Category: New! (Page 3 of 12)

These are the newest books I’ve recommended.

‘THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY’

October 25, 2020 /

Last month I published a post on books set in libraries. I didn’t expect to be adding to the list so soon but I just did:

The Midnight Library: A Novel by Matt Haig

‘JACKIE AND MARIA’

September 5, 2020 /

I just finished this intriguing book about Jackie Kennedy and Maria Callas and how their lives interconnected with Aristotle Onassis:

Jackie and Maria: A Novel of Jackie Kennedy & Maria Callas by Gill Paul

We already know Gill Paul can write an amazing story, and I’m fascinated by Jackie Kennedy (who isn’t?) but prior to reading, I had no idea who Maria Callas was.

Maria Callas was the most famous opera singer of this time period. She and Aristotle seemed to be soul mates, but he enjoyed “collecting famous people” and eventually, he couldn’t resist the challenge of wooing the world’s most famous widow.

‘THE VANISHING HALF’

August 24, 2020 /

I stayed up late last night to finish this book because I had to know how it ended.

The Vanishing Half: A Novel by Brit Bennett

After a family tragedy and hardships, twin sisters run away from their southern black community at age 16 and attempt to start new lives for themselves. Eventually, one of the sisters returns to her hometown with a daughter. The other sister pretends to be a white woman and disappears into a new life. After many years, coincidences begin to connect their lives again.

SUMMARY OF THE MARY TRUMP BOOK

August 8, 2020 /

When I tried to borrow this new book from the library there were over 100 people waiting for it!

Too Much and Never Enough: How My Family Created the World’s Most Dangerous Man by Mary L. Trump, Ph.D

I decided to purchase my own copy, and I am going to summarize it below for those of you who may still be waiting for it or are curious.

For several reasons I don’t think it’s necessarily worth recommending (though I’m glad I read it). So, if you prefer. you can read my summary, and move on to other books!

Usually I don’t “spoil” books, as you know if you read my blog regularly.

NEW BOOKS I’VE ENJOYED

August 6, 2020 /

Usually, I like to write a separate post on each book I enjoy and want to recommend…but I’ve been reading so much lately, partly due to being on vacation and because we have been using our motorhome a lot, I’ve gotten way behind on my posts. So I need to tell you about several books right now to get caught up! Hopefully you didn’t miss my last post on the best book I read on vacation.

‘THE LAST TRAIN TO KEY WEST’

July 30, 2020 /

I’m excited to tell you about a new book by an author who has quickly become a favorite of mine. First, because she writes about locations that I love. And secondly, because she tells great stories within a context of history and culture.

The Last Train to Key West by Chanel Cleeton

I’ve written before about how I love Key West and have even taken my kids there. So although the title would have piqued my interest anyway, this is the third book I have enjoyed by Chanel Cleeton, the first two being set in Cuba, another of the defining destinations of my life.

‘THE GRACE KELLY DRESS’

May 9, 2020 /

Yesterday I finished an enjoyable story about three generations of women living their lives and making a wedding dress their own.

The Grace Kelly Dress: A Novel by Brenda Janowitz

‘THE WORDS I NEVER WROTE’

May 2, 2020 /

This should not shock anyone who reads my posts regularly…I read and am recommending another WWII novel:

The Words I Never Wrote: A Novel by Jane Thynne

This book was featured on my early 2020 reading list.

In our standard dual timeline, it’s 2016 and Juno is looking for a typewriter as a prop for a photo shoot. She finds a Hermes 3000 that the seller says belonged to Cordelia Capel, a famous journalist. The timewriter case contains half of an unpublished novel.

Juno reads the novel which details Cordelia and her sister Irene’s lives before and during WWII, then the novel abruptly ends.

Cordelia works as a journalist in Paris and later for the British intelligence. Irene has married a German (in 1936) and is living in pre-war Berlin married to a highly respected man among the Nazi-party.

‘YOU ARE NOT ALONE’

April 11, 2020 /

I get a lot of the books I read from the library (love my library!!) so with our local library being closed for COVID-19, I’ve had to change up my reading routine.

First, I re-read a favorite book and then a couple of other older books I had sitting on my shelf at home, including this WWII novel set in Korea: White Chrysanthemum. And I’ve started a couple of books that will take me longer to read. See my post on reading more than one book at a time.

I do prefer ” real” books because I spend so much time on screens anyway, but eventually I was driven to my ipad and kindle account to see what I had available there. Luckily I have a couple waiting for me including this new thriller:

You Are Not Alone: A Novel by Greer Hendricks & Sarah Pekkanen

‘DEAR EDWARD’

March 8, 2020 /

At the end of 2019 I used one of my favorite Twitter hashtags – #AskALibrarian – to ask for new book recommendations with these qualities:

– a page turner

– book you can’t stop thinking about

– book that added something to your life

One of the recommendations I received – Dear Edward: A Novel by Ann Napolitano – was being released in 2020 so I immediately added it to my early 2020 release reading list.

And I’m posting today to say that YES, this is a book worth reading that met my qualifications above.