REVIEW - The Underground Library ebook

OVERVIEW

As stated in this blog, I am trying to avoid WWII books. However, the subject matter was intriguing - an underground library in the London Tube during The Blitz. Be still my book-loving heart!

The subject matter was difficult at times with the privations, death, and constant bombing attacks of the Luftwaffe. The biggest takeaway was that the British people would not surrender nor would they ever give up. This strongly shows through in the plot of this historical novel. 

Again, my European history is weak, but I have learned so much about different aspects of WWII by widening my horizons to include this book. Plus, it was an easy and enjoyable read.

OVERALL REVIEW: 4.5 stars

Writing: 4.5 stars

Jennifer has a lovely, fluid style of writing. She doesn't overwrite with wordy descriptions or extraneous verbiage. Emily's writing style is easy to read and enjoy while still learning a lot about The Blitz and its impact on the people of London. 

I did not realize that I had read a previous book by Jennifer, but I definitely look forward to reading more of her books.

Character development: 5.0 stars

This book has three beautifully developed main characters - Juliet, Sofie, and Katie. These three incredibly strong women probably would have never met except for WWII. All three have very fascinating backstories that make this novel even better!

The secondary characters are library patrons, Book Club members, and the Bethnal Green community. It was beautiful how these characters are so integral to the stories of the main characters. 

The tertiary characters are WWII, The Blitz, and the Bethnal Green Library. 

Storyline:  4.5 stars

There are three separate storylines of the three main characters that are woven together to create an informative and entertaining story. The novel begins a bit before The Blitz starts and ends as it is still continuing. 

The secondary story explains so much about the primary story. It is fascinating how the author weaves these two stories and characters together so beautifully. 

The main locations were Bethnal Green, Upper Beeding, and London, England. 

Memorable/Informative:  4.5 stars

It was horrific and overwhelming to consider what the citizens of London endured during The Blitz. But, the beauty of this book was that they pulled together and made do with what they had and each other.

Book cover: 4.5 stars

Pretty.

Book title: 4.5 stars 

Very strong.

HIGHLY recommend

BOOK INFORMATION

NetGalley ARC Kindle book

The Underground Library by Jennifer Ryan

368 pages 

Ballantine Books

Release date of 03/12/2024

INFORMATIONAL LINKS

Jennifer Ryan

My Goodreads review

Ballantine Books

NetGalley

Happy reading,

Dorothea 💜

Goodreads Best Books of 2023 - Opening Round

This is such an exciting time of year when the Goodreads Best Books of 2023 competition begins. I am thrilled to say that 12 books (1 book was nominated twice) that I have read this year have been nominated!! Every single one of these books I have rated a 4.0 or higher!!

The Ferryman by Justin Cronin

(Best Science Fiction)

The Leftover Woman by Jean Kwok

(Best Mystery & Thriller)

The Wind Knows My Name by Isabel Allende 

(Best Historical Fiction)

Lady Tan's Circle of Women by Lisa See

(Best Historical Fiction)

The Connellys of County Down by Tracey Lange 

(Best Fiction)

The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer #1 

(Best Fiction)

The Invisible Hour by Alice Hoffman 

(Best Fiction)

Being Henry by Henry Winkler

(Best Humor)

Spare by Prince Harry

(Best Memoir & Autobiography)

The Woman In Me by Britney Spears

(Best Memoir & Autobiography)

How to Say Babylon by Safiya Sinclair

(Best Memoir & Autobiography)

The Wishing Game by Meg Shaffer #2

(Best Debut Novel)

If you are a Goodreads member, you can vote! This is only the opening round so it will get even more interesting to see what the others choose!!

Happy reading, 

Dorothea 💜

 

My next ebook is...

The Underground Library by Jennifer Ryan

Happy reading,

Dorothea 💜

 

REVIEW - The Painter's Daughters ebook

OVERVIEW

This is a debut novel and an excellent first book by Emily Howes!

The subject matter of this novel is really dense, difficult, and horrible. This is the story of Thomas Gainsborough's two daughters and their lives. It was so sad and heart-rending to read about their lives. 

I knew who Thomas Gainsborough was as I have viewed his amazing painting "Blue Boy" since I was little at the Huntington Library in San Marino, California. Of course, I never thought about the back story of "Blue Boy" or the painter, Thomas Gainsborough. This historical novel fills in most of the gaps in my knowledge. 

This novel is difficult to get into immediately, but it really gets going about halfway through. It is definitely thought-provoking!

OVERALL REVIEW: 4.5 stars

Writing: 4.0 stars

Emily's writing is a bit dense and took me some time to totally get into it, but it is totally appropriate for the time period.  I read much slower than normal to fully understand and digest it all. Since this is her debut novel and it was so good, I see nothing but a great writing future for Emily.

Character development: 5.0 stars

This book had two main characters, Molly and Peg Gainsborough. At the core of the novel is their bond, dependence, and undying sisterly love. They go through so much together, but all that matters is that they are sisters who love each other through good and bad times. 

The secondary characters are Thomas and Margaret Gainsborough - the painter and his wife. They try to keep their lives together, but it is challenging and difficult at times. 

The tertiary character is a secondary timeline that cements it all together beautifully.

Storyline:  5.0 stars

The story is primarily told in one timeline in the mid-1700s and a secondary one in the 1730s. Both are very character-driven and highly engaging. 

The secondary story explains so much about the primary story. It is fascinating how the author weaves these two stories beautifully. 

The main locations were Ipswich, Bath, and London, England.

Memorable/Informative: 5.0 stars

It was overwhelming to learn so much about the 18th century that I never even considered. The subjugation of women, the poor staying poor forever, and the rich getting richer and richer. The sad thing is that this is still is how things are happening now in the 21st century.  

Book cover: 5.0 stars

Very beautiful.

Book title: 4.5 stars 

Lovely.

HIGHLY recommend

BOOK INFORMATION

NetGalley ARC Kindle book

The Painter's Daughters by Emily Howes

320 pages 

Simon & Schuster

Release date of 02/27/2024

INFORMATIONAL LINKS

Emily Howes

My Goodreads review

Simon & Schuster

NetGalley

Happy reading,

Dorothea 💜

My next audiobook is... UPDATED

 Yes Please by Amy Poehler

Happy reading,

Dorothea 💜

P.S. I read this as a physical book and did not like it! I am listening to it as an audiobook and it is a completely different experience. Interesting!!

REVIEW - Being Henry audiobook

OVERVIEW

I have recently listened to several celebrity memoirs and some were great, good, and okay. This was just lovely!

I loved Henry Winkler as an actor in "Happy Days" and "Royal Pains" and now I love him as a human being. His life was a roller coaster, but the mantra of his life is gratitude! So lovely!

Henry shares so very much which was difficult including his undiagnosed dyslexia until his 30s. The memoir reads like he is just sitting in my ear talking to me or we are talking over coffee. 

OVERALL REVIEW: 5.0 stars

Writing: 5.0 stars

So, so perfect. I loved that Henry broke the "fourth wall" at times which made it so very real and personal. He really got down into the deep, dark secrets of his life, but they did make Henry the kind and compassionate human that he is. Henry learned from the generational trauma in his life and did not repeat it with his own family. The ending for me was the cherry on top - very beautiful and powerful.

Narration: 5.0 stars

So great. I'm so grateful that he explained that Henry is who he really is. The Fonz is a character that he plays. So many people lose sight of the fact that Henry is a lovely person first!

The narration was real, funny, and emotional at times. He was a great narrator and it was an amazing job, especially with his dyslexia! Just wonderful!

Character Arc: 5.0 stars

The majority of the memoir was in chronological order which I greatly appreciated. There were times when it was appropriate for Henry to tell an earlier life story that explained or elaborated on that current story. There was so much about Henry that I didn't know so it was interesting to learn all about it!

Memorable: 5.0 stars

I didn't even realize that Henry was a first-generation American or Jewish. His parents escaped Nazi Germany just before Hitler's horrific murder of millions. Unfortunately, this escape had a difficult effect on Henry's life. So very sad, but Henry vowed to not let this happen to his children and it didn't!

Entertaining: 5.0 stars

Henry is a natural storyteller. I could listen to hours more of him reading the phone book. 

Another interesting tidbit, Henry has an MFA from Yale. I think that this has gotten lost in the shuffle of "Happy Days". He did a lot of studying and worked hard to be the amazing actor and storyteller that he is. 

 

Book cover: 4.5 stars

It's a happy portrait of Henry. But the close-up face shot is being overdone in memoir covers. 

Book title: 5.0 stars 

Perfect!

Suggestions: 

I wish that there had been more chapters to this memoir! 

HIGHEST recommendation

STATISTICS

Being Henry by Henry Winkler

9 hours, 22 minutes

Listened to as an audiobook from the Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL)

Release date of 10/31/2023

INFORMATIONAL LINKS

Henry Winkler

My Goodreads Review

Macmillan Audio

Los Angeles Public Library

Happy reading,

Dorothea 💜

My next audiobook is...

 Being Henry by Henry Winkler

Happy reading,

Dorothea 💜

Goodreads - Books by Dorothea

Hi, everyone!

Since I want to protect my privacy and that of my friends and family, I have updated my Goodreads profile to booksbydorothea from my personal name. 

Additionally, the new email address for this blog is booksbydorotheablog@gmail.com instead of my personal email address. 

This change will allow me to keep my private and blog material separate! Please feel free to contact me with any questions!

Thanks so much for your support!!

Happy reading,

Dorothea 💜

REVIEW - If You Would Have Told Me audiobook

OVERVIEW

This memoir happened to come out along with a lot of other anticipated ones such as Britney Spears's. The big difference between the two is that John name names. I am not sure about how I feel about this. It could be perceived as mean and spiteful.  

John comes from a beautiful family that he obviously loves very much. He lives the American dream and becomes a star! 

It is just wonderful that he found his ultimate dream of his own family with his wife and son.

OVERALL REVIEW: 3.5 stars

Writing: 3.5 stars

The writing for this memoir is really good, but not what I would expect from a Hollywood actor. I am assuming that there was a ghostwriter, but I could be very wrong. I also think that the storytelling lost its punch about halfway through the book.

Narration: 5.0 stars

Very good! John Stamos narrates this himself. 

At times, his voice breaks when speaking of those that he has lost or laughs at memorable anecdotes. He also does passing impersonations of some famous people. Overall, I really enjoyed his narration.

Character Arc: 3.5 stars

The memoir was all over the place and time jumped which was really confusing. I think that we covered his birth to the present time, but I could not swear to it in a court of law. I think much more about his time on Full/Fuller House is what his fans are looking to hear about, but I think that he purposely wrote it this way. 

Memorable: 3.5 stars

The most memorable thing was that John and I are very close in age and lived very similar Southern California childhoods. 

Entertaining: 3.5 stars

At times, it was laugh-out-loud funny especially when John shared his personal experiences. But the name-dropping and close friendships with comedians that I find coarse and nasty are bothersome. 

 

Book cover: 4.0 stars

Nice face portrait, but it is being overdone. 

Book title: 4.0 stars 

Really nice.

Suggestions: 

The title was supposed to be HIS catch phrase, but he did not use it nearly enough in the book. 

RECOMMEND

STATISTICS

If You Had Told Me by John Stamos

8 hours, 44 minutes

Listened to as an audiobook from the Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL)

Release date of 10/24/2023

INFORMATIONAL LINKS

John Stamos

My Goodreads review

Macmillan

Los Angeles Public Library

Happy reading,

Dorothea 💜

My next ebook is...

 The Painter's Daughters by Emily Howes

Happy reading,

Dorothea 💜

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

Natalie Jenner

My Goodreads review

Allison and Busby

NetGalley

Happy reading,

Dorothea 💜