The day a favorite author announces the release date for their latest novel is one of those wonderful bookworm moments–this book is real and is finally coming! Then there are the days, weeks, months of anticipation all leading up to the day that we (not so) patiently await delivery, those of us choosing a digital copy often waiting til the wee hours of the morning for our Kindles (Nooks etc) to update. And then, just when you think you can’t wait any longer–it arrives! Continue reading “Book Review: Mr. Darcy’s Journey by Abigail Reynolds”
I was totally blown away by Camille Di Maio’s debut novel, The Memory of Us. It is my favorite book so far this year. Continue reading “Book Review: The Memory of Us by Camille Di Maio”
Sometimes you just need to re-read an old favorite. I’ve been in a book slump starting then abandoning book after book because nothing was grabbing me, finally I just gave up for a few days. Then the other night I decided to try again and while flipping through my Kindle library I stumbled upon A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, a book I’ve loved each time I’ve read it. But this time I started to wonder–is each read the same? Continue reading “Re-Read: A Tree Grows In Brooklyn”
Today’s 10 Questions installment features KJ Charles. KJ Charles is a writer and freelance editor. She lives in London with her husband, two kids, an out-of-control garden and an increasingly murderous cat. KJ writes mostly romance, gay and straight, frequently historical, and usually with some fantasy or horror in there. Continue reading “Ten Questions with KJ Charles”
“I am no bird; and no net ensnares me: I am a free human being with an independent will.”
― Charlotte Brontë, Jane Eyre
Charlotte was born April 21, 1826 the third of six children and the eldest of the trio of Bronte sister authors. Her works include the novels Villette, Shirley, and one of my all time favorites, Jane Eyre in addition to a collection of short works and poetry. At the time I’m sure that Bronte did not think that 200 years after her birth we’d still be reading her work, but with lines like this who could resist. Continue reading “Charlotte Bronte 200 Years Later”
Title: Glory Over Everything
Author: Kathleen Grissom
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewers: Dottie & Jennifer
A novel of family and long-buried secrets along the treacherous Underground Railroad.
Glory Over Everything is considered a stand-alone but is the follow up to Grissom’s The Kitchen House. You can certainly read this book without reading The Kitchen House first but it will add something to your reading of this story to hear how Jamie’s story begun. This novel is the gripping continuation of Jamie’s story. Continue reading “Book Review: Glory Over Everything by Kathleen Grissom”
Title: The Lake House
Author: Kate Morton
Narrator: Caroline Lee
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewer: Jess
What could a police detective in 2003 possibly have to do with the case of a child who went missing in 1933? Apparently quite a bit. In her latest novel, The Lake House, Kate Morton takes two seemingly unrelated casts of characters and weaves them into a beautifully intricate web of mystery that immediately pulls the reader into the story. Continue reading “Book Review: The Lake House by Kate Morton”
Title: Outlander
Author: Diana Gabaldon
Format: Audible/Kindle using Whispersync Voice.
Rating: 5 Kilts
Read: January 2014
Reviewer: Jess
Summary: The novel begins in 1945 shortly after the end of the war. A former field nurse, Claire Beauchamp Randall is in Scotland reconnecting with her husband, Frank. Claire and Frank are going through the normal awkwardness of becoming comfortable with each other once again when something astonishing happens. Claire is visiting one of the many ancient stone circles scattered about the countryside when suddenly she finds herself in the middle of a battlefield. In 1743.
My Review:
In which I finally meet James Alexander Malcolm MacKenzie Fraser…
First a little background–I love historical fiction, especially when set in the United Kingdom and I’ve recently become interested in the Jacobite rebellions. I am not intimidated by long books or series, in fact I prefer them most of the time. I also tend to take recommendations from my friends fairly seriously. Knowing all that, I don’t really understand why it took me years to read Outlander. Plus there’s the added benefit of hotties in kilts. Historical hotties in kilts. That should have been enough to convince me. Well whatever the reason, a group of my online book friends decided to read (or re-read) Outlander for our New Year’s read. What happened was a surprise even to me.
Going into the read, I knew little about the novel except that the romantic leads are Jamie and Claire, somehow Claire travels back in time to meet Jamie in all his kilt-god glory and the story really starts from that point. From the recommendations I’d gotten I expected a well written historical romance, a solid 4 star read. What I got was an emotional roller coaster of love, angst, torture, political intrigue and action. At any point in the book you could find me cursing the book or crying over it, usually both at the same time. Definitely not a fluffy historical romance.
I originally tried to write this review as soon as I finished the book but I was in such a daze from some of the chapters near the end it took a while longer before I could be articulate in any way. Now that I’ve had some time to think about it (and become obsessed in ways I didn’t quite expect) I still don’t know if I can express how wonderful this book is. There are so many characters to fall in love with in Outlander (not just Jamie) and I think that’s why I feel so compelled to continue reading. I dare anyone to read this without crying, laughing, hurting alongside and falling in love with each and every one of them. What I can say for sure is I’m very glad I read this book and will have to thank my RKB friends for recommending it after I finish strangling them for doing it. Not only will I continue with this series, I know I will read this one again. At some point. With a bottle of scotch and a box of tissues.
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