News
Entertainment
Science & Technology
Life
Culture & Art
Hobbies
News
Entertainment
Science & Technology
Culture & Art
Hobbies
Merry Christmas / Happy Holidays from Fictionophile | Fictionophile
We are having a very white holiday season in Nova Scotia this year. Lots on the ground and more scheduled over the next 24 hours. I hope you all have a safe and happy holiday season. Thought you might like to see a photo of my darling grandsons playing in the snow yesterday...
“One Day in December” by Josie Silver – #Audiobookreview @BOTLibrary @RandmHouseAudio #OneDayInDecember @LibbyApp | Fictionophile
narrated by Eleanor Tomlinson and Charlie Anson What an unusual romance. It started out as a typical 'meet cute' story and evolved into a complicated and frustrating saga of missed chances, poor timing, and life mistakes. A book of friendship, especially female friendship, this novel tests the loyalty and self-sacrifice required to be a true…
“The Sea House” by Louise Douglas – Book Review @BoldwoodBooks #BoldwoodBloggers @LouiseDouglas3 #TheSeaHouse #BookReview | Fictionophile
To me, this novel seemed to be a book of two parts. The first part was quite a slow-paced women's fiction/mystery. The second part turned into a dark thriller with some disturbing scenes. Mila Shepherd is engaged to Luke, who lives in England, yet now they are living apart due to the fact that her…
“Christmas at a Highland Castle” by Rachel Barnett – Book Review @emblabooks #FestiveRead #ChristmasAtAHighlandCastle @Laura_R_Leeson #BookReview | Fictionophile
Jess grew up in the foster system, never really putting down any roots, until she met her foster mother whom she calls Aunt Vivi. Vivi owns an agency that places housekeeping staff with employers. Though Jess has aspirations to be a singer, singing gigs are hard to come by, so she takes a placement as…
“Beneath the Poet’s House” by Christa Carmen – Book Review @AmazonPub @christaqua #BeneathThePoetsHouse #BookReview | Fictionophile
Set in Providence, Rhode Island, "Under the Poet's House" introduces the reader to the rich literary history of the city. Home to no less than twenty libraries, Providence is also the home of Brown University, an Ivy League college - and coincidentally, the alma mater of our protagonist, Saoirse (pronounced Sur-Sha) White. Saoirse moves back…
“Dune House” by Eunice Mays Boyd with Elizabeth Reed Aden – Book Review @levelbestbooks #VintageMystery #DuneHouse #BookReview #HistoricalMystery | Fictionophile
It has been some time since I've read vintage mystery fiction. "Dune House" reacquainted me with it, while reminding me of some of the great writers of times past. Lark Williams was a young, fairly naive woman in her twenties. She works as a stenographer in a San Francisco law firm in the late 1940s.…
“Murder Road” by Simone St. James – #AudiobookReview @BOTLibrary @simonie_James #MurderRoad | Fictionophile
Several years ago I read "The Broken Girls" by Simon St. James and since I thoroughly enjoyed that one, I decided to give her latest novel a go. The characterization was just as sharply rendered, and the scenes vividly portrayed. In other words, the writing was top notch. April and Eddie are madly in love,…
“The Lost Ticket” by Freya Sampson – #AudiobookReview @BOTLibrary #TheLostTicket @PRHAudio | Fictionophile
If you are looking for a touching and uplifting read, then you need look no further. This is a dual timeline novel that touches upon themes of aging, betrayal, found family, and kismet. In 1962 Frank meets a beautiful red-headed artist on the 88 bus. They have an instant rapport and she gives him her…
“Trouble Island” by Sharon Short – Book Review @MinotaurBooks @StMartinsPress #TroubleIsland #BookReview | Fictionophile
In Lake Erie, a watery border between Canada and the United States, lies Trouble Island. The forty-six acre island was a stopping place for escaped slaves and military runaways fleeing the states enroute to Canada during the Civil War. Like all islands, it has seen its fair share of storms. We join the residents of…
Cover Love: part 119 – Wallpaper #Fictionophile #BookCovers #CoverLove | Fictionophile
They say you can never have a second chance to make a good first impression. A book’s cover does just that – gives a first impression. A good cover can make a reader pick up a book. A bad cover can leave the book at the very bottom of a dusty pile. The covers of…
“A Christmas Murder” by Mary Grand – #AudiobookReview @BoldwoodBooks #AChristmasMurder @authormaryg @KarenCassAudio | Fictionophile
If you enjoy a 'locked-room' type mystery, then this might just be your perfect read for the holiday season. With a limited number of characters suspects, the novel is set on the Isle of Wight during an unusual snow storm. The characters are all staying in a luxurious manor house hotel. The protagonist, Susan, has…
“Thunder Bay” by Douglas Skelton – Book Review @skyhorsepub @DouglasSkelton1 #ThunderBay #RebeccaConnollySeries #ArcadeCrimewise #BookReview #CrimeThriller | Fictionophile
If, like me, you are a fan of dark crime thrillers, then you need look no farther. "Thunder Bay" was recommended to me by fellow bookbloggers and I have to say, they were spot on in their recommendations! A compelling, all engrossing, and sometimes bleak crime thriller that is the first in a series -…
“The Haunting of Hecate Cavendish” by Paula Brackston – Book Review @StMartinsPress #TheHauntingOfHecateCavendish #BookReview | Fictionophile
The setting and the fact that Hecate was an assistant librarian are the factors that caused me to choose to read this novel. I loved the old cathedral with its chained library. (still in existence today!) However, after reading more than half of the novel, the fantasy aspect became too much for me. As many…
“The Murders In Great Diddling” by Katarina Bivald – #AudiobookReview @Dreamscapeaudio @katarinabivald @HelenLloydAudio | Fictionophile
With a definite Agatha Christie like feel, "The Murders in Great Diddling" was an enjoyable cozy mystery which will be particularly loved by bibliophiles. Swedish author, Berit Gardner, lives in the tiny Cornish village of Great Diddling. Currently she is suffering from writer's block and for the most part, she keeps herself to herself.. Her…
Fictionophile’s NOVEMBER 2024 Reading Wrap-Up #bookblogger #MonthlyWrapUp #Fictionophile #NovemberReads | Fictionophile
November by the numbers: Total titles read: 20 four of which were audiobooks Published recently: 11 Backlist titles: 9 Five star reads: 5 Blog Tours 2 Books that are part of a series: 7 Audiobooks 4 Goodreads challenge: 135/120 (113%) - Challenge Complete! GR NetGalley challenge: Completed 65/50 (130%) GR Edelweiss challenge: Completed 33/25 (132%)…
Fictionophile’s NOVEMBER 2024 #BookHaul #Bookbloggers #ForthcomingTitles #TBR #AnticipatedReads | Fictionophile
This month I added 4 new review commitments to my TBR mountain. I requested TWO titles from NetGalley. Temptation won me over... I was sent an invitation on Edelweiss for one title, and I was invited to read one title for participation in an Orenda blog tour hosted by Anne Cater. (All book descriptions are…
“Dark as Night” by Lilja Sigurðardóttir – Book Review @OrendaBooks #DarkAsNight @lilja1972 #BookReview #IcelandNoir | Fictionophile
An Áróra Investigation series - Book 4 Áróra, who once lived in Edinburgh, is a financial investigator, though to make her life simpler she tells everyone she is an accountant. She now lives in a flat in Iceland to facilitate her search for her sister. She frequents a nearby gym where she lifts weights. In…
“Sandwich” by Catherine Newman – #AudiobookReview @HarperAudio #SandwichNovel | Fictionophile
I wasn't at all sure what this novel would be like. Though I didn't find it 'hilarious' as the blurb implies, it did evoke several smiles and even a tear toward the end. The narrator of this novel is Rachel, nicknamed Rocky, a fifty-four year old woman who is happily married and has two adult…
“Broken Promise” by Linwood Barclay – Book Review @BerkleyPub @doubledayca @linwood_barclay #BrokenPromise #PromiseFalls #BookReview #BacklistReview | Fictionophile
Promise Falls, in upstate New York, is the epitome of small towns everywhere. Though it might look quite idyllic in appearance, there is a lot going on behind the doors of the homes within its boundaries. And... there is a lot going on in Promise Falls. I mean, a lot! Also, there are a lot…
“Into Deadly Storms” by Judi Daykin – Book Review @JoffeBooks #IntoDeadlyStorms #BookReview | Fictionophile
Detective Sergeant Sara Hirst is a city girl. Single, in her mid-thirties, she has recently moved to Norfolk from her position with the London Metropolitan Police. Her reasons for the move were two-fold. She wanted to find her birth-father (who worked as a policeman in the area), and she wanted to live on her own…
“My Last Continent” by Midge Raymond – Book Review @ScribnerBooks @simonschuster #MyLastContinent @MidgeRaymond #BookReview #BacklistReview | Fictionophile
Told from the point of view of Deb Gardner, this novel is a double-fold love story, love of a man, and the love of Antarctica. Deb works for the APP, the Antarctic Penguin Project. She is doing research into the Emperor and Adélie penguins. Deb is a loner who enjoys the solitude and darkness of…
“Victim” by Thomas Enger and Jørn Lier Horst – Book Review @OrendaBooks #Victim #BlixAndRamm @LierHorst @EngerThomas #NordicNoir @RandomTTours #BlogTour #BookReview | Fictionophile
translated from the Norwegian by Megan Turney This police procedural, set in Oslo, Norway, is the fifth to feature policeman Alexander Blix and blogger/journalist Emma Ramm. Blix is in his late forties and was a Detective Chief Inspector of the Homicide division of the Oslo police. Shortly after his career began he was involved in…
“And There He Kept Her” by Joshua Moehling – #AudiobookReview @Dreamscapeaudio #BenPackardSeries #RuralNoir | Fictionophile
A while back, I downloaded a book from NetGalley not realizing that it was number two in a series. I wanted to read this one first, in preparation for the second. Luckily, it was available via my local public library's Hoopla app. The foreboding cover is very apt for this 'Fargo'esque' rural noir novel set…
“Yule Island” by Johana Gustawsson – Book Review #BlogTour @OrendaBooks @JoGustawsson #YuleIsland @givemeawave #LidingöMysteries #BookReview | Fictionophile
I am re-posting my review of this novel to celebrate the UK paperback publication on November 21, 2024 (The Lidingö Mysteries #1) "Anger is just sadness that's been hardened by time." Permeated with a sense of overwhelming melancholy, I was not sure what to make of this novel at first. There were many characters…
“My Darling Boy” by Helen Cooper – Book Review @HodderBooks #MyDarlingBoy @HelenCooper85 #BookReview | Fictionophile
This is my fourth Helen Cooper thriller. By now, I have very high expectations of her work, and so far she hasn't disappointed me. Best friends Alice and Chrissy live in a tiny Derbyshire village. Chrissy owns the village pub. They both have sons who are very close in age, who have grown up together…
“The Nature of Fragile Things” by Susan Meissner – Book Review @BerkleyPub #TheNatureOfFragileThings @SusanMeissner #HistoricalFiction #BookReview | Fictionophile
"A novel about the bonds of friendship and mother love, and the power of female solidarity, all set against the backdrop of the great 1906 San Francisco earthquake." The only regret that I have about reading this novel is that I did not do so sooner. I enjoyed it SO much in fact, that it…
“The Party” by Tessa Hadley – Review @JonathanCape @PenguinUKBooks #NovNov24 #TheParty @RandomTTours #TessaHadley #Novella #BookReview | Fictionophile
In this irresistible novella of two young women coming of age, Tessa Hadley explores the ever-changing desires, the sudden revelations and the lasting mysteries that are bound up with who we are, and who we might become. Having never read anything by Tessa Hadley, I really didn't know what to expect. What I found was…
“The Home” by Sarah Stovell – Book Review @OrendaBooks #SarahStovell #TheHome #BookReview | Fictionophile
Set in a children's residential care home in the Lake District of England, this novel was the intense and disturbing story of three very damaged teenage girls. Girls who have suffered unimaginably in their short lives. Helen, the director of the home, recently announced that the home will soon be closed due to lack of…
“The Secret of the Brighton House” by Cathy Hayward – Book Review @CathyHayward7 #WomensFiction #TheSecretOfTheBrightonHouse #BookReview | Fictionophile
Though the cover of this novel has a slight thriller vibe, make no mistake, this is not a thriller. The novel was about two young women, both pregnant, a generation apart. Some of the scenes in the book were traumatic to read. Grace and her husband Mike were so very excited to be expecting a…
“The Truth About Melody Browne” by Lisa Jewell – Book Review @AtriaBooks @simonschuster #TheTruthAboutMelodyBrowne @lisajewelluk #BookReview #Backlist | Fictionophile
I have read all of Lisa Jewell's recent thrillers, but they did not prepare me for this backlist title (first published in 2009), which is more women's fiction than thriller - though it does have a mystery at its core. The mystery? What happened to Melody that she has no memory of her childhood years?…
“The Fury” by Alex Michaelides – #AudiobookReview @CeladonBooks @MacmillanAudio @AlexMichaelides #TheFury #BookReview | Fictionophile
This novel was written in such a way that the narrator is speaking directly to the reader. For this reason it really lent itself to the audiobook format. Told from the point of view of playwright Elliot Chase, the novel is riddled with serpentine twists and red herrings and has the feel of an…
“Mrs. McPhealy’s American” by Claire R. McDougall -Book Review @Kilmartin1978 #SibyllinePress #BookReview | Fictionophile
I was transported to Argyll, Scotland in this charming and often humorous novel. Mrs. McPhealey - a sixty-five year old widow who has lived in Argyll all of her life. She is a fastidious housekeeper, a staunch church goer, and a traditionalist. At first she is quite accepting of her new lodger from America, then…
“The Family” by Louise Jensen – BookReview @GrandCentralPub @HachetteBooks @Fab_fiction #TheFamily #BookReview #BacklistReview | Fictionophile
I am a huge fan of Louise Jensen so I cannot imagine how this one slipped into backlist territory... If you, like me, adore books that delve into family secrets, then you might just love this twisty thriller. Laura has just lost her husband to a tragic accidental fall. Now, with the insurance held up,…
“The Inhabitants” by Beth Castrodale – Book Review @RegalHouse1 @BethCastrodale #ModernGothic #TheInhabitants #BookReview | Fictionophile
"Belief creates the actual fact" It is a dream come true. Inheriting an old Victorian house - and the timing is perfect. Single mother, Nilda Ricci, has left her partner Clay, the father of her daughter. Also, Nilda is still grieving for her mother who has recently died. She moves out of their Boston apartment…
“The House Keeper” by Valerie Keogh – Book Review @BoldwoodBooks @ValerieKeogh1 #TheHouseKeeper #BookReview | Fictionophile
Six months after the tragic automobile accident that claimed the life of her husband, Cassie makes a clean break from her life in London. She buys an almost derelict house in the country, thinking she can use her husband's life insurance money to renovate it. She plans to open a B&B. After her arrival at…
Fictionophile’s OCTOBER 2024 Reading Wrap-Up #bookblogger #MonthlyWrapUp #Fictionophile #OctoberReads #Spooktober | Fictionophile
October by the numbers: Total titles read: 20 (a personal best!) four of which were audiobooks Published recently: 6 Backlist titles: 14 Five star reads: 3 Blog Tours 1 Books that are part of a series: 5 Audiobooks 4 Goodreads challenge: 116/120 (97%) - 17 books ahead of schedule! GR NetGalley challenge: Completed 59/50 (118%)…
“A Cut for a Cut” by Carol Wyer – Book Review @AmazonPub @carolewyer #ACutForACut #DIKateYoungSeries #BookReview #PoliceProcedural | Fictionophile
D.I. Kate Young - is in her mid-thirties and heads a specialized crime unit for the Staffordshire Police based in Stoke-On-Trent. Earlier, Kate underwent a very traumatic experience when a gunman opened fire in a train resulting in many casualties, one of them her beloved husband, Chris. After being off work after suffering a breakdown,…
Fictionophile’s OCTOBER 2024 #BookHaul #Bookbloggers #ForthcomingTitles #TBR #AnticipatedReads | Fictionophile
This month I added 9 new review commitments to my TBR mountain. Two were publisher widgets sent to me that I couldn't resist ; Two were 'Read Now' titles; and I requested FIVE titles. Temptation won me over... (All book descriptions are linked to Goodreads.) I received three of these titles from NetGalley. This was…
“Fatal Intent” by Tammy Euliano – Book Review @oceanviewpub #MedicalThriller #FatalIntent #BookReview @Teuliano | Fictionophile
Anyone who enjoys television medical dramas will surely relish this medical thriller, the first in a promised series. The protagonist, Dr. Kate Downey, is a doctor with heart that is very easy to like and relate to. Her life has not been easy. Her beloved husband, Greg, is in a comatose state after an accident.…
“The Woods Are Waiting” by Katherine Greene – #AudiobookReview @Dreamscapeaudio @authorkgreene #TheWoodsAreWaiting @AngiesVoice | Fictionophile
Set in the remote fictional town of Blue Cliff, Virginia, this novel is steeped in Appalachian legends and superstitions. When you're brought up in such a town, the superstitions and beliefs are ingrained in the psyche. For Cheyenne Ashby, the town felt stifling and dangerous. Despite her love for her widowed mother, her best friend…