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Showing posts with label Sarah Jio. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sarah Jio. Show all posts
Monday, December 16, 2019
Bora-Bora World War II Novel Bland, Forgettable
1:30 AM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
Anne Calloway longs for something more exciting than marrying her wealthy, but dull fiancé and settling down to a boring, predictable life. So, when Gerard ships off to fight in Europe, the 21-year-old decides to do her part for the war effort. She and her best friend, Kitty Morgan, join the Army Nurse Corps. Serving together in Bora-Bora, the two soon realize that nursing on a far-off island in the middle of a bloody war is nowhere near as glamorous as it sounded when they signed up. Picnics and outings with the soldiers are bright spots in the women's lives, but even those have a way of leading to trouble ...
Although Anne vows not to let the Army boys turn her head, she's immediately drawn to Westry Green. In spite of herself, she falls for the enigmatic soldier. As they work together to fix up a small, abandoned bungalow the Tahitians claim is cursed, they build a secret relationship that Anne knows will endure beyond the war. Then they witness a brutal crime. Before Anne knows it, she's become more than an innocent bystander and Westry's been shipped out suddenly. With no communication from the soldier she's come to adore, Anne has no idea what's happened to him. Where is Westry now? Why isn't he writing her? And what will become of the love that blossomed between them in their secret little bungalow?
I've heard good things about Sarah Jio's books, so I decided to give The Bungalow a try. What did I think? Meh. The plot's melodramatic, the prose is stilted, and the characters are nothing special. I'm especially confused by Anne and Wesley's big romance. Both are bland characters, with no real personality, so I spent the whole book wondering what they saw in each other. Although they are supposed to have this great, timeless love, there's no real spark between them. Their relationship feels like a silly little wartime fling. The mystery element did pique my interest. Otherwise, The Bungalow just didn't do much for me. It's an okay read, but nothing that will entice me to read more from Jio. Oh well.
(Readalikes: Reminds me of The Woman in the White Kimono by Ana Johns and Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for brief, mild language (no F-bombs), violence, mild sexual content, and disturbing subject matter
To the FTC, with love: Another library fine find
Tuesday, June 25, 2019
Top Ten Tuesday: Lazy Dazey Summer Reads
7:20 AM
Seasonal TBR lists are my favorite Top Ten Tuesday topic, so I'm excited for this week's prompt. With over 5000 titles on my Goodreads "Want to Read" list, I certainly don't need any more book recommendations. Does that stop me from adding tantalizing titles from other people's lists to mine? Heck, no! Book recs are my favorite thing about TTT.
I won't hit you with all 5000-whatever books on my TBR list (you're welcome), but I am going to show you ten that I'm hoping to get to this summer (BTW: I live in a suburb of Phoenix, Arizona, so summer lasts from about May until November!). Before I do that, though, I want to encourage you to join in the TTT fun. It's super simple—check out That Artsy Reader Girl for a few instructions, make your own list, and start clicking around the book blogosphere. Nothing to it! Have a great time spreading the love to other book blogs and get some fantastic reading suggestions while you're at it. What's not to love?
Also, don't forget to enter my giveaway (see sidebar) for A Family of Strangers by Emilie Richards. It's a mystery novel about a woman searching for her always flawless older sister, whose frantic phone call indicates her life might not be as picture-perfect as it seems.
Top Ten Books on My Summer TBR List (in no particular order):
1. The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman—I've heard a lot of positive buzz about this book, which features a shy bookstore employee who suddenly discovers she has a big, noisy brood of sisters, brothers, nieces, and nephews. What's a terrified introvert to do when she has to face the chaotic outside world instead of hiding behind a book?
2. The Chocolate Maker's Wife by Karen Brooks—This novel concerns a poor, abused young woman in 17th Century England whose life changes when she's almost run over by the coach of a nobleman who offers her a job at his luxurious and exclusive chocolate shop. Cue intrigue, danger, family secrets, and more. I love historical fiction and this one sounds compelling.
3. Dancing with the Sun by Kay Bratt—A friend of mine recommended this author to me. I'd never heard of Bratt before, so I'm starting with her best-rated book on Goodreads. It's about a grief-stricken mother who travels to Yosemite to see her daughter, who's doing an internship there. The two embark on what is supposed to be a short hike only to find themselves lost and fighting for survival in the unforgiving wilderness. I always like mother/daughter novels and this one sounds intriguing to me.
4. The Bookshop on the Shore by Jenny Colgan—I enjoyed The Bookshop on the Corner when I read it back in 2017, but I've yet to try another novel by this author. Her newest sounds like another warm, engaging story about a woman looking for a new start in small-town Scotland.
5. When We Were Sisters by Emilie Richards—After reading A Family of Strangers recently, I'm totally up for another novel by Richards. This one concerns two women who grew up in foster care together reuniting to film a documentary. As they reconnect, they struggle to come to terms with current woes and the past that haunts them both.
6. The Bungalow by Sarah Jio—Jio is another new-to-me author, but this historical, about a nurse who finds a new love and an intriguing mystery on the island of Bora Bora, sounds like a tale I would enjoy.
7. Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan—I need to read a whole trilogy for one of the reading challenges I'm doing and I've heard great things about the one that starts with this novel. It's about a New York woman who decides to spend the summer with her boyfriend in his native Singapore. She's shocked when she discovers that the humble childhood she imagined for him was nothing but. Finding that her boyfriend is the country's wealthiest, most eligible bachelor means she has a target on her back. Sounds fun!
8. Never Look Back by Clare Donoghue—The first in a mystery series starring DI Mike Lockyer, this novel is about a police hunt for a dangerous killer. I'm always looking for new detective series and this one sounds compelling.
9. All You Can Ever Know by Nicole Chung—Stephanie over at She's Probably at the Library highly recommends this memoir about a preemie born in Korea who is adopted and raised by white parents in a small, sheltered Oregon town and her subsequent search for herself as an adoptee, an Asian-American, and a mother. As my life has been touched by premature birth and transracial adoption, this book sounds like an intriguing read as well as an important and eye-opening one.
10. Stone Mothers by Erin Kelly—I'm a big Kelly fan, so I'm highly anticipating her newest, which concerns a woman with dark secrets who must return to the place where they're buried. I always dig a secrets-from-the-past-coming-back-to-haunt-the-present type novel, so this one is right up my alley.
There ya have it, ten books I'm hoping to read during the long, scorching months of summer. Have you read any of them? What's on your summer reading list? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I'll gladly return the favor on your blog.
Happy TTT!
I won't hit you with all 5000-whatever books on my TBR list (you're welcome), but I am going to show you ten that I'm hoping to get to this summer (BTW: I live in a suburb of Phoenix, Arizona, so summer lasts from about May until November!). Before I do that, though, I want to encourage you to join in the TTT fun. It's super simple—check out That Artsy Reader Girl for a few instructions, make your own list, and start clicking around the book blogosphere. Nothing to it! Have a great time spreading the love to other book blogs and get some fantastic reading suggestions while you're at it. What's not to love?
Also, don't forget to enter my giveaway (see sidebar) for A Family of Strangers by Emilie Richards. It's a mystery novel about a woman searching for her always flawless older sister, whose frantic phone call indicates her life might not be as picture-perfect as it seems.
Top Ten Books on My Summer TBR List (in no particular order):
1. The Bookish Life of Nina Hill by Abbi Waxman—I've heard a lot of positive buzz about this book, which features a shy bookstore employee who suddenly discovers she has a big, noisy brood of sisters, brothers, nieces, and nephews. What's a terrified introvert to do when she has to face the chaotic outside world instead of hiding behind a book?
2. The Chocolate Maker's Wife by Karen Brooks—This novel concerns a poor, abused young woman in 17th Century England whose life changes when she's almost run over by the coach of a nobleman who offers her a job at his luxurious and exclusive chocolate shop. Cue intrigue, danger, family secrets, and more. I love historical fiction and this one sounds compelling.
3. Dancing with the Sun by Kay Bratt—A friend of mine recommended this author to me. I'd never heard of Bratt before, so I'm starting with her best-rated book on Goodreads. It's about a grief-stricken mother who travels to Yosemite to see her daughter, who's doing an internship there. The two embark on what is supposed to be a short hike only to find themselves lost and fighting for survival in the unforgiving wilderness. I always like mother/daughter novels and this one sounds intriguing to me.
4. The Bookshop on the Shore by Jenny Colgan—I enjoyed The Bookshop on the Corner when I read it back in 2017, but I've yet to try another novel by this author. Her newest sounds like another warm, engaging story about a woman looking for a new start in small-town Scotland.
5. When We Were Sisters by Emilie Richards—After reading A Family of Strangers recently, I'm totally up for another novel by Richards. This one concerns two women who grew up in foster care together reuniting to film a documentary. As they reconnect, they struggle to come to terms with current woes and the past that haunts them both.
6. The Bungalow by Sarah Jio—Jio is another new-to-me author, but this historical, about a nurse who finds a new love and an intriguing mystery on the island of Bora Bora, sounds like a tale I would enjoy.
7. Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan—I need to read a whole trilogy for one of the reading challenges I'm doing and I've heard great things about the one that starts with this novel. It's about a New York woman who decides to spend the summer with her boyfriend in his native Singapore. She's shocked when she discovers that the humble childhood she imagined for him was nothing but. Finding that her boyfriend is the country's wealthiest, most eligible bachelor means she has a target on her back. Sounds fun!
8. Never Look Back by Clare Donoghue—The first in a mystery series starring DI Mike Lockyer, this novel is about a police hunt for a dangerous killer. I'm always looking for new detective series and this one sounds compelling.
9. All You Can Ever Know by Nicole Chung—Stephanie over at She's Probably at the Library highly recommends this memoir about a preemie born in Korea who is adopted and raised by white parents in a small, sheltered Oregon town and her subsequent search for herself as an adoptee, an Asian-American, and a mother. As my life has been touched by premature birth and transracial adoption, this book sounds like an intriguing read as well as an important and eye-opening one.
10. Stone Mothers by Erin Kelly—I'm a big Kelly fan, so I'm highly anticipating her newest, which concerns a woman with dark secrets who must return to the place where they're buried. I always dig a secrets-from-the-past-coming-back-to-haunt-the-present type novel, so this one is right up my alley.
There ya have it, ten books I'm hoping to read during the long, scorching months of summer. Have you read any of them? What's on your summer reading list? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I'll gladly return the favor on your blog.
Happy TTT!
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2025 Goodreads Reading Challenge
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