debbicat *made of stardust*'s bookshelf: spring-challenge-2020 en-US Wed, 31 Jul 2024 15:26:03 -0700 60 debbicat *made of stardust*'s bookshelf: spring-challenge-2020 144 41 /images/layout/goodreads_logo_144.jpg Big Summer 49078967
Drue was always the one who had everything—except the ability to hold onto friends. Meanwhile, Daphne’s no longer the same self-effacing sidekick she was back in high school. She’s built a life that she loves, including a growing career as a plus-size Instagram influencer. Letting glamorous, seductive Drue back into her life is risky, but it comes with an invitation to spend a weekend in a waterfront Cape Cod mansion. When Drue begs and pleads and dangles the prospect of cute single guys, Daphne finds herself powerless as ever to resist her friend’s siren song.

A sparkling novel about the complexities of female friendship, the pitfalls of living out loud and online, and the resilience of the human heart, Big Summer is a witty, moving story about family, friendship, and figuring out what matters most.]]> 364 Jennifer Weiner 1501133535 debbicat *made of stardust* 3
I was all in and did this as a buddy read in the Traveling Sister's Group. We had some mixed opinions but a really good discussion. I ended up not really liking the plot all that much. I enjoyed the first half of the book the most. When it turned into a murder mystery in the middle I grew less satisfied. I became interesting for me at about 60% but I had to push myself to finish it.

Weiner is still a favorite but this book didn't do it for me. I am sure it will be popular though and I can see many reasons why it would be. The social media warnings...are we all being used? I think often about Instagram and it was used in this plot. My Instagram is very private and I only follow friends or groups or people I want to know about it..IE: charities, health. No one follows me unless I know them or have a strong connection to. Insta was a big part of this book. And I am glad for all of the cautions this brings up.

This was an enjoyable and light read. Lying on a beach in the summer, instead of this Rona quarantine..might have had me more entertained. I admit that.

Many thanks to NetGalley for a digital copy to review.]]> 3.78 2020 Big Summer
author: Jennifer Weiner
name: debbicat *made of stardust*
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2020
rating: 3
read at: 2020/04/13
date added: 2024/07/31
shelves: netgalley, buddy-read, 2020, the-traveling-sisters, spring-challenge-2020
review:
3 stars. I am a big fan of Jennifer Weiner...since the first book I read by her called, Good in Bed. She writes real characters who are believable and relatable. I jumped at the chance to download this book. Loved the setting and felt I could connect to the main character, Daphne.

I was all in and did this as a buddy read in the Traveling Sister's Group. We had some mixed opinions but a really good discussion. I ended up not really liking the plot all that much. I enjoyed the first half of the book the most. When it turned into a murder mystery in the middle I grew less satisfied. I became interesting for me at about 60% but I had to push myself to finish it.

Weiner is still a favorite but this book didn't do it for me. I am sure it will be popular though and I can see many reasons why it would be. The social media warnings...are we all being used? I think often about Instagram and it was used in this plot. My Instagram is very private and I only follow friends or groups or people I want to know about it..IE: charities, health. No one follows me unless I know them or have a strong connection to. Insta was a big part of this book. And I am glad for all of the cautions this brings up.

This was an enjoyable and light read. Lying on a beach in the summer, instead of this Rona quarantine..might have had me more entertained. I admit that.

Many thanks to NetGalley for a digital copy to review.
]]> A Pale Shade of Winter 51320334
“Is that how you saved me, Albert?�
“Yes,� he whispered.

A Pale Shade of Winter is a Southern Gothic Horror saga that tells the story of Lenore Kensington, a young woman of considerable social standing who finds herself torn between family honor and duty and forbidden love. But, this is not a love story. In fact, it is a story about betrayal, redemption, vengeance, and faith. And, in the end, one of the most heinous of all sins will be revealed.]]> 212 L.B. Stimson 1072504936 debbicat *made of stardust* 3 4.40 A Pale Shade of Winter
author: L.B. Stimson
name: debbicat *made of stardust*
average rating: 4.40
book published:
rating: 3
read at: 2020/05/05
date added: 2020/07/22
shelves: buddy-read, louisiana, local-bookclub, spring-challenge-2020, 2020, gothic, nola
review:
3.5 stars! I really enjoyed the audiobook of this one. A nicely done Southern Gothic Paranormal set in NOLA. The writing is good and flowed nicely. I really liked the character of Castine and hope we see more of her in the next book in the series. I think her brother, Albert, has some things to figure out. Great characters that I felt like I got to know. Enjoyed the setting which was very well drawn out. I do recommend it for those that enjoy gothic literature.
]]> The Jane Austen Book Club 2152 The Extraordinary New York Times Bestseller

In California's central valley, five women and one man join to discuss Jane Austen's novels. Over the six months they get together, marriages are tested, affairs begin, unsuitable arrangements become suitable, and love happens. With her eye for the frailties of human behavior and her ear for the absurdities of social intercourse, Karen Joy Fowler has never been wittier nor her characters more appealing. The result is a delicious dissection of modern relationships.

Dedicated Austenites will delight in unearthing the echoes of Austen that run through the novel, but most readers will simply enjoy the vision and voice that, despite two centuries of separation, unite two great writers of brilliant social comedy.

]]> 288 Karen Joy Fowler 0452286530 debbicat *made of stardust* 3 review to follow 3.12 2004 The Jane Austen Book Club
author: Karen Joy Fowler
name: debbicat *made of stardust*
average rating: 3.12
book published: 2004
rating: 3
read at: 2020/06/08
date added: 2020/06/08
shelves: california, spring-challenge-2020
review:
review to follow
]]> <![CDATA[Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter, #2)]]> 28141183 "'There is a plot, Harry Potter. A plot to make most terrible things happen at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry this year.'"

Harry Potter's summer has included the worst birthday ever, doomy warnings from a house-elf called Dobby, and rescue from the Dursleys by his friend Ron Weasley in a magical flying car! Back at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry for his second year, Harry hears strange whispers echo through empty corridors - and then the attacks start. Students are found as though turned to stone ... Dobby's sinister predictions seem to be coming true.]]> 360 J.K. Rowling debbicat *made of stardust* 5 4.69 1998 Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets (Harry Potter, #2)
author: J.K. Rowling
name: debbicat *made of stardust*
average rating: 4.69
book published: 1998
rating: 5
read at: 2020/05/29
date added: 2020/05/29
shelves: buddy-read, spring-challenge-2020
review:
Review to follow. I liked this one even better than the first! I’d give it 10 stars ⭐️ if I could!
]]> <![CDATA[Familiar Trouble (Trouble Cat Mysteries, #1)]]> 35436343
When local bookseller Tammy Lynn is attacked at the site of an impact crater, Trouble realizes he must protect his human and solve the mystery of the Silk Stocking Killer.

Aiden Waters, a local deputy, has tracked the SSK to Wetumpka. Since his wife’s murder, Aiden won’t risk romance, but when Tammy is endangered, everything changes. Especially their hearts.]]> 264 Carolyn Haines debbicat *made of stardust* 3
Read for my Spring Challenge is the Retro Reads Group. A book with a murder.

I have the whole series on kindle and look forward to it! Highly recommended for cat lovers and ppl who like southern settings. This one is in my wonderful state of Alabama. While I don’t live in Wetumpka I have friends that do and it seems like a lovely place. The main character is a bookseller as well as a cat lover. Bonus points!]]> 4.12 2017 Familiar Trouble (Trouble Cat Mysteries, #1)
author: Carolyn Haines
name: debbicat *made of stardust*
average rating: 4.12
book published: 2017
rating: 3
read at: 2020/05/28
date added: 2020/05/29
shelves: alabama, 2020, spring-challenge-2020, cozy-mystery
review:
3.5. Cute, cute cosy mystery with the black cat, Trouble at the center. While I have this on kindle I discovered hoopla has the audio so I bounced back and forth. The audio is very well narrated and I enjoyed it quite a lot.

Read for my Spring Challenge is the Retro Reads Group. A book with a murder.

I have the whole series on kindle and look forward to it! Highly recommended for cat lovers and ppl who like southern settings. This one is in my wonderful state of Alabama. While I don’t live in Wetumpka I have friends that do and it seems like a lovely place. The main character is a bookseller as well as a cat lover. Bonus points!
]]> <![CDATA[Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe]]> 9375 Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe is a now-classic novel about two women: Evelyn, who is in the sad slump of middle age, and gray-headed Mrs. Threadgoode, who is telling her life story. Her tale includes two more women, the irrepressibly daredevilish tomboy Idgie and her friend Ruth who back in the thirties ran a little place in Whistle Stop, Alabama, offering good coffee, southern barbecue, and all kinds of love and laughter, even an occasional murder. And as the past unfolds, the present will never be quite the same again.]]> 416 Fannie Flagg 0375508414 debbicat *made of stardust* 5 Book with movie tie-in on my spring challenge in Retro Chapter Chicks.
I can't wait to read the sequel coming out.
I saw the movie years ago...I was afraid that would ruin the book for me but it didn't. Not one bit!
Highly recommended!]]> 4.28 1987 Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe
author: Fannie Flagg
name: debbicat *made of stardust*
average rating: 4.28
book published: 1987
rating: 5
read at: 2020/05/28
date added: 2020/05/28
shelves: apocolypse-read-2020, 2020, alabama, spring-challenge-2020
review:
I just loved this! Review to follow!
Book with movie tie-in on my spring challenge in Retro Chapter Chicks.
I can't wait to read the sequel coming out.
I saw the movie years ago...I was afraid that would ruin the book for me but it didn't. Not one bit!
Highly recommended!
]]> <![CDATA[Learning to Walk in the Dark: Because Sometimes God Shows Up at Night]]> 21543925
From the New York Times bestselling author of An Altar in the World, Barbara Brown Taylor’s Learning to Walk in the Dark provides a way to find spirituality in those times when we don’t have all the answers.

Taylor has become increasingly uncomfortable with our tendency to associate all that is good with lightness and all that is evil and dangerous with darkness. Doesn’t God work in the nighttime as well? In Learning to Walk in the Dark, Taylor asks us to put aside our fears and anxieties and to explore all that God has to teach us “in the dark.� She argues that we need to move away from our “solar spirituality� and ease our way into appreciating “lunar spirituality� (since, like the moon, our experience of the light waxes and wanes). Through darkness we find courage, we understand the world in new ways, and we feel God’s presence around us, guiding us through things seen and unseen. Often, it is while we are in the dark that we grow the most.

With her characteristic charm and literary wisdom, Taylor is our guide through a spirituality of the nighttime, teaching us how to find our footing in times of uncertainty and giving us strength and hope to face all of life’s challenging moments.]]> 208 Barbara Brown Taylor debbicat *made of stardust* 5 Leaving Church: A Memoir of Faith about 3 times now (I have that one on audio too). I imagine I will want a re-read of this one too. I highly recommend it!]]> 4.22 2014 Learning to Walk in the Dark: Because Sometimes God Shows Up at Night
author: Barbara Brown Taylor
name: debbicat *made of stardust*
average rating: 4.22
book published: 2014
rating: 5
read at: 2020/05/22
date added: 2020/05/22
shelves: on-my-own-bookshelf, spiritual-influence, favorite-authors, spring-challenge-2020
review:
I just loved this and really connected to it. I ended up adding the audio from audible so I could listen while I walked in the evening. She reads it herself and I am a sucker for an author narrating her book. She has a beautiful reading voice. I have read her book, Leaving Church: A Memoir of Faith about 3 times now (I have that one on audio too). I imagine I will want a re-read of this one too. I highly recommend it!
]]> Convenience Store Woman 38357895
A brilliant depiction of an unusual psyche and a world hidden from view, Convenience Store Woman is an ironic and sharp-eyed look at contemporary work culture and the pressures to conform, as well as a charming and completely fresh portrait of an unforgettable heroine.]]> 163 Sayaka Murata debbicat *made of stardust* 4 spring-challenge-2020 3.70 2016 Convenience Store Woman
author: Sayaka Murata
name: debbicat *made of stardust*
average rating: 3.70
book published: 2016
rating: 4
read at: 2020/05/21
date added: 2020/05/21
shelves: spring-challenge-2020
review:
Read for my spring 2020 book challenge. I would have never picked this if not for that. It was good tho! Review to follow.
]]> <![CDATA[The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires]]> 44074800 Fried Green Tomatoes and Steel Magnolias meet Dracula in this Southern-flavored supernatural thriller set in the '90s about a women's book club that must protect its suburban community from a mysterious and handsome stranger who turns out to be a blood-sucking fiend.

Patricia Campbell had always planned for a big life, but after giving up her career as a nurse to marry an ambitious doctor and become a mother, Patricia's life has never felt smaller. The days are long, her kids are ungrateful, her husband is distant, and her to-do list is never really done. The one thing she has to look forward to is her book club, a group of Charleston mothers united only by their love for true-crime and suspenseful fiction. In these meetings, they're more likely to discuss the FBI's recent siege of Waco as much as the ups and downs of marriage and motherhood.

But when an artistic and sensitive stranger moves into the neighborhood, the book club's meetings turn into speculation about the newcomer. Patricia is initially attracted to him, but when some local children go missing, she starts to suspect the newcomer is involved. She begins her own investigation, assuming that he's a Jeffrey Dahmer or Ted Bundy. What she uncovers is far more terrifying, and soon she--and her book club--are the only people standing between the monster they've invited into their homes and their unsuspecting community.]]> 410 Grady Hendrix debbicat *made of stardust* 4
So, these women in Charleston, (my sister used to live there and I have enjoyed visiting many times) don't like this horrid bookclub and they decide to form their own. One that is much more fun with reading true crime and mystery novels. Manson, Dahmer..those kind. A very attractive young man, James, moves nearby and he wants to join them too! Housewife and doctor's wife, Patricia, the main character, is quickly taken with him and befriends him.

But! Soon, death is all around and the ladies begin to suspect someone in their community is taking and killing innocent children. A lot of unexplained things go on and some of the women suspect James is involved. It divides them.

I'd love to add so many of the twisted details here, but I'd better let you discover that for yourself. Family members die, there is a rat scene that so gross, but you can't stop reading. There are ghosts.. Vampires, creatures of the night. Dismemberment. Shall I go on? Oh, and lots of blood.

I'll say it again, this is NOT MY KIND OF BOOK! But, I sure had fun with it. The blurb is perfect Steel Magnolias meets Dracula. I have not read Grady Hendrix before. I am going to be adding more by this author. Some of us read this as a buddy read in Traveling Sisters and it was a very satisfying discussion. No men in it thankfully!! ]]> 3.78 2020 The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires
author: Grady Hendrix
name: debbicat *made of stardust*
average rating: 3.78
book published: 2020
rating: 4
read at: 2020/05/11
date added: 2020/05/19
shelves: buddy-read, south-carolina, spring-challenge-2020, 2020, the-traveling-sisters
review:
Oh my gawd was this ever the craziest ride! I promise you if I had not been listening to the audio, which was exceptional to me...for a book like this...I am not sure I would have been able to read it. There is a lot of gore here. A lot of shenanigans, over the top mayhem, the macabre, zany characters and activities. It works tho! A good bit of gore, which I usually can never read. But, I laughed and gasped often very close together on my afternoon (thankfully very sunny) walks. It is hilarious at times. I highly recommend it!

So, these women in Charleston, (my sister used to live there and I have enjoyed visiting many times) don't like this horrid bookclub and they decide to form their own. One that is much more fun with reading true crime and mystery novels. Manson, Dahmer..those kind. A very attractive young man, James, moves nearby and he wants to join them too! Housewife and doctor's wife, Patricia, the main character, is quickly taken with him and befriends him.

But! Soon, death is all around and the ladies begin to suspect someone in their community is taking and killing innocent children. A lot of unexplained things go on and some of the women suspect James is involved. It divides them.

I'd love to add so many of the twisted details here, but I'd better let you discover that for yourself. Family members die, there is a rat scene that so gross, but you can't stop reading. There are ghosts.. Vampires, creatures of the night. Dismemberment. Shall I go on? Oh, and lots of blood.

I'll say it again, this is NOT MY KIND OF BOOK! But, I sure had fun with it. The blurb is perfect Steel Magnolias meets Dracula. I have not read Grady Hendrix before. I am going to be adding more by this author. Some of us read this as a buddy read in Traveling Sisters and it was a very satisfying discussion. No men in it thankfully!!
]]> <![CDATA[Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Harry Potter, #1)]]> 42844155 An alternative cover for this ASIN can be found here

"Turning the envelope over, his hand trembling, Harry saw a purple wax seal bearing a coat of arms; a lion, an eagle, a badger and a snake surrounding a large letter 'H'."

Harry Potter has never even heard of Hogwarts when the letters start dropping on the doormat at number four, Privet Drive. Addressed in green ink on yellowish parchment with a purple seal, they are swiftly confiscated by his grisly aunt and uncle. Then, on Harry's eleventh birthday, a great beetle-eyed giant of a man called Rubeus Hagrid bursts in with some astonishing news: Harry Potter is a wizard, and he has a place at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. An incredible adventure is about to begin!]]> 333 J.K. Rowling debbicat *made of stardust* 5
Coming back later with a better review and a few quotes. This just made my heart happy. Believe it o not I never read the whole series so I am now ready for that and will do it this summer. I can't wait. Love these characters. Seems I am late to the party, and I have seen the movies. But as usual, the book is better!]]> 4.47 1997 Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone (Harry Potter, #1)
author: J.K. Rowling
name: debbicat *made of stardust*
average rating: 4.47
book published: 1997
rating: 5
read at: 2020/05/19
date added: 2020/05/19
shelves: buddy-read, spring-challenge-2020, 2020
review:
Second read. I loved this! I read the newer version this time with the animated photos that is available to read for free right now if you have Kindle Unlimited. I highly recommend it. There were also things I didn't remember.

Coming back later with a better review and a few quotes. This just made my heart happy. Believe it o not I never read the whole series so I am now ready for that and will do it this summer. I can't wait. Love these characters. Seems I am late to the party, and I have seen the movies. But as usual, the book is better!
]]>