Tag Archives: carissa s

Review: What You Wish For

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What You Wish For
by Katherine Center
4 stars

If you are looking for a book that will bring you joy, look no further!  I came across Katherine Center last summer while checking in the new books.  Her book covers are beautiful!  Things You Save In A Fire caught my eye with the bright colors and flowers.  I was expecting a light romance, but was pleasantly surprised with something more.  This book is no exception.  While the book centers on a tragedy similar to Center’s other books I read, this one had such a big dose of happiness that it was hard not to smile while reading this.  The book centers on Samantha Casey, a school librarian.  Samantha loves her job, the kids, and her school family with such joy and passion.  When the new school principal, Duncan Carpenter, comes on the scene with his strict and controlling nature, Samantha works hard to uncover why the fun-loving Duncan she used to know is suddenly so fearful.  I loved reading the changes in Sam and Duncan throughout the book. The other characters were just as great.  Reading descriptions of Sam’s outfits made me smile.  The ending was great and I loved how everything came full circle.  I highly recommend this book and Katherine Center’s other books if you are looking for a happy ending.

 

Read-alikes

The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan

Josh & Hazel’s Guide to Not Dating by Christina Lauren

 

Review: The Book of Lost Names

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The Book of Lost Names (to be released 7/21/20)
by Kristin Harmel
5 stars

Another excellent WWII historical fiction read by Kristin Harmel!  Harmel became a favorite of mine when I picked up When We Meet Again in summer of 2016. I quickly placed her other titles on hold at my library and devoured them. If you haven’t checked out Sweetness of Forgetting or The Life Intended, please do so! Her latest releases have not disappointed either! This book follows Eva, a young Jewish woman, who flees to a small town in France after her father is arrested. Using her talents as an artist, she meets a small group of people and begins forging identity papers for Jewish children to help them to flee to safety. She wants the children’s names to be preserved for after the war, so she begins keeping a code in a religious text that becomes The Book of Lost Names. I love how the book is based on a true story and I appreciate that Harmel always digs into subjects that aren’t as familiar to us, like the topic of forgery. The story has alternate timelines, 1940’s (Eva in the past) and 2005 (Eva in the present) Like Harmel’s previous books, I enjoy this jump back in forth in time. A great book about bravery, heartbreak, war, and even a love story. Highly recommend! Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book!

 

Read-alikes

All the Ways We Said Goodbye by Beatriz Williams, Lauren Willig, and Karen White

Echoes by Danielle Steele

The Lost Vintage by Ann Mah

 

Carissa’s Top 5 Quarantine Reads

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These books provided a great escape during all the happenings in the world.  They either kept me sucked in wanting to read more, took me to another world, inspired me, or all of the above!

 

The Lovely War
by Julie Berry

This is one that will stick with me for a long time.  A great historical fiction/love story that goes back in time between WWI and WWII.  I loved how this story had a bit of a fantastical element in it.  The story is told by the goddess, Aphrodite, who must defend herself after being caught by her husband, Hephaestus, in a tryst with Ares.  The story she tells is of four humans who became connected during WWI.

 

The Forgotten Garden
by Kate Morton

I absolutely loved this book!  At 650 pages I read it in just three days.  I had such a hard time putting it down!  The story starts with a young girl, Nell, who was abandoned on a ship to Australia in 1913.  Nell is raised by the dock master and his wife who decide not to tell her until her 21st birthday that they are not her birth parents.  The rest of the book includes all things that make a great story and mystery:  dark fairy tales, a secret garden, an aristocratic family with many secrets, and a love denied.

 

Part of Your World
by Liz Braswell

This is the first book of The Twisted Tales series that I’ve read.  All of the covers in this series are beautiful!  As with all books in this series, there is a twist from the classic Disney tale.  The twist in this tale is “what if Ariel never defeated Ursula?”  Five years have passed since the end of The Little Mermaid, and Ariel is the voiceless queen of Atlantica while Ursula rules Prince Eric’s kingdom on land.  After discovering her father, King Triton, might still be alive Ariel returns to a world she never thought she would see again.

 

The House in the Cerulean
by Sarah Mackenzie

This is such a happy book and provided a wonderful escape from reality.  The book was heartwarming and filled with humor.  The author of the book describes the story better than I can: “The House in the Cerulean Sea is a love letter to those who should be allowed to feel small and cared for when the world seems dark. Today, March 17, is a scary time. And it might get a little worse before it gets better. But I promise you it will. This book—this funny little book—is my way of helping you see sunlight through all the dark clouds. I hope you’re ready, because you’re about to go on an adventure you won’t expect.”

 

Sunrise at Normandy series
by Sarah Sundin

This Christian historical fiction series was very inspiring.  All three books are set around the time of the Normandy invasion and focus on three brothers who have been at odds with each other for several years and how their faith brings them back together.  I loved the romance in all three books and the female characters were fantastic.  This series had a great blend of the details of being a soldier, life as a woman during the war, and the romance between the brothers and their girlfriends.

 

Carissa’s Top 9 Books from 2019

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I’ve had plenty of time to reflect on books in the several weeks! Last year I broke a personal record and read 123 books!  Here are my top 9 books that I read last year.  

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield:  Beautiful, haunting, a very dysfunctional family, and a Gothic mystery.  Such a sad, but fulfilling read!  So many amazing quotes that I highlighted about reading, family, love, and grief.  Definitely my top read of the year! If you like mysteries, historical fiction, and atmospheric novels, read this book!  

When her health begins failing, the mysterious author Vida Winter decides to let Margaret Lea, a biographer, write the truth about her life, but Margaret needs to verify the facts since Vida has a history of telling outlandish tales.  

 

Wild Game:  My Mother, Her Lover, and Me by Adrienne Brodeur:  This was an awesome memoir that kept me hooked.  I believe I read it in one sitting.  If you like memoirs, drama, and stories of resilience, read this book!

A daughter’s tale of living in the thrall of her magnetic, complicated mother, and the chilling consequences of her complicity.  

 

 

The Institute by Stephen King:  King is one of my favorite authors.  I know when I pick up one of his books I’m in for a wild (sometimes scary!) ride with well written characters!  If you like Stranger Things, read this book!

A supernatural thriller finds an abducted youth imprisoned in an inescapable institute, where teens with psychic abilities are subjected to torturous manipulation.  

 

 

The Read-Aloud Family by Sarah Mackenzie:  I just adored this book.  It made me nostalgic thinking of all the books I read as a child, and realized the importance of reading aloud to my kids today.  Sarah Mackenzie also has a podcast that is amazing!

Connecting deeply with our kids can be difficult in our busy, technology-driven lives.  Reading aloud offers us a chance to be fully present with our children.  It also increases our kids’ academic success, inspires compassion, and fortifies them with the inner strength they need to face life’s challenges.  Reading aloud long after kids are able to read on their own can deepen relationships in a powerful way.  

 

The Unhoneymooners by Christina Lauren:  This was my first book by this author duo!  I quickly sought out more after reading this one.  If you love romantic comedies, this book is for you!

Partnered with a nemesis best man on a paradise honeymoon when her bride twin gets food poisoning, a chronically unlucky maid of honor assumes the role of a newlywed before unexpectedly falling for her companion.  

 

Cilka’s Journey by Heather Morris:  If you enjoyed The Tattooist of Auschwitz, this is the sequel and based on the true story of Cilka.  The notes at the end are a must-read!  If you like historical fiction, books based on true events, and stories of resilience read this book!

Follows a Russian woman who is forced by a concentration camp commandant to become his lover and is subsequently sent to Siberia after being found guilty of collaborating with the enemy.  

 

The Girl He Used to Know by Tracey Garvis-Graves:  I loved this book!  I really related to the main character in many ways; her love for animals, awkwardness in social situations, being an introvert, being a librarian, and even her looks.  Such a great character!  If you like romance,  quirky female characters, and multiple perspectives, read this book!

A tumultuous but tender love affair between a socially awkward chess club member and a courageous, quirky girl is shattered by an unforeseen tragedy that forces them to confront respective anxieties when they reunite a decade later.  

 

Things You Save in A Fire by Katherine Center:  This was my first book by Katherine Center.  I’ve read a couple more since and I’ve loved them as well.  This is one I wanted to pick back up and read again.  Great characters!  It even made me tear up a few times.  If you like romance and strong female leads, this book is for you!

When a family emergency compels her move from Texas to Boston, a skilled firefighter becomes the only woman in her new firehouse and navigates discrimination, low funding, and her private edicts about falling in love with another firefighter.  

 

Winter by Marissa Meyer:  Winter is the last book of the Lunar Chronicles my Meyer which has four novels and several novellas.  I read the whole series in one month, which is no small feat considering Winter is over 800 pages!  If you love fairy tales, sci-fi, fantasy, and teen, read this series!

The science-fiction/fantasy mash up, set on a plague-ravaged future Earth, retells the stories of four oppressed, but empowered, fairy tale heroines.  New characters are woven into each book creating a seperate but layered story connected to Cinder, a cyborg version of Cinderella.  The stakes are high as each heroine fights for a happy, and romantic, ever after.  

 

Book descriptions taken from NoveList.  An amazing reading tool that is free with your library card!   http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?authtype=cpid&custid=s8331846