Month: December 2022

Sunday Post: Flattened by the Flu

BonnieReadsAndWrites24 Comments

The Sunday Post is a weekly meme hosted here @ Caffeinated Reviewer. It’s a chance to share news~ A post to recap the past week on your blog and showcase books and things we have received. Share news about what is coming up on our blog for the week ahead. See rules here: Sunday Post

My week started out really great last Sunday with this cool helicopter flyover at the Bengals game. Then we beat the Chiefs!

On Monday I returned home and by Tuesday I was having flu symptoms. Unfortunately my husband got it too and we were both pretty much out of commission after that. We both had to go to Urgent Care. I started feeling a tiny bit human again on Friday. The Tammiflu they gave us works pretty well, I must say. Sadly I will have to miss the Bengals/Browns game today. I’m not well enough to travel to Cincinnati. I’m behind on all my reviews as well.

LAST WEEK ON BONNIE READS AND WRITES

Because of the flu, I couldn’t post much.

Monday I reviewed The Blackout Book Club by Amy Lynn Green

Friday I participated in Book Blogger Hop.

NEXT WEEK ON BONNIE READS AND WRITES

I hope to get to the following reviews:

BOOK HAUL

I was approved for the audiobook of Twice in a Lifetime by Melissa Baron. It is about a woman who receives a message from her husband, or the man who will be her husband, sent from three years in the future. It kind of reminds me of that Keanu Reeves/Sandra Bullock movie, The Lake House.

I accepted a widget of Courtiers because I find royal family history fascinating, and the Courtiers are supposed to be the power behind the throne. So far it’s pretty good.

WHAT WE WATCHED

Yesterday we felt up to a movie and we found a great one! Mrs. Harris goes to Paris.

It’s about a British housekeeper in the mid 1950s who decides that her life would be so much better if she could get a Dior gown. So good. And apparently there’s a book series.

I’ll try to get back to full speed soon. That flu literally kicked my butt.

Have a great week everyone!

Book Blogger Hop: Favorite reading nook #BookbloggerHop

BonnieReadsAndWrites16 Comments

The Book Blogger Hop was originally created by Jennifer @ Crazy-For-Books in March 2010 and ended on December 31, 2012. With Jennifer’s permission, Billy @ Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer relaunched the hop on February 15, 2013. Each week the hop will start on a Friday and end the following Thursday. There will be a weekly prompt featuring a book related question. The hop’s purpose is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to their own blog.

I don’t have a reading nook. My favorite place to read is in bed, but I find myself falling asleep very quickly, so I usually read on my couch.

I also love to listen to audiobooks in the car while I’m driving.

What about you? What is your favorite place to read?

#BookReview: The Blackout Book Club @bethanyhouse #AmyLynnGreen #WorldWarII

BonnieReadsAndWrites6 Comments

The Blackout Book Club is set in small-town Maine during World War II. Avis Montgomery accepts the position of Librarian when her brother, the permanent Librarian, goes off to war. She gets the idea to start a book club and faces immediate challenges. The book centers on four women in the club, all with different struggles, and the books they read are tied to their struggles in different ways.

I absolutely loved this look at homefront Maine during the war. The four women face such different challenges. Louise has a secret that she feels has ruined her life, Avis’s husband is depressed after he is medically disqualified from going to war, Ginny’s family home on Long Island has been taken by eminent domain, and Martina is hiding from a cruel and manipulative husband. The women’s stories are told from varying points of view or through the wonderful epistolary work that Amy Lynn Green does so well. Whether it’s letters from loved ones or book club minutes, it takes the book to the next level. The book club minutes are an absolute delight with funny observations as well as details about each book they read together. Realities of that time such as blackouts, factory jobs for women, and air raid drills are brought to life.

This is a fresh look at the World War II homefront with great characters, a little humor, and even dashes of romance and mystery/thriller. Amy Lynn Green has delivered more wonderful historical fiction showcasing strong women. Highly recommend.

I received a free copy of this book from Bethany House. My review is voluntary and my opinions are my own.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Amy Lynn Green has always loved history and reading, and she enjoys speaking with book clubs, writing groups, and libraries all around the country, in person and virtually. Her debut novel, Things We Didn’t Say, was nominated for a 2021 Minnesota Book Award, won two Carol Awards, and received a starred review from both Booklist and Library Journal. Amy and her family make their home in Minneapolis, Minnesota. You can sign up for her newsletter on her website, amygreenbooks.com, for quarterly giveaways, writing updates, and lots of bookish fun.

Amy’s Social Media

Instagram | Amy Green Books | Sign up for Amy’s Newsletter | Goodreads

BUY LINKS

Amazon | Google | Amazon UK

Book Blogger Hop #BookBloggerHop

BonnieReadsAndWrites13 Comments

The Book Blogger Hop was originally created by Jennifer @ Crazy-For-Books in March 2010 and ended on December 31, 2012. With Jennifer’s permission, Billy @ Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer relaunched the hop on February 15, 2013. Each week the hop will start on a Friday and end the following Thursday. There will be a weekly prompt featuring a book related question. The hop’s purpose is to give bloggers a chance to follow other blogs, learn about new books, befriend other bloggers, and receive new followers to their own blog.

THIS WEEK’S QUESTION

Most of the time, no. But there is an exception. When Jodi Taylor comes out with a new book in her St. Mary’s Chronicles or Time Police series, I will listen to at least one book prior on Audible. I also re-listen to the entire series at least every couple of years. It’s like visiting old friends.

What about you? Do you go back and re-read the previous book when the next book in a series is coming out?

Blog Tour and Book Review: The No-Hopers Christmas Club @rararesources #christmasstories #holidayreads

BonnieReadsAndWrites3 Comments

BOOK DESCRIPTION (AMAZON)

As warming as a mince pie and a glass of sherry, these eighteen festive-themed shorts are just waiting to be unwrapped.

  • A lonely dog shelter volunteer battles to find new homes for her long-time canine residents while realizing her own future is just as uncertain. As the new year approaches, can a fellow animal lover give her the fresh start she so wants for her dogs.
  • A widowed grandmother prepares to reunite with her forbidden first love, only to discover the grand country pile from where he’s sent her a Christmas card isn’t quite what it seems.
  • A single woman finally meets a man to couple up with over the festive season, but will the eccentric mistress of her late father destroy her plans?
  • An ambitious 20-something attends a lavish Christmas party with only one aim – to bag a rich husband. But her plans are derailed when a troubling connection with the aristocrat she’s set her sights on is revealed.

MINI BOOK REVIEW

This is a fun collection of stories that will sweep you right to the holiday season. They all have a theme of hopelessness in one way or another, and the endings will touch your heart. I’m a dog person, so my favorite of course is the title story, The No Hopers Christmas Club, about the unadoptable dogs at the dog shelter. However, all the stories are wonderful. This is a can’t-miss, Christmas Eve, hot-chocolate-by-your-side kind of read. The stories are so varied that everyone will enjoy them.

I received a free copy of this book via Rachel’s Random Resources. My review is voluntary and the opinions are my own.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Geraldine Ryan is a proud Northerner who has spent most of her life in Cambridge – the one with the punts. She holds a degree in Scandinavian Studies, but these days only puts it to use when identifying which language is being spoken among the characters of whatever Scandi drama is currently showing on TV. For many years, she worked as a teacher of English and of English as a second or foreign language, in combination with rearing her four children, all of whom are now grown-up, responsible citizens.

Sign up for her newsletter here.

BUY LINKS

AMAZON | AMAZON UK

*Kindle Unlimited Subscribers can read this for free.