After a little vacation and some much needed rest and relaxation, I'm back with my January 2024 book reviews a few days late.
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Anita de Monte Laughs Last by Xochitl Gonzalez
Really loved this book! So beautifully written, and the characters are so powerful and captivating. The book tells the story of two women in two different timelines. Anita de Monte is a rising artist in the early 1980's, who tragically dies. Her husband is also a famous artist, who is accused of murdering her. Raquel is an art history student in the late 1990s, who plans on doing her thesis on Anita's husband. As Raquel struggles with a relationship of her own and learning to find her own independence and way, she learns about Anita and the reader learns about the parallels in their story. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Five out of five stars!
This book will be released March 5, 2024. To pre-order your copy on Amazon, click here.
The Jazz Club Spy by Roberta Rich
This one is historical fiction, with a bit of a twist. Giddy's family fled from Russia after Cossacks invaded her village, killed her baby brother and raped her mother. Fast forward to 1938, and Giddy is working as a cigarette girl in a jazz club in NYC. When she sees one of the Cossacks who attacked her family on a streetcar one day, it leads to her being pulled into a spy operation. The story is pretty far-fetched, but a fun read. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Four out of five stars!
To purchase this book from Amazon, click here.
One Of Us Knows by Alyssa Cole
I really hate giving books low ratings, but have to do it here. The concept for the book had so much potential. It was unique and different for a thriller. But this book was so confusing, it was hard to stay focused. It also was really slow to get going. After I finished it, I still feel confused as to what was really going on. Good concept that just never got there. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Two out of five stars.
This book will be released on April 16, 2024. To pre-order your copy on Amazon, click here.
Let Me Tell You What I Mean by Joan Didion
Really right down the middle with this one. This is a collection of essays from writer Joan Didion. Half of them were extremely witty and entertaining. The other half were a bit boring. Nice and short read, but nothing compelling. Three out of five stars.
To purchase this book on Amazon, click here.
The Magician by Colm Toibin
A great story and narrative about the life of Thomas Mann. He was born in Germany and lived through both WWI and WWII. Mann and his family are quite eccentric. He becomes rich and famous after writing several books, so reading about how he and his family lived when other Germans were not so lucky during that time period, is a big theme of the book. Extremely well written and detailed, but a bit slow and dense to get through. Three out of five stars.
To purchase this book on Amazon, click here.
A Farm Under A Lake by Martha Bergland
I found this book a lot more enjoyable than I was expecting. I thought it started out slow, but then I really got pulled into the main character's story. As Janet is driving the older woman she cares for from Wisconsin to her daughter's house in Illinois, Janet begins contemplating her own life. Through remembering her story and how she ended up with her husband, she rediscovers herself and what she needs to do to be happy. Four out of five stars!
To purchase this book on Amazon, click here.
Thus Was Adonis Murdered (Hilary Tamar, Book 1) by Sarah Caudwell
This is a quirky whodunit. Very witty and we'll written, but it really dragged on much too long. I found it hard to get into and wasn't a page turner like most murder mysteries are. Three out of five stars.
To purchase this book on Amazon, click here.
If The Tide Turns by Rachel Rueckert
This story takes place in the 1700's and involves pirates and a love story. The two main characters - Sam and Maria - are easy to cheer for. As they book goes back and forth between Sam's adventures as a pirate, and Maria dealing with the repercussions of falling in love with him back home, you really cheer for the two of them. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Four out of five stars!
This book will be released on March 26, 2024. To pre-order your copy on Amazon, click here.
The War Photographers by S.L. Beaumont
I love WWII historical fiction, and this is another great one. The book tells the story of Mae and her husband Jack, who work within military intelligence for the British during the war. The book flashes forward to their granddaughter, who follows in her grandfather's footsteps as a photographer, only she is covering the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989. As she covers the fall of the wall, she also discovers the story of her grandfather's murder all those years before. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Five out of five stars!
This book will be released on February 15, 2024. To pre-order your copy on Amazon, click here.
The Wild Side by Fern Michaels
This one was just "ok" for me. When I read what it was about, I thought it was going to be an action packed story about a woman who is a guidance counselor who moonlights undercover helping to solve crimes. That was actually only the last 10% of the book, and it wasn't very action packed. The rest of the book was all lead up and just way too long and slow for me. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Three out of five stars.
This book will be released on March 26, 2024. To pre-order your copy on Amazon, click here.
Promoted With Tenure by K.B. Fisher
A murder mystery with the twist of it taking place around university academia. The writing was good and the story kept you engaged. I did think it was a little hard to keep track of all the characters and he plot got a little hard to follow at the end. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. Four out of five stars!
To purchase this book on Amazon, click here.
That's a wrap for January! Happy to kick off the New Year with lots of good books and lots of variety. Remember to check back every month for my latest book review post!
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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