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
Writing: 4.0 stars
Carrie writes well which would be expected by someone who already wrote four novels.
Narration: 3.5 stars
As a professional actor, Carrie does a good job. But it was very overwhelming to listen to at times.
Character Arc: 3.5 stars
The audiobook is told in no semblance of order. It is all over the place and very superficial.
Memorable: 3.5 stars
Yes, Carrie's life was a mess starting with being born to two famous parents. Unfortunately, she also had bipolar disease and drug/alcohol disease which adversely affected her life.
Entertaining: 3.5 stars
For most of the memoir, Carrie was over the top. At one point, Carrie said that she had too much personality for one person and not enough for two. She was too much personality for me.
Book cover: 3.0 stars
Appropriate.
Book title: 3.0 stars
Sad, but true.
RECOMMEND
STATISTICS
Release date of 12/11/2008
INFORMATIONAL LINKS
Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜
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 today! There is a free Kindle book and a free Kindle short story for November 2024. I am really enjoying the additional short story along with the free ebook!
My TWO choices for November 2024 are:
The Answer Is No by Fredrick Backman (short story)
So what Kindle book are you SELECTING?!?
Also, as a reminder, remember to "buy" AND download the FREE books from Amazon! You can't read a book or a short story that hasn't been downloaded! Ask me how I know?!?
Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜
Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜
Well, October has been a great month
for reading. I read 11 books total with 7 audiobooks and 4 ebooks!!
I also have a first in my monthly best book for October 2024! It is a TIE between When We Flew Away by Alice Hoffman AND Junie by Erin Crosby Eckstine. Both books were amazing reads but covered difficult topics (The Holocaust/enslavement). I couldn't decide as both books moved me deeply so I mad the executive decisions, it is my blog after all, and declared a tie!
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)
When We Flew Away by Alice Hoffman (October - TIE) 5 stars (ebook)
Junie by Erin Crosby Eckstine (October - TIE) 5 stars (ebook)
GOODREADS READING GOAL:
My goal is to read 100 books in 2024. As
of 10/31/2024, I have read 80 books, or 80% of my goal.
OCTOBER 2024 STATISTICS:
11 total books
4 ebooks; 7 audiobooks; 0 physical
books
3 books were ARCs (Advance Reader
Copy)
3 books were library books
0 books were purchased
0 books were an Amazon First Reads
0 books were a Book Club Girl
Audio listening time in October:
66 hours, 34 minutes
Pages read in October: 1,387
pages
Average review rating: 4.50 stars
OCTOBER BOOK RATINGS with
BOOK COVERS:
5.0-star book (6)
Be Ready When the Luck Happens by Ina Garten (audiobook) LINK
When We Flew Away by Alice Hoffman (ebook) LINK
The Third Gilmore Girl by Kelly Bishop (audiobook) LINK
Junie by Erin Crosby Eckstine (ebook) LINK
Sonny Boy by Al Pacino (audiobook) LINK
4.5-star book (1)
What I Ate In One Year by Stanley Tucci (audiobook) LINK
4.0-star book (3)
Something Lost, Something Gained by Hillary Rodham Clinton (audiobook) LINK
The Author's Guide to Murder by Beatriz Williams,
Lauren Willig, and Karen White (ebook) LINK
A Death in Diamonds (Her Majesty The Queen Investigates #4) by S.J. Bennett (ebook) LINK
3.5-star book (0)
3.0-star book (1)
From Here to the Great Unknown by Lisa Marie Presley/Riley Keough (audiobook) 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.
OVERVIEW
Writing: 5.0 stars
Al mentions early in the book that English was the only subject he liked in school (he didn't finish high school). So, his strong writing is due to his voracious personal reading and varied material as an actor especially as he is self-read.
Narration: 5.0 stars
As a professional actor, Al does a great job. But, what takes it to a higher level is that he is self-deprecating, humble, and a fantastic storyteller. I loved his scratchy and distinctive voice which set his words off to perfection.
Character Arc: 5.0 stars
The audiobook is told chronologically from his early life through early 2024. Of course, he deviates in parts to add context, but it was done really well.
Memorable: 5.0 stars
Al has lived a tough life with very young parents and a father who left when Al was two. He came from an Italian-Sicilian family and grew up with his mother and grandparents who struggled to make ends meet in the South Bronx. Unfortunately, Al didn't learn money management and other pertinent life skill sets from his family so he was burned by unscrupulous people multiple times.
But, Al doesn't live a pity party. He could have been like his friends from the neighborhood who died of heroin overdoses. Al credits his mother, especially, for helping him survive and thrive - the last bit of the book is a beautiful tribute to her.
Entertaining: 5.0 stars
Oh, my goodness, Al can really tell a good story!
His stories remind me of my dad and his friends reminiscing about growing up south of the I-10 freeway near Downtown Los Angeles. The neighborhoods, people, and socio-economic levels sound so very similar!
Book cover: 5.0 stars
Perfect.
Book title: 5.0 stars
So very appropriate!
HIGHLY recommend
STATISTICS
Release date of 10/15/2024
INFORMATIONAL LINKS
Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜
This is a debut book. This historical fiction novel is just amazing. It is beautifully written, with incredible characters, and an otherworldly storyline.
This is the first historical novel I have read that is focused on the lives of the enslaved people and not the white oppressors. Most stories about enslaved people are written in a manner that skims over their lives and instead focuses on the white folks. This novel turns that narrative on its head!!
This novel is loosely based on the author's 3rd great-grandmother Jane. What a life that Jane lived that is mirrored in the main character of Junie.
NOTE: I am being careful to not spoil anything as there are some major twists and turns in this novel so I am vague at times!
Writing: 5.0 stars
This is Erin's debut novel and she has hit it out of the park. Her writing is just so lusciously nuanced, appropriately descriptive, and thought-provoking. I will reminisce about this story for a long time as it has touched me deeply.
I cannot wait to read whatever books that Erin chooses to write. I predict that she will be a superstar writer!!
Character development: 5.0 stars
The main character is Junie. She is the name of the book, the story that the book is about, and is THE book! Junie is an enslaved young woman who is a ladies' maid in Alabama just before the start of the Civil War.
The secondary characters are Violet (Junie's enslaver), Caleb (Junie's friend), and Minnie (Junnie's sister).
The tertiary characters are Junie's family and the Violet's family on the plantation.
Storyline: 5.0 stars
The storyline is the first book about enslavement I have read that allows you to learn so much about the inner thoughts, dreams, and wishes of the enslaved people. The family bonds are fully explored even the heartbreak of a family member dying or being sold off. The Black story was the story and took its place at center stage!
The main location was Montgomery, Alabama, and the surrounding environs.
Memorable/Informative: 5.0 stars
The biggest takeaway is how inherently evil the white enslavers were. Even though some enslavers were "kind" or "friendly", the enslaved were still owned "property" by the enslavers living according to their wishes and not their own. Some of the storylines almost broke me because I could feel what these enslaved human beings had to live like. Horrific!
Book cover: 5.0 stars
Appropriate. Gorgeous!
Book title: 5.0 stars
Short and sweet.
HIGHEST recommendation
BOOK INFORMATION
NetGalley ARC (ebook)
Junie by Erin Crosby Eckstine
368 pages
Ballantine Books
Release date of 2/4/2025
INFORMATIONAL LINKS
Happy reading,
Dorothea 💜