Category: Literary Criticism

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

Review: Death and Other Happy Endings by Melanie Cantor

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: Death and Other Happy Endings by Melanie Cantor

Sometimes persistence pays off. This book was pitched to me at least four times for review and each time I passed. Not because I didn’t want to read it, I just didn’t think I could fit it in anywhere close to the review date.

It wasn’t until the book physically arrived at my house that I took some real stock of my review calendar to see if I could accommodate this book. The publicist for this book raved about it with such passion that I felt compelled to work it in. I hate missing out on great books simply for calendar purposes so I made it happen.

I snuck in little bits of this book here and there each day and before I knew it, I was completely invested in this book and quickly saw what the big fuss was all about! Continue reading “Review: Death and Other Happy Endings by Melanie Cantor” →

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

Review: The Work of Art by Mimi Matthews

by The Lit Bitch11 Comments on Review: The Work of Art by Mimi Matthews

At Christmas, I had the privilege of reading Mimi Matthews’ holiday novella, Holiday by Gaslight, and absolutely adored it. I read it in like one sitting and often thought about what a great story it was.

I wanted desperately to pick up her other books, but that the time I just couldn’t fit them in. Since then she has become a USA Today Best Selling Author, and I continue to see people raving about her books all over my social media.

When this  book came up for review, I didn’t have room for it, but I knew I just had to work it in somehow. I remembered reading the holiday book so quickly that I hoped that would be the case for this one. Boy am I glad I made room for this one, even though I had to aggressively read a few of my other books, working this one in was absolutely worth it! Continue reading “Review: The Work of Art by Mimi Matthews” →

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

Review: The Summer Country by Lauren Willig (Audible Edition)

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: The Summer Country by Lauren Willig (Audible Edition)

To say that Lauren Willig is a favorite author of mine is the understatement of the year. Everything she touches is like magic for me. She is hands down one of my favorite authors and an author I have on auto-buy. Lauren Willig is historical fiction at its best—plain and simple.

When I saw this book was coming out and that it was set in the exotic location of Barbados, I knew it was going to be glorious and I had it on pre-order almost immediately. I was also gifted and early ARC of this book as well, but I knew between the cover and the author, I needed the finished product to put on my shelf!

When it came, I was knee deep in all my other summer reading and I was impatient to start this one, but it was also lengthy. So I decided to get it on Audible as well, that way I could listen to it when I was running my errands and alternate between reading and listening so that I could get it in faster! Continue reading “Review: The Summer Country by Lauren Willig (Audible Edition)” →

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

Review: A Stranger on the Beach by Michele Campbell

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: A Stranger on the Beach by Michele Campbell

Michelle Campbell is a new to me author, though I have had my eye on her debut novel, It’s Always the Husband, for over a year now. When this book came up for review, I was excited to try something by this author, even if it wasn’t the book that I had had my eye on for so long.

I enjoy domestic thrillers and this one sounded like it was going to be one of those books that I would devour in one or two sittings. And based on a number of other reviews that I had read,  most people would agree that this book could easily be read in a sitting or two since it was fast paced—like many domestic thrillers.

That’s why I needed up picking this book up rather late, I had it up for review on a Wednesday and started reading it on a Sunday afternoon with the hope that it would be a fast read that I would enjoy either at home or on the beach with my family. Continue reading “Review: A Stranger on the Beach by Michele Campbell” →

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

Review: The Undertaker’s Assistant by Amanda Skenandore

by The Lit Bitch1 Comment on Review: The Undertaker’s Assistant by Amanda Skenandore

The setting of this book instantly caught my eye and made me want to read it. It is set in Reconstruction Era Louisiana and features an undertakers assistant as the heroine. As many of you know, my Masters thesis was on women in Civil War nursing specifically Southern nurses through the Reconstruction era.

So to say that this book caught my eye was an understatement—I was practically chomping at the bit to read it! I finished my Masters degree three years ago, and since then I have not read a ton of books set in the Civil War or Reconstruction eras mostly because I felt burnt out but every once in a while, a book catches my eye and I can’t resist it—hence this book.

The other thing that excited me about this book was the main character, who is a freed slave who returns to the South to work as an embalmer. I thought this was an interesting angle and was excited to see how it played out in the story. Continue reading “Review: The Undertaker’s Assistant by Amanda Skenandore” →