The Admiral's Wife --by M. K. Tod

 Fiction / Historical / Mystery / Love

Heath Street Publishing

April 12, 2022

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B09XRCKX7F

844 KB

ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0991967070

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0991967070

384 Pages

Print Price: $16.99

5 Stars

 

I knew I was in for several treats when I opened this book. M. K. Tod is one of my favorite writers of historical fiction. And she wrote about one of my favorite countries—Hong Kong, China. I feel like I’ve been there, way back and modern.

 

I found the characters to be quite believable. In fact, I’m sure I know some of them! They just have different names. ;-)

 

Ms. Tod invites me into her novels and by the time I finish them, I feel like I was there. I not only have an emotional tie to her characters, I feel like I have had a vacation to a new and fascinating country.

 

This is one of those books where you really ought to consider checking in to a nice hotel with room service and read at your undisturbed leisure! Read it slow, absorb it, revel in two different times of one exotic world. Enjoy that mini vacation to the max. 

Giveth and Taketh --by Rota

 Nonfiction / Poetry - chapbook

Wild Pressed Books Ltd.

May 17, 2020

ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 1916489699

ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1916489691

32 pages, 11 poems

Print price Amazon $12.04

5 Stars

 

I recently saw Rota read one poem at a reading, and had his book ordered almost by the time he finished. Yes, I was that impressed. I have now read all the poems in this chapbook, and I am even more impressed. 

 

Rota speaks of the Jewish condition. He does so with pathos, with humor, with honesty, and makes almost wish I was Jewish.

 

From the opening (prose) poem, “To the man at the waspy dinner party who told me I’d go to Hell (if I didn’t embrace Jesus)”to the closing (prose) poem, “From the protest” I was not just in his thrall, I am once again in literary lust!

 

With the exception of the two book-end poems above, all are narrative free verse, and they will blow your socks off! Rota takes us on an emotional roller coaster ride. From anger to sadness to humor. Especially in Midrash where the part of Job is played by Rota’s Jewish grandmother. I can see her. I can hear her. I can laugh with her.

Crowbones --by Anne Bishop

 Fiction / Urban Fantasy

Ace

March 8, 2022

ASIN ‏ : ‎ B096WYLSW2

ISBN ‏ : ‎ 9780593337332

363 pages

Kindle price: $14.99

Print price: $28.00

5 Stars

 

I have now read all the books in The World of the Others series, and I truly hope there are more. Ms. Bishop is a master world builder, and all the worlds she’s built that I’ve had the pleasure of journeying through are wonderful. But the World of the Others is my favorite. Well, unless I’m reading the Black Jewels books, and then…

 

I won’t repeat any type of a synopsis, there are over 2,000 reviewers before me, and I’m more than sure most contain story lines. Suffice it for me to say that the writing is engaging, the characters are more real and alive than some people I know. And definitely more fun to spend an afternoon or evening with. ;-)

 

I think these books would be appropriate for teens of any age. The one thing I heartily recommend is when you get one of Ms. Bishop’s books, you check into a nice hotel with room service, tell everyone you’re on a trip out town (that’s not a lie, you will be in another universe!), call room service when needed, and enjoy the book. If you’re married, you may tell your spouse where you are, but not your kids, they’ll want to come, too, and you’ll get no reading done.

 

Other Anne Bishop books I’ve read and reviewed:

http://lenoragood.blogspot.com/search?q=anne+bishop