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  • Tag: mini review

    • Favorite Reads of 2022

      Posted at 10:15 am by Laura, on December 29, 2022

      Hello, bookworms! I know it’s been quiet on the blog when it comes to book reviews. It was a busy year at work, and so writing any kind of review on the blog––books I enjoyed reading for fun––fell by the wayside. But I’ve been keeping track over on Instagram, and I am so happy to share that reading for quality instead of quantity the last few years is really paying off! This year was full of four- and five-star books, and below I’m sharing my absolute favorites!

      Empire of Gold || The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue || Part of Your World || The Huntress
      The Book of Gothel || A River Enchanted || Babel

      Over the summer I shared my reviews for the first four books (check it out!). This fall I read the last three, with reviews below. I loved these books to pieces, and I think it’s such a great representation of my reading taste overall. Magical, inspiring, sweeping emotions; hilarious, honest, and real; intriguing, tense, and curious. 

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      Curious about my thoughts? Read the reviews after this break!

      Continue reading →

      Posted in books, Reviews 2022 | 1 Comment | Tagged book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: fantasy, genre: historical fiction, mini review, review
    • 2022 Favorites: First Half of the Year

      Posted at 2:00 pm by Laura, on June 18, 2022

      Hello, hello! Life is nuts, the world’s on fire, my to-do list grows and grows––but I still manage to find little pockets of time here and there to read for fun. Ever since I started prioritizing my reading for quality over quantity, I’ve really started to hone in on what I truly enjoy. While I’d love to be the kind of person who could read 100 books a year (on top of the reading I already do at work!), it’s definitely nice to be able to end the day or week (or even month, in some cases) with a book that wholly transports me.

      I’ve read 12 books so far. 5 of them were for book clubs, 1 of them a buddy read, 2 read during the flights to and from our honeymoon, 4 of them on my “2022 goals” list to read this year, 2 of them I picked up out of pure curiosity, 3 of them audiobooks. Of this collection, 4 received 5(+) stars! Here are my five-star favorites from January through mid-June! Read after the break to glimpse my mini reviews!

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      Continue reading →

      Posted in books, Reviews 2022 | 2 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: contemporary, genre: fantasy, genre: historical fiction, mini review, review
    • 2021 Favorites: First Half of the Year

      Posted at 1:54 pm by Laura, on August 21, 2021

      Time is flying by, leaving this blog in the dust! I apologize for not including book reviews for recent reads. Work has been good and overwhelming in the best ways, leaving me with little time or energy to read published books for fun. If I manage to read a published book, it’s on the weekend. And then I post a quick snippet of a review on Instagram instead of the blog. But I’m (finally) here today to give you a glimpse of my favorites from January through June!

      Five stars!

      I thoroughly enjoyed, devoured, and (for half of these) sobbed over these six books. Click to read the reviews (and see bonus books!)

      Continue reading →
      Posted in books, Reviews 2021 | 1 Comment | Tagged book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: contemporary, genre: historical fiction, genre: young adult, mini review, review
    • Mini Reviews

      Posted at 4:39 pm by Laura, on December 26, 2020

      This final set of mini reviews was meant to be primarily contemporary adult fiction, but it does contain one rogue fantasy title! 

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      Such a Fun Age by Kiley Reid (★★★★)

      One night when Alix’s house is vandalized, Alix calls upon Emira to take Briar out of the house and kill some time while Alix and her husband sort out the mess. While Emira is at the grocery store with Briar, a customer and a security personnel question her motives and assume Emira kidnapped Briar. A young man, Kelley, films the whole scene till Briar’s dad runs in and clears up the matter. The rest of the novel spirals from there, sharing the impact one event can have on three people.

      This is definitely a novel about race, perception, misunderstandings, motive, and passive listening. Alix intended to be better with and around Emira, a young black woman, but her way of tiptoeing and forcing a relationship (which…felt very white savior) was not genuine. Meanwhile, Kelley, a white man, may have been genuine but it also felt a bit white savior, and (as pointed out in the narrative) fetishized. Wrapped up in all this is Emira, who loves Briar deeply but desperately wants health insurance, a 401k, and a “true adult job” but she has no idea what she wants to do with her life. She’s about to turn 26 and be kicked off her parents’ insurance, and she’s watching her friends “grow up” at a faster rate, feeling left behind. I really felt for her and wanted her to find that perfect path. But life isn’t perfect, and when you factor in race, it’s hard to tell who is really on your side with genuine intentions and care.

      I adored Emira, and Alix made me cringe on so many levels—partly for the mirror reflection personally, partly because I know people just like her. But at the end of the day this book had me examining what it means to be an ally, to be anti-racist, and how my words and actions have the potential to be misconstrued and misunderstood. Honesty is the best policy, no doubt. I was pleased with where this story ended, and I’ll admit I had zero idea throughout reading this book where any of these characters would end up! Just as unpredictable as life itself. This book got me out of a reading slump, and holds a special place on my shelves.

      The Book of Essie by Meghan MacLean Weir (★★★★)

      Book club discussed this and it blew my mind—reality TV, religion, feminism, parenthood, capitalism, abuse—and the book left me speechless. Whoa is all I can truly coherently say.

      Essie is the youngest child in TV show “Six for Hicks,” and she’s pregnant. The world can’t know about it—out-of-wedlock pregnancy goes against the family’s extremely conservative, religious values—so she’s arranged to be married off. But when Essie plays her mother’s game and reaches out to a reporter who was once connected to another right-wing cult and broke free, she must now decide to tell the terrible truth of her family when the cameras are off, or quietly leave the show without imploding everyone’s lives.

      Very readable and engaging. The experience was almost like a car wreck and you can’t look away. There were some things I could relate to––possible universal experiences such as being raised to fit a certain role in life, to be burdened with specific responsibilities, respecting and honoring family first––though thankfully never to the extreme extent Essie experienced! I think we can all agree sticking to a prescribed role is confining, demoralizing, and has explosive repercussions when one wants to break free and be their true selves.

      The Starless Sea by Erin Morgenstern (★★★)

      “How are you feeling?” Zachary asks.
      “Like I’m losing my mind, but in a slow, achingly beautiful sort of way.”

      That just about sums up how I felt reading this book. The Night Circus is within my top five favorite books ever, and I went into this hoping for something similar. I wanted to taste the words and sink into the magic of the narrative and experience the tales with all of my senses. That certainly happened, but like Zachary says, “I wanted more story.”

      This is a story about stories about stories about stories. It’s incredibly meta. There are snippets of tales throughout Zachary’s narrative that have a fairytale-like quality to them—and because it’s Morgenstern, you know you need to pay attention to them because they’ll come back later. (My favorite story was the key collector. I felt a kindred spirit with him.) There are discussions on what makes a story—is it a book, a play, live theater, a board game, a video game, D&D; is it about a quest or a romance or the journey; does it have all the tropes, a beginning and end, an arc?—and every single one is explored in here. I can certainly appreciate that. The prose is stunning and the world is a bookworm’s paradise.

      But there were so many stories within stories I was frustrated and lost track. Zachary was so determined to find the ending of the story in his book that all other questions—who is the antagonist, what is this group, why are they dying, how do they know these things, how is he being followed, who are these people, why are they doing what they’re doing, what is the purpose—flew out the window. He simply…bumbled along. And by the end it’s so trippy I simply accepted the lack of plot and answers and went with it. I wonder if I would have a different experience with this if I re-read it. Honestly, I don’t know if I will—it’s a couple hundred pages of wandering around not getting questions answered too long for me—but I’m pleased at least that her magic is still there.

      Dear Emmie Blue by Lia Louis (★★★★)

      Emmie never really had friends or family, never always felt she had a home or a safe space, until after a horrific event prompted her to send a message tied to a balloon—which crossed the Channel and found its way to Lucas in France, who emailed Emmie back. For 15 years, Lucas was Emmie’s life. But now he’s getting married, and everything’s changing.

      I was extremely frustrated with Emmie’s dependent attachment to Lucas, the way she‘d drop everything and everyone else for him, the way she loved the idea of him and was blind to his true nature and to everyone else around her. I was frustrated because I was once Emmie too, and it wasn’t healthy. Emmie endured a traumatic experience and never received the help she so desperately needed, and here she was living with it haunting her everyday. Of course she would cling to the one good thing from her life all those years ago. Of course.

      I fell in love with the book more and more as Emmie distanced herself from Lucas. Her relationship with her landlady Louise, rekindling the friendship with Lucas’s brother Eliot, opening up to her colleagues at the hotel, finding her birth father—it was great to see her open her eyes and take stock of what she has in her life, and that it doesn’t need to revolve around a man to make her happy. (And the slowest of slow burns romance? Loved. It. That’s respect right there!)

      I recommend this book to anyone who has come out the other side of trauma: you’re not alone. I recommend this book to anyone who loves someone who’s been through trauma: here is an example of those attachments they formed. I recommend this book to anyone who loves someone still stuck in that trauma: with patience, time, and love, they do come out the other side stronger. 

      Posted in books, Reviews 2020 | 1 Comment | Tagged books, genre: adult fiction, genre: contemporary, genre: fantasy, mini review, review
    • Mini Reviews

      Posted at 4:17 pm by Laura, on December 26, 2020

      This next set of mini reviews is reserved for young adult fiction!

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      Now That I’ve Found You by Kristina Forest (★★★★)

      Evie is the granddaughter of a famous actress, and she recently blew her acting dreams apart with one bad viral video. Ashamed and desperate to make it back to the center stage, Evie heads to Gigi’s and stumbles into Milo, a young musician Gigi has taken under her wing. Though Evie’s plans to convince Gigi to attend an award ceremony backfire, she and Milo spend a week together exploring NYC, learning what’s important in life, and discovering that media is a fickle friend.

      This is Kristina Forest’s sophomore novel, and now I want to read her debut! The writing nailed the YA voice, the immediacy of everything was exhilarating and fun, Evie was deeply relatable despite her celebrity, and Milo was definitely swoon-worthy in a far less obvious way. I enjoyed every second of this. Most of all, I appreciated the openness and honesty between the characters, even though part of this narrative hinges on dishonesty. Not once did I want to bonk them on their heads and say “just TALK!”—so that was an immense relief. Evie’s growth and “I don’t have an answer but that’s okay” felt so right, too. You don’t need to have it all figured out yet!

      If you’re in need of a feel-good read to put a smile on your face, look no further!

      Recommended For You by Laura Silverman (★★★★★)

      Shoshanna Greenberg is determined to be the best bookseller at Once Upon this holiday season. But her moms are fighting, her car keeps breaking down, and the new employee at work—Jake Kaplan—is her biggest competition. He’s cute, he’s Jewish, and even though he doesn’t read books he’s somehow hand-selling more books than Shoshanna! Game on. But as Shoshanna tries to fix everything falling apart around her, she soon discovers some things require time to mend, and others require a little more thoughtfulness.

      I started for the holiday rush at a bookstore setting—holy heck was it all SO RIGHT, it made me remember my bookselling days!—and stayed for the big heart and big emotions. Shoshanna is so well-meaning and endearing, and even though she tends to knee-jerk react, it all comes from a place of compassion. There’s a lot to love about this book: employees as family, the diversity across the board (Jewish rep, LGBT+ rep, ability rep, poverty rep), a bookstore as a home, all the ways people can be called readers, the ways food connects to the heart, the true holiday spirit…Perfect, cute, fun holiday book for bookworms!

      Posted in books, Reviews 2020 | 0 Comments | Tagged books, genre: contemporary, genre: young adult, mini review, review
    • Mini Reviews

      Posted at 12:46 pm by Laura, on December 22, 2020

      As the year comes to a close, I needed to wrap up my reviews from books read several months ago. Some more mini reviews coming your way. This one is themed historical and fantasy!

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      The Wolf of Oren-Yaro by KS Villoso (★★★.5)

      Talyien is the Queen of Oren-yaro, or rather all of Jin-Sayeng, after unifying the warlords and city-states to her marriage with Rayyel, the Ikessar Prince and Dragonlord. It’s a big deal because there’s been what seems like centuries of bloodshed and warfare. But the night before they’re crowned, Rai walks out on Talyien. Flash forward five years. Their son is 7, Oren-yaro and the warlords are on the brink of civil war again, and Talyien receives a letter from Rai to meet with him in the neighboring kingdom across the sea. Skeptical but hopeful, Talyien sets sail…and 400 pages of obstacles happens.

      I’m not kidding. Talyien is betrayed left and right and doesn’t know who to trust—literally everyone except for maybe two people can’t be trusted—and she’s going to need some major therapy to work through these attachment issues and PTSD. And this is only the beginning! Villoso has a trilogy in store, and she’s only scratched the surface of Talyien and this Filipino-inspired world. 

      I found Talyien’s voice easy to read, but this character-driven narrative requires close attention to detail. She is holding back from the reader––you, too, face surprises at every turn. While you do discover why Rai left, and who is behind all this turmoil and destruction, I did find the reason odd and not quite powerful enough to warrant the mess Talyien was left to deal with. Then again, I could be totally wrong—like I said before, this is only the beginning of this journey and trilogy! And for the record, Khine is my favorite.

      I’m looking forward to diving into The Ikessar Falcon in 2021!

      The Lions of Fifth Avenue by Fiona Davis (★★★★)

      This was my very first Davis novel, which is shameful when I tell you the context: her editor shared a copy of The Dollhouse (her debut) with me when it first released, and it’s still on my shelves unread with the personalized note still paper-clipped to the cover. Lions is Davis’s fourth or fifth novel at this point. (I’m sorry, Stephanie! You can bet I’ll be reading them now!)

      Historical parallel narratives will always be my bait; NYC narratives are hit or miss for me. So I went into this with hopes of enjoying a good library-centered book—and I really, really enjoyed this to pieces. Laura in 1913 and Sadie in 1993 each have connections to the iconic New York Public Library, and both are intricately connected to a series of thefts of valuable books in the library’s collection. Which books, who stole them, and why are at the heart of this narrative.

      Laura wants more from life, and works hard toward a masters in journalism so she can help bring in some extra cash while her husband, the NYPL superintendent, can finish his manuscript. They live in an apartment in the library itself, and everyone suspects the Lyons family is behind the thefts. Sadie is set in her ways and has built a wall around her lonely heart, and feels she can really only connect with literature and answer patron questions—making her the perfect librarian to curate a special exhibit collection. She, too, is suspect in the thefts.

      Laura’s journey was equally empowering and frustrating, what with the suffrage movement happening simultaneously. I was pleased with her narrative and arc. Sadie was…woof, super close to home for me. Her preference for music without words to help calm her down, her attraction to 1950s clothing, her ability to be a human Google but struggles to interpret others’ romantic feelings (since she doesn’t feel worthy of their love), her complete absorption in literature…gosh, I felt that deeply. Her character is an example of the mistaking-contentedness-for-happiness characters I gravitate toward and enjoy. Davis did an excellent job of expressing each woman’s experience. I’m sold on her other books, regardless of plot or location! Character-driven narratives are my ultimate jam.

      If you love books about books, Kate Morton’s sense of place as a character, and parallel narratives, this book is for you!

      A Dance With Fate by Juliet Mariller (ARC) (★★★)

      I thoroughly enjoyed the first book of the warrior bard series last year (The Harp of Kings)—the undercover work, spy mission, character development, druids—and reading this next installment proved Marillier still has those writing chops for great character development and visceral storytelling.

      However, the content in the novel was a bit vicious and harrowing for my taste right now (trauma, abuse, neglect, gaslighting), and the leader reminded me so much of the current scumbag in office that I struggled to not get extremely riled up when the characters just took his lashings without comment. It’s dark yet beautifully written—just hit a little too close to home. I’m glad to see the representation in here—mental health, blindness, domestic violence survivors—and of course I’m thrilled to see where Dau and Liobhan end up in the final book.

      I’m aware this review isn’t much of a review—I can’t say too much without spoiling the narrative—but I read it, I enjoyed it as a second in the series, but it (through no fault of its own) was a bit too close to home for me at this point in time. Years down the road I’ll reread this with new eyes and absorb the other aspects of the narrative, I’m sure.

      Posted in books, Reviews 2020 | 1 Comment | Tagged advance reading copy, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: fantasy, genre: historical fiction, mini review, review
    • Mini Reviews

      Posted at 1:28 pm by Laura, on September 1, 2020

      It’s been…quite some time since I’ve really shared anything on here. It’s also been a very strange spring and summer, and reading for fun has been off and on, hit or miss. I’m way behind on reviews, so I’ll do my best over the next few weeks to catch up! First, some beachy contemporary reads!

      ~

      Beach Read by Emily Henry (★★★)

      I gave into the hype for my very first Book of the Month book, and while I enjoyed it I also found it to be of a bait-and-switch situation. Beach Read looks like a romcom, the premise seems like a romcom, but I’d argue it’s fairly close to domestic fiction with everything that’s unpacked in here. Nothing wrong with that––I enjoy romcom and women’s fiction alike––but it left a sour taste in my mouth with the packaging on this one.

      January is under deadline to write another romcom for her publisher, but she just doesn’t have it in her to do it. Her recently deceased father blew open a huge secret and it’s left her wondering if happily ever afters are possible. So she escapes to a lake house in Michigan to get back on track. Her neighbor, though, is rival writer Gus, who is so smug about writing literary fiction and winning all the big awards. They decide to enter a little competition: January will write something literary, and Gus will write something romantic. Sparks fly.

      Seems cute on the surface, but as we dig deeper into the novel there’s so much more to unpack: grief, childhood abuse, parental adoration, manipulation, the impact of bad relationships, defining family…to name a few. Though a few of the detours or ruminating scenes seemed unnecessary or overly drawn out to me, at the end of the day this is a character-driven novel that straddles commercial and literary romance. Go in knowing this isn’t a romcom, and you should be in good shape.

      Summer Longing by Jamie Brenner (★★★.5)

      I’ve checked out Jamie Brenner’s books from the library before but never got around to reading them before return. Finally was able to read this one in time, though. Jamie Brenner is going to be a new summer staple for me along with Kristy Woodson Harvey.

      The novel follows three POVs—Ruth (retired workaholic), Olivia (Ruth’s daughter, also a workaholic), and Elise (wife of Fern, owner of a tea shop)—and the lives of other women in the small Cape Cod Provincetown. Ruth just wants to reprioritize her life and relax, Olivia wants nothing to do with her mother and run run RUN successfully at her job, and Elise is desperate for a baby after she and her wife went through three failed IVF attempts. Ruth is renting Elise’s house for the summer, and all plans crash when a baby is left on the doorstep. Who is the mother? Why was the baby left here? And what is the right thing to do in this situation?

      I’ll admit I identified so much with Ruth and Olivia, and was very frustrated with Elise (so in this sense, I identified with her wife Fern who was so stern and practical). I’ll also admit this is likely because I’m in a headspace right now where the thought of having a child sends me into a panic. But there are women in my life, close friends, who would absolutely identify with Elise, who experienced similar disappointments. Ruth’s career-driven attitude and laser focus, and Olivia’s close connection with her phone, were both things each woman acknowledged and tried to redirect into something that brought joy. All in all, the way the women of this town come together to help raise the baby and figure out the best possible solution, was a joy to read. Sisterhood.

      This qualifies for my library books challenge!

      Dear Haiti, Love Alaine by Maika Moulite and Maritza Moulite (★★★)

      This YA novel is funny and surprising—a whirlwind of adventure, intrigue, and family secrets.

      Alaine is smart and sassy, clever and quick-witted. After her famous TV show host mother loses it live, and a nasty girl at school bullies Alaine over it, Alaine takes her abilities and uses it to pull an epic prank in a class presentation. Not the best idea in the world, as it results in her father sending her to Haiti to be with her mother and aunt, working on an immersion program to atone for her misbehavior. But once in Haiti, she finds there’s a whole lot more to her family history than she first believed, and that curses may in fact be real.

      I loved the way this was written—epistolary style is so much fun. Alaine is also the kind of person I wanted to be as a teen: fast with a comeback, confident, defends her loved ones fiercely. (I’m probably more of a Tatiana in this book!) She can be a little overly confident and that gets her into trouble, but her heart is always in the right place. I was surprised and very appreciative of the relationship she had with her mother. Her mother’s narrative is one I haven’t seen (or at least cannot recall) much in YA and I liked that exploration immensely.

      There was a lot happening in this narrative—Alaine’s assignment, her mother’s health, Alaine’s internship with her aunt for this app program, the history with her aunt and mother, the family curse—that felt disorganized. It worked, but did leave me reeling. I had to pause or slow down frequently to see how they all connected. Some events and characters seemed to be placed as vehicles to further the plot and curse. It almost felt like this book was trying to do too much, and I wanted more depth to one or two of the plots more so than a sprinkling of all of them. But ultimately, these writers (sister duo!) have a knack for the YA voice and it kept me engaged. I’m interested in reading their future books!

      This qualifies for my library books challenge!

      Posted in books, Reviews 2020 | 0 Comments | Tagged book review, genre: adult fiction, genre: contemporary, genre: young adult, mini review
    • Mini Reviews

      Posted at 10:59 am by Laura, on June 13, 2020

      Once again I’m several weeks behind on reviews…months, even. This post will contain mini reviews of historical fiction I read in March through May!

      ~

      The Other Windsor Girl by Georgie Blalock (★★★)

       

      For fans of royal drama, The Crown, and “beach read”-style historical fiction, this is right up your alley. The novel is about Princess Margaret through the eyes of her (fictional) lady-in-waiting, Vera. Vera is a lower peer whose dream is to become a respectable published author. Her romance novels under a pen name prove successful, as Princess Margaret is a fan. Swept up in royal drama and the whirlwind that is Margaret’s life and personality, Vera loses sight of authorhood to devote all her energies to the royal.

      The novel spans about 10 years or so, from just before Queen Elizabeth’s coronation to Princess Margaret’s marriage to Tony. The writing was engaging enough for a novel that seemed to lose direction (though to be fair, it would make sense as Vera’s life is put entirely on hold to serve the princess). Characters felt a little two-dimensional, so it made for a quick read. However, if you’re at all familiar with the royal family’s history, and understand protocol, addressing royals/peerage, and the nicknames for things, this novel will grate a bit. I had to stop reading the Her Majesties and Ladies and Your Graces (and “Buck Place”) because it was all oh-so-painfully wrong.

      But! If you love historical fiction and you’re seeking a light, escapist read, this is just the ticket! 

      This qualifies for my TBR & genre challenge!

      A Study in Scarlet Women by Sherry Thomas (★★★)

      Big thanks to my library for their vast digital collection! I finished listening to A Study in Scarlet Women on Hoopla, and enjoyed it overall. I liked the twist on the Sherlock Holmes narrative—still Victorian London, but Holmes and Watson are women and shocking society with their gender assumptions—and found the writing to be engaging enough to see what’s in store next. Thomas really brought London to life, and all the expectations and social norms of society and women’s roles really made for clever cover-ups and murder motives. I have the other audiobooks saved in my Hoopla account now––interested in seeing where this goes.

      This qualifies for my library books & genre challenge!

      All the Ways We Said Goodbye by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White (★★★)

      I’d listened to the W Trio’s work before (Glass Ocean) and did not enjoy it. Though I was impressed I wasn’t able to tell the authors apart, it just didn’t have that forward momentum for me.

      Flash forward to this novel—where three narratives are connected via the Hotel Ritz in Paris—and it was a massive improvement. Though I’d figured out/guessed all the connections and twists halfway into the novel, I wanted to power through to the end to see how it would be revealed to the characters. Aurilie is determined to save her family estate in WWI but she’s fallen in love with a German officer; Daisy’s husband in WWII is a Nazi-sympathizer and she stumbles into the Resistance; and Babs is a young widow in 1960s, uncovering her husband’s war work secrets with a spy. The settings felt so tangible, the hotel glamorous and a character wholly its own. The dialogue was engaging and I felt the characters’ emotions deeply—hard to do with so many POVs!

      I’d hoped to see/feel more of the wars and spy work, but I also believe this was meant to be more of a historical romance (or trio of romances) more than anything else. And if that’s the case, it was very well done! I personally would love to see more of Daisy’s grandmother…she would make an excellent character study. 

      This qualifies for my library books & genre challenge!

      The Paper Girl of Paris by Jordyn Taylor (ARC) (★★★)

      Thank you, Edelweiss, for providing this galley from HarperTeen for review!

      A lovely historical/contemporary parallel narrative about a teen who discovers her grandmother’s abandoned Paris apartment, and the secret sister she never knew Gram had.

      I enjoyed this for what it was: a sweet Anna and the French Kiss narrative in modern day (with a dash of seriousness with mental health that I wish was developed further to give the weight it deserved) and a French Resistance historical to excite any histfic reader. It had a blend of younger YA meeting older YA. The historical narrative felt almost adult to me—which seems fair, WWII generation had to grow up fast. I enjoyed the sense of adventure and research Alice (modern) put into discovering Adalyn’s (hist) past. What was meant to be a summer of cleaning out Gram’s secret Paris apartment turned into all sorts of deeper surprises into Gram’s past and ties with her family. What appears like sympathizing with the enemy is really spy work.

      If there are more hist/contemp parallel narratives in YA, I’m not familiar with them—this was my first experience within YA. I love parallel narratives in adult and seeing how it all ties together. Either because I’ve read so many, or maybe it was the new experience in YA itself, I’d guessed everything about halfway through. I would’ve appreciated a bit more secrecy and a more satisfying conclusion.

      However, this is meant for teens. I think a teen reader would appreciate the twists and turns, the parallels, the setting, the dip into historical fiction, the balance of upper and lower YA. (Plus, I was totally that teen who loved books about diaries and abandoned homes full of secrets!) I’d definitely recommend this.

      This qualifies for my genre challenge!

      Posted in books, Reviews 2020 | 1 Comment | Tagged advance reading copy, ARC, book review, genre: adult fiction, genre: historical fiction, genre: young adult, mini review
    • Mini Reviews

      Posted at 9:50 am by Laura, on April 4, 2020

      I’ve fallen so far behind on my reviews this year that I’m struggling to write full-blown reviews with individual posts at the moment. So instead I’ll give you a rather packed post full of mini reviews! Enjoy!

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      Contemporary Reads

      No Judgments by Meg Cabot (★★★)

      Fairly standard romance with light humor, so it was great for escapist fiction! A terrible hurricane is about to hit a small island in the Keys, and Bree is either incredibly calm or incredibly naive about it. She’s determined to stay put and care for all the abandoned animals, but she’s also distracted by another stubborn soul. I read this first in the series to know what was in store for the second, which I was more interested in (libraries!). I can tell I’m really going to be a fan of the small town/island setting. 

      This qualifies for my library books challenge!

      Tweet Cute by Emma Lord (★★★.5)

      This novel tapped into a universal experience: the ways in which drama online infects and disrupts our daily real life. It also speaks about power and long-held grudges. Pepper and Jack have power struggles with their parents and siblings, and the parents hold long grudges and vent it through their children. All Pepper and Jack want is to survive high school and figure out their futures, not get roped into a viral sensation. I appreciated the development of the romance here. It’s not insta-love, there isn’t really a slow burn here either—it’s a natural, gradual teaming up of flirty fun while maintaining sanity in the hot mess of social media life, and then a realization they’re meant to be together. It’s sweet, it’s PG, and I loved every second of it. I was also SO HAPPY SO SO HAPPY that the teens talked to each other instead of hiding crap like their parents’ did. Just be honest, folks. From the beginning. Save yourself a headache! Highly recommend this novel for someone wanting a sweet contemporary YA with all the growing pains of being a modern teen finding their footing IRL and online!

      This qualifies for my library books challenge!

      The Authenticity Project by Clare Pooley (★★★)

      Entertaining, thoughtful, and ironic—just how “authentic” is Julian’s Authenticity Project? I identified with Monica, a driven, hardworking, loving young woman who gives and gives and feels she’s not worthy to receive anything back. Other characters—an addict trying to sober up, a backpacking Australian, an IG-obsessed new mom, a caring grandmotherly figure (Lizzie was my favorite!!!)—are impacted by Julian’s project in big and small ways, with twists and turns both predictable and surprising. Interesting concept, would definitely recommend for those seeking uplifting reads or community-of-strangers fiction a la Fredrick Backman, Phaedra Patrick, and Gail Honeyman.

      This qualifies for my library books challenge!

      40390754
      18509644

      Historical Fiction

      American Duchess by Karen Harper (★★★★)

      I finished this on audio and really enjoyed it! I’ve read Harper’s The Royal Nanny so I was already a bit familiar with her writing—clearly well-researched biographical historical fiction, great characters come to life, a little stiff in the dialogue, quick pace—and wanted to see how she did with American Duchess. Her writing of course is the same, but she really brought to life a woman I knew literally nothing about apart from her family name being basically American royalty.

      Consuelo Vanderbilt (!) is the daughter of a railroad magnate and rising suffragette, and one of the first “dollar princesses” to marry into European peerage/royalty to help fund those families. She married the Duke of Marlborough and it was not a happy one. Her cousin by marriage is Winston Churchill, and even after her divorce and remarriage to a French pilot, these two stayed in touch. The novel spans Consuelo’s life, from shortly before her first wedding through the end of WWII. It’s astounding all that can happen in our lifetimes, and Consuelo utilized everything she had to try to make the world a better place.

      Next on my Vanderbilt and Churchill journey is A Well-Behaved Woman (Consuelo’s mother Alva) and That Churchill Woman (Winston’s mother Jennie).

      This qualifies for my library books & genre challenge!

      The Summer Queen by Elizabeth Chadwick (★★★)

      About two months ago I took a poll on IG and asked which medieval/Plantagenet-set novel I should read from a stack I provided. IG voted for The Summer Queen. This was for the librarian book club called Genre Study, whose theme for 2020 was historical fiction, and March’s theme was medieval/Plantagenet/plague (…oh wait…). Though we couldn’t meet in person in March, and though our discussion is pushed to May (though that may also be pushed again), I still wanted to read my chosen book.

      The Summer Queen is the first of a trilogy on Eleanor of Aquitaine, with this one following her marriage (Louis VII), annulment, and early part of her second marriage (Henry II) as Queen of France and then Queen of England. Biographical fiction is difficult to do, especially this far back in time, because you have to make the modern reader interested in the person, their life, and their situations. Thankfully Chadwick does an excellent job of writing historical fiction that’s engaging with the modern reader, rather than feeling like a slog.

      That said, this modern feminist reader was so frustrated with Eleanor’s limitations and powers––she could scheme, plot, and plant ideas to make men think they came up with it, but the execution was so slow-going I know I’d personally run out of patience if I were in Eleanor’s shoes––and so frustrated with the Church––the Crusades still baffle me––and I just…lost it with Louis. What a dick. And poor Eleanor was married to that man-child for so long. Henry was a relief, but not by much. The novel ends with them sailing to England to claim the throne. I guess, in short, Chadwick did an excellent job of expressing those frustrations to a modern reader without making Eleanor’s character feel anachronistic.

      There are, I’ve been told, better/more engaging narratives out there of Eleanor’s life (particularly by Alison Weir). I’m probably going to pick up the rest of this trilogy since I want to see her children rise up against Henry, but I’ll also try Weir too!

      This qualifies for my TBR & genre challenge!

       

      Posted in books, Reviews 2020 | 1 Comment | Tagged book review, genre: adult fiction, genre: contemporary, genre: historical fiction, genre: young adult, mini review
    • On Minimizing Tech

      Posted at 1:31 pm by Laura, on March 8, 2020

      It’s not typical of me to read nonfiction by choice. I read it for academic purposes, I read it for book club discussions, but by choice…that’s rare. And this year seems to have a theme: minimizing tech, or rather, utilizing it in a way that it doesn’t control me.

      This has been something of a journey I’ve battled with for several years now. I’d scroll endlessly through FB in college, I would tweet silly things about my life, I’d post pictures on IG. But then I became an agent and everything I said was scrutinized down to the letter. So I backed off Twitter over the years, to the point where I only tweet agent-related business. No more scrolling and shouting into the echo chamber and losing focus. Then the 2016 election happened and I had to back off FB because it hurt so much to see so many loved ones be so…closed-minded. And then IG makes me roll my eyes constantly because people are concerned about stats and numbers and followers and likes, and frankly I don’t give a damn about that — I just like the pretty pictures and book recommendations and travel shots.

      But that’s just social media. What about other media? Binge-watching TV, my laptop constantly on and open, frequently picking up my phone…these are habits I’ve developed over the years and I know I’m not alone. What are ways I can minimize tech and live a full life?

      Enter Digital Minimalism by Cal Newport (★★★★★). Newport utilizes history, anthropology, psychology, neuroscience, philosophy, and his own experiment with 1600 participants to explain why we are addicted to our phones/tech/social media, and how we can reclaim our lives—our hobbies, our solitude, our social selves. It’s not anti-tech. It’s pro-minimalism. And we all need this book. If you find yourself reaching for your phone while waiting in line just to check the screen, you need this book. If you find yourself scrolling and liking and commenting while your child is taking a bath and trying to show you their imaginative underwater adventure, you need this book. If you feel anxious and overwhelmed at work so all you do during breaks or when you get home is crash on the couch exhausted, binge-watching Netflix and playing games or scrolling through social media and you still feel drained and exhausted and worthless, you need this book. If you’ve taken social media breaks cold turkey for a few days and came back and felt FOMO or overwhelmed, you need this book. If you say “I just don’t have time anymore” when someone asks about your past hobbies or long-term projects, you need this book. If you don’t have a whole lot of apps on your phone, your screen time each day is tracked at about avg 2 hours/day, and you still text instead of actually talk/see your friends, you need this book.

      I’ve since set perimeters and limits on app usage and daily screen time on my phone, and though it’s difficult, it’s actually been quite the blessing. I’ve been able to focus on work better, I’ve been able to dabble in old hobbies again, and I’m able to read more too. Conversations with loved ones are deeper as well, which leads to my next recommendation…

      You’re Not Listening by Kate Murphy (★★★) discusses the difference between deep, natural listening, and surface level listening. We know what listening looks like (eye contact, nodding, reactions), but really listening involves “reading between the lines” of what someone is saying. This is absolutely something I need to work on. Other forms of listening—but without tech—is to put the phones down, turn off the TVs, close the laptops, and actually have a conversation away from tech. Family dinners, basic chores and tasks, even if you’re doing something else but without tech, you’re more receptive to deep conversation. Listening isn’t latching on to what someone says and talking about yourself and how you compare; it’s hearing the context of someone’s joys and concerns and asking for more about that. It’s amazing how many people feel they aren’t heard. And it’s sad. While this book didn’t have concrete exercises for me to try like Digital Minimalism, it did give me a lot to think about in conversations with others.

      This isn’t a standard book review post, I know. But I felt these books needed some context for my journey. Next up on the library holds list is Do Nothing: How to Break Away from Overworking, Overdoing, and Underliving by Celeste Headlee. Though not in the realm of digital minimalism, it will be in the realm of learning to step away, take deep breaths, and reevaluate priorities.

      I’m quite excited about this journey. I hope to learn from it and utilize the tools they provide.

      Posted in books, Reviews 2020 | 0 Comments | Tagged book review, digital minimalism, genre: nonfiction, mini review
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    • Hello, I’m Laura!

      I'm a bookish bookworm and book hoarder. By day I'm a literary agent, and by night I'm forever rearranging my bookshelves. I could talk your ear off about Gothic literature, and in my past life people thought I'd become a professional musician. I have a fluffy black cat named Rossetti, I love to knit, tea is my drink of choice, British TV is the best, and I'm obsessed with popcorn. Welcome to Scribbles & Wanderlust! Grab your favorite hot beverage and let's chat books!
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