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.

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.

A Time of Witches by Madeline Martin

 

What is your favorite book/movie/show featuring witches?  I always loved watching Bewitched on reruns growing up.

Lilith has been having strange things happen to her lately including a reoccurring nightmare about being burned at the stake.  She feels called to visit Brackenmere Manor in England.  There she can see and interact with the past.  Her ancestress Sybil has been accused of being a witch in 1645.  She is an educated wealthy widow who helps others with her herbal medicines.  When she refuses to marry the local magistrate who has used violence against her in the past, he accuses her of witchcraft. Will Lilith be able to save Sybil?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       I couldn’t put this book down – it was the most engaging book I’ve read in recent months.

·       It is a dual timeline novel set in current day and 1645 England.

·       I would classify this book as fantasy, historical fiction, historical fantasy, witches, Halloween, and magical realism.

·       It was horrifying and scary to see how the women accused of witchcraft were treated.  It seemed to be a way to punish women who wouldn’t do what a man wanted, a way to get your neighbors property, or just a way to punish a woman who used herbal remedies or was an old woman living on her own.

·       I enjoyed the Last Bookshop in London by this author.  I need to read more of her works.

·       There is a wonderful author’s note at the end detailing the real witch trials. Bury St. Edmunds in Suffolk, England was the site of witch trials in 1645.

·       The romance between Lilith and Asher in the present timeline was nice. I liked how they seemed to be fated to be together.

·       The women in prison in the past supported each other through the most difficult of times. I enjoyed their camaraderie.

·       There was a bit of a twist at the end that I enjoyed.

·       I loved the characters such as Lilith’s best friend Cassie, who is always there for her.  She was also part of a plot point that reminded me of Back to the Future as Lilith seems to fade from the present as she can’t get past events changed.

Overall, A Time of Witches by Madeline Martin was a very engaging dual timeline novel that is an especially perfect read for fall.

Book Source:  Thank-you @angelamelamud and Hanover Square Press for the review copy.

Passage to Tokyo by Poppy Kuroki

 

If you could take a secret passage to any time period, what would you chose?  I think at this moment, I would pick the 1920s.  I’d like to go and visit my Great-Grandma Kile as a teenager and help her out during the terrible time when she and her siblings were abandoned by her father, and she was trying to keep care of her dying mother.

Thank you, Partner @bibliolifestyle @harperperennial for the review copy of Passage to Tokyo by Poppy Kuroki.

In 1995 Tokyo, Yui Sanada is struggling to help her mother make ends meet and raising her twelve-year old brother Hiro.  One day, Hiro disappears into a tunnel at Ueno Park.  Yui follows him and finds herself in 1923, Tokyo.  As she looks for her brother, she meets a young nanny named Chiyo.  Chiyo takes her home to stay with her family.  While she searches for her brother.  Yui realizes that the Great Kanto Earthquake will happen in a few weeks.  Will she be able to save her brother before the earthquake?  Without about Chiyo and her family?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       There was a historical romance between Yui and Chiyo as their relationship grows.

·       This was also a historical fantasy with time travel involved in the story. I love time travel in novels.  It brings up so many ethical concerns and interesting questions.  If two different time travelers leave at the same time, will they end up in the same time period? When you go “back,” what time period are you going back to?  How does the past change due to time travelers?  How many time travelers are there in this world?

·       This was a new time period for Japanese history for me and it was very interesting.

·       I did not know about this devastating earthquake.  It was written in vivid detail and would have been a terrible thing to see and experience.

·       Immediately after the earthquake there was terrible racism against Koreans and non-Japanese.  Thousands of deaths were actually people murdered after the earthquake due to the rumors that Koreans were poisoning the wells or doing other terrible things.  The rumors were not true, but they caused a lot of deaths.

·       I was sad again thinking about how many people died in the past due to not having proper medicine or medical care.

·       I was sad that at the end of this book, a character disappears during WWII, and it is never determined what happened to the character.

·       This was the second book in the Ancestor Memories series, but it can be read as a standalone.  I do want to go back and read the first book.

·       There was an interesting author’s note at the end as well as historical timeline and glossary.

Overall, Passage to Tokyo Poppy Kuroki was a fascinating historical fantasy sapphic romance that has the reader to experience the Great Kanto Earthquake in real time.

Beloved by Toni Morrison

 

Title:  Beloved

Author:  Toni Morrison, Honorée Fanonne Jeffers - introduction

Narrated by:  Toni Morrison, Karen Murray

Publisher: Random House Audio

Length: Approximately 12 hours and 33 minutes

Source: Purchased from Audible

What is the saddest book you’ve ever read?  I would rate this as one of mine.

Sethe was born into slavery but was able to escape with her children to Ohio.  When her former master finds her and her children, she makes a decision that will haunt her forever.  Now a ghost haunts her home.  When a girl appears with the name Beloved, the only word carved on the tombstone of her baby, is this girl the ghost of her child or an imposter?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       This was the January read for the Back to the Classics Book Club at the Kewaunee Public Library.  Only two of us braved the cold, but we had a good discussion on this complex book.  I selected this book as I’ve been too scared to read I on my own as I knew it involved the death of a baby.

·       Toni Morrison won both the Pulitzer Prize and the Nobel Prize for literature, but this is only the second book of hers that I’ve read.  I really wish we would have studied her when I was in college.

·       This was a deep book that I keep thinking about.  It was written in a very unique way with a variety of narrators and a variety of time periods.

·       I really liked the intro and the ending.  The ending basically said that terrible things happen and are then forgotten.  They need to be remembered so we don’t repeat the terrible things in our history.

·       I was disturbed to find out in the intro that this book was based on a true story.

·       I listened to this book on audiobook.  It was very interesting.  I liked also having a physical copy of the book to read along with it.  I also stopped and looked up chapter summaries on SparkNotes as recommended by a book club member. It did help me to understand what I was reading.

·       This was a very sad novel describing the horrors of slavery.  It was so horrifying that you would kill your own child rather than have them be a slave.  Sexual abuse was used to control the women and it didn’t just break the women, it broke the men as well to see their wives, mothers, and sisters treated this way.

·       Schoolteacher talks about Sethe like she is an animal.  He compares her to a horse and says that you can’t beat a horse too much or you wreck it.  His nephew and others had stolen Sethe’s milk and then whipped her.  She does not want her children to go back to this kind of life.  Other people do not understand this.

·       The house is haunted, and no one will go inside due to what has happened to her.

Overall, Beloved by Toni Morrison was a haunting novel about a terrible part of our history.

The Ghost Cat by Alex Howard

 

Have you had a favorite pet in your life? 

I have had a lot of pets over my lifetime that I have loved, but one of my favorite pets was my cat Rufus.  He was my college cat.  He arrived bedraggled at my Mom’s house one summer right before I started graduate school.  He was a small kitten with fleas, ear mites, and a wounded leg.  I wasn’t sure he was going to make it, but he grew into a sassy cat who could do tricks like fetching items and shaking his paw.  He wasn’t sure about my husband Ben when we first got married, but later he would trout around with him on rounds around the house.  He especially loved when we had kids and let them all carry him around and play with him.  He really loved them.  He sadly died when he was fourteen and I still miss him.  I called him my “soul cat” as he always knew when I was down and would comfort me. 

Grimalkin dies after a happy life as an indoor cat in 1902.  After this, he becomes a ghost cat for the rest of his nine lives and he see all the changes that happen over the next 120 years in Edinburgh.

My thoughts on this novel:

·       “A cat has nine lives.  For three he plays, for three he strays, and for the last three he stays.”  This is an old English Proverb which described Grimalkin’s afterlife.  Cat-sith explains this to Grimalkin after his first death that he has eight more lives.  Cat-sith is a fairy creature form Celtic mythology.

·       This was a fun book to read in October in the Halloween season, but it is a good read for any time of year.

·       I loved the concept.

·       I enjoyed Grimalkin’s relationship with Eildidth, the maid, who discovered him as a kitten and cared for him. As a ghost, he watches her grow older.

·       Grimalkin the cat is the POV for this novel.  He is an orange marmalade cat.  I enjoyed imaging him and his adventures.

·       I loved seeing the changes in history and time over the course of the novel.

·       There were also great footnotes in the book which described the reality or true history.  I really enjoyed the footnotes.

·       There was a great change from 1902 to 1922 with coal heat, electricity, cars, etc.

·       717 Marchmont Crescent in Edinburgh is the setting.  Grimalkin strays from here but always returns.

·       The story ends with the death of Queen Elizabeth in 2022.  I loved the other true history like the publication of Peter Pan.

·       This story was humorous and sad.  It was a sweet and slow read.

Overall, The Ghost Cat by Alex Howard is an enjoyable historical fiction novel that shows the changes over 120 year period in Edinburgh through the eyes of a ghost cat.

Book Source:  Thank-you to @netgalley for a review copy of this novel. 

The Formidable Miss Cassidy by Meihan Boey (Bibliolifestyle Book Tour)

 

Thank you, Partner @bibliolifestyle @harperperennial for the review copy of The Formidable Miss Cassidy by Meihan Boey.

What is your favorite book, story, or movie that features a governess?  I love Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte and the movie Mary Poppins.  I felt like the Formidable Miss Cassidy by Meihan Boey channeled a bit of both in this new and unique story.

Miss Lada Cassidy is a Scottish governess that has taken a post in Singapore.  She is the governess to a young girl, Sarah Jane, who has recently lost her mother and six siblings.  Her father seems not quite himself.  Miss Cassidy utilizes her special skills and realizes that Captain Bendemeer is being sapped of his energy by a vampire spirit.  As she helps them out, she meets the widower Mr. Kay who also has his own problems.  Will she also be able to help Mr. Kay and his family?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       I loved this book and the rare and fun story.

·       This is a historical fantasy novel.

·       I enjoyed the Singapore setting.  I was intrigued by the setting and enjoyed when Miss Cassidy ventures out into Singapore and meets new people

·       I loved the character of Miss Cassidy.  She is quirky and smart.  I enjoyed how she solved the supernatural mysteries of what is going on.  She is an unusual being herself.  I liked learning more about her as the story progressed and I can’t wait to learn more.

·       This story is told in three parts.

·       This is the first book in a new series.  I can’t wait to read the next book.

·       The story takes place from 1895 to 1904.

·       I adored the old-fashioned chapter titles.

·       I appreciated the romance.

·       The story incorporated Singapore and Scottish folklore.

Overall, The Formidable Miss Cassidy by Meihan Boey was a unique and charming history fantasy novel.  It had great characters, setting, and supernature elements.

Cloaked in Beauty by Karen Witemeyer (Austenprose PR Book Tour)

 

Do you enjoy reading fairy tales?  I have enjoyed them since I was a child. I love reading different takes on fairy tale stories.  Cloaked in Beauty is a new take on Red Riding Hood and Sleeping Beauty that weaves together the essence of both stories into a new unique story.

Scarlett woke up to her home being burned down.  Her mother has a plan for just such a case and sends Scarlett off with her Grandmother to remain hidden until her twenty-first birthday.  Her father has passed away, and her Uncle will inherit her fortune if she dies before the age of 21.  Now known as Lettie, she has grown up in the woods in Texas with her grandmother and pet wolf.  As she nears twenty-one, her mother has sent a Pinkerton agent, Philip, to escort her back to Houston.  Will Scarlett/Letty make it back alive and allude her Uncle’s nefarious schemes?  Will she find love?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       I loved the start of this novel.  It really pulled me into the story and made me excited to read it.  This novel had a very engaging plot that kept me reading until the last page as Philip and Letty try to make their way back to Houston.  The ending was perfect.

·       The novel is set in Texas in the late 1800s.

·       I always enjoy animals in a novel and loved Rusty the trusty wolf.

·       The characters were all interesting and well written.  I especially loved Letty and Philip.  Letty is a strong character.  Although she lived a sheltered life, she is self-assured and is always trying to do what is right.  Philip has a fun sense of humor and is a good-hearted person.

·       The romance was sweet.  This is a clean read.

·       Letty and Philip’s Christian faith was important to them both and it woven in throughout the novel.  I also liked that Letty wanted to use her fortune to do good in the world.

·       As a mother, I especially was touched by the reunion of Letty and her mother.

·       Karen Witemeyer has written other fairy tale inspired historical romance novels including Fairest of the Heart and If the Boot Fits.  I need to read these novels.

Favorite Quote: “Worrying about tomorrow only served to steal the joy from today.  And this day was far too fine to squander.”

Overall, Cloaked in Beauty by Karen Witemeyer is a riveting fairy tale inspired historical romance novel with great action and characters.  I highly recommend it.

Book Source:  Review copy from Bethany House as part of the Austenprose PR Book Tour. Thank-you!  Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

 BOOK DESCRIPTION

Trust no one in the shadows of the piney woods . . .

Letty Hood has spent the last fifteen years of her life hidden away with her grandmother in the backwoods of east Texas to escape the deadly schemes of an uncle who wants her dead. Now, with her twenty-first birthday on the horizon, she is forced to accept the escort of a stranger and return to Houston in secret so she can claim a birthright that will make her one of the wealthiest women in Texas. If she lives long enough to inherit.

Pinkerton agent Philip Carmichael has one duty: get the Radcliffe heiress home alive. Expecting a spoiled girl, Philip is surprised to encounter a woman of rare strength with a kind soul and keen wit. As they journey together, Letty's resilience wins his admiration, breaking through his hardened cynicism. Yet the threat to her survival grows more menacing with every mile, and Philip fears that keeping Letty out of harm's way may be just as impossible as keeping her out of his heart.

AUTHOR BIO

Voted #1 Reader's Favorite Christian Historical Author of 2023 by Family Fiction magazine, bestselling and Carol and Christy Award-winning author Karen Witemeyer offers warmhearted historical romance with a flair for humor, feisty heroines, and swoon-worthy Texas heroes. She and her husband make their home in Abilene, Texas. Learn more about Karen and her books at KarenWitemeyer.com.

The Last Witch in Edinburgh by Marielle Thompson

 

Title: The Last Witch in Edinburgh

Author:  Marielle Thompson

Narrated by:  Siobhan Waring

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Length: Approximately 10 hours and 20 minutes

Source: Audiobook Purchased from Audible. Thank you, Partner @bibliolifestyle @kensingtonbooks for the review copy of the paperwork version of the book.

What are you currently reading?  Leave a hashtag of the book that you are currently reading so that I can check it out.

Nellie is a young beautiful woman that is trying to keep her motherless brother alive and happy in 1824 Edinburgh.  She encounters the Roe Women’s Apothecary and learns about the Cailleach and magic.  After a fire destroys the shop, Nellie is adrift in the world, mourning for her lost love.  After 200 years she finally returns to Edinburgh with her daughter and finds both friends and foes waiting.

My thoughts on this novel:

·       The narrator of the audiobook had a nice Scottish accent. 

·       Fear lingers over all with women being seemingly selected by random to be hanged as witches.

·       This novel was historical fantasy, there were no witch hunts in the 1820s, but the author researched the witch hunts that did take place in Edinburgh and used the historical detail for this novel.

·       The focus of the story was of men trying to keep powerful women down and to keep them from expressing their ideas and helping each other. 

·       The novel switches to modern times as witches live very long lives. 

·       The novel got very preachy at the end about the patriarchy.  There were no good men in the story.  I got tired by the end of only women being good and all men being evil.

·       I didn’t like the turn in the story in the second half of the book.  The first half of the book, Nellie’s brother was so important to her and then she just abandons him.  It seemed out of character.  I also didn’t understand why it took her 200 years to check back on who had survived the fire.

·       The novel focused on social issues and feminism.

·       A same sex romance was featured in the story.

·       It was an engaging story, but the second half was not as good as the first half.

Overall, The Last Witch in Edinburgh was a good fall read and interesting historical fantasy.

The Witches of El Paso by Luis Jaramillo

 

Title: The Witches of El Paso

Author:  Luis Jaramillo

Narrated by:  Raquel Beattie

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Length: Approximately 9 hours and 50 minutes

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

Do you like to read books for the Halloween season?  If so, what are your favorites?

The Witches of El Paso is a brand-new book that was just published in October.  It features a family that can travel through time with their inherited magic.  Nena is a teenager in 1943 El Paso, Texas.  She takes care of her sisters’ children, but she longs for her own life and adventure.  She prays for help and the mysterious Sister Benedicta arrives in response.  She then travels back in time to 1792 where her gift of “La Vista” is calling her.  There she lives in a convent until the day that a mysterious illness kills many and she is sent to care for a sick family member of one of the nuns and her life is changed forever.    

In the present day, Marta is a civil rights attorney living in El Paso with her husband and children.  She helps her old aunt Nena on her quest to find her missing child.  Marta also finds her own “La Vista” along the way.

My thoughts on this novel:

·       This was a multigenerational family drama, and I greatly enjoyed it.

·       I loved the magical realism of the story.  There wasn’t too much magic, but I did enjoy how both Marta and Nena found themselves and their magic.

·       I enjoyed the glimpse into Hispanic culture and the history of El Paso.

·       I really enjoyed Nena’s time in the convent in the 1700’s.  The history and day to day life was fascinating to me. 

·       I also enjoyed Marta.  As a mother, wife, and attorney, she feels herself pulled in many directions. She also cares for Nena and through Nena, Marta is finally able to find her authentic self. 

·       It was also interesting comparing the life of a woman in the 1700s, 1940s, and current day.

·       Raquel Beattie was an excellent narrator and made the story very enjoyable.

Overall, The Witches of El Paso was an interesting magical realism, family drama, and time slip novel that was perfect fall reading.