Books, Books, Books, and a Cat

 This is a slow burn romance for people who love books.  The story is told over the course of a year from the point of view of Ingrid.  She is a librarian who has been in a relationship with her boyfriend for ten years.  Their relationship has grown stagnant and when she learns of her sister's engagement, her boyfriend and her decide to take a break. Ingrid starts to go on dates but realizes that her grumpy fellow librarian, Macon, might just be the one she was meant to be with all along.  This was a sweet story and a good escape after a long day of work.  I enjoyed Ingrid's story and the changes she made in her life.  There were some laugh out loud moments for me.  I also always enjoy a story that features a cat and yummy food.  After finishing this book I do kind of what to make a career change as well.  My only complaint is that it did feel long.  The book took place over a year and at times it just felt like the pacing could mov...

  This book brought me so much joy!  I absolutely love this series and this book was just as fantastic as the other 18 books.  Toby (October) is extremely pregnant and has felt trapped in her house as the entire family has been recovering from Titania's spell.  When a chance comes to leave the house she takes it but she is asked to take on a dangerous mission.  Powerful artifacts have been stolen and the Queen wants Toby to find who stole them regardless of how close Toby is to her due date.  Some of the objects are extremely dangerous and if they are in the wrong hands could bring danger to everyone.  Toby accepts partly because she is sick of feeling like a prisoner in her own home.  What follows is an incredible story filled with all of the wonderful characters we have come to love as well as some old and new enemies.  Toby must save the day, her family, and protect her unborn baby.    What I love most about this series is that w...

"As You Wish" is the story of three girls living in Korea as au pairs as they set out to embark on new paths in their life.  All three of them make a wish one day while on a trip with their host families.  They believe their wishes come true and those wishes help shape their future decisions.  However what we wish for in the moment may not be what we truly want deep down.   This book to me was definitely more young adult although I think it is meant to be an adult novel.  The girls are all in their early twenties and have come at that crossroads of trying to figure out what to do with their life.  Lydia lacks confidence but wants to be a great artist.  She feels like she blends in so her wish is to stand out.  Jenny is desperate to get over her break up from her ex so she wants to never fall in love again.  She is also still trying to get over the loss of her dad.  Finally, Selene was adopted from Korea and wants to find her birth m...

  "Don't Open Your Eyes" is a thriller that will keep you guessing until the end.  At times I thought I figured out the twist but I was completely wrong.  I love a book that will keep me on my toes until the last page.  Annabelle seems to have it all , a loving husband, two cherished daughters, and a fulfilling career. Her life is the picture of contentment. However, this idyllic existence is shattered by the sudden onset of deeply disturbing dreams. These aren't just fleeting nightmares; they are vivid premonitions of a future where her love for her husband has turned to animosity and her daughters' lives are in danger.  The problem is that the dreams are bleeding into her real life.  Unsettling things begin happening and Annabelle's dreams seem to come true.  She also begins to question her husband and his true intentions.   The novel has three points of view.  One is Annabelle, the second is from her daughter, and the third is an unkn...

  This was a great story about three sisters living in Brooklyn.  They come from a strict Syrian Jewish family.  This story is a look at their life as all three sisters challenge their cultural norms as they decide what type of life they want.   "Sisters of Fortune" dives into the lives of the three  sisters in Brooklyn's Syrian Jewish community as they navigate love, ambition, and growing up. Fortune, the middle sister, is having second thoughts about her impending marriage. Nina, the eldest, feels the pressure of being single and unexpectedly finds an opportunity for a different path. Meanwhile, young Lucy is causing a stir with her secret relationship with an older man. As they inch closer to their own futures, the sisters find themselves balancing tradition with their personal desires. Their journey is interwoven with the wisdom and cooking of their grandmother, Sitto, a Syrian immigrant,  the anxieties of their mother, who just wants to see all th...

This book started out strong but lost me at the halfway point.  While the novel creates an atmosphere dripping with tension and intrigue, it ultimately delivers less than it promises.   Phoenix, a gardener,  becomes dangerously entangled with her employers. The relationship between Phoenix and Geoffrey develops with a slow-burning intensity that effectively communicates both the attraction and the danger. Their affair unfolds against the backdrop of Marguerite's jealousy, creating a powder keg of emotions that explodes predictably with Marguerite's fatal fall.  This was the best part of the book in my opinion.  The story needed more about Phoenix's background.  We get glimpses here and there of what her life was like.  There are also suggestions about her grandmother and what really happened to her.  I wanted to know more because I felt like it would help me understand her better.  I ended up not liking her as her actions just seemed err...

  "Life, and Death, and Giants" weaves an extraordinary tale that will tug at your heart strings and make you fall in love with the characters.  This captivating novel follows the remarkable life of Gabriel Fisher, an Amish child born at a staggering eighteen pounds and twenty-seven inches, whose extraordinary physical abilities and connection with animals mark him as something beyond ordinary. Multiple narrators are used to tell Gabriel's story, each offering a unique perspective. Doc Kennedy, the veterinarian who delivers Gabriel, becomes an unexpected mentor and bridge between worlds. Hannah Fisher, Gabriel's grandmother, provides emotional depth through her struggles with faith and loss. Billy Walton and Trey Beathard round out the perspectives, offering insights into how Gabriel's existence affects both Amish and English communities. What I loved about this novel was the blend of  fantastical elements of Gabriel's life with genuine human emotion. I also e...

 "The Locked Ward" by Sarah Pekkanen held me captive as I did not want to stop reading.  A fast moving thriller told from two points of view.   This story is about two twin sisters who have never met.  Georgia, had a life of privilege having been adopted by a wealthy family.  Only her family loved her younger sister Annabelle more since she was the biological daughter.  Now Georgia is held in a psychiatric ward as she awaits trial for murdering Annabelle.  Mandy has no idea she is a twin or that Georgia exists until she receives a call that Georgia wants to see her. At the psych ward, Georgia asks for Mandy's help and Mandy is intrigued to know more about her long lost twin sister.  Mandy begins to investigate and finds that there is so much more to this story.   I enjoyed reading about both sisters.  Georgia's story was told using the second person point of view which I found to be really interesting.  I felt more a part ...

This was an excellent thriller that I absolutely did not figure out until the very end.   Olivia Dumont, a ghostwriter is tasked with writing her father's  memoir.  He is a horror author suspected of murdering his own siblings. This is not something Olivia wants to write but due to mounting debts she agrees to take it on.  She has been estranged from her father since she was a teenager and most people do not even know they are related.  Olivia now must uncover what is really true and find out if her own father is a murderer.   What really shines here is the intricate dance between Olivia and her father.  After decades of silence, Vincent is finally ready to tell his story, and Olivia finds herself caught in a web of half-truths, buried secrets, and the gnawing question of her father's guilt or innocence.  The tension throughout the book keeps simmering.  There are tantalizing clues and red herrings that will keep you guessing until ...