So many words. So little time.
Category: awesomeness
This was another excellent writing week! I wrote four book reviews: Fall into Place, by Kristyn J. Miller, A Lovely and Deadly Dance, by Claire Andrews, Sisters of the Midnight Sun, by Fiona Valpy, and Daughters of the Wreckage, by Stefanie Koens. I have a mini-vacation next week, so I’m not expecting as much on the reading/writing front.
Happy writing!
Title: Sisters of the Midnight Sun
Author: Fiona Valpy
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 5 out of 5
2001: Overwhelmed by grief in the wake of losing her twin sister, Ruby Reid has come to Scotland to escape. Her new job as companion to Hanna Kristiansen, an elderly woman living on a remote homestead in the wild and remote Shetland Islands, offers plenty of challenges and a welcome distraction from the devastating choice Ruby has to make.
1940: Hanna’s quiet life on the fjords of northern Norway is overturned when her hometown is attacked and her country falls into the hands of Nazi occupiers. But the Norwegians are a people as resilient as the ancient bedrock of their land. Hanna becomes involved in the resistance movement, fighting to help end the war that has taken so much from her. She’s sent to Scotland for training, where she meets a charismatic member of the shadowy special forces who are supporting Norway’s fight for freedom. Though she’s eager to join the fight in Scotland, Hanna must return to her homeland, and face the dangerous underground work that lies ahead for her and her twin sister, Liv.
As Hanna shares her story, Ruby begins to navigate the path of her grief. Hanna in turn finds comfort in discovering that confiding in her younger friend is helping them both heal. Ruby also learns that, like the beautiful untamed land of Hanna’s rural croft, there is strength to be found in fragility, as well as hope for new life, in the wildness of an island at the end of the world.
As she slowly finds healing in a place as delicate yet defiant as the people who tend it, can Ruby find the courage to face up to the heartbreaking decisions she must now make?
This was a fantastic read! I loved both timelines equally. I do love World War II-era historical fiction—it’s my favorite genre to read—but this was truly so, so good. The writing was excellent, the settings were great, and the characters were so well-done. I am not into the concept of remote living, but the writing was so good it made both settings appealing. Excellent book, if a bit heart-wrenching.
Fiona Valpy lives in Scotland. Sisters of the Midnight Sun is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of Ballantine | Ballantine Books in exchange for an honest review.)
In August, I only read 12 books, bringing my total for the year to 108 books read. I also DNFed eight books. Of the 12 books I read, three of them were really good.
Uncomplicate It, by Hosanna Wong. I really love the conversational, we’re-all-in-this-together tone of this read. I’ve heard this author speak a couple of times, and her writing style is just as easy to relate to as her speaking style is.This is an excellent read!
Seeing Beautiful Again, by Lysa TerKeurst. This was a wonderful devotional!
A Trade of Blood, by Robert Jackson Bennett. Again, probably the oddest world I’ve ever read, but these books are fantastic reads!
I continue to be woefully behind on my reading. I only read 12 books in July! And I only DNFed four others. 🙂
Of those 12, several were really good.
Where the Lost Wander, by Amy Harmon. I listened to the audio book, and was engrossed from the beginning—and westerns really aren’t my thing. But this was a great read, if sad at times.
Where the Sea Lavendar Grows, by Kitty Johnson. Yes, I do love a good WWII historical fiction—but I don’t love all of them. This one was great! I enjoyed the present-day timeline and characters just as much as I enjoyed the ones from the past. Except that one lady…
Unoffendable: How Just One Change Can Make All of Life Better, by Brant Hansen. Yep. This was a heck of a read, and one I wish more people would put into action.
In June, I read 17 books, bringing my total for the year to 84 books read. I also DNFed a handful, but we won’t talk about those. Of the 17 I finished, several were really good.
The Secret Thread, by Eve Chase. I really enjoyed this dual timeline/historical fiction/mystery mashup. The MC was very vivid in both timelines, and I loved seeing how she became who she was.
When Dealing with Dragons, by Dana Swift. This was a unique read for me. I loved the world and the culture, and I thought the characters were well done, too. I’d love to read more in this world!
Don’t Forget to Write, by Sara Goodman Confino. I absolutely loved this! The MC’s parents, particularly her dad, were horrible, but her aunt Ava was so inspiring! The voice was phenomenal and I just loved every page. Great ending, too.
Title: The Chateau on Sunset
Author: Natasha Lester
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
After her parents’ deaths, Aria Jones is sent to live with her reclusive starlet aunt at the Chateau Marmont, the hotel on Hollywood Boulevard with a notorious reputation.
Left alone to wander the hotel, Aria sees everything-all the ways people wheel and deal for fame. But the Marmont isn’t meant for young girls with big hearts, and Aria discovers an insidious secret that will haunt her childhood.
As she matures, she finds solace in the hotel’s library. Her sole goal is to be as inconspicuous as possible. Until one day, the hotel is sold to mysterious rock star Theo Winchester and his troubled daughter, Adele. Will Aria realize there’s more to life than being invisible?
This ended up being such a wonderful read! Poor Aria lost her parents and then got thrown into the deep end of craziness in Hollywood—with no road map. I found life in the hotel to be fascinating and horrifying, too. Lots of strong, vivid characters that I loved reading about, mixed with the ugliness of the casting couch era. I loved seeing Aria grow and change and become such a strong woman who can help and inspire other women.
Natasha Lester is a bestselling author. The Chateau on Sunset is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of Ballantine | Ballantine Books in exchange for an honest review.)
This was an okay writing week. I wrote my May reading post, my best books I read in May, and wrote a book review for The Stargazer of Nantucket, by Julie Gerstenblatt.
Happy writing!
Title: The Unicorn Hunters
Author: Katherine Arden
Genre: Fantasy
Rating: 5 out of 5
Anne of Brittany was a child when her realm was invaded, her home besieged, and her royal father driven to his death.
Now her treasury is empty, her land occupied by her enemies, and she is ordered, under threat of renewed war, to become queen of her conquerors and marry the King of France.
This marriage means her country’s annexation. But Anne promised her father that Brittany would never be conquered.
Defiantly, she betroths herself in secret to France’s greatest enemy. But in a world where courts may spy on each other by magic, there is only one way to solemnize this illicit union.
Anne takes her court deep into a legendary forest, where the court diviners’ skill cannot reach. The world thinks they are only a hunting party, coursing after unicorns. But that is a lie, a trick, a feint. No one in living memory has seen a unicorn. All Anne wants is this secret wedding, which is her only hope of salvation.
But when against all hope a unicorn appears and a stranger out of legend stumbles from the trees and falls at her feet, Anne is plunged into a world of enchantment where a doomed sovereign might find the power to change her own and her country’s destiny—or be lost in the shadows forever.
This was a lovely fantasy/historical fiction read! I truly loved reading Anne’s story and this wonderful fictional twist. Anne was a great character, and the supporting characters were also believable to read. I really enjoyed all aspects of this, and found Katherine Arden’s writing to be as beautiful as always.
Katherine Arden was born in Austin. The Unicorn Hunters is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of Del Rey, Random House Worlds, Inklore | Del Rey in exchange for an honest review.)
Title: The Valencia Expat Club
Author: June Patrick
Genre: Fiction
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Dahlia Delaney’s marriage just imploded, her friend group picked a side (not hers), and her fancy San Francisco life now fits into a single suitcase. Armed with a broken heart, a freelance marketing gig, and one blurry childhood memory of her abuela’s garden, she impulsively hops on a flight to Valencia, Spain, to reconnect with distant family—and maybe herself.
But Valencia isn’t just sunny plazas and sangria. There’s her chaotic new job at a quirky expat bar, a family she barely knows but who embrace her like she’s always belonged, and a brooding American bar owner who’s frustratingly attractive and entirely too familiar.
As Dahlia stumbles through language mishaps, clashing cultures, and late-night paella with new friends, she begins to realize that the fresh start she came for might turn into something even better—if she can let go of the life she planned and embrace the one unfolding around her.
Definitely feeling the Eat, Pray, Love vibes with this one, which isn’t a bad thing, as I definitely enjoyed that read. I like how Dahlia learns and grows from her experiences. She might have started out running away from her problems, but she truly grows and changes from her experiences, learning from her mistakes and making efforts to move forward. The scenery, the food, and the friends all combined together to make this such a pleasure to read!
June Patrick lives in Colorado. The Valencia Expat Club is her newest novel.
(Galley courtesy of Atria Books in exchange for an honest review.)
In May, I read 16 books, bringing my total for the year to 67. (I’m way behind). I also DNFed 12 other books (Yeah, lots of DNFs this year. No wonder I’m behind. But life’s too short to read bad books.). Of those, several were really excellent.
The Shippers, by Katherine Center. Katherine Center’s books are always so much fun, and this was no exception. I had a blast reading this!
The Valencia Expat Club, by June Patrick. If you liked Eat Pray Love, you’ll probably enjoy this) although there’s not so much navel-gazing in this one). I loved the travel aspect of this and learning to live in a different culture and seeing the MC grow and change and learn was great.
The Unicorn Hunters, by Katherine Arden. Another fantastic historical fiction/fantasy read from Katherine Arden! I truly loved this from the very beginning and was completely entranced for the entire read.
