Goodreads Monday 11/29/21

Goodreads Monday is a weekly meme that was started by @Lauren’s Page Turners. and is now sponsored by @budgettalesbookblog This meme is quite easy to follow – just randomly pick a book from your to-be-read list and give the reasons why you want to read it. It is that simple.

Murder in a Mill Town (Nell Sweeney Mysteries, #2) — Murder in a Mill Town

Goodreads description:

Boston governess Nell Sweeney and her employer’s morphine-addicted son, Dr. Will Hewitt, investigate a young woman’s disappearance in Book #2 of P.B. Ryan’s acclaimed historical mystery series, Murder in a Mill Town.

Former pickpocket Nell Sweeney reinvented herself and found a position as governess to wealthy Viola Hewitt’s daughter Grace. When Viola needs help locating two missing people, she turns to Nell. Working with Viola’s son Will, an opium addict who knows his way around the back alleys and gambling dens, Nell finds the two murdered, and all evidence points to Will’s brother Harry as the killer. While attempting to clear Harry’s name, Nell and Will walk straight into the villain’s lair. Ryan creates characters you care about and a plot that holds your interest as you try to unmask the killer. Lively and intriguing, this is a fast-paced, wonderful read. -Romantic Times Book Reviews

Why I want to read this book: This one has been on my tbr pile for a long time. I loved the first book in the series, Still Life with Murder, but just haven’t gotten around to reading this one. Will and Nell are intriguing characters and I’m interested to see how the relationship evolves.

What books are you excited to read?

November 29, 2021

Thankful for books

This is a day late due to some technical issues. But, I couldn’t let Thankgiving pass without a post about gratitude for books. Here are just a few of the reasaons to be thankful for books.

Reading may be a solo activity, but it forms a community for introverts. When you discover someone else is a reader you have an instant connection, even if you don’t read the same books.
Books are cheap entertainment. Just compare the price of going to a two hour movie, to the price of a book which will provide countless hours of enjoyment.
Readers can live vicariously through characters. We can travel anywhere we want, do whatever we want and feel whatever we want through books.
If handled properly, books are forever. No need to upgrade like the old VHS tapes laying around the house.
If it wasn’t for books, we’d all be reading handwritten scrolls
Filling your house with books makes you look smarter to guests
Books let us know that there are others who experience the same feelings and experiences as us.
Books help you empathize with others
You can carry a book with you anywhere and you’ll never be bored
An e-reader can provide all the entertainment of a book, but nothing smells or feels like a book

Happy Thanksgiving everyone! Why are you thankful for books?

November 26, 2021

Goodreads Monday

Goodreads Monday is hosted by Lauren’s Page Turners. To participate, choose a random book from your TBR and show it off.

About the book

Title: George Washington’s Secret Spy War: The Making of America’s First Spymaster

Author: John A. Nagy

Genre: Nonfiction- History

Publisher: St. Martin’s Press

Goodreads Description

George Washington was America’s first spymaster, and his skill as a spymaster won the war for independence.

George Washington’s Secret Spy War is the untold story of how George Washington took a disorderly, ill-equipped rabble and defeated the best trained and best equipped army of its day. Author John A. Nagy has become the nation’s leading expert on the subject, discovering hundreds of spies who went behind enemy lines to gather intelligence during the American Revolution, many of whom are completely unknown to most historians.

Using George Washington’s diary as the primary source, Nagy tells the story of Washington’s experiences during the French and Indian War and his first steps in the field of espionage. Despite what many believe, Washington did not come to the American Revolution completely unskilled in this area of warfare. Espionage was a skill he honed during the French and Indian war and upon which he heavily depended during the Revolutionary War. He used espionage to level the playing field and then exploited it on to final victory.

Filled with thrilling and never-before-told stories from the battlefield and behind enemy lines, this is the story of how Washington out-spied the British. For the first time, readers will discover how espionage played a major part in the American Revolution and why Washington was a master at orchestrating it.

The majority of my reading for pleasure is fictional. But, I am making an effort to read more nonfiction. I like reading about behind the scenes stories of historical events that we might not know about. This sounded fascinating. Has anyone read it? What did you think?

November 16, 2021

TBR Thursday 11/11/21

Welcome to TBR Thursday! This is a weekly meme hosted by Kimberly Faye Reads, where you post a title from your shelf or e-reader and find out what others think about.

It is the last season of high school life for Nadia Turner, a rebellious, grief-stricken, seventeen-year-old beauty. Mourning her own mother’s recent suicide, she takes up with the local pastor’s son. Luke Sheppard is twenty-one, a former football star whose injury has reduced him to waiting tables at a diner. They are young; it’s not serious. But the pregnancy that results from this teen romance — and the subsequent cover-up — will have an impact that goes far beyond their youth. As Nadia hides her secret from everyone, including Aubrey, her God-fearing best friend, the years move quickly. Soon, Nadia, Luke, and Aubrey are full-fledged adults and still living in debt to the choices they made that one seaside summer, caught in a love triangle they must carefully maneuver, and dogged by the constant, nagging question: What if they had chosen differently? The possibilities of the road not taken are a relentless haunt.

I have heard lots of praise for Brit Bennett’s books, but have not read any of her books. Has anyone read her debut novel? What did you think?

November 11, 2021

Goodreads Monday: The High Tide Club by Mary Kay Andrews (11/8/21)

Goodreads Monday is hosted by Lauren’s Page Turners. To participate, choose a random book from your TBR and show it off.

About the book:

From the New York Times bestselling author of The Weekenders comes a delightful new novel about new love, old secrets, and the kind of friendship that transcends generations.

When ninety-nine-year-old heiress Josephine Bettendorf Warrick summons Brooke Trappnell to Talisa Island, her 20,000 acre remote barrier island home, Brooke is puzzled. Everybody in the South has heard about the eccentric millionaire mistress of Talisa, but Brooke has never met her. Josephine’s cryptic note says she wants to discuss an important legal matter with Brooke, who is an attorney, but Brooke knows that Mrs. Warrick has long been a client of a prestigious Atlanta law firm.

Over a few meetings, the ailing Josephine spins a tale of old friendships, secrets, betrayal and a long-unsolved murder. She tells Brooke she is hiring her for two reasons: to protect her island and legacy from those who would despoil her land, and secondly, to help her make amends with the heirs of the long dead women who were her closest friends, the girls of The High Tide Club—so named because of their youthful skinny dipping escapades—Millie, Ruth and Varina. When Josephine dies with her secrets intact, Brooke is charged with contacting Josephine’s friends’ descendants and bringing them together on Talisa for a reunion of women who’ve actually never met.

The High Tide Club is Mary Kay Andrews at her Queen of the Beach Reads best, a compelling and witty tale of romance thwarted, friendships renewed, justice delivered, and true love found. (Goodreads)

I have not read anything by this author, but it struck me as a perfect beach read.

November 9, 2021

My Favorite Read of October 2021

book review, The Survivors by Jane Harper

I discovered Jane Harper when I was planning my trip to Australia in 2018. Harper does a great job of capturing the Australian terrain and lifestyle. Aside from the setting, I love that her books are character driven mysteries. Even minor characters feel real.

Kieran Elliott’s changed forever as a teenager when his brother and a family friend die in an attempt to rescue him from a storm. They weren’t the only casualties that day, all that was recovered of Gabby was a backpack.

Years later, Kieran returns to Tasmania to help move his father who is suffering from dementia when a woman is murdered. Everyone is shaken, and the citizens begin to turn on each other. This leads to questions about what really happened all those years ago.

I loved the setting and character development in this book. I think the mystery is not as strong as her other books. But, it’s a good balance if you want serious mystery without a lot of graphic detail.

November 2, 2021