What this means for A Bookish Affair: my appearance here has already been a little spottier than I like it. It will probably be quite a bit more spotty over the next week or so. I'm so looking forward to having everything go back to normal.
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Monday, May 20, 2019
A House Update
I have stayed pretty quiet regarding our house situation here. When our neighbors' tree fell on our house 11 months ago, there was no way that I thought we would still be out of our house at this point. It has been an incredibly frustrating and trying 11 months trying to get back home, which is why I am so happy to say that we are finally moving home this week! I am so excited. I hate everything about the moving process but I am so ready to be home!
What this means for A Bookish Affair: my appearance here has already been a little spottier than I like it. It will probably be quite a bit more spotty over the next week or so. I'm so looking forward to having everything go back to normal.
What this means for A Bookish Affair: my appearance here has already been a little spottier than I like it. It will probably be quite a bit more spotty over the next week or so. I'm so looking forward to having everything go back to normal.
Tuesday, May 14, 2019
Review: Once More Unto the Breach by Meghan Holloway
Title: Once More Unto the Breach
Author: Meghan Holloway
Format: ARC
Publisher: Polis Books
Publish Date: May 14, 2019 (Today!!!)
Source: Author
What's the Story?:
From Goodreads.com: "Rhys Gravenor, Great War veteran and Welsh sheep farmer, arrives in Paris in the midst of the city's liberation with a worn letter in his pocket that may have arrived years too late. As he follows the footsteps of his missing son across an unfamiliar, war-torn country, he struggles to come to terms with the incident that drove a wedge between the two of them.
Joined by Charlotte Dubois, an American ambulance driver with secrets of her own, Rhys discovers that even as liberation sweeps across France, the war is far from over. And his personal war has only begun as he is haunted by memories of previous battles and hampered at every turn by danger and betrayal. In a race against time and the war, Rhys follows his son's trail from Paris to the perilous streets of Vichy to the starving mobs in Lyon to the treacherous Alps. But Rhys is not the only one searching for his son. In a race of his own, a relentless enemy stalks him across the country and will stop at nothing to find the young man first.
The country is in tatters, no one is trustworthy, and Rhys must unravel the mystery of his son's wartime actions in the desperate hope of finding him before it's too late. Too late to mend the frayed bond between them. Too late to beg his forgiveness. Too late to bring him home alive."
My Two Cents:
"Once More Unto the Breach" is a fantastic historical fiction of a father, Rhys, trying to find his son in war-torn Europe. With the help of a intrepid American ambulance driver, Charlotte, and a faithful dog, Otto, Rhys will discover that there is much more to Owain's time on the European mainland than meets the eye. This is a wonderful adventure story infused with great historical detail, memorable characters, and love. I really enjoyed this impressive debut novel!
The characters in this book are absolutely amazing! The relationship between Rhys and Owain is so very complicated but you can see the love between them. Rhys and his son, Owain, part on bad terms. Rhys is a Great War veteran who is hurt when his son becomes a conscientious objector. Rhys doesn't know exactly what Owain is doing on the mainland, far away from their Welsh farm, but when Owain goes missing, he knows he needs to find him. I don't want to give anything away but the mystery of what Owain was doing kept me reading. I also loved Charlotte. She is so fascinating and is with Rhys every step of the way even when things get incredibly dangerous. I loved the inclusion of sweet, brave, faithful Otto the poodle as well! My only criticism is that I would have liked to know more about Henri's background (this is the mysterious man that pursues Rhys across the continent).
Just when I think I'm getting tired of World War II fiction along comes a book like this that shows me why this time period is still so popular. I really liked reading about how every day people put everything on the line to try to make things better for everyone in the face of such devastation (apologies for the vagueness but I don't want to spoil anything for you). This book has tons of twists and turns to keep it interesting.
The writing of the book is great! Again, this is a debut novel and it's a home run for me. The detail is wonderful and the descriptions are so vivid. This is the kind of story that you get lost on. It's also one where you get totally attached to the characters and stuck on imagining what happens after the last page (more please?). I definitely recommend this book!
Author: Meghan Holloway
Format: ARC
Publisher: Polis Books
Publish Date: May 14, 2019 (Today!!!)
Source: Author
What's the Story?:
From Goodreads.com: "Rhys Gravenor, Great War veteran and Welsh sheep farmer, arrives in Paris in the midst of the city's liberation with a worn letter in his pocket that may have arrived years too late. As he follows the footsteps of his missing son across an unfamiliar, war-torn country, he struggles to come to terms with the incident that drove a wedge between the two of them.
Joined by Charlotte Dubois, an American ambulance driver with secrets of her own, Rhys discovers that even as liberation sweeps across France, the war is far from over. And his personal war has only begun as he is haunted by memories of previous battles and hampered at every turn by danger and betrayal. In a race against time and the war, Rhys follows his son's trail from Paris to the perilous streets of Vichy to the starving mobs in Lyon to the treacherous Alps. But Rhys is not the only one searching for his son. In a race of his own, a relentless enemy stalks him across the country and will stop at nothing to find the young man first.
The country is in tatters, no one is trustworthy, and Rhys must unravel the mystery of his son's wartime actions in the desperate hope of finding him before it's too late. Too late to mend the frayed bond between them. Too late to beg his forgiveness. Too late to bring him home alive."
My Two Cents:
"Once More Unto the Breach" is a fantastic historical fiction of a father, Rhys, trying to find his son in war-torn Europe. With the help of a intrepid American ambulance driver, Charlotte, and a faithful dog, Otto, Rhys will discover that there is much more to Owain's time on the European mainland than meets the eye. This is a wonderful adventure story infused with great historical detail, memorable characters, and love. I really enjoyed this impressive debut novel!
The characters in this book are absolutely amazing! The relationship between Rhys and Owain is so very complicated but you can see the love between them. Rhys and his son, Owain, part on bad terms. Rhys is a Great War veteran who is hurt when his son becomes a conscientious objector. Rhys doesn't know exactly what Owain is doing on the mainland, far away from their Welsh farm, but when Owain goes missing, he knows he needs to find him. I don't want to give anything away but the mystery of what Owain was doing kept me reading. I also loved Charlotte. She is so fascinating and is with Rhys every step of the way even when things get incredibly dangerous. I loved the inclusion of sweet, brave, faithful Otto the poodle as well! My only criticism is that I would have liked to know more about Henri's background (this is the mysterious man that pursues Rhys across the continent).
Just when I think I'm getting tired of World War II fiction along comes a book like this that shows me why this time period is still so popular. I really liked reading about how every day people put everything on the line to try to make things better for everyone in the face of such devastation (apologies for the vagueness but I don't want to spoil anything for you). This book has tons of twists and turns to keep it interesting.
The writing of the book is great! Again, this is a debut novel and it's a home run for me. The detail is wonderful and the descriptions are so vivid. This is the kind of story that you get lost on. It's also one where you get totally attached to the characters and stuck on imagining what happens after the last page (more please?). I definitely recommend this book!
Review: The Key to Happily Ever After by Tif Marcelo
Title: The Key to Happily Ever After
Author: Tif Marcelo
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Gallery Books
Publish Date: May 14, 2019
Source: PR/ Author
What's the Story?:
From Goodreads.com: "All’s fair in love and business.
The de la Rosa family and their wedding planning business have been creating happily ever afters in the Washington, DC area for years, making even the most difficult bride’s day a fairytale. But when their parents announce their retirement, the sisters—Marisol, Janelyn, and Pearl—are determined to take over the business themselves.
But the sisters quickly discover that the wedding business isn’t all rings and roses. There are brides whose moods can change at the drop of a hat; grooms who want to control every part of the process; and couples who argue until their big day. As emotions run high, the de la Rosa sisters quickly realize one thing: even when disaster strikes—whether it’s a wardrobe malfunction or a snowmageddon in the middle of a spring wedding—they’ll always have each other."
My Two Cents:
"The Key to Happily Ever After" is the story of three sisters who take over their family wedding store after their parents finally decide to retire. Although the women have been around the business for a long time, they don't realize how hard it is going to be to deal with brides who have very specific ideas about how their wedding should be or how hard it may be to work with each other. Luckily, these three sisters, Mari, Janelyn, and Pearl, are close and committed and ambitious. They will make it work!
This was a great family story with a delightful romantic bend to it! I love family stories, especially ones about sisters so much. The author does a great job of making each sister stand out and giving each of them a different personality. It was so fun to see how they compliment each other, even when their differences sometimes cause some friction. I loved the relationships between these sisters.
Like I mentioned, there is also a bit of romance in the book. I don't want to give anything away but the romantic relationships in the book seem like they could provide fodder for future books about the same characters (yes, please!!!). I loved the trajectory of these different relationships throughout the book and they definitely made for a fun read.
The setting was great! I, of course, live just outside of D.C. so I'm always interested in books set in this area and how well they capture the feel of the area. This book specifically takes place in Old Town Alexandria, one of the loveliest cities in the area. I loved how the author captured the feel of the place. It definitely lent to my enjoyment of the book! Overall, this was a cute read and I am hopeful for more books about this great family!
Author: Tif Marcelo
Format: Ebook
Publisher: Gallery Books
Publish Date: May 14, 2019
Source: PR/ Author
What's the Story?:
From Goodreads.com: "All’s fair in love and business.
The de la Rosa family and their wedding planning business have been creating happily ever afters in the Washington, DC area for years, making even the most difficult bride’s day a fairytale. But when their parents announce their retirement, the sisters—Marisol, Janelyn, and Pearl—are determined to take over the business themselves.
But the sisters quickly discover that the wedding business isn’t all rings and roses. There are brides whose moods can change at the drop of a hat; grooms who want to control every part of the process; and couples who argue until their big day. As emotions run high, the de la Rosa sisters quickly realize one thing: even when disaster strikes—whether it’s a wardrobe malfunction or a snowmageddon in the middle of a spring wedding—they’ll always have each other."
My Two Cents:
"The Key to Happily Ever After" is the story of three sisters who take over their family wedding store after their parents finally decide to retire. Although the women have been around the business for a long time, they don't realize how hard it is going to be to deal with brides who have very specific ideas about how their wedding should be or how hard it may be to work with each other. Luckily, these three sisters, Mari, Janelyn, and Pearl, are close and committed and ambitious. They will make it work!
This was a great family story with a delightful romantic bend to it! I love family stories, especially ones about sisters so much. The author does a great job of making each sister stand out and giving each of them a different personality. It was so fun to see how they compliment each other, even when their differences sometimes cause some friction. I loved the relationships between these sisters.
Like I mentioned, there is also a bit of romance in the book. I don't want to give anything away but the romantic relationships in the book seem like they could provide fodder for future books about the same characters (yes, please!!!). I loved the trajectory of these different relationships throughout the book and they definitely made for a fun read.
The setting was great! I, of course, live just outside of D.C. so I'm always interested in books set in this area and how well they capture the feel of the area. This book specifically takes place in Old Town Alexandria, one of the loveliest cities in the area. I loved how the author captured the feel of the place. It definitely lent to my enjoyment of the book! Overall, this was a cute read and I am hopeful for more books about this great family!
Monday, May 13, 2019
Blog Tour: Park Avenue Summer by Renee Rosen
Title: Park Avenue Summer
Author: Renee Rosen
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Berkley
Publish Date: April 30, 2019
Source: Publisher
What's the Story?:
From Goodreads.com: "Mad Men meets The Devil Wears Prada as Renée Rosen draws readers into the glamour of 1965 New York City and Cosmopolitan Magazine, where a brazen new Editor-in-Chief--Helen Gurley Brown--shocks America by daring to talk to women about all things off limits...
New York City is filled with opportunities for single girls like Alice Weiss who leaves her small Midwestern town to chase her big city dreams and unexpectedly lands the job of a lifetime working for Helen Gurley Brown, the first female Editor-in-Chief of a then failing Cosmopolitan Magazine.
Nothing could have prepared Alice for the world she enters as editors and writers resign on the spot, refusing to work for the woman who wrote the scandalous bestseller, Sex and the Single Girl. While confidential memos, article ideas, and cover designs keep finding their way into the wrong hands, someone tries to pull Alice into this scheme to sabotage her boss. But Alice remains loyal and becomes all the more determined to help Helen succeed. As pressure mounts at the magazine and Alice struggles to make her way in New York, she quickly learns that in Helen Gurley Brown's world, a woman can demand to have it all."
My Two Cents:
In "Park Avenue Summer," Alice dreams of being a photographer. When she gets an opportunity to work for Helen Gurley Brown as she takes over the women's magazine, Cosmopolitan, it isn't exactly what she dreams of doing but she can see it as a way to get to where she wants to be. Helen is a bright, bold woman who dreams of creating a magazine for the modern woman in the mid-1960s when what a modern women is supposed to be in very much still being debated. Alice has a front-row seat to a revolution that she never expected!
I feel like I had been waiting for this book for forever. One downside of following the book industry so closely is that the time period between hearing about a book and actually getting your hands on said book is often terribly long and hard to wait for. I've loved Renee Rosen's other books and was excited to get my hands on this one. I was not disappointed!
Helen Gurley Brown is super fascinating and it's shocking to me that as far as I know, no one has taken her on in fiction. This is the woman that changed the face of the magazine industry. She molded Cosmopolitan into a model for all magazines (not just women's magazines). She believed in herself even when so many others saw her as too rash and too willing to seemingly follow the wind. We get to know her through the eyes of Alice, a woman who is very much still trying to figure out how to stand on her own. The juxtaposition was super interesting and kept me reading.
The details in the book were great. New York City is one of those places that I love visiting in real life and through books. I loved all of the detail that the author gave to the world-building aspect of the book. Alice is new to the city and is getting used to living in the hustle bustle of the city in the swinging sixties. I loved seeing the city and its people through Alice's eyes.
This was a great book and I can't wait to see what Renee Rosen writes next!
Author: Renee Rosen
Format: Paperback
Publisher: Berkley
Publish Date: April 30, 2019
Source: Publisher
What's the Story?:
From Goodreads.com: "Mad Men meets The Devil Wears Prada as Renée Rosen draws readers into the glamour of 1965 New York City and Cosmopolitan Magazine, where a brazen new Editor-in-Chief--Helen Gurley Brown--shocks America by daring to talk to women about all things off limits...
New York City is filled with opportunities for single girls like Alice Weiss who leaves her small Midwestern town to chase her big city dreams and unexpectedly lands the job of a lifetime working for Helen Gurley Brown, the first female Editor-in-Chief of a then failing Cosmopolitan Magazine.
Nothing could have prepared Alice for the world she enters as editors and writers resign on the spot, refusing to work for the woman who wrote the scandalous bestseller, Sex and the Single Girl. While confidential memos, article ideas, and cover designs keep finding their way into the wrong hands, someone tries to pull Alice into this scheme to sabotage her boss. But Alice remains loyal and becomes all the more determined to help Helen succeed. As pressure mounts at the magazine and Alice struggles to make her way in New York, she quickly learns that in Helen Gurley Brown's world, a woman can demand to have it all."
My Two Cents:
In "Park Avenue Summer," Alice dreams of being a photographer. When she gets an opportunity to work for Helen Gurley Brown as she takes over the women's magazine, Cosmopolitan, it isn't exactly what she dreams of doing but she can see it as a way to get to where she wants to be. Helen is a bright, bold woman who dreams of creating a magazine for the modern woman in the mid-1960s when what a modern women is supposed to be in very much still being debated. Alice has a front-row seat to a revolution that she never expected!
I feel like I had been waiting for this book for forever. One downside of following the book industry so closely is that the time period between hearing about a book and actually getting your hands on said book is often terribly long and hard to wait for. I've loved Renee Rosen's other books and was excited to get my hands on this one. I was not disappointed!
Helen Gurley Brown is super fascinating and it's shocking to me that as far as I know, no one has taken her on in fiction. This is the woman that changed the face of the magazine industry. She molded Cosmopolitan into a model for all magazines (not just women's magazines). She believed in herself even when so many others saw her as too rash and too willing to seemingly follow the wind. We get to know her through the eyes of Alice, a woman who is very much still trying to figure out how to stand on her own. The juxtaposition was super interesting and kept me reading.
The details in the book were great. New York City is one of those places that I love visiting in real life and through books. I loved all of the detail that the author gave to the world-building aspect of the book. Alice is new to the city and is getting used to living in the hustle bustle of the city in the swinging sixties. I loved seeing the city and its people through Alice's eyes.
This was a great book and I can't wait to see what Renee Rosen writes next!
Sunday, May 12, 2019
HFVBT Review: A Murderous Malady by Christine Trent
Title: A Murderous Malady
Author: Christine Trent
Format: eBook
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Publish Date: May 7, 2019
Source: HFVBT
What's the Story?:
From Goodreads.com: "The London summer of 1854 is drawing to a close when a deadly outbreak of cholera grips the city. Florence Nightingale is back on the scene marshaling her nurses to help treat countless suffering patients at Middlesex Hospital as the disease tears through the Soho slums. But beyond the dangers of the disease, something even more evil is seeping through the ailing streets of London.
It begins with an attack on the carriage of Florence’s friend, Elizabeth Herbert, wife to Secretary at War Sidney Herbert. Florence survives, but her coachman does not. Within hours, Sidney’s valet stumbles into the hospital, mutters a few cryptic words about the attack, and promptly dies from cholera. Frantic that an assassin is stalking his wife, Sidney enlists Florence’s help, who accepts but has little to go on save for the valet’s last words and a curious set of dice in his jacket pocket. Soon, the suspects are piling up faster than cholera victims, as there seems to be no end to the number of people who bear a grudge against the Herbert household.
Now, Florence is in a race against time—not only to save the victims of a lethal disease, but to foil a murderer with a disturbingly sinister goal—in A Murderous Malady."
My Two Cents:
In "A Murderous Malady," Florence Nightingale is still tending to the sick with her incomparable nursing skills but she is also solving the mystery of the attempted murder of her dear friend. She is secure in her medical skills but she isn't sure where to start with solving the mystery offered up to her. Add to this that a massive cholera outbreak has just hit London. Can Florence handle it all?
This is the second book in Christine Trent's Florence Nightingale Mystery series. I have not read the first book. I think "A Murderous Malady" works pretty well as a stand alone. I think that perhaps reading the first book may have given a little more insight into some of the secondary characters in the second book, which would have been nice to have. More importantly, I loved Florence and I would love to get to know her better through the first book even though you really do get a good sense of her in this book.
I loved the idea of Florence Nightingale as a detective of sorts. This book takes place before she went to be a nurse in the Crimean War. She throws herself into the mystery of her friend's attempted murder but she also throws herself into helping people hurt by the cholera outbreak, which so badly affected so many people. We get to see how Nightingale is the definition of grace under pressure.
The writing of this book was good. The beginning started with a bang and then slowed a bit but it had a satisfying ending. I loved all of the details that the author included. You have a really nice mix between a good mystery and a lot of solid scene-setting in the form of good detail about London at a particularly volatile time. The details of how everyone was handling the cholera outbreak as it spread was particularly good. I loved how the author was able to weave everything all together.
Author: Christine Trent
Format: eBook
Publisher: Crooked Lane Books
Publish Date: May 7, 2019
Source: HFVBT
What's the Story?:
From Goodreads.com: "The London summer of 1854 is drawing to a close when a deadly outbreak of cholera grips the city. Florence Nightingale is back on the scene marshaling her nurses to help treat countless suffering patients at Middlesex Hospital as the disease tears through the Soho slums. But beyond the dangers of the disease, something even more evil is seeping through the ailing streets of London.
It begins with an attack on the carriage of Florence’s friend, Elizabeth Herbert, wife to Secretary at War Sidney Herbert. Florence survives, but her coachman does not. Within hours, Sidney’s valet stumbles into the hospital, mutters a few cryptic words about the attack, and promptly dies from cholera. Frantic that an assassin is stalking his wife, Sidney enlists Florence’s help, who accepts but has little to go on save for the valet’s last words and a curious set of dice in his jacket pocket. Soon, the suspects are piling up faster than cholera victims, as there seems to be no end to the number of people who bear a grudge against the Herbert household.
Now, Florence is in a race against time—not only to save the victims of a lethal disease, but to foil a murderer with a disturbingly sinister goal—in A Murderous Malady."
My Two Cents:
In "A Murderous Malady," Florence Nightingale is still tending to the sick with her incomparable nursing skills but she is also solving the mystery of the attempted murder of her dear friend. She is secure in her medical skills but she isn't sure where to start with solving the mystery offered up to her. Add to this that a massive cholera outbreak has just hit London. Can Florence handle it all?
This is the second book in Christine Trent's Florence Nightingale Mystery series. I have not read the first book. I think "A Murderous Malady" works pretty well as a stand alone. I think that perhaps reading the first book may have given a little more insight into some of the secondary characters in the second book, which would have been nice to have. More importantly, I loved Florence and I would love to get to know her better through the first book even though you really do get a good sense of her in this book.
I loved the idea of Florence Nightingale as a detective of sorts. This book takes place before she went to be a nurse in the Crimean War. She throws herself into the mystery of her friend's attempted murder but she also throws herself into helping people hurt by the cholera outbreak, which so badly affected so many people. We get to see how Nightingale is the definition of grace under pressure.
The writing of this book was good. The beginning started with a bang and then slowed a bit but it had a satisfying ending. I loved all of the details that the author included. You have a really nice mix between a good mystery and a lot of solid scene-setting in the form of good detail about London at a particularly volatile time. The details of how everyone was handling the cholera outbreak as it spread was particularly good. I loved how the author was able to weave everything all together.
Monday, May 6, 2019
Let's Sparkle!
One love of mine that probably doesn't come across that often on A Bookish Affair is the fact that I love jewelry, like really, really love jewelry. My four year olds will always tell me I'm missing my jewelry when I don't have any on (even if it's right after I wake up). This is why I was so excited that Anjolee, a jewelry company reached out to me to allow me to sample some of their gorgeous jewels in exchange for a review . While Anjolee has a ton of gorgeous styles in earrings, necklaces, and rings to choose from, I was really interested in the diamond drop earrings and there were so many to choose from! With my love of history, it's probably not surprising that I love historically-inspired jewelry and so these are the ones I chose: Lucky Blossom Diamond Drop earrings. I love the art deco-ish design!
I received my earrings this weekend and the package was lovely. The earring box comes in a large blue box that just feels special. The earring box in itself is really wonderful: it's wood and has a small light that makes your jewelry glow. My sample earrings are silver and CZ but they are gorgeous and have a good weight to them. I have already worn them a couple days and got a lot of compliments on them. My earrings and many of the other designs come in different metals, different diamond weights, and different diamond qualities. The ability to customize your perfect piece of jewelry is really wonderful!
One of the things that I really like about Anjolee is not only is the jewelry gorgeous but they give you some nice options to make sure you get your perfect jewelry. For instance, you can virtually try on the jewelry using their 3D experience. Making a big purchase online can be a little scary but tools like this make it easier to ensure that you get something that you love! And if you don't, there is a great 30-day return policy! I am super happy with my earrings and I'm already eyeing my first real Anjolee piece!
Friday, May 3, 2019
Reading Challenge Update
As a reminder, I am aiming to read a book from or set in each country the Department of State recognizes, which is 195 countries!
I read books from this many countries this month:
17
I've read a total of 50 books so far for this challenge (over a quarter of the way through the challenge). Solid progression! This was my best month so far.
Take a look at my list! What else should I be reading?
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