Thursday, February 27, 2025
Review - The Book Club for Troublesome Women
AUTHOR: Marie Bostwick
NARRATOR: Lisa Flanagan
RATING: ★★★
RELEASE DATE: April 22nd, 2025
Summary (from Goodreads): Four dissatisfied sixties-era housewives form a book club turned sisterhood that will hold fast amid the turmoil of a rapidly changing world and alter the course of each of their lives.
By early 1960s standards, Margaret Ryan, Viv Buschetti, and Bitsy Cobb, suburban housewives in a brand-new "planned community" in Northern Virginia, appear to have it all. The fact that "all" doesn't feel like enough leaves them feeling confused and guilty, certain the fault must lie with them. Things begin to change when they form a book club with Charlotte Gustafson--the eccentric and artsy "new neighbor" from Manhattan--and read Betty Friedan's just-released book, The Feminine Mystique.
Controversial and groundbreaking, the book struck a chord with an entire generation of women, helping them realize that they weren't alone in their dissatisfactions, or their longings, lifting their eyes to new horizons of possibility and achievement. Margaret, Charlotte, Bitsy, and Viv are among them. But is it really the book that alters the lives of these four very different women? Or is it the bond of sisterhood that helps them find courage to confront the past, navigate turmoil in a rapidly changing world, and see themselves in a new and limitless light?
REVIEW: I’ve come to the realization that any book with “library” and “book” in the title is immediately going on my to-be-read list. (Hazards of being a librarian, I guess). That was the case when I first laid eyes on this book. A story about a book club? Yes, please! With troublemakers in the club? Definitely sign me up! One thing I know for certain after reading this story is I could never have been a housewife in the 1960’s. I’m much too stubborn to conform to the standards from that era where a woman’s place was supposedly in the home and nowhere else. Oh yes…I would’ve rebelled against every bit of that nonsense.
This was my first time reading Marie Bostwick’s work, and I really enjoyed it. The four main characters - Margaret, Viv, Charlotte, and Bitsy - are unique individuals with very different personalities, and I liked that I was able to get to know all of them. There’s not a prominent character here. Each woman has their own personal struggles, and they each play a special part in weaving this beautiful story together. I have to say that Charlotte was my favorite, and Christine Baranski lived rent-free in my head the whole time I listened to this audiobook because the narrator sounded just like her. If someone turns this book into a movie and they don’t have Christine Baranski playing Charlotte I will be highly disappointed. If you enjoy stories about the power of friendship and solidarity between women, then you’ll love The Book Club for Troublesome Women.
(DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this title from NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.)
Tuesday, February 25, 2025
Top Ten Tuesday - Books Set in Another Time
Hello, dear readers! Today’s Top Ten Tuesday prompt from Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl is all about books set in another time. Historical fiction is my favorite genre, especially the World War II era, so I decided to list ten of my favorite historical fiction books. Happy Tuesday!
1. The Nightingale by Kristin Hannah
2. The Women by Kristin Hannah
3. The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
4. The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Richardson
5. The Book Woman's Daughter by Kim Richardson
6. Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson
7. The Rose Code by Kate Quinn
8. The Alice Network by Kate Quinn
9. The Diamond Eye by Kate Quinn
10. The Flight Girls by Noelle Salazar
Monday, February 17, 2025
February Book Additions to Sullivan Book Nook
More adult fiction and kids books added to the little free library today. 📙
Wednesday, February 12, 2025
Review - Last Twilight in Paris
AUTHOR: Pam Jenoff
NARRATORS: Saskia Maarleveld and Therese Plummer
RATING: ★★★
Summary (from Goodreads): London, 1953. Louise is still adjusting to her postwar role as a housewife when she discovers a necklace in a box at a secondhand shop. The box is marked with the name of a department store in Paris, and she is certain she has seen the necklace before when she worked with the Red Cross in Nazi-occupied Europe —and that it holds the key to the mysterious death of her friend Franny during the war.
Following the trail of clues to Paris, Louise seeks help from her former boss Ian, with whom she shares a romantic history. The necklace leads them to discover the dark history of Lévitan—a once-glamorous department store that served as a Nazi prison, and Helaine, a woman who was imprisoned there, torn apart from her husband when the Germans invaded France.
Louise races to find the connection between the necklace, the department store and Franny’s death. But nothing is as it seems, and there are forces determined to keep the truth buried forever. Inspired by the true story of Lévitan, Last Twilight in Paris is both a gripping mystery and an unforgettable story about sacrifice, resistance and the power of love to transcend in even the darkest hours.
REVIEW: One of the main reasons I chose this audiobook is because it has two of my favorite narrators, Saskia Maarleveld and Therese Plummer. I've never read anything by Pam Jenoff, and now I'm glad I did. Last Twilight in Paris takes place during and after World War II, and if you've read any of my reviews, then you already know that's my favorite timeline in historical fiction. I also love when I can learn some new historical facts about the era in the process, and that was the case with this story. I don't want to give away any spoilers, but the plot was very intriguing and contained a little bit of everything - love, romance, mystery, heartbreak - just to name a few. I would also classify it as a "clean" story, since there was no graphic language or scenes, so if you enjoy those types of books, then I would highly recommend it. As always, Saskia and Therese did an incredible job narrating, and it thrilled my little soul to hear them narrating this book together. Overall, I'm glad I took a chance on this new-to-me author, and I look forward to reading more of her work in the future.
(DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this title from NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.)
Tuesday, February 11, 2025
Recipe - Homemade Chocolate Cake
- 1 1/2 cups sugar (or monk fruit sweetener)
- 3 tbsp avocado oil (or coconut oil)
- 4 ounces unsweetened apple sauce
- 1 large egg
- 2 large egg whites
- 1 cup HOT brewed coffee
- 3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 cup fat-free milk
- 2 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
- 1 3.9 oz package instant regular or sugar-free chocolate pudding
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/4 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt
- spray oil
DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 325°F. Lightly spray and flour your cake pan.
Dry Ingredients: In a large bowl combine flour, dry chocolate pudding mix, salt, baking powder and baking soda and set aside.
Wet Ingredients: In a medium bowl, combine HOT coffee with the cocoa powder until it dissolves. Slowly add milk and vanilla extract. Set aside.
Mix: In a stand mixer on low speed combine the sugar and oil; mix to combine well.
Add the applesauce until mixed through. Then add eggs and egg whites until incorporated.
Starting with the dry ingredients, slowly add a little of the dry, then a little of the wet ingredients, alternating between wet and dry until all the ingredients are mixed in.
Last step is to add the Greek yogurt and just stir to combine.
Pour into the cake pan and transfer to oven.
Depending on the pan you use, bake for 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cupcakes will be closer to 25-30 minutes.
NUTRITION INFO: 2.5 x 2.25 inch slice, Calories: 163kcal, Carbohydrates: 33g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 3g, Saturated Fat: 0.5g, Cholesterol: 9.5mg, Sodium: 335mg, Fiber: 1.5g, Sugar: 19.5g - WW Points: 8
(Recipe and photo courtesy of Skinnytaste)
Wednesday, February 5, 2025
Review - Wild Dark Shore
TITLE: Wild Dark Shore (audiobook)AUTHOR: Charlotte McConaghy
RATING: ★★★★
RELEASE DATE: March 4th, 2025
Summary (from Goodreads): A family on a remote island. A mysterious woman washed ashore. A rising storm on the horizon.
Dominic Salt and his three children are caretakers of Shearwater, a tiny island not far from Antarctica. Home to the world’s largest seed bank, Shearwater was once full of researchers. But with sea levels rising, the Salts are now its final inhabitants, packing up the seeds before they are transported to safer ground. Despite the wild beauty of life here, isolation has taken its toll on the Salts. Raff, eighteen and suffering his first heartbreak, can only find relief at his punching bag; Fen, seventeen, has started spending her nights on the beach among the seals; nine-year-old Orly, obsessed with botany, fears the loss of his beloved natural world; and Dominic can’t stop turning back toward the past, and the loss that drove the family to Shearwater in the first place.
Then, during the worst storm the island has ever seen, a woman washes up on shore. As the Salts nurse the woman, Rowan, back to life, their suspicion gives way to affection, and they finally begin to feel like a family again. Rowan, long accustomed to protecting her heart, begins to fall for the Salts, too. But Rowan isn’t telling the whole truth about why she set out for Shearwater. And when she discovers the sabotaged radios and a freshly dug grave, she realizes Dominic is keeping his own dark secrets. As the storms on Shearwater gather force, the characters must decide if they can trust each other enough to protect the precious seeds in their care before it’s too late—and if they can finally put the tragedies of the past behind them to create something new, together.
REVIEW: This book broke my heart. Now, don’t get me wrong, it was a truly wonderful story, but it did leave me heartbroken and in tears. This was the first time I’ve read Charlotte McConaghy’s work, and she’s an amazing writer. I listened to the audiobook version, and I was pulled in from the very beginning. Saskia Maarleveld is one of the four narrators, and I would listen to her read Old McDonald Had a Farm because she is honestly one of the best narrators I’ve ever listened to and one of my favorites. I purposefully seek her out, which is one reason I stumbled upon this book in the first place. The other narrators are enjoyable too, although sometimes it was hard to understand the character Dominic’s narrator. (I don’t remember his name). He has a deep voice that is sexy and spine tingling, but he also has an Australian accent that is sometimes hard to understand. There were several times I had to rewind the book and turn up the volume to try and grasp what he said. That wouldn’t deter me from recommending this book though because I would HIGHLY recommend it to everyone, especially the audiobook version. The plot was very different and unique from anything else I’ve read before, and I loved that because I never knew what was going to happen next, and it kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time. But, alas…that ending. *deep sigh* I’m not going to give away any spoilers, but I will say the last thirty minutes of the book left me in tears - literally - and broke my heart. I still can’t get it off my mind.
(DISCLAIMER: I received a complimentary copy of this title from NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own.)
Tuesday, February 4, 2025
Top Ten Tuesday - 2024 Releases I Was Excited to Read but Still Haven’t Gotten To
Hello, dear readers! Today’s Top Ten Tuesday prompt from Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl is the 2024 Releases I was Excited to Read but Still Haven’t Gotten To. If you see any books listed below that you highly recommend, please let me know, and I’ll move them to the top of my list. Happy Tuesday!
1. There Are Rivers In The Sky by Elif Shafak
2. The Life Impossible by Matt Haig
3. The Summer Pact by Emily Giffin
4. This Summer Will Be Different by Carley Fortune
5. The Library of Borrowed Hearts by Lucy Gilmore
6. Shelterwood by Lisa Wingate
7. The Outlaw Noble Salt by Amy Harmon
8. Lowcountry Lost by T.I. Lowe
9. Just for the Summer by Abby Jimenez
10. The Underground Library by Jennifer Ryan
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