Literary Criticism
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Review: Come From Away by Genevieve Graham
I love when new authors find me and think that I will like their books. I am always intrigued because with the internet it’s hard to get a feel for people sometimes so when an author asks me if I would like to review their book or they think it’s something I will like—it always makes me pause. I can honestly say that I give every single book that comes across my desk for review, my full and complete consideration for this reason. Authors, publishers, friends on social media…..I read all the pitches. Now that doesn’t mean that I review them all, but if it truly is something I’m interested…
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Review: My Dear Hamilton: A Novel of Eliza Schuyler Hamilton by Stephanie Dray and Laura Kamoie
Hamilton is everywhere thanks to Lin-Manuel Miranda! All of a sudden US History is cool again and everyone wants to get their hands on the hottest tickets in town! Currently the musical is playing in Portland which is near where I live and tickets are going for $400 a pop. I’ve been trying to enter the giveaway thing that they do for tickets but never seems to win—does anyone??? So like so many other Americans I too have jumped on the Hamilton train and plan to ride it all the way until I can see the musical which will likely never happen at this rate but a girl can dream!…
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Review: Too Close to Breathe (Frankie Sheehan #1) by Olivia Kiernan
Lately I’ve been trying to branch out and read more thrillers, especially more modern thrillers. They are usually quick reads for me and I sometimes get stuck in the ‘past’ reading a bunch of historical mysteries that I think it’s 1880 rather than 2018 so, breaking things up is a good thing for me. This one came up and it’s from an author that I have never heard of but I saw that the book was set in Dublin which I thought made the book sound different and interesting. I have also seen it compared to IN THE WOODS, I’ve not read IN THE WOODS yet, but I’ve heard great…
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Review: The Secret to Southern Charm (Peachtree Bluff #2) by Kristy Woodson Harvey
I have a soft spot in my heart for southern literature. In college I had to read Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil and that book actually revived my interest in reading. At that time I hadn’t picked up a ‘for fun book’ in about five years so when I read that book even though it was for a class, I remembered how much I loved books. One of the things that I loved about that book was the unique southern charm. Now that book was obviously not chick lit or women’s fiction and I am most certain that it was not meant to be ‘charming’ but the…
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Review: The Anatomy of Death (Dr Dody McCleland #1) by Felicity Young
This book caught my eye right after Christmas. I was coming off of a historical mysteries binge and I was eager for another new heroine. I was so excited to read this one but I had to get through a couple of other books on my review calendar before I indulged. Then the urge disappeared and I didn’t pick it up again for a couple of months. I was finally ready for something new and was eager to get to know Dr Dody McCleland. Not only is this book based in the Edwardian era (my favorite) but Dody is also a medical examiner and I thought that would be an…
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Review: Why Kill the Innocent (Sebastian St. Cyr #13) by C.S. Harris
I’ve kind of jumped around in this series. I was first introduced to this series when the twelfth book came across my desk for review. I had never heard of the series before but I was intrigued. So much so that I picked up the first book in the series to read before I jumped in so late in the series. Yes there are a lot of things that happen between book 1 and book 12 as one might expect and yes I was a little disorientated reading the 12th book after basically missing a lot of character development and plot points. However I love Sebastian St Cyr as a…
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Review: Lost Books and Old Bones (Scottish Bookshop Mystery #3) by Paige Shelton
Full disclosure….I read this one simply because I liked the title and cover. Yes I was lured in by a pretty cover with the word ‘books’ in the title and I loved the sweet dog. I can never resist a book with a cute dog on the cover. I’m terrible. I didn’t care if it was the third book in a series, or if it an over the top cozy. I just saw the cover and title and I just had to read it! Delaney Nichols, originally of Kansas but settling happily into her new life as a bookseller in Edinburgh, works at The Cracked Spine in the heart of…
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Review: The Italian Party by Christina Lynch
Sometimes I feel adventurous and I read books outside of my traditional review genres. I do this for a couple of reasons……sometimes its for my own pleasure, meaning something sounded interesting. Other times it’s for my readers (and me too) so they are exposed to other books besides the normal preference. Then there are times when I’ve been deep in my usual review genre that I just need a break. That’s what happened with this book. I had been reading so many historical mysteries and cozies that I felt like I needed something different with a little more meat. Newly married, Scottie and Michael are seduced by Tuscany’s famous beauty.…
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Review: Death of an Unsung Hero (Lady Montfort Mystery #4) by Tessa Arlen
I’ve had the pleasure of reading all but one of the books in the Lady Montford Mystery series and they have all been wonderful reads. I love watching how Arlen’s writing has evolved over the series so far and this book was such a pleasure to read! This book really stood out to me as the best in the series thus far though. Maybe it’s my love of WWI that really made this one stand out or maybe it was seeing the progression of Lady Montford and seeing her family, but either way this was a lovely read and I loved it on many levels! In 1916, the world is…
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Review: Death by Dumpling (A Noodle Shop Mystery #1) by Vivien Chien
I love getting in on a new mystery series from the ground up. This book was not only a new series but it also had an intriguing title…..a noodle shop mystery??? Yes please! When I first saw that cover I was totally sold. Not only did it sound like an interesting read but I also immediately wanted Chinese take out to commemorate the reading of this book! Welcome to the Ho-Lee Noodle House, where the Chinese food is to die for. . . The last place Lana Lee thought she would ever end up is back at her family’s restaurant. But after a brutal break-up and a dramatic workplace walk-out,…