Daughters of the Sun and Moon by Lisa See

Title:  Daughters of the Sun and Moon

Author:  Lisa See 

Narrated by:  Jennifer Lim, Quanna Luo Masterson, Emily Woo Zeller, Lisa See

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Length: Approximately 14 hours and 31 minutes 

Source: Thank-you to @simon.audio #SimonAudioInfluence for the audiobook review copy.

Who is an auto read author for you?  Lisa See is an auto read author for me. I always love her riveting historical fiction.

In 1870, three different Chinese women arrived in Los Angeles.  Chinese women were scarce at that time, and all three were arriving into very different situations.  Dove is a pampered daughter with bound feet and is coming to be the second wife to a wealthy merchant.  Petal is the daughter of peasants who have sold her into a life of prostitution to try to avoid starvation.  Moon is married to a traditional doctor of Chinese medicine and is joining him.  All three women are hailed as beauties.  As they get settled into their new lives, turmoil occurs due to waring factions between rival gangs and anti-Chinese sentiments.  Will all three women survive, and can they thrive?

My thoughts on this novel:

• I had never heard of the 1871 massacre in Los Angeles.  It was horrifying to learn about it.  It was a race riot against Chinese immigrants.  Have we as an immigrant nation learned from our mistakes or are we doomed to repeat them?

• I love Lisa See’s novels and how she highlights unique to me parts of women’s history.

• This was great on audiobook.  There were different narrators for the three different women and their viewpoints.

• I was also horrified to learn that slavery continued after it was outlawed by the Emancipation Proclamation.  Young Chinese women were sold by their families in China to be shipped to the United States to either be wives or women of the night.

• The story is told through a dual timeline between 1870 and 1920.  In 1920, they are looking back at memories.

• The women had to live through so much.  I was glad they had each other and their friendship to make it through.

• Moon loved her husband and longs for a child.

• Dove is an ornament for her old husband, but when she is kidnapped, she finds her inner strength.

• I loved how Petal started growing herbs and trying to plan for a life outside of prostitution.

• There is a great author’s note at the end of the novel with the detailed history.  I was moved by the reading of the names of all of those killed in the massacre.

Overall, Daughters of the Sun and Moon by Lisa See was a riveting historical fiction novel with compelling characters set during a place and time that I learned a lot about.  I highly recommend this novel and audiobook.

A Lady’s Handbook to Gadget and Guile by Angela Bell

 

Are you handy?  I am mediocre handy.  I can MacGyver pumps and equipment to do lab experiments and sample, but I am not as handy as my Dad who seems to be able to get anything put back together again.

Thank you to @authorangelabell, @bethanyhousefiction,and @greatreadsbookpromo for the gift copy of A Lady’s Handbook to Gadget and Guile.

In 1865 London, Margaret is an inventor of gadgets for the Daughters of the Genus Society.  This group is comprised of lady inspectors who are disguised as bluestockings.  Margaret is an ambulatory wheelchair user and has been happy helping from the sidelines until she gets caught up in a case involving London’s most famous inventor.  She runs into an intriguing man named Charles and the pair work together to solve the mystery. Will they solve it in time?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       I would classify this novel as historical fiction, historical fantasy, clean read, inspirational, and Christian.

·       I read this book in July, and I loved that Margaret is an inventor in a time when it was hard for women to thrive in this role.  She also suffers from chronic pain but is able to go through a faith journey as well as to keep on inventing.

·       Charles has also ended up on a path in life that was not what he planned.  He was a good person who really listened and cared about Margaret’s problems.

·       This is the second novel in “A Daughters of Genius Society” series.  I enjoyed the first book in the series, but this book would also work as a standalone.  Characters do return from the first book, and I enjoyed reading about them again.

·       This was told from the third person perspectives of Margaret and Charles.

·       The tech in this novel went to the world of fantasy for this time period so that’s why I would classify this as historical fantasy.  I loved the gadgets.

·       I loved the romance between Charles and Margaret.  It was sweet.

·       The mystery was a bit light, but I did enjoy the humor in the novel.

·       The Christian theme was faith through difficult times.

Overall, A Lady’s Handbook to Gadget and Guile by Angela Bell was an inspiring historical fantasy novel with great characters.

The Girl in the Lake by Lauren Oliver

Do you ever have déjà vu moments?  I certainly do. 

Kate Willis is a consultant for the Division of Perceptual Studies at the University of Virginia.  Her latest task is to interview a six-year-old girl, Henley, about the past life she remembers.  As Kate interviews her, she realizes that Henley remembers the life of her friend Becca that disappeared from summer camp 24 year ago.  Henley remembers things that only Becca would know.  Kate knows more about Becca’s disappearance than she ever let on.  What happened to Becca?  Why does Henley have her memories?  Is she the reincarnated Becca?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       I liked the haunted lake and the grey lady legends.  This spookiness fits into things that happened at the camp in the past and Becca’s disappearance.

·       The setting was a great atmospheric setting that also set the mood for the story.

·       This story moved rather slow for me, especially in the middle, but it felt rushed at the end.   This strange pacing lost a star rating from me.

·       I would classify this book as psychological and paranormal suspense.

·       Kate annoyed me at times, especially in her treatment of Henley.

·       I did enjoy the mystery and the resolution of the story.  I don’t want to get too much into it and ruin it for others.

·       This would make a great spooky season read.

Overall, The Girl in the Lake by Lauren Oliver was a haunting suspense story that would be a good read for the fall spooky season.

Three Steps Behind by Dani Pettrey

 

Do you prefer series or standalone books?

Thank you to @authordanipettrey, @bethanyhousefiction, and @greatreadsbookpromo for the gift copy of Three Steps Behind.

Harper has returned from a humanitarian trip oversees in Syria where she was held captive and almost killed.  Many of her friends didn’t make it.  She has returned to the United States and protection from a private investigator, Deckard MacLeod.  She has only just arrived when she discovers that her friend Taylor has died.  Did her friend die naturally in her early 30’s?  Something doesn’t seem right and so Harper and Deckard start to investigate.  Will they find out what happened to Taylor?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       This book starts off with a bang.  The first chapter was exciting and terrifying and really pulled you into the story.

·       This is the third book in the Jeopardy Falls series.  I had a hard time getting into the story at first.  It seemed like character overload, and I wasn’t really sure what was going on.  If I had read the other book in series, I would have hit this story running.  It was an entertaining story once I got into it, so I think I need to go back and read the first couple of book.

·       This was a clean read with kisses only. There are some triggers such as kidnapping, childhood trauma, missing family, murder, etc.

·       I would classify this read as a romantic suspense thriller.  It was very action-packed.

·       I loved Deckard.  He is devoted to his siblings.  He really supported Harper through her trials and healing.

·       There was also a second romantic suspense storyline between Deckard’s estranged sister, Bristol, and Aubry.  It was entertaining as well.

·       The book ended on a cliffhanger that set up book 4.  I need to read the first two books in the series as I wait for book 4!

Overall, Three Steps Behind by Dani Pettrey was an action-packed romantic suspense story that will keep you on the edge of your seat.

Her Affections and Wishes by Heather Moll

 

Are you a fast reader or a slow reader?  I’ve realized as I’ve gotten older that I am a pretty fast reader.

Elizabeth Bennet has turned down Mr. Darcy’s proposal.  Darcy has regrets and has started to correct his behavior towards others.  Lady Catherine decides that Elizabeth should join a friend of Lady Catherine’s, Lady Metcalfe, and her daughter Julia at a house party at Woodcote Park to watch the Epsom horse races and to try to win a husband.  When Elizabeth arrives, she is surprised to find Mr. Darcy amongst the guests.  Will this time spent together spark their affections?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       This is a Pride and Prejudice variation.  The time frame is weeks after the Hunsford proposal.

·       It was a very romantic story between Elizabeth and Darcy.  It shows their feelings and passions started to build.  They had great chemistry!

·       As mysterious “accidents” start to happen around Elizabeth, who is trying to harm her and why?  I liked the mystery and bit of adventure in the last part of the book. 

·       I loved the house party and Regency games.  Some of the games seemed racy for the time and included kissing or touching people while blind folded.

·       The dialogue between Elizabeth and Darcy was top notch as well.  I liked Darcy’ second proposal.

·       Lady Metcalfe and Julia were both something else as Julia tries to snag Darcy as a husband.  It made me wonder, what would you do in Regency times if you were accidently caught up with vulgar people?

·       I loved the Epilogue set in the future.  It tied up the loose end and showed the couple happily married.

·       Moll writes Austen’s characters wonderfully and captures their original spirit.  I liked the addition of the new characters to the Austen world.

·       This is a forced proximity clean read.  There were kisses only, but affairs are discovered, and the characters talk in innuendo.

Overall, Her Affections and Wishes by Heather Moll was a delightful Regency romance and Pride and Prejudice variation.  I loved the romance, Regency games, and bit of adventure.

Book Source:  Review copy from Heather Moll as part of a book tour.  Thank-you!

A Founding Mother by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie

 

Title:  A Founding Mother

Author:  Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie

Narrated by:  Cassandra Campbell

Publisher: William Morrow

Length: Approximately 17 hours and 20 minutes

Source: Audiobook from NetGalley and physical book review copy from William Morrow Books.  Thank-you!

What is your ultimate go-to reading snack or beverage?

Abigail Adams was the second first lady of the United States and the mother to another president.  She married John Adams when she was young, and she raised their young family often alone as John worked towards American independence.  Through their correspondence, Abigail let John know what her thoughts where on issues including the importance to her of the rights of women.  How will their relationship survive the stress of loss, war, separation and financial woes?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       I read this book in July to celebrate the 250^th birthday of the United States of America.

·       In order for John Adams to do what he did for our country; he needed a strong woman behind him to talk through his ideas and who kept the home and family going when he couldn’t be there.

·       The loneliness of John being gone for so long would be hard.  Their kid were also left for years without their parents.  It makes me wonder what impact it had on their children.

·       Alcoholism ran in the family, and it was divesting for Abigail to see the impact on her children.  It made this family very relatable.

·       It was gruesome that Nabby had her breast removed because she had breast cancer . . . without anesthesia!

·       I love the cover and beautiful dress.

·       This was a July 2026 Reese book club pick.

·       I loved learning more about Abigail Adams.

·       This was great on audiobook with a fabulous narrator that I always enjoy - Cassandra Campbell.

·       The book takes place from 1760 to 1814.

·       This is a biographical historical fiction book. 

·       The book is told from Abigail’s perspective.

·       It was sad that John Adams and Thomas Jefferson went from being friends to enemies that Abigail got caught up in it as well.

·       Abigail did get some adventures traveling with John after they had so many separations.

·       There was a great and very detailed author’s note at the end on the real history behind the book.

Overall, A Founding Mother by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie was a fascinating historical fiction look into the life of Abigail Adams.

The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt

 

Title:  The Anxious Generation:  How the Great Rewiring of Childhood is Causing an Epidemic of Mental Illness

Author:  Jonathan Haidt

Narrated by:  Sean Pratt, Jonathan Haidt

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Length: Approximately 10 hours and 32 minutes

Source: Audiobook checked out from Libby through the Kewaunee Public Library.  Physical book purchased from Amazon.com

What book is a “must read” that you would recommend?

We are in a public health crisis right now as youth mental health has collapsed.  My own small town has been rocked by teen suicide.  How did we get to this point in our society?  Author Jonathan Haidt digs into the numbers and details.  At the same time that we as society started to overprotect our kids, we allowed them no protection to the online world.  The online world responded by using methods to get kids addicted to apps, video games, and p&^n.  This book details what happened and how we can try to change this trajectory.

My thoughts on this book:

·       A friend highly recommend this nonfiction book to me last year and I finally got to reading it in July. 

·       I highly recommend that all parents of teenage or younger children read this book.  It’s important information on how teens today have a much different experience growing up than we did, which is impacting their mental health.

·       I listened to this on audiobook which was great and kept me fully engaged.  I did end up purchasing the physical copy so that I could see the graphs that were referenced in the audiobook.

·       I was hoping for tips on what to do if your child is already swept into the anxiety caused by social media and having their own phone, but there wasn’t much there.  Pandora’s box has been opened and there is no shutting it.

·       The book did have good tips for schools, society planners, etc. and good tips if you have not yet given your child a phone.

·       The book goes into the throw away line of “well parents shouldn’t let their kids have phones” which I often hear grandparent aged adults say. Not letting kids have phones indefinitely can caused them to be shamed at school for not having one.  It’s more about what is the appropriate age and that they should not be being used in schools.  It’s also easy for kids to work around limits set by adults. 

·       The author and his research have been in the news this summer with court cases against social media.

·       This book has inspired me in several ways.

Overall, The Anxious Generation by Jonathan Haidt is a must read and the book I have been recommending to other since I have read it. 

 

An Inconvenient Widow by Lois Romano

 

Title:  An Inconvenient Widow

Author:  Lois Romano

Narrated by:  Cassandra Campbell

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Length: Approximately 15 hours and 28 minutes

Source: Thank-you to  @simon.audio #SimonAudioInfluence for the audiobook review copy and #HistoryBuffsBookClub @History_In_Five  for the physical copy.

Do you have a favorite first lady or woman in history that you like to read about?  I have enjoyed reading about the First Ladies of the United States of America since I was a kid.

Mary Todd grew up as a part of Southern aristocracy in Kentucky with a keen interest in politics.  She had a goal to marry a future president and she was key in pushing Abraham Lincoln to greatness.  After his assassination, she was vilified in her widowhood and committed to an asylum by her own son. Who was this complicated “brilliant and flawed” woman?

My thoughts on this book:

·       Peers thought that Lincoln was smart but needed Mary to push him to achieve his heights.  This was forgotten after his death and Mary Todd Lincoln’s character was assassinated.

·       Lincoln died without a will, and the executor didn’t give Mary much to live on for two years.

·       Mary probably did have an undiagnosed mental problem, but a lot of her physical problems seemed to be due to undiagnosed diabetes.

·       In a time when women were not involved in politics, Mary had tenacity and a drive forward.

·       Did Mary have a compulsive shopping addition?  Her behaviors meet a modern-day diagnosis. She would swing between being very cheap to wildly overspending. She wanted to decorate the White House as befitted the presidency but didn’t realize the optics of how spending sprees would look with the country at war.  She also would accept what she thought were “gifts” from merchants only to get bills sent to the White House later.

·       She endorsed the Union cause, which is not what others said about her as she was from Kentucky and had half brothers that fought for the south.  She visited wounded soldiers, but this would not be discussed by the press and was not widely known for decades.  She found solace in comforting others.

·       It’s sad that Mary’s only remaining son, Robert, treated her the way he did.  He seemed to be focused on controlling Mary’s money.

·       This was riveting on audiobook with a great narrator.  The physical book has great pictures as well as detailed notes at the end.

·       It was interesting that Waukesha, Wisconsin was once a hotbed of spiritualism after the Civil War.  Mary spent a lot of time visiting Wisconsin and Waukesha after the war.

·       One of the saddest lines was that at the age of 52, Mary had lost three of her sons, her husband, and her parents.  Besides her estranged son Robert, she was alone in the world. 

Overall, An Inconvenient Widow by Lois Romano was a fascinating look into the life of Mary Todd Lincoln, in particular, on how she was treated after Abraham Lincoln’s assassination.  I was riveted by this book.

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood

Title:  The Love Hypothesis

Author:  Ali Hazelwood

Narrated by:  Callie Dalton, Teddy Hamilton

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Length: Approximately 11 hours and 51 minutes

Source: Checked out from Audible through Amazon Music.

Olive Smith is a PhD student who has a personal reason for researching early methods of detection for pancreatic cancer as her mother died of it when Olive was just a teen.  She doesn’t have time for romance. When her best friend Anh falls for Jeremy, a guy she had been on a few casual dates with, she decides that she needs a fake relationship so that Anh can move happily forward with Jeremy. She kisses the first available man who happens to be Dr. Adam Carlson. While handsome, smart, and aloof, he is also known as a tyrant to the grad students.  Adam agrees to the scheme in order to convince the higher ups that he is not going to leave Stanford.  Will this fake relationship develop into something more?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       This was my pick for the September Rogue Book Club in anticipation of the new Prime movie.  We were looking for a light, fun read and this fit the bill.  Only three of us made it to book club this month, two out of three read it and loved it.  It had interesting points to talk about for a book club discussion a well.

·       I enjoyed the funny, witty banter.  I laughed out loud more than once while listening to this audiobook.  Great humor.

·       I was annoyed when Olive didn’t tell Adam the whole truth at times and kept things to herself.  Luckily, the truth all comes about on both sides by the end.

·       I loved the science and academia setting.  It was unique to the romance world.  I was an engineering grad student once upon a time and could relate to many items in this book.

·       This novel was very steamy towards the end of the novel with one very long spicy scene over two chapters.

·       The side characters were great in this novel.  I especially loved the romance between Malcom and Holden.

·       This book could be classified as fake dating, sunshine versus grumpy, and contemporary romance.

·       I loved their meet cute from years before when Adam inspired Olive.  She couldn’t see him with eye issues with her expired contacts.

·       I also loved that Adam supported Olive with feeling positive about herself and her research. Women are not represented well in STEM and there is an incident in this book that characterizes one reason why.

·       I did feel kind of icky about the professor and grad student dating, even if it wasn’t his grad student.  We had a professor that dated his own grad and undergrad students when I was in college, and it was very cringe.  When is it okay for a professor to date a student at his/her college?

Overall, The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood is a fun, witty, and delightful contemporary romance set in the academia and STEM world.  I laughed out loud and highly recommend it.  It also has enough teeth to provide many discussion points for a book club.

Summer State of Mind by Kristy Woodson Harvey

 

Title:  Summer State of Mind

Author:  Kristy Woodson Harvey

Narrated by:  Cassandra Campbell, Stephanie Einstein, Matt Pittenger

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Length: Approximately 11 hours and 21 minutes

Source: Review copy from Simon & Schuster Audio. Thank-you!

On this last official weekend of summer, did you have any last-minute adventures or summer reads?

Baseball coach Mason and his star student Drew, find a newborn in a dumpster behind the school.  They rush it to the hospital and meet nurse Daisy who has just moved to the area.  As Daisy falls in love with the newborn, will she be able to foster and keep the child?  Mason and Daisy feel a spark – will they start a romance?  Who abandoned the child?

My thoughts on this book:

·       I loved the community and characters in this book.

·       Daisy and Mason both had past issues they had to work through to move forward to a happy life. 

·       This was a great summer beach read.  I found it to be highly entertaining.

·       One of my favorite characters was Aunty Tilly.  She has multiple personalities but takes a step forward in her life by starring in Hello Dolly.  Will she be able to face her past and move into the future?

·       I just love stories where babies are found – I don’t know why.  I guess it’s a happy story where a baby I rescued by someone who loves it.  Rilla of Ingleside also is a favorite book where a baby is found.

·       This story was great on audiobook.  I loved the narrators. The story is told through three points of view -  Daisy, Tilly, and Mason.

·       The setting was in a fictional seaside town in North Carolina.

·       I would classify this novel as a family drama and contemporary romance story.

·       This story focused on what does it mean to be a family?  Can you forgive a past wrong?

·       It did like Daisy was skirting some professional ethics at work with Baby Mason.

·       I enjoyed the mystery of figuring out who abandoned the baby as well as Daisy and Tilly’s pasts.

Overall, Summer State of Mind by Kristy Woodson Harvey was an entertaining contemporary romance and family drama that I greatly enjoyed.