Monthly Bookshelf Review - April 2023

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee. 

“Reading good books ruins you for enjoying bad ones.”

~Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

I got off to a pretty good start in April, but haven't read as much the last couple weeks because I've been visiting family. I have a couple books I need to finish up soon - one because I meant to have the review done already, and another because it's a high-demand library book that I won't be able to renew.

April's Books Completed and Reviewed

In The Shelter Of Hollythorne House by Sarah E. Ladd - I believe I'd just finished this when I posted my March summary, but the review wasn't done yet. A young widow trying to protect her infant son reconnects with her first love, who just happens to be one of the watchmen assigned to protect her. Or is he really there to spy on her? (Read my full review HERE)

Women Talking by Miriam Toews - In an isolated Mennonite community, a group of women gather secretly to decide for themselves their response to the abuse they've suffered. I really enjoyed this unique novel about women finding their own voice and strength. (Read my full review HERE)

After the Boxes Are Unpacked: Moving On After Moving In by Susan Miller - A dear friend sent me this book as we are both in the process of moving or settling into brand new surroundings. So much of this guidebook has been relevant and encouraging to me, and it's a comfort to know that the difficult emotional aspects of our move are not unusual or my imagination! (Review coming soon!)

During April I started reading:

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt - I've seen a lot of buzz about this book and so far I'm really enjoying it. A curmudgeonly octopus develops an unlikely friendship with the cleaning lady that comes in after hours.

Fair As A Star by Mimi Matthews - After a stay in Paris, Beryl returns to her small English village to marry her betrothed, but it's her friendship with his younger brother, now the curate, that seems more warm and heartfelt.

During April I continued reading:

When Tomorrow Came by Hannah Linder  - Nan and Heath have been waiting since childhood for their father to return, but after years apart and raised in different homes, their expectations for what a reunion with their father would be like are much different than the reality. 

A Perilous Perspective by Anna Lee Huber - Kiera notices some valuable artwork at a country estate is forged, and as more questions are raised, the investigation turns deadly. And I'll have to get back to this after finishing a couple others!

During April I shelved . . . 

This Is Your Brain on Music: The Science of a Human Obsession by Daniel J. Levitin - I started reading this exploration of how humans understand and interact with music, but have paused it so I can focus on the next book on my list . . . I think I'll just skim through it for the highlights and then pass.

Where My Books Took Me in April . . . On Budget Tales Book Blog, there's a monthly meme about "Places My Books Have Taken Me" along with a one-word summary or review of the book. Here's where I've traveled through the pages during the month, along with One Word to sum up the ones I finished.

When Tomorrow Came takes place in England.

Remarkably Bright Creatures is based in Washington state.

Fair As A Star is another novel based in England.

A Perilous Perspective has been in Scotland so far.

In The Shelter Of Hollythorne House happens in Leeds, England.

One Word: Trust

Women Talking takes place in rural Russia.

One Word: Freedom

Coming Up in May!

The Keys to Gramercy Park by Candice Sue Patterson

Killers of a Certain Age by Deanna Raybourn

Murder Most Fair by Anna Lee Huber

Composition As Conversation by Heather M. Hoover

      

   

What I'm Highlighting . . . Over at A Fresh Cup of Coffee, I've started participating in a new weekly link-up that I'm finding very entertaining, It's called Wednesday Quotes, but I tend to post mine on another day of the week. The post is based on quotes on a certain theme, with photos or thoughts based on the quotes found. My most recent are Abstract Beauty and In Honor of Gardens. Check them out if you'd like!

People like abstract art because it makes them feel clever. ~James Acaster

Water Birds by Jackson Pollock

Gardening is the slowest of the performing arts. ~Anonymous

On my blogs recently . . . 

Besides the reviews, here on Just A Second you'll find:

Friday Fun posts - The Friday 56 and First Lines

Top Ten Tuesday - The One With Animals

What I'm Reading - April 10, 2023

The Journey: A Music Special from Andrea Bocelli (Review and Giveaway)

Down The TBR Hole #6

On Homeschool Coffee Break:

High School Writing Tip Sheets - Scenes, Summaries, and Stories

Homeschool Coffee Break Reading List - April 2023

High School Writing Tip Sheet - The Plot Thickens (Part Two)

The Journey: A Music Special from Andrea Bocelli

High School Writing Tip Sheets - The Plot Thickens! (Part One)

His Only Son (Movie Review and Giveaway)

And on A Fresh Cup of Coffee:

Scripture and a Snapshot posts

Five Minute Friday posts

Monthly Musings - All About Spring

What's Up Wednesday Hodgepodge - April 2023

Everyday Images #7

WQ - Abstract Beauty

Wednesday Hodgepodge - Thoughts on Travel and Sports

WQ - In Honor of Gardens

Coffee Break Reading List - April 2023

Wednesday Quotes - Playing Tour Guide

Wednesday Hodgepodge - Seasonal Thoughts

Everyday Images #6

Keeping It Clean and Would You Rather . . . ?

Currently . . . April 6, 2023

Wednesday Hodgepodge - Thoughts on Spring Celebration

Everyday Images - March 2023

The Journey: A Music Special from Andrea Bocelli

What's Up Wednesday Hodgepodge - March 2023

Everyday Images #5

This post will be linked at the current BookWorms Monthly link-up hosted by At Home A Lot; at Budget Tales Book Blog; and at the weekly reading list meme hosted at Book Date.

©2008-2023 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Friday Fun - The Friday 56 and First Lines for April 21, 2023

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee. 

Wasn't sure I'd be participating this week, as I'm away from home, but here I am and I just started a new read.

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Day 1,299 of My Captivity

Darkness suits me.

Each evening, I await the click of the overhead lights, leaving only the glow from the main tank. Not perfect, but close enough.

~From the beginning of Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt 

Book Beginnings on Fridays is hosted by Rose City Reader.

*It's Book Beginnings on Fridays! Time to gather with our fellow book lovers and share the opening sentence (or so) of the books we are reading this week. Or share from a book that is on your mind right now -- whatever catches your fancy.

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First Line Fridays is hosted at Reading is My SuperPower

*Share the first line or two of the book closest to you, then visit other FLF participants.

*Please keep posts family friendly or clean reads.

*Link back to Reading is My SuperPower within your post or grab a button.

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Ethan smooths piles of receipts into neat white bricks, his eyes lingering on the circular sucker mark on her wrist, a purplish bruise which has hardly faded in the days since the octopus grabbed her there. He clears his throat. "Tova, I'm sorry to hear about your brother's passing."

~from page 56 of Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt 

For fans of A Man Called Ove, a charming, witty and compulsively readable exploration of friendship, reckoning, and hope that traces a widow's unlikely connection with a giant Pacific octopus.

After Tova Sullivan's husband died, she began working the night shift at the Sowell Bay Aquarium, mopping floors and tidying up. Keeping busy has always helped her cope, which she's been doing since her eighteen-year-old son, Erik, mysteriously vanished on a boat in Puget Sound over thirty years ago.

Tova becomes acquainted with curmudgeonly Marcellus, a giant Pacific octopus living at the aquarium. Marcellus knows more than anyone can imagine but wouldn't dream of lifting one of his eight arms for his human captors―until he forms a remarkable friendship with Tova.

Ever the detective, Marcellus deduces what happened the night Tova's son disappeared. And now Marcellus must use every trick his old invertebrate body can muster to unearth the truth for her before it's too late.

Shelby Van Pelt's debut novel is a gentle reminder that sometimes taking a hard look at the past can help uncover a future that once felt impossible.

The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice

*Grab a book, any book.

*Turn to Page 56 or 56% on your e-reader.

*Find a snippet, short and sweet.

*Post it, and share in the Linky.

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And here is the weekly bookish question in the Book Blogger Hop, hosted by Billy at Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer.  

This Week's Question: Have you ever read with a book light? 

My Answer: I have, but it's been a long time. I had a couple of the really small clip on book lights, but they didn't work for me as nicely as I'd hoped. I used them sometimes when I wanted to read in bed but not have the bedside light on in case it kept my husband awake. I found that just reading on a Kindle was much more convenient in those situations! I think I still have one of those book lights stashed in a drawer somewhere.

Book Blogger Hop

©2008-2023 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Recent Reads - Women Talking

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee. 

Women Talking by Miriam Toews - The character August Epp is the narrator of this unique story. He is one of the few men at home in an isolated Mennonite colony at the time, as the others have all gone into town to post bail for the group of eight men that have been accused of raping and molesting women and girls in the colony. August has returned to the colony recently, and is the schoolteacher. The other men treat him with disdain, but he is recruited by one of the women, Ona, to keep minutes of the women's meetings, as none of the women can read or write. August keeps meticulous notes about what the women discuss and do during these meetings, and adds his own interpretations and thoughts from time to time.

Eight women from two of the families have decided to hold meetings while the men are out of town to decide what they will do. They have all been violated repeatedly, but only recently has it been acknowledged in any way that it was men from their own colony that had abused them in this way. The women know that they will be expected to say they forgive the men when they return from the city, and if they do not, they forfeit their place in heaven. This does not sit well with the women, who understand that it's more than likely they will be abused again without recourse, and that their children will be victims as well. So over the course of two days, they meet in a hayloft, with August writing notes, to discuss what options they have and the pros and cons of each.

Should the women stay and fight? Or should they leave the colony? Both options are full of uncertainty and danger. They know nothing of the world outside their little community, and they cannot read or write. They cannot even speak the language of the country.

As the discussions continue, the women comfort and confront each other by turns, and their personalities both clash and harmonize. They decide on what is most important to them - they want their children to be safe; they want to be steadfast in their faith; and they want to think. How will they do this? 

August's pensive and gentle document outlining the discussions and some details of what happens in between meeting times is sympathetic. The story winds up being as much about August's journey as the women's journey towards self-determination. 

It was surprising to find the story was tempered with gentle humor and lightheartedness, and that it never seemed out of place with the darkness of the reason the women are meeting. To be sure, there are a few places that are harder to read because of the horrible indignities the women and girls have suffered, and the knowledge that this novel is based in part on a real and very similar situation is sobering indeed. But as much as I felt angry and indignant that women should be treated so horribly, overall I felt more admiration for the courage and strength of the women to face such an uncertain future with resolve and unity and purpose. 

The basis of the Oscar-winning film from writer/director Sarah Polley, starring Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, with Ben Whishaw and Frances McDormand.

One evening, eight Mennonite women climb into a hay loft to conduct a secret meeting. For the past two years, each of these women, and more than a hundred other girls in their colony, has been repeatedly violated in the night by demons coming to punish them for their sins. Now that the women have learned they were in fact drugged and attacked by a group of men from their own community, they are determined to protect themselves and their daughters from future harm.

While the men of the colony are off in the city, attempting to raise enough money to bail out the rapists and bring them home, these women―all illiterate, without any knowledge of the world outside their community and unable even to speak the language of the country they live in―have very little time to make a choice: Should they stay in the only world they've ever known or should they dare to escape?

Based on real events and told through the "minutes" of the women's all-female symposium, Toews's masterful novel uses wry, politically engaged humor to relate this tale of women claiming their own power to decide.

This is a survival story (#14) for The 52 Book Club's 2023 Reading Challenge

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2023

©2008-2023 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Recent Reads - In The Shelter of Hollythorne House

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee. 

 

In The Shelter Of Hollythorne House by Sarah E. Ladd - The opening pages of the story tell of the ending of the relationship of Charlotte Grey and Anthony Welbourne. Charlotte's father hadn't approved of Anthony's family and wanted her to marry someone else; while Anthony was determined to join the army anyway. After this sorrowful prologue, the story picks up some years later. Charlotte's marriage to Roland Prior has not been a happy one, except that she now has an infant son, Henry. When Roland dies suddenly, his brother takes over the family business until Henry comes of age, but he reluctantly allows Charlotte to take Henry and live at her own family estate once more. But he also hires William Walstead's watchmen to guard her.

Anthony has been serving with Walstead's watchmen since returning from the war overseas, and is glad to take an assignment that will take him back to his home in Yorkshire. But he is surprised to discover that the widow he will be protecting is none other than Charlotte. He is determined to set his own feelings aside, and to make sure she and her young son are safe.

Charlotte already mistrusts her brother-in-law, and starts to suspect that her husband had been involved in business dealings even less savory than she had imagined. Then she realizes that she has unwittingly placed herself and Henry in further danger, and it seems that even Walstead's watchmen may not be guarding her so much as spying on her. She fights her own re-emerging feelings for Anthony, but the threats and danger are becoming more intense and she needs to decide who she can trust. Besides, she will need Anthony's help and support if she hopes to keep Henry safe.

Will Charlotte and Anthony be able to trust each other and find a second chance together? Aside from the intrigues and betrayals in the story, this is a tale of not missing an opportunity for a second chance. The romantic aspect of the lost love regained combined with some mystery and dangerous drama make this a book that kept my attention from beginning to end. Both Charlotte and Anthony must grow and change, and there are interesting twists among the supporting characters as to who is trustworthy and who is not, along with enough development of those characters to make their actions and their dilemmas believable. The plot takes a couple of unexpected turns that lead to suspense and stir up even more conflict.  

From the Publisher:

Young widow Charlotte Grey faces an uncertain future . . . until a chance encounter with her first love gives her heart a second chance in this Regency romance set on the Yorkshire Moors.

England, 1817 Charlotte Grey thought she had seen the last of Anthony Welbourne. Knowing her father would never consent to his only daughter marrying a man he deemed beneath their family's station, Charlotte bid her final farewell to Anthony and vowed to never turn back. Instead, she honored her father's wishes by marrying the wealthy Roland Prior.

Determined to put his love for Charlotte in the past, Anthony Welbourne chose to follow his goals and immerse himself in a life full of meaning―first as a soldier fighting a war overseas, then as a member of William Walstead's watchmen, a rugged band of men dispatched to deal with perilous situations. Fearless and persistent, he makes it his life's focus to fight for those who can't fight for themselves.

When Charlotte's husband dies unexpectedly, she quickly realizes how blind she'd been to his nefarious ambitions and how many people he'd angered on his relentless quest for wealth. to protect her infant son, Henry, from those who wish them harm, she and the baby flee to Hollythorne House, her childhood home. There Charlotte comes face to face with her former love, who has been sent as one of the hired watchmen to protect her and Henry until the details of her late husband's estate are settled.

Anthony's presence brings back feelings she never expected to feel again, and she struggles to trust Anthony's intentions. Are Walstead's Watchmen really looking after Charlotte as they claim―or are they looking to make trouble for Roland's estate and heir? Despite the constant reminders of their past, Anthony must remain focused on the task he was hired to do. But when new threats emerge, danger arises, and the past collides with the present, both must decide what they are willing to risk for the chance to right past wrongs an carve out a new future . . . together.

By the same author: A Stranger At Fellsworth, The Governess of Penwythe Hall, The Weaver's Daughter, Dawn at Emberwilde, The Curiosity Keeper, A Lady at Willowgrove Hall, The Headmistress of Rosemere, The Heiress of Winterwood

I received a digital ARC of this book from Thomas Nelson Publishing through NetGalley for the purpose of this review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

#InTheShelterOfHollythorneHouse #NetGalley

This is a book published in 2023 (#52) for The 52 Book Club's 2023 Reading Challenge

#the52bookclub #the52bookclub2023

©2008-2023 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Friday Fun - The Friday 56 and First Lines for April 14, 2023

This post contains affiliate links - using affiliate links from Just A Second helps supply books and coffee. 

I'm back, after taking a couple weeks break from Friday Fun. This week I'm featuring a book that I'm close to finished by now. It's not an easy read, in that it's heartbreaking and horrifying to think of the abuse the women suffered (because it's based on real events), but the narrative is wryly humorous and gentle, and told in a unique voice.

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Ona continues: Our children will be safe.

Greta has closed her eyes. She repeats the word "collectively," as though it is the name of a new vegetable she is unfamiliar with.

Mariche can contain herself no longer. She accuses Ona of being a dreamer.

~from page 56 of Women Talking by Miriam Toews

The basis of the Oscar-winning film from writer/director Sarah Polley, starring Rooney Mara, Claire Foy, Jessie Buckley, with Ben Whishaw and Frances McDormand.

One evening, eight Mennonite women climb into a hay loft to conduct a secret meeting. For the past two years, each of these women, and more than a hundred other girls in their colony, has been repeatedly violated in the night by demons coming to punish them for their sins. Now that the women have learned they were in fact drugged and attacked by a group of men from their own community, they are determined to protect themselves and their daughters from future harm.

While the men of the colony are off in the city, attempting to raise enough money to bail out the rapists and bring them home, these women―all illiterate, without any knowledge of the world outside their community and unable even to speak the language of the country they live in―have very little time to make a choice: Should they stay in the only world they've ever known or should they dare to escape?

Based on real events and told through the "minutes" of the women's all-female symposium, Toews's masterful novel uses wry, politically engaged humor to relate this tale of women claiming their own power to decide.

The Friday 56 is hosted at Freda's Voice

*Grab a book, any book.

*Turn to Page 56 or 56% on your e-reader.

*Find a snippet, short and sweet.

*Post it, and share in the Linky.

***************

My name is August Epp―irrelevant for all purposes, other than that I've been appointed the minute-taker for the women's meetings because the women are illiterate and unable to do it themselves.

~From the beginning of Women Talking by Miriam Toews

Book Beginnings on Fridays is hosted by Rose City Reader.

*It's Book Beginnings on Fridays! Time to gather with our fellow book lovers and share the opening sentence (or so) of the books we are reading this week. Or share from a book that is on your mind right now -- whatever catches your fancy.

***************

First Line Fridays is hosted at Reading is My SuperPower

*Share the first line or two of the book closest to you, then visit other FLF participants.

*Please keep posts family friendly or clean reads.

*Link back to Reading is My SuperPower within your post or grab a button.

***************

And here is the weekly bookish question in the Book Blogger Hop, hosted by Billy at Ramblings of a Coffee Addicted Writer.  

This Week's Question: What is your go-to website to check out book reviews?

My Answer: I tend to look at reviews on Amazon more frequently, but it's the reviews and rating on Goodreads that I rely on. Often the Goodreads reviews are more thorough and I feel more confident that they are honest, especially when it comes to any negative aspects of a book. It helps that I recognize the handles of some reviewers, and that I'm more likely to see a review of another author on Goodreads too.

Book Blogger Hop

©2008-2023 Just A Second. All rights reserved. All text, photographs, artwork, and other content may not be reproduced or transmitted in any form without the written consent of the author. http://justasecondblog.blogspot.com/ 

 We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.