REVIEW - How To Read A Book ebook

 

How To Read A Book by Monica Wood (ebook)

OVERVIEW

This is the first book that I have read by Monica Wood. Now, I want to read all of her previous books as I loved this book so much! 

This book is adult contemporary fiction and is a departure from my favorite genre of historical fiction. This novel had it all - good writing, good storytelling, and good characters. All that one would want in any novel was in this book!

OVERALL REVIEW: 5.0 stars

Writing: 5.0 stars

The novel is told in the first person by the three main characters. I thoroughly enjoyed how Monica wrote in each character's voice. It was perfection!

Her writing is easy to read, but meaty with description and important details. Even the end notes were well-written!

Character development: 5.0 stars

The three main characters are Violet (parolee); Harriet (prison volunteer); and Frank (husband of Violet's victim). They could not be more different, but they are so similar as they need each other. 

The secondary characters are Mischa (Violet's boss); Sophie (Harriet's niece); and Kristy (Frank's daughter). These secondary characters allow the three separate lives to blend and become one. 

The tertiary characters are the prison inmates and correction officials; the lab workers and birds; the prison Book Club; and friends and family members. 

Storyline:  5.0 stars

The storyline, at first, was unbelievable to me. But after I thought about it, this story could only happen in a beautiful place like Maine or someplace similar. 

The storyline is about Violet who makes a mistake and is sent to prison. While in prison, she discovers books through a book club led by prison volunteer, Harriet.  Harriet and Violet accidentally meet at a bookstore where Frank happens to be working. Then the story is off to the race.

The main location was Maine.

Memorable/Informative:  5.0 stars

This novel is all about how books are important in our lives. The title says it all by stating "How" to read a book. That is what it all boils down to in life with each of us being the book of our own life. "How" we read our books is what makes our life ours. 

Book cover: 4.5 stars

Nice.

Book title: 5.0 stars 

So perfect! 

HIGHEST recommendation

BOOK INFORMATION

Book Club Girl via NetGalley ARC (ebook)

How To Read A Book by Monica Wood

283 pages 

Mariner Books

Release date of 05/07/2024

INFORMATIONAL LINKS

Monica Wood

My Goodreads review

Mariner Books

NetGalley

Book Club Girl

Happy reading, 

Dorothea 💜

My next ebook is...

 How To Read A Book by Monica Wood

Happy reading, 

Dorothea 💜

REVIEW - The Trial of Mrs. Rhinelander

The Trial of Mrs. Rhinelander by Denny S. Bryce (ebook)

OVERVIEW

This is the third book by Denny S. Bryce that I have read. She discovers fascinating historical characters and writes amazing historical fiction about their lives. I always learn something new with each book that I read by this author.

This book made me question how little race has been addressed in this country. It is a mix of historical, cultural, ethnic, and religious issues with so much complexity and a need for common sense. For instance, I recently discovered that the Census Bureau finally created a new race category for Middle Eastern/North African folks. This was an easy fix to make everyone feel welcome and a part of our country. 

OVERALL REVIEW: 4.5 stars

Writing: 4.5 stars

Denny can write beautifully. Her writing is easy to read, yet nicely descriptive without getting bogged down in SAT words! Denny did include some of the slang of the period and different language usage of the time which was great!

Character development: 4.5 stars

The two main characters, Alice Jones (wife) and Kip Rhinelander (husband) are married even with the challenges of being from different races and socio-economic backgrounds.  

The secondary characters are the two families - the Jones family is welcoming to the marriage and Kip; however, the Rhinelander family is vehemently opposed to the marriage and fights the marriage from the beginning. 

The most difficult character to qualify and quantify is race in this novel. 

Storyline:  4.5 stars

The storyline is only something that could happen in the USA. Two people of two different races meet and fall in love when they are from radically different parts of society. 

The novel is told in two different periods during the 1920s and 1940s with an epilogue in the 1980s. It was a great way to tell the story with Alice talking about her life to her niece. 

The main location was New York City with a little Connecticut.

Memorable/Informative:  3.5 stars

Obviously, race is a piece of this story. Unfortunately, I don't understand why the Jones family didn't think that the father and daughters were Black (used as Colored or Negro during the period and in the book). Was it because race was not as much of an issue in England, where the parents emigrated, versus the USA?

Book cover: 4.5 stars

So very pretty.

Book title: 5.0 stars 

Exactly on point. 

HIGHLY recommend

BOOK INFORMATION

NetGalley ARC (ebook)

The Trial of Mrs. Rhinelander by Denny S. Bryce

352 pages 

Kensington Books

Release date of 07/23/2024

INFORMATIONAL LINKS

Denny S Bryce

My Goodreads review

Kensington Books

NetGalley

Happy reading, 

Dorothea 💜

My next audiobook is...

 

One Way Back by Christine Blasey Ford

Happy reading,

Dorothea 💜

My next ebook is...

 

The Trial of Mrs. Rhinelander by Denny S. Bryce

Happy reading,

Dorothea 💜

REVIEW - Cut & Thirst ebook

Cut & Thirst by Margaret Atwood (ebook)

 

OVERVIEW

This was a VERY short novelette or short story about four female friends! It was just plain weird!

It was the second short story by Margaret Atwood that I have read and both short stories received "LUKEWARM recommends".

OVERALL REVIEW: 3.0 stars

Writing: 3.0 stars

Margaret writes beautifully, but this was just weird, weird, weird writing. 

Character development: 3.0 stars

There were four friends - Chrissy, Leonie, Myrna, and Fern. Fern is the friend the other three are avenging for a slander campaign. There was no real character development. 

The other characters are only important to the story to maintain the flow.

Storyline:  3.0 stars

This is just a weird storyline. Fern was slandered by an influential writer and many years later, her friends want to avenge her. The methods suggested range from different forms of murder to torture. It just seems a little much. 

The main location was Toronto.  

Memorable/Informative:  3.5 stars

Thinking of the results of the brownies is wild! 

Book cover: 3.0 stars

Another weird aspect.

Book title: 3.0 stars 

Weird. 

LUKEWARM recommend

BOOK INFORMATION

Amazon First Reads Kindle ebook

Cut & Thirst by Margaret Atwood

34 pages 

Amazon Original Stories

Release date of 05/01/2024

INFORMATIONAL LINKS

Margaret Atwood

My Goodreads review

Amazon Original Stories

Amazon First Reads - April 2024

Happy reading,

Dorothea 💜

P.S. There is no next book post and then a review due to my computer issues!

REVIEW - The Atlas Maneuver ebook

 The Atlas Maneuver by Steve Berry (ebook)

OVERVIEW

This is the eighteenth book in the Cotton Malone series with some novellas and a spin-off. I'm worried that Steve Berry will become like James Patterson and farm out his writing to secondary authors.  

This book is basically about missing Axis treasure hidden since the end of WWII along with a current timeline about Bitcoin. I still don't understand the appeal of Bitcoin even after reading this book. As always, Steve does a lot of research about historical events that I knew nothing about which is fun to learn about. 

This book has short chapters that make it easy to take a reading break and return to read later.

OVERALL REVIEW: 3.5 stars

Writing: 3.5 stars

Steve can write really well. But as this series has continued, the writing isn't as strong as the earlier novels in this series. 

This is a published novel (not an ARC), but there were numerous spelling errors and typos. It was as if this book wasn't proofed or edited properly. These errors do ruin the joy of reading this book. 

Character development: 3.5 stars

The two main characters, Cotton (retired Justice) and Cassiopeia (Cotton's girlfriend) are on interconnected covert missions for a friend. 

The secondary character, Koger (CIA), is the friend with the favor. 

There are a few tertiary characters who are integral to the story including a bank head and a programmer. 

Storyline:  3.0 stars

Steve makes so much about history fascinating! However, this topic of Axis hidden treasure and the contemporary Bitcoin storyline wasn't my favorite.

The storyline about finding the missing treasure was great, but the Bitcoin storyline just didn't work for me. Also, there was an irritating cliffhanger!

The main locations were Switzerland, Morocco, and Luxembourg with the beginning of the book taking place in the Philippines.

Memorable/Informative:  3.5 stars

It was okay, but just not my favorite.  

Book cover: 4.0 stars

Very pretty.

Book title: 5.0 stars 

A strong choice. 

Recommend

BOOK INFORMATION

The Atlas Maneuver by Steve Berry

405 pages 

Grand Central Publishing

Release date of 02/20/2024

INFORMATIONAL LINKS

Steve Berry

My Goodreads review

Grand Central Publishing

LAPL (Los Angeles Public Library)

Happy reading, 

Dorothea 💜

P.S. I was just starting to review this book when my desktop crashed!!

TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES

Hi, everyone!!

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 💜

 

My next ebook is...

 

The Atlas Maneuver by Steve Berry

Happy reading 📚

Dorothea 💜

March 2024 - Monthly Wrap-up

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!!

 

2^nd 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)

Still Just a Geek by Wil Wheaton LINK

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 House of Hidden Meanings by RuPaul LINK

The 24th Hour by James Patterson; Maxine Paetro LINK

3.0-star books (1)

Here's The Story by Maureen McCormick LINK

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.

REVIEW - The Lost Story ebook

The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer (ebook)

 

OVERVIEW

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

Meg Shaffer

My Goodreads review

Ballantine Books

NetGalley

Happy reading,

Dorothea 💜