I have been silent since Saturday, April 6th because my desktop died. But, I cannot complain as it lasted over NINE years!!
My new desktop arrived late yesterday afternoon (and hubby set it up last night)! It is way smaller, faster, and powerful! Actually, it is the size of a small wristlet!
So here is my first official post on my NEW desktop!!
Happy reading 📚
Dorothea 💜
Hi, everyone!
Well, this has been a
strange month with few books read. But, no biggie! I did
not find a good biography or memoir to listen to for the last few weeks of the
month (listened to the Harry Potter audiobooks AGAIN). Additionally, I tried to ration my favorite book of March which was
silly.
March is the weakest ratings
month for 2024 ratings so far with a total rating of 3.88 stars. I had two books that
received the HIGHEST recommendation (5.0 stars) and the majority remaining were
RECOMMEND (3.5 stars). There is always something interesting about books!!
2nd ANNUAL “booksbydorothea”
BEST BOOKS OF 2024:
All We Were Promised by Ashton Lattimore
(January) 5 stars
Miss Morgan's Book Brigade by Janet Skeslien Charles
(February) 5 stars
The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer
(March) 5 stars
GOODREADS READING GOAL:
As of 03/31/2024, I have read 33 books, or 33% of my
goal.
MARCH 2024 STATISTICS:
8 total books
5 e-books; 3 audiobooks; 0
physical books
3 books were an ARC
(Advance Reader Copy)
4 books were library books
0 books were purchased
1 book was an Amazon First
Reads
0 books were a Book Club
Girl
Audio listening time in March: 36 hours, 56 minutes
Pages read in March:
2, 16 pages
Average review rating: 3.88
stars
MARCH BOOK RATINGS with BOOK COVERS:
5.0-star books (2)
The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer LINK
4.5-star books (0)
4.0-star books (1)
Lovers at the Museum by Isabel Allende LINK
3.5-star book (4)
Middletide by Sarah Crouch LINK
Crying in H Mart by Michelle Zauner LINK
The 24th Hour by James Patterson; Maxine Paetro LINK
3.0-star books (1)
If you want to read my full review of
any of these books, there are individual review posts for each ebook or
audiobook next to the title and author.
Happy reading 📚
Dorothea 💜
P.S. For more information
about my book ratings, you can find out more HERE.
This is the second book written by Meg Shaffer. Her first book, The Wishing Game, was one of my favorite books of 2023. So I was very excited to read her next book! This book, The Lost Story, is definitely my favorite book of March 2024.
This book is hard to describe without giving too much away. This amazing book is like a fascinating combination of The Chronicles of Narnia, Alice in Wonderland, and Peter Pan, but isn't those books. Of course, my favorite Music Goddess, Stevie Nicks, is liberally spread throughout!! What's not to love???
This book took a few chapters to set up which is what I expect in a great book! But, once it got to the meat of the story, I could not put this book down. It was that good.
OVERALL REVIEW: 5.0 stars
Writing: 5.0 stars
Meg is an amazing writer. It is shocking how good her writing is as this is only her second book. I predict a long writing career in front of her and hope to enjoy her beautiful books for years to come.
My favorite part was all the clues, bits of beauty, and interesting pieces that Meg spreads like fairy dust throughout the book!
This book would make an amazing series or movie! Fingers crossed!
Character development: 5.0 stars
The four main characters - Rafe (friend), Jeremy (friend), Emilie (younger sister), and Shannon (older sister) are the primary focus of the entire story.
Rafe's mom, Jeremy's mom and dad, and "The Storyteller" are the secondary characters.
There are also a few tertiary characters who help move the story along.
*Please note that I am not sharing much detail to avoid spoilers.*
Storyline: 5.0 stars
Rafe and Jeremy, best friends, disappeared for about six months in Red Creek Park. Unfortunately, they have no contact after their return.
In the ensuing fifteen years, Rafe becomes an artist and Jeremy finds missing persons. Emilie tracks down Jeremy and asks him to help her find her missing older sister. Then the story takes off.
My favorite part of the storyline was the diversity of the characters including LGBT+ folks.
The main location was "West, by God!, Virginia!". (inside joke from the book)
Memorable/Informative: 5.0 stars
It was unique, fun, and full of fantasy.
Book cover: 5.0 stars
Gorgeous.
Book title: 5.0 stars
Very appropriate.
HIGHEST recommendation
BOOK INFORMATION
NetGalley ARC (ebook)
The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer
336 pages
Ballantine Books
Release date of 07/04/2024
INFORMATIONAL LINKS
Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜
OVERVIEW
Writing: 2.0 stars
The writing could have been better. Maureen could have used help from a professional ghostwriter.
Narration: 3.0 stars
The narration was blah. There was no real feeling and this was Maureen's life, trauma, and experiences. It was as if she separated herself from what she was reading and was emotionless.
Character Arc: 3.5 stars
Maureen comes off as cold, lost, and scared before her mental health issues are diagnosed near the end of the book. Sadly, much of this is learned behavior from her family of origin.
She writes the book in a very chronological manner which flows very nicely for the reader. I wish there was more of Maureen's later life as this book was published in 2008.
Memorable: 3.0 stars
Maureen had a rough time growing up in a very dysfunctional home while being a childhood star. This would scar anyone as this is a huge issue with child actors and truly needs to be addressed.
One thing that seriously grated on me was Maureen's use of the word, "retarded" to describe her older brother. Since the book was written in 2008, I hope that she now uses more appropriate terminology.
Entertaining: 3.0 stars
It was not entertaining at all.
Book cover: 4.5 stars
A beautiful portrait.
Book title: 4.0 stars
On point!
LUKEWARM recommend
STATISTICS
Release date of 01/01/2008
INFORMATIONAL LINKS
Happy reading 📚,
Dorothea 💜
Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜
This was a VERY short novelette or even short story about the discovery of two lovers in the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao. It is a weird, supernatural story that only the incredible Isabel Allende could or should write. It reminds me of the La Mariée painting by Chagall which is so crazy that it is beautiful!
It was funny, at times, and extremely quirky, but an easy read. This short story has an opportunity to be a full-length novel and I hope this happens. To be fair, I have loved everything that I have read by Isabel Allende. She is one of the greatest Hispanic and female authors of our age.
OVERALL REVIEW: 4.0 stars
Writing: 5.0 stars
Isabel writes so incredibly with such passion and description. Yet, her stories and books read so easily that you can imagine the book in your mind. Isabel's writing is pure poetry for all of the senses. It is a perfect style for this type of story.
Character development: 4.0 stars
There were three characters - Bibiña (female lover), Indar (male lover), and Aitor (investigating detective).
Of course, the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao was a secondary character.
A lot was missing from the story including the couple's relationship afterward and the detective's future discoveries in the museum.
Storyline: 4.5 stars
Bibiña was discovered in a wedding dress and Indar was in his birthday suit in the locked and secure museum by a cleaning woman. Then the incident was investigated by a detective. There are secrets in the museum almost as if it is sentient.
The above storyline is a complete novel just waiting to be written by Isabel Allende.
The main location was the Guggenheim Museum Bilbao in Spain.
Memorable/Informative: 4.0 stars
It was just a unique and escapist short story!
Book cover: 5.0 stars
Gorgeous.
Book title: 5.0 stars
Very appropriate.
DEFINITE recommend
BOOK INFORMATION
Amazon First Reads Kindle ebook
Lovers at the Museum by Isabel Allende
25 pages
Amazon Original Stories
Release date of 04/01/2024
INFORMATIONAL LINKS
Amazon First Reads - December 2023
Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜
Writing: 4.0 stars
The writing was good and much stronger than in a lot of memoirs. It was raw, real, and very intense. RuPaul's young childhood was so horrible that I am shocked that he and his siblings made it out successfully.
Narration: 3.0 stars
The narration, at times, was very upbeat and exciting, and at other times was somewhat bland and boring. It was as if RuPaul changed his reading style to match his feelings while reading the narration. The narration could have been more consistent for my taste.
Character Arc: 3.5 stars
RuPaul comes off as a warm, thoughtful, and focused individual. My only complaint is that he is a diva with a superstar complex, but that is the only way one makes it in the entertainment business.
He writes the book in a very chronological manner which flows very nicely for the reader. I only wish there was more of RuPaul's later life including addressing some of his controversies and his breakthrough in television.
Memorable: 3.5 stars
The disco/punk/new wave club scene in New York sounds like a crazy time in 80's New York City. RuPaul and I are very close in age so I could understand his frame of reference.
Entertaining: 3.5 stars
I only wish I knew the backstory of the people, places, and bands that RuPaul talks about. Being a West Coast kid was a disadvantage concerning Atlanta and New York City.
Book cover: 4.5 stars
A beautiful portrait.
Book title: 4.5 stars
Very appropriate!
Recommend
STATISTICS
Release date of 03/05/2024
INFORMATIONAL LINKS
Happy reading 📚,
Dorothea 💜
