Reviews of physical books, ebooks, and audiobooks personally read or listened to by me! booksbydorothea - Instagram; booksbydorothea - Threads; Books by Dorothea - Goodreads
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Monday, May 22, 2023
DNF - The Madwoman of Paris
Saturday, May 20, 2023
REVIEW - Montauk
OVERVIEW
First off, I recall reading this book when it first came out as an ARC in 2019, but I didn't review it on Goodreads or NetGalley. Weird! So I am reviewing it as a first-time read! But it was worth reading a second time so you can probably predict my review!
REVIEW: 4.0
stars
Writing:
4.5 stars
Nicola
Harrison writes beautiful and descriptive prose that helps you visualize each
scene of her books without getting bogged down. It is very easy to read, but so
enjoyable to read!
Character development: 4.5 stars
The
characters were interesting and fascinating! There were the "poor" rich ladies
who left Manhattan for the summer and their husbands who only visited on the
weekends. But in contrast, there were also the "rich" poor local workers
who have beautiful friendships, families, and lives.
Storyline: 4.5 stars
The
interaction between all of the characters both city and local proved that being
monetarily rich doesn't make one happy. The finale of the book was so well done
that it will stay with me for a long time!
Book cover: 5.0 stars
Absolutely
perfect - especially the blue dress against the sepia background!
Gut feeling: 4.5 stars
Not at
all what I expected, but exactly what I enjoy - historical fiction!!
Definite RECOMMEND
INFORMATION/LINKS
Montauk by Nicola Harrison
394 pages
5 days to read
Read as a Kindle library
book - Los Angeles Public Library
Release date of
06/04/2019
https://www.nicolaharrison.com/
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/41150486-montauk
https://us.macmillan.com/stmartinspress/
P.S. I updated my template for my blog reviews. Hopefully, it makes it easier for a quick review of the book!
Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜
Friday, May 19, 2023
AAPI Heritage Month - Favorite AAPI Authors
So in recognition of AAPI Heritage Month, I would like to recognize some of my absolute favorite AAPI authors and my favorite book that they have written.
- Amy Tan http://www.amytan.net/
- Jamie Ford https://jamieford.com/
- Amulya Malladi https://www.amulyamalladi.com/
- Lisa See https://lisasee.com/
- Gail Tsuyiyama https://www.gailtsukiyama.com/
- Jean Kwok https://www.jeankwok.com/
Wednesday, May 17, 2023
Harry Potter books 1-7 AUDIOBOOKS
Writing: 5.0 stars (progressively more intricate to match the reading levels of the core readers)
Character development: 5.0 stars (so many amazingly interesting characters)
Storyline: 5.0 stars (creative and unique storyline)
Book cover: 5.0 stars (Absolutely beautiful - all seven of them)
Gut feeling: 5.0 stars (More than what I expected as I had already READ the books!)
Definite RECOMMEND
INFORMATION/LINKS
4,142 pages116 hours, 21 minutes listening timeOne and 1/2 months to listen to and finish (Covid intervened, UGH!)Listened as an audiobook from the Los Angeles Public LibraryRelease dates of 1997-2007https://www.goodreads.com/ (NO reviews on Goodreads)Happy reading,Dorothea 💜P.S. Going forward, I will review a book series as individual books as I think it is more meaningful and helps to understand the flow of the series better!
Tuesday, May 16, 2023
Pulitzer Prizes - Fiction
- The Good Earth
- Gone with the Wind
- The Yearling
- The Grapes of Wrath
- To Kill a Mockingbird
- Olive Kitteridge
- The Goldfinch
Monday, May 15, 2023
Goodreads 2023 Reading Challenge INCREASED!
Of course, I had to increase my Reading Challenge from 48 to 60. It is only May 15, 2023, and I have read 46 books. Don't be surprised if I have to increase it AGAIN!!
What's YOUR Reading Challenge for 2023???
Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜
Sunday, May 14, 2023
REVIEW - The Brightest Star
Writing: 4.5 stars (Gail Tsukiyama writes beautifully - this was on point for her)
Character development: 3.5 stars (Difficult to keep track of all the characters)
Storyline: 4.0 stars (Anna May was a charmer; I would have loved to have met her)
Book cover: 5.0 stars (Absolute perfection)
Gut feeling: 4.0 stars (Exactly what I expected; I really enjoyed it)
Definite RECOMMEND
INFORMATION/LINKS
320 pages3 days to read (Mother's Day weekend got in the way, HA!)Read as a Kindle ARCRelease date of 06/20/2023Happy reading,Dorothea 💜