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Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) created a post

Mar 27, 2021  
Visit my blog to read a great excerpt from the literary fiction/short stories book A WALL OF BRIGHT DEAD FLOWERS by Babette Fraser Hale. Enter the giveaway to win a bookplate signed by Babette Fraser Hale as well as a $20 gift card to Brazos Bookstore - two winners!

https://alltheupsandowns.blogspot.com/2021/03/book-blog-tour-and-giveaway-wall-of.html

**BOOK SYNOPSIS**
Most are newcomers to the scenic, rolling countryside of central Texas whose charms they romanticize, even as the troubles they hoped to leave behind persist. Twelve stories highlight “the book’s recurring theme of desire—for freedom, for clarity, for autonomy, and for personal fulfillment … When women are alone, unencumbered and unbeholden to anyone, they engage in intense internal reflection and show reverence for nature—and during these scenes, Hale’s language is luminescent” (Kirkus Reviews).
      
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Sjon recommended Babette's Feast in Books (curated)

 
Babette's Feast
Babette's Feast
Karen Blixen | 2021
(0 Ratings)
Book Favorite

"If what make a work of literature a classic is its ability to be a mirror held up against all times and all human societies — the personal experience and the political one — I think this short novel by Isak Dinesen (or Karen Blixen in her homeland, Denmark) must be in the process of becoming one. Read against our own times it can bee seen as a simple tale about a woman on the run from civil war who seeks refuge in an isolated community. Bringing nothing along with her into her exile but her natural kind spirit and knowledge of the culture of the culinary arts, Babette makes a quiet existence for herself as a simple housekeeper until the day she gets the opportunity to show and share her extraordinary skills. And there is nothing simple about that."

Source
  
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Leanne Crabtree (480 KP) rated Hide and Seek in Books

Jan 11, 2021  
Hide and Seek
Hide and Seek
Lilou Roux | 2014
8
8.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
So this is different to Lilou's other books, as in it isn't paranormal and instead is a contemporary romance.

I really liked the story and if I wasn't so picky with giving 5 stars then this would probably have gotten 5 stars but as I am, I'm giving it a strong four.

I like how Lilou writes her romances. They're well thought out and developed so that although they are short you're left feeling all nice and warm that the couple got their HEA.

The first meeting between them was well written and I had shivers as I felt the connection between Faye and Quinn. That continued to the first sex scene and I was hooked from there.

I grew to like all the characters, apart from the bad guy of course.

Can't wait to read more books by the author!
  
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Vicki Coyne (45 KP) rated A Vintage Wedding in Books

Jul 13, 2019  
AV
A Vintage Wedding
Katie Fforde | 2015
5
6.5 (2 Ratings)
Book Rating
Love this author's work, but this was disappointing (0 more)
Too rushed and not believable
I genuinely enjoyed all the other novels by Katie Fforde. I felt cheated by this one. Three people meeting, becoming best friends and setting up a business in such a short space of time was not believable. It feels like a deadline was coming up and something had to be sent to the publishers. Not recognisable as a Katie Fforde novel until more than halfway through the book. If you haven't read any of her stuff, please don't start with this one. She is so much better at developing characters and building plots than this one would suggest. I only rated it 5 because shoddy is the best description. A little more time on developing the characters and plot and this might have been good.
  
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Sarah (7800 KP) rated The Graveyard Book in Books

Oct 7, 2019  
The Graveyard Book
The Graveyard Book
Neil Gaiman, Chris Riddell | 2009 | Children
8
8.1 (28 Ratings)
Book Rating
An interesting tale
My biggest criticism about this book is that it has been written for kids, or young adults, and I feel like this is a big shame as it could have been pretty terrifying. But aside from the fairly creepy first chapter, it falls just a little short of being actually scary (at least for a fully grown adult).

But that doesn't mean it's not a good book, because it is and it's such a wonderful idea for a story. I found it well paced and intriguing, with a lot of interesting characters although j do wish we'd have seen more of some of them. There is a certain lack of threat even considering the death theme, aside for the ghoul gate episode, but this is still such an enjoyable read that this doesn't really matter.
  
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Kristy H (1252 KP) rated My Monticello in Books

Oct 7, 2021  
My Monticello
My Monticello
Jocelyn Nicole Johnson | 2021 | Fiction & Poetry, LGBTQ+
10
10.0 (1 Ratings)
Book Rating
If you buy one book in October, it should be this one. MY MONTICELLO is a collection of short stories and a novella that explore race, identity, and more. Beautifully written, nuanced, and insightful, they each make you think. My introverted self found myself wishing for a book club so I could discuss these stories with others.

The eponymous novella is set in Virginia, where I live, and features a group of townspeople who must flee to Monticello after racial attacks and climate change. I wish I could describe how unsettling and good it is, but you just need to read it. It’s already been optioned for Netflix, which is awesome.

I cannot stop thinking about this book, and I also cannot recommend it enough.

I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway -- thank you to Goodreads and Henry Holt for my copy.