Category: Reading



Shadow of Night (All Souls Trilogy, #2)Shadow of Night by Deborah Harkness
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Below is the review I made the first time I read this book. I find it says more than I was planning to say. My current review would have just said how much I loved this time-travel adventure between the witch and her vampire husband. Check out the old review for the rest.

*****

After a bit of research, I realized that I had read the first book, A Discovery of Witches, in 2011. That reading was a result of a recommendation by my cousin. I loved that book. Yet, I just took the quiz and found I only got 3 questions right out of 10. So maybe I should have read it again before reading this second book, Shadow of Night. I did feel lost at times, but the story kept me engaged, and I didn’t want to leave the past to review the first book. Also, in my research, I found that I didn’t have the Kindle version of the first book. I must have borrowed the hardback from the library. But I do have the Audible version of the book that I had listened to alongside the hardback.

With both books of the series, I was delighted by the narrator, Jennifer Ikeda. Her voice is exquisite. I love the way she can vary according to each character. I feel she could read the phonebook and make it exciting. But Deborah Harkness’s writing needs no help. Several times, I’d have a sleepless night and want to read. I hated donning my headset just for a few minutes of reading. Those few moments lasted for sometimes hours. So yes, I know how well the writing is. With the duo of writer and narrator, this story comes to life. And that is when Elizabeth I was queen.

I love time travel stories, but this was different in that it was due to witchcraft that made it happen. And that by a witch who doesn’t understand her craft. Okay, I won’t tell you any more about the story. Needless to say, it is worth the read. The characters alone can grab you. They are well-developed, as is the plot. So much so that I couldn’t wait to get the next book and get involved. I highly recommend this series.

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A Discovery of Witches (All Souls Trilogy, #1)A Discovery of Witches by Deborah Harkness
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Jennifer Ikeda narrated this book with so much variance in her voice, playing each character with enthusiasm and strength.

The story is as interesting this second time around. I am sucked right into the story as if it is the first time. I can remember certain plot points, but getting to those points is half the adventure.

After reading the Vampire Knitting Club and the Vampire Book Club series, I needed to have another lighter story. This one isn’t as much humor as it is a full immersion into Deborah Harkness’s world.

I have enjoyed this so much that I decided to get back into the whole series. I’ve already started reading book two.

Below is my first review of this book

******
This book was so much fun. Now, I have a new author, Deborah Harkness, and a new narrator, Jennifer Ikeda, on my favorites list. The only problem I had with the book was that feeling when the book ended and the next book wasn’t available yet! So, I spent my day in that withdrawal phase that happens when you have learned to love the characters and enjoy the plot.

What some reviewers were irritated with was the clothing issues. I found them to be signs of a modern professional woman who is trying to be ‘normal.’ I loved the range of senses Ms. Harkness called upon to present the world. Ms. Ikeda’s accents made the characters come alive.

I have to thank my cousin for suggesting this book. Only for her would I have read anything to do with vampires. I was led to believe, by the title, I suppose, that this would be about witches. 🙂

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In Want of a Knife (Vampire Book Club #5)In Want of a Knife by Nancy Warren
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I’m so sorry. I found this to be the most boring of all the series. I guess even Nancy Warren has to have a bad few days of writing.

Hollis McCarthy (the Narrator) made it sound pompous and unrelatable. I couldn’t stay awake to it even while playing my games. So, the shortest book took me twice as long to read.

Worst of all, the murder wasn’t even brought up until near the end of the book. The story was about how our main character was trying to figure out why the producer was in town to make a porno of Jane Eyre. And how this witch doesn’t get arrested for murder in any of these books amazes me. She is always there when it happens or nearly so.

And I still can’t figure out how the lady with the watch was electrocuted. I listened to that part a couple of times. I just had to know that it happened, and there is the whole case. Bah!

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Slayers (Buffyverse)Slayers by Amber Benson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I don’t know how this non-vampire person ended up reading/listening to so many books about vampires lately, but here we are. I must say most of them don’t include blood-sucking types. This one, though, did.

Any fan of the Buffy series will find this fun. So many of our actors from the show are in this Audible “show.” I say, show as I could picture all that was happening in my head. The sound quality was fun with sounds that made me think I was keeping my husband awake. But when I removed the headset, I found the sound was just on the headset.

I hope there are ways for those without Audible to enjoy this. Grant it, this was a little more gruesome than my more recent reads, but not more so than the Buffy show. As serious as the plot seems these characters have a good sense of humor to keep it light.

This was more like a radio show with music and sound effects. I don’t even know how this would work out as a book. So I hope you can find it. It was fun!

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A Poisonous Review (Vampire Book Club, #4)A Poisonous Review by Nancy Warren
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I’ve gotten so behind on my reviews, so this will be short as I barely remember it. Look, it isn’t a boring or bad book. It is perfect for when you don’t want to read something heavy—a beach read, maybe.

Hollis McCarthy (Narrator) lends her skill to the fun writing.

Leprechauns are a new addition to these gentle paranormal reads. Between ghosts of ancestors and the vampire book club, this witch has another cozy (read that ‘murder’) mystery to solve. It sounds silly, but the story reads well for young adults. It is not scary or juvenile. Just a nice bedtime read.

As of this moment, I am reading the next in the series. They are all fun.

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A Spelling Mistake (Vampire Book Club #3)A Spelling Mistake by Nancy Warren
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Hollis McCarthy narrates this fun book. So far, I have enjoyed every one of Nancy Warren’s books. So much so that I forgot to review this one and can only say it was fun like all the others. You see, what happens is I finish one and order the next right that minute and get lost in the next adventure.

As always, the only problem I have with cozy mysteries is the murder. Why? And the witches or vampires never cause it, just a grumbling human. Aw, well, it gives us something for the book club or knitting club to solve besides how many stitches or pages we’ve done.

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Uncomfortable Conversations with a JewUncomfortable Conversations with a Jew by Emmanuel Acho
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is an interesting conversation—and, yes, uncomfortable. But it is enlightening to see how conversations late at night can get, where you ask the hard questions and the other person lets down their social shield and purely expresses what we all really want to know but are afraid to ask.

Emmanuel Acho has written other books, including Uncomfortable Conversations with a Black Man, and he has a podcast similarly named. But with what happened in the East on October 7th, many of us are confused about the whole thing. We think we understand Israel’s stand and possibly Palastine’s, but what was the third people, Hamas? And what was all of that?

I thought I needed to hear it from someone close to the source, Noa Tishby, rather than the opinions of the crowd. This book explores this topic and many of the misconceptions about the Jewish people.

I was fortunate enough to pick this up on Libby. I highly suggest the audio version, as it gives you the full experience of Noa and Emmanuel’s conversation. I will be looking up more by both authors. It’s quite interesting!

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My Grape Christmas (The Grape Series #3)My Grape Christmas by Laura Bradbury
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This series is so sweet. It isn’t a mushy romance, but romance is there. It satisfies my travel bug, and I get to play with a little of my mini French-speaking. This series is the only one I am taking my time to actually read and not listen to. I have it on my old phone in the Kindle. It is a slower read than the Audiobooks, but I can stay with it as I love the characters and the story. Laura Bradbury writes her story well.

In this story, after a year in Quebec, Canada, Laura and her boyfriend return to France to visit his family for Christmas. It is a shorter book than others, but it made me love the family more.

By the way, if you know absolutely no French, you will not be lost in these books, as the little bits are used in context with the English. This series takes you from when Laura does an exchange year in France for high school through her adult life in France. I have already started the next book, in which the couple gets to go back to France for a college exchange program.

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Soul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual RevolutionSoul Boom: Why We Need a Spiritual Revolution by Rainn Wilson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Thanks to Libby Audio, I was able to listen to Rainn Wilson narrate his book.

First of all, I am going to give a spoiler. This book isn’t a religious or spiritual guide. It was to teach us tolerance and kindness. If you want to learn more I think it best to read/listen for yourself. I see so many differing reviews that I think have a lot to do with where a person is in their life or how they were taught or ingrained. Drop that and be open to see what is there for you to learn of what may seem other than your way. If you gain a mustard seed of faith or understanding, that may be enough to be worth the read, don’t you think?

Maybe you will be greatly enhanced. What a shame if you didn’t try if you were to be that lucky/blessed.

I never watched The Office. I never thought much of Rainn Wilson. But I always love something that makes me think. Mr. Wilson gave me that. I do feel I gained a few new bits of enlightenment.

Give it a try.

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Chapter and Curse (Vampire Book Club #2)Chapter and Curse by Nancy Warren
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is another fun book club book with vampires, witches, and ghosts who are both witches and ghosts. Again, there are murders not caused by the paranormal but by grudge-holding humans. I’m almost finished with book three and trying to remember book two. I can’t stop. I love these as my bedtime stories! This was quite the adventure between Nancy Warren’s writing and Hollis McCarthy’s narration.

Again, I must mention my only aversion is the actual need for murder. Can’t mysteries be less lethal? I find the mystery of where I left my brush as exciting, especially when you have a large family.

Still, the fun of a bookstore and now a new house to look at with unknown antiques is fun. I love the cats, witches, and vampires, the non-bitey types.

Now, on to the next review.

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