Tag: review

• Book Review: “From Twinkle, With Love” by Sandhya Menon (ARC)

  Posted at 6:15 am by Laura, on May 8, 2018

  From Twinkle, With Love by Sandhya Menon

  Publisher: Simon Pulse
  Publishing Date: May 22
  Genre: young adult, contemporary
  ISBN: 9781481495400
  Rating: ★★★.5

  Aspiring filmmaker and wallflower Twinkle Mehra has stories she wants to tell and universes she wants to explore, if only the world would listen. So when fellow film geek Sahil Roy approaches her to direct a movie for the upcoming Summer Festival, Twinkle is all over it. The chance to publicly showcase her voice as a director? Dream come true. The fact that it gets her closer to her longtime crush, Neil Roy—a.k.a. Sahil’s twin brother? Dream come true x 2.

  When mystery man “N” begins emailing her, Twinkle is sure it’s Neil, finally ready to begin their happily-ever-after. The only slightly inconvenient problem is that, in the course of movie-making, she’s fallen madly in love with the irresistibly adorkable Sahil.

  Twinkle soon realizes that resistance is futile: The romance she’s got is not the one she’s scripted. But will it be enough?

  Twinkle has so many stories she wants to tell to inspire and empower, but she sees herself as a lowly “groundling,” someone too low to aspire to new heights. Especially since it feels like her BFF, Maddie, is already up there with the rich and popular crowd, leaving Twinkle behind. But when Sahil, twin brother to Twinkle’s crush Neil, offers to be a producer for one of her directed films for the local film festival, Twinkle sees this as her chance: to get closer to Neil, to win Maddie back, and to shine in the light. But as she works closely with Sahil and interacts more with the catty crowd Maddie’s around, she starts to wonder if what she wants is really worth the price to pay for fame.

  This was a good, fun, clean YA that fans of When Dimple Met Rishi and To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before will enjoy. Secretive emails, misunderstood romantic gestures, losing oneself in the midst of a big project, and finding ways to repair friendships and their growing pains are all packed into this novel. I enjoyed the way we read Twinkle’s thoughts in her diary, interspersed with Sahil’s texts with his friends and his infrequent blog posts. This is primarily Twinkle’s story though, with her fully understanding first love versus first crush, and her spiral as she wants to misguidedly rescue her best friend.

  Though I didn’t enjoy it as much as Menon’s debut, I still enjoyed and appreciated the representation in here. The dynamics of friendship are always important to explore, and the ways in which we change and grow and adapt. Most of all, I liked the poverty rep in here. As someone who grew up in a thrifty family in the middle of an immensely wealthy community, I can understand Twinkle’s dilemmas. In fact, many of her interactions with classmates and their commentary on her poverty felt like exact conversations I experienced too — and my family was not as poor as Twinkle’s. This was refreshing to see, and I loved watching how Twinkle navigated “the system” with her head held high.

  Sahil, though. I shall call him Squishy, and he shall be mine, and he shall be my Squishy. Ugh, what an adorkable ball of witty and intuitive fluff. 12/10 would’ve totally crushed on this kid in high school.

  For anyone looking for a clean read, with adorable romantic bumbles and great commentary on maintaining friendship and the pains of social hierarchy, pick up this book!

  Thank you, Edelweiss, for providing this book from Simon Pulse for review! 

  Posted in books, Reviews 2018 | 2 Comments | Tagged advance reading copy, ARC, book review, books, genre: contemporary, genre: young adult, review

• Book Review: “Now That You Mention It” by Kristan Higgins

  Posted at 5:45 am by Laura, on April 23, 2018

  Now That You Mention It by Kristan Higgins

  Publisher: Graydon House
  Published: December 2017
  Genre: women’s fiction, contemporary
  ISBN: 9781525811364
  Rating: ★★★.75

  One step forward. Two steps back. The Tufts scholarship that put Nora Stuart on the path to becoming a Boston medical specialist was a step forward. Being hit by a car and then overhearing her boyfriend hit on another doctor when she thought she was dying? Two major steps back.

  Injured in more ways than one, Nora feels her carefully built life cracking at the edges. There’s only one place to land: home. But the tiny Maine community she left fifteen years ago doesn’t necessarily want her. At every turn, someone holds the prodigal daughter of Scupper Island responsible for small-town drama and big-time disappointments.

  With a tough islander mother who’s always been distant and a wild-child sister in jail, unable to raise her daughter–a withdrawn teen as eager to ditch the island as Nora once was–Nora has her work cut out for her if she’s going to take what might be her last chance to mend the family.

  But as some relationships crumble around her, others unexpectedly strengthen. Balancing loss and opportunity, a dark event from her past with hope for the future, Nora will discover that tackling old pain makes room for promise…and the chance to begin again.

  After Nora is hit by a van and witnesses her boyfriend cheating on her, she has a bit of an awakening, packs her bags, and moves back to Maine for the summer. She didn’t exactly leave her home island with relationships intact, and wants to patch up things with her mother, her sister (albeit through Nora’s niece), and the people still there. But while she’s patching up her life, she must face the impacts of the past, and learn how to face old traumas and disappointments head on.

  This is the kind of women’s fiction I enjoy. Here’s this woman who has her life together on the surface — great job, nice home, cool city, boyfriend — but underneath it all are past fears, disappointments, and trauma. Nora was once the target for bullying, and was also the victim of a break-in and assault (trigger warnings). But she didn’t let these things prevent her from moving forward in her life. I really like how she handled everything, maturely even though the temptation to lash out at others or go on a binger would feel best in the moment. Nora is smart and intelligent, with deep empathy for others despite their treatment of her. That’s not to say she’s not facing struggles or that her life is rosy-perfect and she’s unaffected — she absolutely is impacted by everything. But it was refreshing to read from this perspective. Not everyone needs to go off the edge to tell a good story.

  The small town atmosphere was perfect, and I loved the variety of characters in this novel. I especially liked the relationships between Nora, her niece Poe, the love interest Sullivan, and his daughter Audrey. Each of them have such interesting journeys from the last fifteen years, and it’s so neat to see them come together. Oh, and Sullivan? Swoon. What a sweet and caring man, without being macho or overbearing. I liked that he was partially deaf too — a result of his own car wreck over a decade ago — as it added an interesting dynamic with Nora, with the town, and with his daughter. More deaf narratives, please!

  This was good. It’s not a light read by any means, but the pages certainly turn. Nora’s wit and humor, and her tell-it-like-it-is attitude made for an entertaining read, even in the dark moments.

  This qualifies as book 5 of 16 in my TBR challenge. 

  Posted in books, Reviews 2018, Rock My TBR | 1 Comment | Tagged book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: contemporary, review, rock my TBR

• Mini Reviews

  Posted at 6:50 am by Laura, on April 9, 2018

  Surprise Me by Sophie Kinsella

  Publisher: Dial
  Published: February 2018
  Genre: adult, contemporary
  Rating: ★★★
  Summary: After being together for ten years, Sylvie and Dan have all the trimmings of a happy life and marriage; they have a comfortable home, fulfilling jobs, beautiful twin girls, and communicate so seamlessly, they finish each other’s sentences. However, a trip to the doctor projects they will live another 68 years together and panic sets in. In the name of marriage survival, they quickly concoct a plan to keep their relationship fresh and exciting: they will create little surprises for each other so that their (extended) years together will never become boring. But in their pursuit to execute Project Surprise Me, mishaps arise and secrets are uncovered that start to threaten the very foundation of their unshakable bond. When a scandal from the past is revealed that question some important untold truths, they begin to wonder if they ever really knew each other after all. 

  Mini Review: I enjoyed this to an extent. I wasn’t as enamored as I usually am with Kinsella’s work (here, here, here, and here). It was full of the classic mishaps and hilarity, with a twist at the end, but I simply wasn’t as entertained as I usually am. I’m not sure if it’s because I couldn’t completely relate with the drama (I’m not married, but also…duh, when you marry, that means you intend to be with the person for decades, so clearly I wasn’t on board with the premise) or because I couldn’t relate with the age of the characters (which sounds so bogus, so I don’t think it was that), but this doesn’t rank high on my Kinsella list of recommendations. If you want a light and funny read, give it a shot!

  This qualifies as book 2 of 5 in my fun library books challenge.

  Love and Other Train Wrecks by Leah Konen

  Publisher: Katherine Tegen Books
  Published: January 2018
  Genre: young adult, contemporary
  Rating: ★★★
  Summary: After a train-wreck first encounter between Ammy and Noah, the Amtrak train suddenly breaks down due to a snowstorm. Desperate to make it to their destinations, Noah and Ammy have no other option but to travel together. What starts off as a minor detour turns into the whirlwind journey of a lifetime, and over the course of the night they fall in love. But come morning their adventure takes an unexpected turn for the worst. Can one night can really change how they feel about love…and the course of their lives forever? 

  Mini Review: If you’re looking for a book on overcoming broken relationships (familial or romantic) in a more healthy way, this would be a good book. I especially enjoy travel components in stories, because it forces the character — and the plot! — to move forward. With the train getting stuck, and all the mishaps that follow, you begin to wonder when these two can catch a break and finally make it to their destinations (worst nightmare!). However, I didn’t feel the drive in the plot the way I suppose I should have, and I thought it was a bit repetitious in the characters’ ruminations (this is a short book and it felt as if half of this was rumination). That said, these two really do resort to good and healthy ways of dealing with their heartbreak, stress, and sense of brokenness that I admire.

  Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley

  Publisher: Delacorte
  Published: April 2009
  Genre: adult, mystery, historical
  Rating: ★★★★
  Summary: Eleven-year-old Flavia de Luce is an aspiring chemist with a passion for poison. It is the summer of 1950—and a dead bird is found on the doorstep, a postage stamp bizarrely pinned to its beak. Hours later, Flavia finds a man lying in the cucumber patch and watches him as he takes his dying breath. For Flavia, who is both appalled and delighted, life begins in earnest when murder comes to Buckshaw. To Flavia the investigation is the stuff of science: full of possibilities, contradictions, and connections. Soon her father is seized and accused of murder. In a police cell, during a violent thunderstorm, Colonel de Luce tells his daughter an astounding story—of a schoolboy friendship turned ugly, of a priceless object that vanished in a bizarre and brazen act of thievery, of a Latin teacher who flung himself to his death from the school’s tower thirty years before. Now Flavia is armed with more than enough knowledge to tie two distant deaths together, to examine new suspects, and begin a search that will lead her all the way to the King of England himself. Of this much the girl is sure: her father is innocent of murder—but protecting her and her sisters from something even worse….

  Mini Review: I listened to the audio of this novel and found the narrator’s voice painful to the ears, but the story itself absolutely delightful. Flavia is a precocious girl and incredibly imaginative. Combine these two things and you’re in the mind of a very clever, wild, eager person in the middle of a very serious case, right on the path to getting herself murdered as well if she’s not careful. Though this isn’t a heart-pounding, suspenseful mystery by any means (I could not care less about stamps — Grandpa would hate to hear me say that), the trail of clues and the roundabout way Flavia pieces everything together is a literary delight. Definitely plan on reading the next book of the series!

  This qualifies as book 3 of 5 in my fun library books challenge.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2018 | 0 Comments | Tagged books, genre: adult fiction, genre: contemporary, genre: historical fiction, genre: mystery, genre: young adult, mini review, review

• Book Review: “Between Two Fires” by Mark Noce

  Posted at 7:15 am by Laura, on March 28, 2018

  Between Two Fires by Mark Noce

  Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
  Published: August 2016
  Genre: historical fiction
  ISBN: 9781250072627
  Rating: ★★★

  Saxon barbarians threaten to destroy medieval Wales. Lady Branwen becomes Wales’ last hope to unite their divided kingdoms when her father betroths her to a powerful Welsh warlord, the Hammer King. But the fledgling alliance is fraught with enemies from within and without as Branwen becomes the target of assassination attempts and courtly intrigue. A young woman in a world of fierce warriors, she seeks to assert her own authority and preserve Wales against the barbarians. But when she falls for a young hedge knight named Artagan, her world threatens to tear itself apart.

  Caught between her duty to her people and her love of a man she cannot have, Branwen must choose whether to preserve her royal marriage or to follow her heart. Somehow she must save her people and remain true to herself, before Saxon invaders and a mysterious traitor try to destroy her.

  Branwen is a pawn in a king’s game, the target for marriage, bearing children, assassinations, and kingdom destruction by Saxons. She’s more than aware that her life isn’t entirely in her own hands, so she plays like a chess master, navigating the numerous courts throughout Wales to unite the country, be with the one she truly loves, and defeat the Saxons.

  I’m always eager to read books similar to Hild or Shadow on the Crown, stories that are set in medieval or ancient Britain / Europe, when countries were still torn apart in tiny little kingdoms. Bonus points for those women navigating and influencing this incredibly patriarchal and sexist time.

  Noce’s writing style forced me to slow down and take in every single scene word for word. I fell in love with Branwen slowly but surely, beginning as a naive yet frightened young woman and growing into the “Fairy Queen” she became to Wales by the end of the novel. I savored each moment with Artagan, and worried for his safety each time he rode off to battle. And, speaking of battles, I was *gasp* totally invested in all those battle scenes. The Welsh castles and fortresses I could picture in my head and it still blows my mind how people were able to defend themselves in those spaces. There were also a few twists here and there that I was able to predict, but the twists within the twists left such an intriguing trail of deceit that I was impressed.

  I enjoyed this enough that I’m eager to see what Dark Winds Rising has in store!

  This qualifies as book 4 of 16 in my TBR challenge. 

  Posted in books, Reviews 2018, Rock My TBR | 1 Comment | Tagged book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: historical fiction, review, rock my TBR

• Book Review: “The City of Brass” by SA Chakraborty

  Posted at 5:45 am by Laura, on March 19, 2018

  The City of Brass by SA Chakraborty

  Publisher: Harper Voyager
  Published: November 2017
  Genre: fantasy
  ISBN: 9780062678102
  Rating: ★★★★★

  Nahri has never believed in magic. Certainly, she has power; on the streets of 18th century Cairo, she’s a con woman of unsurpassed talent. But she knows better than anyone that the trade she uses to get by—palm readings, zars, healings—are all tricks, sleights of hand, learned skills; a means to the delightful end of swindling Ottoman nobles.

  But when Nahri accidentally summons an equally sly, darkly mysterious djinn warrior to her side during one of her cons, she’s forced to accept that the magical world she thought only existed in childhood stories is real. For the warrior tells her a new tale: across hot, windswept sands teeming with creatures of fire, and rivers where the mythical marid sleep; past ruins of once-magnificent human metropolises, and mountains where the circling hawks are not what they seem, lies Daevabad, the legendary city of brass?a city to which Nahri is irrevocably bound.

  In that city, behind gilded brass walls laced with enchantments, behind the six gates of the six djinn tribes, old resentments are simmering. And when Nahri decides to enter this world, she learns that true power is fierce and brutal. That magic cannot shield her from the dangerous web of court politics. That even the cleverest of schemes can have deadly consequences.

  After all, there is a reason they say be careful what you wish for . . .

  On the streets of 18th-century Cairo, Nahri gets by on her cons and finds joy in deceiving Ottoman nobles. Sometimes she helps others with reassurances of good health, even when death may be near, so as to give them some sense of peace. When she accidentally summons a djinn warrior during one of her cons, she’s forced to accept the magical world she thought only existed in stories. The djinn, Dara, tells her about mythical creatures in air and water, of mountains and sands full of terrifying beings, and a city of brass called Daevabad. It is here that Nahri enters a whole new world of court politics, finding herself bound to the city’s ancient history and conflict, and where schemes can prove to be deadly.

  Hands down my favorite book of 2018, and the year has only just begun. I’m still reeling from a book hangover, and I finished this book in January. I’m writing this in mid-March and I still don’t know how to put this book into words. Bear with me as I attempt this feat…

  The City of Brass is so layered and complicated, it forced me to slow down to read. Imagine yourself a foreigner to a whole new world. There will be racism, elitism, sexism, centuries of war and development and culture, and you are thrown into this world as a savior for some (in a most complicated way) and a signal of downfall to others (in a most complicated way). Nahri is literally thrust into a role she cannot comprehend or begin to understand, and is expected to know this world like the back of her hand, with all of its intricacies and history.

  So yes, it’s complicated. Especially when the warrior she’s summoned is the last of his kind as well, bound for centuries to the kind she’s descended from, and he’s basically sentenced to death upon entering Daevabad for his centuries’-past treason. Who do you believe when it comes to describing the history and significance of Daevabad? The royal family, the people, the warrior?

  I haven’t read a book like this in a long time, if ever. It’s not easy to tell who the good and bad guys are. The characters provide ample moments of humor in the midst of heart-pounding adventure. The political complications throughout the novel — from the variety of djinn races, to the fascinating mythological creatures, to the cultural and historical clashes — only heighten the emotional intensity between Nahri and Dara. Their romance simply burned and I was left in tatters at the end of the novel. Avid readers of historical fantasy will enjoy this Middle Eastern debut, inspired by one of the stories from 1001 Nights. The world is imaginative yet feels incredibly authentic and tangible. I was surprised at every turn!

  I cannot recommend this enough. The City of Brass is a must-read.

  This qualifies as book 3 of 16 in my TBR challenge. 

  Posted in books, Reviews 2018, Rock My TBR | 6 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: fantasy, review, rock my TBR

• Mini Reviews

  Posted at 6:00 am by Laura, on February 22, 2018

  The Passion of Dolssa by Julie Berry

  Publisher: Viking BFYR
  Published: April 2016
  Genre: young adult, historical fiction
  Rating: ★★★
  Summary: Dolssa is a young gentlewoman with uncanny gifts, on the run from an obsessed friar determined to burn her as a heretic for the passion she refuses to tame. Botille is a wily and charismatic peasant, a matchmaker running a tavern with her two sisters in a tiny seaside town. When the matchmaker finds the mystic near death by a riverside, Botille takes Dolssa in and discovers the girl’s extraordinary healing power. But as the vengeful Friar Lucien hunts down his heretic, the two girls find themselves putting an entire village at the mercy of murderers.

  Mini Review: I did not like the writing, but the history is cool. I love historical fiction, and I was excited to read a novel set in the medieval period — which isn’t common or popular in YA. I appreciated the author’s notes in the back about the period — the persecution of “good men” and “good women” in the Provence area in particular after the Crusades, all the back-pedaling from the Church, life and times for women of this era — but I did not enjoy the narrative as a whole. I was more interested in the historical context and information in the back than I was in the story itself.

  This qualifies as book 2 of 16 in my TBR challenge. 

  Mr. Churchill’s Secretary by Susan Elia MacNeal

  Publisher: Random House Audio
  Published: April 2012
  Genre: historical fiction, mystery
  Rating: ★★★.5
  Summary: London, 1940: Winston Churchill has just been sworn in, war rages across the Channel, and the threat of a Blitz looms larger by the day. But none of this deters Maggie Hope. She graduated at the top of her college class and possesses all the skills of the finest minds in British intelligence, but her gender qualifies her only to be the newest typist at No. 10 Downing Street. Her indefatigable spirit and remarkable gifts for codebreaking, though, rival those of even the highest men in government, and Maggie finds that working for the prime minister affords her a level of clearance she could never have imagined – and opportunities she will not let pass.

  Mini Review: I was genuinely surprised at how much more historical fiction it was than mystery — I was expecting something with a bit more heart-pounding moments or detective work — but that does not mean I didn’t enjoy the listen! Maggie’s spunk, fierce feminism, and determination saved the day multiple times in many ways. Those men at Downing Street could really learn a thing or two from her. I’m curious to see what happens next in this series.

  This qualifies as book 1 of 5 in my fun library books challenge.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2018 | 0 Comments | Tagged genre: adult fiction, genre: historical fiction, genre: young adult, mini review, review

• Book Review: “Crazy Rich Asians” by Kevin Kwan

  Posted at 6:10 am by Laura, on February 19, 2018

  Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan

  Publisher: Anchor Books
  Published: May 2014
  Genre: contemporary, women’s fiction
  ISBN: 9780345803788
  Rating: ★★★★

  When New Yorker Rachel Chu agrees on a summer in Singapore to visit her boyfriend’s “traditional” Chinese family, she expects the trip to be relaxing, if a little dull. She has no idea…

  Nick’s childhood home is a palace. He grew up riding in more private planes than cars. He and Rachel will be attending the wedding of the year. Oh, and Nick just happens to be one of Asia’s most eligible bachelors — and his formidable mother isn’t so sure Rachel is the right one for him.

  Rachel is under the impression she’s jetting off to Singapore with her boyfriend for the summer — something fun between semesters of professor life. Little does she know, his family is wildly, outrageously, crazy rich, and they have their own set of standards for this mystery girl he’s bringing home.

  I loved this. If you’re a fan of Jane Austen’s satirical novels, imagine her sassy, snarky, sarcastic commentary in a modern setting and you have Kevin Kwan. The extreme detail put into the characters’ seemingly superficial lives was hilarious. Everyone played a role in this novel, from Nick’s mother, to his cousins, to Rachel’s BFF from college, to passersby in Singapore. Toss in the [admittedly very little] research I did on Singapore lifestyle and culture, and holy crap this book [seems to] nails it.

  I mean, come on. Look at this quote. (From the mind of a guy I think is Nick’s cousin by marriage.)

  “But then his parents were always so selfish. Sure, they raised him and paid for his education and bought him his first apartment, but they failed him when it came to what was truly important — they didn’t know how to flaunt their wealth properly.”

  These people. My goodness. It was brilliant.

  Among all of this extravagance are three down-to-earth characters: Astrid, Nick, and Rachel. Astrid is Nick’s cousin, and she lives the high life as well — but she knows enough about heartache, budget cuts, and experience-over-materials that you can’t help but like her frank and honest character. Nick is one of those “I’m wealthy but I don’t flaunt it” types, living in a small apartment in NYC and living paycheck to paycheck rather than dipping into an account overflowing with decades of family coin. You’d think he’d be the spoiled type, but he wants nothing to do with the family money despite wanting to please his mother and father. And finally, Rachel. Our normal, totally average, super funny, head-on-her-shoulders Rachel, who is just trying to wrap her brain around all the crazy superficial things going on around her and Nick on this trip. You can’t not love her. She’s such a refreshing voice.

  In the end, though, even the most surface-level characters had depth to their motivations and desires. For example, Nick’s mother claims she’s not happy her son never told her about his dirt poor, possibly-a-gold-digger girlfriend and that’s the only reason. But as the story progresses, it digs deeper: she’s concerned the girlfriend’s background, her family ties, honor, values, tradition. She mentions money as an excuse to not like Rachel, but so much of this novel has threads of Asian family expectations and values. It’s an excellent cultural read.

  I should’ve read this book sooner — like, the day it published. I can’t wait for the film!

  This qualifies as book 1 of 16 in my TBR challenge. 

   

  Posted in books, Reviews 2018, Rock My TBR | 1 Comment | Tagged book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: contemporary, review, rock my TBR

• Book Review: “The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street” by Karina Yan Glaser

  Posted at 6:35 am by Laura, on January 9, 2018

  The Vanderbeekers of 141st Street by Karina Yan Glaser

  Publisher: HMH BFYR
  Published: October 2017
  Genre: middle grade, contemporary
  ISBN: 9780544876392
  Rating: ★★★.5

  The Vanderbeekers have always lived in the brownstone on 141st Street. It’s practically another member of the family. So when their reclusive, curmudgeonly landlord decides not to renew their lease, the five siblings have eleven days to do whatever it takes to stay in their beloved home and convince the dreaded Beiderman just how wonderful they are. And all is fair in love and war when it comes to keeping their home.

  The five Vanderbeeker siblings adore their home in Harlem. It’s close to their parents’ work, it’s close to school, their best friends live nearby, all the coolest people (the mailman, the baker, their elderly neighbors next door) greet them each day — what’s not to love? Well, The Beiderman — Mr. Beiderman, as Dad keeps reminding them — is not too great. He’s not letting the Vanderbeekers renew their lease, and he’s kicking them out of the building before Christmas!

  This book is, in many ways, a love letter to Harlem, to neighborhood camaraderie, to homes that are more than a space to live in with a roof over your head. It’s a great story about family and perseverance, silly antics, imaginative and creative children, friendship, and neighborly love. Even though it’s set during the Christmas season, it’s perfect for any time of year.

  The siblings believe The Beiderman is a crochety old man because he has never known joy in his life. So what he needs this Christmas is some good ol’ cheering up — and that’ll make him renew their parents’ lease. They come up with all sorts of clever, funny, and silly ideas, from bringing up tea to delivering scheming notes a la noir crime, to delivering a kitten in a box to playing a violin with such passion and determination it makes the man cry.

  The Beiderman’s history comes about in pieces, fitting together like a puzzle till the very end with the violin music, and — like most Grinch/Scrooge tales — a change of heart and understanding of character. It’s a good, heartwarming story, bound to be a favorite for middle grade readers. There’s a character for everyone in here!

  Posted in books, Reviews 2017 | 0 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: contemporary, genre: holiday, genre: middle grade, review, rock my TBR

• Book Review: “The City Baker’s Guide to Country Living” by Louise Miller

  Posted at 6:45 am by Laura, on December 11, 2017

  The City Baker’s Guide to Country Living by Louise Miller

  Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books
  Published: August 2016
  Genre: contemporary, women’s fiction
  ISBN: 9781101981207
  Rating: ★★★★

  When Olivia Rawlings—baker extraordinaire for an exclusive Boston dinner club—sets not just her flambéed dessert but the entire building alight, she takes a much-needed weekend break in the idyllic leafy town of Guthrie, Vermont. A weekend soon turns into something more permanent when Margaret Hurley, the cantankerous, sweater-set-wearing owner of the Sugar Maple Inn, needs to recruit a new baker who can help her reclaim the inn’s blue ribbon status at the annual county fair apple pie contest. On paper, at least, Livvy seems to be just who she was looking for.

  Along with Salty, her gigantic, uberenthusuastic dog with almost too much personality, Livvy, as the Sugar Maple’s new baker, brings her mouthwatering desserts to the residents of Guthrie and her best friend, Hannah. And when Olivia meets Martin McCracken, the Guthrie native who has returned from New York to nurse his ailing father, Livvy comes to understand that she may not be as alone in this world as she once thought. With the joys of a warm, fragrant kitchen, the sound of banjos and fiddles being tuned in a barn, and the crisp scent of the orchard just outside the front door, Olivia Rawlings may finally find that the life you want may not be the one you expected—it could be even better.

  Livvy is an excellent pastry chef. Her whole life is about her work as a baker. But when she sends her Boston dinner club (and, in many ways, her affair) alight, she flees to Vermont to get a breather and be with her best friend Hannah. Word gets out a baker is in town, and soon enough she’s hired as the new baker for Sugar Maple Inn. She not only needs to do the daily tasks of creating masterful baked goods solo, she also is perfecting her apple pie recipe so Sugar Maple can get the blue ribbons once more. Livvy begins to settle into the small town, participating in a contradance band and spending time with the McCracken family. After all this time in the big city, is Guthrie her true home?

  I could feel Livvy’s tension in Boston subside and fade away when she settled into Guthrie. She began to loosen up and settle in, enjoying the small town life she used to make fun of. The soothing routine baking needs for the inn — rolls, pastries, bread, cakes and cookies — followed by the high adrenaline of weddings and festivals really created a warm, homey atmosphere. I especially enjoyed the holiday family gathering scenes with the McCrackens, and the times when Livvy participated in the band for contradances. She slowed down, breathed more easily, and took a break. Her true colors came out.

  Comfort reading at its best! It’s a slow, relaxing read — just what I needed. It served as a reminder that we are here to enjoy life, not drown in the chaos and stress. The City Baker’s Guide to Country Living is the perfect book to read over the winter holidays, curled up under a blanket, hot beverage in hand, and a pastry (or two…) on a plate nearby.

  (Plus, look at the awesome paperback cover. That’s what caught my attention!)

  This qualifies as book 15 of 5 library books in 2017.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2017 | 4 Comments | Tagged book review, books, genre: adult fiction, genre: contemporary, review

• Mini Reviews

  Posted at 5:25 am by Laura, on December 6, 2017

  Life has been crazy hectic, leaving very little time for me to sit down and write full reviews for the books I’ve read lately. I didn’t want to not review them, though, so here are my two cents on a variety of books!

  ~

  Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón

  Publisher: Penguin
  Published: 2001
  Genre: gothic, historical fiction
  Rating: ★★★★.5
  Summary: Barcelona, 1945. Daniel’s widowed father, an antiquarian book dealer, initiates 11-year-old Daniel into the secret of the Cemetery of Forgotten Books, a library tended by Barcelona’s guild of rare-book dealers as a repository for books forgotten by the world, waiting for someone who will care about them again. Daniel’s father coaxes him to choose a volume from the spiraling labyrinth of shelves, one that, it is said, will have a special meaning for him. And Daniel so loves the novel he selects, The Shadow of the Wind by Julian Carax, that he sets out to find the rest of Carax’s work. To his shock, he discovers that someone has been systematically destroying every copy of every book this author has written. In fact, he may have the last one in existence. Before Daniel knows it his seemingly innocent quest has opened a door into one of Barcelona’s darkest secrets, an epic story of murder, magic, madness and doomed love. And before long he realizes that if he doesn’t find out the truth about Julian Carax, he and those closest to him will suffer horribly.

  Mini Review: What a thrilling, engrossing, captivating book. This is gothic fiction. Mystery, romance, suspense, murder, literary passions, mistaken identity, ghosts (real or otherwise), haunted homes, ancient cities, a web of secrecy. I savored every word. There were moments of greatness here, with scenes that captivated me, I could not tear away. There were other moments that could’ve had more to it — more character development or more depth — to make it absolutely perfect. But perhaps that’s what happens when a work is translated: not all of the brilliance of the original shines through. I know this is brilliant. This translator did an excellent job conveying Zafón’s story. If you haven’t read this book yet, drop everything and do so now.

  London Belongs to Us by Sarra Manning

  Publisher: Hot Key Books
  Published: June 2016
  Genre: young adult, contemporary
  Rating: ★★★
  Summary: Sunny’s always been a little bit of a pushover. But when she’s sent a picture of her boyfriend kissing another girl, she knows she’s got to act. What follows is a mad, twelve-hour dash around London – starting at 8pm in Crystal Palace (so far away from civilisation you can’t even get the Tube there) then sweeping through Camden, Shoreditch, Soho, Kensington, Notting Hill . . . and ending up at 8am in Alexandra Palace. Along the way Sunny meets a whole host of characters she never dreamed she’d have anything in common with. But as this love-letter to London shows, a city is only a sum of its parts, and really it’s the people living there who make up its life and soul. 

  Mini Review: The city of my heart! It was a fun romp of a story, racing all over the city over 12 hours. Sunny is sweet and naive, and she has her share of boyfriend troubles (in my opinion, she should’ve been angrier earlier, but that would ruin the fun of this ode to London), but I loved the way others worked with her, strangers and friends alike, to help her find the boy who wronged her. So many great neighborhoods and snippets of history, fantastic locations with interesting trivia, and all the colorful people. I laughed out loud at many points in this book, even took pictures of quotes and passages I found hilarious, poignant, and so very true to life. If you’re looking for a good, quick, light contemporary YA, this is the book for you!

   

  

  

  Blue Heron Series: The Best Man & The Perfect Match by Kristan Higgins

  Publisher: Harlequin HQN
  Published: February 2013, October 2013
  Genre: contemporary, romance
  Rating: ★★★.75 and ★★★
  Summary: (1) Faith Holland left her hometown after being jilted at the altar. Now a little older and wiser, she’s ready to return to the Blue Heron Winery, her family’s vineyard, to confront the ghosts of her past, and maybe enjoy a glass of red. After all, there’s some great scenery there….Like Levi Cooper, the local police chief – and best friend of her former fiancé. There’s a lot about Levi that Faith never noticed, and it’s not just those deep green eyes. The only catch is she’s having a hard time forgetting that he helped ruin her wedding all those years ago. If she can find a minute amidst all her family drama to stop and smell the rosé, she just might find a reason to stay at Blue Heron, and finish that walk down the aisle.

  (2) Honor Holland has just been unceremoniously rejected by her lifelong crush. And now—a mere three weeks later—Mr. Perfect is engaged to her best friend. But resilient, reliable Honor is going to pick herself up, dust herself off and get back out there… or she would if dating in Manningsport, New York, population 715, wasn’t easier said than done. Charming, handsome British professor Tom Barlow just wants to do right by his unofficial stepson, Charlie, but his visa is about to expire. Now Tom must either get a green card or leave the States—and leave Charlie behind. In a moment of impulsiveness, Honor agrees to help Tom with a marriage of convenience. But juggling a fiancé, hiding out from her former best friend and managing her job at the family vineyard isn’t easy. And as sparks start to fly between Honor and Tom, they might discover that their pretend relationship is far too perfect to be anything but true love….

  Mini Review for The Best Man: The characters felt authentic, even in the cheesy and comical bits, and there was a surprising amount of depth in the development and plot. The small town feel was so cute and quirky, and the novel was a great balance of comedy and romance. There was only one scene in particular that rubbed me the wrong way (you’ll know it when you read it), but overall this was an enjoyable read. Romance isn’t normally my go-to, but I wanted something good and light to read during the chaos. Higgins delivered, and I promise you: even though there were some romance cliches and tropes, I was still left guessing to the end how the pieces would come together.

  Mini Review for The Perfect Match: Honor and Tom are two desperate souls (heavy emphasis on desperate, because that described Honor and her talking eggs (I kid you not) to a T) for two very different reasons, but they matched each other well. It was nice to be back in this small town atmosphere, even closer to the winery than the first book. I wasn’t a huge fan of Tom as a love interest, and Honor sometimes made me want to throttle her, but when the two were together they complimented one another. Together, I could root for them. I fully plan to continue the Blue Heron series!

  ~

  Hopefully writing up another full review soon before the holidays hit! Keep reading, friends!

  .

  This qualifies as books 13 and 14 of 5 library books in 2017.

  This qualifies as book 14 of 12 in the Rock My TBR challenge.

  Posted in books, Reviews 2017, Rock My TBR | 7 Comments | Tagged books, genre: contemporary, genre: gothic, genre: historical fiction, genre: romance, mini review, review

• 

• 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 travel, tea is my drink of choice, British TV is the best, and I'm always down for chips-and-queso nights. Welcome to Scribbles & Wanderlust! Grab your favorite hot beverage and let's chat books!

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