REVIEW - Nonna Maria and the Case of the Stolen Necklace

Thank you to Lorenzo Carcaterra, Bantam, and NetGallery for the opportunity to read this book!

I just love this Nonna Maria series. I have learned so much about Italian/Neapolitan culture, Ischia, and amazing Italian families that include blood relatives and dear family. Because of this series, Ischia is on my "bucket list" and hope to visit in the non-touristy time to explore and enjoy this amazing island!!

This is the second book in the series and I hope that Lorenzo writes twenty books for this series. It is an interesting, fun, and satisfying read! I started this book this morning and was finished by 5:00 pm. I just could not put this book down.

I definitely suggest that you read Book 1 in this series first. It will make it easier to understand the characters and story development with the back story of the first book.

This will be a GREAT beach read!! 

DEFINITELY RECOMMEND!!

4.5 stars

Information/Links:

256 pages

1 day to read (I inhaled it)!!!

Read as a Kindle ARC

Release date of 05/02/2023

https://www.lorenzocarcaterra.com/

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61856110-nonna-maria-and-the-case-of-the-stolen-necklace

https://www.randomhousebooks.com/

https://www.netgalley.com

Happy reading,

Dorothea 💜

Easter, Birthday, and Covid, OH, MY!!!

Well, it has been a very weird few weeks!! I feel bad for not updating my blog as I just started it up again, but hopefully, you will understand and forgive me after you read this post!

First off, Easter Sunday. We are not the most religious folks, but we do celebrate most of the big holidays in a secular way. So we had a wonderful ham, scalloped potatoes, and asparagus dinner! It was a fun family day!

Secondly, by Tuesday, I was out for the count with what we thought were severe allergies and it also happened to be my birthday. Bummer!! We always celebrate big events like birthdays and anniversaries on the weekend. So we were hoping that I would be better by the weekend.

Finally, on Saturday, our daughter suggested that we do a Covid test. Both my husband and I lit up the COVID test. Our daughter tested positive very faintly the next day. Thankfully, we all had Telehealth appointments and were able to get anti-virals. As of today, we have all tested NEGATIVE!! We will test again on Thursday just to make sure that we are negative. I would not wish to give Covid to my worst enemy!

If you are wondering, we will make a BIG celebration out of Mother's Day and also celebrate my birthday. It will probably be on Saturday to avoid all the craziness!!

Didn't I have a good explanation? I also read my first book in weeks today. The next post will be a review of that book!

Happy reading, 

Dorothea 💜

The BEST of 2023 (so far)

2023 has been a fabulous book year so far! Below are my ABSOLUTE favorites for the year so far. So varied and diverse just like my music taste. Read, read, read!! If you don't like these, it doesn't matter. Just get out there and READ!!

 

I read this as an audiobook and it was so, so powerful. I somehow missed this incredible book as it was a bestseller and normally I don't like them!! Weird, I know!

What is there NOT to like about an Isabel Allende book? And her feminist journey. Unfortunately, this book came out right before COVID hit! So good! 

This was a twisty and fun book - the premise is wild and there is a BIG payoff! Set in Australia and is so fun!!

One of my favorite authors, Amulya Malladi, is now writing MYSTERIES!! The storyline, location (mainly Copenhagen), and main character are AMAZING!!

I promised myself no more WWII books, but this just sounded so good! It was SO well-written with amazing characters, stories, and historical information. Yes, PLEASE!!

I have read all of his books and love his writing. This was one of those books that keep you thinking LONG after reading. Dystopian!!

My first book of the year and the one to beat!! Bono narrates this one, sings, and tells deeply personal stories. U2 must listen/read!

Another audiobook that was fabulous. I don't knit, but it was a great metaphor for so much. I have read most of Peggy Orenstein's books - AMAZING!! This was another stellar book!!

Happy reading, 

Dorothea💜

 

Goodreads 2023 Reading Challenge

So have you set up a Goodreads Reading Challenge for 2023? I set it up for 48, but I may have to increase it to my normal 60-ish books!! Here are my statistics so far:

Happy reading, 

Dorothea 💜

My next book is ...

Happy reading,

Dorothea 💜

REVIEW - The Ferryman

Thank you to Justin Cronin, Ballantine Books, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book!

First off, I am a huge fan of Justin Cronin. I have read all of his books and his writing gets better and better with each book. His writing is so strong and interesting plus I learned a few SAT words!! This time it was about sailing!!

The novel is REALLY hard to describe. It is science-fiction, but actually reality, possibly. Dystopian, but love stories. kind of. Yes, it is THAT hard to categorize. But, it is so, so much in one book and I do NOT want to ruin it for anyone with a spoiler. Just know that I stayed up until 1:00 am to finish it. Thankfully, it was worth the loss of sleep. I know that this amazing novel will stay with me for weeks as I contemplate what I read.

If you like/love/adore any of Justin Cronin's books, like good/great writing, or want an escape to somewhere else for a while, THIS is the book for you!!

HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!!
5.0 stars

Information/Links:

560 pages

10 days to read (I could have inhaled it over a weekend)!!!

Read as a Kindle ARC

Release date of 05/02/2023

https://justincroninbooks.com

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/61920791-the-ferryman

https://www.penguinrandomhouse.com

https://www.netgalley.com

Happy reading,

Dorothea 💜

💥💥💥I'm Back!!💥💥💥

Well, that "temporary hiatus" is FINALLY over!!

My last post was on February 19, 2020, and it said that I would return in June 2020. Ha, ha - life had other plans. Little did I know about something called COVID-19.

It has been over three years since I last posted. My mental health and physical health have been good since the pandemic started as well as my immediate family.

So I will start reviewing books again!! YEAH!!

appy reading,

Dorothea 💜

P.S. Interestingly, I have started listening to audiobooks for about an hour or until I fall asleep. I love it!! I am primarily reading memoirs or listening to books that I know well - finished the Anne of Green Gables series multiple times and am now listening to the Harry Potter series (read it with my daughter about fifteen years ago).

😢😢 03/05/20 - Going on a temporary hiatus 😢😢

With the hubbub of my daughter's senior year, having a new puppy, and focusing on self-care this year, I realize that I have too much on my plate right now. However, I want to come back in June and start-up fresh with this blog. Please stay tuned for my reviews later in the year!!

Thank you for your patience!!

Happy reading,

Dorothea 💜

02/19/20 - MY NEXT BOOK TO READ IS ...

The Book of Lost Friends by Lisa Wingate.

This is the THIRD book that I am reading by this author. I have no expectations about this book, but I know that I thoroughly enjoyed the previous two books by her. This is another ARC from NetGalley so I am very excited to read this novel!

If you want to know more about The Book of Lost Friends, go to Goodreads to learn more!!

Happy reading,

Dorothea 💜

REVIEW - A HUNDRED SUNS

3.0 stars

I received a complimentary e-book copy of this book from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you to Karin Tanabe, St. Martin's Press, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

First off, let me say that I was so excited to read this book. I knew very little of pre-communist Indochine and this novel was based primarily in 1933 Hanoi. However, this book did not come close to my expectations. I did not like EITHER of the two female protagonists. They were fully-fleshed out and that was the problem - the more I learned about the characters, the less that I liked them.

The author does write beautifully, but the storyline was a bit convoluted for me with too many complicated and divergent plot lines that conveniently merge and are tied up in a bow for an ending.

I may be in the minority for reviewers, but I just didn't like this book. It was just average to me and didn't really get interesting until about 375 pages into it. VERY lukewarm recommend if you like the time period.

Happy reading,

Dorothea 💜

02/13/20 - MY NEXT BOOK TO READ IS ...

A Hundred Suns by Karin Tanabe.

This is the FIRST book that I am reading by this author. I am quite excited by the time period and location - 1933 Indochine. I know little to nothing about the area and time period so I look forward to learning much more! This is another ARC from NetGalley so I am very excited to read this novel!

If you want to know more about A Hundred Suns, go to Goodreads to learn more!!

Happy reading,

Dorothea 💜