Thursday, November 12, 2026
Review - A Time of Witches
AUTHOR: Madeline Martin
NARRATOR: Saskia Maarleveld
RATING: ★★★
Summary (from Goodreads): Lilith Legare’s life is unraveling. Since her mother’s death, strange things have been happening - plants turn toward her touch, animals linger in her path, and the birthmark on her arm has started tingling. Worse still is her recurring nightmare of being burned alive at the stake.
Her search for answers brings her from Savannah to England, to the decaying Brackenmere Manor where the past blurs with the present. There, Lilith discovers a legacy she never asked for and along with it, the threat of peril. History must be rewritten, or she too will die.
In 1645 Suffolk, Sybil Brantham stands accused as a witch. An educated, wealthy widow, she is branded a threat by men who fear her independence. As arrests begin and suspicion abounds, Sybil must protect her younger sister, even as betrayal takes root within her household.
Across centuries, Lilith and Sybil are bound by blood and by danger. To save themselves, and each other, they must confront the silence that has stolen women’s power for generations—and dare to claim their voices before it’s too late.
REVIEW: I’ve held a fascination of the Salem witch trials for as far back as I can remember, and visiting Salem, Massachusetts is at the top of my travel bucket list. While this story doesn’t take place in Salem, I was still intrigued by the plot, and I couldn’t wait to listen to the audiobook. (It’s narrated by one of my faves, Saskia Maarleveld, and she is absolutely incredible, as always). The plot is very interesting and different, jumping back and forth between two separate timelines, but it wasn’t confusing. As with most of Madeline Martin’s stories, the central theme here, in my opinion, is girl power, especially between the main characters, Lilith and Sybil, and you can’t help but cheer them on. There are some twists and turns, including a BIG one that actually took me by surprise. (I’m normally pretty good at guessing plot twists, but not this time). It’s evident that Madeline did a ton of research for this book, which I appreciate. If you’ve read most of my reviews, then you know that learning the history behind the book is my favorite thing about reading historical fiction. I would recommend reading the author notes first, but they do contain spoilers, so just be aware of that. There were parts of the story that lagged quite a bit, but overall I would wholeheartedly recommend A Time of Witches.
Wednesday, November 11, 2026
Sullivan Book Nook - November Update
All of the remaining advance reader copies I received at my work conferences are now available in my little free library. If you get one, please consider returning it when you’re finished so other people can enjoy it too. Thank you!
TITLE: The Correspondent
TITLE: The Piano Teacher of Montparnasse (audiobook)
(DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this title from NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own).
Wednesday, November 4, 2026
Review - The Correspondent
AUTHOR: Virginia Evans
RATING: ★★★★
Summary (from Goodreads): Sybil Van Antwerp has throughout her life used letters to make sense of the world and her place in it. Most mornings, around half past ten, Sybil sits down to write letters—to her brother, to her best friend, to the president of the university who will not allow her to audit a class she desperately wants to take, to Joan Didion and Larry McMurtry to tell them what she thinks of their latest books, and to one person to whom she writes often yet never sends the letter.
Sybil expects her world to go on as it always has—a mother, grandmother, wife, divorcee, distinguished lawyer, she has lived a very full life. But when letters from someone in her past force her to examine one of the most painful periods of her life, she realizes that the letter she has been writing over the years needs to be read and that she cannot move forward until she finds it in her heart to offer forgiveness.
REVIEW: I have heard so many wonderful compliments on The Correspondent from my library patrons, so I decided to see for myself what the fuss was all about. Well...I am so glad I did. I read this book in one day, so that should give you a little indication of how much I enjoyed it. I adored the main character, Sybil Van Antwerp, from the very beginning. She reminded me a lot of Sheldon Cooper from The Big Bang Theory. I'm not sure exactly why, but perhaps it was her straightforwardness - that tendency to say things outright without considering first how it might effect others - but it isn't done with a vicious spirit. Sybil wasn't a big fan of change and expected things to stay as they were, and she just spoke her mind when that didn't happen. Nothing wrong with that. Her love of writing letters was endearing to me because I had many pen-pals during my teenage years, and I miss it so much, but I do feel like letter writing is starting to make a comeback. (I've even considered it myself and have already checked into several global pen-pal clubs). The secondary characters in The Correspondent are noteworthy too, because they all come with their own backstory and history, and they tie the story together so beautifully. I would highly recommend this book, and I'm so glad I took a chance on it. I know it will stay with me a long time.
Tuesday, November 3, 2026
New advance reader copy in the LFL!
An advance reader copy of Trust Issues by author Kasie West is now available in my little free library!
Monday, November 2, 2026
Review - The Piano Teacher of Montparnasse
AUTHOR: Heather Morris
NARRATOR: Saskia Maarleveld
RATING: ★★★
Summary (from Goodreads): In 1942, the Nazis come for a Jewish family living in the Montparnasse area of occupied Paris. In the chaos of their arrest, eleven-year-old Josephine runs to the only person she can her piano teacher, Andrée Levallois, a secret French Resistance operative.
Andrée takes her in as a member of the family, spreading their rations and risking everything to keep her safe. But soon the authorities close in, and both Andrée and Josie are caught in a desperate race to stay alive.
REVIEW: After reading so many great reviews about Heather Morris’ book, The Tattooist of Auschwitz, which is still on my TBR list, I was very excited to get my hands on this audiobook. It was my first time reading Morris’ work, and I enjoyed it. If you’ve read my reviews before, then you know how much I love books based around World War II, and The Piano Teacher of Montparnasse didn’t disappoint with the ambience and emotions that always stir my heart and soul whenever I read about the horrors and devastation surrounding World War II. There’s a bit of everything with this story - mystery, suspense, a little romance, and lots of drama. If I could go back and do anything different, though, I would choose the ebook instead of the audiobook because there were a lot of times when one of the main characters, a young girl named Josie, really annoyed me. (Honestly, I almost gave up halfway through the audiobook). Saskia Maarleveld is one of my all-time favorite narrators, but I do think if I couldn’t “hear” Josie’s voice I would’ve enjoyed the story more. Does that make sense? Anyway, I would still recommend this book, especially for historical fiction lovers like myself, and I look forward to reading more of Heather Morris’ work in the very near future.
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