Month: July 2021

Book Review and Blog Tour: The Temple House Vanishing, by Rachel Donohue

Image belongs to Algonquin Books.

Twenty-five years ago, a sixteen-year-old schoolgirl and her charismatic teacher disappeared without trace…

In an elite Catholic girls’ boarding-school the pupils live under the repressive, watchful gaze of the nuns. Seeking to break from the cloistered atmosphere two of the students – Louisa and Victoria – quickly become infatuated with their young, bohemian art teacher, and act out passionately as a result. That is, until he and Louisa suddenly disappear.

Years later, a journalist uncovers the troubled past of the school and determines to resolve the mystery of the missing pair. The search for the truth will uncover a tragic, mercurial tale of suppressed desire and long-buried secrets. It will shatter lives and lay a lost soul to rest.

This was just a “meh” read for me. Gothic overtones and a lot of angst, but come on, it was the 90s. Also…I know mental health wasn’t the buzzword it is now, but shouldn’t someone have figured out some of these girls needed some help? And you’re trying to tell me that nuns at a Catholic boarding school were oblivious to the sneaking out and the evil prefects? Sorry, but the whole scenario was a bit far-fetched for me.

Rachel Donohue lives in Dublin. The Temple House Vanishing is her debut novel.

(Galley courtesy of Algonquin Books in exchange for an honest review.)

The Best Books I Read in June (2021)

I read 22 books in June, bringing my total for the year to 129. Halfway through the year, just over halfway to my goal of reading 250 books this year. One of those reads was just bad, 5 were solidly in the “meh” category, and the rest were good reads. Except three that were excellent.

https://tamaramorning.com/2021/07/02/the-best-books-i-read-in-june-2021/(opens in a new tab)

A Court of Wings and Ruin, by Sarah J. Maas. This was one of my reads for June—from the TBR pile—and I am seriously so mad that I read the first one ages ago when it was new, then just forgot about the entire series until a few months ago, when I caught the entire series on sale in ebook. And I am so glad I did! I love this series. The ending to this one almost did me in, and I can’t wait to read the fourth one!

The Widows of Champagne, by Renee Ryan (review forthcoming). This was an excellent read! It wasn’t what I expected: the story of a family of women during the Nazi invasion of France…but there is so much more going on with these women than the surface-level details. I didn’t really care for the mother, as she was pretty aloof, and the youngest daughter was awful, but the grandmother’s struggle with memory loss and the oldest daughter’s journey were enthralling!

The Forest of Vanishing Stars, by Kristin Harmel (review forthcoming). I don’t read that much World War II fiction, much less two excellent ones back-to-back, but here we are. This dealt with something I’d actually not heard of before: the Jews that escaped Polish ghettos and hid in the forest to survive. I enjoyed this so much!

What I Read in June (2021)

Books Read in June: 22

Books Read for the Year:  129/250

Topical Books/Monthly Goal Books:

Scientific Creationism, by Henry M. Morris (spiritual). This was a detailed textbook, but it was fascinating.

A Court of Wings and Ruin, by Sarah J. Maas (TBR). I really love this series! Although the end of this one almost did me in.

Odd Hours, Dean Koontz (re-read). Still loving these books!

The Rising, by Tim LeHaye and Jerry B. Jenkins (re-read).

Bacchanal, by Veronica G. Henry (TBR). This was…not good. Very disjointed and erratic, trying to cram too many different “cool” things into one narrative.

For Review:

The Time for Murder Is Meow, by T. C. LoTempio. This is the first book in a new series. It wasn’t bad, but I’m not sure I’ll read more. The MC, Shell, tended towards the irrational, so I wasn’t a huge fan of her.

Death on the Night of Lost Lizards, by Julia Buckley. I do enjoy this series! I love reading about the Hungarian culture traditions and the tea house, and the mystery is a nice bonus.

The House Guests, by Emilie Richards. This wasn’t what I expected at all, and I enjoyed it very much—especially all the Greek food and culture!

Sunny Song Will Never Be Famous, by Suzanne Park. This was a decent read—although the obsession with social media was a little too much for me. Character growth was on point, though.

The Abduction of Pretty Penny, by Leonard Goldberg. This was solidly in the “meh” category for me.

The Tragedy of Dane Riley, by Kat Spears. This was basically a character study. I liked Dane, but the ending didn’t sit quite right for me.

Rabbits, by Terry Miles. This was…odd. I’m definitely not smart enough to have played the game, and I never had any idea what was going on—truth—but I enjoyed the read. It was like being in the midst of Johnny Depp’s Wonderland.

Down with this Ship, by Katie Kingman. Honestly, I didn’t understand why the MC was so afraid her classmates would find out she writes a super successful blog (own it, girl), and her allowing herself to be blackmailed didn’t make sense, either.

The Keepers, by Jeffrey B. Burton. I really like this series—and its bumbling but likable MC.

A Distant Grave, by Sarah Stewart Taylor. I’ve really enjoyed both books in this series. I love the Ireland ties, and the mystery is well-done and believable.

A Duke in Time, by Janna MacGregor. This was a solid romance read. The MC is likable and unique enough to make the read stand out.

Pup Fiction, by Laurien Berenson. This was just “meh” for me. It felt very low-stakes, and, while I enjoyed reading about the dogs, the real culprit(s) were above reproach until about the 85% mark…without the slightest hint of suspicion (despite all the red herrings for other random characters), then suddenly the bad guys. Very clunky and convenient, not believable at all.

The Temple House Vanishing, by Rachel Donohue (review forthcoming). I wasn’t really a fan of this. I liked the Gothic vibe, but I didn’t like any of the characters—or their pretentiousness.

Pug Actually, by Matt Dunn (review forthcoming). This was a cute read! Told from the dog’s POV—fortunately, as I wasn’t really a fan of the MC.

The Right Side of Reckless, by Whitney D. Grandison (review forthcoming). I enjoyed this quite a bit. I loved the diverse characters and just how different their personalities were—yet they just worked together.

The Widows of Champgane, by Renee Ryan (review forthcoming). I loved this read! I like family sagas, and this had shades of that, along with just three women keeping secrets from each other as they tried to protect each other. I loved the storyline and the writing was excellent as well.

The Forest of Vanishing Stars, by Kristin Harmel (review forthcoming). I thought this was fantastic! A girl is stolen from her parents and raised in the woods. She’s taught how to survive and to avoid people, but during the havoc of World War II she must decide whether to make herself known to others—because they have no idea how to survive.

Left Unfinished:

Murphy’s Slaw, by Elizabeth Logan. I just didn’t feel any connection (or interest) in the characters.

Murder She Wrote: Killing in a Koi Pond, by Jessica Fletcher and Terrie Farley Moran. I made it about 15% of the way through this, but it just wasn’t for me.