Book Review: The Bookbinder - Pip Williams

 

“The Bookbinder” is a historical fiction novel by Pip Williams*. This book is set in England during WWI (aka “The Great War”). This book follows two sisters - Peggy and Maude - who work as bookbinders. Having read many books, I knew the printing process, but never gave much thought to the actual binding and folding of the book to create it an actual book (opposed to a pile of papers). I found that side of the story to be rather fascinating and Ms. Williams did a great job explaining the process. Peggy is the main voice, but there is a delightful cast of other characters - from Tilda to Lotte, Jack to Eb, and Gwen to Bastiaan. If one has read Ms. William’s previous book “The Dictionary of Lost Words,” some of these names may be familiar [I haven’t but now I’m interested in doing so]. There’s a lot packed in this book - suffragettes, education opportunities, war, refugees, adapting to live during a war, class struggles, and assumptions. I found this to be a very moving book, as if Ms. Williams took care in crafting the scenes and choosing the precise words. At times I did find the pacing to be a bit slow, but as there’s so much information - sometimes a slow section was appreciated. Four stars. 

(* - when I read this book, the title was "The Bookbinder of Jericho," so edited to reflect the name change.)

Book Review: Queen Wallis - CJ Carey

“Queen Wallis” is the sequel to “Widowland” by CJ Carey. This book picks up two years after The Event that ended the previous book. While the writing style is the same, there are a number of references to the first book and I felt myself trying to remember what happened previously. I do like the revised London and Europe scenes. But the first book felt like a stand-alone and this one makes it clear that there is unfinished business. I preferred the main character, Rose, in the first book, but after a while it becomes clear why Rose isn’t the same Rose as the first book. I did find some of this book a bit unbelievable, but the book did hold my attention and interest. Four stars.

Book Review: One Tough Cookie - Delise Torres

 

I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher, for which I thank them.

“One Tough Cookie” is a debut novel by Denise Torres.

What I liked about this book:

Tackling a difficult topic. Ms. Torres explains in the Author’s Note how this book came about and this topic was at the forefront of that beginning. I think Ms. Torres did her research well and also handled the topic well.

The inclusion of cookie recipes at the back of the book. I’ll admit, I’m always on the lookout for a good small batch cookie recipe. I’ll have to try one of the recipes one day.

The “what it takes to manufacture a cookie” background material. Yes, gearing up for an inspection was secondary to the main story, but having worked in QA/QC before there are a lot of forms (and inspections). It’s not a glamorous job, but Ms. Torres’s background in that area made those parts authentic.

The inclusion of the PR culture. I don’t speak Spanish but the little touches of PR pride and bits of the culture shone through this book.

What was meh:

Karina and Ian’s relationship - Karina’s a strong independent person. Ian is an attractive man. They meet - there are sparks. Just to be sparks. As Karina learned more about Ian, she realized things may not work out beyond a fling. As Ian learned more about Karina, he wanted to cling. Insta-love isn’t a favorite of mine and in so many ways, it felt like this couple didn’t really have a lot in common. While I’m glad that Karina was going to therapy to figure herself out, the two together probably need to ensure they’re on the same page about things.

The constant cookie tie-in - it’s cute, I admit it, but it became a bit repetitive.

The side characters - I’ll admit, I could keep a few separated, but while the main female side characters had individual quirks and personalities, I sometimes had to recall who was who and mixed a few of them up. Personally, I enjoyed Roy’s gruff manner and appreciated him admitting “yep, I was wrong, I’ll admit it” toward the end.

The not so great:

Lack of communication - Karina and Ian need to learn how to communicate in a positive manner with each other. Full stop. If you cannot say the words, write the words, sing the words, or something. It got a bit tiring after a while.

Overall, the writing of this book was very enjoyable - I read this book quickly and liked the overall flow of the book. I liked how topics were tackled. I liked how the idea of family is who you pick, not always blood - but also deciding that families of all sorts have their positives and flaws. Overall, a great first book. 3.5 stars rounded up to 4.

Book Review: The Block Party - Jamie Day

 

 

“The Block Party” was a LOT of a wild ride by Jamie Day. Where to start - well, start by popping some popcorn and sit down. The book begins with the present, then zips back a year and continues forward to the present day. Interleaved are comments from a site (kinda like a chat group) in the present day. Then everything - and more - is revealed in the final few chapters. The chapters are told from the POV of two characters - Alex and her daughter Lottie. I have to admit, I didn’t really feel a connection to either character and it did take me a bit of time to keep the block families and individuals straight … but this was a ride and a half. There’s drama … there are surprises … there’s Peyton Place (or for you young-ones, Real Housewives). This book kept my interest (though at times the pacing seemed slow) and I didn’t see the big reveal coming at all. Four stars.

Book Review: The Paris Agent - Kelly Rimmer

 

 “The Paris Agent” by Kelly Rimmer is a WWII historical fiction book. In this book, the reader follows two (or three) timelines - two occurring during WWII and the occupation of France and the other in the 1970s in England. The two timelines in France follow two UK undercover female agents, while the one in the 1970s follows the daughter of a former male UK undercover agent. I will admit that it took me a while to keep the two female agents apart. It also took a while for the three stories to come together, though it was pretty obvious how the stories were going to merge. I did learn some new information, but unfortunately this book was a bit predictable. I’ll always be impressed and amazed at the courage people had to fight with the resistance during WWII - bless them. Overall, a 3.5 star read, rounded up to 4 stars.

 

 

 

Book Review: Forever Hold Your Peace - Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke

 

 

I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley and the publisher, for which I thank them.

“Forever Hold Your Peace” is the latest in a set of books by authors Liz Fenton and Lisa Steinke.

What I enjoyed:

The general plot - when your darling chid announces that s/he has found “the one,” I think a number of parents’ hearts break a bit knowing that your child is growing up and all that. The mothers dealing with their feelings about that I found an interesting topic to explore (and it also brought back flashbacks to my own family issues!).

The different perspectives - there aren’t many main characters in this book, but the authors managed to make them and the supporting characters unique enough to easily keep apart.

Italy - sigh. Fantastic beginning … I miss Italy!

A bookstore - always a thing I enjoy seeing, along with dropped references to other authors’ works. I wish a bit more time had been spent there, but realize that that might’ve distracted from the story.

What was meh:

The humor - sometimes it was kinda cute (the Dad jokes about a wedding favor!) but other times the attempted humor just fell flat for me.

William - his character was so under developed that I wasn’t quite sure why he was included.

Fiona - I liked Fiona a lot, but I wish that she’d been in the book a bit more. I feel like I knew more about her (a minor character) than I did William.

What wasn’t as good as I hoped:

I found a lot of this book to be incredibly sad - not bawling ones eyes out sad, but more depressing sad. One person hadn’t “moved on” for a number of years … and it seemed like one of the other characters hadn’t (really) either. I found some of the “let’s speak like today’s kids” parts rather cringy and awkward, including the texting bits (use emojis, no use of punctuation).

In summary - this book wasn’t quite what I was expecting. There’s a lot of drama, there’s a lot of misunderstanding and hurt feelings, there’s not a lot of forgiveness until, well, it becomes necessary for a good resolution. I do think this would make an excellent Hallmark movie - I’d greatly enjoy seeing the grand make-up scene visually (what a hoot!). I found some of the wedding planning stuff a bit tiresome and repetitive. I wish I’d liked this book more than I did - because I really wanted to! I’d give this duo another chance, so that’s another positive in their favor.

Overall rating: 3 stars

Book Review: Hello Stranger - Katherine Center

 

 

“Hello Stranger” is by Katherine Center. I’ve read a few of Ms. Center’s other books - so I kinda know what to expect. I must admit, while reading this book I received some devastating news, so I was not always in the right frame of mind to read and concentrate. I thought this book began strongly - our main character, Sadie, is an artist who wins placement in a prestigious art contest. She collapses and it’s discovered that she has a medical condition that could be fatal. She has an operation and develops “face blindness” - which is devastating as she’s a portrait artist and has a few weeks to create her final art piece for the contest. All that I found extremely interesting - how does one create art with face blindness (I actually looked up examples online) and how does one try to draw something when you cannot see it but it needs to look real. But then the side stories began miring down the main focus - from an insta-infatuation, to family issues, all the way through becoming enamored with someone in her building. The side stories became too important for a good chunk of the book and, for me, they detracted from the main focus. I found the family resolution to be a bit juvenile However, some of Sadie’s observations did make me laugh. I’m giving this book a 3.25 rating, down to a 3 star review. There’s promise in the story (and the cover of the book is adorable!), but the side stories didn’t hold my attention — and I really needed a book to distract me from my life for a while.

Book Review: The Housekeepers - Alex Hay

 

 “The Housekeepers” by Alex Hay is an interesting book. This book is about planning to rob all the contents inside a house while a fancy ball is also going on. There is a lot of planning - including hiring the right people for the stealing, the right people for guarding, and the right people to sell the items too. There’s also trying to keep those attending the ball occupied while, literally, things are being whisked away under their noses. I found the planning part to be interesting - who to involve, who could be counted on doing what and how. My one negative was that there were a number of characters to track - along with a number of secondary characters, who had some of their own plots. I think what makes this a historical fiction book is that it takes place back in the early 1900s … but not that this actually happened (pity). I liked the idea of this book, but the pacing felt a bit rushed in places … and I’m not sure the ending part needed to be included. It was a book that held my attention - and part of the story was wondering just how it would (could it?) work in the end.