City of Flickering Light

March 18, 2020 youwanttoreadthistrustmeLeave a comment

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Title: City of Flickering Light

Author: Juliette Fay

Page Count: 400

Series: N/A

Publishing Date/Publisher: April 16, 2019 by Gallery Books

Format: Hardcover

Review: Interestingly, this book addresses very similar themes to another book I read recently, City of Girls. This book is, however, much better in my personal opinion. Though these characters are also flawed, I found them to be much more likeable than any of the characters in City of Girls. It is hard for me on a personal level to understand the allure of the film industry, but it was fascinating to get a historical view of the glitz, glamour, and seediness of early Hollywood. I also think this is a very timely novel, as it addresses the topic of sexual abuse and manipulation within the industry. Despite it’s heavier content, this book is ultimately a book about unconditional friendship and the transforming power of love. I especially enjoyed the character of steadfast Irene, and her relationship with naïve but charming Millie. Overall it was an uplifting read.

Reader: Bekah

Rating:

City of Girls

February 28, 2020February 28, 2020 youwanttoreadthistrustme1 Comment

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Title: City of Girls

Author: Elizabeth Gilbert

Page Count: 470

Series: N/A

Publishing Date/Publisher: June 4, 2019 by Riverhead

Format: Hardcover

Review: This was a firm 3 star read for me. In other words, I liked it, but I did not love it. This book is billed as a “love story,” however, I would hardly consider it a romance. In fact, I wouldn’t even tag it as romance. In a lot of ways this story reminded me of the TV series How I Met Your Mother. Vivian, our protagonist, is writing the story to Angela, the daughter of her deceased love. Angela has reached out to Vivian to ask about the nature of her relationship with her father and Vivian answers in a very prolonged and roundabout way. She includes many details that are of no relevance to how she met Angela’s father. For the most part, I found Vivian to be a rather unlikeable character, at least for about 60% of the book. Life circumstances make her grow as a character, but I never truly became endeared to her. The last 25% of the book was by far the most enjoyable part of the story, but after all the build up to meeting Vivian’s father, I was a bit disappointed with how little page time he actually got. So as I said, this wasn’t really a love story, but a story about Vivian. This is not to say that the book made no impression on me whatsoever. Gilbert is undeniably a gifted writer and there were enough things I liked about the book to keep reading it. For one thing, I was extremely envious of Vivian’s skill with a sewing machine, and I almost want to take a sewing class as a result. I was fascinated by the way she talked about fabric and clothing and design. This book also had a lot of really good one liners sprinkled throughout and some very memorable characters, such as Aunt Peg. It was enough to keep me moving through the book at a steady pace, and certainly enough to inspire me to finish it. This book certainly has it’s share of scandal, but it’s not particularly graphic, and it really tackles the double standard that men and women are held to when it comes to sexuality.

Reader: Bekah

Rating:

Fantasy · Fiction · Historical · Magical Realism · Young Adult

Thirteen Doorways, Wolves Behind Them All

December 4, 2019 youwanttoreadthistrustmeLeave a comment

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Title: Thirteen Doorways, Wolves Behind Them All

Author: Laura Ruby

Performer: Lisa Flanagan

Length: 9 hr

Series: N/A

Publishing Date/Publisher: 2019 by Balzar + Bray

Format: eAudiobook

Review: I had great expectations for this book, because I really loved Bone Gap. Ruby does a great job with magical realism, and this book is no exception; however, I found this book to be a bit too meandering for my liking. It follows two characters, one alive and one deceased, and oftentimes there really doesn’t seem to be any rhyme or reason to the plot. It jumps from one story to another, with the reader occasionally getting a glimpse of the past. The deceased character, Pearl, is fascinated by Frankie’s life although it isn’t really clear to me why. Pearl isn’t sure why she hasn’t ascended, and there isn’t any real resolution to this (in my opinion). Secrets are revealed, but they didn’t blow my mind because there was no anticipation built up around them. I wasn’t bored listening to this audiobook, but I also wasn’t chomping at the bit to get back to it. It was a nice snapshot of the time period, but overall a very average read for me.

On an entirely different note, I loved the title of this book, loved the cover, and I thought the reader did a great job.

Reader: Bekah

Rating:

Fiction · Historical · Young Adult

The Downstairs Girl

November 21, 2019 youwanttoreadthistrustme1 Comment

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Title: The Downstairs Girl

Author: Stacey Lee

Performer: Emily Woo Zeller

Length: 10 hr, 27 min, 24 sec

Series: N/A

Publishing Date/Publisher: 2019 by Tantor Audio

Format: eAudiobook

Review: A truly delightful listen starring a spunky heroine. I really enjoy historical fiction novels that highlight groups that are not widely covered in American history books. Chinese Americans are one such group. Lee addresses the fact that Chinese Americans were often invisible to society because they did not easily fit into the construct of “black” or “white.” Though considered “colored” by most, it was not always clear which laws of segregation and discrimination applied to their ethnic group. This is evident throughout the story, as Jo tries to navigate the tricky and often murky waters of the political and social climate of the South.

This book did get a little slow somewhere in the middle, but the beginning and end were fantastic. Lee’s character development is superb and she tied up the story in ways that I didn’t really expect. I liked that a romance was not a central focus of this story, because this was really a coming-of-age story about a young woman finding her voice in a world that tried hard to silence her. Despite adversity, she challenged social norms and was not satisfied to let others dictate her destiny.

Emily Woo Zeller did a great job as the narrator of this book. I enjoyed this performance far more than her performance in The Bird and the Blade.

Reader: Bekah

Rating:

Fantasy · Fiction · Historical

Circe

November 19, 2019November 19, 2019 youwanttoreadthistrustme1 Comment

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Title: Circe

Author: Madeline Miller

Page Count: 393

Series: N/A

Publishing Date/Publisher: April 10, 2018 by Little, Brown and Company

Format: Hardcover

Review: Lyrical and enchanting, this book had me enthralled from the very first page. Very little attention is given to the witch Circe in most mythological tales, but Miller creates a backstory that is humanizing and utterly unforgettable. In this rendering, Circe is not a predatory monster, but rather a woman driven by her passions and yearnings. She refuses to be a victim and takes ownership of her own trauma and pain, weaving it into a tapestry of strength and love. She and she alone controls her destiny.

When I finally turned the last page and closed this book, I was filled with such a feeling of completeness. Although the year is not quite at an end, I can say with confidence that this is by far my favorite read of 2019.

Reader: Bekah

Rating:

Fiction · Historical

Cilka’s Journey

September 19, 2019 youwanttoreadthistrustmeLeave a comment

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Title: Cilka’s Journey

Author: Heather Morris

Page Count: 352

Series: The Tattooist of Auschwitz, Book 2

Publishing Date/Publisher: October 1, 2019 by St. Martin’s Press

Format: eBook

Review: I was beyond thrilled when I saw that Heather Morris would be publishing a book about Cilka. Like many other readers, I was intrigued by her character and utterly heartbroken by her unjust sentencing after the horror of the concentration camps. It did not feel right leaving her story untold, and I am glad that the author felt the same way.

This book reads so smoothly that I flew through it over the course of a couple days. Morris has an incredible way of writing that evokes such strong emotion while still being incredibly straightforward. I actually found that I enjoyed this book even more than The Tattooist of Auschwitz because it covers a topic in history that I know almost nothing about. I have read many books about the Holocaust, but I have never read one about the work camps in Russia. I was appalled that these camps operated for decades in terrible and dangerous conditions completely unchecked. It is staggering how many people were sentenced to these camps and how many of them died.

Cilka was an incredibly brave and resilient woman to have survived both camps. I would have very much liked to meet her, and it makes me happy to know that the legacy of her extraordinary life will live on through this book.

Reader: Bekah

Rating:

Fiction · Historical · Young Adult

Across a Broken Shore

August 3, 2019 youwanttoreadthistrustme

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Title: Across a Broken Shore

Author: Amy Trueblood

Page Count: 360

Series: N/A

Publishing Date/Publisher: November 5th 2019 by Flux

Format: eBook

Review: The setting for this book was lovely, but I found the plot to be painfully slow and I did not find any characters to be particularly compelling. This falls into the rare category of books that I did not finish (I stopped at 42% completion).

Reader: Bekah

Rating:

Fiction · Historical · Western

Lonesome Dove

June 27, 2019 youwanttoreadthistrustme1 Comment

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Title: Lonesome Dove

Author: Larry McMurtry

Page Count: 858

Series: Lonesome Dove, Book 1 (Book 3 chronologically)

Publishing Date/Publisher: June 15, 2010 by Simon Schuster (originally published 1985)

Format: Paperback

Review: This book was a slow burn for me. I didn’t love it at first, but somewhere in the middle I started to. I would caution readers, however, that this is essentially the Western equivalent of Game of Thrones. If you cannot stomach violence, abuse, and sudden death, this is not the book for you. It felt like every time I would grow a deep attachment to a character, they would die in some horrific way. What I really enjoyed about this book though is how well the author interconnected all the characters at some point in the novel. His writing had a very satirical tone, and he really brings to light the fickleness and folly of human nature. Everyone is driven by something, and in such a gritty world, many are driven by basic human need – food, water, sex, and companionship. Some characters have more complex motivators, but in the end, you are left with a sense that their efforts were all for naught. It is frustrating and fascinating at the same time.

I found the ending of this book to be a bit perplexing. I was satisfied by the ending in one sense, but I tend to like books that have a definitive end. This book seemed to cut off in the middle of a conversation between two characters. It was an interesting choice, and I wonder why the author chose to end it in this way. Nevertheless, it is easy for me to see why this book is revered as a classic and considered a cornerstone of the genre.

Reader: Bekah

Rating:

Fantasy · Fiction · Historical · Romance · Young Adult

Blood and Sand

June 8, 2019 youwanttoreadthistrustmeLeave a comment

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Title: Blood and Sand

Author: C.V. Wyk

Performer: Brittany Pressley

Length: 8 hr, 58 min, 58 sec

Series: Blood and Sand, Book 1

Publishing Date/Publisher: 2018 by MacMillan Young Listeners

Format: eAudiobook

Review: I really enjoyed the first half of this book because I thought the author did a great job introducing the time period, setting, and characters. The second half of the book is where she started to lose me. I would say that this book is more strongly categorized as historical fiction rather than fantasy. I typically enjoy both genres immensely, but I hesitate to even call this fantasy. It’s more like unrealistic historical fiction. The only thing that could qualify this series as fantasy was how preposterous the fight scenes were in the second half of the book. One scene in particular, the most pivotal in terms of driving the direction of the story, was a monumental disappointment because quite frankly it made no sense. The fallout of this particular scene was equally disappointing. A lot gets thrown at you at the end, and the puzzle pieces just fit together too perfectly to be realistic.

All criticisms aside, I think that Wyk is a talented writer and I enjoyed enough things about this book to continue with the series when the next book is published.

Finally, I thought the reader for this eAudiobook had a nice voice, but in my opinion wasn’t well suited for this particular book. I’ve heard her narrate other books and liked those performances far more than I did this one. Perhaps this is because I did not care for the character voices and accents she chose for some of the main characters, particularly Attia.

Reader: Bekah

Rating:

Fiction · Historical

Realm

April 24, 2019 youwanttoreadthistrustmeLeave a comment

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Title: Realm

Author: Alexandrea Weis

Page Count: 397

Series: N/A

Publishing Date/Publisher: May 14, 2019 by Vesuvian Books

Format: eBook

Review: I first off want to state that although the cover art for this book is gorgeous, it is highly misleading. Roxana was not in any way a warrior princess. In fact, it was quite the opposite. She spent most of her time sequestered away in baggage caravans and palace quarters. Her entire life was mostly dictated by others, and though a lot happens in the background, not much actually happens to her until the end. I will, however, say that this book was well researched. Some creative liberties were taken, but it seemed that for the most part, the author adhered to what experts speculate happened to the real Roxana and her family. For some reason I was not really expecting this and thought that this would be a looser adaptation of historical events. In a way this was a pleasant surprise, because I learned more about an intriguing woman from the past, and it made me interested in conducting a little bit of research on my own. History buffs will really enjoy this book, but those looking for a thrilling adventure will probably find the pacing to be too slow.

Reader: Bekah

Rating: