Weekly Mews: Welcome to August & My Thoughts on Unraveling & Broken Girls - Plus My August TBR Poll

I am linking up to the Sunday Post hosted by Kim of Caffeinated Book Reviewer, where participants recap our week, talk about what we are reading, share any new books that have come our way, and whatever else we want to talk about. I am also linking The Sunday Salon hosted by Deb Nance of Readerbuzz where participants discuss what they are reading and other bookish topics. In addition, I am linking to Stacking the Shelves hosted by Team Tynga's Reviews and Marlene of Reading Reality a meme in which participants share what new books came their way recently. 

I was deeply saddened by the news that we have lost one of our own here in the blogging community. Grace of Rebel Mommy Book Blog lost her fight with cancer this past week. Although I never met Grace in person, I did know her through our blogs. If you knew her and are interested in sharing your memories or condolences with her family, please visit the Rebele's Kudoboard. Grace was a bright light in our community and she is very much missed.

This past weekend was the big show. My husband's ballet debut in Don Quixote and my daughter taking the stage in the musical The Greatest Showman, along with a couple of showcase dance performances. I had only caught bits and pieces during the rehearsals, and given all the obstacles thrown in the musical's way, I was in awe of how well everything came together. I was able to watch the performances Saturday night, and was working backstage for Sunday's performances. I am so very proud of the kids. They worked hard for this and it showed. My husband was pretty amazing in his role as well. Who would have thought he'd feel so at home on stage? It always feels a little bittersweet after a show comes to an end. Relief to have it behind us, but also a bit of sadness as well. Mouse has a three week break before the new dance season starts up. She's already talking about this coming Winter's Nutcracker ballet production . . .

Mouse and I spent Friday at the pool with friends. It was nice to relax a bit with no deadlines or anywhere else to be. The start of school is still a week away, but I am sure the time will go fast.

Tell me what you have been up to! 

Be sure and vote in my TBR List Poll this week, and help me decide what to read next! You can find the poll at the bottom of this post. Thank you!

What I Am Watching: Mouse was excited to see the new season of The Worst Witch had come out on Netflix. And I was too, if I am honest. It is a cute little show. I have not been watching much else as of late.

What I Am Listening To: Not much listening was done this past week either, I was hoping I would be able to fit in more of Marie Lu's Warcross, but no such luck. I am at a very tense part right now too--and so am anxious to find a decent chunk of time to find out what happens next!

What I Am Reading: This past week I finished reading Vox by Christina Dalcher, my July TBR List Poll Winner (thank you again to all who voted!). It was a disturbing and entertaining read.  I hope to make time to write up my review soon.

It took me awhile to settle on my next book to read. I was thinking something light after two heavier reads, but struggled over the direction to go. Does anyone else find themselves sometimes wasting time trying to decide what to read next? It's a good problem to have, don't get me wrong. Sometimes I think having so many choices at my finger tips is part of the problem. I finally did pick a book though, and am now reading Sweep of the Blade by Ilona Andrews. It is the fourth book in a series I have come to love.


What are you reading, listening to and watching? 

Unraveling by Karen Lord

DAW Books, 2019

Fantasy; 304 pgs

A chorus of tree frogs trilled in the damp, velvet darkness, wide awake and relentless as they spoke their authority over the nocturnal world. [Opening of Unraveling]

Karen Lord’s Unraveling appealed to me both as a fantasy novel and as a mystery. Dr. Miranda Ecouvo is a forensic therapist of the City. She recently helped put a serial killer away, however, as she is about to find out, the situation may be much more complicated than that. Drawn into an otherworld through a near death experience, she is met by brothers Chance and Trickster. The more question they ask, the more memory threads she is asked to follow and the more labyrinths they have her walk, she begins to see a bigger, darker picture.

I wanted to like this one more. The premise is fascinating, but I found myself lost (disoriented even) a few times, especially in the beginning. I never really connected with any of the characters, feeling more like an observer. I cared enough to want to see how everything played out, especially for Miranda, however, so there was that. And I wanted to know more about Chance and Trickster. I found their backstory—creation—if you will, interesting. As well as Chance’s role in everything that took place in the novel. By the end, I had mixed feelings about the book. This was advertised as a standalone. I had not realized there were previous books set in the same world. Unlike romance and many mysteries series books, I find it harder to jump into a fantasy world without having read the earlier books, series or not. Would that have made a difference? I do not know. Unfortunately, my mixed feelings about this book do not have me eager to give an earlier book a try any time soon.

Broken Girls by Simone St. James

Berkley, 2018

Fiction (Historical); 336 pgs

The sun vanished below the horizon as the girl crested the rise of Old Barrons Road. [Opening of Broken Girls] 

 Journalist Fiona Sheridan cannot let go of the past, particularly that of the murder of her older sister twenty years ago. The man accused of her murder was tried and convicted, and yet something still doesn’t sit right with her. She is drawn to the site where her sister was believed to have died, the old run-down Idlewild Hall, once a boarding school for wayward girls. When Fiona learns the school is being restored by an unknown benefactor, she sets out to learn what she can about the old school and the new owner's plan for it. In a novel that takes readers from 2014 present day Vermont to 1950 Vermont, the readers not only are immersed in Fiona’s tale, but also that of four troubled roommates, who form a strong friendship, only to have one of them suddenly disappear.

Simone St. James has written such an atmospheric novel, weaving history, mystery, ghosts, and even a dash of romance together into one of the most compelling novels I have read this year. Barrens, Vermont, and particularly Idlewild Hall took on character dimensions, both when the school was whole and when in ruin. Both the past and contemporary story lines had a tight hold on me as I read, from Fiona’s struggle with her own demons to the heartbreaking situations of the four roommates. The author successfully kept the suspense building as the story unfolded, answering all my questions in the end.

New to My Shelves: 

Gwynneth Ever After (Ever After, #1) by Linda Poitevin (picked up free on Amazon)

Sweep of the Blade (Innkeeper Chronicles #4) by Ilona Andrews (purchased)

Have you added any new books to your shelves recently?

Every Friday Coffee Addicted Writer from Coffee Addicted Writer poses a question which participants respond on their own blogs within the week (Friday through Thursday). They then share their links at the main site and visit other participants blogs.

Do you own more than one copy of a book? (submitted by Billy @Coffee Addicted Writer)

I do. Just do not ask me which ones. Seriously though, there have been times I purchased e-copies of physical books I already own. Mostly for ease of reading. The print in my paperback copy of Victor Hugo's Les Misérables, was just too small, not to mention it's a rather thick book. Likewise, my hardback copy of War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy is too heavy and big to carry around and read.  It definitely wouldn't fit in my purse. Having an e-copy to read made it so much easier--and frankly, possible for me to get through. Then there are the physical copies I have bought after having read the e-copy--simply because I loved the book so much, I must have a copy I can hold in my hands.

There are also a few books my husband and I have in both paperback and hardback. The Princess Bride by William Goldman, for example. The paperback is the version we read, and the hardcover is more of a collector's edition. And then there are a couple of books which both my husband and I came into our marriage with copies of--and neither one of us could part with our personal copies.

Oh, and I cannot forget about the duplicates I have of audiobooks and physical copies! In most cases it is because I decided I wanted to listen to the books the second time around. I do have one I listened to first though and was gifted the hardcover copy, which I hope to one day read.

What about you? Do you own more than one copy of a book?

Thank you for helping me decide what book from my TBR collection I should read next:

My TBR List is a meme hosted by the awesome Michelle at Because Reading. It’s a fun way to choose a book from your TBR pile to read. The 1st Saturday of every month, I will list 3 books I am considering reading and take a poll as to which you think I should read. I will read the winner that month, and my review will follow (unfortunately, not likely in the same month, but eventually--that's all I can promise). 

With summer winding down and the busy-ness of the season behind us, I thought it would be a good time to pick up something fun and on the lighter side. Have you read any of these titles? Which one do you think I should read this month?

The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman

The only child of a single mother, Nina has her life just as she wants it: a job in a bookstore, a kick-butt trivia team, a world-class planner and a cat named Phil. If she sometimes suspects there might be more to life than reading, she just shrugs and picks up a new book.

When the father Nina never knew existed suddenly dies, leaving behind innumerable sisters, brothers, nieces, and nephews, Nina is horrified. They all live close by! They're all—or mostly all—excited to meet her! She'll have to Speak. To. Strangers. It's a disaster! And as if that wasn't enough, Tom, her trivia nemesis, has turned out to be cute, funny, and deeply interested in getting to know her. Doesn't he realize what a terrible idea that is?

Nina considers her options.

1. Completely change her name and appearance. (Too drastic, plus she likes her hair.)
2. Flee to a deserted island. (Hard pass, see: coffee).
3. Hide in a corner of her apartment and rock back and forth. (Already doing it.)

It's time for Nina to come out of her comfortable shell, but she isn't convinced real life could ever live up to fiction. It's going to take a brand-new family, a persistent suitor, and the combined effects of ice cream and trivia to make her turn her own fresh page. [Goodreads Summary]

The Lost for Words Bookshop by Stephanie Butland

The Lost for Words Bookshop is a compelling, irresistible, and heart-rending novel, perfect for fans of The Storied Life of AJ Fikry and The Little Paris Bookshop.

Loveday Cardew prefers books to people. If you look carefully, you might glimpse the first lines of the novels she loves most tattooed on her skin. But there are some things Loveday will never, ever show you.

Into her hiding place - the bookstore where she works - come a poet, a lover, and three suspicious deliveries.

Someone has found out about her mysterious past. Will Loveday survive her own heartbreaking secrets? [Goodreads Summary]

How to Find Love in a Bookshop by Veronica Henry

The enchanting story of a bookshop, its grieving owner, a supportive literary community, and the extraordinary power of books to heal the heart

Nightingale Books, nestled on the main street in an idyllic little village, is a dream come true for book lovers--a cozy haven and welcoming getaway for the literary-minded locals. But owner Emilia Nightingale is struggling to keep the shop open after her beloved father's death, and the temptation to sell is getting stronger. The property developers are circling, yet Emilia's loyal customers have become like family, and she can't imagine breaking the promise she made to her father to keep the store alive.

There's Sarah, owner of the stately Peasebrook Manor, who has used the bookshop as an escape in the past few years, but it now seems there's a very specific reason for all those frequent visits. Next is roguish Jackson, who, after making a complete mess of his marriage, now looks to Emilia for advice on books for the son he misses so much. And the forever shy Thomasina, who runs a pop-up restaurant for two in her tiny cottage--she has a crush on a man she met in the cookbook section, but can hardly dream of working up the courage to admit her true feelings.

Enter the world of Nightingale Books for a serving of romance, long-held secrets, and unexpected hopes for the future--and not just within the pages on the shelves. How to Find Love in a Bookshop is the delightful story of Emilia, the unforgettable cast of customers whose lives she has touched, and the books they all cherish. [Goodreads Summary]

Thank you for voting! 

I hope you all have a wonderful week! Happy Reading!

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