Book Beginnings - 3/31/2017

 

*Please join Rose City Reader every Friday to share the first sentence (or so) of the book you are reading, along with your initial thoughts about the sentence, impressions of the book, or anything else the opener inspires. Please remember to include the title of the book and the author's name.  *Taken directly from Rose City Reader's Blog Page. 

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My book beginnings is taken from THE NIGHT THE LIGHTS WENT OUT by Karen White:

"If there was one thing that Merilee Talbot Dunlap had learned in eleven years of marriage, it was the simple fact that you could live with a person for a long time and never really know him."

LOVE her books!! 

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Book Finished:

THE WIDOW OF WALL STREET by Randy Susan Meyers

Review will be on April 19...marvelous read and story line.

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THE BAKER'S SECRET by Stephen P. Kiernan

LOVED this book.  Review will be on May 2.

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THE WIDOW'S HOUSE by Carol Goodman.

Review is in the book's title.

A slow start, but once it got going I couldn't put it down.

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THE WOMEN IN THE CASTLE by Jessica Shattuck.

Review is in the book's title.

LOVED it!!

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NEVER LET YOU GO by Chevy Stevens.

Review is in the book's title.

A good thriller.
 

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BRIDGE ACROSS THE OCEAN by Susan Meissner.

Review is in book's title.

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A SIMPLE FAVOR by Darcey Bell

A simple favor wasn't so simple.  :)
 

 

Review is in the book's title. 

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THE ORPHAN'S TALE by Pam Jenoff

LOVED the book as I have loved all of her books.

Review is in book's title.

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Book Blogger Hop - 3/31 - 4/6

 Question of the Week:

Do you visit every listed blog in the linky list when you are participating in a meme? (submitted by Elizabeth @ Silver's Reviews)

My Answer:

Oh yes...I have an obsession/compulsion about visiting every person in the linky list.

I sometimes don't make them all in one day, but I usually get to all the blogs.

If I don't reach everyone, that is an odd occasion but it does happen.

Friendly Fill-Ins - 3/31/2017

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Friday Fill-Ins:

1. The first thing I think about in the morning is _____.

2. The last thing I think about before sleep is ____.

3. I am looking forward to                 .

4. I am so pleased                 .

My Answers:

1.  The first thing I think about in the morning is how I used to call my mom every morning at 9 o'clock.

2.  The last thing I think about before I sleep is if everyone is safely at home. 

3.  I am looking forward to having my son visit next weekend.

4.  I am so pleased that I can enjoy my retired days reading and helping others.

 

The Widow's House by Carol Goodman

Clare and Jess Martin are struggling writers even though Jess has already had one book published.  They both want to continue writing, and Jess wants to make his second book a best seller, but their finances are holding them back.

They have exhausted their savings and are now looking for a new home that they can afford.  Unfortunately, everything is out of their price range.

But....when they have the offer to be a caretaker at Riven House in the town where they both went to college, where Clare grew up, and where their writing professor lived, they jump at the chance. Free lodging wasn't a bad deal either.

Who wouldn't want to re-connect with a famous writer who had been your college professor ?

The only "catch" is that the house is in utter disrepair and has many odd, creepy folks that live on the estate with the professor.

​The treasures Clare finds in the house as she is cleaning as well as the ghosts and the sounds that haunt the house​ caught my interest.
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THE WIDOW'S HOUSE has a gorgeous cover that pulls you in, and the story line along with the characters and what has happened and what currently happens at Riven House is intriguing.

A paranormal aspect is there, but it isn't over powering ​and ​​definitely ​adds to the book's​ interest.

It took me about 100 pages to get connected, but it was worth the wait​ as the family saga and secrets unfolded.​

​Along with the mystery and eeriness of the house, there is a mystery about who Clare's birth mother really was. 

Those readers who enjoy a mystery, a unique family, ghosts, family secrets, and a Gothic theme will enjoy THE WIDOW’S HOUSE.

Ms. Goodman has a marvelous writing style that will draw you in and have you easily connecting with the characters.  

The ending is quite good.  4/5

This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by the publisher  in return for an honest review.

The Women In The Castle - Jessica Shattuck

Before,​ during​,​ and after the war Marianne was there to support everyone even though she had lost everything except her ​castle and her children.

Marianne previously lived in a castle with her husband, Albrecht and her children before the Germans took it over.  Her ​husband was a member of the resistance but was killed by the Germans along with other members.  His request was for Marianne to take care of the families of other members if he and his fellow members were killed.

Marianne complied with her husband's wishes and found two women including Benita who had married a man Marianne actually had loved at one time and who was a family friend.

These women and their children lived together and endured the hardships after the war as well as sharing their lives before and during the war.  

Marianne was an organizer, Benita was a follower, and Ania was a great help to Marianne.  All three women had endured a lot and were there for each other in their own way as they recovered after the war.

THE WOMEN IN THE CASTLE gives us insight into how families lived in Europe before,  during, and after Hitler's regime.  ​The book ends with the year 1991.​

THE WOMEN IN THE CASTLE is well written, well researched, and with authentic characters and descriptions that draw you in...descriptions that allow you to share the experiences every character is dealing with whether good or bad.​  Some of the experiences are quite grizzly.​

It took me a few chapters to get connected and to warm up to the characters, but once I did, I became fully involved with their lives as well as becoming familiar with yet another piece of WWII's history.

Historical fiction fans and women's fiction fans will love THE WOMEN IN THE CASTLE.  Be prepared for a heart wrenching, but very thought-provoking read.

The historical aspect and the friendships between the three women draw the reader in and keep the pages turning while you also don't want the book to end.  4/5

This book was given to me free of charge and without compensation by the publisher in return for an honest review.​

Video courtesy of Harper Collins:
 
 

Maiilbox Monday - 3/27/2017

 

Mailbox Monday is the gathering place for readers to share the books that came into their house last week.

Warning: Mailbox Monday can lead to envy, toppling TBR piles, and humongous wish lists!

Mailbox Monday, created by Marcia @ A Girl and Her Books, has a permanent home now at Mailbox Monday.

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Every week Mailbox Monday will have a new linky posted for our Mailbox Monday links at Marcia's Mailbox Monday blog.

Here’s a shout out to the administrators:

Leslie of Under My Apple Tree 
Serena @ Savvy Verse And Wit
Martha of Reviews By Martha's Bookshelf

THANKS to everyone for keeping Mailbox Monday alive.

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I hope you had a good mailbox.

I had another marvelous mailbox this week!! 

Actually, it was an AMAZING week of books.

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On Monday, March 20, I received:

1.   THE ESSEX SERPENT by Sarah Perry, courtesy of Tavia Kowalchuk of Harper Collins.

2.   THE NIGHT THE LIGHTS WENT OUT by Karen White, courtesy of Lauren Burnstein of Penguin Random House.

3.  THE COTTINGLEY SECRET by Hazel Gaynor, courtesy of Molly Waxman of Harper Collins.

4.  THE DAUGHTERS OF IRELAND by Santa Montefiore, courtesy of Molly Waxman of Harper Collins.

5.  FLIGHT PATTERNS by Karen White, courtesy of Lauren Burnstein of Penguin Random House. 

Paperback edition - read the hard cover and loved it.

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On Tuesday, March 21, I received:

1.  THE WIDOW OF WALL STREET by Randy Susan Meyers, courtesy of Tory Lowy and Ben Bruton of Simon & Schuster.

 

2. THE NIGHT MARK by Tiffany Reisz, courtesy of Emer Flounders of Harper Collins, Harlequin, MIRA.

A surprise!!! Thanks, Emer.

 

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On Wednesday, March 22, I received:

1.  A WIN from Harper Collins/William Morrow!! 

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!

Books and a tote bag!!  

The bag says:  

We have an obligation to imagine!! - Neil Gaiman

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