What I have read this second week of November…….#onceuponariver #theshadowswehide #watchingyou #thebookofm @dianesetterfield1 @aeskens @lisajewellofficial @pnegsheppard

   Happy beautiful Saturday one and all. Hoping you had a tremendously wonderful week and are getting prepared for turkey day. Here are the books I was able to read this week. I had one five star read and lots of wonderful four star reads as well. I had one that I abandoned sadly.

 

  My one and only five star book was the ethereal and magical Once Upon A River. It was written in such beautiful language with everything this reader loves, magic, mystery, romance, secrecy, folklore, and ghostly. I relished it, and even though it is a long book, it was one that was hard to put aside. From my review, “I absolutely loved this atmospheric tale of love, loss and what happens in the in between. Having read and loved Diane Setterfield’s The Thirteenth Tale, I was ever so anxious to read this one. I was not disappointed as Ms Setterfield wove a tale that was magical, atmospheric, and otherworldly. It managed to entrance me and pull me into its mystical yet eerie presence. I definitely recommend this story if you love books that build upon the spiritualistic and the imaginary nature of all tales handed down through the years.”

Having loved Allen Esken’s The Life We Bury, I was more than anxious to get a go on The Shadows We Hide. Mr Eskens did not disappoint as we followed the continuing adventures of Joe Talbot, his brother, mother, and Lila. Definitely pick this one up especially of you have met Joe Talbot before. From my review, “Mr Eskens presents us with an easy to read story, one where the characters are fessed out so well, and we come to know them as the two sides of a human coin. There are a lot of things Joe needs to settle in his life. but he seems up to the task using cunning and a wonderful moral sense in his dealings with all. He is the type of character you would like to be friends with. Life does offer twists and turns and Joe and his family tackle them with aplomb and surety.”

   Lisa Jewell had me going with my next four star read entitled Watching You. It contained a number of twists and turns and that ending…well..that was something else. From my review, “Tom Fitzwilliam is the charismatic handsome headmaster of a school in Bristol. He has a reputation as a teacher who is able to fix things, get schools on the right track and attain the respect and adoration of parents (especially the women) and students especially the young girls. Tom and his family have moved many times as Tom’s achievements rack up in school after school. Tom his wife, Nicola, and son, Freddie, an odd young man, has a penchant for picture taking, binocular viewing, and keeping both eyes glued on his neighbors especially the women.”

   The Book of M was a scary read for me. It made me reflect on what I or for that matter anyone else would be without our memory. Who are we without the things, the memories in our life, that make us who we are. A definite thought provoking book that I recommend. From my review, “It’s the day of the festival of Lost Shadows and a young man loses his shadow in an Indian market. And then others do as well as this phenomena travels the world. And then the horrendous happens, for in losing one’s shadow, one loses their memory. It is frightening and eerie signifying the death of a world we all live in. How does one survive without a memory, without knowing who or what you are, without being able to read, without knowing a loved one, a friend, a foe, or even yourself? Combining mysticism, folklore, and originality Ms Shepard has created a harrowing look at what could be if we lost our awareness.”

I did give up on one book unfortunately. The Race To Save The Romanovs had just too much going on for me. I was hoping there would be more about the family. However, this book was dedicated more to the various ways that were possibly made to save the family.

There they are, the book of the week for me. None too shabby at all! Hope you all had excellent books to spend some valuable hours with this week. What did you read this week? Are you read for turkey day?

“That’s the thing about books. They let you travel without moving your feet.” Jhumpa Lahiri