The Painter's Daughters by Emily Howes
Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜
Friday, November 3, 2023
REVIEW - Every Time We Say Goodbye ebook
OVERVIEW
This is the third book I have read by Natalie Jenner and I absolutely loved it!!
The novel is the third in the Jane Austen Society trilogy and the best of the trilogy. This probably could be called a stand-alone book, but I think that the experience would be so much richer and understandable if the other two books in the series were read first!
This novel wraps up the story of the Jane Austen Society trilogy perfectly. It is primarily about Vivien (playwright) who leaves London for Rome to escape from the harsh reality of the theater world.
The character development is powerfully and beautifully done which is what I love about historical fiction. There are a lot of characters, but Natalie provides a list of characters at the beginning which is useful. Most of the characters were easy to remember as some were based on historical characters or were such great characters!
This book was excellent!
OVERALL REVIEW: 5.0 stars
Writing: 5.0 stars
Natalie's writing gets stronger with each novel that she writes! This novel takes you on a roller-coaster ride of emotions. The writing is very descriptive, but not so much that it slows the story down.
Character development: 5.0 stars
This book really has only one main character, Vivien. Others might argue that there are more, but the secondary characters support Vivien rather than share the storyline. Vivien rises about her lower middle-class background by attending university, but WWII interrupts her engagement to her fiancé. She takes a job rewriting a movie in Rome and then the story takes off beautifully!
The secondary characters are John, Nino, her coworkers at the studio, and her friends from a bookshop in London.
The tertiary character is Italy - specifically, Rome. The characters all come together because of Rome.
Storyline: 5.0 stars
The story is told in two timelines - 1943 when the resistance is fighting the Nazis for control of Italy and 1954/1955 when Vivien is primarily in Rome.
The stories sync up and are woven together beautifully with some major twists that were very unexpected, but masterfully done!!
The main locations were Rome (and the surrounding areas) along with some of the story taking place in London and Devon, England.
Memorable/Informative: 5.0 stars
I have tried to avoid WWII novels as the horror is so haunting for me. But, I think that this story has not been told before in such detail. It shares the inaction that Italy endured before and after the war due to the inaction by the Vatican to save the lives of Jews, resistance, and normal citizens.
Book cover: 5.0 stars
Stunningly beautiful.
Book title: 4.5 stars
Lovely.
HIGHEST recommendation
BOOK INFORMATION
NetGalley ARC Kindle book
Every Time We Say Goodbye by Natalie Jenner
352 pages
Allison and Busby
Release date of 03/21/2024
INFORMATIONAL LINKS
Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜
Thursday, November 2, 2023
REVIEW - Good Taste ebook
OVERVIEW
This was a novel about the writing of a book called "How The English Eat". Stella is a writer who travels around England in 1931 to learn more about the "old time" or traditional foods of England.
She has many adventures while writing her book, but she learns so much about herself and what writing and food mean to her. Also, she finds what REALLY matters in her life.
This is a VERY English book so it was hard for me to follow at times because the food was so unfamiliar.
OVERALL REVIEW: 3.5 stars
Writing: 3.5 stars
Okay, so I could NOT pin down what was making this lovely book feel like a textbook at times. The author has a Ph.D. in History which I discovered at the end of the book! At times, it felt like a historical cookbook.
I would have loved it more if it had more of a true historical fiction feel.
The letters that Stella received from posting in the various newspapers were AMAZING!!
Character development: 4.0 stars
I loved the characters in this book! I thought that they were the quintessential English folks that I imagine when I think of my VERY extended cousins who still live in England (only know of them through genealogy).
The main characters are Stella, her father, and her mother (deceased). Stella is a writer who published a book that did mediocrely well. She is working on her new book about the food of England when her dad unexpectedly moves into her small cottage. Her mother's impact on the book is felt throughout through her love for her family, but most especially at the end.
The secondary characters are Dilly, Michael, Lucien, and Freddie. These four characters help Stella understand the meaning of friendship, integrity, and truth.
Storyline: 3.5 stars
I honestly can say that I predicted the ending of the book, but not all of it. The author had a few twists up her sleeve.
The main locations were London and Yorkshire, England.
Memorable/Informative: 3.5 stars
The main thing that I took away from this book is that I am not sure that I would like much English food.
I do wish that the author had had a glossary and description of the food mentioned in the book. This American was not familiar with much of the food at all.
Book cover: 3.0 stars
It was okay.
Book title: 3.0 stars
It was appropriate for the storyline. But the name of the book that Stella was researching would have been even better!
RECOMMEND
BOOK INFORMATION
NetGalley ARC (via Book Club Girl) Kindle ebook
Good Taste by Caroline Scott
429 pages
Simon and Schuster UK
Release date of 11/07/2023
INFORMATIONAL LINKS
Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜
Wednesday, November 1, 2023
30 Days of Gratitude
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Hi, everyone!!
As this is November 1st, I wanted to share this GREAT 2023 Gratitude Challenge!! Personally, I am going to use this as a prompt for my daily journaling.
Whatever you choose to do or choose not do with the 2023 Gratitude Challenge, I hope that your November is filled with much gratitude!
Happy reading,
Dorothea💜
OCTOBER 2023 - Monthly Wrap-up
Hi, everyone!
I hope you all have had a great September and have read lots of very good books!! I know that I definitely did!
BEST BOOK OF 2023
There are now ELEVEN books vying for MY Best
Book of 2023.
- The
Wind Knows My Name by Isabel Allende (May)
- Lady
Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See (June)
- How
to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair (July)
- A
Council of Dolls by Mona Susan Power (August)
- The
Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman (August)
- Evergreen
(Japantown Mystery #2) by Naomi Hirahara (August)
- The
Women by Kristin Hannah (September)
- After
Annie by Anna Quindlen (September)
- Finding
Margaret Fuller by Allison Pataki (October)
- The
Leftover Woman by Jean Kwok (October)
- Making
It So by Patrick Stewart (October) audiobook
It will be so very interesting to determine which book I decide on as MY
Best Book of 2023! I have so many good choices and it gets harder the more books that I read. This may be a
photo finish!
My first audiobook made the 5.0-star qualifying - it was well written, beautifully narrated, and just lovely - Making It So by Patrick Stewart!
I hope that the quality of books in November continues to be
good for me! I have had at least one 5.0-star book every month since I
restarted this blog in May 2023 so that is quite the run!
GOODREADS READING GOAL:
My Goodreads reading goal keeps increasing in 2023! In May, it
increased from 50 to 60 books; in September, it increased from 60 to 80 books; and in
October, it increased from 80 to 100 books! This may be a bit of a stretch goal as I have never read this many books in one year, but I will do my best to meet it!
Currently, 81 books out of 100 books GOAL. 19 books to go by December 31,
2023.
STATISTICS:
10 total books
7 e-books; 3 audiobooks
3 books were an ARC (Advance Reader Copy)
7 books were library books
0 books were purchased e-book
0 books were an Amazon First Reads
0 books were a gifted physical book
Audio listening time in October: 28 hours, 2 minutes
Pages read in October: 2,045 pages
BOOK RATINGS with BOOK COVERS:
5.0-star books (3)
Finding Margaret Fuller by Allison Pataki REVIEW
The Leftover Woman by Jean Kwok REVIEW
Making It So by Patrick Stewart REVIEW
4.5-star books (1)
No Two Persons by Erica Bauermeister REVIEW
4.0-star books (4)
Darling Girls by Sally Hepworth REVIEW
Between The Seams by Dolly Parton REVIEW
The Woman In Me by Britney Spears REVIEW
The Connellys of County Down by Tracey Lange REVIEW
3.5-star book (1)
So Fetch by Jennifer Keishin Armstrong REVIEW
3.0-star books (1)
23½ Lies by James Patterson REVIEW
If you want to read my full review of any of these books, there are individual review posts for each e-book or audiobook below the picture of the book. You can just click on the specific book link to get to that book review!!
Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜
P.S. For more information about my book ratings, you can
find out more HERE.
Tuesday, October 31, 2023
REVIEW - Behind The Seams audiobook
OVERVIEW
This memoir was totally unique. It was about Dolly Parton's style during her career. It was divided into chapters which covered a specific decade in Dolly's life including her hair, makeup, and costumes - Dolly's style.
It was done in an interview-style which was a first for me. I liked that Dolly was able to answer in her own words, literally. She came across exactly as one would expect! Warm, fun, self-effacing, and smart!
I also enjoyed that Dolly's music was interwoven in clips during the audiobook.
OVERALL REVIEW: 4.0 stars
Writing: 4.0 stars
The writing for this memoir was fun! It was interview style which was different and was not really writing. But, I still really enjoyed it.
Narration: 4.0 stars
The narration was good. It was "curated" by Dolly's niece, Rebecca Seaver. She asked the questions and Dolly would answer in her own words.
Character Arc: 4.0 stars
The memoir covers the time from Dolly's birth (and before) to the current time. It covered a lot and it was fun to see Dolly's style evolve through time!
Memorable: 4.5 stars
Dolly is just a beautiful human. She "tries to be a better person every day" and it shows. I want to be LIKE Dolly!
Entertaining: 4.5 stars
It was highly entertaining! I wish that it had been longer as it was so much fun!
Book cover: 4.5 stars
So Dolly - perfection!
Book title: 4.0 stars
A very cute "punny" title!
Suggestions:
There were some interviews with Dolly's collaborators that were difficult to understand as the recording quality was poor or there was a lot of background noise. This could be improved to improve the experience.
DEFINITE RECOMMENDATION
STATISTICS
Behind The Seams by Dolly Parton and Holly George-Warren; curated by Rebecca Seaver
4 hours, 21 minutes
Listened to as an audiobook from the Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL)
Release date of 10/17/2023
INFORMATIONAL LINKS
Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜
Saturday, October 28, 2023
INCREASING my 2023 Goodreads Goal AGAIN
I increased my Goodreads reading goal from 50 to 60 in May 2023 and from 60 to 80 in September.
So I am AGAIN increasing my goal and this time to 100. It is going to be a big stretch goal so we will see how I do!!
Interestingly, this is DOUBLE my original goal of 50!!
Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜
P.S. Here is my updated goal (and I am already two books behind):
Friday, October 27, 2023
REVIEW - 23 1/2 Lies ebook
FULL DISCLOSURE:
I only read the first 112 pages of this book. Unfortunately, the cover (as you can see above) indicates that it is part of the Women's Murder Club series. However, this ebook included a total of three novellas in three different series - Women's Murder Club, Texas Ranger, and Watch Your Back.
This seemed to be very misleading to the consumer which irritated me as the cover did NOT indicate this. So I only read the Women's Murder Club series novella because I do not want to get sucked into another James Patterson series.
OVERVIEW
This a novella in the Women's Murder Club series. I have read all of the novels in this very long series.
The story is about Lindsay Boxer, a sergeant/detective in the SFPD (San Francisco Police Department).
You have to read the previous novels in the Women's Murder Club series to get the full backstory and understand the characters.
OVERALL REVIEW: 3.0 stars
Writing: 3.0 stars
The writing is just blah to me now. It has been a very long series with at least 24 books. The writing feels very formulatic and it appears that James Patterson doesn't even write these books anymore. He has "assistant" writers such as Maxine Paetro on this particular serie.
Character development: 3.0 stars
There wasn't much learned about the characters except for some additional family members in Lindsay's family.
Storyline: 3.0 stars
I cannot say much as there are big spoilers in this book. But, it is apparent that the novella is purely to set up the series.
All of the main locations were in the San Francisco Bay area.
Memorable/Informative: 2.5 stars
This series is getting tired. I would like it to come to a conclusion so I know how all of the characters end up.
Book cover: 2.5 stars
Misleading.
Book title: 3.0 stars
Typical for this series.
LUKEWARM recommend
BOOK INFORMATION
LAPL (Los Angeles Public Library) Kindle ebook
23 1/2 Lies by James Patterson with Maxine Paetro
112 pages
St. Martin's Press
Release date of 09/12/2023
INFORMATIONAL LINKS
Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜
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