The History of Ancient Rome in Twelve Coins by Gareth Harney

 

Title:  The History of Ancient Rome in Twelve Coins

Author:  Gareth Harney

Narrated by:  Piers Hampton

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Length: Approximately 12 hours and 07 minutes

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

Do you collect coins?  I have a few coins I’ve collected through the years, although they are packed up somewhere in my basement after my last move. 

The History of Ancient Rome in Twelve Coins by Gareth Harney was an overall view of Roman history through the years through the history of twelve different coins.  It was a fascinating way to tell history. I usually read books based on one event in Roman history and I liked this unique way to tell overall Roman history.  My thoughts on this book:

·       I listened to this audiobook on a road trip with my seventeen-year-old son Daniel as we visited colleges he is interested in.  We didn’t finish the book on our road trip, but we both finished it on our own.  Daniel greatly enjoyed this book as well as I did.  He loves history.

·       Daniel and I looked up the coins online to see what they looked like after hearing about them on the audiobook.  I am sure that you get great pictures with the physical book.

·       Author Gareth Harney was first handed a Roman coin by his father as a child, and it started his love for collecting coins and Roman history.  What can these coins tell us about history?  What actions do we do as parents that will prompt wonder and discovery in our children?

·       As an engineer, I liked the history of a huge bridge that was built across the Danube that stood for 1,000 years.  I just marvel at the engineering prowess.

·       I really enjoyed the story of Hannibal and the eventual destruction of Carthage.  How much knowledge, literature, history was lost when Rome destroyed Carthage?

·       This was a very readable book and very enjoyable.

·       I liked that besides discussing the emperors, regular people such as those that made the coins, fought the wars, etc. were also discussed.

·       The audiobook had a great narrator.

Overall, The History of Ancient Rome in Twelve Coins by Gareth Harney was an engaging nonfiction history of Rome told through the unique perspective of twelve coins that were used over the years of the empire.  It was a fun audiobook for both a teen and a middle-aged mother.

Auschwitz Lullaby by Mario Escobar (Bibliolifestyle Book Tour)

 

Thank you, Partner @bibliolifestyle @harpermusebooks for the review copy of Auschwitz Lullaby by Mario Escobar.

What would you do as a mother if your husband and children were taken away to a concentration camp?  Helen is a nurse of German heritage in Germany in 1943 when the Nazis come for her family. Her husband is a “gypsy” (now known as Romani) therefore her husband and children are taken away.  Helen goes with them to Auschwitz.  She fights to keep her children alive in the camp.  Will Helen and her family survive?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       This historical fiction novel showed an impossible choice that was made by a real woman during WWII.  This was a heart wrenching tale that will stay with me long after I turned the last page.

·       I had never thought about Auschwitz being divided into different “groups” such as gypsies (Romani), communists, Jews, and further into ethnicities such as German gypsies (Romani), Russian gypsies (Romani), etc.

·       To control disease, the doctor would kill entire barracks whether everyone was sick or not.  It’s hard to fathom the slaughter of so many people.

·       To me as I’m sure it is to many people, I automatically think about the Jewish people when I thin about the Holocaust, not the gypsies (Romani).  This group was also heavily persecuted by the Nazis.  Approximately 20,000 gypsies (Romani) were killed in Auschwitz.  I was intrigued to read that the gypsies (Romani) fought back when the Nazis showed up in May 1944 to exterminate them and were able to hold off their execution at that time.

·       It’s also strange to me that the Nazis would let Helen run a nursery school for the children of the camp.  They treated them humanely only to experiment on them or kill them.  The depth of depravity is horrifying.

·       Speaking of horrifying, the villain in this novel is Dr. Mengele, who was the real-life doctor in Auschwitz who famously experimented on twins.  He is a complicated and evil individual.  Helen and the reader never can understand what makes this man tick.

·       The novel is Helen’s story and at times is written as first person diary entries that she makes. 

·       The end of the novel has a “historical clarifications” section on the real history of the events in the novel.  There are also thought-provoking discussion questions.

·       This novel seemed so much more important to me knowing that it was the true story of people who were in the Holocaust.  Helen and her five children deserve to be remembered.  It made me ponder all of the other souls whose stories deserve to be told.

Favorite quotes:

“As long as I’ve got an ounce of humanity left in me, I’m going to risk my life for others.”

“I had to love even my enemies.  It was the only way to keep from becoming a monster myself.”

“My family is here.  I can’t leave without them.  I’m a mother, Herr Dokter.  You all wage your wars for grand ideals, you defend your fanatical beliefs about liberty, country, and race, but mothers only have one homeland, one ideal, one race:  our family.  I will go with my children wherever fate takes them.”

Overall, Auschwitz Lullaby by Mario Escobar is a heart wrenching WWII historical fiction novel that will stay with you long after you’ve read the last page.

What is your favorite WWII novel or nonfiction book?

All Systems Red by Martha Wells

 

What book adaptation are you looking forward to this summer?  I am looking forward to watching the adaption of this book, All Systems Red by Martha Wells, on Apple TV.

A group of scientists are working on a planet doing research.  They have a self-ware Sec Unit (android with human parts) that is the security for the mission.  The Sec Unit calls itself “Murderbot” in secret.  It has hacked its government module and is running his life the way, he wants to which includes watching reruns of his favorite soap opera.  When the scientists face peril, will Murderbot choose to help the scientist?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       This is the start of a series, and I can’t wait to read more.

·       Murderbot is very factual and has a dry sense of humor.  I loved it!

·       This was a novella and a very fast read.

·       The story was action packed.

Favorite Quote: “As a heartless killing machine, I was a horrible failure.”

Overall, All Systems Red by Martha Wells was a quick, fun read that left me wanting more.

 Book Source:  I bought this for my husband for a gift after reading about it on @readingbeagle on Instagram.  He greatly enjoyed it.

Of Silver and Secrets by Michelle Griep (Austenprose PR Tour)

 

Title:  Of Silver and Secrets

Author:  Michelle Griep

Narrated by:  Sarah Zimmerman

Publisher: Tantor Media

Length: Approximately 10 hours and 32 minutes

Source: Thank you, @michellegriep @bethanyhousefiction @austenprose for the physical book copy as part of the Austenprose PR Book Tour.  I purchased an audiobook version on Audible.

Have you visited any archeological digs?  I’ve been to a few museums that have digs going on and I find it fascinating.  I also love museum displays that show things that were found when they dug through areas like the outhouse.  I took an Intro to Archaeology class while in college and I loved it. 

Eva Inman is in a pickle.  After her father’s death, she discovers that their family finances are in dire straits.  Her father’s last wish was that she keep their family estate.  She also has the care of young, blind sisters, Penelope.  She decides to plow up and plant in the “cursed fields”  on her estate to make more money.  Her employees find a strange silver specimen that appears to be Roman.  She goes to Cambridge to have the piece evaluated and runs into her childhood crush, Bram Webb who is now a Cambridge professor.  Bram is looking for a lost Roman Settlement with his history professor uncle, is this it?  Will Eva be able to save her estate?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       I loved all the characters, but especially Eva and Bram.  They have both had hard times in their youth and are trying to move beyond it.  Bram is trying to make his way as a professor while also helping his uncle who is starting to suffer from dementia.  Eva suffers from guilt that she thinks she killed her parents and caused Penelope’s blindness.  Guilt and forgiveness are major themes in this novel.  Bram’s deep faith was wonderful to read about, and he shares this faith to Eva.

·       The romance was sweet, and this was a clean read.  There was second chance romance, slow burn, and forced proximity.

·       I loved that the sister’s name was Penelope Rose.  That’s my daughter’s name!  Penny was a spunky character who wanted to explore and learn all that she could about the world, despite her blindness.

·       The archaeology was very interesting, and I wanted to know more about the Romans in Great Britain.

·       I also loved the mystery that was threaded throughout the novel.

·       This is the second novel in the Time’s Lost Treasures series.  I loved the first book too, but this can be read as a standalone novel.

·       There is a great historical notes section at the end of the novel that gives background details of the historical elements of the story.  There were also great discussion questions for a book club to use.

·       I am super excited that Michelle Griep’s next book available in the fall of 2026 is a Christmas Victorian novella.  I love Christmas historical fiction and historical romance!

·       I read part of this as the physical book and finished it up on audiobook.  The audiobook was interesting to listen to as well and the narrator had a great voice to listen to.

Great first paragraph, “The end of Eva’s world started with a window she never should have left open.  A small neglect, yet twelve years later, one that had culminated in a leaky roof, a ledger that refused to balance, and a blind sister.”

Overall, Of Silver and Secrets by Michelle Griep is a riveting Victorian historical romance and mystery.

Where Secrets Lie by Colleen Coble and Rick Acker (Bibliolifestyle Book Tour)

 

Title:  Where Secrets Lie

Author:  Colleen Coble and Rick Acker

Narrated by:  Karen Peakes

Publisher: Thomas Nelson

Length: Approximately 10 hours and 16 minutes

Source: Thank-you NetGalley for the Audiobook Review Copy and Thank you, Partner @bibliolifestyle @tnzfiction for the physical book copy as part of the Bibliolifestyle Book Tour.

What is your favorite book series?

Savannah Webster and her ex-husband Hez are trying to give their love a second chance.  They had previously been married, but their marriage broke when they lost their child and Hez turned to alcohol. Things look bright until Savannah finds an empty wine bottle in Hez’s garbage.  Has he turned back to alcohol?  Savannah takes on a new role as the president of her beloved Tupelo Grove University and Hez starts a new legal clinic.  Together they discover many problems with finances at the university including someone at the university using it as a front for a smuggling ring.  Will they be able to save the university?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       This is the second book in the Tupelo Grove series.  I enjoyed the settings, characters, and suspense in the first book and was excited to read more in the series.  I would definitely recommend reading both books in order in this series. 

·       There is a theme of forgiveness throughout the novel paired together with the desire for revenge.

·       This novel also showed that the path of love is not always simple and takes work. 

·       This was a great family drama that was action packed and showed the importance of family.

·       It was a clean read.

·       I really enjoyed the audiobook narration.  The narrator did different voices for each character and even had a British accent for Savannah’s nephew, Simon.

·       There were faith elements throughout the novel relative to forgiveness and a character’s death.

·       Colleen Coble and Rick Acker are a great writing team.  Colleen is an experienced writer and Rick knows the legal ins and outs.

·       The novel had a fantastic ending with a mic drop moment.  I can’t wait to see what happens next and look forward to the third book in the series.

·       I also like the authors note at the end which included interesting information about artifact smuggling.

Overall, Where Secrets Lie by Colleen Coble and Rick Acker is a great Southern romantic suspense novel.  I highly recommend this enjoyable series.

A Measure of Devotion by Nell Joslin (TLC Book Tour)

Susannah Shelburne lives in South Caroline in 1863.  She has a much older husband, Jacob, and one son, Francis.  Their family does not believe in slavery.  Francis left their family to join the Confederate army at the start of the war, much to his parents’ dismay.  As Jacob’s health fails, Susannah must leave him in the care of friends (employees that were former slaves that they freed), to travel to where Francis has been gravely wounded in battle.  Will Francis forgive her for the cruel words that she said before he left for the war?  Will this family survive the war?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       This is a very well written, fascinating Civil War story.

·       Things were very complicated when people had anti-slavery sentiment and lived in the South.  I had never thought about people being killed in the south for their beliefs.

·       This novel was told in the first person viewpoint of Susannah. It flipped at first between “current day” of going to help Francis, to back when her and Jacob got together, married, and had Francis. 

·       A mother’s love is everything.  Susannah has many, many trials trying to save Francis, especially after he is captured as a prisoner of war.  Francis never seems grateful, but Susannah never stopped loving him.

·       The story showed the cruelty of war through all manner of what could be thought of as small incidents.  For example, Francis tells his mother the story of how they killed a cow in front of a young mother and her two young children.  This poor family didn’t have enough food to survive.

Overall, A Measure of Devotion by Nell Joslin is a beautifully written compelling story of the Civil War.

Book Source:  A review copy from Regel House Publishing as a part of the TLC Book Tour. 

Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie

 

Title:  Cards on the Table

Author:  Agatha Christie

Narrated by:  Hugh Fraser

Publisher: HarperAudio

Length: Approximately 6 hours and 0 minutes

Source: Audiobook from Amazon Music monthly allotment.

What is your favorite card game?  Mine is Euchre although it’s been long time since I’ve played.

Mr. Shaitana has a gathering at his London home.  He has invited four detectives as well as four other people of whom he has secret information about.  The four non detectives play bridge all night, but by the end of the night, Mr. Shaitana is dead.  Who killed him and why?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       I am participating in the #ReadChristie2025 Challenge.  The challenge this year is exploring Agatha Christie’s works through her characters and their careers.  The theme for May was detectives.  This novel featured four detectives with Hercule Poirot, Colone Race, Superintendent Battle, and Ariadne Oliver all at the party and on the case. 

·       Wow!  This was one of my favorites Agatha Christie novels.  It was a great mystery with great characters and a great story.  The ending caught me totally off guard.

·       There was a lot about the game of Bridge in this story.  I have never played this game but have fond memories of my great grandparents hosting bridge parties.  Have you ever played bridge?

·       On the challenge website, it stated that Agatha Christie was not allowed to play cards on Sunday as a child so it it always felt slightly wicked when she did as an adult.

·       Hugh Fraser is a wonderful narrator of the Hercule Poirot novels, and I enjoyed listening to him again on this one.

Cards on the Table by Agatha Christie was a wonderful mystery with complicated characters and a great story.  I loved how many favorite past characters came together to solve the mystery.

When the Emperor was Divine by Julie Otsuka

 

What is your favorite banned book?

A Japanese family that is living in Berkely California is evacuated to a Japanese internment camp in Utah.  Their father was arrested on December 7^th and shipped somewhere separately.  Each family member is impacted in a different way.  As they return after the war, it is hard to adjust back to life amongst neighbors who labeled them the enemy.

My thoughts on this novel:

·       This was a short, but powerful book.  It was very thought provoking.

·       Sparse prose describes the story of one family of Japanese heritage that was taken to an internment camp by the U.S. Government during WWII and how it impacted their lives.

·       The book is written in five chapters, each with a different perspective (mother, daughter, son, family, father).

·       The family remained unnamed through the novel and could have been anyone.

·       This book was banned in Muskego, Wisconsin, by the school board in 2022 for the advanced English class as it did not have a “balanced” viewpoint as it only showed the Japanese internment camp survivor’s perspective.  What a ridiculous reason to ban a book.  I thought this book would be a perfect book to read and discuss in a literature or history class.

·       This was a great read for Asian American Pacific Islander month.

Overall, When the Emperor was Divine by Julie Otsuka is a powerful book about one family’s experience in the Japanese Internment campus during WWII.  I’m still thinking about this book a week after finishing it.

Book Source:  Purchased from Amazon.com

 

Six Days in Bombay by Alka Joshi

 

Title: Six Days in Bombay

Author:  Alka Joshi

Narrated by:  Sneha Mathan

Publisher: Harlequin Audio

Length: Approximately 12 hours and 24 minutes

Source: Audiobook from NetGalley.  Thank-you!

What is your favorite coming of age story?

Sonia is a young nurse in Bombay.  She has grown up ostracized as the daughter of Englishman and an Indian mother.  Her father left the young family when she was three years old.  Her brother died shortly after, and her mother worked hard to raise her.  Now at twenty-three, she takes pride in her work as a nurse.  Over the course of six days, she spends time with a new patient, Mira Novak.  Mira helps her to see life in a new way and to help her to leave her sheltered world and take a new look at life.  Will Sonia find love, closure on what happened to her father, and what she wants to do with her life moving forward?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       This was a great coming of age novel and I liked seeing Sonia’s growth through the novel. 

·       I previously read and enjoyed The Henna Artist by this author, and I enjoyed reading this work by her as well.

·       This novel was set in the spring of 1937, mostly in Bombay, but there is also travel to Europe.  I thought it was a fascinating time period as Ghandi was mentioned and the relationship between Indians and the English is tense.  There is also signs of the lead up to WWII.

·       Sonia has unresolved issues with her father Owen Falstaff.  Owen swept her mother off her feet and lived with her as a husband until he suddenly announced one day that he was leaving for England and that he already had a family back there.  He sent money for Sonia’s birthday every year, but she never heard from him again after he left when she was three.  It made me wonder how many children were born like this and abandoned? Why did some men abandon their Indian wife and children while others brought them back to England?

·       Sonia is called blackie by English people and white by Indian people.  She doesn’t feel comfortable in either world and is constantly trying to prove herself.

·       Mira Novak was a fascinating character.  I was interested to learn at the end that she was based on real artist.  She challenged Sonia’s feeling on what life could be.  Mira is also half white and half Indian, but she has become a successful artist and does not live by modern conventions.  Sonia is half scandalized by her tales and half fascinated.

·       Women’s health was a big issue in this book.  It disturbed the characters that in 1937, a woman could die from a miscarriage.  It’s unfortunate that is can still happen today.  An Indian doctor realized things were going wrong, but his superior, a white doctor, did not take him seriously.

·       I enjoyed the narrator of this audiobook.  It was a great story.  It moved a little slow at first, but once the story was set, I couldn’t stop listening to it.

·       There was some romance in this story, but really it was Mira and Sonia’s story. There were also a few slight mysterious events that were resolved by the end of the story that kept me hooked.

·       This was a perfect book to read for Asian American Pacific Islander Month

Overall, Six Days in Bombay by Alka Joshi was a fascinating historical fiction novel with great characters and setting. 

The Pursuit of Elena Bradford by Ann H. Gabhart (Austenprose PR Tour)

 

Do you have a favorite vacation spot?  One place I think is wonderful is Mackinac Island in Michigan.  It’s a beautiful and unforgettable place full of history and natural beauty.  My great great grandparents met on the island working there one summer and married.

Elena Bradford’s father has recently died, and her mother discovered that he left them greatly in debt.  The only way she can think of to save the family from destitution is to find a wealthy husband for her “old maid” daughter, twenty-two-year-old Elena.  Her younger daughter, Ivy, is the beauty of the family, but is considered too young for this task.  They travel to a resort, Graham Springs, Kentucky for the summer.  While there, Elena works on her artwork and meets two men who will not meet her mother’s standards.  Kirby Frazier is a penniless artist, while Andrew Harper has come to the resort to repair his wounded heart after being left at the altar.  Will Elena find love, or will she marry an older wealthy suitor to save her family?  When a mysterious woman arrives alone at the resort, her fate will change the Elena’s path.

My thoughts on this novel:

·       I always love a good love triangle and the Elena, Kirby, and Andrew love triangle was a good story.  I liked the resolution.

·       The story had an interesting mystery about halfway through and also some action/suspense towards the end of the novel.

·       I loved the setting of the Graham Springs resort in Kentucky.  I didn’t realize this was a real place until the end of the novel.  The author’s note was so interesting.  I was especially fascinated to learn that the mysterious death was a true mystery that was never solved.

·       This was a slower read for me, but I still enjoyed the story.  It seemed to slow down in the middle for me, but once the mysterious beautiful Vanessa arrives alone at the resort, the action picked up. 

·       I loved the focus on healing throughout the novel.  Elena, her sister Ivy, and her mother are still healing from her father’s death.  Andrew is healing from his fiancée’s betrayal. Other characters have similar stories of coming to the resort to heal.

·       I loved the beauty of nature that was woven throughout the story.

·       Cats were a key feature.  Elena must leave her beloved cat at home and then a mysterious cat at the resort helps her to survive a misadventure.

·       I loved how there was dancing every night at the resort.  It sounded like such a wonderful place to visit.

Overall, the Pursuit of Elena Bradford by Ann H. Gabhart is a delightful historical romance and a perfect read to bring along on any vacation.

Book Source: Thank-you to @annhgabhart @revellfiction @austenprosefor the review copy of this novel as part of the Austenprose PR Tour