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The Museum of You
8.5
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Clover Quinn was a surprise. She used to imagine she was the good kind, now she’s not sure....
Em & Me by Beth Morrey was another lucky choice on The Pigeonhole! I loved this story about a young, single mum, Delphine, who cares for both her daughter and her father.
Since the death of her mother when she was a young teenager, Delphine has had to care for her father who has been in the depths of grief and depression. Delphine is in survival mode, working two jobs and struggling to make ends meet.
And then the doors begin to open for her. She rediscovers her voice - both spoken and singing. Delphine realises that she wants more, but she has a secret that she’s trying to keep from everyone - including herself.
This is a story of second chances, self-belief, family and friends (both equally as important to Delphine). A thoroughly feel good novel - and we all need one of those from time to time, don’t we!
Many thanks to Beth Morrey for reading along with us and commenting along on the Pigeonhole.
Since the death of her mother when she was a young teenager, Delphine has had to care for her father who has been in the depths of grief and depression. Delphine is in survival mode, working two jobs and struggling to make ends meet.
And then the doors begin to open for her. She rediscovers her voice - both spoken and singing. Delphine realises that she wants more, but she has a secret that she’s trying to keep from everyone - including herself.
This is a story of second chances, self-belief, family and friends (both equally as important to Delphine). A thoroughly feel good novel - and we all need one of those from time to time, don’t we!
Many thanks to Beth Morrey for reading along with us and commenting along on the Pigeonhole.
The Girl with the Green Eyes
8.0
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Bella is defective. You need to take her back. Nine-year-old Bella D’accourt has always known she...
Poser: A Mother's Life in Twenty-Three Yoga Poses
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Ten years ago, Claire Dederer put her back out while breastfeeding her baby daughter. Told to try...
Birds of Passage: The Indian Travels of Henrietta Clive
Book
Henrietta is a true original. Clever, vivacious and interested in everything, she managed to balance...
Two Women
Book
FIRST PUBLISHED in English in 1958, Two Women is a compassionate yet forthright narrative of simple...
The Endless Forest (Wilderness #6)
Book
The spring of 1824 is a challenging one for the inhabitants of Paradise N.Y. when a flood devastates...
After the death of her husband, Jocelyn "Jo" must return home with her ten-year-old daughter, Ruby. His death has left her in financial trouble, and she has no choice but to head back to Lake Hall, the aristocratic home she shared with her parents when growing up. It's a far cry from California where she lived with Chris and Ruby, escaping a stifling childhood with her mother. Jo's happiest childhood memories involve her nanny, Hannah, but Hannah disappeared suddenly one summer when Jo was seven. Her mother blamed Jo, and the two never repaired their relationship. Back now, thirty years later, Jo must deal with her mother and their fractured relationship. And when she and Ruby find a skull in the lake behind the house, she begins to wonder exactly what happened to Hannah. Jo isn't sure of anything anymore, or who she can trust, even her own memories.
"I'll never be able to change this place, but if we stay here long enough, I'm afraid it will change my daughter and me."
I've loved Gilly Macmillan and her books since I won one of them in a Librarything giveaway a few years ago. She's an excellent writer, and I quite enjoy how different each book is from the next. This one was very different and quite unexpected. It's told from a variety of alternating viewpoints--the primary ones being Jocelyn and her mother, Virginia, but we even get a local policeman and a mysterious woman dating back to the 1970s. I liked the way Macmillan wove all of of these perspectives together. At first, it seemed really easy to trust everyone, and then quickly, you realize that you can't be sure if you can believe either Jo or her mother.
I don't want to go too far or reveal too much, because it's probably better to let most of the plot reveal itself organically, but it's definitely easy to say that much of the book is a little befuddling (in a good way). I found myself drawn to Ruby, the young girl, and oddly, Virginia, despite her history as a pretty terrible parent. Jo frustrated me, with her somewhat naive nature. She would trust some things at face value, yet not others, and I wanted to shake her at points.
There are definitely some convoluted plot points in this one--there's quite a saga with the Holt legacy. I didn't really question it while I was reading, but after, I find myself wondering if it was all necessary. Still, I loved reading about the slightly faded grandeur of Lake Hall--it's just not something you get in America, and it's fun to picture when you read these type of novels. Macmillan does an excellent job of portraying her characters and the setting.
I definitely was caught up in the plot. I thought I had it figured out for a while, then I realized I didn't, and then the ending was a little crazy. I'm still not a 100% sure about it, but I appreciate Macmillan for embracing it. Overall, I enjoyed the varying viewpoints and the slightly fusty, aristocratic setting. I was interested in the characters and wondering what happened with Hannah. A few things seemed a little far-fetched, hence my 3.5-star rating, but still a good read.
"I'll never be able to change this place, but if we stay here long enough, I'm afraid it will change my daughter and me."
I've loved Gilly Macmillan and her books since I won one of them in a Librarything giveaway a few years ago. She's an excellent writer, and I quite enjoy how different each book is from the next. This one was very different and quite unexpected. It's told from a variety of alternating viewpoints--the primary ones being Jocelyn and her mother, Virginia, but we even get a local policeman and a mysterious woman dating back to the 1970s. I liked the way Macmillan wove all of of these perspectives together. At first, it seemed really easy to trust everyone, and then quickly, you realize that you can't be sure if you can believe either Jo or her mother.
I don't want to go too far or reveal too much, because it's probably better to let most of the plot reveal itself organically, but it's definitely easy to say that much of the book is a little befuddling (in a good way). I found myself drawn to Ruby, the young girl, and oddly, Virginia, despite her history as a pretty terrible parent. Jo frustrated me, with her somewhat naive nature. She would trust some things at face value, yet not others, and I wanted to shake her at points.
There are definitely some convoluted plot points in this one--there's quite a saga with the Holt legacy. I didn't really question it while I was reading, but after, I find myself wondering if it was all necessary. Still, I loved reading about the slightly faded grandeur of Lake Hall--it's just not something you get in America, and it's fun to picture when you read these type of novels. Macmillan does an excellent job of portraying her characters and the setting.
I definitely was caught up in the plot. I thought I had it figured out for a while, then I realized I didn't, and then the ending was a little crazy. I'm still not a 100% sure about it, but I appreciate Macmillan for embracing it. Overall, I enjoyed the varying viewpoints and the slightly fusty, aristocratic setting. I was interested in the characters and wondering what happened with Hannah. A few things seemed a little far-fetched, hence my 3.5-star rating, but still a good read.
Whatchareadin (174 KP) rated Don't Go in Books
May 10, 2018
Dr. Matt Scanlon is on tour in Afghanistan when he receives the call that his wife, Chloe, has died in an unfortunate household accident. He rushes home to take care of her funeral arrangements and get care for their 7 month old daughter, Emily. When he returns home, nothing seems the same. And it's not only because Chloe is no longer there. Going through her things, he makes a startling discovery that will cloud his mind for a long time. Leaving the care of his daughter to his in-laws, Bob and Danielle, he returns to finish his tour of duty and try to make sense of all that he has learned about his wife.
This book really had me intrigued from the very beginning. I gasped out loud several times while listening to this book. Just when you think you know what is going to happen next, you are pulled in the completely opposite direction. There are a lot of twists and turns throughout this book. A man on mission trying to find out what was really going on with his wife while he was away. He is trying to build a bond with his daughter who doesn't know him at all, and with him being away, it doesn't help. Trying to find out who his wife had become after she had become a mother and a military wife.
This book will keep you on your toes and you will never know what is going to happen next. You think you do, as I thought I did, but you will soon find out that you are wrong. The surprises keep coming straight on until the end. I think this is a book everyone should grab. This is the first I have read by Lisa Scottoline, and she has been on my radar for a while. I will continue to read and enjoy her books.
This book really had me intrigued from the very beginning. I gasped out loud several times while listening to this book. Just when you think you know what is going to happen next, you are pulled in the completely opposite direction. There are a lot of twists and turns throughout this book. A man on mission trying to find out what was really going on with his wife while he was away. He is trying to build a bond with his daughter who doesn't know him at all, and with him being away, it doesn't help. Trying to find out who his wife had become after she had become a mother and a military wife.
This book will keep you on your toes and you will never know what is going to happen next. You think you do, as I thought I did, but you will soon find out that you are wrong. The surprises keep coming straight on until the end. I think this is a book everyone should grab. This is the first I have read by Lisa Scottoline, and she has been on my radar for a while. I will continue to read and enjoy her books.
Actress is the story of Katherine O’Dell, told by her daughter. She looks back on her mother’s career as Ireland’s darling, as she works her way up through Ireland’s bus-and-truck circuit, London’s West End , Broadway and finally Hollywood. Norah lives through the more successful period of her mothers life, and then has to deal with her fall from Grace after she commits a thoroughly bizarre crime. I really loved this book, and I had to keep reminding myself that it was in fact fiction. The author, Anne Enright, read her book, and she did it so well. It really sounded like someone who was telling their own life story, as opposed to telling ‘a’ story. It was really immersive and well told. I’m not surprised that it was on the long list for the Women’s Prize 2020.
I loved the way that we watched Katherine’s slide into mental health problems through the eyes of her daughter, juxtaposed with the life that she had lived before - the whole bohemian, free living, carelessness of it. And then the reveal that all was not as it seemed. I enjoy books that explore family relationships - in fiction the opportunities are endless.
I really liked the historical element as well: the troubles in Ireland and how they impacted on Katherine and Norah. Not that it’s an enjoyable topic, but I have family connections, and the history of this fascinates me. To be honest, a lot of things impact on the relationship of this mother and daughter. It must have been very difficult for Norah to grow up in the way that she did - and again, I have to remind myself that this isn’t a true story!
This is the first Anne Enright novel that I’ve read/ listened to, and I have another book of hers on my bookcase that I’ll be moving up the ‘to be read’ pile. I think she’s an author that I’ll also be adding to me ‘read everything by them’ list!
I loved the way that we watched Katherine’s slide into mental health problems through the eyes of her daughter, juxtaposed with the life that she had lived before - the whole bohemian, free living, carelessness of it. And then the reveal that all was not as it seemed. I enjoy books that explore family relationships - in fiction the opportunities are endless.
I really liked the historical element as well: the troubles in Ireland and how they impacted on Katherine and Norah. Not that it’s an enjoyable topic, but I have family connections, and the history of this fascinates me. To be honest, a lot of things impact on the relationship of this mother and daughter. It must have been very difficult for Norah to grow up in the way that she did - and again, I have to remind myself that this isn’t a true story!
This is the first Anne Enright novel that I’ve read/ listened to, and I have another book of hers on my bookcase that I’ll be moving up the ‘to be read’ pile. I think she’s an author that I’ll also be adding to me ‘read everything by them’ list!