Bookish Quote of the Day!!

 

Bookish Quote of the Day!!

 

Every Vow You Break by Peter Swanson

 

I read The Kind Worth Killing by Peter Swanson back in 2022. I really enjoyed this novel and have wanted to read another novel by Peter Swanson ever since. 

Earlier this month, I decided to listen to the unabridged audio version of Every Vow You Break by Peter Swanson, which was nicely narrated by Karissa Vacker. 

The narration for Every Vow You Break by Peter Swanson is the most positive thing I can say about this suspense/thriller novel! The first half of Every Vow You Break is sooooo painfully slow and things didn't pick up until the second half of this novel. 

Additionally, I can't say as I liked any of the characters either for Every Vow You Break. The storyline and plot weren't that engaging either. Most of the storyline and characters seemed so two dimensional at best. 

I was tempted to 'dnf' this book on several occasions, but since I really enjoyed the first novel I read by Peter Swanson, I pushed forward in hopes it would turn out to be a better read. I liked the premise of this novel, but sadly, Every Vow You Break wasn't a winner in my eyes.

Below is the publisher's summary for Every Vow You Break by Peter Swanson found on Goodreads:

A bride’s dream honeymoon becomes a nightmare when a man with whom she’s had a regrettable one-night stand shows up in this electrifying psychological thriller from the acclaimed author of Eight Perfect Murders.

Abigail Baskin never thought she’d fall in love with a millionaire. Then she met Bruce Lamb. He’s a good guy, stable, level-headed, kind—a refreshing twist from her previous relationships.

But right before the wedding, Abigail has a moment of uncertainty. The drunken one-night stand from her bachelorette weekend, the sexy guy who wouldn’t give her his real name, didn’t really mean anything she keeps telling herself. She puts the incident out of her mind, and now believes she wants to be with Bruce for the rest of her life. Their honeymoon on a luxurious, secluded island in Maine will be the beginning of their blissful lives together.

Then the mysterious stranger suddenly appears—and Abigail’s future life and happiness are turned upside down. He insists that their passionate night was the beginning of something much, much more. Something special. Something real—and he’s tracked her down to prove it.

Does she tell Bruce and ruin their idyllic honeymoon—and possibly their marriage? Or should she handle this psychopathic stalker on her own? To make the situation worse, strange things begin to happen. She sees a terrified woman in the night shadows, and no one at the resort seems to believe anything is amiss… including her perfect new husband.

I am giving Every Vow You Break by Peter Swanson a rating of 2 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!

John Green on the Death of An Author!!

 

This is an interesting video! It's different than I thought it would be. John Green "considers the role of authorial intention and biography in novels, and whether the author can ever be exorcised from the novel, in the context of Roland Barthes' famous 1967 essay 'The Death of the Author.'"

Click on the above link to watch John Green!

The End of Reading?

 

Well, I am an avid reading and have read 41 books this year already. Apparently, I am not part of the above demographic mentioned in the above video.

According to writer, Rose Horowitch from The Atlantic, reading has declined by 40% in the past 20 years! Scary news for sure!

Click on the above video link to watch the CBS Morning clip featuring Rose Horowitch.

Resist by Tom Palmer

 

After reading and reviewing Over The Line by Tom Palmer earlier this month, I decided to listen to the unabridged audio version of Resist by Tom Palmer. Resist by Tom Palmer is well narrated by Anna Gilthorpe.

I loved listening to Resist! It's a well written novel set in Nazi occupied Netherlands during World War II. The story is inspired by the real life events of Audrey Hepburn as a teenager. Audrey Hepburn lived in the Netherlands during WWII with her family. She took part in helping with the Dutch Resistance in an effort to thwart the Nazi occupation of The Netherlands. 

I truly enjoyed reading about Audrey Hepburn's life during this time and how it affected her life and the life of others. Resist is a middle schooler read. It's an excellent historical fiction novel. 

Below is a short video of Tom Palmer discussing his novel, Resist.

Below is the publisher's summary for Resist by Tom Palmer, which I found on Chirp's website:

Multi-award-winning author Tom Palmer shines a light on life under wartime occupation, in a beautifully told story inspired by the childhood of Hollywood legend Audrey Hepburn.

As the brutal Second World War stretches on with no end in sight, life for ordinary Dutch people in the Nazi-occupied Netherlands is fraught with peril and hardship. There is very little to eat and the population lives under the constant threat of arrest and enslavement.

After the murder of her beloved uncle and the capture of her brother by the Germans, Edda is determined to do anything she can to help the resistance fight back against their oppressors. But what can a teenage girl do and how much risk is she willing to take?

Award-winning author Tom Palmer shines a light on the incredible work of the WWll Dutch resistance, in a story inspired by the childhood of Hollywood legend Audrey Hepburn.

I am giving Resist by Tom Palmer a rating of 4.5 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!

Bookish Quote of the Day!

 

This quote is so me recently!! I do a lot of scrolling when I should be reading or other tasks. Does anyone else relate to this quote?

Bookish Quote of the Day!!!

 

Blue Note Records - Enter the Blue by Dave Chisholm

Blue Note Records - Enter the Blue by Dave Chisholm is my 39th read of 2026. I read the ebook edition of this graphic novel and thoroughly enjoyed it from start to finish! Dave Chisholm is super talented. He is both the writer and illustrator for Blue Note Records - Enter the Blue. Dave Chisholm is also a new to me author.

The artwork and storyline for this graphic novel are amazing!! See the following book trailer I discovered on YouTube to see a glimpse of the artwork and storyline.

If you are a jazz music enthusiast or a lover of graphic novels with a great storyline and artwork, then Blue Note Records - Enter the Blue is the read for you! Jessie Choi is the leading character/protagonist for Blue Note Records - Enter the Blue. Jessie is a trumpet player. She's really good at playing the trumpet. But Jessie freezes up when she plays at live venues. Jessie doesn't feel like she's good enough and keeps comparing herself to another student at her music school. 

Jessie eventually becomes a music teacher as she doesn't think she's good enough to play the trumpet professionally. Jessie's mentor, Jimmy Hightower, keeps encouraging her to play the trumpet. 

Throughout Blue Note Records - Enter the Blue, we as readers keep seeing the term "the blue"... "The Blue: a mysterious meeting place for jazz history - a place where ghosts from this music's storied past spring to life for those courageous enough to enter." 

"The Blue" is a place where musicians go while they are playing music with passion that they become lost in the music while they are playing. It's like another dimension where time and space don't seem to exist and the jazz players of the past and present can collect and meet up again. It's a surreal concept!

Jimmy Hightower, Jessie's mentor, talked about "The Blue". He is an elderly man and he passes out while playing at a gig. Jimmy is rushed to hospital where he remains in a coma and his health deteriorates over time. Jessie is convinced that Jimmy is stuck in "The Blue" and feels she must rescue Jimmy or he will die.

Jessie starts playing the trumpet again with a group of musicians at a local venue, despite her reluctance to play her trumpet publicly again. Her only objective is to enter "The Blue" in order to save her mentor, Jimmy Hightower. Can Jessie enter "The Blue"? Can Jessie save Jimmy Hightower? Will Jessie overcome her fear to play the trumpet regularly with a band?

Blue Note Records - Enter the Blue by Dave Chisholm combines the above topics and more to create an amazing great read!

Below is the publisher's summary for Blue Note Records - Enter the Blue by Dave Chisholm, which I discovered on Amazon's website:

What begins as one woman's search for her own artistic courage unravels into a stunning look into what jazz music can teach us about our search for the truest versions of ourselves.

For decades, seasoned players on the scene have spoken in whispered tones about The Blue: a mysterious meeting place for jazz history - a place where ghosts from this music's storied past spring to life for those courageous enough to enter.

When Jessie Choi's mentor Jimmy Hightower collapses at a gig and loses consciousness, she finds herself reluctantly pulled back into the jazz scene she abandoned years earlier. In investigating the music and mystery behind Jimmy's comatose state, every thread leads to the same question: is Jimmy somehow trapped in this enigma known as The Blue? In her search to save her teacher, Jessie rubs shoulders with legends, uncovers the secret history of Blue Note Records, and faces her own deepest fears.

I am giving Blue Note Records - Enter the Blue by Dave Chisholm 4.5 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!

The New York International Antiquarian Book Fair

 

What an interesting video on the wide world of collecting antiquarian books and documents! 

The above YouTube video highlights "inside the secret world where the rarest books on Earth are bought and sold."

It would be interesting to attend this book fair in person simply to view what they have for sale and to gawk at the rare objects on display.