A Bookworm's Book Reviews

Found Things Series – Paula Brackston

Book 4 is available now.

Titles: Book 1 – The Little Shop of Found Things, Book 2 – Secrets of the Chocolate House, Book 3 – The Garden of Promises and Lies

Author: Paula Brackston

Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction

Plot: Book 1 – Xanthe and her mother, Flora, have just moved to Marlborough to start a new life with their own little antique shop. Xanthe has always had a connection with some of the items in their antique shop. While exploring their new back yard and garden, Xanthe discovers a little shed like building. When she steps inside, she’s transported back in time. Xanthe soon learns she must help an innocent girl escape her fate in jail. But how can she help? Is there anyone she can trust? Can she return to her own time?

Book 2 – Xanthe’s learned she can time travel. She finds a new object, an centuries old chocolate pot, not long after she’s settled back into normal life that calls to her. When she returns home with the chocolate pot, she sees a vision of an old friend in trouble. Xanthe returns to the past to help him. But he’s not there, but in jail. In the past she also meets new friends and makes some enemies. Can her new found friendship help defeat her new enemy to save her old friend?

Book 3 – Xanthe’s been working on her time travel skills while she waits for the next object to call to her. She’s also preparing to meet Fairfax again. He’s becoming stronger since their last meeting. Xanthe can only guess at what Fairfax wants. But when he starts attacking Xanthe’s family and friends, she has no choice but to tell them what’s really been going on. Then Xanthe finds a wedding dress that calls to her. It could be the clue to help stop Fairfax. With the help of her family and friends, Xanthe may finally have all the pieces she needs to stop Fairfax once and for all. But will it be enough? Or will Fairfax achieve all he desires?

Rating: 4.3 – a good time travel series

Opinion: This was a great series. This has a great combo of fantasy, historical fiction, and sappy romance. The time travel doesn’t too technical or too detailed but gives the reader a good sense of how the time travel works. It’s never overwhelming with details or info dumps at certain points. The romance in the series is sweet and sappy. It’s meant to look like a real relationship. I wish the ex-boyfriend had more of a tie in to book two. He just shows up at the beginning, appears once in a while, then disappears at the end of the book. I enjoyed the historical fiction parts cause it’s about different times than what I’ve read about. It talks about the daily lives of more ordinary people instead of the nobility. This is a slow building series that ends in some sort of cliffhanger at the end of every book. There’s a fourth book in the series and I’m having a hard time waiting for it to come out. I’m curious to see how the authors ties everything up. I really enjoyed this series so far and would recommend this series to anyone who likes historical fiction and fantasy.

My Wish for You – Katheryn Hahn

Title: My Wish for You

Author: Kathryn Hahn

Illustrator: Brigette Barrager

Genre: Children’s Book, Picture Book

Plot: A mother dreams of all the things she wishes for her daughter. She dreams of all the life lessons her daughter will learn and how she can comfort her daughter. The mother wishes her daughter to have courage, believe in herself no matter what the world says, stay curious, and for so many more things.

Rating: 4.5 – a sweet book about a mother’s love

Opinion: This was a super sweet about about a mother’s love. It’s what every mother would want for her daughters. The pictures are super beautiful, too. I was looking through some of the classroom books when I found this book. I flipped through it when I had a moment and found the beautiful message inside. It talks of so many things that mother’s wish for their daughters and lessons they’d like to teach them. I’d recommend this book for any mother or any classroom.

Between Two Shores – Jocelyn Green

Title: Between Two Shores

Author: Jocelyn Green

Genre: Historical Fiction

Plot: Catherine Stands Apart is a half French, half Mohawk trader near Montreal, Canada during the French and Indian War. All is well with the trading post her and her father run until an old friend, Samuel, returns. Then the French army arrives and asks all able bodied women to help tend the fields while the men are away so the people of Montreal don’t starve. Catherine is hesitant but agrees. When the army finds out that Samuel is British, serving off a debt to Catherine’s father, they demand he help. While working in the fields, they learn valuable information. In confidence, Samuel tries to convince Catherine to escape with him. Reluctantly, she agrees. They learn more about each other’s journey during the five years they were apart. Can they make peace with each other? Or will their past and secrets tear them apart?

Rating: 4.0 – a good historical fiction book about the French and Indian War

Opinion: This was a great historical fiction book about a part of history I’m not as familiar with. I never got the chance to learn much about colonial life that didn’t center around the American colonies. There was a bit of common French phrases that were included in the book (as the book takes place in Quebec and Montreal), but were translated right after or easy to infer given the context. The one thing I that took me a minute to understand was that Catherine often called her dad by his first name. I might have missed reading that but I caught after a little bit. The ending of the book was bittersweet and was almost sad, but was written in a way that I was okay with how the book ending. This is a great books, it’s got lots of good history and some sappy romance, though a little bittersweet.

Summer of Dreams – Elizabeth Camden

Is book is a short story connected with From This Moment

Title: Summer of Dreams

Author: Elizabeth Camden

Genre: Historical Fiction, Short Story

Plot: Evelyn White wants to prove to her general father that she’s capable of going to college to study engineering. She’s building a water pump for her greenhouse but doesn’t know how to power it for long periods. Clyde Brixton has been assigned to help Evelyn build the new water pump to work off some demerits at West Point. At first Evelyn is resistant to his help, but slowly she warms up to Clyde. Can Evelyn get past her fear of being a military wife? Can Clyde work off enough demerits to graduate from West Point?

Rating: 4.0 – a sweet, sappy romantic and historical fiction short story

Opinion: This was a super sweet romantic historical fiction book. I enjoyed learning about how military life worked and a little bit about engineering. Evelyn’s fear off marrying someone in the military was understandable considering her past. I so badly wanted Clyde to succeed, which he did, just not in the way I expected. I needed a super sappy book after the last book I read, and this book was what I needed. I highly recommend this book for anyone who likes sappy romance and historical fiction.

Ariadne – Jennifer Saint

Title: Ariadne

Author: Jennifer Saint

Genre: Fantasy, Greek Mythology

Plot: Ariadne is a daughter of Minos, strict ruler of Crete. His legend is being the ‘father’ of the Minotaur, the half man, half bull. Minos demanded sacrifices in human form from Athens to satisfy the Minotaur’s need for meat. Then Theseus comes along. Ariadne is smitten with him. She helps Theseus escape the Minotaur’s labyrinth and kill the Minotaur. The two of them escape the island, but they’ve abandoned Ariadne’s sister who wanted to escape with them. Only Theseus abandones Ariadne on the island of Naxos. When she’s about to give up, a ship appears carrying Dionysus. Dionysus agrees to let Ariadne stay and care for the island. He proves he’s not like anyone else Ariadne’s ever met. But will it last? Is it a god’s trick? While she thrives on Naxos, her sister grows up under Theseus watch and married him once she comes of age. No matter how hard she tries, she’s never happy. Will the girls get their happy endings? Or will the men ruin everything again?

Rating: 3.6 – a different take on the legend of the Minotaur

Opinion: This was a good take on a classic Greek myth. But instead of focusing on the myth, it focuses more on the aftermath of the myth and all of its consequences. It’s definitely not the happiest book I’ve ever read. Just when I thought it’d have a happy ending, it changed course. A happy ending would’ve been nice, but that’s Greek mythology. Something that bugged me about the book was that the characters didn’t really seem to learn from their mistakes. Ariadne kind of does but her sister doesn’t. Overall I did enjoy this book. It’s a different spin on a classic tale. It’s not the happiest, but it’s still a good story. I’d recommend this book for anyone who enjoys new takes on mythology.

The Curse of Misty Wayfair – Jamie Jo Wright

Title: The Curse of Misty Wayfair

Author: Jamie Jo Wright

Genre: Historical Fiction, Mystery

Plot: Heidi received a confusing letter in her mom. Her mom’s in a memory care facility for dementia and needs help. So Heidi returned home after so many years away. Her sister Vicki has asked for help around the lodge their family owns. Heidi reluctantly agrees. Before she starts, a face appears in the window. In a blink it’s gone. Heidi runs to her car and drives away. Distracted she hits dog. To ease her conscience, Heidi agrees to help the family of the dog in any way. This starts her on a journey to discover the town’s history as well as her own.

Thea is traveling photographer in the early 1900’s who photographs the dead. She agrees to stick around the town of Pleasant Valley after photographing someone recently passed away. She starts helping at a local photographer’s place. The more she helps around town, the more she learns of the town’s mysterious past and curse.

Rating: 3.6 – a good mystery and historical fiction

Opinion: This was a good mystery. It was different from what I was used to with suspense mysteries. This was a ghost and curse mystery. It kept me wondering what was going to happen next and wondering who was behind everything. It also made me a bit nervous about looking outside if I was reading at night. There was a lot of small town historical fiction, too. I was curious to learn more about old fashioned photography and asylums. I was also pleasantly surprise that this book had lots of elements of Christianity in it. It’s not an overwhelming amount but carefully woven into it. It made some very good point about faith and belief. This is one of the few books I don’t mind that it switches view points. It makes complete sense why in the end. The book does a great job wrapping up everything in the book with no loose ends. Overall this is a a good book for anyone who loves a good mystery and historical fiction.

The Song of Achilles – Madeline Miller

Title: The Song of Achilles

Author: Madeline Miller

Genre: Fantasy, Historical Fiction

Plot: Patroclus is a young prince, but his father isn’t proud of him. That’s a lot for a Greek person. He’s banished after he accidentally killed another boy. On another kingdom, Patroclus meets Achilles. The two of them form a close bond as they train under Chiron. Then the trumpets sound to call all the young men to war against Troy. Achilles answers and Patroclus follows. As the war drags on, Achilles and Patroclus see a darker side of life. Can Achilles and Patroclus survive the war? Or will they be separated?

Rating: 4.0 – a new side of the battle of Troy and Achilles

Opinion: This was a great take on Greek mythology. It was a much more steady and interesting tale than the other book I read by this author. I enjoyed learning about a different side of Achilles and his close companion Patroclus. Though some parts were a little more graphic than I’d like to have read. There are a few themes in the book still resonate in today’s society. I feel sorry for Patroclus and want him to succeed in life, but it doesn’t always happen. This is a good book for anyone who love Greek Mythology and historical fiction.

Dune – Frank Herbert

Title: Dune

Author: Frank Herbert

Genre: Science Fiction

Plot: Paul Atreides has just arrived on the planet Arrakis with his father, the Duke Leto Atreides, and mother with the intent of taking it over from the Baron Harkonnen, by force if necessary. As the Duke prepares his men, their ambushed and separated. Now Paul and his mother must find their way back and take back what is rightfully theirs. Along the way, they meet the Fremen, the indigenous people to Arrakis. Paul tries to gain the Fremen as allies, but trust between them is slow. Can Paul get back what belongs to him? Can he unit the people around him to earn everyone’s freedom? Or will the Harkonnen’s keep what they’ve stolen?

Rating: 3.5 – a classic tale of people uniting for the common good

Opinion: I had high hopes to love this book. I wasn’t as good as I thought it’d be. It’s a very slow paced book with lots of scheming. While I don’t mind scheming, it takes up a fair amount of the book. It took some of the fun out of the book for me. I don’t like knowing everything the characters are doing and thinking. I love a small amount of mystery to books. I don’t feel like I need to know every single thing the characters are doing or thinking. It got annoying quickly. It also kind of bugged me how the points of view in a scene bounced around so I could hear what everyone was thinking. It felt very inconsistent and annoying. This book was really well written, but it’s a dense read full of schemes, plots, and deception. I enjoyed the book more when it wasn’t so focused so much on the schemes. While I understand how this book is a classic for sci-fi people, it wasn’t the best fit for me. This book definitely was written in a different age, but it’s still a classic and a good read for anyone who doesn’t mind a dense read.

A Bad Case of Stripes – David Shannon

Title: A Bad Case of Stripes

Author: David Shannon

Genre: Children’s Book, Picture Book

Plot: Camilla desperately wants to fit in at school. One of the problems is that she loves lima beans, but no one else does. She’s afraid that if she eats them in front of the other kids, they’ll laugh at her. She she hides the fact. On the first day of school, Camilla wakes up with her whole body covered in stripes. The doctor can’t find anything wrong with her. The next day she goes back to school, still covered in stripes. The kids start laughing at her when her stripes start changing colors and patterns. The school asks Camilla to stay home until she feels better. Nothing the doctors do can her feel better or make the stripes disappear. Is there anything make Camilla feel better? Can anything make her stripes disappear?

Rating: 4.0 – a good book about being yourself

Opinion: This was one of my favorite books growing up. It’s a great book about being true to yourself.I loved it cause it’s silly and the pictures are great. I love it now because of the message. I still find the pictures really well done. It’s a bit long for the kids I work with, but they still found it entertaining and the pictures silly. Though I think the true message of the story went over their heads. This book is good for those who have a kid who want to fit in, or is struggling to fit in. It can be helpful to teach kids that other people like different things and not everyone has to like the same things. I highly recommend this book for classrooms because of its message.

Artemis – Andy Weir

Title: Artemis

Author: Andy Weir

Genre: Science Fiction

Plot: Jazz Bashara is a smuggler for high end people on the moon. Some time in the future, people have started to colonize the moon. The name of the town is Artemis. It’s very expensive to live there. It’s mostly a tourist trap for the extremely rich. A few average people can earn a trip via a lottery system. One of the people Jazz smuggles for asks for a major tasks. He wants Jazz to sabotage some machines of a rival so he can take over the management. Jazz reluctantly agrees. But when things go haywire, Jazz is running for her life. The main problem is that there’s not many places to hide when someone’s trying to kill you on the moon. Can Jazz get herself out of the mess she’s created? Can she find out who’s truly behind all this? Or will who’s after her kill her?

Rating: 4.3 – a great tale of science fiction and fantasy

Opinion: This was an interesting science fiction tale. Like the other book I read by this author, it was very scientific and very accurate. But this one was presented in a more average person manner. I feel like this one was geared more towards young adults, too. There was still a fair amount of cursing in this book, though. It’s not a huge deal but something to be aware of. While I don’t usually read science fiction, I enjoyed this book. I liked that it felt possible some time in the future. It felt more grounded in reality. While that’s not the main reason I enjoy reading, but it’s a nice break. It also makes the book feel more consistent. I also liked the fact that the main character doesn’t have a drastic change in character just because she saves the day. Also, I enjoyed the fact that not everyone likes her just because she saves them. It’s a nice break from the tradition of the hero saves everyone and instantly becomes liked and is now a better person all around. This was a great book. I highly recommend this book for anyone who wants a different kind science fiction book and a different kind of main character.