Books, Books, Books, and a Cat

I love a great time travel book and this one had a great premise.  In this novel, archaeologists go back to the past to find artifacts that have been lost and save them for the present.  The novel did a great job explaining how time travel works and what happens if you try and change a significant event.  It was a great take on parallel worlds.   Rabbit is a Smithsonian archaeologist who has been very successful for twenty years except for a gold menorah that he couldn't recover.  While trying to get the menorah he also lost his mentee to the past.  It has eaten him up and strained his relationships in the present.  With his career about to be washed up, he decides to travel to 6th century Constantinople to try one more time for the menorah.  When he gets there he makes friends with a Roman soldier named, Andor.  Andor was one of my favorite characters and I would love to know more about him if there is a sequel.  While Rabbit tries...

  actually finished reading this book in church before the service began because I could not stop reading it.  I know it's pretty ironic considering the premise.   When I first read the title I did not know what to expect and I certainly did not think I was going to like it as much as I did.  The  title actually does a great job explaining what the book is about Hazel, who is married with a small child.  She also happens to be a serial killer.  Her husband, Fox, is a serial killer as well.  They work as a team to exert vigilante justice but only on men who really deserve it.  When Hazel gets pregnant they both agree to put their killing ways aside only having a small child and changing their lifestyle has a big impact on their marriage.  Both of them try to make a go at their new life.  Fox, tries therapy, and Hazel makes a new mom friend.  Both do their best but old habits are hard to break.  This was such a fun boo...

  This is a wonderful romance that will speak to anyone who has lost a loved one. Lenny has lost her best friend and is a mess floating from one nanny job to another, not able to sleep or eat, and losing touch with her family.  She goes on a nanny job and ends up meeting Miles, the uncle of Ainsley, the adorable child she is watching.   Miles is also very familiar with grief and the two of them strike up a deal.  Miles will help her with learning how to live again and Lenny will help him get to know his niece and half sister better. What follows is a wonderful story about overcoming grief and falling in love.  I highly recommend this book.  I read it in a day because I didn't want to leave the characters behind.  There were laugh out loud moments as well as touching heartbreaking moments.  This was a touching story that anyone will love.  I especially think that people who have dealt with grief will be able to relate as well.  A mus...

If you love cats you will love this book.  Actually it doesn't matter if you love cats or not, this is a wonderful read!  A heartwarming story about how a cat brings together 5 different people each struggling with their own personal challenges.  The novel is set in Brooklyn and told from 6 different perspectives including the cat.   Nuria is a barista who is feeling pressure from her mom to settle down but all Nuria really cares about is making coffee and cats.  Lily is he half sister and has moved to NY to meet Nuria.  However Nuria has no idea that Lily even exists.  Omar is the mailman but he is struggling with what he is going to do with his life. Bong is a widower who owns the local Bodega and even though his wife died almost a year ago, he still can't move forward.  There is also Collin, a best selling author, who has writer's block and also looks forward to seeing Nuria as she comes by to feed stray cats.  However Collin has seve...

I really enjoyed this romance that explored the possibility of alternate worlds. This book's premise is the what if scenario of making a different choice than the one you originally made. Laurel is afraid to commit to her longtime boyfriend, Ollie. She works at a tech company and the opportunity comes up where she can explore what life would have been like if she had said yes to a coworker instead. The problem comes when she actually gets stuck in the other life. This type of premise is always fascinating to me and I thought this author did a great job explaining what it would be like. Laurel was an interesting character and I enjoyed reading about her choices. There were some steamy romance scenes in the book as well. I also liked the pacing of the book. I never got bored with it or lost interest. This was a solid read with a tech aspect to it that made it more interesting than just a regular romance.

This was an interesting look at four siblings.  They had a mother who wanted to see every state so that led to an interesting upbringing.  The novel is actually set in North Dakota as the siblings reunite for the first time in four years.  Each one of them has drifted apart.  Three of the siblings have had incredible success, one a popular soccer player, another an Oscar nominated actress, and another a best selling author.  The fourth and oldest however is trying to get pregnant but not sure if that is what she really wants.  She did not achieve the great success that the other siblings have but feels more like their mother.  The book alternates from present day to each sibling's past.   The book had a lot of great parts to it. Each time a chapter flashed to the past, it takes place in a different state. This book was filled with lots of drama and family dynamics.   I felt engaged with the characters and their different point of vi...

 Excellent historical fiction with a sprinkling of magic, romance, and action.  This novel was set in 1613 in Scotland and England.  Andrew Logan is a messenger for the king.  He is sent to bring back Sir David Murray, who was a constant companion to the prince, from Scotland. The king wants to question him.  Logan must bring David back in one piece while traveling with a woman who hates him and her sick father.  The only problem is Murray's family doesn't want him brought back because there is more than meets the eye to this situation.  A fantastic read with incredible characters that you will fall in love with.  Susanna Kearsley is a master storyteller and I love that there was a hint of magic in this book as well.  There were several parts of this book that I reread just because they were that good.  I also enjoyed at the end of the book where the author told the historical details about the characters and what was true in real life....

  What an incredibly powerful book!  Junie is a slave in Alabama just before the Civil War.  She is maid to Violet the daughter of the McQueen family who own a plantation.  Junie is grieving the loss of her sister and believes it is her fault she is dead.  One day she sees her sister's ghost and she sends her on a mission that will have far reaching consequences.  My heart broke when I read Junie's story.  She was an incredible character and I wanted her to find all the happiness in the world.  This book is a powerful reminder about our countries past and the fact that no one should ever have to be controlled by someone else.  This is great historical fiction with a touch of magic. I love a story with a strong female character and I don't think I could ever find a character stronger than Junie.  Even more powerful than the story was the historical note at the end.  The fact that Junie is based on the author's actual ancestor is an a...

I love a historical fiction book set in the ancient world and to find one that is based on a real woman who ruled Assyria is a must read for me.  This novel did not disappoint.   Semiramis's is left motherless as a baby and is raised by a cruel man. She forms a plan to try and get out of this horrible situation before she is forced into a marriage.  One day a new governor comes to her small town in Assyria and Semiramis decides to change her destiny.  This is only the beginning of her incredible story.  This story is filled with incredible writing and captured perfectly the ancient Assyrian world. This was a story that I will not soon forget and I love that Semiramis was a real woman with a humble background.  There are so few books written about the ancient world and so many of them are set in ancient Rome that I absolutely love that this is set in Mesopotamia.  It is action packed, filled with drama, intrigue but also and incredible story about ...

Smart, tough, and complicated mother-daughter relationships are at the heart of this novel.  Told from the point of view of three different women, the reader gets to connect with these women and what they went through.   Lila grew up without a mother and with an abusive father.  She takes the brunt of the beatings to save her older brother and sister.  She goes on to become an important person who is super successful and has an amazing husband but in the long run she is similar to her absent mother.  Her daughter Grace resents the fact that her mother was never around.  It is difficult because the two are so similar.  The story looks at their relationships but also we get to know the people around them and how they shape their lives.   This book is filled with great characters who are unique and interesting.  I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel and all of the intricate relationships. There is also a mystery element to the novel ...