Mini Reviews ~ May Libby Library Borrows

by Donna Huber

I mostly read advance reader copies (ARCs) that I get through Netgalley or directly from the publisher/author, but I also get books from my library. Sometimes that means my brick-and-mortar library, but most of the time it means my digital library through Libby. It is usually my 2 book club reads for the month, but I also listen to a lot of audiobooks - more than I get through Netgalley. It is a way for me to catch up on older titles and sometimes to catch up on the ARCs that I didn't get to before they were published. I don't usually review the older titles or book club reads, but I realized I'm missing out on telling you about the great reads that are probably available at your library with little to no wait. Let me know if you enjoy this feature and I'll keep doing it monthly.

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Twice by Mitch Albom ~ A Review

by Susan Roberts

What if you got to do everything in your life —twice?  The heart of Mitch Albom’s newest novel is a stunning love story that dares to explore how our unchecked desires might mean losing what we’ve had all along. 

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Some Bright Nowhere by Ann Packer ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

The bestselling, beloved author returns with her first novel in over a decade, an intimate and profoundly moving look at a long marriage and the ways in which a startling request can change a couple’s understanding of who they are, together and apart.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site.  A free book was provided for an honest review.

The River Is Waiting by Wally Lamb ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

The propulsive story of a young father who, after an unbearable tragedy, reckons with the possibility of atonement for the unforgivable.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

The Palace at the End of the Sea by Simon Tolkien ~ a Review

by MK French

In 1929, New York City, Theo Sterling is caught between different worlds. His father is a Jewish businessman, and his mother is Catholic. Disaster strikes the family, and charismatic friends convince Theo he can fight fascism. Rebellion carries a high price, making him question other ideologies as well.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

Awake For Ever in a Sweet Unrest by Chuck Rosenthal ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

Deep within the hidden library of Los Angeles' iconic poetry venue, Beyond Baroque, all modern electronics mysteriously fail. There, 19-year-old Beatriz encounters Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin Shelley, who promises a magical adventure back to 19th-century Europe.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

L is for Literary Fiction #AtoZChallenge

by Donna Huber

For the A to Z Challenge, I'm discussing different book genres/categories. Each day, I will give a few details about the genre/category and an example or two. I would love to know your thoughts on the genre/category and if you have any reading suggestions. Be sure to check out all of my A to Z posts.

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True North by Andrew J. Graff ~ A Review

by Susan Roberts

 

A heartfelt novel of marriage and whitewater rafting, following one couple as they navigate the changing currents of family, community, and the river itself.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

Many Are Invited by Dennis Cuesta ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

A housewarming party ends in tragedy. . . Steve Galanos, a native Midwesterner, reflects on his time in and near Silicon Valley during the 1990s, a time when the two-digit year emerged as the Y2K problem, the burgeoning Internet fueled the expansion of the New Economy, the dot-com bubble created unseen prosperity and real estate frenzies. Yet it’s a housewarming party, held in late 1999, that affects him the most.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

Same Bed Different Dreams by Ed Park ~ a Review

by MK French

Soon Sheen works at the international technology company GLOAT, and finds an unfinished book detailing a revisionist history. Famous people and bit players are all interconnected, working to bring Korea together.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

4 Books You Don't Want To Miss

by Susan Roberts

There are always so many great books coming out that it can be easy to miss one or two of the really good ones. Make sure you have these books on your reading list.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. Free books were provided for honest reviews.

Return to Valetto by Dominic Smith ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

Historian Hugh returns to his ancestral villa in Valetto, Italy for his grandmother's 100th birthday. The crumbling villa where his widowed aunts and grandmother live is one of the few inhabited homes in this nearly abandoned town. The immediate threat though is not another earthquake that will send what is left of the town tumbling to its depths. Instead, the threat comes from Elisa who shows up to claim that cottage that has been passed down to Hugh after his mother died. The arrival of Elisa and her claim leads to uncovering of family secrets and a past they thought they left behind. 

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was proved for an honest review.

Hyphenated Relations by Daniel Maunz ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

 

"Blood tie are great if you need a kidney or something, but otherwise, 'family' means whatever the hell you want it to mean."  (p254)

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

Earth's the Right Place for Love by Elizabeth Berg ~ a Review

by Donna Huber

Arthur Moses is 16 years old in the 1950s. He loves his little hometown - he never wants to live anywhere else. He's bad at math and in love with Nola though he doesn't think he stands a chance with the cheerleader. 

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

Welcome Me to the Kingdom by Mai Nardone ~ a Review

by MK French

The devastating financial crisis of 1997 is the pivot point for three families in Thailand. One is an Elvis impersonator and his only daughter, one family is abandoned by their white American father when the economy isn't as easy as he thought it would be, and one is a brotherhood of orphaned boys struggling to reach a better life. Sex tourism and Buddhist cults complicate the landscape and opportunities for people caught in an endless cycle dictated by the class they were born in.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

3 Very Different Christmas Stories for Your Holiday Reading

by Donna Huber

I love the holiday season and I start gobbling up holiday stories as soon as I'm done gobbling up turkey on Thanksgiving. I recently finished up three Christmas books that were pretty different from one another. One I didn't know was a Christmas book until I started reading it, so it wasn't on my Christmas reading list.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. Free books were provided for an honest review.

Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver ~ a Review

by Susan Roberts

"Anyone will tell you the born of this world are marked from the get-out, win or lose." (p 2)

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Between Before and After by Jessica Stilling ~ a Review

by MK French

Sebastian Foster makes indie movies based on the award-winning novels written by his estranged mother. His latest movie is based loosely on the tragic death of his sister as a child. Investigating the time period for the movie brings back memories and opens up old wounds best left scarred over.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.

2 Books of Literary Fiction You Will Want to Read

by MK French

July has definitely been a hot month and not just because of the record-setting temperatures. So many great novels came out this month that it was been difficult to get to them all. Today, I have a couple of literary novels that you will want to make sure is on your reading list.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. Free books were provided for an honest review.

Woman of Light by Kali Fajardo-Anstine ~ a Review

by MK French

Luz Lopez is left to fend for herself in 1930s Denver after a white mob runs her brother out of town. She begins to have visions of her Indigenous ancestors’ origins, how her family flourished, and how they were threatened in nearby Lost Territory. It is now up to Luz to save her family's stories.

Amazon affiliate links are used on this site. A free book was provided for an honest review.