Book Blogger Hop is run by Billy@CoffeeAddictedWriter. Each week, there is a prompt with a book-related query. The aim of the blog hop is to provide bloggers with an opportunity to follow other blogs, discover new books, make friends with other bloggers, and gain new followers for their own sites.
Answer: I use the regular five-star rating system, with a twist. Here is the link to my Review Policy. The twist is I can give a rating of 6 to the category “How Did It Make Me Feel,” which could take the book above five stars. I’m all about the feelings.
How about you? What is your rating system when reviewing a book and what category would be most important to you?
Gail Meath’s Songbird, the first book in the Jax Diamond series, is now out on audiobook! See my review below.
AUDIOBOOK DESCRIPTION
Author: Gail Meath Narrator: Terry Shepherd
Meet Jax Diamond, a sharp, sophisticated, skilled, no-nonsense private detective. Or is he? Glued to his side is his canine partner, Ace, a fierce and unrelenting German Shepherd whose mere presence terrorizes criminals into submission. Well, maybe not.
But the two of them are a whole lot smarter than they look. And they have their hands full when a playwright’s death is declared natural causes, and his new manuscript worth a million bucks is missing.
Laura Graystone, a beautiful rising Broadway star, is dragged into the heart of their investigation, and she’s none too happy about it. Especially when danger first strikes, and she needs to rely on her own ingenuity to save their hides.
Join Jax, Laura and Ace on a fun yet deadly ride during the Roaring Twenties that takes twists and turns, and a race against time to find the real murderer before he/she/they stop them permanently.
AUDIOBOOK REVIEW
This is a fantastically fun cozy mystery set in 1923 New York. The characters don’t just jump off the page, they pull you into their world. Jax’s sidekick, Ace, the wonderfully charming German Shepherd, will make his way into your heart in no time.
The setting in 1923 New York City is well described and transports us back to that place and time. The portrayal of Coney Island makes you feel as if you are there, hanging on for dear life in the Steeplechase or winning a prize in the baseball toss. The mystery is very well done, with puzzles and red herrings that will keep you guessing. The main characters are complex and interesting. Jax, private investigator and former cop, has his own secrets to keep, and Laura’s talents are revealed to expand way beyond singing.
The audiobook is expertly narrated by Terry Shepherd, who portrays all the different characters in a realistic way for the time period. He shows an uncanny ability to convey suspense, romance, humor, and history to bring the story alive.
There is a sweet romance, but the complex and fascinating mystery is the star of the show, along with the lovable Ace. I highly recommend this book, the first in the Jax Diamond Mysteries series, to all mystery fans and to anyone who enjoys the 1920s and New York City history.
COMMENTS FROM THE AUTHOR
Honestly, I have never purchased or listened to an audiobook before. After Terry Shepherd agreed to narrate Songbird, he asked me to listen to each chapter as a final edit. I cannot tell you how strange it was hearing my own book being read. It was surreal, giving me goosebumps, and I had to keep reminding myself that I wrote this.
I’ve used the Microsoft Word ‘Speech’ feature to read portions of my books back to me at times, but the voice is very monotone, without feeling or excitement, so I did not know what to expect. In this audiobook, Terry perfectly portrayed the voices, personalities, and emotions of all the characters, male and female. There is also a small part of the book that includes French waiters, and he mastered their accents with ease. It was a wonderful experience, and I’m so happy Terry was a part of this project.
Indie Weekend is my effort to help Indie Authors with marketing. Indie authors have to do it all, and if I can help spread the word even a little bit, I’m happy to do it. You can help too by sharing this book far and wide. Below see a book review and Q&A with Darlene Foster.
BOOK DESCRIPTION (FROM AMAZON)
A collection of short stories inspired by growing up on a prairie farm in the fifties and sixties. Some of the stories are humorous and others sad, but all heartfelt. Stories about family life, cowboy wisdom, immigrant grandmothers, an inspiring teacher, and the arrival of a new sibling are part of this collection of tales from another time and another place. Proof that you can take the girl from the prairie but you can’t take the prairie from the girl.
BOOK REVIEW
This is a wonderful collection of stories from Darlene Foster about growing up on the Canadian Prairie in the 1950s and 1960s. Every story is a well-written look at the past and the hard-working life of farmers. There is also a bit of history of emigration to the Canadian prairie.
My favorite story is probably Bambi at Home, about an antelope who was adopted by Darlene’s family as a baby, and the bond they all shared. Darlene’s tributes to the life and character of her parents and grandparents are heartfelt and touching. Each story lays out the life of a hard-working family, but underscores their devotion to each other. Good Hands, a loving tribute to Foster’s father, is another favorite because it shows the hard daily tasks of a farmer while also underscoring her father’s happy and loving personality. Every story chronicles life on the prairie and the enduring bond of a family.
This is a quick read, but a memorable one, and the love and care with which it is written shines through. Highly recommend.
Q&A WITH DARLENE FOSTER
I’m happy to do another Q&A with Darlene Foster, this time about her book “You Can Take The Girl From the Prairie,” about growing up on the Canadian prairie. Welcome back, Darlene!
Bonnie: In these Q&As, I always ask the author to go beyond the bio and tell us something we might not know about you from reading your bio. You have answered this question before in a previous Q&A. Is there anything else about you that we might not know from reading your bio?
Darlene: I’m quite good at eavesdropping and often use that skill to collect material for stories. As a result of growing up within a large extended family where everyone spoke at once, I can listen to a number of conversations at one time, which comes in handy. I’m also quite observant and notice little things like what people are wearing, their mannerisms etc. This is useful as a writer. I’m also good at making up things, which is great as a writer but can also get me in trouble at times.
Bonnie: It was interesting to read about your German Canadian heritage and see a recipe. Do you have any other German traditions you still follow or recipes you still use? Did any of your family speak German?
Darlene: My parents spoke German at home and I could speak German as a little girl, before I learned English. I still use some German words occasionally but I’m not fluent. We ate a lot of German and Eastern European food growing up. Mom’s perogies were delicious and I often crave them. I can make them, but they are never as good as hers. I have some of my great-grandmothers’ recipes that were passed down to my grandmother and mother. I also have an old Bible written in German that was most likely brought over to Canada when they immigrated.
Bonnie: The winter weather sounds particularly cold and snowy. What about the spring and summer weather? What was your summer weather challenge growing up on the Canadian prairie?
Darlene: Winters were often severe with temperatures as low as -40 degrees (Celsius) but the summers could get very hot and dry reaching +40 degrees (Celsius). Dad was always worried about prairie fires and he lost his crops to drought on more than one occasion. The hot summers brought out the grasshoppers which were annoying.
Bonnie: In one story, you refused to speak to your mother when you were a teen because she was going to have another baby. Did you ever look back on that and laugh when you became a Mom?
Darlene: Years later mom and I often laughed about that. When I became a mom, I soon realized how difficult teenagers could be. But like my mom and I were, my daughter and I are now best friends.
Bonnie: My favorite story was probably of Bambi, the adopted antelope, and her life that was split between the farm and the wild. I was wondering how long Bambi lived?
Darlene: I’m not sure, but she would have lived for at least six years, possibly more.
Bonnie: I looked up immigration to Canada in the early 20th Century, and there was a huge wave of settlers immigrating to the Canadian prairies between 1897 and 1929. Was there a land act similar to the Homestead Act in the United States in the 19th Century?
Darlene: Yes there was. In Canada it was called the Dominon Lands Act and was similar to the Homestead Act in the US. The Act gave a claimant 160 acres of land for free, the only cost to being a $10 administration fee. Any farmer who was at least 21 years of age and agreed to cultivate at least 40 acres of the land and build a permanent dwelling on it (within three years) qualified. This act helped to populate the Prairie Provinces.
Bonnie: What was your favorite story in the book?
Darlene: Probably the story about when mom brought my second brother, baby Timothy, home. It is such a special memory.
Bonnie: Thanks again, Darlene for answering my questions! I really enjoyed the book.
Darlene: I am so pleased you enjoyed these stories, Bonnie. Thanks for having me as a guest on your wonderful blogsite once again.
*If you read the book, please leave reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, as well as anywhere else you review books. Some people feel very daunted by writing a review. Don’t worry. You do not have to write a masterpiece. Just a couple of lines about how the book made you feel will make the author’s day and help the book succeed. The more reviews a book has, the more Amazon will promote it.
*Please click on the “share” buttons below and share these books with your Twitter, Facebook, and WordPress followers. A little bit of help from all of us will help Indie authors go a long way!
Last week was basically taken up with working and blogging. I was supposed to make sauerkraut (fermented) yesterday but the Farmer’s Almanac says it’s a bad day for that, and my Mom went by that religiously. I’m going to stick by that since she made the best sauerkraut ever. There really isn’t a good day for making sauerkraut until next month, so I’m going to be eating a lot of sauteed cabbage for a while. I should have checked the almanac before I bought four heads of cabbage. Anyone with cabbage recipes, let me know!
Today I will be posting an Indie Weekend review of Darlene Foster’s You Can Take The Girl From The Prairie, as well as a Q&A with the author.
Tomorrow I’m posting a review of the audiobook of Gail Meath’s Songbird, the first book of her Jax Diamond series, which is now on audio.
Next Week I will participate in Top Ten Tuesday and Book Blogger Hop if time permits. I’m also going to review Zero Days by Ruth Ware.
BOOK HAUL
Lost Hours: A year after arriving in Benedict, Beth Rivers is feeling very at home in Alaska, even as outsiders are starting to return to enjoy the brief summer perfection. Beth feels like she’s finally let go of most of her demons. She’s even found her father, Eddy Rivers—or, rather, he found her—and she’s trying to find the middle ground between anger and forgiveness.
One sunny July day, Beth boards a tourist ship to see the glaciers, the main reason visitors venture to the area, and something Beth hasn’t attempted until now. But when the captain has to navigate to an island, a bloodied woman is found standing on the shore, waving for help. When she’s brought aboard, she claims she was kidnapped from her home in Juneau three days earlier, and that a bear on the island killed her captor. She, however, is unharmed.
The woman, Sadie, finds a sympathetic ear in Beth. She tells her that she’s been in Juneau under witness protection, and that the Juneau police don’t like her. When another kidnapping occurs, Beth and police chief Gril can’t help but think the two cases are interwoven, though the clues to solving them will be harder to unravel.
Case of the Bleus: Cheesemongers from across the Northwest have come to the Sonoma Valley for the Northwest Cheese Invitational. As owner of the local cheese shop, Curds & Whey, Willa Bauer loves it. The event showcases custom cheese creations, and it’s the perfect time to gather with old colleagues to honor her former boss, the late and grate cheese legend, Max Dumas. He was famous for journeying into the wild bleu yonder to where he aged his award-winning custom Church Bleu. Only Max knew the recipe and location to his beloved cheese, and many are eager to have these revealed at his will reading.
But instead of naming someone to inherit his cheese and its secrets, Max stuns everyone with one cryptic clue. When a fellow cheesemonger dies under mysterious circumstances––the woman they all thought would get the secrets to Max’s prized possession––everyone falls under suspicion. Willa adores Church Bleu as much as the next cheese connoisseur, but it’s not to die for. Is a killer trying to get away with murder…and the cheese?
That’s it for my week. Hope you have a great coming week.
Most of you who have been reading my blog for a while know that my favorite author is Jodi Taylor. When she has a new book out, I drop everything to read it. I was fortunate to get an advanced review copy of her latest book in the Chronicles of St. Mary’s Series, and my review is below. Because I love this series so much, I’ve also purchased the audiobook and I’m about to order a signed print copy from Jodi’s website. I’m such a fangirl. Check out my review below. I highly, highly recommend this series.
In the aftermath of the Director being shot, Max is once again on the run from the authorities, many of whom want to arrest her for any number of reasons. She reunites with former colleagues and, as usual, puts herself in danger, trying to save history from those who want to destroy it.
The Chronicles of St. Mary’s series follows a group of rowdy and hilarious, but caring, historians up and down the timeline as they “investigate historical events in contemporary time.” In other words–time travel–but don’t let Dr. Bairstow hear you say that. In this book, Max continues to deal with the physical effects of taking way too many time jumps for far too long while she tries to save history.
This is the fourteenth book in this wonderful series. If you are new to the Chronicles of St. Mary’s, I advise you to start with Book 1, Just One Damned Thing After Another, and read it from the beginning to get the best experience. And I envy you the experience of reading it for the first time.
Once again and for the fourteenth time, I laughed, gasped, and sometimes cried all over the timeline as I followed Max on her adventures. These characters have become dear friends and it’s so great to see them again and laugh at their shenanigans. Jodi Taylor has the most amazing ability to have the reader laughing one minute and crying the next. The uproarious ride throughout time is also a wonderful rollercoaster of emotions. There are surprises in this book. When I say you are going to gasp, I am not kidding. It’s another fabulous adventure with the St. Mary’s crew. I cannot stress enough how much I love these books, and I believe you will love them too.
I received a free advanced review copy from Headline via Netgalley. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jodi Taylor is the author of the bestselling Chronicles of St Mary’s series, the story of a bunch of disaster-prone historians who investigate major historical events in contemporary time. Do NOT call it time travel!
Born in Bristol and educated in Gloucester (facts both cities vigorously deny), she spent many years with her head somewhere else, much to the dismay of family, teachers and employers, before finally deciding to put all that daydreaming to good use and pick up a pen. She still has no idea what she wants to do when she grows up.
When I do author interviews, I always ask about the inspiration for the book I’ve just read, and I ask them to go beyond the bio and tell us something about them that might not be in their bio. If they are an Indie author, I might ask them about their Indie publishing journey. Other than that, my questions are very book-centric. They are all about the book I’m reviewing, so they change every time.
What about you? If you’re a blogger, are there questions you always ask or always wanted to ask? If you’re an author, are there questions you prefer and/or some you’d rather avoid?
This is another review I did for the May edition of Historical Novels Review, the magazine of The Historical Novel Society.
BOOK REVIEW
Portsmouth, New Hampshire, 1984. Ashlyn Greer, a rare book dealer, has a special talent. She can sometimes feel the emotional echoes of a book’s previous owners. When she discovers a pair of volumes that have never been published, the echoes she receives from them hint of a tragic romance between the two respective authors. As Ashlyn begins to read each volume, she discovers two authors using the nicknames of “Hemi” and “Belle,” each telling a different version of their tragic 1941 love story, which took place in New York City. As Ashlyn explores their story, the more she longs to give the tragic pair some closure. She begins to investigate and learns some lessons about her own life along the way.
What a beautifully written novel! Barbara Davis combines a bit of the paranormal with a tragic love story and two “books within a book.” The author’s ability to present two different, but related, heartbreaking stories inside her own novel and keep all the voices distinct is so impressive. The fascinating characters and the beauty of the writing pull the reader in. I felt completely transported to 1941 New York. The anti-Semitism of the time is confronted, as well as the sympathy some influential Americans at that time had towards the Nazi party. The plot is unique and well-thought-out. Ashlyn’s ability to experience the feelings of previous book owners is such a compelling twist to the story. The author shows an ability, too—she can transport those feelings to her readers, and we experience joy, heartbreak, anger, devastation, love, loss, and sorrow along with Ashlyn, Hemi, and Belle. This is an intriguing historical novel that will sweep you away with emotion. Highly recommended.
I received a free copy of this book from Lake Union Publishing via The Historical Novel Society. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
(Barbara Davis, in her own words)
After twelve years in the jewelry business, I finally surrendered to the muse, leaving the corporate world in order to pursue my lifelong dream of becoming a writer. I was born in Fair Lawn, New Jersey, but grew up and attended school in Florida. Eventually, work led me north, where I lived in Charleston for two years, and in Raleigh for fourteen, before eventually making my home in Dover, New Hampshire, which makes me a Yankee, turned southerner, turned Yankee. (I think.)
When I’m not writing I’m an avid reader, foodie, and lover of music, a rabid football fan, and a devoted Florida Gator. I also enjoy travel with my husband/sweetheart, (same guy, I promise) who over the years has learned much more about publishing and the craft of writing than he ever wanted to know
This week’s topic asks for the books on your summer reading list. I am using my Netgalley shelf, so all the books won’t be Summer books. They are ARCs from Netgalley that I’m reading this summer. One of them is a Christmas book! Click on the covers to learn more about them.
The Best Summer of Our Lives
Second Chances for the Lifeboat Sisters
The Wayward Prince
A Fatal Groove
A Patriot’s Promise
Lexington
Through the Snow Globe
The Porcelain Maker
California Golden
Must Love Flowers
This is what I’m reading this summer, and yes, the Christmas books are already out on Netgalley.
In the thick of the Cold War, a betrayal at the highest level risks the lives of two courageous female spies: MI6’s best Soviet agent and the CIA’s newest Moscow recruit.
Vienna, 1954
After losing everyone she loves in the final days of World War II, Ingrid Bauer agrees to a hasty marriage with a gentle Soviet embassy worker and follows him home to Moscow. But nothing within the Soviet Union’s totalitarian regime is what it seems, including her new husband, whom Ingrid suspects works for the KGB. Inspired by her daughter’s birth, Ingrid risks everything and reaches out in hope to the one country she understands and trusts—Britain, the country of her mother’s birth. She begins passing intelligence to MI6, navigating a world of secrets and lies, light and shadow.
Moscow, 1980
A student in the Foreign Studies Initiative, Anya Kadinova finishes her degree at Georgetown University and boards a flight home to Moscow, leaving behind the man she loves and a country she’s grown to respect. Though raised by dedicated and loyal Soviet parents, Anya soon questions an increasingly oppressive and paranoid regime at the height of the Cold War. Then the KGB murders her best friend and Anya chooses her side. Working in a military research lab, she relays Soviet plans and schematics to the CIA in an effort to end the 1980s arms race.
The past catches up to the present when an unprecedented act of treachery threatens all agents operating within Eastern Europe, and both Ingrid and Anya find themselves in a race for their lives against time and the KGB.
PRAISE FOR A SHADOW IN MOSCOW
“In her nail-biting latest . . . Reay builds an immersive world behind the Iron Curtain, full of competing loyalties and a constant, chilling sense of paranoia. Readers will be enthralled.”— Publishers Weekly
”Rich with fascinating historical detail and unforgettable characters!”— Kristy Woodson Harvey, New York Times Bestselling author of The Wedding Veil
“…intrigue, twists and turns, acts of bravery and sacrificial love, and an unforgettable cold war setting with clever daring women at the helm.”— Susan Meissner, USA Today Bestselling author of The Nature of Fragile Things
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Katherine Reay is a national bestselling and award-winning author who has enjoyed a lifelong affair with books. She publishes both fiction and nonfiction, holds a BA and MS from Northwestern University, and currently lives outside Chicago, Illinois, with her husband and three children.
In this dual-timeline thriller, the stories of Ingrid and Anya are told. In 1954, Ingrid Bauer finds herself married to a Russian man and living in Moscow. She is told to keep her British mother a secret and begins to suspect that her husband is working for the KGB.
In 1982, Anya has graduated from Georgetown and is immediately forced to return to her home in Soviet Russia, where she is expected to be a loyal comrade in the arms race against the United States. Then her best friend is killed, and it may have been by her own government.
The first twenty percent or so of this intriguing spy thriller is a bit of a slow burn, but as suspense builds it becomes more and more captivating. In both timelines, the innermost thoughts of both women indicate love, loss, and the decision to make tough choices. The difficult, dangerous, harrowing life of a spy is well described, and the reader learns what it might have been like to live behind the Iron Curtain.
The ability of the author to delve deep into the innermost thoughts of her characters is admirable.
I would recommend this book to anyone interested in U.S. and Russian History, and fiction about the Cold War.
My rating is 4.5 stars, rounded up to 5 on sites with no partial star option. I received a free copy of this book via Austenprose Book Tours. My review is voluntary and the opinions expressed are my own.
Indie Weekend is my effort to help Indie authors with the daunting task of marketing. Indie authors have to do it all, so if I can help even a little bit, I’m happy to do it. You can help too by sharing this review far and wide. Below is a book description, review, and buy links for And….So We Walked, about a Christian couple who walked across America.
BOOK DESCRIPTION (FROM AMAZON)
How would you respond if asked to do something you knew was impossible? Something so difficult, so crazy, so beyond your ability that it didn’t even make sense. You’d dismiss it, forget about it and act like you were never asked, right? But what if it were God asking? What if you were absolutely sure that you had just heard God speak?
This is that story. It is the story of ultimate Christian Discipleship. It is the story of life-changing Christian Evangelism. The story of two very unlikely people who were asked by God to walk across America. They were to walk from one side of the country to the other, in every conceivable kind of weather, facing what seemed like insurmountable odds, taking every step together and accomplish it in just six months.
As you read, you’ll take each step with them: Meet the people they met, hear the prayers they prayed, feel their pain and celebrate their victories. This is the incredible, true account of their once-in-a-lifetime, adventurous journey.
BOOK REVIEW
This is a story of a Christian couple, Rick and Jane McKinney, who were called to walk across America and share Jesus with the people they met. They would start in Los Angeles, California, and walk all the way to Washington, D.C., reclaiming America for God. It seemed a strange thing to do, and many were skeptical, including themselves sometimes. This book is a chronicle of their journey, its up and downs, and its incredible rewards.
What I really like about this book is that on this trip the McKinneys were not just there to walk. They approached people in order to help them. While doing so, they were not judgmental or harsh. They reached out to the people they met with empathy, a listening ear, prayers, and understanding. I can assure you that this doesn’t always happen in the Christian community, and this tells me that God chose two of His best ambassadors for this journey. I love that God sent them on a trip into other cultures and enriched their lives, while at the same time they were helping others more than they probably even know. And I love that it only made their own relationship stronger. I think about the hesitation we sometimes have about sharing Jesus with others, and Rick and Jane are an inspiration to speak out.
One of the points they made on this trip really hit home. They were not the most qualified for this task, or the most athletic or the best funded. What they were was the most willing. And that made all the difference.
I also love that Rick and Jane were so deeply involved. They were talking with people they met about Jesus, but then would learn the personal difficulties of those they encountered, and they cared! Whether they bought someone a sandwich or listened to a heartbreaking story, they were invested in every conversation and every dilemma. It was a heartfelt and meaningful trek–for them, for the people they met, and for the readers of this book. Because their journey is not done. It has continued in print.
I love what they said at one point about the church needing to become more invested in helping the homeless. I completely agree.
Sometimes you feel a call that might seem odd. “Walk Across America” must have sounded insane, but after reading the book, I can see all the reasons why they did it. God always knows the big picture. You just have to be willing to be part of the painting.
I’m going to end this with a quote from the book that is so apt that it has to be shared. “We saw firsthand what people really need is to experience God’s love as demonstrated through his children. Not the church, not religion, not hypocrisy, not a judgmental attitude, but real honest-to-goodness love which emanates from a real relationship with God.”
I downloaded a copy of this book on Kindle Unlimited, where subscribers can read it for free.
ABOUT THE AUTHORS
Rick and Jane McKinney have lived an extraordinary life of ministry. Once described as “mavericks,” they have literally stepped out into the unknown to embrace God’s call and have experienced His presence in a way that only comes through a life of obedience. Whether planting and pastoring churches, traveling the world to perform concerts, building a house in Mexico, traveling from village to village in India, or walking across America, they have followed His voice as He led them forward, one step at a time.
*If you read the book, please leave reviews on Amazon and Goodreads, as well as anywhere else you review books. Some people feel very daunted by writing a review. Don’t worry. You do not have to write a masterpiece. Just a couple of lines about how the book made you feel will make the author’s day and help the book succeed. The more reviews a book has, the more Amazon will promote it.
*Please click on the “share” buttons below and share these books with your Twitter, Facebook, and WordPress followers. A little bit of help from all of us will help Indie authors go a long way!
You must be logged in to post a comment.