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In Five Years Book Review ~ I Cried. A Lot.
I opened this book with a shrug and happy induced time traveling Outlander thoughts of Jaime. Be fair warned!!! I went in expecting You’ve Got Mail and got The Notebook. This is not a romantic fluff book. In Five Years covers a lot of emotional bases- love, friendship and fate. Rebecca Serle Romance, Time Travel Fiction, Domestic Fiction NYC, present Megan Hilty Book Review In Five Years 4/5 Accountant Dannie Kohan has the perfectly planned controlled outlook on life that only the young can afford. She has everything planned out, especially the next five years. On the night of her by the book marriage proposal she falls asleep only to…
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Where the Crawdads Sing ~ A Book Journey
Have you ever read a book so intense that you wanted more? Something about Crawdads sparked this need inside of me to explore for myself. It was just so beautifully written that I wanted more of Kya and the salt marsh. Sometimes books just aren’t enough for this nerdy girl. I had to see what Delia Owens so vividly wrote about. I packed my bags and went on my first Nerdy Gourmet adventure. Hence, book inspired travel and food became my passion. Where the Crawdads Sing ~ Review and Book Journey Share on facebook Share on twitter Share on linkedin Share on pinterest Share on email Share on google Delia…
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Mexican Gothic Book Review – A Disgusting Delight
This book is creepy, eerie and terrifying- great for the Halloween season. If you want a sneak peak into the novel, check out my Pinterest page for pictures of 1950’s vintage fashion, the setting of El Triunfo and more. Link above. by Silvia Moreno-Garcia narrated by: Frankie Corzo El Triunfo, Mexico, present time, Gothic Horror Book Review Young, beautiful debutante Noemi is a sophisticated 22 year old in 1950’s Mexico City. She does what she wants skimming the edge of society’s expectations. At the bequest of her father, Noemi travels to the countryside in response to a letter from her newlywed cousin, Catalina, begging for help in disordered ramblings. There…
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The Guest List
by Lucy Foley narrated by: Jot Davies, Chloe Massey, Olivia Dowd, Aoife McMahon, Sara Ovens, Rich Keeble Irish island, present time, Psychological Thriller, Suspense Book Review A destination wedding has gone wrong on a remote island off the coast of Ireland. A dead body is found during the reception and all the guests are suddenly suspects. The Guest List is a whole mood. I found this book to be completely engaging. Rich, descriptive and captivating characters will immediately grasp your attention while a primitive fear oozes in the background. What an utterly engrossing “who dunnit” that you will not want to put down. My thoughts on the last TWO…
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The Silent Patient Book Review ~ Suspense in the Psych Ward
by Alex Michaelides London, present time, Psychological Thriller Book Review “No crazy parts allowed.” The Silent Patient is visceral. Michaelides is extremely descriptive and yet clean, using no unnecessary fluff words. He took his time rolling the story out but it didn’t feel slow; I was never bored or easily distracted from the book. It just felt as if he purposefully immersed the reader into the minds of Theo and Alysia. At first, I had no interest in Theo’s story. I just wanted more of Alysia. but then I started getting hooked on Theo’s psychotherapeutic interpretations of the other characters. No spoilers but The “Twist” that hyped this book and…
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The Empress Book Review ~ A Madwoman in Mexico
by Laura Martinez-belli 1866, Mexico Book Review 4.5/5 I knew I was going to love this book when it began with a cast of characters à la a Shakespearean play. Enriched with little known history and authentic persons, the dullness of centuries past becomes suffused with color, bright and alive. Somewhat reminiscent of Philippa Gregory’s works, The Empress is full of Mexican culture, international politics, power struggles and aristocratic manipulations. Though centurial affairs can be at times dry, there was never a lack of interesting storylines. Martinez-Belli kept the narrative thriving through her many characters, especially the regal Empress Carlota and her questionable lady, Constanza. I absolutely adore all things…
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Long Bright River
Audiobook Review: 3.5/5 Sometimes the greatness of a beat cop narration is it’s instructive, systematic roll out of information. In this way, Ryan delivered; maybe too well. I found the narrative straight, somewhat dry in her hands. Yet, always clear, Ryan’s performance reflects Mickey’s stoic character well. She has the sarcasm inflection down pat, but there’s not much variation with the other characters. The accents are sometimes indistinguishable (Gee sounds a lot like Mrs. Mahon). Overall, still better than listening to yourself sing while walking. Well done; I would consider this audiobook good company. Book Review: 4/5 Two sisters, one small town, and a world between them. Mickey is a…
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The Dutch House
author, Ann Patchett narrator, Tom Hanks setting, Philadelphia Book Rating: 3/5A moving autobiographical fiction novel, The Dutch House focuses on the relationship between two siblings, Danny and Maeve Conroy. This was my very first Ann Patchett novel and I wanted to LOVE it!! It was beautifully written. Ms. Patchett is very definitely talented. I could feel the moods that settled over different scenes. I found myself thinking about parts of this book while doing dishes or rocking my baby to sleep. The lives of Danny and Maeve built a compelling story but I didn’t keep-walking-in-the-rainstorm-because-I-couldn’t-stop-listening ”love” it. (I miss you Crawdads!) Also, I couldn’t attach to the characters which is usually…
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The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo
author: Taylor Jenkins Reid narrators: Alma Cuervo, Julia Whelan, Robin Miles setting: Hollywood, NY 1950s-present Book Rating: 5/5If you could choose between true love or wealth and Hollywood fame…… Hollywood legend tells all. This book has everything: sexy iconic old Hollywood; gimlets and manhattans and cigarettes; mansions and wealth and fame. Think Marilyn Monroe surviving into old age and deciding to spill all of her deepest secrets. There was something raw and real in this book that spoke to me. Evelyn’s strength and vulnerability were palpable at times and there are pure gems of wisdom to stumble over. Multiple times I had to stop reading to reflect. Other times I had to…
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Verity Book Review ~ A Twisted Tale
by Colleen Hoover narrated by Vanessa Johansson & Amy Landon , set in the Vermont countryside, present day Book Rating: 4.5/5CoHo is a mastermind and I’m officially a forever fan. I’ve often wondered about how authors of thrillers/suspense can create such intense stories. This book gives us a twisted glimpse into the mind of such a writer. This book never stalled, never tripped. It was a full speed, twisty ride until the end. I didn’t want to put it down. Verity will take everything you thought was creepy and make it seem like a children’s bedtime story. Enjoyable is not an appropriate word for this book. Disturbingly entertaining seems a more…
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The Giver of Stars Book Review ~ An Epic Inspiration
This book stuck with me. It inspired a trip to the mountains of Kentucky, horseback riding in the cold and some great comfort foods! by Jojo Moyes narrated by Julia Whelanset in eastern Kentucky, 1930s Book Rating: 5/5British born Alice is adrift in the mountains of depression era Kentucky as well as her confounding new marriage. In a quick paced turn of events, Alice finds herself volunteering to be a pack horse librarian. Moyes composes a magical journey about a young woman finding her place in the world, the meaning of friends and true love. She does all this while paying homage to the power of the written word and…
