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What I’m Reading Wednesday, Redux
I’ve been doing so much reading and not enough reviewing – at least, not here on the blog. Between my own writing (which was going well, and now is – not) and reading and life in general, I feel both overwhelmed and behind. (Is it possible for the year to have passed both quickly and painfully slowly at the same time?) Reflective of my brain, the blog feels both overweighted with book reviews and also…empty. What I need is consistency, and a schedule. So with that, I’m bringing back “What I’m Reading Wednesday“. With this, I can – at a minimum -share with you some of the good stuff that…
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Sing Me Forgotten by Jessica S. Olson – Book Review
Enough time has passed to almost forgive author Jessica S Olson for RIPPING OUT MY HEART in her novel Sing Me Forgotten, a hauntingly beautiful gender-bent retelling of Phantom of the Opera. Almost. Read on for my review. And send caramels. Many thanks go to Inkyard Press and Netgalley for providing me with an ARC of the book. All opinions are my own. This post contains some affiliate links that may earn me a commission if you purchase through them. My Thoughts On Sing Me Forgotten This was a beautiful, haunting and, I’ll say it, heartwrenching book (GLARES AT THE AUTHOR). Sing Me Forgotten is a gender-bent retelling of Phantom of…
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Book Review: The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles
Fans of Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale and Melanie Benjamin’s Mistress of the Ritz will thoroughly enjoy Janet Skeslien Charles’ new book The Paris Library. I received an advanced copy of the book from the publisher via NetGalley; all opinions are my own. This post contains some affiliate links that may earn me a commission if you purchase through them. Book Details and Synopsis My Thoughts On The Paris Library I’ve been on a binge of historical fiction novels and loved this one. The Paris Library is both a love letter to libraries (and to book lovers). It also introduced me to a bit of WWII history that I was unaware of.…
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Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark
I have read a LOT of books this year (no small surprise) but none like Ring Shout by author P. Djèlí Clark. This alternative history packs a powerful punch in novella form. Superb and unputdownable, it digs in and doesn’t let go. I received an advanced copy of the book from the publisher via NetGalley; all opinions are my own. This post contains some affiliate links that may earn me a commission if you purchase through them.. The Book My Thoughts on Ring Shout Ring Shout is a speculative fiction set in 1915, as D.W. Griffith’s horrendous film The Birth of Nation feeds the hate in the Ku Klux Klan. And…
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The Paper Daughters of Chinatown by Heather B. Moore – A Book Review
My historical fiction binging continues, and this one is yet another based on a true life store. The Paper Daughters of Chinatown by author Heather B. Moore is one of the most compelling historical fiction books I’ve read this year. I was provided an advanced copy from Shadow Mountain Publishing; all opinions are my own. This post contains some affiliate links that may earn me a commission if you purchase through them. Details and Synopsis What I Liked About The Paper Daughters of Chinatown I appreciate when a book introduces a piece of history that I knew little to nothing about. That this is a part of history here in…
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Book Review: Mistress of the Ritz by Melanie Benjamin
I’m on a historical fiction kick lately! Perhaps I’m finding stories of female resistance fighters particularly inspiring at the moment, maybe I just need stories with a strong female main character. Either way, Melanie Benjamin’s Mistress of the Ritz ticking all the boxes. All opinions are my own. This post contains some affiliate links that may earn me a commission if you purchase through them. Book Details & Synopsis My Thoughts on Mistress of the Ritz This is my first Melanie Benjamin novel, but it definitely will not be my last! It ticked all the boxes for what I look for in a historical fiction tale. It is beautifully written,…
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Books to Help Understand Anti-Racism and Race
Wanting to be a better white ally means learning about systemic racism. To do that, we need to dig a little deeper into U.S. history, because we’re simply not taught it fully in school, at least in a way that we understand the nuances and all that shaped how we ended up where we all are today. As the fantastic graphic above by illustrator Jane Mount shows, there is no shortage of books that talk about race and racism. Non-fiction offers a direct (and often blunt) path to understanding. Fiction provides an excellent means to see and feel things from a different perspective. Putting both together marries the factual aspects…
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The Engineer’s Wife by Tracey Enerson Wood
Today’s book recommendation is perfect for fans of historical fiction based on real-life history or characters. Tracey Enerson Wood’s The Engineer’s Wife was a wonderfully engaging, well-researched story of the wife of the engineer who designed and started the build the Brooklyn Bridge until he falls ill and she must take over the construction. NetGalley provided me with a copy of this book for review purposes. All opinions are my own! Review of The Engineer’s Wife The Engineer’s Wife follows the trials the both Captain Washington ‘Wash’ Roebling and his wife, Emily Warren Roebling, face. Professionally, Wash suffers decompression sickness from his work on the bridge and as Emily steps…
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Book Review: The Hollows by Jess Montgomery
I fell in love with an earlier fiction book written by author Jess Montgomery under her given name. So of course, when I learned she’d be writing historical fiction under this, her pen name, I promptly ordered the book. That book was The Widows (and fantastic). The Hollows is the second book in her new Kinship series and it did not disappoint. Read on to learn more about this engaging story. Many thanks to NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC of this novel. Some links in this post are affiliate links that earn me a commission if you purchase through them. All opinions are my own. Thoughts on The…
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Secrets of the Chocolate House – a book review
If you like historical fiction and time-slip books, Paula Brackston’s Secrets of the Chocolate House is right up your alley! Many thanks to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an advanced digital copy of the book. This review contains affiliate links, which if you click may generate a commission for me. I had recently discovered The Little Shop of Found Things (the first book in the series) in the “New books” section of my library when Secrets of the Chocolate House, the second installment in the series, became available to read on NetGalley. I was thrilled to read this so soon after! To that end, while not…
