Tracie B. (tbowman) - , reviewed on 6/12/2025 + 63 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 2

This book was recommended to me by a book store owner in Colorado. The main character, Annie Libby, is so neat, a woman who headed across the country from Maine to California with her horse and her dog. The book provides information on Annie, horses, travel in 1955, automobile travel across the states, and state history. Wow!  A great read.

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Gayle (Leesa-Dee) - , reviewed on 5/8/2025 + 49 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

Boring. Inconclusive conclusion. Too much religious nonsense. Total waste of time reading it.

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Valerie S. (VolunteerVal) - reviewed on 5/8/2025 + 710 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

Congratulations to Annie B. Jones for publishing her debut essay collection Ordinary Time: Lessons Learned While Staying Put. What a joy it must be to stock and sell it in her bookstore.

As a loyal listener to the author's From the Front Porch podcast and a faithful reader of The Bookshelf customer enewsletter, I was concerned I'd be already familiar with most of the essay topics. Thankfully that was not the case, and I really enjoyed these thoughts on family, friendship, marriage, faith, entrepreneurship, and of course, books.

I appreciate the candor of Annie's writing, sharing deeply personal topics with honesty and humor. I especially connected with her thoughts on faith and on having a brother as her only sibling. An overall theme is "Bloom where you're planted."

The title is very meaningful; I'm confident it comes from Annie's love for the liturgical church (a lifelong passion of mine). In the church year, "ordinary time" describes the long season between Pentecost (49 days after Easter) through Advent (four Sundays before December 25). This season contains no major festivals/holidays; rather, the church focuses on Jesus' adult life and ministry. It's viewed as a season of growth (represented by the color green) which makes it a powerful 'label' for these chapters in the author's life.

Thank you to HarperOne for the review copies of this interesting and insightful collection.

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jjares reviewed on 5/12/2025 + 3542 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

THE WALLFLOWER'S DANCE (Jen Geigle Johnson) -- 2 Stars
Lottie Hughes hopes to find a husband, but with no dowry, title, or communication skills, she's worried that no one will notice her. Suddenly, Lottie becomes an heiress, and everyone wants to meet her. The one constant in her life is her best friend, Denny, Lord Ragsdale. However, now a duke is in the picture, seriously wooing Lottie. Who will she choose? Who cares? I cannot believe anyone printed this feeble story.

LETTERS TO A WALLFLOWER (Heather B Moore) -- 5 Stars
Because Ellen is a Diamond of the First Water, she considers herself safe to marry nobility. However, her cousin Dinah dares Ellen to leave her frills behind and attend a ball, standing with the wallflowers. Ellen agrees. After Dinah and Ellen agree to the wager, Ellen wears one of Dinah's old dresses, and they set off. Ellen is hoping to get cuttings from her aunt's exceptional rose plants if she wins.
She meets a young man who was called back from the Navy when his older brother died, to take care of his mother. Ellen and Aaron Bolton share some likes and dislikes, standing amongst the wallflowers. What she doesn't know is that he is part of the aristocracy she doesn't care to join. He tells her that he would rather be in the country, not in London. Later, they strike a bargain: he will appear to be courting her (but will return to his estate), and Ellen can beg off of balls, claiming she is courting someone.

Do you think this will work? This one is a charmer. Ellen may be a Diamond of the First Water, but she doesn't take her beauty seriously. This story was delightful.

TO MARRY A WALLFLOWER (Anneka R Walker) -- 4 Stars
Mr. Winters, whom Lord Templeton knows, enters Whites in London and is distraught. A younger man is arguing with Mr. Winters, and Lord Templeton wants to know what is going on. After the young man is removed (for arguing and trying to start a fight), Mr. Winters explains that the interloper is causing trouble because his daughter, Charlotte Winters, has refused to marry the young man. Mr. Winters is beside himself because the interloper has threatened to ruin his daughter, Charlotte Winters' name.

Because of Mr. Winter's kindness at the time of Lord Templeton's father's death, he felt obliged to help him. Thus, he offered to marry Charlotte (sight unseen). Lord Templeton was in the market for marriage because he was very lonely. Now, Lord Templeton is confused; he knows nothing about Charlotte. He befriends Charlotte's cousin to learn more. However, he soon becomes interested in Charlotte's cousin. This confusion between the two muddled the story. However, all ended happily.

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Jude G. (blissmountain) reviewed on 5/15/2025 + 64 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

beautiful touching book, beautifully and touchingly narrated by jennifer pickens. the story and life of clover, a death doula, set in new york city, my home town. the book weaves the outer life of clover, her neighbors, clients, friends and family with her internal life of loss and isolation and coming to terms with that. the book shows how we are not black and white but rather a big messy conglomeration of all sorts of beliefs, feelings, fears and hopes. it is sweet without being sappy. and i found it very believable.

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Elizabeth R. (esjro) - , reviewed on 5/28/2025 + 1006 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

4.5 stars. This is an ultra-violent tale of revenge, but also friendship and love. It is filled with magic and the occasional paranormal creature. Would be 5 stars but I felt that the pacing in the middle lagged a bit.

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Laura P. (hemmputnam) reviewed on 5/29/2025 + 1177 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

This was a quick cozy read with a hiint of romance between the mystery writer and his typist. It was fun to escape to this sunny island with a group of British ex-pats interacting with the local community. I will look for the next book in the series.

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Meredith G. reviewed on 6/1/2025 + 18 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

Great book. I couldn't put it down. I did not know a lot about some of the Kennedy women (I was born in 1971). Had heard of Joan Kennedy, but knew nothing about her. I knew Jackie re-married a Greek shipping tycoon but was unaware of the details of the marriage. I passed the book on to my mom (a true Kennedy era democrat) and she is fascinated by the book as well.

There's just one thing...

I loved the feminist lens in which the book was written. I learned a lot and I am glad these women have received the sympathy and grace they deserve. However, no one is 100% good or bad. The men really are scorched in this book. The author really does not reveal any positive qualities. Deserving ? Read it and decide for yourself...

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Valerie S. (VolunteerVal) - reviewed on 6/2/2025 + 710 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

I really enjoy a book where I feel like I'm a minor character in the plot, watching the drama unfold. The Book Club for Troublesome Women by Marie Bostwick provided that experience for me, and I'm so grateful. I listened to the audiobook, perfectly narrated by Lisa Flanagan, which increased my connection to this story and its characters.

Any novel with "book club" in the title is an instant win for me, and I loved how four very different women formed lifelong friendships sparked by discussing "The Feminine Mystique" by Betty Friedan. Set in the 1960s, Ms. Bostwick wove events and cultural opinions of the decade into the plot and actions of her heroines. Each main character could be viewed as a caricature representing four scenarios for women of the time, but detailed descriptions of their personalities, choices, and obstacles made them feel like fully-formed people. The novel also had me reflecting on my mother's experience since she got married and had her children during the 1960s.

With apologies to Marie Bostwick and Kim Michele Richardson, I connected this novel to The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek and its sequel in my mind for quite some time. To clarify, they have no connection except the word Troublesome in their titles. LOL

Thank you to Harper Muse for the review copies of this immersive novel.

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Thomas F. (hardtack) - , reviewed on 6/8/2025 + 2835 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

As with any anthology. some are so-so, many are good and some are very good. One of my favorites was the first story. So I was pleasantly surprised when that story's plot was used in a later story. Overall, it is pleasant reading for any fan of Westerns.

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Elizabeth R. (esjro) - , reviewed on 6/15/2025 + 1006 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

This book is INTENSE. It is a one-sitting read. What Caroline, her mother and really their whole family was put through by her father is unimaginable and unforgivable. The author and her mother are amazing for shining light into the darkness by using their awful experience to raise awareness and help others.

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Paula G. (Paulathegreat) reviewed on 6/17/2025 + 161 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

I received the book from Story Graph's giveaways.

This is a sweet little memorial book. Love-Hewitt tells how her mother made life magical for her children through family celebrations and every day activities. The main thrust of the book is not looking backwards, but looking forward to how she passes that magic on to her three children and how you can create magic for yours.

Some of the ideas are as simple as putting a filter on a light and taking the kids pictures with a rainbow reflected on their faces. Others are as complicated as the birthday parties she plans for her (Hollywood) kids. There are lots of pictures, some recipes.

I would recommend this book for someone who wanted to start thinking about entertaining or even to take your entertaining to the next level

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Julie Y. (naboo) reviewed on 6/19/2025 + 40 more book reviews

Helpful Score: 1

I picked up a used copy at my local thrift store, thinking this would be an interesting mystery. 

Christopher John Francis Boone, a fifteen year-old boy with Asperger Syndrome, is the protagonist and narrator of the story. He possesses a strong aptitude for mathematics and science. Unfortunately, due to his disability it is difficult for him to effectively socialize and communicate. 

At the beginning of the novel, Christopher discovers Wellington, a standard poodle, dead from being stabbed with a garden fork. Immediately both Mrs. Shear, the owner of Wellington, and the police officer suspect Christopher of the murder. So he decides to investigate. He uncovers that his father killed the dog and finds out that his mother is still alive and living in London. Therefore, he embarks on a journey to find his mother. 

I have to be honest, I thought the pace for the book was too slow. Furthermore, I did not like any of the main characters. For example:

Christopher - rude and selfish 

Ed Boone (Christopher's father) - an asshole for killing Wellington and lying to Christopher about his mother still being alive

Judy Boone (Christopher's mother) - selfish for leaving Christopher and Ed

Mrs. Shear - a bitch for quickly blaming Christopher for the death of her dog 

Finally, the only reason I gave this a two star rating (instead of one) because I am a math major and I enjoyed the prime numbers for the chapters and the math equations throughout the story. 

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