Category: Historical Literature & Fiction

Book review by Dinh.

Review:

Dava Shastri’s Last Day pulled me in right away with its beautiful book cover and the book jacket blurb. It was a promising start and I hoped it would continue to entice me.

I really enjoyed this book and here’s why you should check it out!

Debut author Kirthana Ramisetti did a marvelous job in keeping me entertained.

Book review by Dinh.

Read synopsis here.

Review:

If you’re looking for a compelling historical fiction novel to read, look no further! Yellow Wife by Sadeqa Johnson hits the mark.

This surprising gem was a fantastic read.

Here’s what I loved about Yellow Wife and why you should consider it for your next read!

Read synopsis here.

Review:

Having read Pachinko by Min Jin Lee a few years back, I remembered that I enjoyed it but couldn’t remember the details as it has been awhile. I was glad to re-read this book to see if I liked it as much as the first time around.

I must admit, the second time around was better!! Not sure if it was because I listened to the book this time around. My hectic life with the kids has meant that I do a lot of audio books rather than reading the book physically. Regardless, I gave Pachinko and extra 1/2 star from last time.

Here’s what I loved about the book:

Book Review by Dinh.

Read synopsis here.

Review:

My interest was piqued on reading the blurb on the book jacket of Jodi Picoult’s book Small Great Things. It looked like it will be a thought-provoking book!

I have read a couple of Picoult’s book so I know she’s a decent writer and familiar with her style of writing.

Did Small Great Things live up to my expectation? Yes it did!

Here’s what I loved about the book:

Book review by Dinh.

Read synopsis here.

Review:

I was looking forward to reading The Storied Life Of A. J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin. The book jacket gave the hint of a promising read. I do like to read books in which the main character transform or blossoms by the end of the book!

This is my first book by this author so I didn’t really know what to expect going in. The hardback book was only 258 pages which is on the shorter side of a novel I usually read. On the plus side, it would be a quick read, however it did make me wonder if Zevin was able to pull off a good story.

Book review by Dinh.

Read synopsis here.

Review:

The Extraordinary Life Of Sam Hell by Robert Dugoni has recently become a popular read because of recommendations through word of mouth. It was published in 2019 and now lots of people are reading it and recommending it.

This is the first book I have read by Robert Dugoni so I didn’t know what to expect going in. He is known for his crime thrillers and is a prolific writer so I assume his writing would be good.

Book review by Dinh.

Read summary here.

Review:

To be honest, I have not heard of Bernadine Evaristo’s book Girl, Woman, Other that won the Booker Prize 2019. One of our readers recommended it and we took a look.

The book’s jacket blurb piqued our interest – themes of identity intersected with black British women set in Britain! That’s right up my alley!

Going in and not knowing what to expect, I was surprised how much I ended up enjoying it.

Here’s what I loved about the book and why you should check it out:

Book review by Dinh.

Review:

I was very keen on reading The Book Woman Of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson after reading the blurb on the back. I have never heard about the blue-skinned people of Kentucky nor Roosevelt’s Kentucky Pack Horse Library program and was intrigued!

My interest was also piqued by the controversy surrounding The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek and Jojo Moyes’ book The Giver of Stars. Some claiming that there was ‘plagiarism’ going on. I am not sure what all the fuss was about but facts are that Moyes book came out only five months after Richardson’s. Both books are set in Kentucky and about the Pack Horse Librarians. The story line between the two books are not at all similar.

Book review by Dinh.

Read synopsis.

Review:

The cover of Next Year In Havana by Chanel Cleeton is just beautiful! Who wouldn’t want to read a book with such an enticing book cover?

I read some great reviews on Next Year In Havana and was excited to see if it lived up to its hype.

Although I enjoyed the book – it was good but not great – I thought that it was a fluffy romance with an interesting setting. (Cuba.)