The Angle of Rome -
This was a short story I found free on Audible. I kept seeing it but I was inspired to listen to it after Helene In Between recommended it. It is a sweet story of a young guy finding himself in Rome. He ends up in the middle of a film set and connecting with an American actor.
If you have Audible you can listen to this book for free. It is a great book to listen to while you cook dinner or fold laundry.
The HouseKeeper -
This psychological thriller is about Claire a 24-year-old living in NYC doing the very minimum to get by while carrying a huge chip on her shoulder. One day she sports the woman who ruined her family...Hannah. Claire follows her to her house and starts to devise a plan to exact her revenge and get vindication for her family. She starts her plan by becoming the housekeeper.
I listened to this book on Audible and it made for a quick read. I had a hard time stopping. The narrator's voice for Claire was too mature in my opinion. After I finished the book I picked apart the issues and plot holes but no more than I do for other books in this genre. The characters are well written, you think they are crazy, you start to feel bad for them and you hate them again. You don't know who to believe... are they all crazy?
Feels Like Falling -
Gray Howard had everything, successful company, a loving family, and a summer house on the beach of North Carolina... until she didn't. Her husband told her that he was leaving her for his assistant (30 minutes after making love to her) and that he wanted half of the company she had spent 20 years building. Soon after that, her mother died of cancer. This was her last summer in her beach house before she had to sell it in the divorce. Diana has it even worse. Her boyfriend stole the thousand dollars she was saving to fix her tooth and lost it at poker. She left him and by doing so left her home. She lost her job (because of Gray) and was living out of her car. The story follows the women as they make their way through the summer. There is love, there is friendship, there is cheese whiz and there is a lot of Mike's Hard Lemonade.
I listened to this book on Audible and flew through it. Once again I had an issue with the narrator's voice for a character, she made Diana sound way too old. I know she was a smoker but she aged her too much. It was a fun book and would make for a great beach read. It was light-hearted and full of fun female friendships. Only a few times did I want to yell at a character for being dumb.
Bringing Down The Duke -
Annabelle is the daughter of a vicar in 1879 England. She was one of the first women accepted to study at Oxford. As part of her scholarship, she must help promote the women's suffrage movement. She is assigned to convince the Duke of Montgomery to support the movement. It is hard to tell which is more stubborn as the two find themselves thrown together.
If you liked the Bridgerton books or Netflix series this book is the next one for you. It is a fun book with a bit of spice but it also includes strong female characters.
The Reading List -
An amazing book of a community of unlikely people coming together over a mysterious reading list. The reading list is made up of a wide selection of books both contemporary and classic books. The main storyline follows Mukesh a widower whose wife loved books and the library. He found a library book that was never returned when he tried to return the book to the library he was met with a surly teenage girl Aleisha. Even though Aleisha works at the library she is not a reader. Aleisha finds a crumpled reading list and uses it when Mukesh asked what he should read.
The story continues as Mukesh and Aleisha process events in their lives through the reading list. A strong friendship develops between the two and others at the library and in the community. This is a very heartwarming story and it will make you want to read all the books on the list.
Red Sky Over Hawaii -
Lana Hitchcock flew home to the Big Island to see her dying father the day before the attack on Pearl Harbor. She found herself way from Pearl Harbor but not way from the danger. Upon landing, she finds out her father has already passed away. She made her way to his house and met her father's neighbors. They were a German family with 2 little girls and a Great Dane. The morning after she arrived at her father's home while having breakfast with the neighbors, the announcement of the attack on Pearl Harbor was announced. When the parents were taken in by the FBI for questioning Lana found herself in charge of 2 little girls. Finding some information about a house her father built near Volcano she made her way there for safety. The story follows Lana and the girls and a few other hidden friends as they survive the war.
I LOVE a WWII historical fiction and I was excited to read a new perspective but this book was missing something for me. It was a good story that happened to take place right after Pearl Harbor and had some aspects of the war and things that Japanese and German Americans were treated. There is also a slight mystical property to the story but not too much. It was a nice story and I listened to it on Audible. I feel like it could be better but it wasn't bad.
Fifty Words For Rain -
Eight-year-old Nori was abandoned by her mother at the front gate of her grandparent's estate in Kyoto, Japan in 1948. The last words her mother spoke to her were "Do not question. Do not fight. Do not resist." These words were the words Nori lived by as she was confined to the attic for years. Nori was born out of wedlock and her father was a black American GI who was stationed in Japan after the end of the war. Nori endured neglect, beatings, and bleach baths to lighten her skin for years until her half-brother moved into the estate. After his arrival, things got better for Nori until she was sold to a brothel.
This is a wonderful book that makes you so many different emotions. At one point I yelled "what a bitch" startling my husband. This book actually made me yell a few times and that doesn't happen very often. I would highly recommend this book. It isn't an easy read but it is well worth it.
Stars of Fortune -
Sasha is an artist who starts having visions that lead her to Greece. Shortly after arriving in Corfu, she sees a woman she has seen in her visions. Soon after meeting Riley, they run into Bran the next person who is part of her visions. The three come to realize they are all looking for the same thing, the Stars of Fortune. Three stars were placed in the sky to celebrate a new Queen. They were cursed and fell to Earth where they have been hidden for generations. Over the next few days, the team grows to six. Each person is special in their own way. They must work together to find the stars before they fall into the hands of evil.
This is the first book in a trilogy. I wanted to listen to something easy and the first two books in this series were BOGO on Audible so I figured I would give it a show. I have liked other Nora Roberts books I have read. She does a good job of contemporary fantasy with romance woven in as well. The romance isn't very the top, it is sweet and loving romance and not really spicy. It was an easy listen with nice fast-paced action to keep me interested and ready for book 2.
Teeth Are Not For Biting
Due to a few incidents at daycare, we started reading Teeth Are Not for Biting before bed at night. Since we have started reading this book we have not had any more incidents. If you are experiencing problems with biting I recommend giving this book a shot.