Category: Book Reviews

Book Review | The Bodyguard by Katherine Center

Posted March 18, 2024 by Haze in Book Reviews / 2 Comments

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center

She’s got his back. He’s got her heart. They’ve got a secret. What could possibly go wrong?

Hannah Brooks looks more like a kindergarten teacher than somebody who could kill you with her bare hands. But the truth is, she’s an elite bodyguard and she’s just been hired to protect a superstar actor from his stalker.

Jack Stapleton’s a Hollywood heartthrob – captured by paparazzi on beaches the world over, rising out of the waves in clingy board shorts and glistening like a Roman deity.

When Jack’s mom gets sick, he comes home to the family’s Texas ranch to help out. Only one catch: He doesn’t want his family to know about his stalker. Or the bodyguard thing. And so Hannah – against her will and her better judgment – finds herself pretending to be Jack’s girlfriend as a cover.

Protecting Jack should be easy. But protecting her own heart? That’s the hardest thing she’s ever done…

For the Reading Challenge(s):
2024 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #28: A yellow spine)
2024 Library Love Challenge

The Reason

I’ve been seeing a lot of praise for Katherine Center in general and this book in particular. I also needed a fun book to get me out of a reading slump, and this one fit the bill.

The Quotes

“I guess there really is something profoundly healing about letting somebody love you.”

“Maybe love isn’t a judgment you render – but a chance you take. Maybe it’s something you choose to do over and over. For yourself and everyone else.”

“People who want to be famous think it’s the same thing as being loved, but it’s not. Strangers can only ever love a version of you. People loving you for your best qualities is not the same as people loving you despite your worst.”

“Every chance you take is a choice. A choice to decide who you are.”

The Characters

I love that Hannah Brooks, the female protagonist, transcends all stereotypes of what a bodyguard should be. I love her as a character, and I love Jack Stapleton too. I love his family so much (his brother was a little bit of a jerk though, but only a little).

You know who I hate? Robby. I hate him so much! And just when I thought I couldn’t hate him more, guess what? Yep, I hate him more!

I did wish that some of the characters were more fleshed out; there were a couple of scenes where I felt like some of them were only there as plot devices, and that they weren’t given fair representation, but overall, they were all interesting enough, and I loved the two main characters together, which is the whole point for this story!

My Thoughts

Fake dating? Check. Banter? Check. Only one bed? Check. All the fun tropes!! Plus I really, really love banter in a budding romance.

I love that the female protagonist is the bodyguard, and the male protagonist is the one who needs protecting. It was really cool seeing Hannah be a badass and do her job while also allowing the story to move the romance along. I thought the balance between male and female, masculine and feminine, yin and yang, was just so perfect here.

I also love that the author was able to write about difficult topics while telling a light-hearted love story. I’ve read one other book from the author, What You Wish For, and I remember that was one of the things I loved about that book as well.

My Feels

Honestly, I cannot resist a romance with banter and conversation. It is my biggest weakness and I just swoon whenever I read about how the MCs fall in love through conversation. I loved their conversations so much; how they got to know each other, and trusted each other enough to talk about the vulnerable things. It keeps me reading and wanting more!

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars. It’s so much fun and it got me through a reading slump!

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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Book Review | Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry

Posted March 5, 2024 by Haze in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry

“Hi, my name is Matthew, although you may know me by another name. My friends call me Matty. And I should be dead.”

So begins the riveting story of acclaimed actor Matthew Perry, taking us along on his journey from childhood ambition to fame to addiction and recovery in the aftermath of a life-threatening health scare. Before the frequent hospital visits and stints in rehab, there was five-year-old Matthew, who traveled from Montreal to Los Angeles, shuffling between his separated parents; fourteen-year-old Matthew, who was a nationally ranked tennis star in Canada; twenty-four-year-old Matthew, who nabbed a coveted role as a lead cast member on the talked-about pilot then called Friends Like Us. . . and so much more.

In an extraordinary story that only he could tell—and in the heartfelt, hilarious, and warmly familiar way only he could tell it—Matthew Perry lays bare the fractured family that raised him (and also left him to his own devices), the desire for recognition that drove him to fame, and the void inside him that could not be filled even by his greatest dreams coming true. But he also details the peace he’s found in sobriety and how he feels about the ubiquity of Friends, sharing stories about his castmates and other stars he met along the way. Frank, self-aware, and with his trademark humor, Perry vividly depicts his lifelong battle with addiction and what fueled it despite seemingly having it all.

Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing is an unforgettable memoir that is both intimate and eye-opening—as well as a hand extended to anyone struggling with sobriety. Unflinchingly honest, moving, and uproariously funny, this is the book fans have been waiting for.

For the Reading Challenge(s):
2024 Nonfiction Reader Challenge
2024 Audiobook Challenge
2024 Library Love Challenge

The Reason

I’m a fan of the TV show Friends, and Chandler was always my favorite character. I don’t read a lot of biographies, so I didn’t feel a need to read this one when it came out, especially since there were some less than great comments about it. But there were also some good reviews, and after he passed away last year, I thought I should give it a chance.

The Quotes

“When someone does something nice for someone else, I see God. But you can’t give away something you don’t have. So, I try to improve myself daily. When those moments come and I am needed, I’ve worked out my shit, and do what we are all here for, which is simply to help other people.”

“I’m not the biggest fan of confrontation. I ask a lot of questions. Just not out loud.”

“I am me. And that should be enough, it always has been enough. I was the one who didn’t get that. And now I do. I’m an actor, I’m a writer. I’m a person. And a good one at that. I want good things for myself, and others, and I can continue to work for these things. There is a reason I’m still here. And figuring out why is the task that has been put in front of me. And it will be revealed. There is no rush, no desperation. Just the fact that I am here, and I care about people, is the answer. Now when I wake up, I wake up curious, wondering what the world has in store for me, and I for it. And that’s enough to go on.”

“And have you ever stood on the water’s edge and tried to stop the wave? It goes on regardless of what we do, regardless of how hard we try. The ocean reminds us that we are powerless in comparison.”

The Narrator

Matthew Perry himself. It was nice to hear him tell his story in his own voice. I thought he came across very honest and genuine.

My Thoughts

Matthew Perry is Chandler. They both have the difficult childhood, the addictive personalities, insecurities with women, the need for attention and to be the funniest guy in the room. The difference is that Matthew never got the happy ending Chandler did, and all the things they went through might’ve been funny on a sitcom, but not so much in real life. Matthew’s addictions were also bigger and more terrible.

There were many instances in the book where Matthew came across as a not so good guy, but what I liked about it was that he was honest. He didn’t like himself very much a lot of the time, and he also regrets a lot of the things he did, but he was true to the story of his life, and he bared it all in this book.

My Feels

I feel so much compassion for him. He was in so much pain throughout the course of his life from such a young age, and even at the peak of his career, he never found peace. The book ended well, with a lot of hope for the future, and I feel like he didn’t have a lot of time to see that through. He wanted to be remembered as more than his role in Friends, and even though his work in Friends is what I loved most about him, this book has allowed me to get to know the real him a little more. I see you, Matty. Thank you for being a Friend.

My Rating

⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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Book Review | A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross

Posted March 5, 2024 by Haze in Book Reviews / 0 Comments

A River Enchanted by Rebecca Ross

Jack Tamerlaine hasn’t set foot on Cadence in ten long years, content to study music at the mainland university. But when young girls start disappearing from the isle, Jack is summoned home to help find them. Enchantments run deep on Cadence: gossip is carried by the wind; plaid shawls can be as strong as armor, and the smallest cut of a knife can instil fathomless fear. The capricious spirits that rule the isle by fire, water, earth, and wind find mirth in the lives of the humans who call the land home. Adaira, heiress of the east and Jack’s childhood enemy, knows the spirits only answer to a bard’s music, and she hopes Jack can draw them forth by song, enticing them to return the missing girls.

As Jack and Adaira reluctantly work together, they find they make better allies than rivals as their partnership turns into something more. But with each passing song, it becomes apparent the trouble with the spirits is far more sinister than they first expected, and an older, darker secret about Cadence lurks beneath the surface, threatening to undo them all.

For the Reading Challenge(s):
2024 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #15: Part of a duology)
2024 Library Love Reading Challenge

The Reason

I had this book on my TBR, but I moved it up the list because my friends were doing a buddy-read for it and I was enticed!

The Quotes

“I once thought home was simply a place. Four walls to hold you at night while you slept. But I was wrong. It’s people. It’s being with the ones that you love, and maybe even the ones that you hate.”

“There is no failure in love, and I have loved without measure. In this, I am complete.”

“Our hands can steal, or they can give. They can harm, or they can comfort. They can wound and kill, or they can heal and save. Which will you choose for your hands Torin?”

“You have become more to me than mere words spoken on a midsummer night.”

The Characters

Jack, Adaira, Sidra, and Torin. These are the main characters, and I love them because of how interesting they are to the story, not necessarily because they are lovable characters. Sidra is my favorite out of them all because I find her to be strong, mysterious, and just fascinating. I love that she’s so strong in her beliefs and convictions, I love that she’s independent, and how connected she is with nature and the spirits. I also love her character arc and the lessons she learns.

The other characters are interesting too, but not necessarily characters I love. I love their roles in the story and the parts they play. I love their arcs too, and the lessons they learn. This is a duology, so I expect that there’s more to come, and I’d like to get to know all of them better and see them grow.

My Thoughts

The start was a little slow for me, and I found it difficult to get into. It didn’t hold my interest and every time I put it down, it was hard to pick it back up. I kept going because it was a buddy read and that motivated me. The second half was a lot better, more exciting, and it went a lot faster. I had some problems with the plot, I felt like it could’ve been done better, and I didn’t really like how things were resolved in the end. However, I realize it’s a duology and there’s more to come.

The saving grace here is the characters. I am a character-driven reader, and while the plot bothered me, the characters and their stories were interesting enough to keep me invested. They aren’t the best characters, mind you, but they are interesting, and I love seeing them navigate their world and their roles in it.

My Feels

My favorite parts were seeing the relationships between the characters. Not just the romantic ones, but also the familial ones. It was heartwarming to see how the different relationships developed, and the communication they had with each other.

My Rating

3/5 stars. I really like it, but it doesn’t quite hit the spot.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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Book Review | All Systems Red by Martha Wells

Posted March 5, 2024 by Haze in Book Reviews / 4 Comments

All Systems Red by Martha Wells

In a corporate-dominated space-faring future, planetary missions must be approved and supplied by the Company. For their own safety, exploratory teams are accompanied by Company-supplied security androids. But in a society where contracts are awarded to the lowest bidder, safety isn’t a primary concern.

On a distant planet, a team of scientists is conducting surface tests, shadowed by their Company-supplied ‘droid–a self-aware SecUnit that has hacked its own governor module and refers to itself (though never out loud) as “Murderbot.” Scornful of humans, Murderbot wants is to be left alone long enough to figure out who it is, but when a neighboring mission goes dark, it’s up to the scientists and Murderbot to get to the truth.

For the Reading Challenge(s):
2024 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #36: Has futuristic technology)
2024 Audiobook Challenge
2024 Library Love Challenge

The Reason

I’ve been seeing so many recommendations for the Murderbot Diaries everywhere, and always in conjunction with a few other books I’ve loved. Everyone who talks about it says how much they loved it, and it just got to a point where it seemed like everyone has read it except me. So I got on the bandwagon!

The Quotes

“I liked the imaginary people on the entertainment feed way more than I liked real ones, but you can’t have one without the other.”

“Yes, talk to Murderbot about its feelings. The idea was so painful I dropped to 97 percent efficiency. I’d rather climb back into Hostile One’s mouth.”

“You may have noticed that when I do manage to care, I’m a pessimist.”

“All right,” she said, and looked at me for what objectively I knew was 2.4 seconds and subjectively about twenty excruciating minutes.”

The Narrator

Kevin R. Free. He did a great job! No complaints there. My only issue with this being an audiobook is that I often don’t get the characters’ names, and/or location names, mission names, etc., but that’s a common issue with scifi and fantasy and made-up names. I heard the series was good on audio, so I’ll continue it on audio, but I might check out a print copy just to see the names written out.

The Characters

The Murderbot – I don’t think we ever find out its name, unless I missed it. But I love it! It may be a murderbot, but it’s one of the funniest, most relatable characters I’ve ever read about, and ironically, so humanly-flawed! I love it!

The other characters are interesting too, or rather, have the potential to be interesting. Their personalities are quite distinct, but we don’t find out a lot about them. Some readers have criticized this aspect of the book, saying that the characters fell flat, but to me, it seemed like a deliberate decision. We see the story through the Murderbot’s POV, and the Murderbot tells us repeatedly that it doesn’t care to know anything about the other characters. I thought it made perfect sense.

My Thoughts

I’ll be honest and say that half the time I had no idea what was going on in terms of plot. The beauty of this book is in the Murderbot’s thought processes, and again, the Murderbot admits it has no interest in information about the crew or their missions, or anything to do with why it’s there, and it certainly shows through how the story is told. I think that it’s just brilliantly written, how Martha Wells managed to write a story where we don’t get a lot of clear information, but we get to know the Murderbot, and how invested we can become in a story like that.

My Feels

I want more. I started the book knowing that it’s the first book in a series, and I think I might not like it as much if it stopped here because while I enjoyed getting to know the Murderbot, I feel like this book was just an introduction and I need to see its character develop and grow. So I’m looking forward to the next books!

My Rating

4/5 stars. I’m hooked, but I need more!

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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Book Review | The Bad Weather Friend by Dean Koontz

Posted February 26, 2024 by Haze in Book Reviews / 1 Comment

The Bad Weather Friend by Dean Koontz

Benny is so nice they feel compelled to destroy him, but he has a friend who should scare the hell out of them.

Benny Catspaw’s perpetually sunny disposition is tested when he loses his job, his reputation, his fiancée, and his favorite chair. He’s not paranoid. Someone is out to get him. He just doesn’t know who or why. Then Benny receives an inheritance from an uncle he’s never heard of: a giant crate and a video message. All will be well in time.

How strange—though it’s a blessing, his uncle promises. Stranger yet is what’s inside the crate. He’s a seven-foot-tall self-described “bad weather friend” named Spike whose mission is to help people who are just too good for this world. Spike will take care of it. He’ll find Benny’s enemies. He’ll deal with them. This might be satisfying if Spike wasn’t such a menacing presence with terrifying techniques of intimidation.

In the company of Spike and a fascinated young waitress-cum-PI-in-training named Harper, Benny plunges into a perilous high-speed adventure, the likes of which never would have crossed the mind of a decent guy like him.

For the Reading Challenge(s):
2024 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #16: An omniscient narrator)
2024 Library Love Challenge

The Reason

I haven’t read a lot of Dean Koontz, but I’ve liked the ones I’ve read, and I thought the premise of this book was interesting.

The Quotes

“Many of your friends will be fair-weather friends, Benjamin, but I will be there in bad weather, in worse weather, in any weather.”

“Fantasies can become realities. There’s no reason that craggles couldn’t be as real as trains and cranes and girls named Jane. That is a conclusion to which the discoveries in physics over the past century lead us if we have the imagination and courage to think through the evidence.”

“Charismatic people were born with charisma; it wasn’t something that could be learned or ordered from Amazon.”

The Characters

Benny Catspaw is the protagonist, Spike is the bad weather friend, and Harper is the love interest. I loved all of them in the context of this book, but I have to be objective and also admit that they seem more like caricatures than real people. In fact, even the side characters all seem like caricatures. It doesn’t take away from the story though, it’s just what it is, and it works for the story.

My Thoughts

I expected a somewhat sinister horror story, but this is basically a fairy tale and I still loved it. I’m quite amused because not long ago Stephen King, known for horror, wrote Fairy Tale, and now Dean Koontz, also known for horror, has written a fairy tale as well. I’m not complaining because I love Stephen King and everything he writes no matter the genre, and I haven’t read a lot of Dean Koontz so I’m totally open to whatever story he wants to throw at me.

To be fair, if we’re comparing Stephen King’s Fairy Tale to Dean Koontz’s The Bad Weather Friend, Stephen King definitely did it better. Fairy Tale has got more depth and substance, and The Bad Weather Friend stays very much on the surface. As I said before, the characters seem like caricatures, the story feels very black and white, each quest/adventure is neatly wrapped up, and there’s even that Disney princess instalove element.

My Feels

I enjoyed it for what it is and I even like the caricaturistic quality of the characters in the context of the story. It was wholesome and heartwarming, and there were lots of funny moments that made me laughed, but it’s not a book I’ll come back to or think about very much. Still an enjoyable read.

My Rating

3/5 stars.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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Book Review | The Storyteller by Dave Grohl

Posted February 26, 2024 by Haze in Book Reviews / 2 Comments

The Storyteller by Dave Grohl

So, I’ve written a book.

Having entertained the idea for years, and even offered a few questionable opportunities (“It’s a piece of cake! Just do 4 hours of interviews, find someone else to write it, put your face on the cover, and voila!”) I have decided to write these stories just as I have always done, in my own hand. The joy that I have felt from chronicling these tales is not unlike listening back to a song that I’ve recorded and can’t wait to share with the world, or reading a primitive journal entry from a stained notebook, or even hearing my voice bounce between the Kiss posters on my wall as a child.

This certainly doesn’t mean that I’m quitting my day job, but it does give me a place to shed a little light on what it’s like to be a kid from Springfield, Virginia, walking through life while living out the crazy dreams I had as young musician. From hitting the road with Scream at 18 years old, to my time in Nirvana and the Foo Fighters, jamming with Iggy Pop or playing at the Academy Awards or dancing with AC/DC and the Preservation Hall Jazz Band, drumming for Tom Petty or meeting Sir Paul McCartney at Royal Albert Hall, bedtime stories with Joan Jett or a chance meeting with Little Richard, to flying halfway around the world for one epic night with my daughters…the list goes on. I look forward to focusing the lens through which I see these memories a little sharper for you with much excitement.

For the Reading Challenge(s):
2024 Nonfiction Reader Challenge
2024 Audiobook Challenge
2024 Library Love Challenge

The Reason

I’m a fan of Dave Grohl and the Foo Fighters, and I’ve been wanting to read this for a while. I don’t read a lot of memoirs and biographies in general so it takes me a while to pick them up, but one of my reading goals this year is to read more nonfiction, and the audiobook became available to me at just the right time.

The Quotes

“Life is just too damn short to let someone else’s opinion steer the wheel.”

“But with friends, you design your own relationship, which in turn designs your grief, which can be felt even deeper when they are gone. Those can be roots that are much harder to pull.”

“I love my children as I was loved as a child, and I pray that they will do the same when their time comes. Some cycles are meant to be broken. Some are meant to be reinforced.”

“Courage is a defining factor in the life of any artist. The courage to bare your innermost feelings, to reveal your true voice, or to stand in front of an audience and lay it out there for the world to see. The emotional vulnerability that is often necessary to summon a great song can also work against you when sharing your song for the world to hear. This is the paralyzing conflict of any sensitive artist. A feeling I’ve experienced with every lyric I’ve sung to someone other than myself. Will they like it? Am I good enough? It is the courage to be yourself that bridges those opposing emotions, and when it does, magic can happen.”

The Narrator

Dave Grohl himself. I loved it. I loved listening to the book directly from his voice, to hear him tell me his stories about his life and his musical journey. It was perfect!

My Thoughts

Dave Grohl isn’t just an amazing musician, he is an amazing writer and storyteller. I’ve been a casual fan of his and of Foo Fighters, but while I liked his music and what little I know of his public persona, there is a lot I never knew about him and I’m glad he decided to tell his story in this book. The stories he tells in this book made me laugh, made me cry, filled me with awe and amazement, inspired me, and made me a bigger fan.

My Feels

What I love most about this book are the stories Dave Grohl tells about his connection to the people in his life. His relationships with people who are important to him; his mother, his family, his friends, and band mates. The way he connects with his fans, and other celebrities whom he is a fan of. He is such a down-to-earth person, even with all that fame and stardom from a relatively young age. Listening to him narrate the book, you feel like you are having a conversation with a close friend, and he is a person whom I’d truly love to be close friends with.

My Rating

5/5 stars. I loved listening to the book so much and I was sad when it was over. I almost wanted to start over just to hear it all over again. I’ve told my husband (who’s also a fan of Dave Grohl) little anecdotes while I was reading so he has put a hold on the book as well. Who knows? I might reread when he does!

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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Book Review | Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

Posted February 23, 2024 by Haze in Book Reviews / 10 Comments

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

Remarkably Bright Creatures, an exploration of friendship, reckoning, and hope, tracing a widow’s unlikely connection with a giant Pacific octopus.

After Tova Sullivan’s husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she’s been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago.

Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn’t dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors–until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova.

Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova’s son disappeared. And now Marcellus must use every trick his old invertebrate body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it’s too late.

Shelby Van Pelt’s debut novel is a gentle reminder that sometimes taking a hard look at the past can help uncover a future that once felt impossible.

For the Reading Challenge(s):
2024 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #8: Features the ocean)
2024 Library Love Challenge

The Reason

I’ve heard wonderful things about it and I was intrigued by the premise. It also ended up being the first book chosen for my in-person bookclub.

The Quotes

“Why can humans not use their millions of words to simply tell one another what they desire?”

“Secrets are everywhere. Some humans are crammed full of them. How do they not explode? It seems to be a hallmark of the human species: abysmal communication skills.”

“You can’t fix someone who is determined to stay broken.”

The Characters

Marcellus the octopus! I like that we get his POV, and I really like his personality too. Tova was also a main character and I liked her fine, and Cameron too, but sometimes he got on my nerves. I love the Knit-Wits; I love that they have their own idiosyncrasies but they genuinely care about Tova. Ethan was a real character too, even though he liked to gossip.

My Thoughts

I enjoyed the story, but it’s not exactly what I expected, and I do have some issues with it. I wanted more from Marcellus and I thought it would be more Marcellus-centric, but it felt like he was just a side character in Cameron’s and Tova’s stories. I enjoyed their stories too, but I’m just disappointed it wasn’t about Marcellus.

Spoiler
I also got really frustrated and honestly, I’m in disbelief that it took so long for Tova and Cameron to figure it out. The whole thing, with all the little bit of hints and speculation, and yet still not reaching the conclusion, is a bit convoluted and unrealistic for me. Marcellus ended with saying humans can occasionally be remarkably bright creatures, and I was like, really? Tova and Cameron?

My Feels

I do love that this is literally a found family story, but it didn’t give me the feels, to be quite honest. It’s a decent story, and I like that there was warmth between the characters, but there wasn’t enough. I love Marcellus, but even the relationship between Marcellus and Tova wasn’t enough. I’m disappointed.

My Rating

3/5 stars. I had high hopes for this book because it was so highly recommended, but I’m disappointed with the prolonged runaround and the lack of focus on the octopus and I feel just meh about it in the end.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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Book Review | The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan

Posted February 23, 2024 by Haze in Book Reviews / 6 Comments

The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan

Nina Redmond is a literary matchmaker. Pairing a reader with that perfect book is her passion… and also her job. Or at least it was. Until yesterday, she was a librarian in the hectic city. But now the job she loved is no more.

Determined to make a new life for herself, Nina moves to a sleepy village many miles away. There she buys a van and transforms it into a bookmobile—a mobile bookshop that she drives from neighborhood to neighborhood, changing one life after another with the power of storytelling.

From helping her grumpy landlord deliver a lamb, to sharing picnics with a charming train conductor who serenades her with poetry, Nina discovers there’s plenty of adventure, magic, and soul in a place that’s beginning to feel like home… a place where she just might be able to write her own happy ending.

For the Reading Challenge(s):
2024 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #30: Picked without reading the blurb)
2024 Bookish Book Challenge
2024 Audiobook Challenge
2024 Library Love Challenge

The Reason

It’s a bookish book, it was available, and I was in between books.

The Quotes

“Just do something. You might make a mistake, then you can fix it. But if you do nothing, you can’t fix anything. And your life might turn out full of regrets.”

“Because every day with a book is slightly better than one without, and I wish you nothing but the happiest of days.”

“There was a universe inside every human being every bit as big as the universe outside them.”

The Narrator

Lucy Price-Lewis. I really liked her as a narrator. I did have trouble understanding the accents, but that’s mostly on me.

My Thoughts

I enjoyed it very much at first, even though it’s just a little bit cheesy. But I started to get really annoyed with Nina (and other characters) at the second half of the book.

Spoiler
I really didn’t like that she was so forgiving towards Marek after finding out he had a romantic partner who’s the mother of his child. I also don’t like that Marek is somehow still portrayed as a sympathetic character. Nina can be naive, but I think this is a little over-the-top. The fact that she continued talking to him even after that, I just don’t like it.

I also really didn’t like the way she handled that whole thing with the two siblings and their sick mother. That whole scene with Ainslee being unhappy about Nina getting involved, and then all of a sudden being okay with it didn’t ring true to me. And her sick mother’s interactions with Nina also felt weird and unrealistic.

And there was the part where Lennox had a sick animal he was rushing to get to the vet, but then he came back to drive Nina home first, I was in disbelief.


I could’ve overlooked one or two issues, but there were too many and I couldn’t enjoy the book anymore. I’m sorry I don’t have more to say about the book that isn’t spoilered. I guess I don’t really have a lot of nice things to say, and that makes me feel really bad, but it is what it is!

My Rating

3/5 stars. Because I don’t think it’s badly written. I just didn’t like the story or the characters.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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Book Review | The Scent Keeper by Erica Bauermeister

Posted February 16, 2024 by Haze in Book Reviews / 2 Comments

The Scent Keeper by Erica Bauermeister

Erica Bauermeister, the national bestselling author of The School of Essential Ingredients, presents a moving and evocative coming-of-age novel about childhood stories, families lost and found, and how a fragrance conjures memories capable of shaping the course of our lives.

Emmeline lives an enchanted childhood on a remote island with her father, who teaches her about the natural world through her senses. What he won’t explain are the mysterious scents stored in the drawers that line the walls of their cabin, or the origin of the machine that creates them. As Emmeline grows, however, so too does her curiosity, until one day the unforeseen happens, and Emmeline is vaulted out into the real world—a place of love, betrayal, ambition, and revenge. To understand her past, Emmeline must unlock the clues to her identity, a quest that challenges the limits of her heart and imagination.

Lyrical and immersive, The Scent Keeper explores the provocative beauty of scent, the way it can reveal hidden truths, lead us to the person we seek, and even help us find our way back home.

For the Reading Challenge(s):
2024 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #2: Bibliosmia – A smelly book)
2024 Audiobook Challenge
2024 Library Love Challenge

The Reason

I came across this book while browsing my library’s audiobook catalog and it fit one of the prompts from the 2024 52 Book Club Challenge, so I decided to give it a try.

The Quotes

“It’s amazing how easily we can cast ourselves in the role of hero.”

“We are the unwitting carriers of our parents’ secrets, the ripples made by stones we never saw thrown.”

“Everyone else thought it was magic, but I knew better. In the end, it wasn’t the flavors or the alcohol that made people relax—it was the experience of being seen and understood.”

“I think one of the most fascinating things about perfumes is how they change with each person’s skin chemistry. I’ve always thought of them as verbs, not nouns. Truth, I’ve found, is much the same.”

The Characters

The story follows Emmeline from childhood until young adulthood, so we see her development as a person and as a character. I must admit that I really didn’t like her as a child. I felt like she made a lot of rash and reckless decisions, and even though she was a child, she was old enough to understand the consequences of her actions. She was better as a young adult, but obviously still had a long way to grow.

I don’t think I loved any of the characters in the book, except maybe the goat and the dog. I liked some of them, but there were no standouts. I find it interesting because I’m a character-driven reader, and it’s hard for me to like a book if I don’t like the characters, but I do also enjoy complicated characters, as long as they are real and interesting, and I think Emmeline was real and interesting.

My Thoughts

The most fascinating parts of the book for me were the scents and everything to do with them. The description of Emmeline’s father’s machine, and all the bottles of scents, the different scents Emmeline paid attention to, the ways to use scents, how Emmeline learned to work with scents. Some of these things we learn about are obviously pure fiction, and there were a few things I know to be true in real life about the science of scents, but there were many that I had no idea of their veracity. Still fascinating in the context of the story, and I loved reading about them.

My Feels

My favorite parts of the book were when Emmeline bonded with the goat and the dog. Those scenes were just so wholesome and beautiful. They don’t actually play very prominent parts, but out of all the relationships Emmeline had in the story, it was her relationships with the goat and dog that made me feel the most.

My Rating

4/5 stars. It’s really good and I liked it, but I don’t love it. I’m giving points for the beautiful writing and execution though.

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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Book Review | Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

Posted February 14, 2024 by Haze in Book Reviews / 5 Comments

Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree

After a lifetime of bounties and bloodshed, Viv is hanging up her sword for the last time.

The battle-weary orc aims to start fresh, opening the first ever coffee shop in the city of Thune. But old and new rivals stand in the way of success — not to mention the fact that no one has the faintest idea what coffee actually is.

If Viv wants to put the blade behind her and make her plans a reality, she won’t be able to go it alone.

But the true rewards of the uncharted path are the travelers you meet along the way. And whether drawn together by ancient magic, flaky pastry, or a freshly brewed cup, they may become partners, family, and something deeper than she ever could have dreamed.

For the Reading Challenge(s):
2024 52 Book Club Reading Challenge (Prompt #12: Title starting with the letter “L”)
2024 Diversity Reading Challenge
2024 Library Love Challenge

The Reason

Everyone keeps saying how great it is! I do sometimes get apprehensive about a book that might potentially be overhyped because I don’t want to end up disappointed, but I felt certain that I would like this one somehow.

The Quotes

“Things don’t have to stay as what they started out as.”

“His eyes widened. “Well, shit. Milky bean water. I’ll be damned.” He took another, longer sip and burned his tongue.”

“I was just thinking that you don’t have to forget who you were … because that’s what brought you here.”

“You’ve found a very peaceful place here. A special place. You’ve planted something, and now its blossoming. Very nice. A good spot to rest. My thanks to you for letting an old-timer shade under the branches of what you’ve grown.”

The Characters

Viv is the main character in this book, but every single character in this book is what makes the book! It’s the perfect ensemble cast; there are the core important characters to Viv, and to her cafe, and there are the supporting characters who are just so vibrant and unique in each of their own ways. Every single one of them were brought so vividly to life. I love them all!

My Thoughts

I loved the story from beginning to end! For a high fantasy novel that focuses on building a cafe business rather than embarking on a perilous quest to kill dragons, it’s surprisingly engrossing! I guess it makes sense, whether you’re killing dragons or serving coffee, the interesting parts of a story is in how you solve the problems, and with Legends & Lattes, it was wonderful watching Viv and her friends navigate the issues surrounding the running of a cafe.

My Feels

I don’t even know where to begin to talk about my feels. First of all, we all know I love found family stories. And I loved it here too, so much! It was so heartwarming to see how Viv made friends, the kind of person she was, the kind of people she drew to herself – because of the person she was. I loved how some enemies became friends. I loved how she protected her friends and her friends protected her. I loved the development of all the friendships she made since moving to Thune, not even a few months in a new place. I loved everything about it, and my only wish is that there was more!

I know there’s another book out, a prequel, and you can bet I’m going to read it too, but seriously, there needs to be a whole bunch of books in this series. I need more of them!

My Rating

5/5 stars. I love it, and it’s going into my Favorite Books of All Time Hall of Fame!

Have you read this book? Would you read this book? Did you like the book or do you think you would like it?

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