the political aspect and how during that time London had a corrupt justice system.  While the author did a great job of weaving everything together I found that it was all a bit too much. 

I liked her writing and glad that she chose to use modern language as opposed to what would have been used in the seventeenth century.  As she explains in her author's notes this is much easier for the reader, and as a lover and avid reader of historical fiction this is something even I appreciate.

This is the first book in a series and while I found the introduction to the series a bit slow I think it is a series worth reading and will continue on with the second book From the Charred Remains as I believe Calkins has so much room to grow as a storyteller.  I think Lucy is an interesting character and although not very complex (which is refreshing sometimes) am intrigued as to where the author takes her.  Although I didn't love the novel I wouldn't hesitate to recommend Calkins or this novel.

My Rating: «««

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The reviews made here are my personal opinion. I’m not being paid to review any of these books. I am by no means a professional book reviewer or editor.  I do this for the love of books.

The Confabulist by Steven Galloway

Publisher: Knopf Canada

Publish Date:April 29, 2014

Format: Advanced reading copy

Pages: -

ISBN: -

The Confabulist weaves together the life, loves and murder of the world’s greatest magician, Harry Houdini, with the story of the man who killed him (twice): Martin Strauss, an everyday man whose fate was tied to the magician’s in unforeseen ways.  A cast of memorable characters spins around Houdini’s celebrity-driven life, as they did in his time: from the Romanov family soon to be assassinated, to Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the powerful heads of Scotland Yard, and the Spiritualists who would use whoever they could to establish their religion.  A brilliant novel about fame and ambition, reality and illusion, and the ways that love, grief and imagination can alter what we perceive and believe.

My Thoughts

Whether or not this book is historically accurate (which it's not) I still found it to be an entertaining read.  I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this book to others, just as long as they don't dissect and really analyze it.  Harry Houdini was a fascinating person - there is no doubt about it.  And his career was only a small part of it.  And I think that's what I wanted more of with this book.  So much of it was fabricated (such as Martin Strauss) that I wanted maybe just a bit more reality.  But on the other hand had I wanted all the facts I would have just read a biography.  I liked the uniqueness of this retelling and learned a few things about Houdini that I didn't know before such as his involvement with the Romanov family and his strange relationship with Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the spiritualists.  But it did peak my interest enough  that I gave it 4 stars because it grasped my interest and held it, I never struggled to keep going. 

Thank you to Random House Canada via Goodreads First Reads Giveaway for an advanced copy in exchange for an unbiased review.

My Rating: ««««

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The reviews made here are my personal opinion. I’m not being paid to review any of these books. I am by no means a professional book reviewer or editor.  I do this for the love of books.

The Orphan Master's Son by Adam Johnson

Publisher: Random House Audio

Publish Date: January 10, 2012

Format: Audio

Discs: 15

ISBN: 978 0307939708

Pak Jun Do is the haunted son of a lost mother – a singer “Stolen” tp Pyongyang – and an influential father who runs Long Tomorrows. A work camp for orphans.  There the boy is given his first taste of power, picking which orphans eat first and which will be lent out for manual labor.  Recognized for his loyalty and keen instincts, Jun Do comes to the attention of superiors in the state, rises in the ranks, and starts on a road from which there will be no return.

Considering himself “a humble citizen of the greatest nation in the world,” Jun do becomes a professional kidnapper who must navigate the shifting rules, arbitrary violence, and baffling demands of his Korean overlords in order to stay alive.  Driven to the absolute limit of what any human being could endure, he boldly takes on the treacherous role of rival Kim Jong Il in an attempt to save the woman he loves, Sun Moon, a legendary actress “so pure, she didn't know what starving people looked like.”

My Thoughts

"In North Korea you are not born, you are made."  If I took anything away from this novel it would be this quote and that's about it.  I did not find this an enjoyable book, mostly because half the time I had no idea what was going on.  Maybe had I read the book instead of listening to it I would have grasped more, but I have no desire to actually read it, I don't want to waste anymore time than I already have.  I found it very confusing, somewhat like reading a puzzle and there was no line between what was fantasy and what was real.  There are 3 narrators.  The first you hear is the radio announcer who spews nonsense to the citizens and then the other 2 narrators are actually the same person - just one in the past and one in the present.  I listened to this on audio and it eventually just became background noise while I was driving.

I did find learning about North Korea fascinating - and it gave you a glimpse into how this devastating country really is and will also say that it is well written that is rich in symbolism.  North Koreans truly believe it is the greatest nation in the world. 

My Rating: ««

But it Now!

The reviews made here are my personal opinion. I’m not being paid to review any of these books. I am by no means a professional book reviewer or editor.  I do this for the love of books.