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booklistqueen's Reviews (634)
Great intro book for female entrepreneurs
After making millions selling essential oils, Lindsay Teague Moreno found her true passion in life was to inspire female entrepreneurs. In her new book, she takes the lesson she learned as a serial entrepreneur to share her 10 successful philosophies to help other mothers realize their dreams.
What I first fell in love with was her discussion on finding your thing and thinking long-term. She perfectly explains how to figure out what you want to do and how to think ahead towards scaling up to a multimillion-dollar company. I took pages of notes on these topics, and I think my business will be better for it.
After that, many of her success philosophies get more into ideals than actual items. I'm a checklist kind of girl, so I grew tired of the vagueness and would have loved a bit more concrete "Go get them" attitude. All in all, a decent starting point for female entrepreneurs (moms or not) that definitely gave me some great ideas for my own blog.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
After making millions selling essential oils, Lindsay Teague Moreno found her true passion in life was to inspire female entrepreneurs. In her new book, she takes the lesson she learned as a serial entrepreneur to share her 10 successful philosophies to help other mothers realize their dreams.
What I first fell in love with was her discussion on finding your thing and thinking long-term. She perfectly explains how to figure out what you want to do and how to think ahead towards scaling up to a multimillion-dollar company. I took pages of notes on these topics, and I think my business will be better for it.
After that, many of her success philosophies get more into ideals than actual items. I'm a checklist kind of girl, so I grew tired of the vagueness and would have loved a bit more concrete "Go get them" attitude. All in all, a decent starting point for female entrepreneurs (moms or not) that definitely gave me some great ideas for my own blog.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Thomas Nelson through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
A Tale of Syrian Refugees That Forget To Evoke Emotions
In an age of increasing awareness of the plight of refugees, Christy Lefteri's new novel focuses on the path of two Syrian refugees, Nuri, a beekeeper, and his wife Afro, an artist. The novel is split into two timelines: each chapter begins with their life in the UK awaiting for a decision on their asylum request and then shifts to their journey from Aleppo to England.
Despite the fact that Lefteri's novel covers just such an important topic, for most of the book I felt bored. Many chapters failed to progress the story, aiming for a reflective tone and landing on dull instead. While I appreciated Nuri and Afra's struggles, I didn't feel any connection to them. In conveying their refusal to process the emotions of their trauma, Lefteri ended up also failing to convey any emotion to me as a reader.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Random House Publishing Group through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
In an age of increasing awareness of the plight of refugees, Christy Lefteri's new novel focuses on the path of two Syrian refugees, Nuri, a beekeeper, and his wife Afro, an artist. The novel is split into two timelines: each chapter begins with their life in the UK awaiting for a decision on their asylum request and then shifts to their journey from Aleppo to England.
Despite the fact that Lefteri's novel covers just such an important topic, for most of the book I felt bored. Many chapters failed to progress the story, aiming for a reflective tone and landing on dull instead. While I appreciated Nuri and Afra's struggles, I didn't feel any connection to them. In conveying their refusal to process the emotions of their trauma, Lefteri ended up also failing to convey any emotion to me as a reader.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Random House Publishing Group through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
An original young adult fantasy novel
The award for the prettiest cover of the September 2019 book releases certainly belongs to Alix E. Harrow’s debut young adult fantasy novel. Growing up in the early 1900s, January Scaller lives in a expansive mansion in Vermont, the home of her guardian Mr. Locke, who collects peculiar treasures from all over the world. January herself is one of those treasures, not quite white but also not quite black. Her father travels the world finding treasures for Mr. Locke, while January sits at home trying to be a good girl. When January discovers a book about doors – magical passageways between worlds – she begins a journey toward a fantastical future and an understanding of her past.
I must admit, Harrow’s novel certainly was original. I enjoyed the thought-out approach to the magical concept of doors between universes. At first, I was worried because the novel alternates between January’s story and chapter excerpts from the book she is reading – which did blend as harmoniously as I would have liked. Luckily the book within a book was short and applied directly into the story line.
Also, the first half of the novel was a bit slower, without much action. Then, in the second half the action comes much quicker, almost a bit too quick. I wish the author had been able to more even out the action.
All in all, it was an enjoyable novel for me to read. I wouldn’t recommend it unless you particularly like the young adult genre, for it is not nearly as developed as you would expect from an adult novel.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Redhook Books and through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
The award for the prettiest cover of the September 2019 book releases certainly belongs to Alix E. Harrow’s debut young adult fantasy novel. Growing up in the early 1900s, January Scaller lives in a expansive mansion in Vermont, the home of her guardian Mr. Locke, who collects peculiar treasures from all over the world. January herself is one of those treasures, not quite white but also not quite black. Her father travels the world finding treasures for Mr. Locke, while January sits at home trying to be a good girl. When January discovers a book about doors – magical passageways between worlds – she begins a journey toward a fantastical future and an understanding of her past.
I must admit, Harrow’s novel certainly was original. I enjoyed the thought-out approach to the magical concept of doors between universes. At first, I was worried because the novel alternates between January’s story and chapter excerpts from the book she is reading – which did blend as harmoniously as I would have liked. Luckily the book within a book was short and applied directly into the story line.
Also, the first half of the novel was a bit slower, without much action. Then, in the second half the action comes much quicker, almost a bit too quick. I wish the author had been able to more even out the action.
All in all, it was an enjoyable novel for me to read. I wouldn’t recommend it unless you particularly like the young adult genre, for it is not nearly as developed as you would expect from an adult novel.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Redhook Books and through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
World War II historical fiction mixed with magical realism
Although I haven’t read The Marriage of Opposites or The Rules of Magic (yet!), I absolutely adored The Dovekeepers, so I was excited to dive into Alice Hoffman’s newest novel, historical fiction set during World War II. After her daughter is almost raped, Hanni Kohn decides that she must send her daughter Lea away from Germany. Because she must stay to protect her mother, Hanni decides to create a mystical Jewish creature, a golem, whose purpose in life will be to protect Ettie. With the help of Ettie, a rabbi’s daughter, they bring to life Ava, and Ava, Lea and Ettie’s path converge in France, which is not quite the safe haven for Jews they were hoping for.
Hoffman does an excellent job of mixing in the fantastical element of Ava into reality, making the jump toward magical realism feel more believable, though still not quite palatable for my taste. From the story, you can tell Hoffman thoroughly researched the Jewish travails in France. Unfortunately, I felt that her extensive research lead to some of the backgrounds of the side characters being covered too extensively so that the author could squeeze in some interesting historical facts.
Though not nearly as good as The Dovekeepers, The World That We Knew will get plenty of outstanding reviews from some who love Alice Hoffman’s gorgeous writing, but only three stars from people like me who struggle with magical realism.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Simon & Schuster through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Although I haven’t read The Marriage of Opposites or The Rules of Magic (yet!), I absolutely adored The Dovekeepers, so I was excited to dive into Alice Hoffman’s newest novel, historical fiction set during World War II. After her daughter is almost raped, Hanni Kohn decides that she must send her daughter Lea away from Germany. Because she must stay to protect her mother, Hanni decides to create a mystical Jewish creature, a golem, whose purpose in life will be to protect Ettie. With the help of Ettie, a rabbi’s daughter, they bring to life Ava, and Ava, Lea and Ettie’s path converge in France, which is not quite the safe haven for Jews they were hoping for.
Hoffman does an excellent job of mixing in the fantastical element of Ava into reality, making the jump toward magical realism feel more believable, though still not quite palatable for my taste. From the story, you can tell Hoffman thoroughly researched the Jewish travails in France. Unfortunately, I felt that her extensive research lead to some of the backgrounds of the side characters being covered too extensively so that the author could squeeze in some interesting historical facts.
Though not nearly as good as The Dovekeepers, The World That We Knew will get plenty of outstanding reviews from some who love Alice Hoffman’s gorgeous writing, but only three stars from people like me who struggle with magical realism.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Simon & Schuster through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Four orphans on a riverboat journey during the Great Depression
After his stunning novel Ordinary Grace, William Kent Krueger returns with a new novel set in Minnesota. This time, his story is set in 1932, where young orphan Odie O’Banion is living as one of the one white boys at the Lincoln School, a home for Native American children. The school is atrociously ruled by a mean-spirited superintendent, who cares little for the children and especially loathes Odie. One summer night, Odie flees the school in a canoe, along with his older brother, their best friend Mose, and a newly orphaned little girl. Thus sets up a river journey reminiscent of Huckleberry Finn.
If you don’t mind a slower pace, This Tender Land enchants the mind with an image of life during the Great Depression. Between meeting bootleggers, struggling farmers, and traveling revivalists, the four children witness aspects of the era that transport you back to that period of US history. Krueger highlights the injustice inherent in that era without forcing modern values into the minds of past generations.
Despite the weak ending where everything ties together in a neat little bow, the story held my attention throughout, and was definitely my favorite of all the September 2019 book releases I’ve read so far.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Atria Books. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
After his stunning novel Ordinary Grace, William Kent Krueger returns with a new novel set in Minnesota. This time, his story is set in 1932, where young orphan Odie O’Banion is living as one of the one white boys at the Lincoln School, a home for Native American children. The school is atrociously ruled by a mean-spirited superintendent, who cares little for the children and especially loathes Odie. One summer night, Odie flees the school in a canoe, along with his older brother, their best friend Mose, and a newly orphaned little girl. Thus sets up a river journey reminiscent of Huckleberry Finn.
If you don’t mind a slower pace, This Tender Land enchants the mind with an image of life during the Great Depression. Between meeting bootleggers, struggling farmers, and traveling revivalists, the four children witness aspects of the era that transport you back to that period of US history. Krueger highlights the injustice inherent in that era without forcing modern values into the minds of past generations.
Despite the weak ending where everything ties together in a neat little bow, the story held my attention throughout, and was definitely my favorite of all the September 2019 book releases I’ve read so far.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from Atria Books. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Surviving the plane crash was just the beginning ...
On June 12, 2013, on a flight from New York City to Los Angeles, 191 people are killed in a plane crash. The sole survivor, 12-year-old Edward Adler. Although Edward recovers physically, learning to deal with the fact that he is alive while so many others, including his parents and older brother, are not is a slow and painful process. With split narration between Edward's post-crash years and the time leading up to the fatal accident, Dear Edward shows that surviving is just the beginning.
Napolitano hits the emotions just right in this novel, making you deeply care about Edward's progress while not turning the story into a full-blown tearjerker. A touching tale, Napolitano perfectly conveys Edward's complicated coming of age years, giving you hope that even in the midst of such tragedy, joy can be found. Certainly a must-read among the new 2020 book releases.
I was given an advanced copy of this book from Random House through Netgalley. All opinions expressed are my own.
On June 12, 2013, on a flight from New York City to Los Angeles, 191 people are killed in a plane crash. The sole survivor, 12-year-old Edward Adler. Although Edward recovers physically, learning to deal with the fact that he is alive while so many others, including his parents and older brother, are not is a slow and painful process. With split narration between Edward's post-crash years and the time leading up to the fatal accident, Dear Edward shows that surviving is just the beginning.
Napolitano hits the emotions just right in this novel, making you deeply care about Edward's progress while not turning the story into a full-blown tearjerker. A touching tale, Napolitano perfectly conveys Edward's complicated coming of age years, giving you hope that even in the midst of such tragedy, joy can be found. Certainly a must-read among the new 2020 book releases.
I was given an advanced copy of this book from Random House through Netgalley. All opinions expressed are my own.
Don't expect too much and you'll enjoy this summer thriller
Rowan Caine is ecstatic to receive a high paying live-in nanny position at a remote, but high tech, Scotland estate. However, she never expected to end up in prison for the murder of one of the children. Written in the form of a letter to her lawyer, The Turn of the Key slowly unravels what happened to Rowan – her own secrets as well as those of the family who employs her, of the handsome gardener she feels drawn to, and even of the house itself.
If you like being enveloped in a creepy atmosphere, The Turn of the Key certainly delivers. While the plot much not be the best developed you’ve ever read, I found this book to be a fun read perfect for the last days of summer, or to cuddle up with this fall. The story will scare you just enough to keep you engaged without making you too terrified to sleep at night. The ending felt a bit rushed, and I doubt it will be as well regarded as her other books. Yet, I enjoyed it while I read it, and would not be surprised to see it turned into a movie someday.
Rowan Caine is ecstatic to receive a high paying live-in nanny position at a remote, but high tech, Scotland estate. However, she never expected to end up in prison for the murder of one of the children. Written in the form of a letter to her lawyer, The Turn of the Key slowly unravels what happened to Rowan – her own secrets as well as those of the family who employs her, of the handsome gardener she feels drawn to, and even of the house itself.
If you like being enveloped in a creepy atmosphere, The Turn of the Key certainly delivers. While the plot much not be the best developed you’ve ever read, I found this book to be a fun read perfect for the last days of summer, or to cuddle up with this fall. The story will scare you just enough to keep you engaged without making you too terrified to sleep at night. The ending felt a bit rushed, and I doubt it will be as well regarded as her other books. Yet, I enjoyed it while I read it, and would not be surprised to see it turned into a movie someday.
Band of Brothers: E Company, 506th Regiment, 101st Airborne from Normandy to Hitler's Eagle's Nest
Tragedy strikes after two neighboring families clash.
In a gentrifying North Carolina neighborhood, the clash between new and old has deadly consequences. Professor Valerie Alston-Holt has lived in Oak Knoll for decades. It's where she raised her son Xavier, who is off to college soon. But things go horribly wrong when her new neighbors, the Whitmans, move in. Brad Whitman's monstrosity of a house damages the root system of Valerie's precious oak tree, an unforgivable offense in Valerie's eyes. Yet despite the differences in race, class and lifestyles, Xavier falls in love with Whitman's stepdaughter.
I must say, Fowler is an excellent writer. For the most part, her characters shine through and she draws you in with the power of her storytelling. Normally, A Good Neighborhood would be a solid four stars for me, except two points keep nagging at me. First, Brad Whitman's character felt a bit contrived and too heavy-handed. Serving as the antagonist, he didn't have enough nuance and felt like a caricature. Secondly, the ending left me so downtrodden. After all that, what was the point? Usually I'm all about sad endings, but this one felt like too much, maybe because in all its hopelessness, it rang as too realistic. I can see why other people will give it 4 or 5 stars, but only 3.5 stars from me.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
In a gentrifying North Carolina neighborhood, the clash between new and old has deadly consequences. Professor Valerie Alston-Holt has lived in Oak Knoll for decades. It's where she raised her son Xavier, who is off to college soon. But things go horribly wrong when her new neighbors, the Whitmans, move in. Brad Whitman's monstrosity of a house damages the root system of Valerie's precious oak tree, an unforgivable offense in Valerie's eyes. Yet despite the differences in race, class and lifestyles, Xavier falls in love with Whitman's stepdaughter.
I must say, Fowler is an excellent writer. For the most part, her characters shine through and she draws you in with the power of her storytelling. Normally, A Good Neighborhood would be a solid four stars for me, except two points keep nagging at me. First, Brad Whitman's character felt a bit contrived and too heavy-handed. Serving as the antagonist, he didn't have enough nuance and felt like a caricature. Secondly, the ending left me so downtrodden. After all that, what was the point? Usually I'm all about sad endings, but this one felt like too much, maybe because in all its hopelessness, it rang as too realistic. I can see why other people will give it 4 or 5 stars, but only 3.5 stars from me.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from St. Martin's Press through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.