TMST

 

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List your top 5 favorite books/series

It is hard to pick just now, I want to look at all my favs! But they are STILL in boxes.

Magician by Raymond E.Feist. I have re-read it at least 9 times.

Wheel of time by Robert Jordan, cos ALL THE FEELS. Though I do mostly just re-read the first two

October Daye by Seanan McGuire. Awesome UF that keeps giving

Heartstrikers by Rachel Aaron. LISTEN TO IT NOW!!!!

The Others by Anne Bishop. OMG, amazing in audio!

5/18/2021 Are you an introvert or an extrovert?

5/25/2021 What books are you looking forward to reading in Summer 2021 (June - August)?

List your top 5 favorite books/series

Carole's Monday. Right back where we started from

 

Author: Joy Lanzendorfer

Title: Right Back Where We Started From

Genre: Historical Fiction

Format: ebook

Pages: 400 

Published: May 4th 2021

Where I Got It: My shelf (Given to me by the author/publisher for my honest and unbiased opinion)

Summary: 

If misfortune hadn't gotten in the way, Sandra Sanborn would be where she belongs--among the rich and privileged instead of standing outside a Hollywood studio wearing a sandwich board in the hope of someone discovering her. It's tough breaking into the movies during the Great Depression, but Sandra knows that she's destined for greatness. After all, her grandmother Vira crossed the country during the Gold Rush and established the Sanborns as one of San Francisco's most prominent families, and her mother Mabel grew up in a lavish mansion and married into an agricultural empire. Success, Sandra feels, is in her blood. She just needs a chance to prove it.

In between failed auditions, Sandra receives a letter from a man claiming to be her father, which calls into question everything she believes about her family--and herself. As she tries to climb the social ladder, family secrets lurk in the background, pulling her down. Until Sandra confronts the truth about how Vira and Mabel gained and lost their fortunes, she will always end up right back where she started from.

Right Back Where We Started From is a sweeping, multigenerational work of fiction that explores the lust for ambition that entered into the American consciousness during the Gold Rush and how it affected our nation's ideas of success, failure, and the pursuit of happiness. It is a meticulously layered saga--at once historically rich, romantic, and suspenseful--about three determined and completely unforgettable women.

Review:

I love novels like this so I couldn't resist picking this up. 

We follow three women through their adventure to try and make something of themselves. We mainly follow Sandra who wants to be a Hollywood star and make something of her life. In between failed auditions, Sandra receives a letter from a man claiming to be her father which makes Sandra question everything she believes about her family and herself. At the same time, we follow her grandma's and mother's story and their own struggles to try and become successful.

I love multigenerational stories. The past really impacts the future, especially for families. 

These three women are sooo similar and little do they know it. Maybe if they had open communication they could keep the past from repeating itself. Sure money and fame are wonderful....but it's a hard road and is it really worth it? And honestly, these women do NOT have good luck in love. Maybe if they had open conversations they could help each other? Crazy notion ;) 

But yes - their stories are similar but oh so different. Vira just wanted a nice house and a big family surrounded by her friends, but she is forced to follow her husband to California. Mabel ran away from home and thought she married a Prune Farmer who owned an Empire, but "Empire" is a stretch. Then there is Sandra. She left her first husband so she could follow her dream and try and become a star and she finds herself married and forced to follow him too. Each is estranged from her mother and is convinced they will do better because they are not like their mother at all. Oooooo and here is where open communication is key lol!

I had major issues with each of these ladies, but I still wanted them to find happiness. They are jerks and selfish, but it is hard not to root for them. Very strange! Normally I wouldn't give a lick about characters like this...but there is something about them that you can't help but watch and hope they succeed in life. To be fair....their husbands are jerks too. They for sure lied to them. Seeeeee history repeats itself. 

Honestly - I must applaud the author. I really feel like she did a wonderful job showing us that humans are complex creatures. Humans can be self-serving for sure but there is always a light of hope because everyone just wants to be happy. The author also did a fantastic job bringing all these different eras to life! The transitions and back-and-forth POV switching were seamless and easy to follow. 

I am a little bummed by the ending. It was pretty open-ended. Maybe we'll get a follow-up someday because I want to know what is next for Sandra.

All-in-all, I really liked this. I enjoyed following these three women to try and make something of their lives and try to prove they are not like their mothers. The ending was a little bit of a bummer for me and I want more. One can hope! I for sure recommend this for those looking for a nice historical fiction for the summer! I'll give this 4 stars. 

The memory theater by Karin Tidbeck

Hardcover, 240 pages

Published February 16th 2021 by Pantheon Books

Fantasy Historical fiction

Library

I have very conflicted feelings about this one. I was bored, and at the same time I wanted to see what happened. I did not feel it was as good as her other book. I would not really recommend it either, and still I wanted to see how it turned out.

Some people got together and managed to create an alternate dimension, no, they created a space in an already alternate dimension.  A pocket they can't leave. A Garden where the same day happen again and again. And they turn cruel and kidnap children to use as slaves and to torture. They are horrible humans.

Created from a mountain and one of the masters is Dora. She is not one of the slaves, neither is she one of the masters. Her best friends Thistle gets killed almost every night and is alive the next one. Life sucks

And, well stuff happens, not much, the book is slow. But I wanted to see, cos it was weird, and never fully explained how it all came to be.

Weird, not something I recommend, but something I still could not put down,

In a world just parallel to ours exists a mystical realm known only as the Gardens. It is a place where feasts never end, games of croquet have devastating consequences, and teenagers are punished for growing up. For a select group of Masters, it's a decadent paradise where time stands still. For those who serve them, however, it's a slow torture where their lives can be ended in a blink.

In a bid to escape before their youth betrays them, Dora and Thistle--best friends and confidants--set out on a remarkable journey through time and space. Traveling between their world and ours, they hunt the one person who can grant them freedom. Along the way they encounter a mysterious traveler who trades in favors and never forgets debts, a crossroads at the center of the universe, our own world on the brink of war, and a traveling troupe of actors with the ability to unlock the fabric of reality.

Audio: A cowboy kind of love by Donna Grant

Narrated by: Rebecca Estrella

Series: Heart of Texas Series, Book 6

Length: 7 hrs and 57 mins

Release date: 04-27-21

Publisher: Tantor Audio

Romantic suspense

To review

I do like my cowboy romances, and I do like Donna Grant's romantic suspense ones. The last one was intense and brutal, this one was pretty brutal too, but luckily that was most in the past.

Jace is on the road on becoming an alcoholic. He drinks too much, he misses the girlfriend who suddenly disappeared years ago, and his past in the military is always there to haunt him. What I loved about him is that the minute she does show up he is not bitter and argues for days. He just wants her back again.

Taryn has been gone for years, the reason why is dark. And she is desperate to get out. I admired her spirit and her will to just go on and on. Even if it is a dangerous and lonely road.

Then they meet again, and it is like those years apart never happened. Yes it was fast, but this was a second chance. They never wanted to part in the first place, of course it happens fast.

And then there is the danger following her, luckily Jace has a bunch of awesome friends who all are highly trained and willing to help.

I enjoyed it, it felt really light and I listened to it fast. 

Estrella is always good, her voice makes the pages just fly by, and she has great voices for everyone

Jace Wilder has been rebuilding his life since the love of his life, Taryn, up and left town unexpectedly. But when she mysteriously returns, Jace’s dependable world comes crashing down. Taryn is hiding a dangerous secret, and no matter how hard he tries, Jace can’t stay away―especially when Taryn is at risk. And especially when the attraction he thought he’d buried long ago is back and hotter than ever. Will he be able to trust Taryn again?

Taryn Hillman’s world fell apart one horrifying night, and it’s never been the same since. When she sees a small chance at untangling herself, she takes it, though it means returning to Clearview – and seeing Jace again. But when he vows to protect her, will Taryn take a chance, and this time, never let him go?