The Sublet by Greer Hendricks (eARC/eBOOK)
Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜
Sunday, March 9, 2025
REVIEW - This One Life (physical book)
This One Life by Amanda Prowse (physical book)
OVERVIEW
Oh, my goodness!! I loved this lovely book by the darling Amanda Prowse. Her books are always real, honest, and enjoyable to read. This book was no exception to the rule! AWESOMENESS!!
This novel tells the story of Madeliene Woods's life. It is her voyage of self-discovery, choice, and career.
NOTE: I have loved all FIFTEEN of Amanda Prowse's books I have read. So this book is no exception!
FULL DISCLOSURE: I won this book as a giveaway in a private Facebook group.
TRIGGER WARNING: Pregnancy, sexual situations, medical content
OVERALL REVIEW: 5.0 stars
Writing: 5.0 stars
Amanda writes so descriptively, beautifully, and powerfully. The characters, locations, and interactions all seem so real. It is as if I can visualize them all before my eyes!
Character development: 5.0 stars
The main character is Madeleine. Her life is told in two timelines that are perfectly woven together. Madeleine is a career woman who wants to leave her poor upbringing and trade it for a perfect career and life. But life throws her several curveballs in the telling.
The secondary characters are Doug (Madeleine's father), Marnie (Madeleine's mother), Trina (Madeleine's best friend), and Jimmy (Madeleine's friend).
The tertiary characters are Rebecca (Madeleine's boss) and Nico (Madeleine's friend).
There are other important characters, but I cannot say too much or I will ruin the story.
Storyline: 5.0 stars
There are dual storylines - the present day and eight years ago. As Madeleine navigates life with her friends, family, and career, there are many boulders in the road. All of these issues ultimately come to a head when the two timelines intersect.
Again, I am being vague on purpose, as this blog is a no-spoiler zone!
The main location was London.
Memorable/Informative: 5.0 stars
I never knew about "lock keeper houses" that used to manage the locks for the canals and rivers in London. The more you read, the more you know!
Book cover: 5.0 stars
Cute and funny!
Book title: 5.0 stars
Perfection!
HIGHLY recommend
Author gift (author giveaway)
This One Life by Amanda Prowse (physical book)
364 pages
Lake Union Publishing
Release date: 1/7/2025
INFORMATIONAL LINKS
Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜
Thursday, March 6, 2025
REVIEW - Fearless and Free (audioBOOK)
Fearless and Free by Josephine Baker (audiobook)
OVERVIEW
This was a very different memoir than what I am used to, which makes it TOTALLY Josephine Baker. From what little I knew about Josephine before reading this memoir, she was quite the character.
I really liked this memoir but didn't love it. It was originally published in 1949 in French and is being translated and published in English for the first time. What a life!
However, this memoir was somewhat superficial and didn't explore her thoughts, feelings, or psyche like most do. But as Josephine would say, "Ooo la la"! This was her memoir, and she did it her way, as if she was was sitting in front of you just chatting in front of her interviewer.
This novel only covers her life until 1949 and does not cover her later years at all, including her adoption of her children and her civil rights activism.
TRIGGER ALERT: War, racism, racial slurs, and xenophobia
OVERALL REVIEW: 4.0 stars
Writing: 4.0 stars
The writing was good because it was in Josephine's own voice. It did have moments when it dragged and was a little slow or monotonous..
The two translators also did a fantastic job as this was a 75-year-old memoir. Bravo to them both!
The foreword by Ijeoma Oluo was very well done, added context, and set the stage for this memoir.
Narration: 5.0 stars
The narration was amazing. Josephine did not narrate her memoir (as I prefer) as she has been gone for quite some time. However, the male and female narrators captured her essence beautifully.
Character Arc: 3.0 stars
The audiobook is somewhat chronological but highly scattered, as I expect Josephine would have been in person. She obviously had a brilliant mind that was always in overdrive!
But I wanted more. I
wanted Josephine to dig deep into her life and analyze it so we could learn from her personal experiences, especially her childhood and WWII spying.
Memorable: 4.0 stars
Since this memoir was written almost 75 years ago, there was a lot of horrible racism directed directly and indirectly towards Josephine. What shocked me was that this occurred in New York City and was incredibly blatant and obvious. The acceptance by the French people makes it understandable why she felt so much more comfortable in her adopted country of France.
I do believe that some will focus on her brief diatribe on the conflict between the Jews and Blacks in Harlem. It was a different time, and it was a sad situation, period.
Entertaining: 4.0 stars
This memoir was full of anecdotes, funny stories, and lots of spilled tea (for people of that time). It was dark and sad, especially when Josephine talked about racism, WWII, and her illnesses.
Additionally, Josephine talks about many characters I didn't know who they were, but I could follow due to the context. Their names and what they did didn't matter as this memoir was about Josephine.
Book cover: 5.0 stars
Beautiful.
Book title: 5.0 stars
Perfect.
DEFINITE recommend
STATISTICS
Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL)
borrow (audioBOOK)
Fearless and Free by Josephine Baker (audiobook)
Penguin Audio
8 hours, 42 minutes
Original release date of 1/1/1949
Rerelease date of 2/4/2025
INFORMATIONAL LINKS
Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜
Wednesday, March 5, 2025
REVIEW - My Name is Emilia del Valle
My Name is Emilia del Valle by Isabel Allende (eARC/eBOOK)
OVERVIEW
This was another mythical realism/historical fiction novel by Isabel Allende. It was a beautifully written book, but it didn't deliver for me and will not be one of my favorites by this incredible author.
It was about a journey of self-discovery by Emilia del Valle in Chile, her father's homeland. So much heartache, pain, and true wonderment occur while she is there.
TRIGGER WARNING: Violence, guns, murder, assassination, war, racism, sexism, xenophobia, sexual violence, and genocide
OVERALL REVIEW: 3.5 stars
Writing: 5.0 stars
As always, Isabel writes in pure poetry. Her vivid descriptions of life in San Francisco and Chile are simple yet incredibly beautiful. She writes powerfully, instinctively, and from the heart and soul. No one writes like La Reina, Isabel Allende.
Character development: 3.0 stars
Unfortunately, the character development was weak. The characters were only developed on a very superficial level.
The main character is Emilia del Valle. She is vividly portrayed as a wanderer, seeker, and writer, but there is limited depth as to her motives, psyche, and innermost thoughts.
The secondary characters are Papo (Emilia's stepfather), Molly (Emilia's mother), and Eric (Emilia's best friend).
The tertiary characters were Americans in San Francisco and Chile, Chilean loyalists and rebels in the Chilean Civil War of 1891 (Civil War), various military and governmental figures, the Civil War, and the country of Chile.
Many historical figures and minor characters were mentioned in this novel, but they are too numerous to mention.
Storyline: 3.0 stars
The storyline started out slowly to set everything up. But it included some extraneous side stories, such as Emilia's trip to New York City. As I understood the premise of this novel, it was to be a story about a young woman and her self-discovery.
But once the story got moving before the Civil War in Chile, then the overwhelming detail of the Civil War took over. The violent descriptions and the visualizations of war made it all about the before, during, and after of this senseless Civil War. It was exceedingly wasteful and horrific, which all wars are, but it was not really about Emilia, period.
The main locations were San Francisco, New York City, and Chile.
Memorable/Informative: 3.0 stars
The violence of this Civil War will stay with me. It was not what I expected to read about, and at times, it felt gratuitous.
Book cover: 4.0 stars
Pretty!
Book title: 3.0 stars
It really wasn't the appropriate title.
Recommend
NetGalley ARC (eARC/eBOOK)
My Name is Emilia del Valle by Isabel Allende
304 pages
Ballantine Books
FUTURE release date is 5/6/2025
INFORMATIONAL LINKS
Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜
My next (physical) book is...
This One Life by Amanda Prowse (physical book)
Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜
Sunday, March 2, 2025
Amazon First Reads
Hi, everyone!!
As part of your Amazon Prime Membership, you receive a FREE monthly Kindle book! It is called Amazon First Reads, and you can find out more about it here: Amazon First Reads.
The Amazon First Reads email for March went out to me late yesterday! There is a free Kindle book and a free Kindle short story for March 2025. I am enjoying the additional short story along with the free Kindle eBOOK!
My TWO choices for March 2025 are:
The Beauty of the End by Lauren Stienstra (eBOOK)
The Sublet by Greer Hendricks (short story)
So what Kindle book are you SELECTING?!? Neither is historical fiction, so I am out of my comfort zone!
Also, as a reminder, remember to "buy" AND download the FREE books from Amazon! You can't read a book or a short story that hasn't been downloaded! Ask me how I know?!?
Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜
Saturday, March 1, 2025
booksbydorothea - February 2025 - Monthly Wrap-up
Hello, my blogger friends!!
February 2025 was a much better month, with the fire recovery beginning! #LAStrong. Plus, we keep getting rain! I hope and pray that it is an easy fire year!
I continue to read and listen to books to avoid the news and social media. This was a good reading month with THIRTEEN books (audioBOOKS and eBOOKS).
As an update for book tracking apps, I prefer StoryGraph for ease of use, statistical analysis, and tracking hours listened for audioBOOKS. However, Goodreads is where my bookish friends and authors are, so I will keep it for now!
There were seven five-star books: four eBOOKS and three audioBOOKS in February 2025!
BEST BOOKS FOR FEBRUARY 2025
eBOOKS
JANUARY
The Love Elixir of Augusta
Stern by Lynda Cohen
Loigman
The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis
What Happened to the
McCrays? by Tracey Lange
More or Less Maddy by Lisa Genova
Paris Undercover by Matthew Goodman
The Bookstore Keepers by Alice Hoffman
Come Fly with Me by Camille Di Maio
The Memory of Cotton by Ann K. Howley
The Secret History of
Audrey Jones by Heather Marshall
Looking for Jane by Heather Marshall
FEBRUARY
The Sirens by Emilia Hart
Swimming to Lundy by Amanda Prowse
The Fall Risk by Abby Jimenez
The Dressmakers of London by Julia Kelly
audioBOOKS
JANUARY
Me by Elton John
Let’s Call Her Barbie by Renée Rosen
FEBRUARY
Never by Rick Astley
Unlovable by Darren Hayes
Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't
Want to Come by Jessica Pan
2025 READING GOAL
My goal is to read 101
books in 2025. As of February 28th, I have read 31 books, or 31.0%
of my goal.
FEBRUARY 2025 STATISTICS
13 total books
9 ebooks; 4 audiobooks; 0
physical books
5 books - ARC (Advance
Reader Copy)
7 books - Library
1 book – Purchased
1 book - Amazon First
Reads
0 books - Book Club Girl
0 book – author gifted
Audio listening time in February
2025: 21 hours, 58 minutes
Pages read in February
2025: 3,595 pages
Average review rating: 4.42
stars
FEBRUARY 2025 BOOK RATINGS
with BOOK COVERS
eBOOKS
5.0-star eBOOKS
The Sirens by Emilia Hart LINK
Swimming to Lundy by Amanda Prowse LINK
The Fall Risk by Abby Jimenez LINK
The Dressmakers of London by Julia Kelly LINK
4.5-star eBOOK
The Rebel Romanov by Helen Rappaport LINK
The Girls Who Stepped Out of Line by Meri K. Eder LINK
4.0-star eBOOK
The Medici Return by Steve Berry LINK
3.5-star eBOOK
A Map to Paradise by Susan Meissner LINK
3.0-star eBOOK
I Would Die for You by Sandie Jones LINK
AudioBOOKS
5.0-star audioBOOKS
Never by Rick Astley LINK
Unlovable by Darren Hayes LINK
Sorry I'm Late, I Didn't Want to Come by Jessica Pan LINK
4.0-star audioBOOKS
The Time of My Life by Patrick Swayze LINK
NOTE: There were no 4.5-star, 3.5-star, or 3.0-star audioBOOKS this month.
If you want to read my
full review of any of these books, there are individual review links for each
eBOOK or audioBOOK next to the book title and author (under FEBRUARY
2025 BOOK RATINGS with BOOK COVERS just above). Click on the specific
book link to get to that book review.
I hope you find lots of great reads in March! Please share your favorite books and audiobooks, as I am always looking for the next great book!
Happy reading!
Dorothea 💜
P.S. You can find out more about my book ratings HERE.
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