January 2021 Book Update

 JANUARY BOOK UPDATE

I have decided that instead of individual posts I will be doing a monthly post of what books I have read, what books I have received and other updates. 

Books I have read

Bookworm: A Memoir of Childhood Reading by Lucy Mangan

Synopsis

The Cat in the Hat? Barbar? The Very Hungry Caterpillar? Whoever it was for you, it’s very hard to forget the vivid intensity of your first encounter with a book.

As a bespectacled young bookworm, Lucy Mangan devoured books: from early picture books, to Swallows and Amazons, Enid Blyton to Little Women, and from trashy teen romances to her first proper ‘grown-up’ novels. In Bookworm, she revisits this early enthusiasm; celebrating the enduring classics, and disinterring some forgotten treasures.

This is a love letter to the joys of childhood reading, full of enthusiasm and wit, telling the colourful story of our best-loved children's books, the extraordinary people who created them, and the thousand subtle ways they shape our lives. It also comes packed with brilliant recommendations to inspire the next generation of bookworms and set them on their way.

This impassioned book will bring the unforgettable characters of our collective childhoods back to life – prompting endless re-readings, rediscoveries, and, inevitably, fierce debate. It will also act as an invaluable guide to anyone looking to build a children’s library and wondering where to start, or where to go next.

Review

I listened to the audio version of this book. This book was not a bad book but I have to say if I was reading it instead of listening to it I don't know that I would have finished. It is just not exactly what I was expecting. I did enjoy hearing the author's thoughts on the books that we have both read. There were quite a few books that I did not recognize since the author is from England. Some of the children's books I have never heard of. I am glad I finished the book though. It made me think of the books I read as a child and brought back good memories as I too am a bookworm.

Secrets of the Chocolate House by Paula Brackston - Book two of the Found Things Series

Synopsis

After her adventures in the seventeenth century, Xanthe does her best to settle back into the rhythm of life in Marlborough. She tells herself she must forget about Samuel and leave him in the past where he belongs. With the help of her new friends, she does her best to move on, focusing instead on the success of her and Flora’s antique shop.

But there are still things waiting to be found, still injustices needing to be put right, still voices whispering to Xanthe from long ago about secrets wanting to be shared.
While looking for new stock for the shop, Xanthe hears the song of a copper chocolate pot. Soon after, she has an upsetting vision of Samuel in great danger, compelling her to make another journey to the past.
This time she'll meet her most dangerous adversary. This time her ability to travel to the past will be tested. This time she will discover her true destiny. Will that destiny allow her to return home? And will she be able to save Samuel when his own fate seems to be sealed? 

Review

I enjoyed this second installment of this series. It is neat to go along with Xanthe as she is learning how to be a spinner to help people. It is also nice to watch her relationships grow with the townspeople. I really like Harley, he is just a fun character. There is a major cliffhanger at the end of this book so I will have to be reading the next one soon to continue on the adventure.

Synopsis

I listened to the audio version of this book. It's late summer 1793, and the streets of Philadelphia are abuzz with mosquitoes and rumors of fever. Down near the docks, many have taken ill, and the fatalities are mounting. Now they include Polly, the serving girl at the Cook Coffeehouse.

But fourteen-year-old Mattie Cook doesn't get a moment to mourn the passing of her childhood playmate. New customers have overrun her family's coffee shop, located far from the mosquito-infested river, and Mattie's concerns of fever are all but overshadowed by dreams of growing her family's small business into a thriving enterprise. But when the fever begins to strike closer to home, Mattie's struggle to build a new life must give way to a new fight-the fight to stay alive.

Review

This was a really good book. I felt so bad for Madie the main character. She went through so much in such a short time. Reading about the yellow fever pandemic of 1793 makes you think of some of the things that are happening today. We are lucky to have modern medicine to help us as those people were so helpless. I recommend this book as a must read.

Synopsis

The story of "Titanic's" tragic maiden voyage still tugs at the heartstrings and sparks universal curiosity. This Eyewitness book uncovers the story behind the story of this majestic ship, from its borth in a Belfast shipyard to its death in the icy Atlantic. Renderings, photographs, and deck plans accompany a compelling narrative of courage and cowardice, sacrifice, and survival.

Review

I enjoyed reading this as I am a fan of the Titanic. With all the books I have read about the Titanic, I was still able to learn from this book. The pictures and stories shared in this book were interesting.

Synopsis

I listed to an audio version of this book. An extraordinary memoir of drama, tragedy, and royal secrets by Anne Glenconner--a close member of the royal circle and lady-in-waiting to Princess Margaret. As seen on Netflix's The Crown.
Anne Glenconner has been at the center of the royal circle from childhood, when she met and befriended the future Queen Elizabeth II and her sister, the Princess Margaret. Though the firstborn child of the 5th Earl of Leicester, who controlled one of the largest estates in England, as a daughter she was deemed "the greatest disappointment" and unable to inherit. Since then she has needed all her resilience to survive the vipers of court life with her sense of humor intact.


A unique witness to landmark moments in royal history, Maid of Honor at Queen Elizabeth's coronation, and a lady in waiting to Princess Margaret until her death in 2002, Anne's life has encompassed extraordinary drama and tragedy. In Lady in Waiting, she will share many intimate royal stories from her time as Princess Margaret's closest confidante as well as her own battle for survival: her broken-off first engagement on the basis of her "mad blood"; her 54-year marriage to the volatile, unfaithful Colin Tennant, Lord Glenconner, who left his fortune to a former servant; the death in adulthood of two of her sons; a third son she nursed back from a six-month coma following a horrific motorcycle accident. Through it all, Anne has carried on, traveling the world with the royal family, including visiting the White House, and developing the Caribbean island of Mustique as a safe harbor for the rich and famous-hosting Mick Jagger, David Bowie, Raquel Welch, and many other politicians, aristocrats, and celebrities.

Review

I enjoyed listening to this book. I especially liked that the author was the narrator as I could hear her emotion while she was reading it. She had an interesting life and I loved hearing about her relationship with Princess Margaret. Books that I have acquired These are books I have either bought, were given to me to review or given as gifts Crockett of Tennessee by Cameron Judd One Poison Pie by Lynn Cahoon Back Bay by William Martin Fevre Dream by George R.R. Martin Death Bee Comes Her by Nancy Coco Sacajawea by Anna Lee Waldo Daniel Boone's Own Story by Daniel Boone Creek Mary's Blood by Dee Brown The Children's Blizzard by Melanie Benjamin Answering Liberty's Call by Tracy Lawson