Stories to Tell by Richard Marx

 Title:  Stories to Tell

Author: Richard Marx

Read by:  Richard Marx

Publisher: Simon & Shuster Audio

Length: Approximately 7 hours and 16 minutes

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

What musician would you like to read a memoir about?

I can’t say enough how much I LOVED this memoir.  Stories to Tell is narrated by the author Richard Marx himself and it comes across as a deeply personal narrative that is filled with humor and grace.

I’ll admit that I didn’t know much about Richard Marx when I started this audiobook.  I remember that I enjoyed listening to his music in my youth.  I was amazed to learn that not only was Richard Marx a hit singer, but he is also a prolific song writer.  He has had fourteen number one hits and has a number 1 song in each of four decades.  Wow!! 

In Stories to Tell, Marx details he life and growing up in the industry.  His father was a jingle writer and his mother as a backup singer.  Marx was discovered by Lionel Richie and moved from Chicago to LA to sing on Riche’s record.  He sang and wrote songs for others including Kenny Rogers before having a hit record of his own.

I loved that Marx detailed the writing process and how he wrote his hit songs.  I was intrigued by the entire process and loved when he would spontaneously break into song on the audiobook.  I ended up stopping the audiobook often and finding the songs on my Amazon music to listen too.  I read online that there is a companion album to go with the book and I need to find it! 

Marx has a lot of great stories.  He was funny and came across as a very down to earth kind of guy.  I appreciate that he kept his first marriage and divorce private.  Some of the stories of touring were crazy sometimes including a bit with gangsters in Taiwan.  I loved listening to this audiobook.

Overall, Stories to Tell is a humorous and entertaining story of Richard Marx’s journey through life and fame.

Pride by Ibi Zoboi

 

What is your favorite classic story retelling?

Pride is a modern day take on Pride and Prejudice.  Zuri Beneitez lives with her parents and five sisters in Brooklyn.  She loves her neighborhood and is very proud of her Afro Latino roots.  Life is going well as she writes poetry and looks forward to college.  Life takes a turn when a new family moves across the street into a newly restored mansion.  Ainsley and Darius Darcy are different from other boys in the neighborhood.  They seem stuck up but are also very handsome.  Will Zuri be able to move through her pride to see the Darcys for their true selves?

I really enjoyed this young adult novel.  Zoboi was able to take all of the main elements of the Pride and Prejudice story and make it work in this Brooklyn neighborhood in contemporary times quite well.  I enjoyed it.  I had just watched In the Heights with my daughter over the fourth of July.  I know it’s a different neighborhood, but the Afro Latino roots and close-knit neighborhood were very similar.

Favorite Quote:

“It is a truth universally acknowledged that when rich people move into the hood, where it’s a little bit broken and a little bit forgotten, the first thing they want to do is clean it up.”

Overall, Pride is a great modern young adult retelling of Pride and Prejudice.

Book Source:  Purchased from Amazon.com

Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir

Ryland Grace wakes up alone on a spaceship with no memories of how he got there or even what his name is.  As he pieces everything back together, he realizes he is on a desperate mission from earth to solve the mystery of how to kill a lifeform that is taking energy from the sun at a rate that will soon destroy all life on earth.

The story is told in first person. The narrative is in the present and then flashes back to the past as Ryland remembers his past.  I really enjoyed this narrative style, and the story was action packed.  The style of the book reminded me of The Martian.  A plucky narrator who is forced to use his own ingenuity to try to save himself and humanity.  I love the humor and the science.  I really don’t want to ruin the plot of this one, but I greatly enjoyed it.  I really want to see this as a movie.

 Favorite Quotes:

“These kids were going to grow up in an idyllic world and be thrown into an apocalyptic nightmare.”

 “It’s a weird feeling, scientific breakthroughs.  There’s no Eureka moment.  Just a slow, steady progression toward a goal.  But man, when you get to the goal it feels good.”

 Overall, Project Hail Mary is the perfect combination of an action-packed story, science, and humor.

Book Source:  Purchased from Amazon.com

The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba by Chanel Cleeton

What is your favorite book or movie set in Cuba?

 The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba is the story of three revolutionary women in the late 19^th century struggle for Cuban independence. 

 Evangelina Cisneros is eighteen years old and suffering in a notorious prison.  Her father was arrested for being a rebel against Spain and Evangelina was exiled to an island.  While there, the beautiful Evangelina caught the notice of the man in charge of the island.  When she rebuffs his advances, she finds herself thrown into prison.  Her story catches the fancy of William Randolph Hearst who dubs her “the most beautiful girl in Cuba” in his papers and helps to rally a frenzied United States to go to war with Spain over Cuba.  Grace Harrington works for Hearst and struggles to make it as a female reporter in a man’s world.  Marina Perez is estranged from her wealthy family over her choice of husband, but as her husband fights, she works to help the cause in Havana.  Will these three women succeed in their missions?

 I enjoyed this book.  It was told in three different viewpoints for the three different women.  I didn’t know much at all about the Cuban fight for independence and I found it fascinating.  I was even more fascinated to learn that Evangelina Cisneros was a real person, and her story follows what is told in this novel.  I enjoyed all three-story lines, but my only complaint was that I didn’t feel that I really got to know the women as well as I would have liked.  The plot was good, but I think their characters could have been developed a little further. 

 Favorite Quotes:

“There are those who are afraid that the change we seek will leave them pushed to the fringes of a society they have mercilessly dominated for so long.”

 “Our lives are not defined by one thing; we are more than the events that happen to us,”

 Overall, The Most Beautiful Girl in Cuba was a captivating look into the Cuban fight for independence and yellow journalism of the late 19^th century.

 Book Source:  Review Copy from Net Galley and Berkley.  Thank-you!

A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow by Laura Taylor Namey

 

Title:  A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow

Author: Laura Taylor Namey

Read by:  Frankie Corzo

Publisher: Simon & Shuster Audio

Length: Approximately 8 hours and 33 minutes

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

What is your favorite novel or movie with travel involved?

Lila Reyes has her life planned out for herself as high school ends.  She is going to take over her beloved grandmother’s Miami bakery, move in with her best friend, and have a happily ever after relationship with her boyfriend.  Unfortunately, her entire world implodes.  To help her out, her family decides to send her to England to stay with a family friend to reset.  Lila doesn’t want to be in England, but she soon makes a new friend in Orion Maxwell.  Orion’s family owns a local tea shop and Orion becomes Lila’s tour guide to England.  Will Lila be able to determine a new direction to her life?

I love books where there is a lot of cooking involved.  Lila is a master chef of Cuban food, which she learned from her beloved abuela.  She is able to use her skills to update recipes, save the day in England and impress new friends.  

This is a young adult novel, and the romance is clean.  There is some swearing and drinking in the novel.  I liked that the novel delves into how Lila has problems dealing with her grief and how she is able to work through it and mature while she is in England.  I also loved the romance in the novel and thought it was very sweet.  I most of all loved how Lila loved her family so much and was so proud of her Cuban – Miami heritage.

The only downfall of this book to me is that it took me a bit to get into the story.  I wasn’t quite sure what was going on in the beginning with Lila’s being sent to England.  Once I put the pieces together and the story progressed, I enjoyed it much more.

I listened to the audiobook which was narrated by Frankie Corzo. Corzo was a great voice actor and was Lila to me, but also had different voices for the other characters.  I enjoyed listening to it.

Favorite Quotes:

“She forgets that what she does in one small moment can affect tomorrow.”

“Thing is, when you put something back together it’s never exactly the same as it was before.”

“I’ve grown to find peace and acceptance in not fighting what I can’t control.”

Overall, A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow is a fun young adult novel about finding yourself and perhaps love while on a trip to England.

Anne of Manhattan by Brina Starler

 

Are you a fan of Anne of Green Gables?  I LOVE Anne of Green Gables.  I read all of L.M. Montgomery’s books as a tween/teen and have enjoyed rereading them as an adult.  I was so excited to hear that there was a modern take on Anne’s story.

Anne grew up in Avonlea Long Island with loving foster parents, Marilla and Matthew.  She currently lives in Manhattan with her best friend Diana. She works at a bookstore and is working her way through her last year of grad school.  She is shocked when her old nemesis Gilbert Blythe shows up from California and is attending the same grad school as her.  What happened their last night together after high school?  Why do they have a rivalry?  Will Anne and Gil be able to find their happily ever after?

I felt that Brina Starler had a great love for Anne of Green Gables and the characters that are involved in the original series.  She gave them all an update to modern times but stayed true to their characters.  She also added in minor characters from the original series in the perfect places. 

The story was told in the present with flash backs to tell the story of Anne’s growing up at Green Gables and relationship with Gilbert.  If you’ve ever wondered about the more passionate side of their relationship, you will wonder no more after this book.  It has some rather steamy sex scenes.  I’m more of a closed-door romance type of person myself.

Favorite Quote:

“If there was one thing Anne Shirley would stand firm against all arguments, it was that a person could never have too many books.” – Great first line!

Overall, Anne of Manhattan was a fun update of one of my favorite books.

Book Source:  Review Copy from William Morrow.  Thank-you!

John Eyre: A Tale of Darkness and Shadow by Mimi Matthews (Blog Tour)

 

Join the virtual book tour of JOHN EYRE: A TALE OF DARKNESS AND SHADOW, Mimi Matthews’ highly acclaimed Bronte-inspired Gothic romance, July 12-25, 2021. Thirty-five popular on-line influencers specializing in historical fiction, Gothic romance, and paranormal fiction will join in the celebration of its release with an interview, spotlights, exclusive excerpt, and reviews of this new Victorian-era novel set in Yorkshire, England.

 My Review

What if Jane Eyre was a man instead of a woman?  How would the story of Jane Eyre play out?  That is the question that John Eyre answers in a very clever way.  John Eyre combines two classics, but I don’t want to ruin the story, so I won’t say which is the second classic. 

 John Eyre is a schoolmaster who must leave his position after the wife of his patron, Lady Helen Burns, falls in love with him.  He accepts a position at Thornfield as the tutor to two mysterious boys from Europe.  As he works to break them out of their shell, he wonders about his employer, the mysterious and missing Mrs. Rochester.  When Mrs. Rochester returns, he finds her even more of an enigma.  What is Mrs. Rochester hiding from her past?  Why are there mysterious almost supernatural happenings going on at Thornfield?

 I really enjoyed this novel.  I really liked the unique premise with the gender flip and the combining of two classics stories.  They worked well together.  The story is told from John’s perspective in the third person and a past narrative where a young Bertha Mason narrates letters to her best friend Blanche Ingram.   Bertha narrates her voyage through Europe and her meeting and marriage to Mr. Rochester. I loved the way this book was written like this.

 I enjoyed the Victorian Gothic novel and the supernatural elements.  I don’t want to ruin it for others, but I think this would be a perfect book to read leading up to Halloween.  Matthews knows Jane Eyre was able to change elements of it while keeping the elements that make Jane Eyre its own unique story. 

 Overall, John Eyre by Mimi Matthews is a gender swapping supernatural retelling of Jane Eyre that is thoroughly enjoyable.

Book Source:  Review Copy from Perfectly Proper Press.  Thank-you!

QUICK FACTS

·       Title: John Eyre: A Tale of Darkness and Shadow

·       Author: Mimi Matthews

·       Genre: historical fiction, Gothic romance, paranormal fiction

·       Publisher: Perfectly Proper Press (July 20, 2021)

·       Length: (364) pages

·       Hardcover ISBN: 978-1736080207

·       Trade Paperback ISBN: 978-1736080221

·       eBook ASIN: B08NPLVHVN

·       Tour Dates:  July 12 – 25, 2021

 

BOOK DESCRIPTION

Yorkshire, 1843. When disgraced former schoolmaster John Eyre arrives at Thornfield Hall to take up a position as tutor to two peculiar young boys, he enters a world unlike any he's ever known. Darkness abounds, punctuated by odd bumps in the night, strange creatures on the moor, and a sinister silver mist that never seems to dissipate. And at the center of it all, John's new employer—a widow as alluring as she is mysterious.

Sixteen months earlier, heiress Bertha Mason embarked on the journey of a lifetime. Marriage wasn't on her itinerary, but on meeting the enigmatic Edward Rochester, she's powerless to resist his preternatural charm. In letters and journal entries, she records the story of their rapidly disintegrating life together, and of her gradual realization that Mr. Rochester isn't quite the man he appears to be. In fact, he may not be a man at all.

From a cliff-top fortress on the Black Sea coast to an isolated estate in rural England, John and Bertha contend with secrets, danger, and the eternal struggle between light and darkness. Can they help each other vanquish the demons of the past? Or are some evils simply too powerful to conquer?

ADVANCE PRAISE

“Bertha Mason Rochester shines, dominating her scenes with vitality and strength. The style, too, is spot-on, reprising the spirit of 19th-century Gothic prose without descending into mimicry.”— Publishers Weekly

“An entertaining spin on a classic with thrilling twists and turns…Matthews skillfully transforms a well-known story into a truly original tale.”— Kirkus

“[Matthews] retells Charlotte Bronte's classic story in a way that will keep fans of the original novel totally gripped from cover to cover... Fresh and dynamic... Fast-paced and spellbinding...a book you will have a hard time putting down.”— Readers Favorite

“One of the most moving, suspenseful, innovative and remarkable retellings of a classic in the history of, well, ever... Every page is sheer rapture as [Matthews] moulds popular source material into a spell-binding creation so wholly her own.”— Rachel McMillan, bestselling author of The London Restoration

“[A] captivating and ingenious retelling of Jane Eyre with a supernatural twist. Smart, suspenseful, and deliciously spooky, JOHN EYRE is a must-read; I loved everything about it!”— Ashley Weaver, author of the Amory Ames Mysteries and the Electra McDonnell series

 

AUTHOR BIO

USA Today bestselling author Mimi Matthews writes both historical nonfiction and award-winning proper Regency and Victorian romances. Her novels have received starred reviews in Library Journal and Publishers Weekly, and her articles have been featured on the Victorian Web, the Journal of Victorian Culture, and in syndication at BUST Magazine. In her other life, Mimi is an attorney. She resides in California with her family, which includes a Sheltie, and two Siamese cats.

 

WEBSITE | TWITTER | FACEBOOK | PINTEREST | BOOKBUB |

GOODREADS

 

TOUR SCHEDULE

                   

July 12          The Caffeinated Bibliophile (review)   

July 12          Syrie James (review)       

July 12          Austenprose—A Jane Austen Blog (review) 

July 13          Bronte Blog (interview)

July 13          Laura's Reviews (review)

July 13          All-of-a-Kind Mom (spotlight)

July 14          Gwendalyn's Books (review)     

July 14          Austenesque Reviews (review) 

July 15          Bookworm Lisa (review) 

July 15          Nurse Bookie (review)     

July 16          Savvy Verse and Wit (excerpt)

July 16          The Lit Bitch (review)      

July 17          My Bookish Bliss (review)         

July 17          From the TBR Pile (review)       

July 18          Rosanne E. Lortz (review)         

July 18          Books, Teacups, & Reviews (review)  

July 19          The Secret Victorianist (review)

July 19          Christian Chick's Thoughts (review)   

July 19          The Gothic Library (review)       

July 20          Getting Your Read On (review) 

July 20          The Silver Petticoat Review (review)   

July 20          Lu Reviews Books (review)       

July 21          Scuffed Slippers and Wormy Books (spotlight)

July 21          The Green Mockingbird (review)         

July 22          Unabridged Chick (review)        

July 22          A Darn Good Read (review)

July 23          Kathleen Flynn (review)  

July 23          So Little Time… (review) 

July 23          The Calico Critic (review)

July 24          The Bronte Babe (review)

July 24          Probably at the Library (review)

July 24          Impressions in Ink (review)

July 25          From Pemberley to Milton (review)     

July 25          Vesper's Place (review)   

July 25          Cup of Tea with that Book Please (review)    

                   

 

PURCHASE LINKS

 

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE | BOOK DEPOSITORY | BOOKSHOP

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Day Zero by C. Robert Cargill

 

Where would you at the end of the world and who would you go with?

 I like the tagline to this book, “It was a day like any other.  Except it was our last.”  Day Zero starts as the story of a nanny robot, Pounce, feeling angst as he has discovered his box in the attic.  He talks with his owner Sylvia who confirms that at some point, his boy, Ezra, will outgrow him and he’ll be put in a box.  As Pounce grapples with this news and thoughts of his future, a robot revolution occurs.   Will Pounce choose to join the robot rebellion, or will he save Ezra?

 I LOVED this book.  It was another five-star book for me.  Once I started reading it, I couldn’t stop reading it. I even read parts of it out loud to my family while we were on vacation, and they enjoyed it.  The action was nonstop and exciting.  I also loved the moral dilemma.  Most of all, I love the character of Pounce and his love for his boy.  I also enjoyed that the book referenced Asimov and his rules for robots frequently as part of this world.  This book had it all, a great plot, great characters, and great world building.  It felt so real to me to be living your life where things are steadily getting worse until the day the world ends.  I hope that there is a sequel to this book.

 Favorite Quotes:

“The first day of the end of the world started entirely without incident.”

 “Though I may have been constructed, so too were you.  Me in a factory; you in a womb.  None of us asked for this, but we were given it.  Self-awareness is a gift.  And it is a gift no thinking thing has any right to deny another.”

 “I can’t change what is happening to the world, but I can change how it affects one human being.  And to me, that’s all that matters.”

 Overall, Day Zero is an excellent young adult sci fi novel with great plot, characters, and world building.  I highly recommend it!

 Book Source:  Review Copy from William Morrow.  Thank-you!