The Company of Heaven by Catherine Fox

Title: The Company of Heaven,
Author: Catherine Fox
Publication: Marylebone House/SPCK Publishing, paperback, 2023
Genre: Fiction/series
Setting: Present-day England

Description: In the fifth book about the fictional diocese of Lindchester, Fox returns to her beloved characters during the third year of Covid.

Tasting Italy: A Culinary Journey (Book Review)

Title: Tasting Italy: A Culinary Journey

Author: America’s Test Kitchen

Publication: National Geographic, hardcover, November 2018

Genre: Cookbook/Travel

Description: Explore Italy, region by region, and recipe by recipe with stunning photography and mouth-watering recipes.  The experts at America’s Test Kitchen in Boston and National Geographic bring Italy’s magnificent cuisine, culture, and landscapes–and 100 authentic regional recipes–right to your kitchen – or your armchair.

Marilla of Green Gables (Book Review)

Title: Marilla of Green Gables 
Author: Sarah McCoy

Publication: William Morrow hardcover, October 2018

Genre: Historical Fiction

Plot: This book imagines the life of Marilla Cuthbert before she took in orphaned Anne Shirley, beloved heroine of Anne of Green Gables.  In 19^th century Prince Edward Island, Marilla and her older brother Matthew lived in Avonlea in the newly built homestead known as Green Gables.  

The Witch of Willow Hall (Book Review)

Title: The Witch of Willow Hall

Author: Hester Fox

Publication: Graydon House, trade paperback, October 2018

Genre: Historical Fiction

Setting: Massachusetts, 1821

Plot: In the wake of a scandal, the Montrose family and their three daughters—Catherine, Lydia and Emeline—flee Boston for their new country home, Willow Hall. Mr. Montrose is a prominent businessman and is busy with new ventures while the women in the family have little to do but squabble.  The estate seems sleepy and idyllic, but a subtle menace creeps into the atmosphere, remnants of a dark history that call to Lydia and her younger sister, Emeline.

All three daughters will be irrevocably changed by what follows, and Lydia will be forced to draw on a power she never knew she possessed if she wants to protect those she loves. For Willow Hall’s secrets will rise, in the end, for good or for evil . . .  Audience: Fans of dark and haunting books such as The Widow’s House and Imaginary Girls

The Barrett House parlor

My Impressions: The premise of this book was interesting and it was certainly an atmospheric Halloween-season read as I flew from Boston to St. Louis yesterday but I couldn’t help thinking my mother’s verdict would have been: “Overwrought!” and I have to agree.  How many scandals can one family experience in a few months?  Rumors of incest, a broken engagement, mysterious sobs on the night, ghostly figures, a young lady carrying on improperly in public, another calling on a young man without a chaperon, a tragic death, an attempted suicide, a much-telegraphed pregnancy, a dramatic illness and recovery, blackmail – and that doesn’t even include finding out your ancestor is a witch or the many scandals in another character’s past (birds of a feather flock together).  I became weary of all the drama and it was not very convincing.   For example, if you know your sister is a liar and wants to hurt you, why would you believe anything she says that contradicts more reliable sources?  If you are being blackmailed, maybe it is time to stop hiding things from your father, who might be able to help (mine would have!), rather than trust someone already proven to be completely unreliable.  Perhaps better not have tossed so many elements together like a salad but woven them together more subtly or simply crafted the plot less extravagantly in the first place.

Barrett House, the inspiration for Willow Hall

The strength of the book was the depiction of the sisters’ menacing new home, Willow Hall.  It is not surprising to read that author Hester Fox based this on real-life Barrett House in New Ipswich, New Hampshire at which she interned long ago.  I liked that it had made such a lasting impression on her.   Fox writes with precision and careful research most of the time but a good editor would have replaced the jarring “like” with “as” and made a few other judicious replacements to maintain the 19th century feel.  

Source: I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and TLC Book Tours for review purposes. 

Review Tour:

September 24th: Moonlight Rendezvous

September 25th: No More Grumpy Bookseller

October 2nd: Jessicamap Reviews

October 3rd: A Dream Within a Dream

October 8th: Cheryl’s Book Nook – review and excerpt

October 10th:  Thoughts from a Highly Caffeinated Mind

October 11th: Broken Teepee

October 15th: Laura’s Reviews

October 16th: Booktimistic and @booktimistic

October 17th: @hotcocoareads

October 18th: @bookishmadeleine

October 19th: Books and Bindings

October 19th: @bookishconnoisseur

October 22nd: Really Into This

October 23rd: Fuelled by Fiction

October 24th: Katy’s Library and @katyslibrary

October 25th: Bookmark Lit

October 26th: Girls in Books and @girlsinbooks

November 3rd: The Lit Bitch

The Lighthouse Keeper's Daughter (Book Review)

Title: The Lighthouse Keeper’s Daughter 
Author: Hazel Gaynor

Publication: William Morrow, trade paperback, October 2018

Genre: Historical Fiction

Plot: From The New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Who Came Home comes a historical novel inspired by true events, and the little-known female lighthouse keepers of the past two hundred years.

“They call me a heroine, but I am not deserving of such accolades. I am just an ordinary young woman who did her duty.”

When the Lights Go Out by Mary Kubica (Book Review)

Title: When the Lights Go Out
Author: Mary Kubica
Publication: Park Row Books, Hardcover, September 2018
Genre: Suspense

Plot: Two parallel stories: Eden, a carefree newlywed, becomes so obsessed with having a child that it threatens to destroy her marriage, and Jessie, a young woman who has just buried her dearly beloved mother and has not been able to sleep since that terrible day. As if being without family or friends isn’t bad enough, when Jessie submits a college application, she is told her social security number belongs to someone else and is plunged into a mystery about her own identity. Is there anyone she can turn to? Is everything her mother told her a lie?

Audience: Fans of psychological suspense; author such as Megan Abbott, Laura Lippman, Tana French

Day of the Dead by Nicci French (Book Review)

Title: Day of the Dead
Author: Nicci French

Publication: William Morrow, trade paperback, July 2018

Genre: Suspense

Plot: For years, dangerous criminal Dean Reeve has been playing mind games with psychologist Frieda Klein (and perhaps vice-versa), and to save her family and friends from further suffering she has gone off the grid. 

That's What She Said by Kimothy Joy (Book Review)

Title: That’s What She Said: Wise Words from Influential Women
Author: Kimothy Joy
Publication: HarperCollins Wave, hardcover, April 2018
Genre: Nonfiction/Women/Inspirational/Gift

Description: This is an illustrated book that blends watercolor and short biography to showcase the contributions of more than fifty influential female leaders.  Author/editor Kimothy Joy found herself poring over the biographies of brave women throughout history—those who persisted in the face of daunting circumstances—to learn from their experiences. Turning to art, Joy channeled her feelings to the canvas, bringing these strong women to life in bold watercolor portraits surrounded by inspirational hand-lettered quotes. She shared her watercolors with her online community and encouraged everyone to raise their own voices and recharge for the battles ahead.

Now Joy has gathered her memorable illustrations and quotes and paired them with surprising, illuminating biographies of her subjects to inspire women of all ages, races, and backgrounds. That’s What She Said honors a powerful and diverse group of over fifty women—from Maya Angelou, Gloria Steinem, and Virginia Woolf to Sojourner Truth, Malala Yousafzai, and Ruth Bader Ginsburg—role models whose words and insights remind us that we must never give up the fight for a more just and equitable society.

This appealing book celebrates strong female leadership throughout history and may inspire current and future generations to find their voices and create change in their communities.

Audience: Readers who appreciate intelligent, outspoken women

Michelle Obama takes the high road *

My Impressions: Rather than simply review this book, I thought I would share some of my favorite quotes:

Emmeline Pankhurst – This famous suffragette family has interested me since I was a teen when I watched a miniseries called Shoulder to Shoulder about them.

“As long as women consent to be unjustly governed, they will be.”

Jane Addams – Ever since I read a Childhood of Famous Americans biography of Jane Addams, she has been a favorite (and that was before I learned more about her from Emily of Deep Valley)

“True Peace is not merely the absence of war; it is the presence of justice.”

Grace Hopper – brilliant mathematician and Naval Rear Admiral

“Probably the most dangerous phrase that anyone could use in the world today is the dreadful one: “But we’ve always done it that way.”

Eleanor Roosevelt – perhaps the most impressive First Lady

“Do what you feel in your heart is right – for you’ll be criticized anyway. You’ll be damned if you do, and damned if you don’t.”

About the Author: Kimothy Joy is a Denver-based artist whose work combines watercolor and pen with hand lettering. Her artwork tries to add a sincere and hopeful message of empowerment to women and girls in a conversation where that is often lacking. She collaborates with like-minded individuals and organizations such as Melinda Gates, Reese Witherspoon's digital media company HelloSunshine, GUCCI, The Huffington Post, I AM THAT GIRL, and more - to spread a positive message of joy. 

Purchase Links: Amazon Barnes & Noble Harper Collins IndieBound

Source: I was provided a pre-publication copy of this book by the publisher and TLC Book Tours for review purposes.   Please visit other stops on the tour by clicking below:

Tuesday, April 3rd: A Bookish Affair

Wednesday, April 4th: G. Jacks Writes

Thursday, April 5th: bookchickdi

Tuesday, April 10th: Leigh Kramer

Wednesday, April 11th: Literary Quicksand

Thursday, April 12th: Instagram: @thats_what_she_read

Wednesday, April 18th: Stranded in Chaos

Thursday, April 19th: A Bookish Way of Life

TBD: Instagram: @hollyslittlebookreviews

TBD: Hopelessly Devoted Bibliophile

*Image of Michelle Obama is copyright to HarperCollins; shared above to show the illustrated format of the book

In Her Skin (Book Review and Giveaway)

Title: In Her Skin
Author: Kim Savage
Publication: Farrar Straus Giroux, April 2018 (hardcover, Kindle, audio)
Genre: YA

Plot: From childhood Jolene Chastain's mother taught her how to survive by scamming the public, pretending to be someone else to garner sympathy and extract cash. Jo can be whatever or whoever anyone wants her to be. When her mother takes up with a series of bad boyfriends, Jo's life deteriorates rapidly even as her con artist skills become very lucrative. But after her mother is killed, she takes off, ending up on Boston where she makes friends with another abused teen, Wolf, in the tent city where the homeless live.

The Baby Plan (Book Review)

Title: The Baby Plan
Author: Kate Rorick
Publication: William Morrow, paperback, 2018
Genre: Fiction/Chick Lit

Taking a quick break from blogging about my trip to England with my mother to review a book that fits into the chick lit genre, despite being about three women who become pregnant. . .

Plot:   Meet three appealing mothers-to-be!

Nathalie Kneller: Nathalie's plan: to announce her pregnancy now that she's finally made it past twelve weeks! But just as she's about to deliver (so to speak) the big news to her family, her scene-stealing sister barfs all over the Thanksgiving centerpiece. Yup, Lyndi's pregnant too, swiping the spotlight once more…

Lyndi Kneller: Lyndi's plan: finally get her life together! She's got a new apartment, new promotion, new boyfriend. What she didn't count on-a new baby! She can barely afford her rent, much less a state-of-the-art stroller…

Sophia Nunez: Sophia's plan: Once she gets her daughter Maisey off to college, she'll finally be able to enjoy life as make-up artist to one of Hollywood's biggest stars, and girlfriend to one of rock's hottest musicians. But after 18 years she discovers the stork is once again on its way…
Now these women are about to jump headlong into the world of modern day pregnancy. It's a world of over the top gender reveal parties (with tacky cakes and fireworks); where every morsel you eat is scrutinized and discussed; where baby names are crowd-sourced and sonograms are Facebook-shared. And where nothing goes as planned…

Audience: I was reminded of Watermelon by Marian Keyes and books by Sophie Kinsella. In fact, I was sometimes startled to realize the book was set in Southern California and not London!

The Gerbera Daisies Lyndi likes to arrange 

My Impressions: This was a fun and pleasant airplane read for me about three appealing women. While most of my friends have finished their pregnancy adventures, I have certainly lived through it vicariously, with the baby-shower-giving scars to show for it! I certainly understood Nathalie's angst at waiting so long to be pregnant and getting upstaged by her careless sister, even if I wanted her to soften her attitude to disorganized and confused Lyndi. I also enjoyed how the author wove the third pregnant woman, Sophia, and her daughter Maisey into the narrative by creating relationships for them with other characters. All of the men in the story were flawed - or should we say human - with the possible exception of Nathalie's father (and while he saddled her with a stepmother, Kathy was annoying but not at all evil) but each of the women characters was depicted with sensitivity, and even Nathalie's over the top decorating obsession seemed sympathetically portrayed.

I was eager to read this book when I heard it was by the author of The Lizzie Bennet Diaries, which several friends had recommended to me and which has been on my mental TBR for ages. I definitely think it would be a fun shower gift for a pregnant friend!

Purchase Links: IndieBound *  Barnes & Noble  * Amazon *  Harper Collins

Source: I was provided a copy of this book by the publisher and TLC Book Tours for review purposes. You can visit other stops on the tour below and read other reviews as well:

Tuesday, March 20th: A Chick Who Reads

Wednesday, March 21st: Novel Gossip

Thursday, March 22nd: West Metro Mommy

Thursday, March 22nd: Tina Says…

Friday, March 23rd: Time 2 Read

Monday, March 26th: No More Grumpy Bookseller

Tuesday, March 27th: Instagram: @Novelmombooks

Thursday, March 29th: A Bookish Way of Life

Tuesday, April 3rd: Ms. Nose in a Book

Wednesday, April 4th: Stranded in Chaos

Thursday, April 5th: Instagram: @jackiereadsbooks

Wednesday, April 11th: Sweet Southern Home

Thursday, April 12th: Books and Bindings

Friday, April 13th: Not in Jersey

The Longest Silence (Book Review)

Title: The Longest Silence
Author: Debra Webb
Publication: Mira, 2018, hardcover, also available as Kindle and audio
Genre: Suspense

Plot: A killer stole her voice.  Her only friend has committed suicide. Now she’s ready to take it back.

Joanna Guthrie was free. She had been for eighteen years–or so she needed everyone to believe. What really happened during the longest fourteen days of her life, when she and two other women were held captive by the worst kind of serial killer, wasn’t something she has ever been able to talk about. Not after what they had to do to survive.

Finding Felicity (Book Review and Giveaway)

Title: Finding Felicity
Author: Stacey Kade
Publication: Simon & Schuster, hardcover and eBook, 2018
Genre: YA

Plot: Caroline Sands has never been particularly good at making friends. And her parents’ divorce and the move to Arizona three years ago didn’t help. Being the new girl is hard enough without being socially awkward too. So out of desperation and a desire to please her worried mother, Caroline invented a whole life for herself—using characters from Felicity, an old show she discovered online and fell in love with. But now it’s time for Caroline to go off to college and she wants nothing more than to leave her old “life” behind and build something real.

However, when her mother discovers the truth about her manufactured friends, she gives Caroline an ultimatum: Prove in this first semester that she can make friends of the nonfictional variety and thrive in a new environment. Otherwise, it’s back to living at home — and a lot of therapy. Armed with nothing more than her resolve and a Felicity-inspired plan, Caroline accepts the challenge. But she soon realizes that the real world is rarely as simple as television makes it out to be. And to find a place where she truly belongs, Caroline may have to abandon her script and take the risk of being herself.

Giveaway Link: Enter by 3/29/18 to win a copy of Finding Felicity:
a Rafflecopter giveaway

Purchase Links: Goodreads Amazon Barnes & Noble iBooks IndieBound Book Depository

Audience: Fans of books in which the heroines muster their wits, but an older YA audience might find the heroine a bit pathetic or the story too tame.

My Impressions: I never watched the TV show Felicity but I always meant to, as I was living in New York when it began and I always enjoyed stories set at college (a subset of the school story), so was interested in the concept behind this book (also was curious because I remembered one of the actors turned up on Scandal). Finding Felicity is a poignant story about a young woman whose natural shyness has been exacerbated by the departure of her father with his second wife, while Caroline moved across the country and had to start her sophomore year of high school at a new school in Arizona. She is so lacking in self confidence that she literally becomes speechless when confronted by the cool kids at school. Her obsession with the TV show Felicity is an understandable way to escape from the casual cruelties of adolescence (even if she takes it to unbelievable extremes) and I faulted the mother for failing to recognize how miserable her daughter was.

Surely we have all anticipated new beginnings, whether at school, work, or a new home, and yearned to be perceived differently, and I have enjoyed many books with this theme such as Emily of Deep Valley, Don’t Call Me Katie Rose, This Adventure Ends, and a hilariously funny book that turns the theme upside down called How Not to Be Popular in which the heroine/new girl in town tries NOT to make friends because it is so painful when one has to move. However, I did get tired of Caroline’s abject misery and lack of self-esteem. Her story becomes more interesting when she stops moaning and – with the help of her new roommate - starts making an effort to find out who she really is instead of pretending to be someone else.

I liked the character of Lexi, the daughter of the college janitor, who has (with some justification) a chip on her shoulder about being a scholarship student at a college full of rich kids but comes through when Caroline really needs a friend. Even Liam, the boy Caroline foolishly follows to Ashmore, is extremely convincing: the kind of young man who is carelessly kind when he remembers and it does not inconvenience him but ultimately will not consider the feelings of anyone but himself – the best moment of the book is when Caroline turns down his invitation to play Beer Pong. Luckily, there turn out to be some kindred spirits for Caroline and Lexi and, refreshingly, the book ends with the promise of friendship rather than a romance cure-all.  And I think a less cluttered cover would have worked better.


About the Author: The daughter of a minister and a music teacher, Stacey Kade grew up like many of us reading Harlequin romances on the sly. She is the author of two young adult series and recently published her first adult contemporary, 738 Days. She lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband and dogs.

Source: I was provided an ebook by the publisher and the Fantastic Flying Book Club for review purposes. Please follow other stops on the tour below:

March 14th

Pink Polka Dot Books- Welcome Post

Match 15th

Vicky Who Reads- Review & Favorite Quotes

Postcards for Ariel- Interview

March 16th

Belle's Book Blog- Review

We Live and Breathe Books- Review & Favorite Quotes

Star-Crossed Book Blog- Spotlight

March 17th

Flying Paperbacks- Promo

Books, Boys, and Blogs!- Creative Option

March 18th

Life at 17- Review

Here's to Happy Endings- Review

March 19th

Bookmark Lit- Creative Option

Book Crushin- Review

The Candid Cover- Review

March 20th

Lauren's Crammed Bookshelf- Review