REVIEW - The Friday Afternoon Club (audiobook)

 The Friday Afternoon Club by Griffin Dunne (audiobook)

OVERVIEW

I remember hearing the horrific story of the murder of Dominique Dunne when I was a senior in college. During the late 70s/80s, Los Angeles was "crime central" so I was concerned about what had happened. I was shocked to learn that Dominique was murdered by her boyfriend. I felt so sad for her and her family. 

Griffin Dunne, Dominique's older brother, tells the story of the Dunne family before/after Dominique's death. It is a real, raw story of a dysfunctional American family. 

One caveat, this is a real and raw story with lots of sexual scenes, drinking to excess, drug usage, and murder details. If that bothers you, please do not read this book. 

OVERALL REVIEW: 5.0 stars

Writing: 5.0 stars

Griffin writes beautifully. He is a strong writer who wrote about personal and intimate events in his family. He writes with "Irish dark humor", but handles the murder of his beloved sister with grace and love. 

Narration: 5.0 stars

The narration was wonderful. Griffin has a nice voice for narration and tells the story of his family with the perfect amount of inflection, feeling, and emotion. 

Character Arc: 5.0 stars

The audiobook is basically told chronologically in two parts - before/after the murder of Dominique Dunne. As someone whose paternal grandmother was murdered in 1939, I could viscerally understand the horror that the Dunne family lived through, unfortunately.

Griffin writes about the good, bad, and ugly in his family. There was mental illness, drug addiction, alcohol addiction, sexual issues, and the murder of a daughter/sister. But, there was the beauty of a family that rallied around a mother with MS, supported a sister after her death during the trial of her murderer, and loved each other deeply. This was a tortured family who survived it all with love.  

Memorable:  5.0 stars

Griffin struggled with dyslexia which was not fully understood in the 60s and 70s. It made me understand my own struggles with depression and how children are sometimes not diagnosed properly. 

The large Dunne family loved one another deeply but had their own issues. They all reconciled in the end which is my hope for my dysfunctional family. It gave me hope!

Entertaining:   5.0 stars

It was so entertaining! I love the friendship with Carrie Fisher stories and the "Santa Claus" story.  

Book cover: 5.0 stars

A perfect family portrait.

Book title: 5.0 stars 

On point! 

STRONG recommend

STATISTICS

Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) borrow (audiobook)

The Friday Afternoon Club by Griffin Dunne

Penguin Audio

12 hours, 19 minutes

Release date of 6/11/2024

INFORMATIONAL LINKS

Griffin Dunne

My Goodreads review

Penguin Audio

Los Angeles Public Library

Happy reading, 

Dorothea 💜

My next ebook is...

 Lost Kingdom by Julia Flynn Siler (ebook)

Happy reading, 

Dorothea 💜

REVIEW - The Marriage Sabbatical (ebook)

 The Marriage Sabbatical by Lian Dolan (ebook)

OVERVIEW

This is the fifth novel by Lian Dolan that I have read. I enjoy her books because they are just so escapist and light!! This novel is about a couple taking a "marriage sabbatical" in separate places for about a year.

OVERALL REVIEW: 4.0 stars

Writing: 4.5 stars

The author writes in an accessible and easy-to-read style. I like her writing because it is descriptive without being heavy-handed. 

Character development: 4.0 stars

The two main characters are Nicole and Jason, a married couple with adult children. 

The secondary characters are the friends they meet on their "marriage sabbatical", friends from home, coworkers, and family.  

The tertiary character is the "marriage sabbatical" itself. It is a HUGE part of the storyline. 

Storyline:  4.0 stars

The storyline begins with Jason taking a year-long sabbatical from work. Jason goes to Argentina and Nicole goes to Santa Fe. They agree to a "marriage sabbatical" allowing them to have relationships with other partners during Jason's sabbatical. I didn't find the storyline to be believable, especially the ending. It just didn't work for me. 

The main locations were Portland, Oregon; Santa Fe, New Mexico; and Patagonia, Argentina.  

Memorable/Informative:  4.0 stars

I enjoyed learning about what makes Portland and Santa Fe tick as cities! 

Book cover: 4.0 stars

Nice.

Book title: 4.0 stars 

Appropriate.  

DEFINITE recommend

BOOK INFORMATION

Los Angeles Public Library (LAPL) borrow (ebook)

The Marriage Sabbatical by Lian Dolan 

288 pages 

William Morrow

Release date of 4/2/2024

INFORMATIONAL LINKS

Lian Dolan

My Goodreads review

William Morrow

Los Angeles Public Library

Happy reading, 

Dorothea 💜

My next audiobook is...

 The Friday Afternoon Club by Griffin Dunne

Happy reading, 

Dorothea 💜

My next ebook is...

 The Marriage Sabbatical by Lian Dolan

Happy reading, 

Dorothea 💜

REVIEW - The Bookshop Ladies (ebook)

 

The Bookshop Ladies by Faith Hogan

OVERVIEW

This is the fourth book by Faith Hogan that I have read and the fourth book in the Ballycove series. The Ballycover series are books about a fictional village in coastal western Ireland. 

Reading Faith's books has made me put Ireland higher on my bucket list! I know that Ballycover doesn't exist, but there are similar towns to visit!

OVERALL REVIEW: 4.5 stars

Writing: 5.0 stars

Faith writes so beautifully that I overlook the time flying by. I actually inhaled this lovely book. It was just what I needed after a few weeks of personal drama. The author's writing is so easy and yet so descriptive. I love her writing so very much!

The descriptions of Ireland, the people, and the community make the Ballycove books so brilliant! 

Character development: 4.5 stars

The main characters are Fern, Robyn, and Joy. Fern is Robyn's mom, Robyn is the owner of a small bookshop, and Joy is the widow of Robyn's biological father. Yes, it is a complicated story, but it is what real life is like!! It is messy!!

The secondary characters are the relatives and friends who mainly live in the village of Ballycove. 

The tertiary character is Ballycove. The novel would not work anywhere else in the world, but Ballycove.  

Storyline:  4.5 stars

This book is simple. A husband makes a deathbed confession about a secret daughter to his wife and leaves a valuable painting to the daughter in his will. The widow decides to deliver it personally which sets off the chain of events that create this sweet novel.

The main location was primarily the fictional Ballycove, Ireland. 

Memorable/Informative:  4.5 stars

I love learning about Ireland from the Irish language to the rich culture and the amazing people. 

One of the characters says (paraphrasing), "All Americans have a little Irish in them". This is true as I am 11% Irish!!

Book cover: 4.5 stars

So beautiful.

Book title: 4.5 stars 

Lovely.  

STRONG recommend

BOOK INFORMATION

LAPL library borrow (ebook)

The Bookshop Ladies by Faith Hogan

304 pages 

Aria

Release date of 6/20/2024

INFORMATIONAL LINKS

Faith Hogan

My Goodreads review

Aria

Los Angeles Public Library

Happy reading, 

Dorothea 💜

My next ebook is...

The Bookshop Ladies by Faith Hogan

 

Happy reading! 

Dorothea 💜

DNF - Georgia

 

Georgia by Dawn Tripp

I will not be finishing this book, unfortunately. I have read 51% of this book and it is repetitive. This is, AGAIN, a situation of trying to make a book work when I just should have let it go a week ago! 

The book is full of explicit descriptions of the sexual relationship with her husband. I wanted to learn more about Georgia.  

This historical novel didn't work for me which doesn't mean it won't work for you! 

Happy reading! 

Dorothea 💜

My next ebook is...

 Georgia by Dawn Tripp

Happy reading, 

Dorothea 💜

REVIEW - Betrayal at Blackthorn Park (ebook)

Betrayal at Blackthorn Park by Julia Kelly (ebook)

OVERVIEW

This is the fourth book by Julia Kelly that I have read and the second book in the "Parisian Orphan" series. This was a juicy, fun romp of a WWII mystery that I thoroughly enjoyed. This series and author are one of the few exceptions I make to reading more WWII historical fiction or mysteries!!

OVERALL REVIEW: 4.5 stars

Writing: 5.0 stars

The author writes really beautifully, period. These mystery novels are "non-bloody" mysteries without long descriptions of the death and the aftermath. That is why I really like them so very much!

Additionally, there is great character development throughout this novel. I loved learning more about the two main characters and am excited to read more! My favorite part is that I am learning more about England and WWII England - it is all so fascinating to this American!

Character development: 4.5 stars

The two main characters are Evelyne Redfern and David Poole. Since this is the second novel with these two characters, we find much more about their backstories and work in the SIU (Special Investigation Unit). Evelyne has just completed her SIU training in Yorkshire while David is a much more experienced operative. 

The secondary characters are the coworkers in the SIU, family, friends, the suspects of the theft at Blackthorn Park, and all the assorted characters in a small village. 

The tertiary character is Blackthorn Park. It plays a big role in the story. 

Storyline:  4.5 stars

The storyline begins with Evelyne returning from SIU training and then being summoned to headquarters for her first assignment while David is her handler. Evelyne is to investigate a report of theft at Blackthorn Park - a secret munitions development, research, and manufacturing location in Sussex. The manor home of Blackthorn Park was requisitioned to allow for secrecy. Unfortunately, a death by suicide occurs and the investigation rapidly changes tack. 

This mystery is told in first-person which I always enjoy as you have so much insight into the characters' secrets, thoughts, and perceptions. It is also helpful for the reader to try and solve the mystery.    

The main locations were England - mainly Sussex and London. 

Memorable/Informative:  4.5 stars

I continue to learn much about the English resolve and passion to protect and save their country. This is exactly why they defeated Hitler. 

Book cover: 4.5 stars

Pretty.

Book title: 4.5 stars 

Lovely.  

STRONG recommend

BOOK INFORMATION

NetGalley ARC (ebook)

Betrayal at Blackthorn Park by Julia Kelly

320 pages 

Minotaur Books

Release date of 10/1/2024

INFORMATIONAL LINKS

Julia Kelly

My Goodreads review

Minotaur Books

NetGalley

Happy reading, 

Dorothea 💜

May 2024 - Monthly Wrap-up

Hi, everyone!

Well, May was another low-reading month, but it is all good!! I read for enjoyment and pleasure rather than the number of books read, right?!?

I have found some interesting audiobooks, but I am waiting for them to be available from the library. So I should have audiobooks to review in June or July!

May's overall scores improved over April with a score of 4.38 stars. I did not have a 5.0-starred book, but I did have a standout book!

 

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

How To Read A Book by Monica Wood (April) 5 stars

Here One Moment by Liane Moriarity (May) 4.5 stars

 

GOODREADS READING GOAL:

For 2024, will be 100 from the very start!!! As of 05/31/2024, I have read 42 books, or 42% of my goal.

 

MAY 2024 STATISTICS:

4 total books

4 e-books; 0 audiobook; 0 physical books

3 books were an ARC (Advance Reader Copy)

0 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 May:  0 hours, 0 minutes

Pages read in May:  1,410 pages

Average review rating: 4.38 stars

 

MAY BOOK RATINGS with BOOK COVERS: 

5.0-star book (0)

4.5-star book (3)

The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish by Paula Brackston (ebook) LINK

Jackie by Dawn Tripp (ebook) LINK

Here One Moment by Liane Moriarty (ebook) LINK

4.0-star book (1)

 Tiger Chair by Max Brooks (ebook) LINK

3.5-star book (0)

3.0-star book (0)

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 name and author of the book. 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.