Fiction

Review: My Brilliant Friend (The Neapolitan Novels #1) by Elena Ferrante

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Layout 1Whilst I really enjoyed this book, I still have to wonder what all the hype is about. The beginning is what kept me going though page after page. I really want to find out what happens to the two girls…

I did enjoy Elena’s story of growing up. Not so much Lila’s. I don’t know. I mean, it’s not like I didn’t understand both girls. I do. To me, it’s just so obvious that Lila is a survivor and she neither needs or wants our pity. She is one with a lonely life…no matter how many people she will surround herself with later on in life…however, I strongly believe that the lonely life is one she has chosen willingly to have all that she wants in life….don’t understand? Read the book…

Elena on the other hand….She is a survivor as well….but her survival is based on her hard work…and I don’t think she will ever feel like a survivor or as a success…no matter how much fame or wealth comes her way. She will always be looking for some other fulfillment that I fear will never come…

Okay, so maybe I did like the book a bit more than I realise after writing this review…

However, I still feel sorry for one girl…so much so that I want to shake her because I am so angry. Elena is like another Melanie (GWtW) and Lily is Scarlett…I don’t have much patience for either type of girl really….

There are other ways in life to survive….

Until next time…

Urania xx

Buy it now My Brilliant Friend by Elena Ferrante

Review: Piece of Mind by Michelle Adelman

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I admit, I’m a sucker for young adultish stories about people facing challenges of all kinds.  Physical, emotional, mental…I love reading about how people overcome obstacles to succeed.

Lucy has a happy life.  Maybe some people would disagree, but as a victim of a traumatic brain injury at age three, her life is as good as she could hope.  Sure, she still lives at home with dad at the ripe old age of twenty-seven.  But they have their routines, and consistency is what she thrives on. She has trouble relating to people and depends on her dad to help her stay organized and on schedule.

All that changes, however, when her dad suddenly dies leaving her an orphan.  Thankfully she has a brother to swoop in and take over, albeit a younger brother.  Nate finds himself having to give up college, his band, his independence, pretty much everything as Lucy moves into his tiny apartment with him.  Of course there are many struggles to adjust, and some of them don’t go so well.  Lucy has to ask herself if she’s truly as helpless as she’s led herself to believe.  Or has she been making excuses all these years?

This could easily be called a coming of age story even though Lucy is older than your typical young person who tries to find herself.  But there are real problems for Lucy as she faces the prospect of being on her own, finding romance, taking on a job. The story feels authentic from beginning to end and encompasses all you would imagine such a person going through.  Very enjoyable!

~Thalia

Buy It Now:  Piece of Mind

 

Review: Sweet Tomorrows by Debbie Macomber

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Though it’s the last in the Rose Harbor series, Sweet Tomorrows read as beautifully as a standalone novel to me. 

Jo Marie and her inn work their magic on handyman Mark… until he pours out his heart and then lays down some surprising news. Lucky for her, newcomer Emily arrives, offering distraction as well as a helping hand. 

Emily needs healing of her own, but finds more complications when she sees a possible future home in the renovated house down the street. 

I loved the comforting tone of this story. Macomber wrote the inn as a respite, and it certainly came across as warm and inviting.  Jo Marie’s and Emily’s journeys were gradual and authentic, their feelings believable, and their resolutions satisfying. After reading Sweet Tomorrows I wished I had read the whole series! 

-calliope

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Review: Santorini Sunsets by Anita Hughes

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Brigit is preparing for her dream wedding … to a dream guy. Blake may have come from modest beginnings but he’s rich and famous now. And he gets along well with Brigit’s family (but maybe too well).  

As Brigit, Blake and their families wrap up the last weeks of planning in picturesque Santorini, Greece, Brigit’s broody ex-husband shows up. 

Nathaniel still loves Brigit, but she’s pretty focused on Blake. I liked that Brigit stayed true to herself the whole time. She didn’t sell out or lie or betray. And neither did Blake and Nathaniel. Hughes wrote some terrific characters that didn’t compromise their own values. Each man and woman acted authentically, and the chips fell where they may.  

As always with Hughes’ exotically set novels, she richly describes landscape, sea, people, food, and clothing.  Reading Santorini was luxurious and satisfying, right up through the happily ever after. 

-calliope

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Review: The Last Kingdom (The Saxon Series #1) by Bernard Cornwell

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68527F’ing hell what a book. What in the world am I to read next as I can’t jump into book 2 right away. I need to savour this series and my beloved warrior, Uhtred Ragnarson…

That was all I could write when I finished this book and attempted to do a review. Really…I was just overwhelmed…now it has been several weeks and I still don’t know what to say…

Here is part of a conversation I had with with a mate when she told me she didn’t like historical reads:
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Really isn’t that different than some of the other stuff you’ve read honestly…except some of it is based on fact…King Alfred the great, the Danes and some of the battles…but people are people no matter the time…

Basically a young orphaned boy that discovers what it feels to loved and valued for the first time in the enemy’s camp…later his loyalties are tested time and time again…people want him to be educated, but he just wants to be a warrior…

A quote that won’t leave my mind from the book

‘Touch a harp,’ I said, ‘and it just makes noise, but play it and it makes music.’

The same is true about writing…put letters on a page and you just have words, but written by a gifted writer and true magic can happen….

Once again (never happens enough for me) a book I’ve read that is well deserving of its high ratings…
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That’s what this book was to me…true magic….I am ready to continue on with book 2…let’s be honest…I can’t stop thinking about book 1, even though it’s been near two months…I might as well follow my heart and carry on…

as testament to another quote from the book…

Destiny is everything

Until next time…

Urania xx

The Last Kingdom by Bernard Cornwell

Spoiler free review and Giveaway: It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover

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01 iewu Imagine all the people you meet in your life. There are so many. They come in like waves, trickling in and out with the tide. Some waves are much bigger and make more of an impact than others. Sometimes the waves bring with them things from deep in the bottom of the sea and they leave those things tossed on the shore. Imprints against grains of sand that prove the waves had once been there, long after the tide recedes.

Have you ever preordered a book, without even a blurb? I mean, the story wasn’t even written yet, but you did it cuz you LOVE the author so much and know that whatever she writes you’ll buy. Well, that was me back in October. I preordered It Ends With Us, by Colleen Hoover, and then I was waiting like everyone else. Luckily I was able to read an advanced copy, so I know the impact this book is going to have and I HIGHLY recommend each of you grab a copy for yourselves. Go in blind. You MUST. Don’t read a single spoiler. Trust me.

To say that I love Colleen Hoover, would be an understatement. I love and read all of her books. I know what to expect when I read them. There will be laughter and love and a nice dose of angst. But with this book… This book is so much more than that. Nothing could prepare my heart and mind for all the emotions that this book would bring out. It Ends With Us is the most real book she has ever written. It’s probably the most life changing one also. It’s real. It’s raw. It’s life.

This book will make you think. The world is not just black and white. There is grey everywhere you look. I can honestly say that I went in reading with one point of view and I left knowing, not that I was wrong, but, there’s just more to a story than you may know.

This book will make you be a better friend. You will want to be that person for someone. The one to listen and give advice. The one who will say what needs to be said, even if they don’t want to hear it.

This book will make you strong and proud. Without saying anything else, whoever reads this book will walk away with the strength to be brave and bold.

I spent a good portion, of my reading, with my stomach in knots. I’ve never hated and loved characters so much before. They were perfect and imperfect. My mind was all twisted. I didn’t think I could fully comprehend this story’s impact, until hours later. Even now, I know it’ll be greater than anything I could think of. I recommend it everyone.

I realize this is probably the most vague review ever, but there is no way I could say anything without saying, well, anything. Just trust me.

Buy it. Read it. Let it change your life.

~Melpomene

Buy It Ends With Us

Enter the giveaway HERE.

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Review: Wake the Hollow by Gaby Triana

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I love fairy tales and folktales and all the assorted retellings & twisted versions that come along with them.  There’s just something about an author who takes a familiar story and puts their own spin on it without changing the basics of the story.  That’s just what you get with this take on an old favorite, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.

Mica hasn’t seen her mother in years, since she made the decision to move with her dad halfway across the country.  But when her mom passes away, it falls on her shoulders to settle things in Sleepy Hollow before resuming her fast-paced life with her dad. When she returns, however, she finds things very much the same while also being very different.  Prejudices against her family still exist, and rumors still run rampant about her mom.  Add in an intriguing stranger along with the legend of Ichabod Crane and Mica has one heck of a mystery on her hands.  Can she trust her childhood friend or is he on the other side?  Was her mom guilty of the crimes everyone seems to believe?  And let’s not forget her dad.  He has his own secrets hidden away.

This was a great story from beginning to end.  The author retains enough of the original story to lend a feeling of familiarity while at the same time blending it with new characters and new problems.  The mystery aspect was strong, leaving me wondering about bits and pieces until the very end. A good read!

~Thalia

Buy It Now:  Wake the Hollow

Review ~ The Sympathizer, by Viet Thanh Nguyen

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You may think I’m exaggerating when I say that this is perhaps the most original novel that I’ve read in years, but I promise you, I’m not.  Written in an epistolary style, we immediately learn that the protagonist is writing a confession. 

Set in the last days of the Vietnam war, our unnamed narrator is working for a powerful general in the South as they are making preparations to evacuate to the United States. However, our narrator is a double agent who is also working for the North. 

Now, this isn’t your standard thriller. Oh no. Whilst the central plot line is taut and exciting, a good 50% of this novel is made up of philosophical musings. Usually this would bore me and induce eye rolls, but Nguyen offers up some fascinating commentary throughout. The protagonist doesn’t fit into the cookie cutter style spy character, nor does his motives throughout the novel. Being a son of a white French man and a Vietnamese mother, having an American style education, and possessing the ability to understand both sides of the Vietnamese conflict, our unnamed narrator truly reflects his namesake of The Sympathizer. 

I must mention that I listened to this via Audible. I also have the kindle version, but for some reason, I couldn’t get into as much. The audible narration is very good and because the narrator is talking to an unnamed capture, having narration makes you feel like you are listening to to his written confession. 

If you’re a fan of Vietnamese history, liked books such as The Headmaster’s Wager, or simply want to take a gamble on something completely different to your usual read, then go ahead and pick this one up. 

Until next time,

Pegasus. 

The Sympathizer

Review: Death at the Day Lily Cafe by Wendy Sand Eckel

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Here we have Rosalie who has the grand opening of her long-sought-after cafe. And what happens? Friend Doris stumbles in all agog that her sister is being accused of murder! Rosalie is no stranger to crime investigation, so she gets right on that, much to the sheriff’s chagrin. 

While Rosalie tries to find the real murderer, she’s also managing employees, keeping track of her health, being a mom, hanging out with the farmer who leases her land, and keeping a bad guy out of her hair! 

This is a cute cozy mystery that also includes romance and family secrets. It’s second in a series, and I didn’t read the first one… so it was hard to feel engaged with all the characters right off the bat. However, I did love the cafe setting, Rosalie’s daughter, the farmer, and the lovely cook! 

-calliope

Buy DEATH AT THE DAY LILY CAFE

Review: Luck, Love & Lemon Pie by Amy E Reichert

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27274359Totally gutted over this novel. I read Reichert’s first novel in less than 24 hours and absolutely loved it! I went running to the computer to find more by her! When I was approved for this novel I think I actually did a happy dance!!!

I didn’t stay dancing for long. I sometimes actually like “chick lit”…okay, so maybe this will be the only time I admit to that….

butttttttt….this novel is one of the reasons I will rarely admit it. You have a middle-aged lady who is all but ignored by her husband and children. She gets drunks, basically decides to ignore her family and seeks to “find herself” by doing exactly what has made her feel so unworthy to begin with. Not spending time with her husband, not spending time with her children and ignoring their wants and needs.

No one is saying that you need to devote yourself 100% to others and ignore yourself. However, I feel no sympathy for someone who complains about how they feel unappreciated and then proceeds to go off and “unappreciate” their own loved ones and justifies it as it’s about time she did something for herself.

I don’t think you need another man outside of your husband to make you feel attractive. I don’t think your husband should only find you attractive once someone else does.

I think there is a happy medium and that author took the easy way out and went to the extreme.

Sorry, I absolutely loved her first book…and I will keep her on my radar for the future, but there wasn’t really anything I found to like in this novel. Women often sell themselves short in real life..and then go to the extreme to correct that…This novel is a perfect example of how to do just that…

Until next time…

Urania xx

ARC provided by Netgalley for an honest review

Buy it now Luck, Love & Lemon Pie by Amy E Reichert