So Many Books, So Little Time

The Fortune Teller by Gwendolyn Womack Paperback Publication Date: June 6, 2017 Picador Paperback; 368 Pages ISBN: 9781250099778 Genre: Fiction/Historical/Mystery FROM THE AWARD-WINNING AUTHOR OF THE MEMORY PAINTER COMES A SWEEPING AND SUSPENSEFUL TALE OF ROMANCE, FATE, AND FORTUNE. Semele Cavnow appraises antiquities for an exclusive Manhattan auction house, deciphering ancient texts—and when she discovers a manuscript written in the time of Cleopatra, she knows it will be the find of her career. Its author tells the story of a priceless tarot deck, now lost to history, but as Semele delves further, she realizes the manuscript is more than it seems. Both a memoir and a prophecy, it appears to be the work of a powerful seer, describing devastating wars and natural disasters in detail thousands of years before they occurred. The more she reads, the more the manuscript begins to affect Semele’s life. But what happened to the tarot deck? As the mystery of her connect...

I may have mentioned that I'm kind of obsessed with the Little House books by Laura Ingalls Wilder.  They are one of my childhood favorites, I've read all the books more times than I can count.  I grew up mostly in Southern California so visiting a Little House museum wasn't really an option.  I know live in the Midwest and all of the museums are within 8 hours (driving distance) from where I live.     The Little House on the Prairie museum is only 2 1/2 hours from my house and I've been dying to go visit.  Every June they have a festival called 'Prairie Days' and this year we were finally able to go!  I've been reading the 'My First Little House' books with her so she's familiar with Laura and Mary and their stories so she was super excited too. The property has an old original schoolhouse, an old original post office and a replica of the cabin Pa built in the Little House on the Prairie book.  I wish I had taken ...

Serenity Harbor by RaeAnne Thayne This series is great! I want to live in the town of Haven Point and I love getting to know each character and their families.  This book follows Kat Bailey when she returns to Haven Point after living in South America.  She is a great character; she has the patience of a saint and I really liked reading about her relationship with Bowie's autistic brother, Milo.  Bowie and Kat had a great relationship and it was so sweet to watch them deal with their pasts and fall in love.  Kat was a little whiny at times which got annoying after a while but otherwise this was a great story.  If you're looking for a good romance story with a happy ending, this is a good one. 3 1/2 stars. The Women in the Castle by Jessica Shattuck   This was an interesting concept for a story.  I enjoyed reading about the resistance and the different ways the war affected women in Germany.  The story followed three women...

Traitor's Knot by Cryssa Bazos Publication Date: May 9, 2017 Endeavor Press eBook; 394 Pages Genre: Fiction/Historical England 1650: Civil War has given way to an uneasy peace in the year since Parliament executed King Charles I. Royalist officer James Hart refuses to accept the tyranny of the new government, and to raise funds for the restoration of the king’s son, he takes to the road as a highwayman. Elizabeth Seton has long been shunned for being a traitor’s daughter. In the midst of the new order, she risks her life by sheltering fugitives from Parliament in a garrison town. But her attempts to rebuild her life are threatened, first by her own sense of injustice, then by falling in love with the dashing Hart. The lovers’ loyalty is tested through war, defeat and separation. James must fight his way back to the woman he loves, while Elizabeth will do anything to save him, even if it means sacrificing herself. Traitor’s Knot is a sweeping tale of love and con...

The Shadow Land by Elizabeth Kostova I have really enjoyed Ms. Kostova's books in the past so when I saw this one, I knew I had to read it.  I know next to nothing about Bulgaria so I was fascinated by the history and view of the country itself that was relayed in this story.  The story has a variety of very unique characters who somehow all manage to meet up in their efforts to return the ashes to their rightful owners.  The story bounced between the past and present lives of several characters and I liked that the reader got a glimpse of Bulgaria's history from different points of view.  My one complaint about this book was that it was too long.  The story dragged on at times and I think it could have been condensed a bit.  Otherwise, a very enjoyable read.  3 stars. Anne Boleyn: A King's Obsession by Alison Weir   I have always been intrigued by Anne Boleyn as a historical figure.  She's very complicated and I think th...

The month of May got away from me!  The past few months have been a whirlwind and I feel like I'm just getting my breath.  I think we had something going on for every weekend in April and May so I've gotten pretty behind with reviews. We spent most of April looking for a house and finally found one in early May!  It's very exciting but also kind of stressful.  We close on July 10 so this weekend we get to start purging and packing.  We haven't moved in almost 4 years so it's going to be interesting.  We also took a long weekend in May to go visit my mom; my brother was state side so we got to see him too and it turned out to be a really fun trip. Reading for the past two months hasn't been great.  May was probably reading month in a very long time; I only read 4 books!  For the year I've read a total of 36 books though Goodreads says I'm 5 books behind on my reading goal but I'm trying not let it bother me.  I am 12 books ahead of where I...

Where Rainbows End by AnneMarie Brear Publication Date: May 23, 2017 Choc Lit eBook; ASIN: B071P7KBH6 Genre: Fiction/Historical/Romance/Western Can she hold on to her dreams...? It’s 1850 and the Noble family have travelled to the other side of the world to start a new life after scandal drove them from their native England. Pippa Noble is determined to reclaim their honour by making her father’s plan for an outback farm reality, although her ambition is frowned upon by a society that has very set ideas about a woman’s place... Pippa learns the hard way about the unforgiving nature of the bush, sometimes with devastating consequences. And when unfortunate circumstance leads to Pippa tending the farm alone, it is the friendship of neighbouring estate owner Gil Ashford-Smith that helps her through. Then an unexpected visitor from England arrives, putting Pippa's dreams in jeopardy. But she refuses to let go. She will hold onto her family's land, even if it mea...