Category: This bookish life

Review: Cavendon Trilogy by Barbara Taylor Bradford

I received an advanced copy of The Cavendon Luck from St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Shortly before The Cavendon Luck by Barbara Taylor Bradford was released on June 7, 2016,  I began reading the first book in the trilogy, Cavendon Hall.  This is my first time reading this author’s works.  St. Martin’s Press graciously offered me free access to all three books in the series and asked that I share my thoughts on the books.
If you are a fan of Downton Abbey and historical fiction, you will probably enjoy Barbara Taylor Bradford’s three book series telling the stories of the Ingham and Swann families.
In Cavendon Hall (3 stars for me) which is home to Charles Ingham, the sixth Earl of Mowbray, and his wife, Felicity, their son Miles and four daughters, Deirdre, Daphne, DeLacy, and Dulcie.  Walter Swann is the Earl’s valet and his wife, Alice, is a seamstress who makes the beautiful clothes for the ladies in the family.   The Ingham family and the Swann family have lived side by side for centuries.  When Daphne is attacked on Cavendon land, the Swann family comes to her aid.  Will what happened to her ruin Daphne’s chances for happiness?  Not if the Swann’s can help it.  As WWI begins to affect the world, the Ingham and Swann families must depend on each other during the hard times.  I enjoyed getting to know both families. I saw a lot of similarities to Downton Abbey in this book.  It did not detract from the Ingham/Swann family story though.
Cavendon Women (3.5 stars for me) book 2 of the series, continues the story of the Ingham and Swann families.  It is now 1929 and the financial turmoil of the times had begun to affect the aristocracy.  Great houses are selling off their valuables and allowing tourists to pay to view their living quarters to make ends meet.  As the investments made by the men in the family fall apart, it is the women of the Ingham and Swann families that come to the rescue. This was a fast and enjoyable read.  I liked the fact that the women were not written as damsels in distress as is the case in most “romance” novels.  These are strong, smart women.
The Cavendon Luck (4 stars for me) is the newest release in the series.  It’s 1938 and eldest daughter, Deirdre, is back working for the War Department. As Hitler and the Germans begin their assault on Europe, the Ingham and Swann families begin to prepare for the worst, an invasion of England by the Germans.  From victory gardens, war casualties, to air raid sirens, the reality of WWII England is here in full color.  This was probably my favorite book of the three.  Intrigue, family secrets, and a little bit of romance made it hard to put this book down.
While not as compelling as Kristin Hannah’s The Nightingale or Ken Follett’s Century Trilogy, the Cavendon Chronicles will satisfy your Downton Abbey withdrawal.
Thanks for reading.

Review: Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan

Sometimes adults miss some of the best, most uplifting stories because they are packaged in a book written for juveniles.  This is why I aim to read at least ONE of the Sunshine State Young Readers Award books each year.  Beginning the end of April, I start checking to see if the list has been published.  Once it is, I make a checklist/bookmark for the patrons of the Charlotte County Library System.

The 2013 – 2014 Sunshine State Readers Award list for grades 6 -8 included Wonder by R.J. Palacio, which was about a ten-year-old boy who was born with facial deformities.  It remains in my list of top ten most moving books that I have ever read.  I can still get choked up thinking about the story.  It was THAT good.

I haven’t had a chance to read anything on the 2014-2015 list yet, but I have my eye on Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library.  Here is a video about the book from http://www.booktrailersforreaders.com

This year (2016-2017), one book on the list jumped out at me.  It was a big book and was listed on the grade 6-8.  When I read the description, I knew I had to read this book.  Echo by Pam Munoz Ryan.  Here is the book trailer.

The story begins when a boy named Otto becomes lost in the woods and is helped by three prophetic sisters who gift him with a quest and a harmonica. What follows is the story of the lives of three people who’s lives become interwoven through ownership of the harmonica – Friedrich, Mike, and Ivy.  The book deals with the treatment of Jews in Germany during WWII, the treatment of orphans in the US during the Great Depression, and the treatment of Japanese-Americans after Pearl Harbor. The author wove all of the stories of these people together in such a beautiful way and then the ending connected them all through music.

If you can, I suggest getting your hands on the audiobook.  The story was enhanced by the wonderful music that was interspersed through the audiobook.   I listened to the book while driving to and from work.  I am so glad that I did.

Thanks for reading.

Follow me on Twitter to try to win a copy of the Nora Roberts ebook that I am reading

My author I’ve avoided (see previous post.) for the month of June is Nora Roberts.  I thought I would give everyone who follows me on Twitter @KathyLoves2Read a chance to win an ebook copy of the same book that I will be reading this month – In From The Cold. This is a MacGregor’s novella. One I have finished the book, I will share my review and hopefully the winner will also contribute his/her comments.

Go here to find out more.

Good luck.

If you want to purchase a copy to read along, here is the link.

Thanks for reading.

Some really good books I’ve read recently

As you can imagine, I’ve been reading a lot. Between the books I read at night and the audiobooks I listen to while driving to and from work, I am more than halfway through my goal of 80 books for the year.  Maybe I’ll hit 100!  Here

My mother, Patrica Angus, told me about a writer I had never heard of before, Diney Costeloe.  I chose The Sisters of St. Croix, a book set in Nazi-occupied France at the beginning of WWII.  The main character, Adelaide, finds out that the man she thought was her father is not.  She heads to Our Lady of Mercy convent in France to find out more about her birth father, who died in WWI, from his sister, the Reverend Mother. Adelaide and the nuns are caught up in the German occupation and have to deal with how it affects their beliefs and their lives.  They become involved in the resistance and sheltering Jewish orphans from the Germans.  It was a heartwarming, frightening, and well-written book.

The Sisters of St. Croix

After reading The Sisters of St. Croix, I had The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah on my to read pile. I usually don’t like to read historical fiction back to back.  In this case, I ended up reading historical fiction set at the same time in the same place – back to back.  The stories had many similarities including strong women secretly fighting their own war against the German occupation.  The fact that the things that occurred in both of these books actually happened is heart wrenching.  I recommend that you read both books.

The Nightingale

The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper by Phaedra Patrick was a delight to listen to.  I absolutely love listening to someone with a British accent read.  The story was very enjoyable. Arthur Pepper is a widower who decides he is finally able to go through his late wife’s belongings a year after her passing.  While going through her closet, he finds a gold charm bracelet hidden in a boot. He has no memory of ever seeing this bracelet.  What do the different charms – an elephant, a tiger, a paint pallet, a book, a ring, and a heart- represent?  While looking at the elephant charm, Arthur notices a phone number engraved on it and calls the number.  This phone call starts Arthur on a quest to find out about the rest of the charms. This quest uncovers some happy and some painful things about his wife’s life.  A thoroughly enjoyable read.

The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper

What have you been reading or listening to?

Thanks for reading.

My foray into “guy” books

 

Yesterday was my father, Richard’s 79th birthday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY, DAD!!  I have childhood memories of him reading Louis L’Amour and Zane Grey book all the time.  In my mind, these books were “boy books”, so I never wanted to read them.  I figured they would be filled with saloon girls, shooting, and cussing, so I never had any desire to read them. This is the reason I chose a Louis L’Amour book for my May “authors I’ve avoided” book.  Let’s just say that I was pleasantly surprised.

 

The book that I chose to read was Tucker.  I have to admit that I went to the paperback shelf at the Punta Gorda Public Library, where I work, and chose the smallest book out of our Louis L’Amour paperback collection.  I just didn’t think I’d make it through a long, boring western and I didn’t want to fail to read another of my chosen authors (see previous post about trying to read Diana Gabaldon).

 

Shell Tucker and his father were just finished selling some cattle from their ranch as well as some for their neighbors.  While heading back home, Shell and his father had a disagreement parted ways a short while.  When he cooled down and went back to meet up with his father, Shell found him with a broken leg from falling off his spooked horse.  His horse had been stolen, along with the money that they were bringing back to the neighbors.  It seems that two of Shell’s “friends” Doc Sites and Kid Reese, whom his father did not approve of, had hooked up with an outlaw and stole the horse and money.  When Shell’s father succumbed to his injuries, he decided that he had to follow the outlaws and get that money back, saving his father’s reputation as well as the ranch.

 

Shell follows Doc, Kid and Bob Heseltine through the South West, trying to get the money back.  He puts so much pressure on the outlaws that they can’t even enjoy the money.  Several times, Heseltine and his girl, Ruby, try to have Shell eliminated without success.  Finally, Heseltine says he gives up and hands the money over to Shell and says to leave him alone.  It looks like the worst is over, but Heseltine comes back and tries to kill Shell again, but he isn’t as fast as Shell.  Finally, Shell has the money and can head back home.

 

I have to say that I thoroughly enjoyed the book and will be slipping a Louis L’Amour book into my reading schedule once in a while.  It wasn’t overtly “guy”-ish.  It was just a good story with well written characters.  I’ve become a Louis L’Amour lover and I’m proud of it!
I hope you give a different author or genre a chance.
Thanks for reading!

Trying new things

I love to try new recipes.  Earlier this month, Chef Warren Caterson come to the library where I work and did a cooking demonstration.  I have both of the chef’s cookbooks Table for Two: The Cookbook for Couples and Table for Two: Back for Seconds. Because of Chef Warren’s visit to the library, I became brave enough to cook some tuna steaks.  Pan-seared Tuna Steak with Sesame Oil was the recipe I tried.

Not only was this delicious for me, but my husband who doesn’t eat fish, ate it and said he would like to add this to our dinner rotation.

Thank you Chef Warren Caterson for the inspiration.

I tried…really I did

In my post on January 9, 2016, I gave a list of authors that I have avoided reading for one reason or another.  So far I have made it through a James Patterson, a Danielle Steele, and a Robert Galbraith without much trouble.  Then came April.

For April’s author, I chose Diana Gabaldon.  Oh how I wish I hadn’t.  I have twice tried to read Outlander.  Both times I gave up.  I just couldn’t get into it. Since I didn’t want to try again to read an 850 page book that I have given up on twice or listen to the 32 hour and 43 minute audiobook, I decided to try one of Diana Gabaldon’s smaller tomes.  I chose to listen to the 9 hour and 24 minute Lord John and the Private Matter.  After 1 hour and 4 minutes of listening to Lord John try to get a peek at his niece’s fiance’s schmeckle (yes, I said SCHMECKLE!) to see if he has the pox (aka syphilis), I couldn’t take it any more. I give up.  I just can’t do it.

I am not a “you read that tripe?” snooty reader.  If you enjoy Outlander and the rest of Diana Gabaldon’s books, I’m glad for you.  As for me. I tried but I just can’t…

Thanks for reading.

Review – How much sleep did I miss reading Into the Mist by Lee Murray? ALL OF IT!

One of my favorite things about working in a library and being around books, is when I find a new author that blows me away.  Into the Mist by Lee Murray is just one of THOSE books.  The author’s cousin, a librarian in New Zealand whom I correspond with, told me that the book was coming out, so I went to Amazon to check to see if it was something I would like. The description of the book had me clicking pre-order faster than I eat chocolate.  Military horror, native mythology, beautiful locale, and breathtaking action – this book has it all.
 
I have always been a big fan of mythology of different cultures.  The Taniwha, a legendary Maori water monster, brings thrills and chills to the native Maori park in New Zealand.
 
A group of scientists are on a fact finding mission to see if there is gold in the area. They are beyond unprepared for what is waiting for them in the misty mountains, even with their military escort. Unbeknownst to them, there have been park visitors reported missing, including a whole military search party. The military escort is not only there to protect them. They are also looking for the missing military search party that was previously sent to the area to search for the missing park visitors.  What follows is an intense, roller coaster ride through the jungle just trying to survive.
 
Reminiscent of Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park and Preston & Child’s Relic, Lee Murray’s Into the Mist was a satisfying romp that kept me wanting more.  To decide if a book is good, I judge it by how much sleep it made me miss.  I missed a LOT of sleep while reading this book.  I highly recommend it.
 
You can order Into the Mist at Amazon or check with your local independent bookstore.
 
 
Thanks for reading.