Tag: Book reviews

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Sneak Peek of Upcoming Book Reviews

It’s good to be back! And I’ve got some good stuff for you. I’ve returned with a sneak peek of upcoming book reviews! You see, I’ve been reading a lot. What else was a girl to do while recovering from surgery?Twisty road in Nevada desert

Life is full of twists and turns, valleys and mountaintops. Although I prefer the mountaintops, I’ve been traversing my way through the twists, turns and valleys for the last few months, including surgery for my rotator cuff and bicep. Although I had a similar surgery done two years ago on the other arm, this one has been a much harder recovery. So, three months later, I’m still having pain and I don’t have full range of movement, but I’m working through the PT to recover. I just couldn’t wait any longer to reconnect with you!

When I couldn’t hold my arm up to type yet, I read. So – I have some great book reviews coming up! I’ll spread them out so you don’t have to rush out to get them all at once. I found it interesting that I was picking a wider variety of books, some out of the genres I usually read. But that’s great! Maybe my venturing out will give you something new to consider, too. Some books are brand new and others have been out a few years.

A new book review will come out later this week. Make sure you watch your email for it! If you don’t get email notifications when I write a new blog, why not?  I promise I won’t stuff your inbox. (I normally only write 2-3 blogs per month.)  Don’t put it off. I know how it goes. If you tell yourself you’ll do it later, you probably won’t. You simply need to type in your email address. Sign up on the bottom of any page on my website or go directly to https://robinshelley.com/home/contact-info/.  Do it! Do it now!

And now… (drumroll please), here’s a sneak peek at some of the book reviews coming in the next few months ( in no particular order):

The Liz Taylor Ring by Brenda Janowitz, Beautiful Little Fools by Jillian Cantor (for The Great Gatsby fans), The Peachtree Bluff series by Kristy Woodson Harvey, This Close to Okay by Leesa Cross-Smith , Big Fish by Daniel Wallace, The Last Secret of the Secret Annex by Joop van Wijk-Voskuijl and Jeroen De Bruyn (for those interested in the Anne Frank story), The True Love Experiment by Christina Lauren, Perilous Times by Thomas D. Lee, The Paris Daughter by Kristin Harmel, The Summer of Songbirds by Kristy Woodson Harvey, and The Secret Book of Flora Lea by Patti Callahan Henry.

Just a reminder:

Mother’s Day is just around the bend. Wouldn’t Mom love a good book for her spring/summer reading? If you order at bookshop.org, your purchase supports small, independent bookstores. You can even pick which store you want to support! (I’ve been supporting MacIntosh Books as they recover from the hurricane that hit the Sanibel Island/Fort Myers area in Florida.)

 

 

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The Kindred Spirits Supper Club by Amy E. Reichert

Robin’s Rave Reviews

Looking for a Halloween read but don’t like gory or scary? This is it! I picked up The Kindred Spirits Supper Club by Amy E. Reichert when I was looking for a quick, light read.  I got so much more than I expected with this rom-com! 

The Kindred Spirits Supper Club by Amy E. Reichert

Sabrina’s job situation forces her to return to her hometown at the Wisconsin Dells.  The best job Sabrina can find is as a tour guide on the duck boats. To make her current situation worse, her boss is one of the girls who bullied her in high school who also happens to be engaged to Sabrina’s old boyfriend. 

Living back in her childhood home is bad enough, but Sabrina also has to face ghosts. Real ghosts. The women in her family are magnets for spirits who have unfinished business and need help to move on.   Whenever a ghost insists on her help, Sabrina appears to talk to herself. This was the cause of being bullied in high school.

The fun begins in the very first scene when a fight breaks out at a waterpark. A super-sized  margarita flying through the air hits Sabrina. That’s when Ryan, the love interest, enters the scene.  (How could I not be hooked with an opening like that?!) Sabrina never expects to see Ray again, but she keeps bumping into him. Ray moved to town to help his uncle with his supper club. When his uncle dies, Ray’s parents inherit the restaurant. He needs to make this restaurant work so they won’t sell it. Otherwise, he’ll have to return to NYC and his controlling parents.

Sabrina has a long-time friend in Molly, a spirit who can’t complete her unfinished business. Her presence causes awkward, humorous moments. On top of that, Sabrina is also navigating the deceased uncle who has unfinished business and his nephew who is romantically interested in her.  While Ray pursues Sabrina, she attempts to hide the odd behaviors that got her ostracized in school. Readers are entertained with humor and joy as Sabrina learns that her “curse” may actually be a gift.

The Kindred Spirits Supper Club is an enjoyable read if you need something light and fun. You may find yourself wanting to visit the Dells, take a duck boat tour, and try out the cheese curds at the supper club!

Click here to learn more about the author. If you like this book review, check out my other reviews on my blog here.

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The Santa Suit by Mary Kay Andrews

Robin’s Rave Reviews – Christmas 2021 Edition

It may seem early, but The Santa Suit, a heart-warming Christmas novel, comes out September 28.  It can be pre-ordered now. (Remember:  buying a new book through pre-order or the first week of publication is the most helpful to an author.) The Santa Suit would make a great gift – even for yourself! Too busy to read during the holidays? No problem. The Santa Suit is a light, easy read with a Hallmark movie feel (but less predictable). You might just find the holiday stress slipping away while you read.

After her divorce Ivy moves to a small town and into an old farm house she bought sight unseen. Ezra, her hunky realtor, helps her fix immediate problems in the house  leading to sparks of romantic interest. Meanwhile, when clearing out items the previous owner left behind, Ivy finds an old Santa suit with a child’s note in the pocket. Ivy wants to solve the mystery of who the girl was and if her Christmas wish was fulfilled. This curiosity connects her to the small town community and culture right at Christmas-time while she makes new friends and reconnects others who have lost touch.

I have to admit, when I got the advanced reader copy, I wasn’t really in the mood to read a Christmas story in September, but I got sucked in right away. The Santa Suit feels Christmas-y without being cliché.  Every time I read a Mary Kay Andrews book, I’m in awe at how it flows so naturally. (MKA’s writing expertise makes it look easier than it is.)  MKA’s characters always feel real and relatable. She masterfully ties up loose ends I didn’t even realize were loose, tying everything together like a pretty Christmas bow on a special package.

If you like Mary Kay Andrews, take a moment to read my review on The Newcomer, the book she wrote before The Santa Suit.

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The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel

Hello readers!  I wanted to tell you about another great book to check out – The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel.  It’s already creating a buzz in the book world even before its July 6 publication date.

The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel

Kristin, a master storyteller through the historical fiction outlet, continues her exploration of the Jewish experience during WWII. She takes a fresh angle by setting the book in the forests where Jews are hiding, rather than in the ghettos or extermination camps.

Twenty-some years ago a woman kidnapped two-year-old Yona  from her German parents. (Don’t worry. This isn’t a spoiler. The kidnapping happens right at the opening of the book.) Since then they have lived together in the forest. Yona is taught survival skills – how to provide food, shelter and physical protection for herself. Just as the war closes in on them, her kidnapper dies leaving Yona on her own.

Russian partisans and German troops begin canvassing the forests for Jews who have escaped nearby occupied towns. Although Yona was taught to fear people, she feels the need to help the Jews she finds in the forest. She can teach them the skills they need to survive.

For a book set mainly in the forest, it covers many topics: love, family, betrayal, surprises, danger, sacrifice, evil, discovery of self, questioning of ancestry, leadership vs. power, and more. 

The story feels realistic because it has balance. Yona can help some of the groups she encounters; others she cannot.  Sometimes she feels like part of a family and sometimes she feels like the outsider. She makes mistakes and she makes wise decisions. Other characters aren’t simply good or bad; they are complicated like real people. Continue reading “The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel”

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This Tender Land by William Kent Krueger

Hello readers!

Time to share another book worth your attention – This Tender Land. (Believe me, I read books I don’t share here because they just don’t make the cut!) Read the description below to see if this one interests you. Although I usually review books aimed at women, this historical fiction would definitely be of interest to men as well.

Living through The Great Depression is hard enough. Throw in four orphans involved in a crime and on the run from an abusive Indian school by canoeing down the rivers of Minnesota toward the Mississippi and you have an intense coming-of-age adventure reminiscent of Huckleberry Finn.

Odie and Albert O’Banion are the only white children at the Native American school. After a crime is committed, they flee with their friend Mose, a young Sioux at the school who is mute. At the last minute they include another friend, Emmy. As the four journey down the river, they rely on their instincts and the kindness of other people struggling through the depression. As kids, they need to learn to discern who to trust, and they don’t always get it right.  Loyalties and friendships are tested along the way. The journey includes displays of kindness, forgiveness, generosity, acceptance and self-discovery with a dash of mystery and a lesson in morality. 

 In a snapshot of The Great Depression Krueger has captured the essence of the American landscape including a traveling show with a faith healer, rail riders, and shantytowns dotting the banks of the rivers. William Kent Krueger has written This Tender Land so masterfully, I expect it will endure the test of time.

The book runs over 450 pages, but you wouldn’t want it to be any shorter. You may even find yourself wishing for more! These four children will touch your heart in a special way as you journey along with them .

If you’ve already read it, what did you think? If you haven’t, does my review tempt you to get a copy? I’d love to hear in the comments!

 

 

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Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet

If you’ve been following my blog, you know my favorite genre is women’s fiction, but historical fiction is a close second. Today’s recommendation fits this second category. It is one that would be enjoyed by both men and women readers. Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford educates readers of the injustices done to immigrants in America during WWII through a sweet story of an unlikely friendship.

The fictional protagonist Henry is the son of a Chinese immigrant living near Seattle during World War II. When Henry gets a scholarship to attend the all white school, he doesn’t fit in. He becomes the target of bullies because he looks like the enemy.

When Keiko shows up on scholarship, Henry knows his father would not approve of their developing friendship because of her Japanese ancestry. His father holds a grudge against the Japanese for invading his homeland of China. This isn’t enough to keep Henry from forming a friendship with the only person in school he relates to.

When Keiko’s family (and all the other Japanese families in the area) are rounded up and transported to internment camps,  Henry has to decide how far he is willing to disobey and disrespect his father for the sake of his friendship. Readers will marvel at Henry and Keiko’s ingenuity in making the best of a bad situation while remaining loyal to a country that feared them.   

This is a story of opposites: of friendship and love as well as hatred and racial injustice, of honor and loyalty as well as betrayal and lies. Told through dual timelines, readers experience the immediate effect of WW II inside the U.S. borders as well as its long term impact on Henry’s life in the 1980s. Many wonderful fictional stories have been written about Europe during WWII, but it is rare to get a glimpse of this side of the story, here inside our own country. I recommend reading this book not only because it is a good story, but because it may fill in gaps in some readers’ understanding of history.

 

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Two By Two by Nicholas Sparks

Do you have a favorite author?  For me, it’s Nicholas Sparks. If you don’t know who he is, which I find hard to imagine, perhaps it will ring a bell if you hear some of his titles, several which have been made into movies. He wrote A Walk to Remember, Dear John, Nights in Rodanthe, The Last Song, Message in a Bottle, Safe Haven, and the iconic The Notebook, just to name a few. He is usually thought of as an author of romance with tragic elements. He was my inspiration to start writing novels.

I just finished his latest book Two By Two. As much as I want to give it 5 stars, I can only give it 3.5. It was definitely worth the time to read it; however, Spark’s heartache from his own divorce understandably appears to be leaking into his writing. If you are looking for the typical Nicholas Sparks love story, this isn’t it. You might call it an anti-romance. Yet, I found the development of the main character interesting.

Through a large part of the novel (probably too much) we see the slow disintegration of a marriage. Russ is a people-pleaser. His wife Vivian manipulates him to the point that he becomes a non-entity in the relationship. When she leaves him, he struggles with his self-worth. He is overwhelmed by the divorce, his new role as a single parent and getting his new business up and running. Through these experiences and with the support of loved ones, Russ grows into a stronger man.

At first I thought it was strange that Sparks would write a book about a failing marriage. He’s supposed to write about romance, right?  And yet, it works. Readers feel for Russ as he goes from drowning in a nasty divorce to gasping Continue reading “Two By Two by Nicholas Sparks”

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The Identicals by Elin Hilderbrand

Robin’s Rave Reviews 2018 

Reading goes hand-in-hand with writing.  Writers need to be reading.  So in between writing, researching how to get published, building my social network/platform, and living life, I still find time to read.

I just finished The Identicals by Elin Hilderbrand which I would highly recommend.  The story revolves around twin sisters who are nothing alike.  One raised by her mother, the other by her father; one lives on Nantucket, the other on Martha’s Vineyard; one is very proper, the other leaps into trouble because she doesn’t think first.  They have been at odds with each other for years until a family tragedy forces them to cross paths.  Only they can decide if blood is thicker than the water that divides them.

What I liked:  The characters became like family to me.  They were realistic and interesting.   When I finished the last page, I didn’t want to leave their world.   I didn’t notice any slow spots in the story.   I just wanted to keep reading!  Elin used a smart parallel structure in her writing to masterfully show the differences in the women while also showcasing the differences between their two islands.  You will enjoy her nod to The Parent Trap when the women switch lives as they try to work out their personal issues.  

Fun Side Note:  Elin has a twin brother.  Obviously they aren’t identical, but she knows a thing or two about twinning!

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