Tag Archive: contemporary



My Grape Quebec (The Grape Series, #2)My Grape Quebec by Laura Bradbury
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I love this series! I get to exercise my little bit of Duolingo French and travel with Laura, first to France and then to Montreal, Quebec, the destination of this book. The only bit of Canada I’ve been to was Victoria, BC. And then only a few hours on vacation when I was a child.

The relationship between Laura and Franc develops through cold and scary times.

Ms. Bradbury’s writing pulls the reader in. She knows how to tell her story.

I read this on Kindle. I read it a little at a time on one of my old phones. It was great for those moments when waiting, during commercials, etc. It took a bit, but the story stayed with me, so I never felt I needed to review the last bit I read.

I have already ordered the next book in her series.

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My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's SorryMy Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She’s Sorry by Fredrik Backman
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

The reviews on this book are all over the place. I think it might read differently if you read with your eyes. I was fortunate enough to pick the audio version up on Libby. Joan Walker (Narrator) made this book so fun and played the grandmother as well as she did the seven-year-old Elsa. She played the fantasy bits with so much energy that even the stories within the story jumped to life in my mind.

A friend recommended it to me when we were talking about the show A Man Called Otto that is on Netflix. I loved that movie so much that I have ordered the Audible version for later. But I love how the author, Fredrik Backman, blends unique characters with the mundane of life.

I have to admit to being taken aback that the author is male, as he brought up many of the issues of the modern woman and her family. I felt he wrote with a neutral point of view while holding onto the grandmother and the little girl and their individual visions of the world.

If I found this when my children were young, I would have read it aloud to them stopping to talk about the issues as they come up. There is a lot of cursing, but if a child of 12 hasn’t bumped into that in real life, you are keeping them under an imaginary rock, and you may not realize what they hear. So reading it as the grandmother and characters speak would give a person an opportunity to explain why or when that talk is appropriate, or not.

But even if you are reading sans children, you can enjoy it from your inner child. I highly recommend this book.

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Everything I Never Told YouEverything I Never Told You by Celeste Ng
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Cassandra Campbell (Narrator) did a great job bringing this story to life. The funny thing is I read this long ago and gave it five stars. It was a Kindle version. It was way back when I didn’t bother writing a review, so I don’t know what I fell in love with.

The writing was excellent. And it did keep me guessing as to who might have done it or didn’t do it. But it is more about controversial issues for the parents and the children. And how a lack of 0f communication between family members can cause many problems. And maybe the feeling I had heard this story before makes me less in love with it now? I don’t know. It is a heartbreaker.

I finished reading this a few days ago and am just now writing this review. So, decide for yourself. This may be a great read for you!

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Witches Get Stuff Done (Starfall, #1)Witches Get Stuff Done by Molly Harper
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Looking for a quick, fun read at a time when it seems everything causes stress? This is it. Amanda Ronconi and Teddy Hamilton (narrators) give the book the voices of the story. I admit, though, I wouldn’t say I like it when a man reads a woman’s part. I know it was the male character’s point of view chapter, but I wish it would all be read in a female voice or divided up accordingly. Okay, maybe it is to help the listener see that male point of view and how he hears her voice, but I always feel males make a female voice in a way that makes fun of the female.

This story starts differently than most and keeps it light even though life and death are imminent. The ghost in the house that Riley inherits have their own agendas and personalities to keep a smile on your face if not an outright laugh out loud.

This was an Audible original. I loved it! Looking forward to the next in the series.

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As the Wicked WatchAs the Wicked Watch by Tamron Hall
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Susan Dalian (Narrator) did a good job of reading this, but I would have liked it better had Tamron Hall used her own voice.

Still, it was too real for me. I really don’t like murder mysteries. Why can’t mysteries be more than that? Why make murder an everyday occurrence when, if you think about it, there are a lot of mysteries to look into that could save lives rather than seeing it from the deadly point of view?

Mostly, it was a difficult read at bedtime. That’s on me, I suppose.

I did like that Ms. Hall presented facts about racial inequalities and those inequalities that women go through. I liked the parts of the book about a struggling professional woman trying to make her way in the business Tamron knows well.

I will probably not read the rest of the series. But I am sure there are those who will love it, so don’t take my word for it. Try it. I was lucky to pick up my copy for Libby.

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The Rabbit HutchThe Rabbit Hutch by Tess Gunty
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Okay, the truth is I am only 50% finished. And that was pushing it for a couple of nights.

No. Just no. I am not in the mood for little character discoveries. I am a deep-series person. Not getting to know my imaginary people any better than a pass on the street is not something I can handle.

Please don’t get me wrong. I am not saying YOU won’t like it. You may very well love it. Check out the reviews. They are so varied. It’s just not for me.

I must admit to loving the voices of Tess Gunty (Author and narrator), Scott Brick (Narrator), Suzanne Toren (Narrator), and others. But it was not enough for me. I need more story in my books than what they offered.

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The BreakawayThe Breakaway by Jennifer Weiner
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

From my stationary bike, I felt a part of this story. It inspired me to hope that maybe I would find my way to getting a real bicycle that would work out here in the dirt road backcountry I find myself a part of.

This seems a gentle beach story at first. But soon, a person can see there are many subjects brought up from the character’s point of view. A person needs to see all the layers of the story involved. Some may not agree with the views presented, but grab what you may and enjoy what you can. Mostly enjoy this young woman’s life and journey as she finds her way to adulthood.

I was lucky to be able to read this Kindle edition through NetGalley. Thank you.

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The Last Thing He Told MeThe Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Rebecca Lowman (Narrator) made this story come to life so much so that I forgot to turn off the Fire and go to sleep. I remember it being light outside as I made myself put the story away.

Here’s the blurb that grabbed me:

We all have stories we never tell.
Before Owen Michaels disappears, he manages to smuggle a note to his beloved wife of one year: Protect her.

Despite her confusion and fear, Hannah Hall knows exactly to whom the note refers: Owen’s sixteen-year-old daughter, Bailey. Bailey, who lost her mother tragically as a child. Bailey, who wants absolutely nothing to do with her new stepmother.

As Hannah’s increasingly desperate calls to Owen go unanswered; as the FBI arrests Owen’s boss; as a US Marshal and FBI agents arrive at her Sausalito home unannounced, Hannah quickly realizes her husband isn’t who he said he was. And that Bailey just may hold the key to figuring out Owen’s true identity—and why he really disappeared.

Hannah and Bailey set out to discover the truth, together. But as they start putting together the pieces of Owen’s past, they soon realize they are also building a new future. One neither Hannah nor Bailey could have anticipated.

It wasn’t a murder mystery, but it kept you wondering if Hannah was foolish in trying to find her husband. And you wonder if her step daughter will ever accept Hannah.

It was fun, and I enjoyed a new kind of woman. She was strong and had her own life but was open to caring for her stepdaughter with a full-blown love of her own.

I was lucky to find this on Libby to borrow. Hope you like it too.

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The StorytellerThe Storyteller by Jodi Picoult
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Jodi Picoult has written another winner. A well-written story told by all these narrators made this experience feel alive. Some of that was great, but the story is about actual horrific historical events. Mozhan Marno (Narrator), Jennifer Ikeda (Narrator), Edoardo Ballerini (Narrator), Suzanne Toren (Narrator), and Fred Berman (Narrator) made me think of the old radio shows. I never got to listen to them, but there have been a few vacation road trip replays.

I have to admit that reading this at bedtime was often a mistake. My dad had been in a concentration camp as a prisoner of war. I learned about what really happened just before he passed. As children, he told us it was like Hogan’s Heros, and that was how he learned German. A nice guard taught him. But the reality was far different, and he wasn’t Jewish. Just a US infantry grunt. Like most of them, he was an 18-year-old draftee. Too young. They all were. But somebody had to fight the monsters.

The Storyteller is a good title for this book. I highly recommend this read. I got this audio copy from Libby.

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Pineapple StreetPineapple Street by Jenny Jackson
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I’m not sure where I heard about this book. Maybe GMA? As a writer, it was fun to watch the character development. But as a reader, that was about the extent of it. Yet the writing style was fun. I loved some of the authors’ idioms in descriptions or dialogue.

This was a Libby library audiobook. Marin Ireland (Narrator) kept it fun. Her voice sounded like Kelly McCreary, Maggie Pierce, of Grey’s Anatomy. The same kind of energy that was fun.

Sadly there wasn’t a lot of growth for these children of wealth, but there is some. Mostly it was a fun little read if you don’t want depth. A good beach read, if you know what I mean.

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