Tolstoy and the Purple Chair

Tolstoy and the Purple Chair: My Year of Magical Reading by Nina Sankovitch

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I love books about books, and I love books about grief. This book covers both.

Nina Sankovitch's sister was diagnosed with cancer and died four months later. In an attempt to work through her grief and terrible loss, she sets a goal to read and review a book a day for an entire year. She and her sister shared a love of books right up until the end, and she felt it would be a fitting tribute to their relationship while helping her heal.

First of all, I'm jealous. I know I shouldn't be since it took the death of her sister to help her reach this goal, but I am. I would love to have the ability to read a book a day. Fortunately the author was a stay-at-home mom during this time and had 6-8 hours of time per day to knock out her books. She has a remarkably patient husband. He sounds great and she is lucky to have him. Secondly, I found so many books to add to my TBR shelf that I may never work through them all. Conveniently the author lists all 365 books at the end so you too can load up your TBR shelf with hidden gems. But mostly I enjoyed reading how she tied the books she read into working through her grief while still being a mother of 4 and a wife of 1. Definitely a book for book lovers!



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A Natural History of Dragons (Memoir by Lady Trent #1)

A Natural History of Dragons by Marie Brennan

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I don't know what I was expecting with this book. I had a hard time getting into the writing style, then fell in love with her modern ideas in a victorian setting. I do think I expected more dragons. But I did enjoy her adventures and I rather think I would feel as out of time as she did had I lived in that age. Overall an enjoyable read, but I don't know that I will continue the series.



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The Bean Trees

The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Have you ever wanted to reinvent yourself? To escape your old life and start over where no one knows you? I know I have. So begins our journey into the desert of Tucson.

Overall, I really enjoyed it. The settings really come to life. The characters were each unique although I wanted more development, especially with Taylor and Lou Ann. She could have gone deeper into each of their stories and extended the book 100 pages without making it drag. I enjoyed reading about Taylor and Turtle's journey together and how they both changed in their new lives. I especially enjoyed the side plot about Esteven and Esperanza and how it all came together at the end.

I enjoy Barbara Kingsolver so I can't imagine why I waited to read this book. This one was her first novel, and it was good. Glad I finally got to it.




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As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride

As You Wish: Inconceivable Tales from the Making of The Princess Bride by Cary Elwes

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


Great book about the making of one of my favorite movies. I loved reading the anecdotes and the perspectives added by the other actors along the way.

A must read for fans of The Princess Bride. Now go read the book and watch the movie!



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Louisiana Longshot (Miss Fortune Mystery #1)

Louisiana Longshot by Jana Deleon

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


Cute start to a new series. Fortune Redding is a CIA assassin (but I can't see that she was actually all that good at her job, but anyway...) and she is in hiding in a small Louisiana town of Sinful until the Middle Eastern assassins looking for her give up. She takes on the identity of her director's niece and reluctantly integrates herself into small town Southern life. Suspend all disbelief and enjoy this cozy mystery. The cast of characters are entertaining. The old lady mafia running the town made me laugh, and the storyline, while silly, kept my entertained. Lots of fun girl power and amusement in this one. I'll give book 2 a try.



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To Kill a Mockingbird

To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


I thoroughly, completely love this book. Scout, Jem, Calpurnia, and especially Atticus. In many ways, it's a simple coming of age story. But it is more than that, too. It's about equality, and prejudices, and hatred. And I loved it. And I just might have a big huge crush on Atticus Finch.

I'm not sure what else to say. If you haven't read it, please do yourself a favor and read it now. It's a classic for a reason.



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All the Light We Cannot See

All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

My rating: 4 of 5 stars


World War II. Occupied France. Two young lives in different places, both impacted by the conflict. They come together in this unique, well-written work of historical fiction. The writing is both beautiful and sad. My heart broke into a million pieces several times while reading.

I fell in love with Marie Laure, her father, and Entienne. Marie Laure was an unusual heroine who filled me with hope. And I felt sympathy for Werner, who grew up fighting for the Nazis. In war, there are no winners, only survivors. Marie Laure and Werner both found a way to survive despite the world around them.

Read it. You just might, like me, find yourself leaving a piece of your heart in Saint Malo.



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Kneading to Die (Pawsitively Organic Mystery #1)

Kneading to Die by Liz Mugavero

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


You know it is a bad sign when the main character annoys you in the first chapter. What is up with all of the "theme song" nonsense? Between that and the constant brand-name dropping and needless clothing / physical descriptions of everyone, I barely soldiered on. Plus, her name annoyed me.

HOWEVER, the mystery was ok enough to finish it without too much eye rolling. I'm down with the whole small-town, organic living, pet loving world. I'm not standing in my kitchen whipping up pet food from scratch with all organic fresh ingredients, but I have enjoyed many a farmer's market in my day. So the setting was quaint, and I enjoyed many of the side characters, even though the author threw in so many that you barely got to know any of them. She did waste half the book on a boyfriend you knew from the first line wouldn't be sticking around for book 2, and that annoyed me. I get it; it sets up the heroine for the small-town love interest in book 2.

This book was just ok. I didn't hate it. I didn't love it. 2 stars.



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A Charming Cure (Magical Cures Mystery #2)

A Charming Cure by Tonya Kappes

My rating: 2 of 5 stars


My interest in this series is quickly dwindling. Book 1 was cute, and I was intrigued by the colorful characters in Whispering Falls, Kentucky. But I don't know if I can continue. The dialogue is terrible. It reads like a high school creative writing project at times. The purple prose pops up at the most awkward times and completely pulls me out of the story. I could overlook this and just enjoy the plot, but I am discovering how much I dislike the main character, June. June is insecure--a character trait I absolutely hate. She eats ding dongs non-stop, which is strange, but more importantly, she just isn't very smart. If she would stop and think before acting she would avoid most of her troubles. She is ridiculously naive about her relationship with her best friend, Oscar. I can handle the, "will they or won't they" nonsense. Hey, they are both 25 years old. No need to rush into anything. But her inner dialogue makes me cringe, and I just don't like her.

I will give book 3 a final shot before throwing in the towel, but it isn't looking good for me continuing the series. Sorry, June, you may have to continue on without me.



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Forever, Interrupted

Forever, Interrupted: A Novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


I rarely read chick lit, but this one was pretty good.

Elsie Porter loses her new husband, Ben, after only nine days of marriage. A whirlwind, six-month romance culminating in a romantic elopement, Elsie is left to pick up the pieces and find a way to move on while faced with meeting her new mother-in-law for the first time after the accident. It's a story of grief, a story of growth, and a story of finding your way through it all.



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