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Wednesday, March 13, 2024

The Swan's Nest: A Novel by Laura McNeal

(Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book!)
 

about book: (summary from Goodreads)

A tender and engrossing historical novel about the unlikely love affair between two great 19th-century poets, Robert Browning and Elizabeth Barrett

On a bleak January day in 1845, a poet who had been confined to her room for four years by recurrent illness received a letter from a writer she secretly idolized but had never seen. “I love your verses with all my heart, dear Miss Barrett,” Robert Browning wrote, “and I love you too.”
 
Elizabeth Barrett was ecstatic. She was famous for her poetry but completely cut off from the kind of international travel that Browning used to fuel his obscure, unsuccessful, innovative poems, one of which was written from a murderer’s point of view. They began an affectionate correspondence, but Elizabeth kept delaying a visit. What would happen when he saw her in person? What was Robert really like? Could she persuade her father and brothers that he was honorable, even though she had never met his family? And what would happen if she gave in to Robert’s wild proposal that they go to Italy to see whether the sun could cure her?
 
McNeal brilliantly tells the story of how Robert and Elizabeth fell in love with each other’s words and shocked her conservative, close-knit family and the literary world. Sensitively and lyrically written, as rich as the lovers' own poetry, The Swan's Nest will sweep up readers in the triumphant story of two people forced to choose between a safe, stable life and the love they felt for each other.

my thoughts:

Wow! The Swan's Nest by Laura McNeal is historical fiction at its very best! The writing is terrific, the story is unputdownable, and the history is unforgettable. I loved reading this book! 

Okay, so what did I enjoy about this lovely novel? Here goes:

1. The book's cover. I just love the image and the way she's looking right at you. It's like you can tell she's hiding a secret or four. I love it!

2. The title. Led me to Elizabeth's poem, The Romance of the Swan's Nest

3. Elizabeth Barrett and Robert Browning's love story. I didn't know the details and was definitely intrigued. Love letters - over 500 of them! A secret romance. A secret wedding! Italy! Oh, my! I loved reading all about it!

4. The Barrett's family fortune from a Jamaican sugar plantation. Slavery, social injustice, racism all were divulged. Along with Elizabeth's brother's relationship with his 'housekeeper'. 

5. Elizabeth's tyrannical father who refuses to let his children marry. 

6. Elizabeth's illness, which kept her in bed and using drugs like morphine. 

7. Robert's proposal, secret visit, and LOVE for Elizabeth.

8. Elizabeth choosing to follow her heart.

9. A marriage that proved love is the answer.

Oh, what a wonderful story! True romance is at the core, but McNeal captures the the history of the 19th century so vividly - you can't help but find yourself time traveling and wandering alongside these famous poets. What a treat! 

I would happily recommend The Swan's Nest by Laura McNeal to anyone and everyone looking for their next historical fiction read - you will fall in deep with this book! Make sure to check it out!




Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book!

Tuesday, March 12, 2024

JUST RELEASED...Connemara: A Novel by Nicolas Mathieu

 

Today marks the release of Nicolas Mathieu's novel, Connemara. How exciting! I know I was thrilled to get my hands on a copy - I couldn't wait to read it! I loved the book's cover and the detached demeanor of the woman - makes me curious about her and her world. Plus, the summary of the book had me wanting to dive into the book ASAP - I love stories about second chances and everyday life. 

So, what is Connemara about? 

A breathtaking story of unfulfilled dreams, unexpected second chances, and love in a present-day France turning against itself, from the Goncourt Prize–winning author of And Their Children After Them.

Hélène is approaching 40. Born in a small town in the east of France, she worked hard to leave it behind and achieve a life worthy of the glossy magazines she pored over as a teen. But now that she seemingly has it all—a husband and two daughters, a successful career, and a custom-designed house near Nancy—she feels unfulfilled, as though the years have passed her by.
Christophe just turned 40 and has never left his little corner of France, where he grew up with Hélène. No longer as handsome as he used to be, he’s led an unassuming life, preferring to party with friends than to apply himself. These days, he’s selling dog food, dreaming of playing hockey again like he did when he was 16, and living with his father and son—a quiet, indecisive existence, which could be seen as failure. And yet he fully believes that anything is still possible.
Through the story of how their two disparate lives intersect once more, Connemara beautifully evokes the complex pain and joy of returning to your roots, and trying to make a relationship last in a rapidly changing, increasingly divided country.

Doesn't that sound soooo good? It sounds like a must-read to me. So, I read it as soon as I received my copy. And, lucky for me, Other Press sent me an early copy of the book - hurrah! 

When I think of this story, the following words come to mind: beautiful, nostalgia, intimate, contemporary, age and humanness. I think of these two characters who grew up together and whose lives diverged and then merged again. They were each at a place in their life where they needed something, or someone to wake them up. Talk about a fascinating relationship. 

Mathieu's writing is to notch - evokes all the feels, paints a vivid picture of everyday life, and showcases the beauty and the ugliness of growing up while middle-aged. I found myself easy immersed in the story and the character's lives, wanting to know more and less at the same time. Connemara was a definite treat to read. What a gem of a book!

I would happily recommend Connemara to anyone and everyone looking for their next great read - you are going to LOVE this book! In fact, any book you find on Other Press's catalog is a must-read - make sure to check them out!



Thank you to Other Press for providing me with a copy of this book!

Friday, March 8, 2024

My Friday Five...

1.  Yoko Ogawa. I love her books. I love her writing. So, I was thrilled to find out that she has a new book coming out in August (13th) - hurrah! I was beyond excited when NetGalley provided me with an early copy thanks to Pantheon Books. So, I have been slowly reading it and enjoying every word. 


2. The 100 Day Project. I am still keeping up with it, which makes me so happy. I can't believe that I haven't given up already - I normally would have by now. I guess that I'm really digging writing blog posts again, which is helping me stay on track. Cool beans.

3. Bravo TV. I've been watching the Housewives reunions for Miami and Beverly Hills. And, I've been watching the new season of Summer House. I also just watched the trailer for the upcoming season of The Real Housewives of New Jersey. I'm enjoying the drama on all the shows, but I'm also not enjoying it. Does that make sense? It's just too much yelling at times, which can be a bit much. And, their 'drama' can be so superficial it's annoying to even watch. Yet, I watch. LOL!

4. More TV. I've also been rewatching Seinfeld - one of my favorites! And I started watching The Strain. It's an old show about vampires (or something like that). I remember watching some of the first season and then I stopped. So, we'll see if I finally finish the first season and then the rest of it. If not, I need to find something fun to watch. I was thinking of rewatching The West Wing - considering it's an election year, it might be a good idea. 

5. New Murakami. Woo hoo! Yep, his new book comes out later this year - November 26th. I will be pre-ordering this one and spending Thanksgiving weekend reading it. I can't wait!!


Hope you have a wonderful weekend! Happy reading!

Thursday, March 7, 2024

March 5th release: The Inmate by Freida McFadden

 

Freida McFadden has done it again - another thrilling must-read! I feel like I am gobbling up one of her books every week - they are just so damn addictive! I can't help myself! The twists and turns, the shocking reveals, and the stories themselves - riveting!! 

This time round in The Inmate I was definitely thrown for a loop. I thought I had figured out whodunit, but nope, I was wrong and then some. Whoa! And, I loved it!

So, what's the book about? (summary from Goodreads)

A gripping, twisty thriller from Freida McFadden, the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of The Housemaid and The Housemaid's Secret ! There are three rules Brooke Sullivan must follow as a new nurse practitioner at a men's maximum-security 1) Treat all prisoners with respect. 2) Never reveal any personal information. 3) Never EVER become too friendly with the inmates. But none of the staff at the prison knows Brooke has already broken the rules. Nobody knows about her intimate connection to Shane Nelson, one of the penitentiary's most notorious and dangerous inmates. And they certainly don't know that Shane was Brooke's high school sweetheart―the star quarterback who is now spending the rest of his life in prison for a series of grisly murders. Or that Brooke's testimony was what put him there. But Shane knows. And he will never forget.

How awesome does that sound? Like, the kind of awesome where you have to get your hands on a copy ASAP and devote your evening to reading it all in one sitting, right? That's how it sounds to me. And that is what I did and let me just say it was the right decision. The Inmate by Freida McFadden was fan-freaking-tastic! Definitely one of my favorites so far. I would recommend it to anyone and everyone, especially fans of Freida McFadden - you are going to LOVE this book! Make sure to check it out!



Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book!

Wednesday, March 6, 2024

Just released...

(Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book!)
 

I love the title and I love the cover - definitely intrigues me. And then I read the book summary and knew that I had to get my hands on a copy. 

"Across two different time periods, two women confront fear, loneliness, mortality, and a haunting yearning that will not let them rest. A breakout, genre-blurring novel from one of the most exciting new voices of Latin America’s feminist Gothic.

It is the twilight of Europe’s bloody bacchanals, of murder and feasting without end. In the nineteenth century, a vampire arrives from Europe to the coast of Buenos Aires and, for the second time in her life, watches as villages transform into a cosmopolitan city, one that will soon be ravaged by yellow fever. She must adapt, intermingle with humans, and be discreet.

In present-day Buenos Aires, a woman finds herself at an impasse as she grapples with her mother's terminal illness and her own relationship with motherhood. When she first encounters the vampire in a cemetery, something ignites within the two women—and they cross a threshold from which there’s no turning back.

With echoes of Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein and written in the vein of feminist Gothic writers like Shirley Jackson, Daphne du Maurier, and Carmen Maria Machado, Thirst plays with the boundaries of genre while exploring the limits of female agency, the consuming power of desire, and the fragile vitality of even the most immortal of creatures." - Goodreads

I love vampire stories and this one sounded interesting to me. Buenos Aires, female agency, vampires - what more could I want? Especially when the book is described as "feminist Gothic" - seriously? How cool does that sound? Anyhow, I grabbed a copy and I'm excited to start reading. Let me know if you read Thirst and what you thought of it.

Hope you are having a great week! Happy reading!






Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing me with a copy of this book!