The Undercover Bookshop by Katherine Reay

 

What is your favorite bookstore?  My favorite is a small bookstore on Mackinac Island, Michigan.  I may have only been there a few times in my life, but it’s magical.

Gemma Brown has recently left London in 1950 to work for a general store in a small Cotswold village.  As she makes a new home and meets new friends, she also gets cooking lessons from the mysterious Ursula Burton.  Gemma starts to suspect that Ursula is a Soviet spy.  Has Gemma read too many mysteries, or has she stumbled into an international intrigue?  What is her next step?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       I loved the Agatha Christie and other golden age of mystery author reference.  There is a great list of all the books mentioned in the author’s note in the back of the book.

·       I loved Gemma and how much she loved to read.  She starts a small book section at the general store that she works at.  The community greatly enjoys it, and she starts a book club. 

·       Gemma is an orphan and I loved how she found a community, friends, and a love in Charlie, a local police officer, in the small village.

·       Gemma helps Charlie solve local mysteries and I enjoyed how she used her skills to finally realize espionage might be happening in their small town.

·       This reminded me of heartfelt historical fiction such as the Guernsey Literary Potato Peel Pie Society and Dear Mrs. Bird.

·       I did not realize that one character was a real-life spy until I got to the author’ note at the end.  It definitely added a whole additional element to the story that I had just read. 

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

·       The mystery was a cozy mystery.  I don’t want to spoil the mystery, but I was surprised by the end.

·       I would classify this book as historical fiction, post WWII, spies, espionage, mystery, Cold War.

Overall, The Undercover Bookshop by Katherine Reay was a delightful Cold War cozy mystery with a mix of espionage.  I loved the characters.

Book Source:  Thank-you to Harper Muse and @angelamelamud for the review copy.

A Christmas Guide to Family and Murder by Dianne Freeman

 

Title:  A Christmas Guide to Family and Murder

Author:  Dianne Freeman

Narrated by:  Sarah Zimmerman

Publisher: Recorded Books

Length: Approximately 8 hours and 21 minutes

Source: Thank you to @diannefreemanwrites, @kensingtonbooks, and @greatreadsbookpromo for the gift copy of A Christmas Guide to Family and Murder.

When do you start to read Christmas books or watch Christmas movies?  I usually wait until November, but I am also usually tempted each year to start early with great new Christmas reads.

George, Frances and their family have been invited to celebrate Christmas with George’s sister Fiona and her husband Robert at their estate in Norfolk.  Frances, Fiona, and the children find their neighbor, Dr. Joshua Penhollow, dead in a field and it does not appear to be a natural death.  He was the coroner and the elderly constable in town is not interested in investigating Dr. Penhollow’s possible murder. With the roads also blocked by a storm, the investigation falls on the ladies.  Will they find the murderer?

My thoughts on this book:

·       This it the 9^th book in the Countess of Harleigh mystery series.  It can be read as a standalone, but it’s better if you have read the series and know the characters.  That being said, I joined the series a few books ago and have really enjoyed it.

·       A Christmas Guide to Family and Murder by Dianne Freeman is a Christmas cozy mystery.  I love cozy mysteries and Christmas.  This was a perfect book for me.

·       I liked how the kids were writing their own mystery based on A Christmas Carol.

·       George was out clearing roads with Robert during a large part of the novel, but he was back for the ending.  Fiona and Aunt Hetty helped Frances out with the investigation.

·       It was interesting getting to know the neighborhood during the investigation. 

·       I loved the characters.  It was enjoyed to “meet” the new characters and watching the “old” characters grow through this series and book.

·       There was a good ending to the mystery that I did not guess.

·       This story was very entertaining on audiobook.  Narrator Sarah Zimmerman had different voices and accents for the variety of characters.

·       This book is set in 1906 and is Edwardian.

·       I would classify this book as historical mystery, cozy mystery, Christmas, audiobook, Edwardian.

Overall, A Christmas Guide to Family and Murder by Dianne Freeman was a charming and delightful book that is a perfect read for the holiday season.

The Witches of Cambridge by Alice Hoffman

 

Title:  The Witches of Cambridge

Author:  Alice Hoffman

Narrated by:  Mena Suvari

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Length: Approximately 12 hours and 50 minutes

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

Who would you be if you could be a character from the book you’re currently reading?

In Cambridge Massachusetts in the 1950s, two women, Ava and Lauren, are recruited to live in the Lilith house.  They are both very different from each other.  Ava is a shy young woman from a small town in Maine and Lauren is from a wealthy Cambridge family.  The Lilith house holds the Lilith society which is a secret organization of witches that dates to Puritan times.  As women begin to disappear from the house, will Lauren and Ava figure out why?  Will Ava figure out the mystery of her past?  Will Lauren find out how to love both herself and others?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       This novel had a dreamy type of plot as in the plot meanders along as more of a character study with the mysteries tied up at the end.  I enjoyed the journey!

·       This was a Read with Jenna book pick.  I listened to Jenna’s podcast interview with the author, Alice Hoffman, and it was very interesting.  I learned that this is a start to a new series, and I was very excited!

·       Mena Suvari was an excellent audiobook narrator.

·       I loved the dogs in this novel.  Ava has a black German Shepard / wolf named Jack.  He is a protector and follows her everywhere.  Another character, Lauren’s brother Lionel, rescues a Beagle from a testing lab and named him Houdini.  Houdini is an excellent Beagle name.

·       While this novel was primarily set in the 1950s, there were also letters found with the story of the first witch of Cambridge back in the Puritan days, 

·       The book related the witch trials of the past to the McCarthyism that was happening in the 1950s.

·       I really liked how Cotton Mather’s family was a part of the story through time and their known hatred and secret love of witches.  Jamie is Ava’s love interest and a Mather descendent.  I thought this was an inventive way to bring the Mather history into the novel. 

·       In this world, witches are real with magic.  They are different and the world wants to put them in asylums rather than to let them live in peace.

·       I would classify this story as magical realism, historical fiction, historical fantasy, witches, and dark academia.

Overall, The Witches of Cambridge by Alice Hoffman was an excellent atmospheric historical fantasy novel primarily set during the McCarthy era of the 1950s.  I love Alice Hoffman and greatly enjoyed this novel.  It would be a perfect read for the Halloween season.

The Things We Leave Unfinished by Rebecca Yarros

 

Title:  The Things We Leave Unfinished

Author:  Rebecca Yarros

Narrated by:  Tim Paige, Carly Robins

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Length: Approximately 14 hours and 32 minutes

Source: Checked out from Libby through the Kewaunee Public Library

What is a book that you would recommend as a good book club read?

Georgia Stanton has just gone through a brutal divorce.  Back home in Colorado, she is going through her best-selling author Great Grandma Scarlett’s estate and learns that author Noah Harrison has been signed by the publisher to finish Scarlett’s unfinished manuscript.  Georgia thinks Noah is arrogant and not the right man for the job.  As they read Scarlett’s manuscript and letters, sparks fly between them, and they fight how to end the novel.  It’s based on Scarlett’s real WWII romance with a pilot which did not end happily.  Should Noah end the book with the sad real ending or the happy ending that were the trademark of Scarlett’s romance novels?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       This was the August selection for the Rogue Book Club.  We all read this book and enjoyed it.  It prompted a good discussion. 

·       It was an engaging audiobook with great narrators.

·       I enjoyed both the contemporary and WWII romance.

·       I loved Jameson and Scarlett’s romance.  Scarlett wants to marry the man she loves and not the man her parents want her to marry to save the family estate   Can you really move on when your one great love is killed in WWII? 

·       Noah was able to help Georgia move on from her terrible divorce and to truly heal.

·       Scarlett and Constance were sisters who were always there for each other.

·       I would classify this novel as historical fiction, historical romance, dual timeline, and contemporary.

Overall, The Things We Leave Unfinished by Rebecca Yarros was a compelling historical and contemporary dual timeline novel.

Little Women & Good Wives by Louisa May Alcott

 

Title:  Little Women

Author:  Louisa May Alcott

Narrated by:  Jennifer Woodward

Publisher: Saga Egmont

Length: Approximately 10 hours and 11 minutes

Source: Checked out from Hoopla through the Kewaunee Public Library

 

Title:  Good Wives

Author:  Louisa May Alcott

Narrated by:  Lorelei King

Publisher: Audible Studios

Length: Approximately 9 hours and 11 minutes

Source: Purchased from Audible.

What is a positive book that improves your mood when you read it?  Little Women is just such a book for me.

Little Women is the story of the trials and tribulations of the four March sisters.  Meg is the eldest and is beautiful and caring. Jo is independent and fearless, Beth is musical and timid, and Amy is artistic and vain.  The country is in the midst of the Civil War and their father is gone having joined the Union war effort.  The girls and their mother, Marmee, and housekeeper, Hannah, work to keep their household going and to help their community.

My thoughts on this novel:

·       This was great on audiobook and both narrators were very expressive and a joy to listen to. The first audiobook that I listened to ended at the middle of what I think of as Little Women.  I had to go and get Good Wives separately to finish the story as the girls grow older and marry.  This is originally how the books were published, but most modern editions have both books packaged together as Little Women.

·       This book was the July pick for the Back to the Classics Book Club at the Kewaunee Public library.  We enjoyed it.  It’s an overall happy book which we discussed at book club is rare for a classic novel. We watched and enjoyed the 2019 adaptation of the novel.

·       As an adult with every reread, I am struck by Marmee’s talk with Jo on how she has a bad temper and how as an adult, she has had to work hard to keep her calm appearance and keep her anger in. It is so interesting and it provides such a depth to Marmee’s character.  She is a great mother who supported her daughters to become great women.

·       I loved how the sisters had their disagreements as all sisters do, but they support and love each other.

·       Amy and Jo spar but are a lot alike.  They are both passionate about their art and want a different life than the traditional pathway of marriage for females at the time.

·       I’ve read this book many times in my life, and I have loved it every time.

·       This novel is based on Louisa May Alcott’s real life and family.  At times now, I get real life and the novel confused. 

·       I loved how they help the immigrant Hummel family and give them their Christmas dinner.  The Hummels are a poor fatherless German Immigrant family.  I love the Christian message of helping the “stranger” in our midst.

 

Overall, Little Women by Louisa May Alcott is an uplifting and timeless classic that is well worth a read, or multiple reads.

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.

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 Heiress of Northanger Abbey by Nancy Bilyeau

What classic novel do you think needs a sequel?

Thank you to @tudorscribe, #admiralroadbooks, and @greatreadsbookpromo for the gift copy of The Heiress of Northanger Abbey.

Twenty-two years after the events in Northanger Abbey, Catherine Morland is a respectable pastor’s wife, married to Henry Tilney.  Catherine and Henry live a happy life with their two daughters in a small village near the family estate of Northanger Abbey.  Henry’s brother Frederick and his wife Aurelia are childless and Henry and Catherine’s oldest daughter Phoebe, is presumed to be their heiress.  When Phoebe runs across the Thorpe family in Bath, Catherine is afraid that history is repeating itself.  When Catherine chaperones Phoebe on a trip to Isabella Thorpe’s estate, is her imagination playing havoc with her again or are they in danger?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       This is one of the October book club picks for the JASNA Northwoods Book Club.  I look forward to discussing it.

·       I loved that this was a sequel to a Jane Austen novel that does not often get sequels, Northanger Abbey.  I love the original book and it’s fun to see what happened to its characters after the end of the original novel.

·       Author Nancy Bilyeau did a great job of capturing the spirit and characters from the original novel.

·       I felt for Catherine and her trials trying to parent a strong-willed teenage daughter having one myself.

·       The story is told through the first-person point of view of Catherine.

·       I loved seeing that Catherine and Henry have a long and happy marriage.

·       I don’t want to spoil the story, but I also loved the Gothic elements.  It’s a perfect read for the fall.

·       I have enjoyed author Nancy Bilyeau’s novels in the past and have been greatly looking forward to this book. It did not disappoint.

·       Now I want to read The Vampyre by John Polidori as it is part of the plot. It’s an interesting look into how Gothic novels were changing during that time period.

·       Catherine and Phoebe like to discuss books together and I loved their discussion on Mary Shelley.

·       I would classify this book as a sequel, historical fiction, suspense, Gothic, and Regency.

Overall, The Heiress of Northanger Abbey by Nancy Bilyeau is an enjoyable Regency Gothic historical fiction novel that is a sequel to Northanger Abbey.  It’s got great historical elements a well as a good look into the Gothic fiction of that time.