One of the things I love most about reading, is that books give you a chance to escape life - even if it's just for a few minutes a day. Whether they are fiction or non-fiction, funny or sad, books can often take you to another world.
We all need a good escape from time to time, and books do that for me. If they do that for you too, take a look at my reviews and pick one (or two or three) that interest you!
And while I always share a link to help you quickly navigate how to buy all of the books I review - in whichever form you prefer to consume your books - remember to always check with your local library as well. I'm a huge supporter of libraries, and any books I read that I didn't receive as an ARC, is a book I took out of my local library.
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Wyoming Brides by Debbie Macomber
This is two stories in one book. The first focuses on Letty and Chase. They fall in love growing up, but Letty's desire to become a singer leads her to move to California. Chase stays on his ranch in Wyoming, and never gives up on her return. When she finally does return after 9 years with her daughter, will Chase really take her back?
The second story is about Letty's brother Lonny and local schoolteacher Joy.
This is just an average romance novel. I felt the first story was much better, as it had more of a plot to it. The second was more of a will they or won't they fall in love kind of a story. Three out of five stars.
How I Lost My Kidneys In China: A Twenty-Five-Year Overindulgant Odyssey by Randall Flores
After reading this, it's actually pretty amazing that the author is still alive and could tell his story. The book covers the time the author spent in China. It begins with him as a young college student looking for an adventure in a country he loves. He seeks out employment so that he can stay, and the majority of the book is a very eye opening account of how business works in China.
From the all day long drinking to excess, to the indulgent meals, add on top of that non-stop work and traveling. The author subjected his body to an amount of abuse not many people would survive. And even when his health started to fail at the young age of 30, he continued.
This book is frustrating. How anyone could deal with the serious health issues the author did and not try to make lifestyle changes is beyond me. The book is also enlightening, seeing how China has changed over the years. It's also a look into how the Chinese health system works and how business works in China.
This book is very long, and I do think it would benefit from some editing, as parts were very repetitive. You can only read about the author's multi-day benders so many times. But, it's fascinating and almost like watching a train wreck.... you can't look away.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Four out of five stars!
In Gad We Trust: A Tell-Some by Josh Gad
This is a fantastically fun and funny memoir by Josh Gad. If you don't know him by name, you would probably recognize him by face from some of the roles he's played. And if you or your kids are into "Frozen", you would definitely recognize his voice as Olaf.
Josh does a great job of sharing his story in a way that is touching, but still full of his comedic wit. He's a great writer, and does an excellent job of putting his story together.
This was one I started one evening, and couldn't wait to pick up again and finish the next.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Four out of five stars!
Secrets In A Magical Pond by Larry Bell
Edward has discovered that his wife is having an affair with his partner in his medical practice. He finds himself at the bottom of a pond in his car, after driving aimlessly and deciding to end it all. Unfortunately for him, his car is airtight and doesn't allow him to do what he was hoping to, and he is literally fished out of the pond by Walter.
Walter takes him back to the complex where he lives, which Edward soon discovers is filled with other people trying to escape their past. As Edward struggle to determine whether he wants to stay in this place in the middle of nowhere, where he can hide from his past life and problems, he ends up falling in love with one of the women that lives there, Lama.
The author does a great job of developing each of the characters, revealing their pasts and how they ended up living in the place together. The Edward and Lama love story seems a bit contrived and not really necessary for the story. The end is a bit surprising, and leaves you with more questions than answers. A short and sweet book, but it was a little hard to follow at times and I found it slow to get into the story.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Three out of five stars.
The Secret Keeper by Kate Morton
This is a book that I would have rated a 3 at the beginning, a 4 by the middle, and a 5 at the end.
The book is about Vivien, Dorothy (Dolly) and Jimmy - three people whose lives are forever intertwined after their paths all cross in London during WWII. The "secret" starts with an incident that Dorothy's daughter Laurel witnesses while she is a teenager in the 1960s. Flash forward to present day, when Dorothy is coming near the end of her life. Laurel becomes obsessed with figuring out her mother's secret before she dies, and understanding what she witnessed that day and why it happened.
The author does a masterful job of weaving together this story. Just when you think you have things figured out, there is another surprise and twist to the story. A definite page turner with characters and a story you won't forget. Four out of five stars!
Leading What Matters Most: A Business Parable On Unlocking Human Potential by Phil Geldart
When I read a business book, I want to walk away from it knowing I've taken at least a couple of solid pieces of knowledge that I can apply in my job. This book just didn't do that for me.
I did like the approach of the book, which was a bit different than most business books. It was basically written as one long case study of a fictional business called Talon Tech, that is doing a great job on the tech side of their business, but a horrible job on the people side. The CEO, Bridget, brings in Ray, who is a consultant that specializes in helping companies transform by bringing in his people and leadership development program.
There is lots of talk of "changing behaviors" and of some unorthodox training programs, but not any clear direction. And while I get that the author doesn't want to give away his secrets in a book, and would rather you hire him to implement his program, I expect a little bit of solid business advice or learning something substantive that I didn't know.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Three out of five stars.
Wifedom: Mrs. Orwell's Invisible Life by Anna Funder
Many people know the name George Orwell, who wrote the classic novels "1984" and "Animal Farm". However, most people don't know anything about his first wife, Eileen, and the influence she had on his work and his life. That's the subject of this book.
And while the book is meant to be her biography, the author also clearly wants to get across the message that all of the biographies about Orwell fail to give a full picture of him and his faults. This book focuses on everything that Eileen gave up to support Orwell - from caring for him when he was ill, to running the household, to working to earn money for them, to editing his work and giving him ideas, etc. - all to the detriment of her own career and even health.
If you are a fan of Orwell and prefer not to know the negative things about him, skip this book. If you want an interesting perspective on his life and how he made it "all about him" even if it hurt someone he loved, then you should check this one out.
I thought this was well written and clearly researched well. The author tosses in pieces of her own life, which I didn't feel added anything to the book and made the timelines confusing at times.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Three out of five stars.
Off Course (Aballonia 25th Century, Book 1) by H.A. Fowler
This book takes place in the 25th century. Cathy has been fired from her job as a journalist because she can't produce evidence that the story she wrote about food trials is true. The person she used as her source for her story has disappeared. She decides that the only way to clear her name, is to travel from "Earthen" to the planet where the food trials are taking place - Aballonia - and try to find her source. Traveling with her is Istvan, who she has hired to be her fixer/translator.
The rest of the book takes the reader through Cathy's quest for the truth on Aballonia. I thought the concept of the story was good, and I found it interesting and entertaining. The writing itself was a bit disjointed, and left me confused at times. I also didn't really find the whole story line about Cathy previously having an alcohol problem to be needed. Again, it seemed disjointed and inconsistent in how it was weaved into the story.
Fast enough paced and an interesting enough story to get through, but the writing could have been better.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Three out of five stars.
Star-Crossed Egg Tarts (Magical Fortune Cookie, Book 2) by Jennifer J. Chow
This mystery is centered on figuring out who murdered one of the groomsmen at a wedding. The main characters and focus of this book series are Felicity and Kelvin. The two are best friends who also own businesses that had them both as vendors at the wedding. Felicity and her mother own a bakery, and she provided the egg tarts as the dessert. Kelvin is a florist, and he provided the flowers.
After a groomsmen is found dead under the dessert table by Felicity, with Kelvin's gardening shears presumed to be the murder weapon, the two find themselves central characters in trying to discover who did it. And everyone in the bridal party - including the bride and groom - are suspects.
Overall, this is a cute book, but is really a bit over the top cheesy and far fetched for me personally. I thought the writing was fine as well as the plot, so no critique really there, it just wasn't my thing. If you are looking for a mystery that is a bit lighter and fun, then this book could be for you. I just prefer my mysteries to have a bit more substance.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Three out of five stars.
Glitter Saints: The Cosmic Art Of Forgiveness, A Memoir by Robin Brown and Jess Brasher
This memoir is by the creator of Magnolia Pearl, which is a clothing line. She shares the story of her life through the time of the death of both of her parents. Her parents both struggled with addiction, and her mother struggled with multiple mental health disorders.
The author shares the story of her life as she tries to keep her and her younger siblings safe from her parents and their abuse and issues. You see how she developed her talent for clothing design, as art was something that she could always escape to.
This is definitely a difficult story to read, but it's written beautifully and with no holds barred.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Four out of five stars!
The German Girl by Armando Lucas Correa
I'm a big fan of historical fiction, and particularly historical fiction from the WWII era. And while the real life events this story is based on gave it lots of potential, the book fell a bit short for me.
The book follows the story of a Jewish family living in Berlin prior to the start of the war. As they begin to realize that it's not safe for them to remain in Germany, their options to escape are limited. Finally, they secure passage on a ship called the St. Louis, which will take them to Cuba as they wait for their turn to enter the U.S. Unfortunately while they are en-route, the Cuban government changes their mind about letting them enter, and the St. Louis becomes a ship full of people without a home.
The narration of this story goes between Hannah, who is the young German girl traveling on the ship with her family, and Ana, who in 2014 is Hannah's great niece who is trying to learn more about her dead father's family in Cuba.
There are two things that made me feel like this book was just "ok". First, I found something about the writing style to be off for me. Second, I just did not feel any emotional connection to the characters. It all just felt a bit bland and boring for me, when this story should have been super compelling.
Not disappointed to have read this one, but I wouldn't put it on a list of books I would recommend to people of this genre. There are just better books out there. Three out of four stars.
Capital Murder by Brad Pierce
If you are looking for a fast paced and exciting thriller, this one is for you.
The story takes place in Washington, DC over the course of one day in the middle of a huge snowstorm. U.S. Senators are being killed and Colin Frost and his special unit are brought in to find the killer. It turns out that the assassin is the same one they have been tracking around the world. Colin also begins to suspect that the current killing spree and the person behind it has some connection to his sister's murder many years before.
The characters got a bit mumbled up for me at times, and there were times when I felt the "tech talk" got a bit more detailed than it needed to. But overall, this is a quick read and very fast paced. I wanted to keep the pages turning, and there were definitely some twists and turns at the end.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Four out of five stars!
When We Cease To Understand The World by Benjamin Labatut (Translator - Adrian Nathan West)
When I see that a book has been rewarded by various book entities, and has predominantly high ratings, I always feel like I'm missing something when I don't care for it. But at the end of the day, I just didn't "get" this one.
The book covers several real life prominent scientists and mathematicians, and adds fictional elements to tell about them and their discoveries. I just didn't see the point and didn't find the stories intriguing enough to be interested in them.
The book is quite short, so I didn't feel bad about investing a little bit of time in it, but can't recommend it. It's well written, but not something that interested me. This book is #83 on the New York Times list of the Best 100 Books of the 21st Century. Two out of five stars.
On The Origin Of Being: Understanding The Science Of Evolution To Enhance Your Quality Of Life by Luke Comer and Jenny Powers
While this book doesn't share any earth shattering information, I think it is still worth the read. It's divided in four parts that cover four main issues - how we sleep, how we eat, how we work, and how we interact with nature.
The premise of the book is that our habits in each of those areas has changed so much from what our predecessor "hunter gatherer" ancestors did, that it is no wonder we have so many issues. Everything from spending too much time looking at screens, to eating too many processed foods, to working too many hours is covered.
Again, this book isn't going to tell you anything you probably didn't already know. But I found reading about the science behind it all to be interesting, and the message to be a worthwhile one and a good reminder.
I received an advance review copy for free and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Four out of five stars!
I hope you found a book on this month's list that you'd like to escape into! Happy reading and we'll see you next month!
What books do you recommend I read next? Let me know! Did you check out any of these books? I'd love to hear what you think! Comment below or e-mail me at tips2livebywriter@gmail.com.
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