Hello fellow readers. Hope you all had a great week, with lots of holiday cheer and hopefully some reading. This week I read four books. Three of them I loved and one not so much. Here is a quick recap of my week in reading.
Big Girl, Small Town by Michelle Gallen – I love the show Derry Girls on Netflix, which I highly recommend if you have not already seen it. When I was asked by the publisher if I wanted an Advanced Copy of this book to review, I said yes, based on the comparison to that show alone. However, to me that correlation totally missed the mark for me. This is a coming of age story set in Ireland. Our main character lives with her alcoholic mother and is meticulous about work and her finances. However, this book was not humorous in my opinion which is how they billed this one. I found this very sad at times and did not even like our protagonist. I am sure some of you will love this one, but that is what make readers so amazing. We can each have a different experience reading this and get a different take. I would love to hear your opinions on this one if you have already read this.
Moonflower Murders by Anthony Horowitz This is the second book in the Susan Ryeland series and it did not disappoint. If you have not read Magpie Murders the first book in the series, than go back and read that one. These books are written as stories within stories and pay homage to Agatha Christie. Susan Ryeland was the publisher for Alan Conway who wrote the Atticus Pund mystery series. We know from the first book that Alan has died. In this book a woman goes missing and the family believes there are clues from his third book that he wrote that can identify what really happened to their daughter. Though Susan is retired, running a hotel with her boyfriend in Greece, she decides to investigate this case. Horowitz is such a brilliant and fun writer. He has yet to write in any of his books and clues that give away the whodunnit. This is a long book at over 600 pages but it reads much faster than you think.
Mastering the Art of French Eating by Ann Mah This is book was written in the earlier part of the last decade and is a memoir of her time living in France for several years while her husband worked in the US embassy. This is not a book I would have picked up on my own, but I am part of the Modern Mrs Darcy book club and she chose this for the December pick. This was such a fun memoir. Ann Mah moves to Paris with her husband, almost immediately he is sent to Iraq for 1 year and she decides to stay in Paris. Each chapter discusses a new cuisine and a new region. Ann Mah took great care to really learn the art of the cuisine and how to make it in the most traditional sense. This was such a lovely book, and the best part I made a list of the mouth-watering meals she discusses.
The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V.E. Schwann I had this on my shelf since it came out in October, but was putting it off thinking this might not be the book for me. Boy, was I mistaken. This will likely go down in the top 5 books of 2020 for me. Addie LaRue, has made a deal with devil, to live forever in exchange for not marrying a man she loathes. A part of this deal is that nobody will remember her, that is until she meets Henry, a bookshop owner in NYC in 2014. This develops into a love story for the ages. The author seamlessly tells her story over multiple timelines. Addie discovers love is the hardest thing she has ever done, however, she makes the ultimate sacrifice for it. This was a gorgeous story. Whether you love fantasy novels or not this story is almost perfection. Take a chance on Addie LaRue, I think it will be worth the read.
Please share what you are reading. Until next time….
Obsessed Bookaholic 