So I'm reading MULTIPLE books... WHAT!?!?

It always seems that LIBRARY books come in ALL at once! It happened to me again THIS weekend!! But I love my local, well actually HUGE, library!! Thank you, Los Angeles Public Library!!!

So I will be reading this library book:

The Mitford Affair by Marie Benedict

While also reading, this ARC! This book is historically dense and fascinating! Perfect for this history nerd!! This book has until August 1st to finish. So I will alternate until one or both books are done. If this one isn't finished, then I will alternate with another library book. Wild, right! Yes, I can do it!!

Flirting with Danger by Janet Wallach

So how do you handle multiple library books? Do you just power through or alternate? Do you postpone getting them? What about audiobooks in the mix? Inquiring minds want to know. Feel free to post in the comment section!

Happy reading,

Dorothea 💜

P.S. The concert last night was a blast!! My daughter and I made AMAZING memories!! The only downside was sitting in the hot sun for hours until blessed shade came over us. Oh, and it was 91% humidity at 10:00 pm in Los Angeles!!! 

My First Reads Book is...

 

The Life She Wanted by Anita Abriel

Okay, so I knew that I had seen this book cover before and it was making me question my memory! I tried to request it from the Los Angeles Public Library, but it was so new that it wasn't available yet. So I just kept it on my Goodreads To-Be Read List!!

So after my last post about Amazon Prime First Reads, I started looking for a great First Reads book. Well, it turns out that The Life She Wanted was a First Reads for June 2023! YES!!!

So the moral of this story is ALWAYS go back and review the books that you have in YOUR personal library. You NEVER know what you might find!!

I'm off to the Fall Out Boy/Bring Me The Horizon concert in a few hours with my daughter today at BMO Stadium in Downtown Los Angeles. The weather is not ideal for an outdoor concert - hot, poor air quality, and 47% humidity (a lot for Los Angeles). BUT, I am going to make memories with my daughter!!

So I will be out late and am going to sleep in. So there may be no reading happening for the next few days! We will see.

Be safe out there, friends!!

Happy reading,

Dorothea 💜

FREE with Amazon Prime - July 2023 First Reads

You may NOT know that there is a benefit of one FREE Kindle book monthly with your Amazon Prime membership (First Reads)!! I just got the email about this benefit a few minutes ago - so be sure to check for it! Due to Prime Day in July (I think), there are TWO books available. SCORE! 

Unfortunately, I have so many FREE Kindle books that I may not get through them all EVER! But, I should start reading one Amazon freebie book a month. I will do it this month if the LIBRARY books stop coming in! It is a GOOD problem to have!

So my two Kindle book picks are:

Sing, Wild Bird, Sing by Jacqueline O'Mahony

Broadway Butterfly by Sara Divello

What are your July 2023 First Reads picks??? Please let me know in the comments!!

For further information about July 2023 First Reads, check out this link: https://www.amazon.com/firstreads/ref=kc_apub_afr_d_07_23

Happy reading,

Dorothea 💜

June 2023 Reading Wrap-up

Hi, everyone!!

June 2023 was another great month for reading! But my BFF vacation and Father’s Day weekend cut significantly into my reading for the month! That’s the beauty of reading – you can read WHENEVER you have the time. Total flexibility!!

The best book of June 2023: Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See. I have loved and read EVERY. SINGLE. BOOK that she has written. This book is just AMAZING!

I have two front runners for my BOOK OF THE YEAR - The Wind Knows My Name by Isabel Allende and Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See. I read them a month apart so time will tell which one will become my favorite!  

 

STATISTICS:

5 e-books; 2 audiobooks

1 book was an ARC (Advance Reader Copy)

4 books were library books; 2 audiobooks were library books

Audio listening time in June: 28 hours, 28 minutes

Pages read in June:  1765 pages

2 books were 5.0 stars

0 books were 4.5 stars

4 books were 4.0 stars

0 books were 3.5 stars

1 book was 3.0 stars

 

BOOK RATINGS with BOOK COVERS:

5.0 star books (2)

Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See

The House on the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune (audio)

4.5 star books (0)

 

4.0 star books (4)

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins (audio)

The Beginning of Everything by Jackie Fraser

The Lonely Hearts Book Club by Lucy Gilmore

The Guest House by the Sea by Faith Hogan

 

3.5 star book (0) 

 

3.0 star books (1)

Famous in a Small Town by Viola Shipman

 

If you want to read my full review of any of these books, there are individual review posts for each e-book or audiobook on this blog.

 

I look forward to reading and reviewing more great books for you in July!! Have a Happy National Ice Cream Month! It is possible to eat ice cream and read at the same time!! 🍦

 

Happy reading, 

 

Dorothea 💜

 

P.S. As a reminder about my book ratings, you can find out more HERE. 

 

Audiobooks and ME!

Well, I have listened to a LOT of audiobooks for the first time at the end of 2022 and for the entirety of 2023, so far.

What I have discovered is this:

• Listening to audiobooks while in bed makes me sleepy, DUH!
• Complicated books don't usually work on audiobooks.
• The narrator can make or break a book!
• Memoirs read by the author work best for me as audiobooks.
• The Harry Potter series narrated by Jim Dale is the GOLD standard!

So give audiobooks a try! Don't go by MY experience ONLY. 

BTW, audiobooks are reading per Libby and the LAPL. Don't let anyone tell you otherwise!! JUST READ!!!

Happy reading,

Dorothea 💜 

DNF - The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1) AUDIOBOOK

 

I will not finish (DNF) The Lightning Thief (Percy Jackson and the Olympians #1) AUDIOBOOK by Rick Riordan. 

I loved reading this book and series (a LONG time ago), but the audiobook is just not working for me. 

Happy reading,

Dorothea 💜

My next book is REALLY...

 Flirting with Danger by Janet Wallach

REVIEW - Famous in a Small Town

OVERVIEW

I have read most of Viola Shipman's books with the exception of the Christmas books. Normally, I look forward to Viola's books, but this book was a BIG disappointment to me.

This was a contemporary fiction novel set primarily in Good Hart, Michigan in the northern part of the state. It is a real town where cherries and Lake Michigan are a big draw for the tourists who invade every summer and fall. The main characters are the cherries, Mary (a town native), and Becky (a vacationer) who meet and form a STRONG friendship almost immediately. It seems like all of the characters have had horrible childhoods and some with a lack of familial support. I especially dislike the description of Becky's boyfriend and parents' treatment of her - it just struck a real nerve in me. I couldn't get past it and it just ruined the book for me. I read the book quickly because I just wanted it to be over. 

I also didn't like the name-dropping in the book of Jeff Daniels - I get enough of that living in Los Angeles. Also, the appropriation of the "vision" of the four women bothered me. The overt Roman Catholicism impacting life choices was out of place in a contemporary novel like this. 

The ending just wasn't fulfilling to me. It was just TOO perfect!

REVIEW: 3.0 stars

Writing: 3.0 stars

Famous in a Small Town did not have the normal writing by Viola Shipman. It felt like it lacked editing and was written quickly. Although I could tell that it was well-researched, it wasn't written to me. 

Character development: 3.0 stars

This novel has two main human characters, Mary and Becky. They both come from abusive backgrounds and bond over a shared "vision". The characters were just not developed enough for me. I wanted and needed more about the human characters before they meet. 

Of course, the OTHER main character, cherries, was fully developed. It almost felt like the book was an advertisement for Good Hart, Michigan. 

Storyline: 3.0 stars

The storyline was weak and not believable. Becky comes into Mary's life and everyone's life is perfect again. It just didn't ring true to me. 

Book cover: 3.0 stars

Meh!

Book title: 3.0 stars 

It felt like an excuse to feature a Miranda Lambert song (name-dropping again).

Gut feeling: 2.0 stars

I was disappointed!! 

Lukewarm RECOMMEND

INFORMATION/LINKS

Famous in a Small Town by Viola Shipman

304 pages

2 days to read it (It is an EASY read)

Read it as a LAPL (Los Angeles Public Library) ebook

Release date of 06/13/2023

https://violashipman.com/

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5382664743

https://www.harpercollins.com/pages/graydonhousebooks

https://lapl.overdrive.com/

Happy reading,

Dorothea 💜

UPDATE 6/29: Jury Duty

 

Jury duty! OH, MY!!

UPDATE: Today the Jury Portal stated, "You Have Completed Your Jury Service"!! 

Happy reading,

Dorothea 💜

My next read is...

 Famous in a Small Town by Viola Shipman

Happy reading,

Dorothea 💜

REVIEW - The Guest House by the Sea

 

OVERVIEW

This is the third book by Faith Hogan that I have read. The one word to describe her books is LOVELY! You will see the word LOVELY sprinkled throughout this review!

This was a contemporary fiction novel set primarily on the coast of Ireland at a guest house in the village of Ballycove. The guest house (The Willows) and the owner (Esme) are the primary characters plus the Irish Sea! The secondary characters are the many guests at The Willows. Interestingly, the advice of Esme, The Willows along with the Irish Sea heal the guests in unique and beautiful ways. They may not be healed in the way that is traditional, but it is healing nonetheless.

The ending left much to the imagination so I hope that it means that there is a sequel to this story or even another novel about Ballycove. It sounds like the perfect place to visit, live, or be from!

REVIEW: 4.0 stars

Writing: 4.0 stars

The Guest House by the Sea is just a lovely novel. It was easy to read and get lost in The Willows, Balllycove, and the Irish Sea. The descriptions were good, but NOT overly done. I can picture the characters and the setting perfectly in my head which is ALWAYS a good sign of well-written books! 

Character development: 4.0 stars

This novel has two main characters, Esme and The Willows. With the supporting cast of the Irish Sea and The Willows' guests!! There were some difficult things that all of the characters had to heal from and make decisions about which made for very interesting character development! The characters were likeable and lovely.

Storyline: 4.0 stars

The storyline really was about protecting and saving The Willows which is Esme's home and livelihood! There were no real twists or turns that made me gasp, but it was a lovely storyline. 

Book cover: 4.0 stars

Beautiful! I wish that I could read, drink tea, and listen to the sea on the cover FOREVER!

Book title: 4.0 stars 

Totally on point!

Gut feeling: 4.0 stars

I knew that this book was for me when I saw the cover and the author's name! 

Definite RECOMMEND

INFORMATION/LINKS

The Guest House by the Sea by Faith Hogan

366 pages

7 days to read it (It is a LOVELY book for the summer season!)

Read it as a LAPL (Los Angeles Public Library) ebook

Release date of 06/08/2023

https://faithhogan.com/

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/5379860415

https://ariafiction.com/home

https://lapl.overdrive.com/

Happy reading,

Dorothea 💜