The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy by Julia Quinn

Book Review, , ,
Overview

Title: The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy
Author: Julia Quinn
Series: Smythe-Smith Quartet #4
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Historical romance, Regency romance
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Year: 2015

Thoughts

As a final book in the Smythe-Smith Quartet, I was intrigued to how everything would tie together. Plus, although Iris only makes her first memorable appearance in The Sum of All Kisses, it was intriguing to know what was going to happen in her happily ever after. Not going to lie though, I wouldn’t mind finding out about the happily ever after of Daisy. Regardless, I did thoroughly enjoy how The Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy rounded out this quartet and left me feeling very happy and content.

I love that Iris is completely suspect of her new husband, but also happy to try and find a good ending. She isn’t taken in by his actions and doesn’t fall for his underhandedness. But, she’s also willing to try and find the good in him and love him. Honestly, with his big secret and trickery, I don’t know if I could ever forgive him myself. But, Iris is smart and good, even when she has every right not to be. She’s also pretty determined and underhanded herself when she wants to be.

Richard’s secret is somewhat predictable considering the era in which this story is set. It’s still pretty harsh and horrible for Iris, and I did wonder how the reveal and subsequent battle would evolve. But, it was still seriously predictable. Luckily for me, I read these regency romance novels for their simplicity and predictability. There is enough of a surprise throughout the evolution of their relationship that I couldn’t put this down though. Not that it’s hard for me to sink deeply into a book.

I absolutely adored The Secrets of Richard Kenworthy. I didn’t necessarily feel quite as connected to the characters as in other Julia Quinn books, but I also couldn’t wait to see what was going to happen to them next. Ultimately I think what I loved the most about this book was the way in which Iris was able to deal with an untenable situation in the best of ways.

<- The Sum of All KissesMore Julia Quinn ->

Image source: HarperCollins Australia

The Sum of All Kisses by Julia Quinn

Book Review, , ,
Overview

Title: The Sum of All Kisses
Author: Julia Quinn
Series: Smythe-Smith Quartet #3
Rating Out of 5: 5 (I will read this again and again and again)
My Bookshelves: Historical romance, Regency romance
Pace: Medium
Format: Novel
Year: 2013

Thoughts

Every time I pick up a Julia Quinn novel, I know I’m going to love it and that I’m in for a treat. I do like to put a little bit of time between my reads so that I don’t start to feel the same same about regency romances. But it doesn’t seem to matter if I’ve read 4 in a week, or nothing for a few months… I love all of her books that I’ve read. Sarah and Hugh’s story is no different.

I enjoy the poetry of the cousin of the man whose life Hugh kinda screwed up is the one he ends up with. I also like that Sarah just takes all of the needless drama of the men and fixes it. In like one moment of her cracking it. A good reminder of the power of women.

Hugh’s background is probably the most abusive if the heroes I’ve read in the Julia Quinn books. In fact, his father absolutely horrified me. I like that they kind of got control of him in the end. But the bustard is still terrifying and I just can’t imagine marrying into such a horrifying legacy.

Iris has a bit of a cameo in the other Smythe-Smith books, but she has a lot more of a presence in this novel. It just makes me look forward to reading the next book in this series all that much more…

<- A Night Like ThisThe Secrets of Sir Richard Kenworthy ->

Image source: Julia Quinn

The Watchmaker’s Daughter by C.J. Archer

Book Review, , , ,
Overview

Title: The Watchmaker’s Daughter
Author: C.J. Archer
Series: Glass and Steele #1
Rating Out of 5: 4.5 (Amazing, but not quite perfect)
My Bookshelves: Historical fiction, Magic, Steampunk
Pace: Medium
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2016

Thoughts

I’ve already read one C.J. Archer book, so when The Watchmaker’s Daughter perfectly filled one of my reading challenge prompts, I was excited to dive right in. And, boy, was I NOT disappointed. This was a fun, engaging whirlwind of a story that now has me completely hooked on the author. Like The Last Necromancer, The Watchmaker’s Daughter is a tale that had me on the edge of my seat – incredibly keen to see what was going to happen next. The fantastic historical fiction / steampunk world building just made me more and more excited as the storyline unfolded.

Although I am completely obsessed with historical fictions, in particular, historical romances at the moment – I do sometimes find it a little… unrealistic when the lead female is so damn headstrong. It’s a little less… enjoyably historical when the heroine is so damn modern. I mean, in the past, women who were THAT outspoken and strong… were probably burned at the stake, or worse. Which is what makes India such a lovely and refreshing lead for this genre. She wants to be what we would perceive in the modern era as strong, but she is restricted by society. So she finds and enacts her strength in a myriad of more subtle ways. Ways which make you love her all that much more because we’ve all felt restrained by our societies and unable to act exactly the way we want.

The mystery of Matthew’s watch continues right throughout this novel. And whilst parts of his history and the watch-obsession are revealed, even at the end of this novel, you realise that there are so many more things that are to be revealed and realised throughout this series. Which, of course, just makes me want to pick up The Mapmaker’s Apprentice all that much more. I love how whilst everything was tied up nicely at the conclusion of this story, there are still so many more mysteries to uncover. It is the mark of a fantastic writer that the end of the story leaves you hanging for the next book in the series, but also feeling like everything has been tied up nice and neatly.

The whole gang in this story are characters that I absolutely loved. I want to sink further and further into this series. Plus, I want to see how the hints of romance between India and Matthew blossom. They seem like kind of the perfect couple, which means that it will be fantastic to see if they do, in fact, make a good couple when push comes to shove. Plus, there is also the tantalising hints of Duke and Winnie to consider…

<- More C.J. ArcherThe Mapmaker’s Apprentice ->

Image source: Goodreads

Will by Will Smith and Mark Manson

Book Review, , , ,
Overview

Title: Will
Author: Will Smith & Mark Manson
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Audiobooks, Biographies, Celebrity
Pace: Medium
Format: Audiobook, Novel
Year: 2021

Thoughts

Whilst I’m new to audio books, this is one that I would 100% not recommend getting in print. Having the audio book version with Will Smith himself telling his story was amazing. And that doesn’t even take into account the musical moments throughout. Examples of the raps and tunes he’s talking about just bring this even more to life.

I’ve been doing a bit of binge watching of Fresh Prince lately. It’s been very interesting to watch that and listen to this audiobook throughout the same time period. There’s so many more bits of information that I picked up on. Background tidbits that somehow add more to the storyline and give even greater context to the jokes made throughout.

I’m not going to lie, this is definitely a biography written by a bit of a narcissist. There are many moments throughout where Will tries to sound wise and all knowing. And to me it just doesn’t quite come of that way. Not to say that his worldview isn’t inherently interesting. And honestly, for someone to do as well as he has in his chosen careers… you’ve got to be a narcissist. But, it definitely made a large contrast in tone to the types of biographies I have been listening to.

I thoroughly enjoyed listening to the insanity that is celebrity life. The kind of personality and drive it takes to ENJOY such a way of living. It’ll be a long time before I want to dive into this world again. But for those 17 hours, it was fun.

<- The Jane Austen Writers’ ClubThis is Me ->

Image source: Goodreads

Survival by Stuart Diver

Book Review, , , ,
Overview

Title: Survival: The Inspirational Story of the Thredbo Disaster’s Sole Survivor
Author: Stuart Diver
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Australian authors, Australian history, Memoirs, Natural disaster
Pace: Slow
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 1999

Thoughts

I’d never actually heard about Thredbo until recently. When I read Bad Ground. It might be a big moment of Australian history, but it’s not one that’s memorable from my recollection of local history. So when I did a little research, I was completely intrigued. And boy am I glad that I actually decided to buy this book.

The start of this book very much reads like a love letter to Sally. It wasn’t until around the 8th chapter when Stuart starts actually talking about the landside that I was able to concentrate and read this in a big hit. Before that, my heart just kept breaking and I had to keep putting this down to wipe away a tear.

I love how this book talks about Stuart’s point of view and experiences. But balanced with this is the factual account of what Australia and the rest of the rescuers were also witnessing and experiencing. It was a pretty stark and brutal reality. One that I’m honestly surprised didn’t give me nightmares. I don’t like small spaces, reading a memoir about being trapped underground for 65 hours… literally one of my worst nightmare. All I’d need is snakes to make it the worst thing ever…

Although my edition of this was on my kobo, it’s one that I want to add to my physical library. I love reading about Australian history and I think its important to keep adding to my knowledge and collection.

<- Gender GamesVanilla Beans & Brodo ->

Image source: Pan Macmillan Australia

The Royal Art of Poison by Eleanor Herman

Book Review, , ,
Overview

Title: The Royal Art of Poison: Fatal Cosmetics, Deadly Medicines and Murder Most Foul
Author: Eleanor Herman
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Crime, History, Science
Pace: Slow
Format: Non-fictional text
Year: 2018

Thoughts

This is one of those books that I’ve stopped and started multiple times. It’s incredibly interesting and informative. But, it’s a little bit dry throughout. There’s good wit, humour and sass. But it’s also a lot of information in a short amount of time.

I enjoyed how this book first talked about the different (and many) caused of death in the past. How many of these deaths were often attributed to poison… but in fact were just poor hygiene and pure insanity. Of nothing else, this is a great reminder of just how far we’ve come. And how damn lucky I feel to have been born in the modern era.

Then there’s the section on historical figures which were reported to be murdered by poison. I love how Herman not only talks about those final moments, but also a little about their lives, the reasons for their apparent murder and finally the modern evidence that does or does not support poisoning. It’s very interesting reading about well known historical figures.

This is definitely one of those books that I’ll need to read again and again. It’s filled with information that I probably won’t absorb even with multiple reads. And then there’s so much follow up reading to fill my brain with!!!

<- More crimeMore history ->

Image source: Amazon

One Last Stop by Casey McQuiston

Book Review, ,
Overview

Title: One Last Stop
Author: Casey McQuiston
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Contemporary, LGBTQI
Pace: Slow
Format: Novel
Year: 2021

Thoughts

I absolutely loved Red, White and Royal Blue. It was brilliantly written with amazing characters and a wonderful storyline. Which means that I’ve been kind of hanging to read One Last Stop. I figure if one novel by McQuiston was going to be amazing, the next one probably was too. And I was completely correct. This book is amazing and wonderful and has so many emotions to it. I honestly don’t quite know where to begin…

Alright, so it took me a little to get into this. I did love August from the start. But some of her hang-ups and insecurities were just… too difficult for me to comprehend. Partly it’s probably because I’ve never really been floating through the world and untethered. I’ve always had someone, or something to give me roots. It’s incredibly difficult to understand what it would be like to not have that grounding and then relate… but I digress. August, regardless of that small factor in her characterisation that I couldn’t quite relate to was a wonderful lead. And, as I understood her more and more, I wanted to see the amazing character growth that I was hoping for from McQuiston’s writing. I wasn’t disappointed. At the root of this story, there is a major coming of age vibe that left me with all of the happy feelings.

It took me a decent chunk into this book to find the paranormal element to it. It was completely unexpected. I spent the first chunk trying to figure out how this wonderful little romance was going to go off the rails and fill the roughly 400 pages. And then that mystery element hit, and suddenly the length of the book became a lot more understandable and less tedious. I love how it was a twist that I honestly just didn’t see coming, one that had me hooked and unable to look away. It was a wonderful approach and idea that I kind of want to read more about. Actually, mostly I just want to read more about what happens after the whole cast of this story rides off, happily, into the sunset… they’re all just too cute.

This novel has a fantastic cast of characters. August and Jane as the lead couple are wonderful and I thoroughly enjoyed August’s journey to acceptance and finally growing her own roots. But, then there’s the rest of the cast. Not only do multiple facets of the LGBTQIA+ community get represented within here, but there are also drag queens. Which I find ridiculously fun and wonderful. It just made me sink further and further into this story with the biggest, most ridiculous smile on my face.

<- More Casey McQuistonRed, White & Royal Blue ->

Image source: Goodreads

My Life with the Chimpanzees by Jane Goodall

Book Review, , , ,
Overview

Title: My Life with the Chimpanzees
Author: Jane Goodall
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Conservation, Memoirs, Nature, Non-fiction,
Pace: Slow
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 1988

Thoughts

I absolutely loved In the Shadow of Man. This wasn’t quite as good, but still, it was wonderful. I think, though, that anything by Jane Goodall will leave me feeling pretty damn happy. I mean, she’s a goddamn icon and an inspiring woman. My Life with Chimpanzees gives a much broader outline of Goodall’s personal history and a brief overview of her entire lifetime. Where In the Shadow of Man focused on the short time period in which Goodall started her work at Gombe, My Life with the Chimpanzees was a much broader overview of a whole lifetime.

This was a very simple read. The language in this novel was very accessible and obviously geared towards a younger audience. Each chapter covers a very large chunk of Goodall’s life and only gives a brief glimpse into each moment of her history and journey towards being the internationally recognised figure that she is. It makes for a quick and very easy read. But one that I will possibly try to sink my teeth into again in the future.

I enjoyed how the last three chapters of this novel really focus on the future of our planet. It’s not about Goodall’s own experiences like the rest of the novel, but rather about what she hopes for the future. It’s a bit of a cold dose of reality because there are so many things truly wrong with the world. But it’s also incredibly hopeful. A balance that is hit perfectly.

I thoroughly enjoyed this novel. It wasn’t as in depth as most of the memoirs that I’ve been reading, and it was definitely only a snapshot into the world of Gombe and Goodall. But it was also a great overview. And now I want to pick up even more Goodall books…

<- My Friends the Wild ChimpanzeesPerformance and Evolution in the Age of Darwin ->

Image source: Booktopia

Lone Rider by Elspeth Beard

Book Review, ,
Overview

Title: Lone Rider: The First British Woman to Motorcycle Around the World
Author: Elspeth Beard
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Memoirs, Travel
Pace: Slow
Format: eBook, Novel
Year: 2017

Thoughts

This is one of those books that is very easy to put down and walk away from. Yet, it isn’t boring or easy to stop thinking about. It just doesn’t have you totally gripping the edge of your seat and wondering what exactly is going to happen next. The perfect memoir to read before bed – it’s actually safe to pick up because you can read just that one chapter and then walk away for a little bit. Not something that I necessarily experience with all of my books and can make being responsible and catching up on sleep somewhat difficult.

Beard is a great writer who takes you along with her on her epic journey. For me, someone born in the early 90’s, it is impossible to imagine much of the world that Beard travelled through almost a decade before my birth. Yet, she is able to write about her adventures in such a way that I can’t help but picture them. Particularly the hardships she experienced as a solitary woman travelling around the world. I can’t imagine trying to do that now. Doing that in an age before phones and in a time way before now… yup, that’s completely unfathomable to me.

The ending to this journey is probably one of the most sad that I’ve read in a long time. Especially in a memoir. The fact that this is a travel memoir meant that I really wasn’t expecting the way that Beard rounds out her phenomenal story. There is a lot of love in her final chapters that highlights her journey and how difficult some of it was for her. Particularly the journey that she takes to find herself when she returns home. I can’t even fathom going on such an epic multi-year adventure. But the returning home and figuring out who you are and what to do next? Unimaginable.

This was a fantastic adventure. One that I will probably reread in the future – there are so many moments throughout this that took me completely by surprise and swept me away in a whirlwind adventure. Some of the locations throughout Australia were so familiar and made me feel a comfortable welcoming home. Many others were totally unexpected. Moments and places that I will probably only ever dream of visiting…

<- Spy PrincessSix Legs Walking ->

Image source: Booktopia

A Gift from Darkness by Patience Ibrahim & Andrea C. Hoffman

Book Review, , , ,
Overview

Title: A Gift from Darkness
Author: Patience Ibrahim & Andrea C. Hoffmann
Rating Out of 5: 4 (Really good read!)
My Bookshelves: Africa, Memoirs, War
Pace: Slow
Format: Novel
Year: 2018

Thoughts

This was one of those books that I had to read in fits and starts. It’s incredibly intense and horrifying. And I just can’t fathom the horrors of what Patience has been through. The fact that I was reading this not long after giving birth… It was just far more gruelling for me, emotionally.

I’m struggling to write this review because of the emotional turmoil that this book put me through. It is well written and so drags you into those emotional moments that you just don’t quite expect. Or see coming. It honestly blind sides you. And, unlike most of the fiction books I read, there are no happy endings here. Sure, you finish reading this with Patience and Gift safe and sound… for now.

Andrea uses 2 timelines to tell the story of Boko Haram. Firstly there’s Patience’s story. The one that honestly reached inside and tore apart my heart. Then, there’s Andrea’s journey to meeting Patience. Her own emotional journey as she sees and understands what has happened in a more personal way to the Christians under Boko Haram torture.

I will definitely read this again. Its an incredibly powerful story. And a stark reminder of how lucky I have it down here in Australia.

<- The Not So Subtle Art of Being a Fat GirlLab Girl ->

Image source: Booktopia