Friday Finds (July 10)

Posted in Book memes, For the love of books, Friday Finds by rebeccabook17

FRIDAY FINDS is hosted by A Daily Rhythm and showcases the books you ‘found’ and added to your To Be Read (TBR) list. Whether you found them online, or in a bookstore, or in the library — wherever! (they aren’t necessarily books you purchased).

My finds this week include a historical fiction, a young adult, a fiction, and a women’s fiction (I think):

1. Newport by Jill Morrow

This book tells the story of a family in Newport in the spring of 1921. I went to Newport recently and we did the mansion tours and I was just floored by the amount of wealth it took to make those mansions. This book is supposed to be about the “glamorous world of Newport in the Roaring Twenties” so I hope I see some of that wealth in this book!

2. Paperweight by Meg Haston

This book is about a girl who is struggling with an eating disorder in a rehabilitation center. It sounds like its going to be a really moving story about a tough issue affecting many girls today.

3. Shades of Grey by Jasper Fforde

Don’t get excited, I know the title sounds a lot like 50 Shades of Grey but that is not this book. This book is about “Chromatacia, where the societal hierarchy is strictly regulated by one’s limited color perception.” I’ve been really into the dystopian novels lately where the population is segregated into a hierarchy based on some weird mutation, like the color of their blood in The Red Queen. I thought that this book sounded like a definite must read.

4. Maybe in Another Life by Taylor Jenkins Reid

This book sounds like it will be a great read. Its about a woman who is at a bar and can either go home with a friend or a guy and the book switches between the storylines on what would happen to her with either decision.

So those are my finds this week! Please feel free to share your finds or leave a link to your own “Friday Finds” blog posting below! Happy Friday! Hope you all enjoy the weekend! I am glad its here!

8May2015

Friday Finds (May 8)

Posted in Book memes, For the love of books, Friday Finds by rebeccabook17

My finds this week include a fiction, a mystery, a young adult historical fiction, a thriller (I think?), and a historical fiction:

1. Whiskey & Charlie by Annabel Smith

I thought this book just sounded really interesting. It is about twin boys who become estranged as adults, citing their irreconcilable differences as the reason why they haven’t talked in years. But when one of the brothers is in a terrible accident, the other twin must come to terms with the past and find a way to move forward. Whole thing just sounds like a winner to me. I’ll probably end up balling my eyes out. “A compelling and unforgettable novel about rivalry and redemption, Whiskey & Charlie is perfect for anyone whose family has ever been less than picture-perfect.”

2. Every Secret Thing by Laura Lippman

This book was made into a movie starring Diane Lane, Elizabeth Banks, and Dakota Fanning. When I saw the trailer for the movie I thought it looked really interesting so I will probably try to read the book first. Its about two sisters who do some unspeakable crime and get sent to juvie and then when they get out a similar crime happens so we have to figure out if they did the second crime too. Movie comes out next Friday I think (May 15th).

3. The Revelation of Louisa May by Michaela MacColl

This book is about Louisa May Alcott. It has a few facts thrown in there but is mostly fiction. I love Alcott’s story Little Women and I think it would be interesting to read about her, even if the story is mostly fiction. From Amazon, “Intertwining fact, fiction, and quotes from Little Women, Michaela MacColl has crafted another spunky heroine whose story will keep readers turning pages until the very end.”

4. Where They Found Her by Kimberly McCreight

This book was actually recommended to me by a quiz I took online, I think it was a BookPage quiz but I can’t remember, about what book I should read next. I just love the last paragraph in the description on Amazon, it sounds like this is going to be a really good novel. “Told from the perspectives of three Ridgedale women, Kimberly McCreight’s taut and profoundly moving novel unwinds the tangled truth behind the tragedy, revealing that these women have far more in common than they could ever have imagined: that the very worst crimes are committed against those we love. And that—sooner or later—the past catches up to all of us.”

5. Swimming in the Moon by Pamela Schoenewaldt

I have found a new love for historical fiction lately, and this one sounds too good to pass up. It starts off in Italy and then moves to America and just sounds like it is going to be full of tension and drama and lots of the feels. It has a ton of great reviews on Amazon. I am excited to read it!

So those are my finds this week! Please feel free to share your finds or leave a link to your own “Friday Finds” blog posting below! Happy Friday!

17Apr2015

2015 Book #32 – The Magician’s Lie by Greer Macallister

Posted in #ReadingMyLibrary Reading Challenge, 2015, Book reviews, Fiction, Historical fiction, Magical realism, Reading Challenges by rebeccabook17

Title: The Magician’s Lie
Author: Greer Macallister
Date finished: 4/17/15
Genre: Fiction – Mystery / Historical / Magical
Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark
Publication Date: January 13, 2015
Pages in book: 312
Stand alone or series: Stand alone

Blurb from the cover:

The Amazing Arden is the most famous female illusionist of her day, renowned for her notorious trick of sawing a man in half on stage. One night in Waterloo, Iowa, with young policeman Virgil Holt watching from the audience, she swaps her trademark saw for a fire ax. Is it a new version of the illusion, or an all-too-real murder? When Arden’s husband is found lifeless beneath the stage later that night, the answer seems clear.
But when Virgil happens upon the fleeing magician and takes her into custody, she has a very different story to tell. Even handcuffed and alone, Arden is far from powerless-and what she reveals is as unbelievable as it is spellbinding. Over the course of one eerie night, Virgil must decide whether to turn Arden in or set her free… and it will take all he has to see through the smoke and mirrors.

My rating: 4 stars out of a scale of 5

My review: This book will count for the challenge I am participating in for April, the #ReadingMyLibrary reading challenge. I checked out this book from the Terryville Library. I saw this book in a recent BookPage publication I think and a couple other places so when I saw it at the library I thought I would give it a try. From the beginning, this was a really interesting story. The murder is introduced early on in the book and then we learn through the rest of the story how this young woman’s life has gotten to where she is now, in police custody.
The Amazing Arden has had what many would consider a very difficult life. Her story is heart-wrenching and enthralling at the same time. That she has survived so much is truly astounding. There were a couple of drier parts to the story that were a little more difficult to get through but overall I really liked the book. The only thing I still wondered about after it ended was what happened to Ada’s mom? I can’t help but worry that Ray found a way to somehow punish Victor and the mom for Ada’s disappearance.
Ray’s character was just so creepy. The whole time I was reading this book, I found myself looking over my shoulder to make sure no one was following me. Ray is just such a scary person and the whole book just felt so real to me that I felt like I was living the scary parts sometimes.

The bottom line: Really interesting! Pretty dark but I found it riveting. I would recommend it.

Link to author website
Click on the cover to go to the book’s Amazon page

3Apr2015

Friday Finds (April 3)

Posted in Book memes, For the love of books, Friday Finds by rebeccabook17

My finds this week include 2 different YA novels, a historical fiction and of course a romance:

1. The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter

I’ve always loved mythology, the stories about Greek gods were fascinating to me when I was younger. This book is about a girl who falls in love with a guy named Henry, who turns out to be Hades. And she will get to be a goddess if she decides to marry him. This is the first in a three (I think its only three) book series. It looks really interesting and I can’t wait to give it a try!

2. The Royal We by Heather Cocks & Jessica Morgan

Royal wedding! Need I say more? This is a love story of a girl name Rebecca (Woo!) who ends up falling in love with a prince. Just awesome all around.

3. At the Water’s Edge by Sara Gruen

While I haven’t read Water for Elephants yet, I heard it was a great book. And this book sounds like it will be a great hit as well, a man and wife go to Scotland in search of the Loch Ness Monster. I don’t usually include the blurbs here but even the description of the book was so well written. I love this specific piece “Maddie begins to see that nothing is as it first appears: the values she holds dear prove unsustainable, and monsters lurk where they are least expected.As she embraces a fuller sense of who she might be, Maddie becomes aware not only of the dark forces around her, but of life’s beauty and surprising possibilities.” How could you not want to read this book!!?

4. Heartbreak Cove by Lily Everett

I thought this sounded like a sweet love story. Woman sheriff takes her niece to a town for some quiet healing, and the niece likes horses. Nearby guy who rehabilitates abused horses helps out and then him and the sheriff fall in love. Just love the cover.

So those are my finds this week! Please feel free to share your finds or leave a link to your own “Friday Finds” blog posting below! Happy Friday!