News
Entertainment
Science & Technology
Life
Culture & Art
Hobbies
News
Entertainment
Science & Technology
Culture & Art
Hobbies
- home
›- The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog
›- Books & Literature
The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog - Books & Literature
14 | Follower
TCL’s Can’t-Wait Wednesday & #WoW – Waiting on Wednesday #5 – Oh, My Grace! – The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog
Can't-Wait Wednesday is a weekly meme hosted by Wishful Endings, to spotlight and discuss the books we're excited about that we have yet to read. Generally they're books that have yet to be released. It's based on Waiting on Wednesday, hosted by the fabulous Jill at Breaking the Spine. Waiting on Wednesday is a weekly event…
Serving Up the Healing Words. – The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog
Book Review for “Soyangri Book Kitchen” by Kim Jee-hye, (Shanna Tan - Translator). Summary: "With good books, good food and companionship, the Book Kitchen fills people's tired souls. Yoojin, who grew up in Seoul, opened the Book Kitchen by chance in Soyangri, a village two hours from Seoul by car. The Book Kitchen functions as…
TCL’s #6Degrees of Separation for October 4, 2025. – The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog
From "I Want Everything" by Dominic Amerena, to "The Last Lifeboat" by Hazel Gaynor. This is a monthly link-up hosted by Kate at Books Are My Favourite and Best. Each month a book is chosen as a starting point and linked to six other books to form a chain. A book doesn’t need to be…
TCL’s #ThrowbackThursday and #LinkParty #68 – October 2-November 5, 2025. – The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog
What is Throwback Thursday? I've noticed many of these memes on a few book blogs. For example, Susan Loves Books does one, which is (or was originally) hosted by Renee@It’s Book Talk. I also noticed that Lorrea @ What 'Cha Readin'?, was doing this as a monthly meme, and Reading Maria does something called "Last…
Announcement: TCL’s #2025NewReleaseChallenge Q4 Link Party OPENS Tomorrow! – The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog
What is New Release Reading Challenge? The New Release Reading Challenge was developed and run by (un)Conventional Bookworms, a book blog run by the talented and beautiful Bookworm Brandee and Linda Tiliagren. They've been hosting this year-long reading challenge for several years, but life has gotten in the way of their continuing. After consulting with…
A TCL #ShortStorySunday post – Also Quin-Essential! – The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog
Review for the second two Short Stories in “The Mysterious Mr. Quin” by Agatha Christie. Goodreads Summary: "A conjurer of skill with an instinct for detection, Mr. Harley Quin has an almost magical flair for appearing at the scene of the most remarkable crimes. But is it just a trick of light that haunts his…
All the Single Ladies (& Gents)! – The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog
Book Review for “Miss Plum and Miss Penny” by Dorothy Evelyn Smith. Summary: "Miss Penny is a middle-aged spinster living a cheerful, contented life, complete with perfect housekeeper, in an idyllic English village. Her romantic life consists of an annual Christmas card from her old flame George, and her social swirl involves Stanley, a prissy…
TCL’s WWW Wednesday #21 – September 24, 2025. – The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog
The WWW Wednesday meme This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and was revived by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words and is a great way to do an update on your reading and plans. I know lots of people do this one every week, but my being such…
TCL’s LetsDiscuss2025 #9 – What’s in MY Name? – The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog
Welcome to another #LetsDiscuss post. This time, the question is a topic that Sorcha Ogle @ Writing About Books came up with this topic, which is: Have you ever read a book with a character with the same name as you? First off: Happy Jewish New Year! Tonight is the first night of the Jewish…
TCL’s Spell the Month in Books #27 – September 2025! – The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog
Reviews From the Stacks Once again, I want to thank Jana and her blog Reviews from the Stacks, who created this fun, monthly book list meme. Now, it is true that Jana runs a link party for this which is supposed to take place on the first Saturday of every month. However, because this month…
Quizzical TXT MSG Mysteries! – The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog
Book Review for “The Killer Question” by Janice Hallett. Summary: "Sue and Mal Eastwood run an isolated rural pub called The Case is Altered where a weekly trivia game has revived its flagging fortunes—that is, until a body is found in the nearby river. Soon after, a mysterious new team arrives and shakes up the…
TCL’s #TopTenTuesday – #ShortStorySeptember – September 16, 2025. – The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog
The topic for my fourth #TTT for 2025 is my own: Short Story Collections! According to Jana's website: "Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl in January of 2018. It was born of a love of lists, a love…
A TCL #ShortStorySunday post – Quin-Essential. – The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog
Review for the first two Short Stories in “The Mysterious Mr. Quin” by Agatha Christie. Goodreads Summary: "A conjurer of skill with an instinct for detection, Mr. Harley Quin has an almost magical flair for appearing at the scene of the most remarkable crimes. But is it just a trick of light that haunts his…
A Battle for the Twist. – The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog
Book Review for “Murder is Easy” by Agatha Christie. Summary: "Luke Fitzwilliam could not believe Miss Pinkerton’s wild allegation that a multiple murderer was at work in the quiet English village of Wychwood – or her speculation that the local doctor was next in line. But within hours, Miss Pinkerton had been killed in a hit-and-run…
TCL’s Shelf Control #23 – Mournfulness? – The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog
Shelf Control is a weekly celebration created by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies, of the unread books on our shelves. Lisa says: "Pick a book you own but haven’t read, write a post about it (suggestions: include what it’s about, why you want to read it, and when you got it), and link up! For more…
Spirits Without Ghosts? – The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog
Book Review for “A Carol for Mrs. Dickens” by Rebecca Connolly. Summary: "By 1851, all of London has fallen in love with A Christmas Carol, heralding Charles Dickens as “the man who invented Christmas.” But for his wife, Catherine, Christmas is less of a reason for celebration and more of a burden. Between hosting lavish…
TCL’s #6Degrees of Separation for September 6, 2025. – The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog
From "Ghost Cities" by Siang Lu, to "The Hebrew Teacher" by Maya Arad. This is a monthly link-up hosted by Kate at Books Are My Favourite and Best. Each month a book is chosen as a starting point and linked to six other books to form a chain. A book doesn’t need to be connected…
TCL’s #ThrowbackThursday and #LinkParty #67 – September 4-October 1, 2025. – The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog
What is Throwback Thursday? I've noticed many of these memes on a few book blogs. For example, Susan Loves Books does one, which is (or was originally) hosted by Renee@It’s Book Talk. I also noticed that Lorrea @ What 'Cha Readin'?, was doing this as a monthly meme, and Reading Maria does something called "Last…
From Filings to Fillings. – The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog
Book Review for “Julia: A Novel Inspired by the Extraordinary Life of Julia Child” by Heather B. Moore. Summary: "On the sunny shores of California, Julia McWilliams is poised to embrace a life of comfort and financial security, with a marriage proposal from a wealthy man to consider. But as World War II erupts in…
TCL’s #RandomBookishThoughts #5 – Well, Actually… – The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog
What are Random Bookish Thoughts? There are many different discussion memes in the book blogosphere, but most of them come up with topics that have some level of a universal appeal to most, if not all, book bloggers or readers. However, sometimes I think of things that I believe are unique to me and my…
Three Love Stories, Actually. – The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog
Book Review for “Atmosphere: A Love Story” by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Summary: "Joan Goodwin has been obsessed with the stars for as long as she can remember. Thoughtful and reserved, Joan is content with her life as a professor of physics and astronomy at Rice University and as aunt to her precocious niece, Frances. That…
TCL’s #T5T – Top Five Tuesday #20 – August 26, 2025 – Freebie on Free Time! – The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog
Top Five Tuesday was originally created by Shanah @ Bionic Book Worm, but is now hosted by Meeghan @ Meeghan Reads. To participate, link your post back to Meeghan's blog or leave a comment on her weekly post. This week, Meeghan gave us a Freebie, so I'm going with: Favorite things I do when I'm…
A TCL #ShortStorySunday post – Three Novellas. – The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog
Book Review for “The Hebrew Teacher: Three Novellas” by Maya Arad (translated by Jessica Cohen). Summary: "Three Israeli women, their lives altered by immigration to the United States, seek to overcome crises. Ilana is a veteran Hebrew instructor at a Midwestern college who has built her life around her career. When a young Hebrew literature…
All Together Now, in Crosby. – The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog
Book Review for “Tell Me Everything” (Amgash #5) by Elizabeth Strout. Summary: "It’s autumn in Maine, and the town lawyer Bob Burgess has become enmeshed in an unfolding murder investigation, defending a lonely, isolated man accused of killing his mother. He has also fallen into a deep and abiding friendship with the acclaimed writer Lucy…
Scary Santa in Seal Bay. – The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog
Book Review for “Mince Pies and Murder” (Morwenna Mutton Mystery #4) by Judy Leigh. Summary: "As Christmas approaches in the Cornish town of Seal Bay, festive cheer fills the air. Sparkling trees and twinkling lights adorn every corner, and Morwenna Mutton, the sharp-witted sexagenarian sleuth, is eagerly counting down the days. But when local author…
TCL’s #LetsDiscuss2025 #8 – Changing Bookish Opinions – #LetsTalkBookish2025 #3. – The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog
This week's #LetsTalkBookish topic is... A Change in Bookish Opinions Disclaimer: These are my personal opinions. I do not expect anyone to agree with anything here, and in fact, I'm certain that many will disagree and/or even hate many of the things I've written below. Sorry about that, but you are always welcome to express…
TCL’s #SomethingDifferent Saturday #25 – Pottery & Kitchen Things! – The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog
Yes, I'm still taking a pottery classes, and still baking my own bread! So, here are some updates on both those fronts. Remember I promised myself I'd do more work on the wheel? So, how's that going? Well, I'm happy to announce that I've had a breakthrough! A couple weeks ago, I was working on…
TCL’s WWW Wednesday #20 – August 20, 2025. – The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog
The WWW Wednesday meme This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and was revived by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words and is a great way to do an update on your reading and plans. I know lots of people do this one every week, but my being such…
TCL’s Spell the Month in Books #26 – August 2025! – The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog
Reviews From the Stacks Once again, I want to thank Jana and her blog Reviews from the Stacks, who created this fun, monthly book list meme. Now, it is true that Jana runs a link party for this which is supposed to take place on the first Saturday of every month. However, as you all…
Teaching Communications. – The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog
Book Review for “Happy New Years” by Maya Arad (translated by Jessica Cohen). Summary: "After emigrating to the United States in the mid-1960s, Leah maintains her connection to Israel by writing an annual letter on the Jewish new year to her old friends from a women's teaching college. Comprising five decades of correspondence, the novel…
Finding Another One of Us. – The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog
Book Review for “My Friends” by Fredrik Backman. Summary: "Most people don’t even notice them—three tiny figures sitting at the end of a long pier in the corner of one of the most famous paintings in the world. Most people think it’s just a depiction of the sea. But Louisa, an aspiring artist herself, knows…
TCL’s Shelf Control #22 – Sorry or Not Sorry? – The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog
Shelf Control is a weekly celebration created by Lisa @ Bookshelf Fantasies, of the unread books on our shelves. Lisa says: "Pick a book you own but haven’t read, write a post about it (suggestions: include what it’s about, why you want to read it, and when you got it), and link up! For more…
Small Town American Scenarios. – The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog
Book Review for “Something to Look Forward To: Fictions” by Fannie Flagg. Summary: "We meet Velma from Kansas, a loving great-grandmother who struggles to bridge the generational divide with her great-grandchild in California. Why, for instance, does her great-grandchild sign letters to Velma with “(they/them)”? We cheer for Helen, in Ithaca, New York, who takes…
TCL’s #6Degrees of Separation for August 2, 2025. – The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog
From "The Safekeep" by Yael Van Der Wouden, to "The Address" by Fiona Davis. This is a monthly link-up hosted by Kate at Books Are My Favourite and Best. Each month a book is chosen as a starting point and linked to six other books to form a chain. A book doesn’t need to be…
TCL’s #ThrowbackThursday and #LinkParty #66 – July 31-August 3, 2025. – The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog
What is Throwback Thursday? I've noticed many of these memes on a few book blogs. For example, Susan Loves Books does one, which is (or was originally) hosted by Renee@It’s Book Talk. I also noticed that Lorrea @ What 'Cha Readin'?, was doing this as a monthly meme, and Reading Maria does something called "Last…
TCL’s #TopTenTuesday – Location, location, location (a week late) – July 29, 2025. – The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog
The topic for my third #TTT for 2025 is actually from last week, but I wanted to do this before #ParisinJuly2025 ends: Books set in/take place during X! According to Jana's website: "Top Ten Tuesday was created by The Broke and the Bookish in June of 2010 and was moved to That Artsy Reader Girl…
TCL’s #CCSpin #41 Book Review – Bond Begins! – The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog
Book Review for “Casino Royale” (James Bond #1) by Ian Fleming. Summary: "British Secret Service agent James Bond, a.k.a. 007, is sent to play in a high-stakes baccarat game in an effort to take down Le Chiffre, a financier for the villainous SMERSH. Things get more complex when Bond is partnered with Vesper Lynd, a…
TCL’s #RandomBookishThoughts #4 – 700! – The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog
What are Random Bookish Thoughts? There are many different discussion memes in the book blogosphere, but most of them come up with topics that have some level of a universal appeal to most, if not all, book bloggers or readers. However, sometimes I think of things that I believe are unique to me and my…
I Resemble That! – The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog
Book Review for “The Portrait” by Antoine Laurain (Translated by Jane Aitken and Emily Boyce). Summary: "Pierre-François Chaumont has promised his wife that he won't spend another centime at the auction house. His collecting habit is out of hand and she refuses to let another antique through the door. With his marriage at stake, he…
TCL’s WWW Wednesday #19 – July 23, 2025. – The Chocolate Lady's Book Review Blog
The WWW Wednesday meme This meme was formerly hosted by MizB at A Daily Rhythm and was revived by Sam @ Taking on a World of Words and is a great way to do an update on your reading and plans. I know lots of people do this one every week, but my being such…