Thursday, October 30, 2025
Review - Keeper of Lost Children
AUTHOR: Sadeqa Johnson
RATING: ★★★
RELEASE DATE: February 10th, 2026
Summary (from Goodreads): Lost in the streets and smoldering rubble of Occupied Germany, Ethel Gathers, the proud wife of an American soldier spots a gaggle of mixed-race children following a nun. Desperate to conceive her own family, she feels compelled to follow them to learn their story.
Ozzie Philips volunteers for the army in 1948, eager to break barriers for Black soldiers. Despite his best efforts, he finds the racism he encountered at home in Philadelphia has followed him overseas. He finds solace in the arms of Jelka, a German woman struggling with the lack of resources and even joy in her destroyed country.
In 1965, Sophia Clark discovers she’s been given an opportunity to integrate a prestigious boarding school in Maryland and leave behind her spiteful parents and the grueling demands. In a chance meeting with a fellow classmate, she discovers a secret that upends her world.
Toggling between the lives of these three individuals, Keeper of Lost Children explores how one woman’s vision will change the course of countless lives, and demonstrates that love in its myriad of forms—familial, parental, and forbidden, even love of self—can be transcendent.
REVIEW: I've been a fan of Sadeqa Johnson ever since I read her amazing novel Yellow Wife, so I knew going into her new book, Keeper of Lost Children, that it would be full of emotion, and I wasn't wrong. I've read a ton of historical books centered around World War II, with numerous different plots, but this subject matter was brand new to me. I've read countless stories about the Jewish children who were sent to live elsewhere during the war for their own safety, but this book details the struggles of the mixed race children during that time period, and this topic was a first for me. Sadeqa explains the real historical facts that inspired this book, and (as always) she did such a beautiful job with Ozzie, Sophia, and Ethel, the book characters whose lives were intertwined by such events. I have to say that Sophia was my favorite character because of her tenacity and strength, but I greatly admired Ethel too. I finished this book in just a couple of days because I didn't want to put it down, and I highly recommend it to everyone.
(DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this title from NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own).
Wednesday, October 29, 2025
Review - The Secret Christmas Library
AUTHOR: Jenny Colgan
NARRATOR: Eilidh Beaton
RATING: ★★★
Summary (from Goodreads): Mirren Sutherland stumbled into a career as an antiquarian book hunter after finding a priceless antique book in her great aunt’s attic. Now, as Christmas approaches, she’s been hired by Jamie McPherson, the surprisingly young and handsome laird of a Highland clan whose ancestral holdings include a vast crumbling castle. Family lore suggests that the McPherson family’s collection includes a rare book so valuable that it could save the entire estate—if they only knew where it was. Jamie needs Mirren to help him track down this treasure, which he believes is hidden in his own home.
But on the train to the Highlands, Mirren runs into rival book hunter Theo Palliser, and instantly knows that it’s not a chance meeting. She’s all too familiar with Theo’s good looks and smooth talk, and his uncanny ability to appear whenever there’s a treasure that needs locating.
Almost as soon as Mirren and Theo arrive at the castle, a deep snow blankets the Highlands, cutting off the outside world. Stuck inside, the three of them plot their search as the wind whistles outside. Mirren knows that Jamie’s grandfather, the castle’s most recent laird, had been a book collector, a hoarder, and a great lover of treasure hunts. Now they must unpuzzle his clues, discovering the secrets of the house—forming and breaking alliances in a race against time.
REVIEW: I can only speak for myself, but being a former freelance writer I've discovered there are certain pitfalls when it comes to reading. At the very top of the list is when the editing side of my brain kicks in, and that was the case with this book. Now, I’m no editor by any stretch of the imagination, but the repetitive words and phrases and "head jumping" were painstakingly obvious. (The story is told by the main character, Mirren, but there are instances where the author suddenly jumps to a secondary character's point of view - aka "head jumping" - which can be confusing). Is this being nitpicky of me? Yes, I'm sure it is, but unfortunately I can't turn that part of my brain off while I'm reading. The story as a whole is okay, and it would be good Hallmark channel material if it weren't for the cursing and sex. (This doesn't bother me, but I'm just throwing it out there in case it isn't someone else's cup of tea). Also, the pretty cover and title are misleading because the story has nothing to do with a secret Christmas library. The highlight of this audiobook for me was the narrator, Eilidh Beaton. It was my first time listening to her, and she did a fantastic job with the different characters and their accents. I probably would have stopped reading halfway through if I'd chosen the digital version, but Eilidh was so entertaining I kept listening to the very end.
(DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this title from NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own).
Tuesday, October 28, 2025
Top Ten Tuesday - Halloween Freebie 🎃
Sunday, October 26, 2025
Review - The Charmed Library
AUTHOR: Jennifer Moorman
RATING: ★★★
RELEASE DATE: January 6th, 2026
Summary (from Goodreads): What happens when you open your heart to the stories waiting to be written?
Stella Parker is stuck. Stuck back in her childhood bedroom in the small town she grew-up in. Stuck between playing it safe and making a change. Stuck in heartbreak. As an assistant librarian, she's surrounded by her favorite things: words. But Stella has a secret: she can see words not just on the page but all around her--words that shimmer and flit like living things, carrying emotions and whispers of untold stories. For years, she's kept this gift hidden, scribbling fragments into notebooks, unsure of their purpose.
After a lifetime of seeing and hiding her words, Stella views her gift as a mere curiosity, filling countless notebooks with words, poetry, and unfinished stories that seem to insist on being penned. However, Stella's world is upended when she tosses a journal filled with love notes to her ex into the library's furnace. This impulsive act awakens a new kind of magic--words that surge through her with undeniable urgency and purpose. Suddenly, Stella begins to wonder: Could her gift help guide others to the stories they need most? Could these words hold the power to change lives--including her own?
Things get complicated when, after hours in the library, Stella encounters unusual visitors and stumbles upon the library's long-held secrets of magic. Her questions lead her deep into the library's hidden magic, where she discovers the extraordinary ability to bring fictional characters to life. As she navigates the chaos of keeping the library's secrets safe, managing an enchanting WWII soldier, an unexpected villain, and her own meddlesome brother, Stella finds herself on a journey of love, courage, and rediscovery.
REVIEW: I read a review on NetGalley where the reviewer remarked that The Charmed Library reminded them of the movie Night in the Museum, and I thought how that was a perfect way to describe this book. There is a magical element to the plot, which I’m normally not interested in, but this was a cute story. (Note: I started with the audiobook version, but the narrator had a childlike voice that kept distracting me, so about 1/4 of the way through I switched to reading the digital book). I believe every devoted reader has wished to meet a fictional book character at least once or twice in their lifetime, but I don’t think most of us consider the repercussions that may come from it when you bring a character from their fictional world into this chaotic real world we live in. The main character, Stella, found out what happens when you take the risk, and it makes for an interesting story. There were a few instances that seemed a little too far-fetched, and the ending felt rushed and too easy (if that makes sense), but that wouldn’t keep me from recommending it. If you enjoy reading stories with magical elements, then you’ll probably love it.
Saturday, October 25, 2025
Sullivan Book Nook October Updates
Halloween week is almost upon us, and I’ve filled the little free library with some new mystery/suspense books. Also left some new kids books, pumpkin craft kits, and the Halloween LFL bingo card and coloring sheets are still available. Hope you have a happy and safe Halloween!
Subscribe to:
Comments
(Atom)
Currently Listening
Currently Reading
Popular Posts
NetGalley Badges
Goodreads Updates
