Books, Reading

Special Feature: The Ride of Her Life by Elizabeth Letts

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Special Feature: The Ride of Her Life by Elizabeth Letts

I have had a life long love affair with horses. I absolutely love horses and grew up riding (hunters and western reigning). As I grew into an adult I continued riding and purchased my own horse when I was in my 30s. Horses are such magnificent animals and to be honest there is no friend like a horse. I cried for days when I sold mine. I entered a new phase in my life (parenthood) and had to pause my riding. I do know that I will return to riding one day—-that is a guarantee.

When I was a child I must have read Black Beauty and The Saddle Club books a million times, as an adult I read The Eighty-Dollar Champion, also one of Elizabeth Letts books. My horse was an off the track thoroughbred (OTTB) and a big white gelding. So to say I connected with Letts books was an understatement. She has a unique way of capturing the essence of bond between horse and owner/rider and writes with such passion for the animals and their stories.

Now that her next book, The Ride of Her Life is out, you can guarantee that I have it already downloaded and ready to read this summer. This book follow the real life story of Annie Wilkins who rides her horse across the U.S. to see the Pacific ocean before she dies. If you love moving stories that included horses and other animals, then you don’t want to miss this one. The story of Annie Wilkins is incredible and quite moving even if you aren’t into horses you don’t want to miss this truly unique story! Be watching for my review later this summer!

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Books, Reading

Special Feature: The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Special Feature: The Chosen and the Beautiful by Nghi Vo

This book has been generating a ton of buzz…..a Great Gatsby retelling that features and Asian queer character? It hits all the high notes for exciting new releases in my book! I am not a huge Great Gatsby fan but I know I am in the minority on that front but I also think that a more modern take on the classic characters sounds exciting to say the least.

This book is on all the lists right now: OprahMag.com, USA Today, Buzzfeed, Parade Magazine, and many more. Early reviews are also consistently giving high marks for this one. It is author Nghi Vo’s debut novel as well and I always find debuts to be a mixed bag…..sometimes they are amazing and sometimes they are not but I think the excitement and buzz that comes with ‘a new author’s first release’ is hard to top—-good or bad.

The modern mashup retelling is out now and I am so thrilled to be sharing a bit about this book with all of you guys. If you are a lover of The Great Gatsby, then you want to get your hands on this modern retelling. Even if you aren’t into The Great Gatsby, this book promises to tick all the boxes—–buzz worthy story, a queer person of color—-you can’t go wrong with this one. Pick up a copy today!

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

Review: The Missing Sister (The Seven Sisters #7) by Lucinda Riley

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: The Missing Sister (The Seven Sisters #7) by Lucinda Riley

It’s finally here…..the last book in one of my favorite book series, The Seven Sisters. I have adored my time with the D’Aplièse sisters and their respective romances and stories. Some of the books I liked better than others but overall this series is rock solid with rich characters and stories. I love the alternating time lines and how epic and sweeping the stories always feel.

These books have so much content for readers to sink their teeth into in both the main modern story and the historic one. Personally I always enjoy the historical side better but the D’Aplièse sisters and the mystery of Pa Salt kept me engaged and curious throughout the series. Through the other six books I often wondered if there was truly going to be a 7th book. It was noted so many times in the series there there was a missing sister and honestly I wondered if there would only be six books.

However the sixth book, The Sun Sister, left zero room to doubt that a 7th book would be forthcoming and I couldn’t have been more excited. I hoped that all the lingering questions from the other books would be cleared up in this one…..but it didn’t. If anything it left me with more questions then answers.

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Books, Reading

Special Feature: The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict

by The Lit Bitch1 Comment on Special Feature: The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict

I am so excited to be sharing this book with you guys today. Not only does it have a historical element that includes a library, but I think the social commentary will give readers so much to sink their teeth into! This book features the story of Belle da Costa Greene who works for J.P. Morgan collecting rare books.

While she might pass as ‘white’ she is actually the daughter of Harvard’s first black graduate. She keeps her identity secret and the book explores her life as well as the struggles she faced as a person of color in the 1920s. I am so excited for this one and the only thing I am sad about is that my review calendar is full for June otherwise I would be reading it now!

If you love untold stories with a lot to unpack I think this is going to be a great book for you to pick up. When I read the description my other thought was it would be a good fit for book clubs too considering some of the content. No doubt historical fiction fans have already had this one on their radar for some time now and with good cause! Early reviews are strong and overwhelmingly positive, it’s coming out a little later this month so be sure to check this one out!

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

Review: The Drowning Kind by Jennifer McMahon (Audible Edition)

by The Lit BitchLeave a Comment on Review: The Drowning Kind by Jennifer McMahon (Audible Edition)

I read my first Jennifer McMahon book when I was on vacation a few years ago. The Winter People was so good and I immediately went out and bought more of her books! She has such a unique voice and I love the gothic/creepy vibe so much and I love that she is from Vermont and sets all of her books there. I can feel her pride and love for Vermont in all the books I have read by her.

When I saw this book was coming out, I couldn’t wait. It sounded eerie and I loved that mysterious cover so much. I haven’t listened to any of her books before so I thought this would be a great book to start with. My book club even picked it as our May read and we were all super excited to read and discuss it.

For me personally, I don’t think this book was as strong as some of her others but overall it was a haunting ghost story with a creepy connection to the past. I also loved the narrators. The historic narrator wasn’t my favorite at first (she was really wispy) but within a few chapters I started to really enjoy her soothing voice, but the modern narrator was great!

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