Not Precisely Mr. Knightley by Carolyn Miller

 

What literary hero would you like to meet?

Emma-Jane (EJ) Bennett and Jordan Knight are life long best friends.  When EJ quits her job to work full time on her dating app, Dream Match, Jordan is happy for her but misses working with her.  As he realizes his feelings are more than friendship, will EJ come to the same conclusion?  Especially with the handsome and rich Eric Churchill turning her head…

My thoughts on this novel:

·       This is the second book in the Silver Teapot series.  I loved the first book in this series and can’t wait to see what happen next.  The next book, Not Very Sensible, comes out in October 2026.

·       Just like her inspiration, Jane Austen’s Emma, EJ frustrated me greatly at time with her decisions.  She was a very driven person which I related to.

·       Jordan was an honest guy, and he tries to get EJ to do better.  I like that he admits to his mistakes and asks for forgiveness.

·       I loved all the Austen references in this book.

·       This is a Christian and inspirational contemporary romance.

·       I enjoyed the Australia setting.

·       I liked the over arching theme of what is important in life?  Friends and Family?  Riches and knowing rich and famous people? 

Overall, Not Precisely Mr. Knightley by Carolyn Miller was an entertaining contemporary romance with Jane Austen flair.  I enjoyed it.

Book Source:  Thank-you to @carolynmillerauthor @barbourbooks @greatreadsbookpromo for a review copy of the novel as part of the Great Reads Promo Book Tour.

You with the Sad Eyes by Christina Applegate

 

Title:  You with the Sad Eyes

Author:  Christina Applegate

Narrated by:  Dan John Miller

Publisher: Little, Brown & Company

Length: Approximately 8 hour and 27 minutes

Source: Checked out through Libby through the Kewaunee Public Library

What actor/actress would you like to read a memoir about?

Christina Applegate was a child star growing up in California in the 1970s and 1980s.  Her home life was hard, but she became a star in TV and movies.  In 2021, she was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis and her entire life suddenly changed.  This is her story.

My thoughts on this audiobook:

·       Christina Applegate narrated the audiobook which I really enjoyed. I was a fan growing up as a gen X kid especially of Married with Children and Don’t Tell Mom the Babysitter’s Dead.

·       She had such a sad neglected childhood.  I liked that she had a normal and happy experience visiting her grandparents in South Bend.

·       She suffered horrible domestic abuse by a boyfriend while she was in her late teens and at the height of her Married with Children fame.  It was hard to listen to.

·       Christina gets emotional talking about her relationship with her father and the discovery of the terrible life that he had as a child.

·       It was devastating to read about her MS diagnosis and sad realization that she won’t be able to work as an actress again.

·       Applegate experienced a lot of trauma in her life, but overall, it was inspiring how she kept going.

·       There was some detail on her shows and movies, but not as much as other Hollywood memoirs.

·       This was an honest audiobook, but I would have liked to hear more about happy times as well.

Overall, You with the Sad Eyes by Christina Applegate was an inspiring and heartbreaking memoir. 

 

Chase the Light by Suzanne Woods Fisher

 

If you could visit a national park this summer, which park would you chose?

Scout Johnson is a ranger at Acadia National Park.  She finds old papers behind a loose brick at a light house in the park.  The papers indicate that a previous lighthouse keeper purposely turned off his light to cause the sinking of a ship that was carrying gold.  The gold is now hidden around Acadia.  Will Scout and her friends be able to find it before the public finds out about the treasure?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       This was a fun light story with mystery and romance.  It was perfect reading during a stressful time!

·       This was a contemporary clean read. 

·       Chase the Light is the second book in the National Parks Summers series.  I have not read the first book and this book worked fine as a standalone novel.

·       I really liked the character Wabanaki (Naki) Dana.  He is a Native American from the Penobscot Tribe.  He has the knowledge to decipher most of the clues and Scout finds herself attracted to him. Naki gave the story more depth.

·       There is a love triangle of sorts as Chase Fletcher is also on the team.  He has been on dates with Scout previously and is trying to use the news of the treasure to save his family’s newspaper.

·       There are many other characters including Scout’s flamboyant southern mother, two teenagers that tend to mess things up, etc.  They were all very entertaining.

·       There are great plot twists in the story.

·       I already wanted to visit Acadia National Park in Maine, and this book makes me want to visit even more.  There are beautiful descriptions of the park in the novel.

·       There were light faith elements in the novel.  It was inspirational.

Overall, Chase the Light by Suzanne Woods Fisher is a fun mystery, romance, contemporary adventure and a perfect summer read.

Book Source:  Thank-you to @suzannewoodsfisher @revellfiction @greatreadsbookpromo for a review copy of the novel as part of the Great Reads Promo Book Tour.

A Mother’s Love by Danielle Steel

 

Title:  A Mother’s Love

Author:  Danielle Steele

Narrated by:  Dan John Miller

Publisher: Recorded Books

Length: Approximately 7 hour and 28 minutes

Source: Purchased from Audible.com

What is the last book that disappointed you?

Bestselling author Hailey decides to spend her first Christmas alone in Paris.  Raising her twin daughters has consumed her life, but now her daughter Valerie is married, and her other daughter Olivia is going on a cruise with her sister and her new family for Christmas.  Hailey gets violently seasick and can’t go with them.  Haily has been single since her partner died years ago, but meeting Bart on the plane over, she considers that she might be open to a new relationship.  

My thoughts on this novel:

·       This was the May pick for the Page-turners Book Club at the Kewaunee Public Library.

·       This was not a book club favorite.  Not much happens in this book at all. I read it all the way to the end waiting for the story to start.  There is a bit of action at the very end, but it was too little, too late.

·       It was hard to connect with the characters as they are living in a land of wealth that is so very different from my own life.

·       The title of the book did not go with the story.

·       The book was poorly written.  I haven’t read any Danielle Steel books since the 90’s.  Has she lost her touch?

Overall, A Mother’s Love by Danielle Steel did not connect with me. 

Honor Flight: Celebrating America’s Veterans by Jeff Gottesfeld, Illustrated by Matt Tavares

 

“Ask not what your country can do for you – ask what you can do for your country.” – President John F. Kennedy, Inaugural address, January 20, 1961

Is there a war memorial that is special to you?  I think all of the memorials in Washington DC are awe inspiring and inspirational but visiting the Vietnam memorial with my best friend in high school while she searched for her uncle’s name really brought home to me the sacrifice that many soldiers have made through the years for our country.  I like visiting war memorials in local communities as well and giving a moment of silence to those that lost their lives for our country.

Honor Flight: Celebrating America’s Veterans is a great illustrated book for children to learn about war heroes, veterans, and honor flights and is perfect for Memorial Day.  This book does a great job of describing what a veteran is and follows a veteran that does not want to be forgotten.  He receives a call from the Honor Flight Network.  The book explains that Honors Flights bring aging veterans to Washington DC to visit the memorials.  The veteran makes his visit and gets to see many important memorials that are described.  The veteran feels valued on his trip and on the way home he receives a special package with heartfelt letters from many people in his community.  He learns when he gets home that Troy, the guardian who guided him through the journey, was a teacher and his fourth-grade class had raised the funds for him to go. 

A great afterward tells more detail about how the Honor Flights were started and the Notes section gives more detail on the places visited and terms used in the text.

The illustrations were bright, colorful, and went perfectly with the story.

Overall, Honor Flight:  Celebrating America’s Veterans by Jeff Gottesfeld, Illustrated by Matt Tavares brought a tear to my eye.  This is a great illustrated children’s book that is perfect to explain Honor Flights and veterans to children or maybe adults too that are looking for an uplifting read.

Book Source:  Review copy from Candlewick Press.  Thank-you!

The Comedy of Errors by William Shakespeare

 

Title:  The Comedy of Errors

Author:  William Shakespeare and Samantha Newman

Narrated by:  Mark Meadows

Publisher: Arcturus Digital

Length: Approximately 41 minutes

Source: Checked out through Hoopla through the Kewaunee Public Library

 

Title:  The Comedy of Errors

Author:  William Shakespeare

Narrated by:  Various Readers

Publisher: Blackstone Publishing

Length: Approximately 1 hour and 27 minutes

Source: Checked out through Hoopla through the Kewaunee Public Library

What is your favorite Shakespeare Play?

Two of my favorite Shakespeare plays are Macbeth and Much Ado About Nothing.  I took Shakespeare in both high school and college, but it has been a while since I have read a Shakespeare play.  My Back to the Classic Book Club at the Kewaunee Public Library decided to read The Comedy of Errors for our May pick.

The Comedy of Errors is a short play full for slapstick comedy.  Two sets of twins are separated by a raging storm with one parent tying themselves, their son, and their servant’s son to two different masts and the two masts being separated.  Now Antipholus of Syracuse has been searching for his brother and mother with his servant, Dromio of Syracuse.  When they arrive in Ephesus, much hilarity ensues due to mistaken identities.  Antipholus of Ephesus is a settled and respected merchant and has a servant named Dromio of Ephesus.  How will these identities be sorted out?

One of my book club members recommended an audiobook version that is adapted by Samantha Newman and is Part 1 of the Shakespeare’s Tales Retold for Children series.  This was an entertaining version that was great for really understanding the plot.  I also listened to the actual play from Blackstone audiobook that had a variety of readers and sound effects.  I like listening to Shakespeare and the beauty of the language.  I also checked out a copy of “No Fear” Shakespeare version of The Comedy of Errors from the library as well.  It was very interesting in that it showed a page of the original Shakespeare text and then the other page would be it translated into modern day English.

Overall, A Comedy of Errors is a good Shakespeare play to start with as it is short and simple, but it is not my favorite play.

Into a Golden Era by Gabrielle Meyer

 

Title:  Into a Golden Era

Author:  Gabrielle Meyer

Narrated by:  Rachel Botchan

Publisher: Recorded Books

Length: Approximately 13 hours and 9 minutes

Source: Thank you, @gabrielle_meyer @bethanyhousefiction @greatreadsbookpromo the review copy of the physical book.  Audiobook purchased from audible.

What is a book series that you are currently enjoying?  I have enjoyed the time travel series, Timeless for the past few years.  Into a Golden Era is the seventh book in this series and I was very excited to read it!

Ally is a time crosser that lives in 1849 San Francisco and 1929 Hollywood. She lives one day in 1849, fall asleep, and then wakes up in 1929. She switches time periods every other day. At age 25, she must chose which world to stay in forever.  In 1849, she has moved to San Francisco with her father and young sister hoping to strike it rich in the gold rush.  When her father falls ill on the voyage, how will the young family survive?  In 1929, her father’s movie studio is having problem in the switch to talking pictures.  Will filming a movie version of Little Women while Ally fakes a romance with lead Spencer save the studio?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       In this book more than any other in this series, the characters explore, can you change history and keep your path in that time?

·       I liked how the characters from previous books appeared.

·       The cover of this book is beautiful.

·       I found both time periods to be fascinating.

·       I never knew about the “Sydney Ducks.” It is a gang made up of convicts that served time in Australia and then immigrated to the United States.  I was intrigued.

·       I enjoyed the 1849 love story which was a forced proximity story.  It was also learning to love someone after learning their true character and motivations.

·       This was an inspiration, clean read, and Christian romance.

·       It’s always nail-biting at the end of a book in this series, which timeline will Aly end up it?  Is it the right choice?

·       I loved listening to this book on audiobook and got through it quickly while working on yard work.  It made the time fly!

·       Great discussion questions for a book club at the end.

·       I loved reading the author’s note about the author’s research and the real history of the times.  It was fascinating.

·       The next book in this series will be out in the summer of 2027.

Overall, Into a Golden Era by Gabrielle Meyer was an engaging historical romance time travel novel.  I enjoyed it and this series is fantastic!

Moonlight Murder by Uzma Jalaluddin

 

Title:  Moonlight Murder

Author:  Uzma Jalaluddin

Narrated by:  Deepti Gupta

Publisher: Harper Perennial

Length: Approximately 11 hours and 56 minutes

Source: Thank you, Partner @bibliolifestyle @harperperennial the review copy of the physical book.  Audiobook purchased from audible.

Where was the last book that you read set?  I just finished Moonlight Murder this morning and it was set in Toronto, Canada.

Kauser Khan has moved back to Toronto to be near her family.  She soon finds herself involved in investigating the mysterious death of Qasim, a young man who was dating her granddaughter, Maleeha.  This mystery also inspires Kauser to investigate the hit and run death of her son, Ali, eighteen years before.  Was it an accident or was there more involved for both mysteries?

My thoughts on this book:

·       Moonlight Murder is the second book in the Detective Aunty series.  I did feel a bit behind in the beginning, but I soon caught up. I would like to read the first book in this series.

·       This was a cozy mystery that was relaxing to read.

·       This was great on audiobook.  Narrator Deepti Gupta has great voices for all the characters.

·       Kauser was a great character.  I loved how she is really coming into herself at her stage in life.  She no longer will fade into the background and lets her thoughts be known.

·       I liked the glimpses into the Muslim Pakastani heritage world.

·       The grief of losing a child is a theme and part of the discussion. 

·       Teenagers and bullying is also a theme.

·       I loved the female friendship between Kauser and her friend May.

·       There is a second chance for romance after being widowed for Kauser.

·       I enjoyed the family drama.

·       I really liked how the mystery was revealed, layer by layer with a few red herrings thrown in.  Kauser was great at talking to people, really listening to their stories, and putting together the puzzle pieces to solve the mystery.

·       I would recommend this book for those that love character driven mysteries such as The Thursday Murder Club.

·       There was a great ending for both mysteries – I did not guess how they would end.

·       There was also an awesome cliffhanger to set up the third book. I am ready to read it right now!

Overall, Moonlight Murder by Uzma Jalaluddin was very engaging and was a well-paced cozy mystery with great characters.

Three Queens by Rebecca Connolly

 

Are you in a May flower season where you live?  Flowers are blooming in Northeast Wisconsin, but it is still very chilly.

Three extraordinary women formed a friendship in the late 18^th century:  Abigail Adams of the United States, Queen Charlotte of England, and Marie Antoinette of France.  With limited power and many problems both personnel and on the world stage, how will these ladies navigate life and support one another?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       This is a book that is meant to be read slowly and savored.

·       Each chapter starts with quotes from fiction letters to each other. The POV of each chapter alternatives between the three ladies.

·       Abigail Adam was the wife of future president John Adams who before he was president served as the ambassador to France and England.  She misses home and feels like a fish out of water at times.

·       Marie Antoinette is a scapegoat in France as the country descends into revolution.

·       Queen Charlotte deals with a problematic oldest son, her husband’s descent into madness, and the loss of her children.

·       These three women were in high positions but didn’t have much power to change their own fates.  They were able to find the strength to make what changes they would with what they had.

·       Great research with a bibliography at the end.

·       There are good discussion questions for book clubs at the end of the book.

·       The afterword explains what happened to Abigail and Charlotte after Marie Antoinette’s death.

Favorite Quotes:

“What was left for her after accomplishing those things?  She had influence but no power.  She had position but no authority.  She had plenty of finery but no lasting significance.”

“Their friendship lived and breathed in a way that human life did not.  It surpassed mortal bonds and physical distance.  It remained unharmed by wars, but loss, but fear, or by hate.”

Three Queens by Rebecca Connolly is a beautifully written historical fiction novel about three extraordinary women in history.

Book Source:  Thank-you @author.rebecca.connolly @shadowmountainpub @greatreadsbookpromo for the review copy as part of the Great Reads Book Promotion Tour.  Thank-you!

One Leg on Earth by 'Pemi Aguda

 

Title:  One Leg on Earth

Author:  'Pemi Aguda

Narrated by:  Délé Ogundiran

Publisher: Dreamscape Media

Length: Approximately 6 hours and 39 minutes

Source: Thank you, Partner @bibliolifestyle @w.w.norton for the review copy of the physical book.  Audiobook purchased from audible.

What country is your current book set in?

Yosoye is a lonely women, excited to be in Lagos for an architectural internship.  After a one-night stand, she finds herself pregnant.  As other pregnant women start being found drowned in the sea, Yosoye feel herself pressed by a fear that she will be next.  Does it have anything to do with the new development she is working on that is located on reclaimed land that is meant for the rich?

My thoughts on this audiobook:

·       The title comes from a saying, one leg on earth and one leg in heaven.

·       This is a literary novel that is also a women’s contemporary fiction novel.

·       It was a slow paced, but short novel.

·       It was interesting on audiobook.

·       The story explores the loneliness of motherhood.

·       I thought it was an interesting look at the parallels of growing a city as a designer and growing a new life within you as a mother.

·       I really enjoyed the setting in Legos.

·       The story never does resolve why the women were drowning.

Overall, One Leg on Earth by 'Pemi Aguda was an interesting literary fiction novel with a riveting setting in Lagos.