Friday, February 9, 2024

The True Love Experiment, by Christina Lauren - Truly Outstanding

My review of The True Love Experiment, by Christina Lauren, is going to be very short.  It is flat-out outstanding.  It's not only one of the best romances I've read.  It's actually one of the best books I've read! It's very clever throughout.  I usually make some notes of sentences or paragraphs that stand out.  Well, in this case, I wrote down a few early on and then realized that the entire book is clever and smart. We all know how romances end.  But, in this case, the premise is really creative and something that I haven't seen before.  And there are definitely some poignant moments.  One word of caution - there are some physical interchanges and language that are NOT PG!  But it all fits together well.





 

Saturday, February 3, 2024

There Are Memoirs and Then There Are Memoirs!

Erin Gordon's Look What You Made Me Do:  Confronting Heartbreak & Harassment in Big Law is a must read!  It focuses on her experience working as a first-year associate in a big law firm in San Francisco in 1993-1994.  Erin talks about what it was like to be treated in a way that most of us cannot even fathom.  She tells us about how that year stayed with her for the next 30 years!...and what she finally did to deal with her time there.  This memoir is raw and brave and poignant. 


And here's an added bonus:  Besides living this year along with her, you also get to read something that is so well-written.  I've always thoroughly enjoyed Erin's books, largely because she is such a good writer.  But by combining a mesmerizing story with such fine writing and heartfelt emotions, you get the trifecta!  Make sure you grab this one because it will sure grab you!





  

Thursday, January 18, 2024

Dugoni does it again!

A Killing on the Hill, by Robert Dugoni, comes out on April 9.  This is his 24th novel, along with 3 short stories and 1 non-fiction that he co-wrote.  And after all of those books, AKotH is his very 1st historical fiction!  And, wow, is it good!  The story takes place in Seattle in 1933, at the height of Prohibition and  the Great Depression.  The main protagonist is a 19-year old boy, William Shumacher ("Shoe") who has moved from Kansas City to Seattle in order to become a newspaper reporter for one of Seattle's 3 main papers.  He becomes the chief representative for the paper in a trial regarding the shooting and killing of a well-known prize fighter by the owner of an establishment that is selling alcohol and running illegal gambling games.  Of course Shoe is much more involved than just covering the trial.  Throw in the newspaper's editor, the chief detective for the City of Seattle, the deputy prosecutor who tries the case, the defense's main attorney, and a couple of women with their own stories, and you have a book that will keep you guessing throughout.

So here's the thing.  Dugoni can flat-out write.  Whether it's a standalone (5) or one of his series (3), all of his books are terrific.  And even though I (shamefacedly) admit that I've only read 5 of his books, one of them - The Extraordinary Life of Sam Hell - is one of my favorites of all-time!  If you haven't read it...get to it!  You will thank me!

But I digress.  AKotH will keep you enthralled throughout. I have to warn you that there may be some tears in your future.  And don't be surprised if you gasp or say "What the heck?" or just shake your head.  I predict one or more of those things will happen.

Get your order in so that you can start A Killing on the Hill when it becomes available on April 9.  

Saturday, December 30, 2023

Top Books of 2023

I had a pretty light year of reading. I only finished 39 books in 2023. Here are my top 13 (it's accidentally 1/3 of the total!) in order of reading:

4/4:
Freeman, Michael J. - Freeman Explains: The Things That Cannot Change That Should
Change Harmel, Kristin - The Paris Daughter
Norman, Matthew - Charm City Rocks
Rimmer, Kelly - The German Wife

3.75/4:
Quinn, Kate - The Diamond Eye

3.5/4:
Rosen, Renee - The Social Graces
Benedict, Marie & Murray, Victoria Christopher - The Personal Librarian
Haynes, Jasmine - Open Invitation
Fies, Brian - The Fire Story
Keir, Linda - The Three Mrs. Wrights
Jenoff, Pam - The Woman with the Blue Star
Brown, Karma - What Wild Women Do
Gunther, Linda - The Bronx Girl


Happy reading in 2024!

Saturday, December 9, 2023

Charm City Rocks, by Matthew Norman - A Really Fun Read

I just enjoyed the heck out of Charm City Rocks.  It's billed as a romantic comedy.  And there is both romance and comedy.  But it was a lot more than that.  There were a bunch of poignant moments.  And, yes, I shed a tear or 12.  This is one of those few books that has it all.  It is a 4/4 for me.  I WILL be reading more of Matthew's books.

Sunday, November 19, 2023

Miracle from Ukraine, by James Herbert Harrison

Miracle from Ukraine, by James Herbert Harrison, is a novel that examines the process by which mail order brides in Ukraine come to the United States.  Since it's a novel, it, of course, ups the drama ante.  But that doesn't take away from the process, and what both the potential bride and the groom-to-be have to go through to make it happen.  It also demonstrates that love can actually play a part in the process!

Miracle from Ukraine is based on actual events that the author lived through.  That makes the story even more interesting, as fiction-based-on-fact often does.  Give yourself a chance to learn how this process, which we have all heard about, can actually work out.   

Tuesday, August 22, 2023

Freedom - A Thorough Explanation of How the United States Became the United States!

The Oxford dictionary describes "comprehensive" as "including all or nearly all elements of something."  Well, let me tell you that Freedom: The Enduring Importance of the American Revolution, by Jack D. Warren, Jr., is as comprehensive as it gets.  We get the decades leading up the American Revolution and  right up to the time the Federal Constitution was passed in 1787.  In between we learn how it all happened.  And we learn it in such a way that you don't want to put the book down.  On top of that, we get all kinds of portraits, maps, and other pictures to help us really see how it all happened.  

My goal in this review is to give you a just a few facts that I know you will find interesting.  It will make you crave to know much more about how we became an independent country.  You will NOT be bored!

1.  More than 50% of all British citizens who came to the colonies were indentured slaves.  They were either guilty of a crime or weren't able to pay off debts.  When they came to America, many of them were able to become free citizens after they performed several years of servitude.

2.  African slaves were brought to America as early as 1639.  And by 1740, there were 150,000 of them here.

3.  At the beginning of the war, Blacks made up 5-10% of the soldiers. And by the end of the war, that number jumped to 15-20%.  You will want to know why.

4.  The initial goal of the colonies was not to become an independent country but, rather, to become independent within the British Empire.

5.  Hundreds of women traveled with the army.  They cooked, cleaned, sewed, and tended to the wounded.

Does that whet your appetite?  It certainly should.  I suspect you will be fascinated, as I was, to learn a lot about George Washington in the early years...and to find out how the colonies became independent states...and what happened to the loyalists who supported the British Army throughout the war...and on and on.  Freedom makes the history books that we all had to read in school seem like abridged versions of abridged versions.  Get your copy of Freedom right away.  You will be very glad you did!