Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜
Reviews of physical books, ebooks, and audiobooks personally read or listened to by me! booksbydorothea - Instagram; booksbydorothea - Threads; Books by Dorothea - Goodreads
OVERVIEW
This is the fifth book written by three author friends (Williams, Willig, and White) AKA The Three W's. The only author of the three I have read is Beatriz Williams which is how I found this book. This is my first novel by the three authors in collaboration.
I know this book was satire and tongue-in-cheek, but I liked the book rather than loved it.
Writing: 4.5 stars
The writing is good. I could not determine who wrote what chapters so it is a well-done collaboration.
I liked that the three main characters had their own chapters and at the beginning of the novel each started with a police interrogation. The interrogations were hysterically funny!
Character development: 4.0 stars
The main characters were Kat, Emma, and Cassie. They are three diverse writers who meet to write a book together at a Scottish castle. The three main characters were as different as their individual genres.
The secondary characters are Detective Chief Inspector (DCI) McIntosh (the police officer investigating a murder), Calum (castle caretaker), Morag (castle housekeeper), and Archie (estate manager).
The tertiary characters are the murdered individual, townspeople, and other characters that move the story along.
Storyline: 3.0 stars
The storyline is told in flashbacks with police interrogations and then the chapter focuses on one of the three main characters. This was the best part of the book.
The book was long and could have been edited more. This novel is slow for the first 75% of the book other than the police interrogations. Then it takes off for the last 25% and is fast-moving and fun. So for me, the chapters with the police interrogations could have been very edited.
The main location was Inner Hebrides, Scotland.
Memorable/Informative: 3.5 stars
I enjoyed learning a small amount about the Inner Hebrides and how each island community is connected.
Book cover: 4.0 stars
Okay.
Book title: 4.0 stars
Meh.
DEFINITE recommend
BOOK INFORMATION
NetGalley ARC (ebook)
The Author's Guide to Murder by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White
416 pages
William Morrow
Release date of 11/5/2024
INFORMATIONAL LINKS
Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜
Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜
Writing: 5.0 stars
Connie writes beautifully, efficiently, and eloquently. I wished for a little more "heart" in the writing, but she did a great job considering her background. I had to remind myself that Connie is a trained journalist who avoids personal feelings while reporting. There are some "tell-all" moments especially about male anchors and those in power - disgusting.
Narration: 5.0 stars
Perfectly narrated. Connie has a voice that is just so lush and professional. I could listen to her read the Constitution and wouldn't be bored.
She is also funny and a straight-shooter - my kind of gal!
Character Arc: 5.0 stars
The audiobook is told chronologically which I thoroughly enjoyed. She discussed her childhood, career, and finding love. Such a happy ending.
Memorable: 5.0 stars
Many of the sexist issues that Connie dealt with in the 70's, I was dealing with in the 90's. Unbelievable.
I loved that so many Asian-American women were named Connie in the 70's-90's after her. It is a great honor and a living testament to her hard work and what she meant to many.
Entertaining: 5.0 stars
It was so funny at times with her wicked sense of humor and double-entendre comebacks. I loved her honest take on people without being snarky and how she owned her mistakes.
Book cover: 5.0 stars
Gorgeous.
Book title: 5.0 stars
Short and sweet.
HIGHLY recommend
STATISTICS
Release date of 9/17/2024
INFORMATIONAL LINKS
Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜
Writing: 4.5 stars
HRC writes beautifully - very descriptive and real. She definitely wrote to her audience which are educated, middle-class women. It was totally on point.
I disliked her use of name-calling to refer to many folks on the other side of the aisle including Trump and McConnell. She didn't need to go low like that.
Narration: 3.5 stars
HRC has a voice that can become grating when she is angry or upset about a topic - that is how she read the parts about Trump. It was annoying and not pleasant to listen to at all.
On the other hand, when talking about her family members, her voice softened and was lovely and loving.
Character Arc: 4.0 stars
The audiobook is told chronologically, but HRC does deviate by backtracking to fill in stories or explain things more fully. Learning about her parents' marriage and her childhood explains why she has always been so driven. HRC is the oldest, daughter, with two younger brothers. Enough said!
Memorable: 4.5 stars
The one chapter about the white scarves is amazing. I was breathless to hear how it all worked out. It was an incredible feat performed by women for women to get targeted Afghani women out of Afghanistan before the US left. There are many other stories in this book that were just as good.
Entertaining: 4.0 stars
HRC can be quite funny in some of her anecdotes.
But, for me, learning about all that she did as a lawyer, First Lady of Arkansas, First Lady of the US, Senator, and Secretary of State was awe-inspiring. She accomplished so much, but not all is known to the public.
Book cover: 3.0 stars
A more flattering picture could have been chosen for her.
Book title: 5.0 stars
Very appropriate. Joan Baez, anyone?
STRONG recommend
STATISTICS
Release date of 9/17/2020
INFORMATIONAL LINKS
Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜
Hi, everyone!!
Did you know as part of your Amazon Prime Membership you receive a FREE monthly Kindle book available?? It is called Amazon First Reads!! You can find out more about it here: Amazon First Reads.
The Amazon First Reads email went out yesterday! There are TWO free Kindle books for October 2024.
My TWO choices for October 2024 are:
An Age of Winters by Gemma Liviero (ebook)
So what Kindle book are you SELECTING?!?
Also, as a reminder, remember to "buy" AND download the FREE books from Amazon! You cannot read the books for free if they are not downloaded! Ask me how I know?
Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜
Good morning, everyone!!
September started with the
possibility of being a twelve-book or more month. Unfortunately, life got in
the way with a sick family member in the hospital. Thankfully, a discharge is
expected tomorrow (and I did read a book while waiting at the hospital)!!
2nd ANNUAL
“booksbydorothea” BEST BOOKS OF 2024:
All We Were Promised by Ashton Lattimore (January) 5 stars (ebook)
Miss Morgan's Book Brigade by Janet Skeslien Charles (February) 5 stars (ebook)
The Lost Story by Meg Shaffer (March) 5 stars (ebook)
How To Read A Book by Monica Wood (April) 5 stars (ebook)
Here One Moment by Liane Moriarity (May)
4.5 stars (ebook)
The Friday Afternoon Club (June) 5 stars (audiobook)
The Bookstore Wedding by Alice Hoffman (July) 5 stars (ebook)
The Briar Club by Kate Quinn (August) 5 stars (ebook)
The Moment of Lift by Melinda Gates (September) 5 stars (audiobook)
GOODREADS READING GOAL:
My goal is to read 100 books in 2024. As
of 09/30/2024, I have read 69 books, or 69% of my goal.
SEPTEMBER 2024 STATISTICS:
10 total books
7 e-books; 3 audiobooks; 0 physical
books
2 books were ARCs (Advance Reader
Copy)
7 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 September:
28 hours, 49 minutes
Pages read in September: 2,824
pages
Average review rating: 4.30 stars
SEPTEMBER BOOK RATINGS
with BOOK COVERS:
5.0-star book (2)
The Moment of Lift by Melinda Gates (audiobook) LINK
4.5-star book (4)
The Garden of Promises and Lies by Paula Brackston (ebook) LINK
All In by Billie Jean King (audiobook) LINK
4.0-star book (3)
Framed by John Grisham/Jim McCloskey (ebook) LINK
The Twilight Garden by Sara Nisha Adams (ebook) LINK
3.5-star book (0)
3.0-star book (1)
When We Were Friends by Jane Green (ebook) LINK
If you want to read my full review of
any of these books, there are individual review links for each ebook or
audiobook next to the book title and author. Click on the specific book link to get to that book review!
Happy reading!
Dorothea 💜
P.S. You can find out more about my book ratings HERE.
Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜
This is the first book that I have read by Diana R. Chambers! I enjoyed this historical fiction book about Julia Child's time in Asia for the OSS during WWII.
Okay, I always say I am done with WWII historical fiction books, but reading about Julia in Asia was too tempting.
Writing: 4.5 stars
This beautiful novel was a lovely tribute to Julia Child. Although the story was fictionalized, it was the love story of Paul and Julia Child. With both of them working in OSS in Asia during WWII, it was the means to make their love story happen.
The writing was well-written, respectful, and just lovely.
Character development: 4.5 stars
The main characters in the story were Paul and Julia Child. Both were multi-faceted, fascinating, and strong individuals. They were deeply and thoroughly developed.
The secondary characters were their many partners, adversaries, and friends in the OSS (US Office of Strategic Services), SACO (Sino-American Cooperative Organization), and SEAC (South East Asia Command). There were many, many secondary characters so these were not fully explored as the book would have been twice as long.
The tertiary characters are the locals in the various countries and other minor players in the book.
Storyline: 4.5 stars
The storyline begins with Julia in Washington, DC as the supervisor of the OSS Registry. She shows great adaptability and promise and requests a transfer to Asia to work in the field. Then the story begins, but there are a lot of spoilers along the way so I will not share much more.
The main locations were Washington, DC, India, Burma, Ceylon, and China.
Memorable/Informative: 4.5 stars
Special note: I used the glossary of WWII terms at the beginning of the book many times. It was hugely helpful while reading this novel of many alphabet agencies involved in WWII.
I loved learning about how Julia worked for the OSS during WWII in Asia. Plus, she was believed to be an OSS spy which has never been fully confirmed.
It was lovely to learn about Paul and Julia's love story and how much depth both had as individuals and as a couple.
Book cover: 5.0 stars
So pretty!!
Book title: 5.0 stars
Excellent choice!
STRONG recommend
BOOK INFORMATION
NetGalley ARC (ebook)
The Secret War of Julia Child by Diana R. Chambers
397 pages
Sourcebooks Landmark
Release date of 10/22/2024
INFORMATIONAL LINKS
Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜