Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: The Tuscan Daughter by Tessa Harris

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: The Tuscan Daughter by Tessa Harris

I have been a long time Tessa Harris fan! I read a few of her standalone books over the years and always feel like it was time well spent! I have also enjoyed her mystery series! It’s rare when an author can seamlessly cross over between different genres! She writes with knowledge on several topics and I have been looking forward to this one since I was first approached about it! I couldn’t wait to check it out!

This book takes us to Italy during WWII and gives us interesting insight into the resistance movement in Italy during that time. I don’t really have much background knowledge about the politics of Italy at the time or where they fit into WWII. Most of my own interest and research has been limited to England, France and Germany during this time. However when I saw this book was going to be set in Italy with this kind of new to me history, I was totally on board to review it!

Lately I have been kind of in this reading funk. The books I have been reading have been mostly by authors that I know I will love, but even then I have been so bogged down with work that reading has been difficult. But this book was one that I was anticipating for so long that I made sure I had time and room for it on my calendar and I am so glad that I did because it offered the escape that I desperately needed!

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Books, Reading

From Classics to Modern Bestsellers: Evolution of Gay Dating Themes in Literature

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on From Classics to Modern Bestsellers: Evolution of Gay Dating Themes in Literature

Books are beautiful and valuable for many reasons, but one of the most important must be mirroring the society. Even fictional books in dystopian or utopian worlds show the author’s feelings and opinions about their area and society. So today we’ll look into the evolution of gay dating in literature.

You’ll notice that topics have changed, which is good because it shows that the world is moving to acceptance and equality. But of course, remember that real dating and relationships in books aren’t the same (that can be more or less true depending on the genre).

Let’s first look at the differences…

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Book Critic, Book Review, Books, Literary Criticism, Reading

Review: What the Mountains Remember by Joy Callaway

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: What the Mountains Remember by Joy Callaway

I love the Edwardian era. I love the hats, the dresses, and the history! There aren’t that many books set during that time period so when I see one come up for review, I usually jump on it! This particular author is a new to me author and while I have heard of some of her books, I haven’t read any of them yet! So when I saw this book up for review, I was eager for the time period/setting and because I love discovering new to me authors!

To be honest though, this setting didn’t really appeal to me—a new hotel, the Grove Park Inn in the North Carolina mountains, seemed a little basic and uninspiring. However when I started reading about the hotel, the setting grew on me. The Blue Ridge Mountains feel more rugged and robust to me so when I started reading this book I was thinking it would be more like roughing it camping rather than ‘glamping’. Ultimately I ended up really enjoying the setting which was surprising! I thought it added an interesting change for readers!

If you are a historical fiction fan, I hope this one is on your radar! It’s a lovely novel and I think readers will find something refreshing in the pages! I know I did! I am now eager to read more books by this author! I know she has written a number of other historical fiction books set during similar time periods with promising stories that offer new and untold narratives! I cannot wait to check out some of her other books as this one was wonderful!

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Books, Reading

Special Feature and Excerpt: These Tangled Threads by Sarah Loudin Thomas

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Special Feature and Excerpt: These Tangled Threads by Sarah Loudin Thomas

This author is a new to me author which is one of the reasons why I wanted to check this book out! I love discovering new to me authors! Often I have authors that I already know and love or maybe a good friend or family member recommends someone to me, but overall I have kind of my ‘set go to’ authors. Which is all well and good but one of the reasons I started book reviewing is because I wanted to find new authors. This author has written quite a new books so she is not new to the writing world but new on my radar!

This book is a standalone and fits into a couple of genres, historical fiction, Christian Fiction, and Romance. So basically a little something for everyone! Lately I have been really scaling down my book reviews, I love book reviewing but I have come to a point where I need to be more selective with my reading calendar at times which has been good but also sometimes it sucks when books like this come along and I really want to read it! For this particular book, I opted to do an excerpt and before I knew it, I was looking at my calendar for later this spring to see if I could work this one in!

It sounded so good and I really enjoyed the excerpt I am sharing today! It’s rare that I make room on my review calendar but for this one, I am looking into late May for a review. It sounded so good and had so much to recommend it. If you love historical fiction with a little romance then I think this will be a book you will want to get on your radar. Keep reading below for all the details and of course a great except!

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Books, Reading

The Power of Words: How to Write Reviews That Resonate with Readers

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on The Power of Words: How to Write Reviews That Resonate with Readers

Picture this:

You’re at a giant labyrinth’s entrance, like the one from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. You have no idea what’s waiting for you inside. Would the labyrinth’s turns be intimidating if you decided to enter? Would you meet beasts or other challenges on the way out?

Is there any point in entering and getting through that labyrinth, after all?

This labyrinth is a new book you’re holding in a bookstore. You wonder whether it’s worth your money and time. It would be nice to read that book’s review first to understand what messages and senses it hides, wouldn’t it?

A passionate bookworm, you could write stellar book reviews, thus creating roadmaps to navigate others through literary terrain and narrative labyrinths.

This short guide will show you how.

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