Reviews - November 29, 2016

Searching for John Hughes by Jason Diamond
4.5 stars



Author, Jason Diamond, grew up in the northern suburbs of Chicago where many of John Hughes movies are based and where Hughes himself lived.  The movies served as a retreat from an incredibly sad childhood and adolescence, reliably providing relatable characters and happy endings.  As a young adult attempting to figure out his life in New York, he decides to write a comprehensive, unauthorized biography of John Hughes.  While spending years working on this biography, he starts to come to terms with his childhood and slowly work through how he wants to live his life.  Instead of a John Hughes biography, he has written a very personal memoir that take the movies of his (and mine) youth and fits them into the biography of his own life.  I am about the same age as Diamond and while my life experiences are not at all similar, I related to this book...a lot.  I received this book through a LibraryThing giveaway in exchange for an honest review. 



A Perilous Undertaking (Veronica Speedwell #2) by Deanna Raybourn
Publication Date - January 10, 2017
4 stars



Veronica Speedwell is back in this second installment to solve a mystery, outsmart the bad guys and catch some butterflies.  Set during Victorian England, Veronica abhors most social niceties and lives by her own rules.  Fortunately, she has found a wealthy benefactor and a cantankerous, yet handsome, partner to help her along.  The mystery in this one almost takes a backburner to Veronica and Stoker's relationship and to Veronica herself.  At times, her personality is taken a bit far and seems almost cartoonish but she and her side characters are extremely likable and there is definitely enough backstory to take the series farther.  I received this book through Penguin's First to Read Program in exchange for an honest review. 

Weekend Wrap-Up - November 27, 2016

Hero of the Empire: The Boer War, a Daring Escape and the Making of Winston Churchill
By Candice Millard
4.5 Stars



Most know Winston Churchill as the powerful British Prime Minister who made wartime decisions that reverberated through the decades.  This book tells the unique story of his participation in the South African Boer War, his capture and his daring escape.  Like many who grow up to be extremely successful, Winston Churchill is not a particularly likable young man.  Yet, I found myself still rooting for him and his outrageous attempts at heroics even while cringing at the repugnance of colonialism.   I have read all of Candice Millard's books and while not my favorite (Destiny of the Republic is by far the more fascinating historical exploration), this is a well-paced and readable narrative.  I received this book from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. 


Mexico: Stories by Josh Barkan
Publication Date: January 24, 2016
3.5 stars



This collection of short stories describes life for people living in Mexico City and their interactions with the fear and violence of drug cartels.  Many times these are Americans living in one of the more upscale neighborhoods who naïvely stumble upon danger.  I thought it interesting that most of these were written in the first person, which meant that the reader is placed inside the head of each of the narrators.  I'm don't read many story collections but this seemed a different approach and made them very approachable and easy to speed through.  As with all collections, not all of these were great and I think the first in the collection is my least favorite.  I'm also not sure how realistic these situation are but they were definitely interesting to read.  I received this book from a LibraryThing giveaway in exchange for an honest review. 

End of Series Review - November 21, 2016

Fate of the Tearling by Erika Johansen
Publication Date - November 29, 2016
5 stars



Kelsea Glenn was pulled from the relative safety of her quiet country cottage to take over her destined role as Queen of the Tearling.  Her land is one of suffering, slavery and strife.  Her immediate decision both endear her to her people and create danger of invasion from the neighboring Mort people.  With well developed side characters and enemies that have complicated back-stories, this series continues to enthrall.  I have thoroughly enjoyed this fantasy/post-apocalyptical series from the very first.  Queen Kelsea is a female protagonist who is strong, flawed, smart and fascinating.  Each edition of this series has gotten more complex but has also stayed true to the world and plot.  At times, the pace is slow but it all builds to a very satisfying conclusion and many times I had chills at the direction the books take.  I eagerly look forward to see what Erika Johansen writes next and hope that more fantasy and post-apocalyptical books are in the future.  I received an advanced copy of this book from the publisher through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. 

Friday Review - November 18, 2016

Trouble Makes a Comeback by Stephanie Tromly
Publication Date - December 1, 2016
3.5 stars


This second installation in the series has Digby returning to town in order to follow new information regarding his missing sister.  In the meantime, Zoë has found friends and a football-playing boyfriend and is enjoying the feeling of finally fitting in after the chaos of last semester.  The action starts right away and I would definitely recommend reading the first book before this one.  I thought the plot was as unnecessarily consulted as the first book but the characters seemed more well developed this time around.  It ended on a cliff-hangar so I assume there will be another book, and I am now invested enough to really look forward to it.  I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

The Bookish Life - November 16, 2016

The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Cogan
4 stars



Nina lives in a world where her skills as a book-loving librarian are needed less and less.  After losing her job in Birmingham, she buys a large van and moves to the Scottish highlands to be a mobile bookshop.  This book is about the importance of books but also about the importance of also living a life outside of the pages.  This is a comfort read, and while not really realistic, it is so sweet and charming that I would recommend it to almost anyone.  It includes books, romance, Scottish scenery and small village life.  What really more does a person require in a cozy, comforting read.  I received this book from the publisher through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. 

Book Review - November 10, 2016

Rise the Dark by Michael Koryta
3.5 stars



Mark Novak was introduced in Michael Koryta's previous book, Last Words, as a man dealing with the murder of his wife.  In this book, he is still pursuing his wife's supposed murderer who has just been released from prison for another crime.  There is another plotline of an Electrical Engineer who comes home to find his wife has been kidnapped.  The book slowly works out how these events are connected.  I have read almost all of this author's works and I find his writing and prose improves with each one.  I really enjoyed this story and his choice of providing narrative from the "villain's" point of view which normally doesn't work for me, in this instance adds to the story.  I did feel a disconnect from the character of Mark which took away from the plot, but overall this is another solid mystery from the author.  I received this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Monday Review - November 7, 2016

Against Everything by Mark Greif
4 stars

This essay collection covers everything from the phenomenon known as Octomom to modern warfare  to the significance of rap and punk music.  These are fairly long essays that have previously been published in other sources but I thought them really interesting overall.  I would say that a few seemed almost outdated as we head into this very stressful election, but that could just be problem with timing.  I received this book from the publisher through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review.

The Play's the Thing - November 4, 2016

Hag-Seed by Margaret Atwood
4.5 stars



Margaret Atwood's take on Shakespeare's The Tempest is incredibly clever with a frankly genius plot.  Admittedly, as a Margaret Atwood fan I would have picked this up eventually but I have also been working my way through the Hogarth Shakespeare series and have found all of the entries to be delightful.  This book, though, really is a work of art.  The story follows a grief-stricken, disposed theatre director who turns to the life of a hermit in a shack in the middle of nowhere when he is fired from his job.  As the years pass, he becomes more willing to join the real world and takes a job as a literature teacher in a local prison.  His Shakespeare production becomes a huge draw at the correctional institute and he discovers a way to exact revenge on those who fired him.  There are layers within layers to this story and the characters are surprisingly rich for such a short book.  I am impressed with this series overall and feel a connection to Shakespeare's work that I haven't before.  I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for an honest review. 

Mid Week Review - November 1, 2016

Cruel Beautiful World by Caroline Leavitt
4 stars



With a backdrop of the tumultuous year of 1969, this novel explores love, family, relationships and fitting in.  Sixteen year old Lucy lives with her elderly relative, Iris, when she runs away with her high school teacher leaving Iris and sister, Charlotte, devastated.  The relationships and love lives of these three women are thoroughly and beautifully created and the lives of the side characters are very well explored.  I did find myself wishing that the sixties played even a bigger role in the story but overall I found this to be both a beautiful and surprisingly suspenseful story.  I received this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Rapid Romance Round-Up Part 2 - November 1, 2016

Campbell's Redemption by Sharon Cullen
Publication Date - November 22, 2016
4 stars



This is the third book in Sharon Cullen's Highland Pride series and none of them so far have disappointed.  I have been looking forward to this one as it follows the possible traitor, enigmatic Iain Campbell and the local healer, Cait.  Like all of the heroines in the series, Cait is no blushing debutante but instead a widow who has chosen to live her own life on the edges of the clan property.  Iain was the last to see her husband alive and must live with the guilt and her accusations.  As he reconnects with Cait, he begins to feel an attraction and other feelings which have never been stirred before.  Cait must wrestle with how she feels about his involvement with the English and his overbearingness with members of his clan.  The storylines behind these books are fantastic with enough history to remain interesting without bogging down the plot.  This was an especially well drawn story about grief and loss that I only wish didn't wrap up so quickly at the end.  These books could definitely afford to be a bit longer than around 250 pages.  Overall, this author continues to impress me with her historical romances.  I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 




Someone to Love by Mary Balogh
Publication Date - November 1, 2016
3.5 stars




The plot and the main characters in this historical romance are so incredible and interesting that it is a shame the writing wasn't as good.  Normally Mary Balogh is a reliable romance writer but this was crammed with too many inconsequential characters, not enough chemistry between the hero and heroine and the slowest first half of any romance ever.  I really loved the character of Avery, Duke of Archer and Anna Snow's back story is top notch but I ended up wishing it had all been done a little better.  I received this from Penguin's First to Read Program in exchange for an honest review. 




The Danger of Desire by Sabrina Jeffries
Publication Date - November 22, 2016
4 stars




Delia is just trying to avenge her brother's death and pay off his mortgage but Warren, asked to keep an eye on her, keeps getting in the way.  These two characters are feisty with great chemistry.  Their banter is witty and they have fairly realistic issues they need to resolve in order to be together.  Overall this was an enjoyable read from a reliable historical romance writer.  I received this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 



Duke of Pleasure by Elizabeth Hoyt
Publication Date - November 29, 2016
3.5 stars



The Maiden Lane series continues with this book about Alf, the street urchin who dresses as a boy, and Hugh, the Duke of Kyle.  Hugh has been asked to destroy the despicable Lords of Chaos and turns to Alf to help.  Not realizing that he is a she and also the sexy ghost of St. Giles, he relies on Alf to infiltrate the society.  I liked Alf a lot but Hugh was a bit of a boring character.  I've read about half of this series and there are a couple that I really enjoyed and a couple that I wasn't a fan of.  This falls somewhere in the middle.  I'm glad that I got to learn Alf's story, though, and overall enjoyed most of this book.  I received this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.