Bookish Quote of the Day!!

 

Virtual Author Event - Darcie Wilde Discusses A Counterfeit Suitor - Hosted by Murder by the Book

 

I had fun watching the 'Darcie Wilde Discusses A Counterfeit Suitor' virtual author event, which aired live on Tuesday, November 30, 2021. This lovely virtual author event was hosted by Murder by the Book.

I first heard Darcie Wilde speak last year at a virtual author event hosted by Murder by the Book. At that time, Darcie Wilde was a new to me author and she had recently released the 4th novel in the 'Rosalind Thorne Mystery' series.

I was intrigued by the the 'Rosalind Thorne Mystery' series, so decided to listen to the first two audiobooks in the series earlier this year. I really enjoyed both books a lot and need continue listening to the rest of the novels in this series.

Have you attended any in person or virtual author events recently?

Virtual Author Event - Amanda Flower in Conversation with M.V. Byrne - Hosted by Murder by the Book!

 

I must admit that I have thoroughly enjoyed attending virtual author events since the pandemic started last year. In person events, have just been too dicey for me to consider at this time.

Murder by the Book, an independent bookstore in Texas, has hosted several fun and exciting virtual author events. 

Yesterday evening, I watched 'Amanda Flower in Conversation with M.V. Byrne' discuss their latest cozy mystery novels. Both authors are new to me. I enjoyed becoming acquainted with their books through this virtual author event.

Have attended any in person or virtual author events recently?

The Last Runaway by Tracy Chevalier

 

The Last Runaway by Tracy Chevalier was my favorite fictional read during the month of November! I'd been meaning to read something written by Tracy Chevalier for a few years now as many readers seem to love her novels... It was just up to me to decide on which one of her many novels to read first. 

I happened to discover the paperback edition of The Last Runaway by Tracy Chevalier at a Little Free Library a couple of years ago, so my decision was made for me on which one of Tracy Chevalier's books to read first.

The Last Runaway by Tracy Chevalier is so engaging and well paced! I loved the writing, the storyline, and the characters for this novel. Honor Bright, the main character, along with Belle Mills and Mrs. Reed were my favorite characters in this novel.

The Last Runaway by Tracy Chevalier is a multilayered novel. This historical fiction novel is set in the 1850s in Ohio. Honor Bright leaves England on a voyage with her sister, Grace, to the United States as Grace is to be married to her English fiance, Adam, who has moved to the United States. The voyage isn't a smooth one for Honor as she becomes seasick and remains seasick the entire voyage to America. Then Honor's sister, Grace, dies from yellow fever as the two sisters make their way to Ohio by land to meet up with Adam in Ohio. This leaves Honor adrift on her own in a foreign country by herself to make the rest of her way to Adam. 

Initially, I'd found it odd that Honor left her parents home (parents whom she loved) to go with her sister to America. However, we, as readers, learn that Honor was 'jilted' by her fiance, Samuel, for another woman outside their Quaker faith. Honor found this event difficult to deal with and to then also face those within her community over her loss. So, Honor ends up traveling overseas with her sister, Grace. Even after Grace passed away near the start of The Last Runaway, Honor decides to remain in America instead of returning to England to be with kin. I found myself wanting to know what would happen to Honor Bright and her future as she was now set adrift in an unknown land... And what a tale her story is!

Honor Bright is a Quaker and she lived within a Quaker community in England with her family. She then (of course) moves to another Quaker community near Oberlin, Ohio.

Honor loves to quilt and is admired for her sewing and quilting skills. As readers, we become familiar with Honor's thoughts, feelings, and the difficulties she experiences as she adjusts to her new life in America. Just how out of sorts Honor feels to be in a new country with strange people, but making the best of it as she goes along.

We also learn about the Quakers themselves and their beliefs. We read about slavery and its impact on America along with how divisive slavery is between the Northern states and the Southern states. The Underground Railroad is brought to life and the injustices of slavery itself. Honor is thrown into the mix as an outsider looking in and trying to make sense of the various points of view on slavery. She encounters those that are against slavery and are helping with the Underground Railroad efforts... Plus, we see those that are pro-slavery and hire slave catchers to catch runaway slaves attempting to flee to Canada.

All the while, Honor Bright has met up with her deceased sister's fiance, Adam, and it is an awkward initial meeting... Adam had no idea Honor was joining Grace on her voyage to America as he hadn't received Grace's letter stating Honor was coming with her. Honor goes to live with Adam and that becomes a difficult situation for a variety of reasons I won't spell out here.

Honor eventually meets Jack Haymaker through the Quaker church and marries him. He's a young man around the same age as Honor and is a dairy farmer living with his widowed mother and younger sister. Jack's mother doesn't take to Honor and makes life difficult for Honor. Honor helps the runaway slaves and this is one of the reasons Honor's mother-in-law takes a disliking to her.

Honor is forbidden to continue helping runaway slaves by her mother-in-law as it puts their lives at risk with a new law that had been recently enacted. The new law states that those that help runaway slaves may be fined for their actions, which means they could lose the family farm and their livelihood. This drives a wedge between Honor and her new family as Honor wants to help the runaway slaves flee to freedom. Slavery runs against her principles. 

These are but a few of the highlights from The Last Runaway by Tracy Chevalier. There are many more details to this novel that I have not covered in this review.

Below is the plot summary for The Last Runaway by Tracy Chevalier from Amazon:

New York Times best-selling author of Girl With a Pearl Earring and At the Edge of the Orchard, Tracy Chevalier makes her first fictional foray into the American past in The Last Runaway, bringing to life the Underground Railroad and illuminating the principles, passions, and realities that fueled this extraordinary freedom movement.

Honor Bright, a modest English Quaker, moves to Ohio in 1850 - only to find herself alienated and alone in a strange land. Sick from the moment she leaves England, and fleeing personal disappointment, she is forced by family tragedy to rely on strangers in a harsh, unfamiliar landscape. Nineteenth-century America is practical, precarious, and unsentimental, and scarred by the continuing injustice of slavery. In her new home Honor discovers that principles count for little, even within a religious community meant to be committed to human equality.

However, Honor is drawn into the clandestine activities of the Underground Railroad, a network helping runaway slaves escape to freedom, where she befriends two surprising women who embody the remarkable power of defiance. Eventually she must decide if she too can act on what she believes in, whatever the personal costs.

I am giving The Last Runaway by Tracy Chevalier a rating of 5 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!

Top Ten Tuesday - Bookish Memories

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme hosted by Jana @ That Artsy Reader Girl. Top Ten Tuesday was originally created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love of books, and a desire to bring bookish friends together.

I had a very difficult time selecting my favorite bookish memories!! I have so many of them that I've collected over the years, especially the past ten years.Click on the links below to read/view my blog posts featuring my favorite bookish memories. Happy reading & enjoy!!

1. Bay Area Book Festival in Berkeley, California in person annually 2015-2019. In person book festivals are a blast! The Bay Area Book Festival is such a fun festival!! Each time I've attended the Bay Area Book Festival in years past, I've shared a detailed post about my experience at the festival that particular year. You can find my numerous posts by doing a search on my blog.

2. Stanley Mosk Library & Courts Building in downtown Sacramento, California in April 2019. My hubby and I enjoyed taking a free self guided tour of this place during the weekday and loved the architecture!

3. Bart's Books in Ojai, California - A unique indoor and outdoor independent bookstore not to be missed!!

4. Little Free Libraries - I am an avid fan of Little Free Libraries and have found several of them throughout California. I actively seek them out within my own community and nearby communities too... 
And believe me there doesn't seem to be a shortage of them popping up everywhere these days!

Plus, when my husband and I have taken vacations in the past (or short day trips), where I'll seek out Little Free Libraries on our trip. Each Little Free Library is so unique. I have fun exchanging books at Little Free Libraries. Half the fun is discovering which books I'll find inside them. I've actually found many wishlist books inside Little Free Libraries.

Hopefully, one day soon, I can find Little Free Libraries in other states as well. I write posts about my Little Free Library adventures. So feel free to do a search on my blog if you would like to read a post or two of my Little Free Library adventures.

5. Dr. Gay Hendricks & Tinker Lindsay Book Signing & Discussion at The Sacred Space in Summerland, California... I loved attending this event, especially due to the event location as The Sacred Space is exquisite!

6. The Last Bookstore in downtown Los Angeles, California 2012!! Wow, I can see why everyone raves about this bookstore. It's definitely a unique bookstore and has a lot of space to peruse for sure... During my visit many moons ago, I enjoyed the discounted book section, vintage records, coffee stand, and plenty of events for the avid reader to attend. I'd love to revisit this bookstore once again in the future.

7. The National Steinbeck Center in Salinas, California in 2015. If you are a John Steinbeck fan, then this place is a MUST see museum to visit. Down the street from the National Steinbeck Center is the former home of John Steinbeck and is now a restaurant.

8. The Stevenson House in Monterey, California in 2013. This is where author Robert Louis Stevenson lived for a short time during a visit to the USA. I loved the garden in the back of the building.

9. Eugene O'Neill National Historic Site in Danville, California. US Nobel Prize winning playwright, Eugene O'Neill lived and worked in Danville, California where he wrote some of his most memorable plays. I enjoyed the free guided tour of his home.

10. Thousands Of Books Given Away At A Contra Costa County Library in 2019!!! I was there and it was a blast to walk away with 25 FREE withdrawn library books!

I hope you enjoyed my top ten list this week. Thanks for stopping by and leaving me a comment.

Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones

 

I read an reviewed An American Marriage by Tayari Jones in February 2019. I really enjoyed reading An American Marriage by Tayari Jones. I have been meaning to read another one of her novels ever since then.

I'd heard good things about Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones from another book blogger who enjoyed reading this novel and has similar reading tastes as myself. So, earlier this month, I decided to listen to the unabridged audio version of Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones and narrated by Rosalyn Coleman Williams and Heather Alicia Simms.

Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones is an interesting read. The story revolves around the lives of two women married to the same man. The second wife and her daughter known about the existence of the first wife and daughter, but the first wife and daughter do not know about the existence of the second wife and daughter. The second wife and daughter live in secret due to the bigamist nature between herself and her husband, who is also still married to his first wife.

Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones is told in two parts. Part one is told through the eyes of Dana Lynn, the daughter of Gwen, the second wife, and her husband, James. Part two is told through the eyes of Chaurisse, the daughter of the first wife, Laverne, and her husband, James. 

The different perspectives of both Dana and Chaurisse couldn't be more at odds, yet eerily the same in some regards. Dana has pretty much always known about her father and his other wife and daughter. Dana and Gwen have even gone out of their way to spy on the first wife and daughter. Whereas Chaurisse and Laverne have no clue about the second wife and daughter.

It becomes a story of the haves and the haves not in this story as the novel unfolds over time until the devastation and destruction occurs towards the end of the novel when everything cracks wide open... Sure there seems to be a silver lining for James and his first wife and daughter... But for Dana and Gwen it's open to interpretation.

I liked Silver Sparrow, but honestly, I didn't like it as much as I did An American Marriage.

Below is the publisher's summary for Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones from Audible:

Set in a middle-class neighborhood in Atlanta in the 1980s, Silver Sparrow revolves around James Witherspoon's two families - the public one and the secret one. When the daughters from each family meet and form a friendship, only one of them knows they are sisters. It is a relationship destined to explode when secrets are revealed and illusions shattered. As Jones explores the backstories of her rich yet flawed characters - the father, the two mothers, the grandmother, and the uncle - she also reveals the joy, as well as the destruction, they brought to one another's lives. At the heart of it all are the two lives at stake, and like the best writers - think Toni Morrison with The Bluest Eye - Jones portrays the fragility of these young girls with raw authenticity as they seek love, demand attention, and try to imagine themselves as women, just not as their mothers.

I am giving Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones a rating of 3 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!

Bookish Quote of the Day!!

 

Seized by Suzanne Ferrell

 

Seized by Suzanne Ferrell is a novella and the third installment of the 'Edgars Family' series by Suzanne Ferrell. I enjoyed listening to this novella... It's short and sweet. I enjoyed the characters, plot, and romantic suspense aspects of Seized by Suzanne Ferrell. I'm looking forward to listening to the next installment in the 'Edgars Family' series by Suzanne Ferrell.

Below is the publisher's summary for Seized by Suzanne Ferrell from Audible:

They hit a rocky patch Dave and Judy Edgars have always loved each other - they've been married 10 years and have three kids. But ever since Dave, a SWAT team member, was shot on duty Judy can't control the intense fear that grips her every time he heads out to work. It puts a strain on their relationship. Dave knows she's scared, but damn it she knew he was a cop the day they met. His patience is wearing thin. Until the tables are turned....

One icy winter night, Judy, an operating room nurse, is called into work. She's taken hostage by a crazed gunman with an agenda. Now with Judy's life in danger and the SWAT team deployed elsewhere, Dave must face the same fear his wife does on a daily basis. Terrified he will lose her, he and his law enforcement family race to save Judy and stop her captor's plans.

I am giving Seized by Suzanne Ferrell a rating of 3.5 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!

Hunted by Suzanne Ferrell

 

Hunted by Suzanne Ferrell is the second novel in the 'Edgars Family' series by Suzanne Ferrell. I read and reviewed Kidnapped by Suzanne Ferrell in May 2018, which is the first novel in the 'Edgars Family' series. I liked Kidnapped by Suzanne Ferrell well enough, so I decided to move along and listen to the second novel in the series, Hunted by Suzanne Ferrell.

I enjoyed listening to the unabridged audio version of Hunted by Suzanne Ferrell. Hunted is well narrated by Paul Boehmer. I liked the plot/storyline for Hunted by Suzanne Ferrell... The romance was good, even it was a bit over the top in terms of 'instalove'.

Below is the publisher's summary for Hunted by Suzanne Ferrell from Audible:

The second book in the Edgars Family Romantic Suspense series.

In one fiery explosion Katie Myers' witness protection cover is blown. Unable to trust the Marshals who've been responsible for her safety, she's on the run from the cult leader she put on death row. In desperation she forces a near stranger at gunpoint to help her hide.

By-the-book patrolman Matt Edgars is shocked when the woman he's come to rescue points a gun at him and demands he help her leave a crime scene. The stark terror in Katie's beautiful eyes has him breaking rules for the first time in his career.

With a hit man on their trail, Matt must break down the walls Katie has built to guard the secrets of her past. If not the cult leader will fulfill his prophecy and take the one woman Matt has ever loved to the grave.

I am giving Hunted by Suzanne Ferrell a rating of 3.5 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!

The Taster by V. S. Alexander

 

I listened to the unabridged audio version of The Taster by V. S. Alexander and narrated by Carol Monda. Listening time for The Taster by V. S. Alexander is 11 hours, 58 minutes.

I honestly forget how I initially discovered The Taster by V. S. Alexander. I think I may have read a review of this historical fiction novel written by another book blogger and decided to add The Taster by V. S. Alexander to my reading wishlist as it sounded like a good read.

For the most part, I really enjoyed The Taster by V. S. Alexander as historical fiction is one of my favorite genres. The Taster by V. S. Alexander is set in Germany during World War II. The main character is Magda Ritter is a young woman living in Berlin with her parents. Due to the increased bombings of Berlin by Allied Forces, Magda's parents send her to live in Bavaria with her relatives for safe keeping.

Magda's aunt and uncle are staunch Nazi party supporters and Magda's aunt expects her to either work for the Reich or marry and produce healthy, strong children for the Reich. Magda end up securing a position as one of several young women trained to taste the Fuhrer's food to make sure it isn't poisoned before he consumes it... Hence, these women are potentially sacrificing their lives to save the Fuhrer's life.

Madga isn't into party politics or even a fan of Hitler, but she manages to keep her feelings to herself and lives an insular life inside Berghof, Hitler's mountain retreat. It was very interesting to read about Magda's life as a taster for the Fuhrer and life inside the Fuhrer's inner circle. Lots of interesting plot details make this novel a captivating read for the most part. 

The only major complaint I have with The Taster by V. S. Alexander is with either chapter 22 or chapter 23. I felt that one aspect of the plot development/plot twist didn't seem very credible to me... I'd mention the specific detail, but hesitate in doing so as I do not want to provide any potential spoilers to future readers of this novel. Additionally, the author seemed a bit over the top about some sentiments that seemed to be a bit overly dramatic. Otherwise, The Taster by V. S. Alexander was a good read.

I also didn't like the narration for The Taster. The accent Carol Monda used sounded like a fake German accent. Plus, the narrator mispronounced the same set of words repeatedly, which was annoying.

Below is the plot summary for The Taster by V. S. Alexander from Audible:

Amid the turbulence of World War II, a young German woman finds a precarious haven closer to the source of danger than she ever imagined - one that will propel her through the extremes of privilege and terror under Hitler's dictatorship.

In early 1943, Magda Ritter's parents send her to relatives in Bavaria, hoping to keep her safe from the Allied bombs strafing Berlin. Young German women are expected to do their duty - working for the Reich or marrying to produce strong, healthy children. After an interview with the civil service, Magda is assigned to the Berghof, Hitler's mountain retreat. Only after weeks of training does she learn her assignment: she will be one of several young women tasting the Führer's food, offering herself in sacrifice to keep him from being poisoned.

Perched high in the Bavarian Alps, the Berghof seems worlds away from the realities of battle. Though terrified at first, Magda gradually becomes used to her dangerous occupation - though she knows better than to voice her misgivings about the war. But her love for a conspirator within the SS and her growing awareness of the Reich's atrocities draw Magda into a plot that will test her wits and loyalty in a quest for safety, freedom, and, ultimately, vengeance.

Vividly written and ambitious in scope, The Taster examines the harrowing moral dilemmas of war in an emotional story filled with acts of extraordinary courage.

I am giving The Taster by V. S. Alexander a rating of 4 stars out of 5 stars.

Until my next post, happy reading!!