Catching up on reading and reviews…
Currently Reading:
-
The Bohemians: Mark Twain and the San Francisco Writers who Reinvented American Literature by Ben Tarnoff
- The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North (received through NetGalley)
- The Temptations of Anna Jacobs by Robyn DeHart (received through NetGalley)
On Deck:
-
We Were Liars by e. lockhart (received through the publisher)
- Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
- Colonel Roosevelt by Edmund Morris
- From Souk to Souk: Travels through the Middle East by Robin Ratchford (received through NetGalley)
- Eleanor and Park by Rainbow Rowell
- Sketchy: The Bea Chronicles Book 1 by Olivia Samms (received through Goodreads)
- The Harm in Asking: My Clumsy Encounters with the Human Race by Sara Barron (received through Goodreads)
Night
in Shanghai by Nicole Mones
(received through Goodreads)
5 stars
I had the good fortune of attending a
lecture put on by our local library in which Nicole Mones discussed her current
novel and the historic events it covers, so of course I was thrilled to receive
a copy of this novel through the Goodreads Firstreads Giveaway. During the years leading up to and entering
into World War II, Shanghai was a fascinating mix of music, dance and
international flair. Jazz musicians,
primarily African Americans, were enticed to play in clubs for better pay and
more freedom than they received in the United States at the time. As the Japanese invasion approached, Shanghai
began to change in inconceivable ways and a lot of those same musicians were no
longer safe. This novel follows Thomas
Greene and his band mates; Lin Ming, the illegitimate son of a Chinese gangster
and Song, the paid servant of the same gangster and a committed Communist. The three lives intersect as the world
implodes into war and their story is absorbing, heartbreaking and ultimately
hopeful.
Nicole Mones is an incredible writer with
a gift for creating believable characters and an amazing knowledge of Chinese
history. My only criticism of this book
is that it could definitely be longer with more detail and less glossed over in
parts. Otherwise, I highly recommend
this book to fans of historical fiction and anyone who likes historically
accurate, entertaining novels.
The
Affair: A Sisters of Scandal Novella
by Lily Maxton (received through NetGalley)
4 ½ stars
Elizabeth, a widowed Countess surprises Cale
Cameron, a bookseller and known rake, when she pops into his shop to avoid a
rainstorm. He is immediately drawn to
her and what follows is a delightful story about two people getting to know
each other while trying not to become too attached. I am becoming a fan of the novella form,
especially for romance novels where more pages sometimes equals more angsty
nonsense, but I really think this book would be even better in the expanded
form. These are two well written
characters and their banter is witty and provocative. I enjoyed this novella, devoured it rather
quickly and only wished it was a little longer.
I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest
review.
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