Books
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Review: The Witch of Willow Hall by Hester Fox
This book has been all over my social media this October. With the word ‘witch’ in the title, its hardly a surprise that it would be trending throughout the most ‘haunted’ month of the year. Sometimes with books that receive so much hype, it’s hard to decide if it’s worth the read or not. I was intrigued by the combination of historical fiction and fantasy/paranormal. The early nineteenth century isn’t really my favorite period, but I was interested enough in the mixture of genres that I was eager to read this one and find out of the hype was indeed worth it. New Oldbury, 1821 In the wake of a…
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Review: Lady of a Thousand Treasures (The Victorian Ladies #1) by Sandra Byrd
I’ve read Sandra Byrd before and have loved her, she’s written a couple of different series all with a Christian base. I’ve always enjoyed her stories as they have a little romance and mystery mixed together with a sprinkling of Christian ideology. This book has been one that I have been looking forward to reading since I heard about it. I love the Victorian era and Byrd’s stories are always well written and interesting. I was asked t review this book by two different tour groups and was excited to start it as soon as I got the copy! Miss Eleanor Sheffield is a talented evaluator of antiquities, trained to…
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Review: Dear Santa by Nancy Naigle
It’s November first and I am in full holiday mode. I’m on of those obnoxious people that starts decorating and shopping for Christmas immediately following Halloween. I started my holiday reading a little early this year (normally I wait until after Halloween) since there were a lot of holiday books coming out. This is one that I had my eye on, mostly because it sounded like it was going to be an epistolary novel. Angela Carson wants nothing more than to be the third-generation to run her family’s holiday store, Heart of Christmas, successfully. They’ve weathered over sixty tourist seasons, major hurricanes, and urban sprawl, in their old decommissioned lighthouse.…
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Review: The Alienist (Dr. Laszlo Kreizler #1) by Caleb Carr
This book was super popular when it came out in the 1990’s and since TNT has made it into a mini series, the book is getting a lot of attention again. Back in February I picked up a copy of this book from the library and just couldn’t get into it. But for Halloween I really wanted to try it again so I found a copy at the library and started reading. What drew me in was the time period. I am fascinated by this time period and having a historical thriller set in New York’s late 19th century streets sounded exceptional. The year is 1896. The city is New…
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Review: The Girl They Left Behind by Roxanne Veletzos
This book is marketed to fans of Sarah’s Key and The Lilac Girls as well as fans of WWII family sagas. I was intrigued by the subject matter as well as the time period. As many of you know, I love war time books—mysteries, romances, family dramas etc—-so this book, historically fit right in. But what stood out for me was the plot for two main characters—–Natalia and Victor split apart by time and war. I loved the idea of seeing two characters from the same region having to pick sides during a war time occupation. I was interested to see how that scenario would pan out, so that’s how…
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Cover Reveal: At the Mountain’s Edge By Genevieve Graham
I’ve read two of Genevieve Graham’s novels and have been exceptionally impressed by her writing ability as well as her vision. She tends to look for untapped locations and periods in history to create her novels and I love that. She’s a Canadian writer and many of her books are set in Canada. Her latest book AT THE MOUNTAIN’S EDGE (due for release in April 2019) is no exception. Just the title makes me want to read this one and throw in love during the Klondike Gold Rush and I’m totally interested in hearing more about this book! I am thrilled to be able to share this stunning new cover…
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Design Review: LITERARY BOOK GIFTS
What bookworm doesn’t love bookish merchandise? I have a number of book t-shirts, socks, and of course tote bags in my closet and I am always on the hunt for cute little bookish gifts as well as more to add to my collection. While Out of Print tends to dominate the bookish merch market, here is why you should be looking at smaller companies that offer a quality product and original designs for bookworms—–personal touch. I recently discovered the company, Literary Book Gifts and they have a large selection of t-shirts (men and women styles) as well as a variety of colorful tote bags in a range of sizes. I…
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Review: The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
Right now, The Haunting of Hill House is everywhere thanks to the Netflix mini series. My sister and I do a buddy read for October/Halloween every year and each of us pick a book to read for the month and then we read it together. My pick was Frankenstein and The Haunting of Hill House was her pick. I wasn’t terribly excited about this book, but I’ve been looking for something similar to Crimson Peak (the movie) and this one sounded like it would be in the same vein—-though a more modern setting. I also picked up the Penguin Horror edition with an intro by Guillermo del Toro and I…
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Review: The Witch Elm by Tana French
Tana French has been an author that has been on my radar for years. In The Woods has been on my bookshelf for years but I just don’t think about it when I am looking for something to read. Though that might change now that I have actually experiences French’s writing. Her Dublin Murder Squad series has a huge cult following and people either love it or hate it, so that alone intrigues me, but yet about I find that I just don’t think to pick up her books. The Witch Elm is her first standalone book so I was eager to test out her writing and story telling without…
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Review: True Places by Sonja Yoerg
I have been long impressed with Yoerg’s novels and when she has a new one come up, I am always happy to review it! One of the things that I love about Yoerg’s books is that they are standalone novels and the character arcs are wrapped up in the book rather than stretching it out to multiple novels. She writes strong and impactful stories that leave readers satisfied with a resolved story that will stand out in the readers minds. This latest book is no different—a strong and memorable plot the left me wanting more yet left me feeling satisfied by the resolution. A girl emerges from the woods, starved,…