Love Costs (November 2020)by E.B. Roshan
The best love costs the most.
That’s the basis of the latest installment in the Shards of Sevia series, Love Costs.
She’s Tur. He’s Sevian. While working as an interpreter for a war-torn Sevia, Radoslav discovers a man, his sister, and a baby. All are supposed to be taken to a refugee camp.
When Dunya asks “Rado” to find her lost cat, he agrees. But Coco has other plans. Just like the rest of the war-torn country.
Falling Into Magic (Better Beginnings, November 2020)By Elizabeth Pantley
Mystery/Romance/Humor
Ever been up to your eyebrows in a dense-as-a-pea-soup-fog read? You come up for air, ravenous. Wipe the sweat off your brow. And look around for something light. Fluffy. Fun and delish. The literary version of a Denver omelet.
Falling Into Magic is that kind of a book.
Hayden is an editor/writer for Seattle-based Natural Living Magazine. She likes to write, read, and hike. Hayden also owns a Himalayan cat (nobody’s perfect.) The cat thinks she’s queen of the world. Cuz she really is. (Kimber: You think I’ve got attitude? Wait till you get a load of miss feline sassy pants, Toots.)
The Children’s Train (Harper Collins, 2021)
By Viola Ardone
Historical Fiction
This book may not be what you think it is. Yes, it’s an historical fiction account of an effort to help impoverished children in southern Italy by transporting them by train to better off families in northern Italy in the aftermath of World War II. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg – or the shoe – in this hauntingly beautiful novel spanning some fifty years.
I Will Always Love YouBy Ashley Lee London
Kimber here. I’m on the job. Talking Her Crankiness down from The Cliffs of Insanity. (You’ll get that if you get “As you wish.”)
Why is Mom up there? Well. It all started with a book blog tour. And, oh Lassie! Did those guys ever step in it! Here’s what happened:
1. The back cover blurb on this book is off base by about a mile and a half. Talk about misleading. Not a good start, folks.
2. The print quality of this book is atrocious. Hard to believe anyone would send out a book with so many pages in this condition. Great day in the ouchie! (See photo.)
3. Then, tour organizers only wanted positive reviews. Read: Not honest ones.
Mom and I? We don’t roll that way. So we bowed out of the tour. Here’s our honest review instead:
BookLife
By Martin Elsant
Historical Fiction
Perditus qui haesitat.
Acts of Hope is a prodigious tome of epic proportions. Set in the 16th century, the story adeptly navigates the serpentine coils of political, cultural and ecclesiastical clashes in multiple countries from England to the Holy Land. Also pirates. Forgeries. Narrow escapes. Double-crosses and desperate battles. Revenge and forgiveness. Steadfast courage and stalwart faith in the face of overwhelming odds. True love. And hope.
An enjoyable historical novel, this book features study characters, exotic settings, and a solid, engaging plot.
The story opens off the Portuguese coast as Diego Lopes and his daughter Maria flee the Inquisition. Their ship is bound for Diego’s estate in Bristol, England. When Maria’s father dies later as a result of wounds suffered during his arrest per the Inquisition, Maria takes over his substantial shipping business, becoming one of the wealthiest women in the world.
Barnes & Noble
By Lana Popovic
Historical Fiction/YA
“Sick puppy,” says I, Kimber the Magnificent.
“No kidding,” Mom rejoins. “Seriously off her rocker.”
I’m not sure what a “rocker” is. But the antagonist in this book, Countess Elizabeth Bathory of Hungary, is off it by about a mile and a half.
This is a weird book to peg or review. Mom started it the other night. She kept me up until one in the morning finishing it. Ugh!
It’s a gripping read. For sure.
Barnes & Noble
Historical fiction
How can a heart be full of both sorrow and joy?
That’s the salient question at the core of this finely crafted historical novel by Kristy Manning. An ambitious undertaking, The Lost Jewels spans some four hundred years between 17th century London and modern day Boston. It features two strong female characters, Essie Murphy in the early 19th century, and Kate Kirby, present day jewelry historian.
By Janet LoSole
When the author first reached out to me requesting a review, I didn’t know what to think about this book. As in, What’s a ‘chicken bus’?* (Kimber: “Can I eat it?”) I was dangling on the rim edge of Not Interested. As a veteran homeschooler myself, however, I decided to give it a chance.
What a ride.
Adventure by Chicken Bus is a thoroughly entertaining, fascinating ride along with a family of four as they travel through Central America over the course of roughly a year and a half. With two little girls in tow, ages then-five and eight, the LoSoles roam all over the region, including the Caribbean coast, Nicaragua, Honduras, Guatemala, Belize, and Mexico.
It’s quite the odyssey. Continue reading
Combining history and biography can be a challenge, especially when the setting is a world war. But two recently read books do that and more, offering compelling reads that shouldn’t be missed. Both are set in WWII.
Here they are:
“Fall is in the air!” Mom announced the other day. I’m not sure what that means. But Mom is skipping merrily around the house, chirping about “fall colors,” “sweater weather” and “hot chocolate.” I’d be just as happy with a nice, thick New York steak. Whatever.
I figure it’s only a matter of time until Mom breaks out that stupid bright orange thingy she hauls me into whenever we go out in cold weather. Pay off: Coming home to a cozy spot in front of a nice, warm fireplace.
Anyway, Mom says fall is a great time to grab a hot cuppa whatever and curl up next to a roaring fire with a good book! She’s got a list. Checked it twice. (I helped. The first list didn’t smell right.)
Here are some of Mom’s top picks for the season. Some are old. Some are new. All are worthy reads. In no particular order:
