The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

 

Title: The Secret Garden

Author:  Frances Hodgson Burnett

Narrated by:  Alison Larkin

Publisher: Alison Larkin Presents

Length: Approximately 9 hours and 10 minutes

Source: Audiobook review copy from Alison Larkin Presents. Physical copy was purchased from one of my kid’s scholastic book orders a few years ago.

What book from childhood have you reread and enjoyed as an adult?  The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett was a favorite of mine when I was young, but I had not reread it as an adult until now.

Mary Lennox is a spoiled brat.  She was raised basically by a nanny in India.  After a sickness kills off her parents, she is shipped back to England to live with her uncle as Misselthwaite Manor in Yorkshire.  Unfortunately, he is also absent, and Mary is once again alone.  Luckily, she gets to know the people of the estate and learns to love the outdoors.  Will Mary be able to find happiness?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       I read The Secret Garden as the February selection for the What the Dickens Book Club on Facebook.  It prompted a good discussion.

·       I loved the theme of the healing power of nature and how it is able to bring both Mary and Colin “back to life” as happy children. I loved the descriptions of the plants, flowers, and birds – especially the robin.  It was especially wonderful with the winter weather we had in February to be reading this book full of spring.

·       The parents were very frustrating in this novel and neglected their children.  Poor Mary and Colin are both basically orphans.  Mary’s parents basically ignore her existence as they are having too much fun with their friends.  Colin’s mother has died, and his father keeps him hidden away.

·       Luckily, Mrs. Sowerby, Dickon and Martha’s mother, provides a mother figure to both Mary and Colin.

·       It was discussed in the book club that fiction written during this time period did often feature orphans or kids trying to make it on their own.  I know as a child I enjoyed stories of children being independent.

·       I enjoyed both Mary and Colin’s transformations throughout the novel through the power of nature and love.

·       I loved listening to the audiobook version of this book.  Alison Larkin is one of my favorite audiobook narrators.  She has a lovely voice that is very enjoyable to listen to.

·       I love the 1993 movie adaptation of this novel

Favorite Quote:

“Where you tend a rose my lad, a thistle cannot grow.”

Overall, The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett is a very enjoyable novel that brings the reader into the love and joy of nature and family.

Mad About the Duke by Elizabeth Boyle

 

Did you read any romance books for Valentine’s Day last month?  I read Mad About the Duke by Elizabeth Boyle for both Valentine’s Day and for my Rogue Book Club Selection.

Elinor is a widow that has decided she must marry a Duke in order to protect her sister from their evil stepfather.  She mistakes James, a duke, for a solicitor and while the two are attracted to each other, much hilarity ensues.  This was a light, fun novel with a great happily ever after ending.  It was a perfect read to sandwich between heavy reads.  This was an Instalove trope which is not one of my favorite types of romance.

Book Source:  A Christmas gift.  Thank-you!

A Constant Love by Tracie Peterson (Austenprose PR Book Tour)

 

Hardcover or paperback – which do you prefer and why?  I prefer hardcover for books I’m going to keep forever as they stand the test of time.  I prefer paperback for being more affordable and lighter to hold and carry.  I have a mix of both in my library.

In Wyoming, the harsh winter of 1887 not only kills entire flocks of cattle, but beloved family members.  Charlotte is haunted that the last words she with her father were in anger.  He wanted her to marry wealthy lawyer, Lewis Bradley, but she has been in love with her neighbor, Micah, her entire life.  Will Charlotte and Micah be able to work through their grief and start life anew? 

My thoughts on this novel

·       Pioneer days and the winter of 1887 are very harsh.  It was a very compelling start to this novel.

·       I liked how Charlotte and her mother, Lucille, were running a ranch as two women on their own.  It was a struggle as they weren’t even allowed to attend meetings as women and also ranch hands did not listen to them.

·       Micah deeply struggles with his faith after his father’s suicide.  I liked how he and Lucille help each other work on their faith. This novel had deep elements of faith in it and learning to forgive, and not judge others.  I really liked this part of the novel.

·       The trope in this novel is friends to lovers.

·       The characters were interesting and well developed.

·       This is the first book in the new “The Hope of Cheyenne” series.

·       The bad guy in this novel was someone that the reader will really love to hate.  Lewis Bradley wants to marry Charlotte no matter if she wants to or not.  It’s not out of love of Charlotte, but out of love for money.  I have a feeling he may be back again later in the series.

Overall, A Constant Love by Tracie Peterson is a gripping novel with captivating characters and a fascinating storyline.  I especially liked the faith elements and the realities of living in 19^th century Wyoming.

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

 BOOK DESCRIPTION

Heartache has left them emotionally desolate, but traces of love and healing could forge a future.

In the wake of a harsh winter, Micah Hamilton and Charlotte Aldrich are grappling with loss and guilt after the disaster that took the lives of their loved ones. Struggling to cope with his grief, Micah abandons his father's dreams of a prosperous ranch and cuts himself off from the rest of the world.

Charlotte has loved Micah her entire life and is determined not to lose him as well. With her mother's help, she begins coaxing Micah to live again. Despite their enduring heartache, the affection between them deepens, but just as Charlotte thinks her dreams may come true, a scorned suitor threatens everything she holds dear. Micah and Charlotte must embark on a journey of healing and renewal to build a life founded on faith, hope, and love.

A Constant Love is a clean, frontier-era historical romance of heartache, grief, Christian faith, and second chances in the newly developing American West.

AUTHOR BIO

Tracie Peterson is the bestselling author of more than 100 novels, both historical and contemporary, with more than 6 million copies sold. She has won the ACFW Lifetime Achievement Award and the Romantic Times Career Achievement Award. Her avid research resonates in her many bestselling series. Tracie and her family make their home in Montana. Learn more at TraciePeterson.com.

The Street by Ann Petry

 

Title: The Street

Author:  Ann Petry

Narrated by:  Danielle Deadwyler

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Length: Approximately 13 hours and 25 minutes

Source: Audiobook Purchased from Audible

Have you “discovered” any new authors lately through Instagram?  I recently discovered Ann Petry through various Instagram posts and being a part of the Classics Buddy Read in February with @deesreads.  The Street was published in 1946 and I can’t believe I had never heard of this book or author until recently.

Lutie Johnson is a young black woman struggling to raise her son as a single mother in Harlem in the 1940s.  She wants a better life for her son Bub.  She believed in her marriage until her husband Jim couldn’t get a job.  Rather than lose their home, Lutie became a life in housekeeper for a rich family.  She could only go home to visit for four days a month.  Jim found a new woman who moved into their home while Lutie was gone.  This leads Lutie to move to a dumpy apartment on the street.  Will Lutie and Bub be able to make a better life for themselves?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       This novel had well developed, complex characters.  It is told through many points of view which I found compelling.

·       It captures the trials and tribulations of poor African Americans in New York City during the 1940s.  Trying to get by was very hard and the oppression of hunger and no available jobs weighs them down.

·       I was confused for a bit in the novel when Lutie would go to Jamica to visit.  I was like – why, she sure is traveling a long way all the time.  I ended up looking it up and it’s a neighborhood in New York City.

·       The building supervisor, Jones, and his lust for Lutie was so scary.  It was built up through the novel and very suspenseful.

·       My favorite character was Mrs. Hedges.  She watched the neighborhood and knew everything that was going on.  She had a will to succeed and helped people out.  She was a madame to make money off of other women, so she was a complicated person.

·       Lutie kept struggling to make a living for her and Bub, but racially, sexually, and economically, the world was working against her.  Instead of helping her out, people just kept trying to take advantage of her.

·       This novel had quite the ending, I can’t stop thinking about it.  Lutie was caught in an impossible situation with no good solution.

·       I want to read more books by this author.  Have you read any other her other books?  If so, what do you recommend?

Overall, The Street by Ann Petry was an excellent, well-crafted novel with compelling characters and storyline.  It has kept me thinking and prompted a good discussion in the Classics Buddy Read.

Red Clay by Charles B. Fancher (Bibliolifestyle Book Tour)

 

Thank you, Partner @bibliolifestyle @blackstonepublishing or the review copy of Red Clay by Charles B. Fancher.

Do you annotate your books or keep them pristine? I prefer to keep mine pristine, but I do love to find used copies with annotations.

In 1943, Flex H. Parker has passed away.  His family is surprised when an elderly white woman shows up at his funeral and pronounces that “a lifetime ago, my family owned yours.”  Together, this woman, Adelaide Parker, and Felix’s family piece together the story of their two intwined families.

My thoughts on this novel:

·       Wow!  This was a great family drama that kept me reading too late into the night.  It only took me a couple of days to read this three hundred plus page novel as I could not put it down.  I love complicated family historical fiction stories, and this was a great one.

·       I enjoyed how the story flowed through time focusing on young Felix growing up and becoming a young man, husband, and father in the reconstruction era in the American South.  It was a fraught time any misstep could mean death for a young black man who was trying to get ahead in life.

·       Intertwined was the story of the white Parker family.  Without Felix holding onto a family secret while he was young, the family would not have made it through the Civil War with their fortune in tack.  I in particular liked the growth of Adelaide from an intolerant little girl to an understanding woman.  Her brother Claude had the opposite growth.  They were well developed characters.

·       I liked how most of the characters were three dimensional and were “gray” characters morally.

·       I enjoyed the time period that most of the novel was set in, which was the reconstruction period after the Civil War.  I feel like most novels end with the Civil War and don’t explore this time period.  The author obviously did a lot of research and made that time period come alive in the novel.

·       I felt the story was a bit rushed at the end.  It could have stretched even longer or have been made into a series.

·       I enjoyed the author’s note at the end.  He was inspired by the true-life story of his great-grandfather and included some of his adventures in the novel.  It is overall a work of historical fiction.  I was surprised to read this was his first novel.

·       The book and cover are of great quality, with thick pages.

Overall, Red Clay by Charles B. Fancher is a riveting and compelling historical fiction novel.  I highly recommend it.

The Thirteen Problems by Agatha Christie

 

Do you like to read short stories?  I have always enjoyed short stories.  Sometimes its just a perfect sized read when you are having a stressful day.

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 February was authors and I read The Thirteen Problems by Agatha Christie for the first time.  Miss Marple’s nephew, Raymond, is an author and he is present throughout this collection of short stories.

A group gathers at Miss Marple’s house and each member tells the story of a crime to entertain the gathering and for them to solve.  The teller of the story must have the real-world answer to see if they solved the crime correctly.  They are constantly surprised when Miss Marple always has the answer.  “The Tuesday Night Club” sounds like a fun group get together.

My thoughts on this collection:

·       I greatly enjoyed the short story format.  It was great escapism reading last weekend.  I like the ability to pick up the book and read a complete mystery story and move on to something exciting like chores afterwards.

·       This was the start of Miss Marple, and it was fun to read.  I feel that at some point, I need to read her mysteries in order.

·       I love Miss Marple.  She is sharp and can apply her observations of village life to new situations to solve mysteries.

·       The collection was entertaining and gave me a chuckle with a few of the stories – especially with Miss Marple having surprising answers and understanding of human nature.

Favorite quotes:

“’Aunt Jane,’ said Raymond looking at her curiously, ‘how do you do it?  You have lived such a peaceful life, and yet nothing seems to surprise you.”

“’I always find one thing very like another in this world,’ said Miss Marple.”

Overall, The Thirteen Problems by Agatha Christie was an entertaining short story mystery collection and a great introduction to Miss Marple.

Book Source:  Purchased from Amazon.com

Challenger: A True Story of Heroism and Disaster at the Edge of Space by Adam Higginbotham

 

Title:  Challenger:  A True Story of Heroism and Disaster at the Edge of Space

Author:  Adam Higginbotham

Narrated by:  Jacques Roy

Publisher: Simon & Schuster Audio

Length: Approximately 17 hours and 9 minutes

Source: Review Copy from Simon & Schuster Audio. 

 

What real life disaster would you like to read more about?

On January 28, 1986, the space shuttle Challenger broke up only 73 seconds into the flight and all seven astronauts on board lost their lives.  This tragedy was a defining moment in many people’s lives.  I remember it happening as a second grader.  We were all excited about the first teacher going to space and then it all went horribly wrong.

My thoughts on this audiobook:

·       I listened to this audiobook on a family trip at Christmas and another recent road trip in February.  My husband and I both found it interesting, and it prompted good discussion.

·       The audiobook gives details on each of the seven astronauts as well as other important people and incidents leading up to the disaster.  The history of the space shuttle program was fascinating. 

·       I felt better thinking that the astronauts vaporized rather than learning that they were hurtling towards their deaths and aware for 3 entire minutes.  The search and finding of their remains was horrifying.

·       This audiobook gave me a lot to think about ethics wise. Engineers blew the whistle about how they knew the O-rings had problems with temperature, but the shuttle was sent up anyways.  Human lives seemed to be not valued.  The engineers received accolades from professional societies, but never worked in aerospace again.  Ethics did not pay in this situation.

·       The space shuttle Columbia investigation discovered that many of the findings and items that were supposed to go into place after the Challenger disaster were not put not place.

·       It worried me with current events and seemingly random cuts to the government that we are setting ourselves up for another national tragedy.

·       The epilogue detailed what happened to many of the major players involved in the disaster.

·       Author Adam Higginbotham writes great non-fiction.  I also enjoyed his work, Midnight at Chernobyl.

Overall, Challenger by Adam Higginbotham was a fascinating nonfiction audiobook on the Challenger Disaster that opened my eyes to aspects of the disaster and fall out.  This is a must read for any fans of space flight and/or NASA.

The Life Impossible by Matt Haig

 

Title: The Life Impossible

Author:  Matt Haig

Narrated by:  Joanna Lumley and Jordan Stephens

Publisher: Penguin Audio

Length: Approximately 10 hours and 43 minutes

Source: Audiobook Purchased from Audible 

If you could inherit your dream house, where would your dream house be located?  

Grace Winters is surprised to learn that an old acquaintance she was once kind to has left her a house on a Mediterranean Island. Grace is a retired math teacher who deals in the world of facts, on the island though, Grace learns there is so much more to life than hard facts.

My thoughts on this novel:

• The Life Impossible by Matt Haig was the January Pick for the Rogue (FLICKS) Book Club.  Only one other person read it, but we both enjoyed it.

• I enjoyed this unique novel and the thoughts about living life to its fullest.

• I enjoyed that Grace is a math teacher.  One of my favorite quotes is one she talks about a music teacher and says they are prone to eccentricities.  Ha! 

• Grace has a great love for Sherlock Holmes and Alexandre Dumas.  I also love when classic literature if referred to in fiction.

• Grace has great guilt over her son Daniel’s death.  Having my own son Daniel, this really gave me the feels when reading this novel.

• I liked the humor in this novel.

• I liked how the book looked at how we view our bodies.  As we get older, we look back at when we were younger and wish we could look like that again.  Grace wishes you could live in the moment knowing about your future self.

• This was an enjoyable audiobook with good narrators that held my interest.

• I enjoyed how this story went into different realms than expected and was speculative fiction.

Overall, The Life Impossible by Matt Haig was an enjoyable unique novel that made me think about life, loss, and love.

A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens

 

Title: A Tale of Two Cities

Author:  Charles Dickens

Narrated by:  Simon Vance

Publisher: Tantor Audiobook Classics

Length: Approximately 13 hours and 39 minutes

Source: Audiobook Purchased from Audible (free on Audible)

Are you a fan of Charles Dickens?  If so, what is your favorite Dickens novel?

Dr. Alexandre Manette is wrongfully imprisoned in the Bastille for eighteen years.  After his release, he is reunited with his daughter, Lucie.  She marries Charles Darney and life is good, until the family is tricked into going to Paris during the French Revolution.  They will learn the truth of their past and the value of sacrifice and friendship.

My thoughts on this novel:

·       This was the January pick for the Back to the Classic Book Club at the Kewaunee Public Library.  It prompted a good discussion.

·       I had not read this book since high school, so it was due for a reread.

·       I listened to the audiobook and read along in a physical copy. 

·       This was different than other Dickens novels as this was written as historical fiction during this lifetime.

·       It appeared that everyone at book club enjoyed this book, although we had troubles at times with following the actions of all the characters throughout the novel.  Especially as some characters shared the same name.  This was especially confusing while listening to the audiobook!

·       This novel as the best opening and closing lines of a novel of all time.  “It was the best of times; it was the worst of times.”  “It is a far, far better thing that I do, than I have ever done; it is a far, far better rest that I go to than I have ever known.”

·       The two cities of the novel are London and Paris, but the Paris scenes to me were the most memorable.

·       This was a great story.  Why was Madame Defarge so vengeful?  The reader finally gets the reasons behind her vengeance at the end of the novel.  It took Madame Defarge from being a cartoon villain to a woman who deeply loved her family and wanted vengeance for their abuse and death.

·       It was a great story of the French Revolution.  It really explains why average citizens were so mad and took their vengeance.  Unfortunately, vengeance can go too far and innocent people got swept up in the fury.

·       The female main part was underwritten.  Lucie Manette is just pretty and simple.  It was hard to see why men were literally ready to die for her.

·       Sidney Carton was the best written character with shades of grey.  I wish that the reader was able to learn more about his background.

·       I was horrified by the Marquis carriage running over a child at the beginning of the novel and how he didn’t care at all.

Overall, A Tale of Two Cities is a must-read classic about the French Revolution with a great story and memorable characters and quotes.

Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie

 

Are you participating in any book challenges this year?  One that I’ve participated in the past few years and look forward to participating again this year is the #ReadChristie2025 Challenge.  The challenge this year is exploring Agatha Christie’s works through her characters and their careers.  The theme for January was artists and I read the excellent Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie for the first time.

Hercule Poirot is approached by a young woman who is ready to get married, but she wants to know the truth of her parents.  Sixteen years earlier, her artist father was murdered.  Her mother was tried and convicted of the crime, but was she guilty?

My thoughts on this novel:

·       This set-up of solving an older crime to help a daughter, seems to be a theme Christie enjoyed.  I just read a similar set up at the end of last year in Elephants Can Remember.

·       Hercule Poirot thinks the five suspects from the house party fit the rhyme, the five little pigs went to the market and he can’t keep that thought from his mind.

·       This story was unique in that Poirot interviews each subject and then asks them to write up their memories in their own words.  The reader gets to read these written accounts.

·       The murder occurs during a very awkward house party where both the wife and the girlfriend are in attendance.  I know artists are eccentric – but it was a bit much!  I felt like the victim deserved to be murdered in this book.

·       I really thought I had this one solved again this time, but I was led astray by a red herring.

·       The house party setting had a limited number of potential murderers (five little pigs).  They were all interesting characters and had reasons they could have committed the crime.

·       I loved the cover of this novel.  It really captured the scene of the murder in the novel.

Overall, Five Little Pigs by Agatha Christie is Hercule Poirot and Agatha Christie at their best.  It was an excellent novel and mystery.

Book Source:  Purchased from Amazon.com.