The Good Reader: Books & Reading

Showing posts with label Books & Reading. Show all posts

Friday, September 11, 2026

Book Review: The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Vol. 1 by Beth Brower (The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion #1)

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion, Vol. 1 by Beth Brower
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

(4 ½ stars) Set in 1883 London, a young Emma M. Lion has moved into her family’s house in the St. Crispian’s neighborhood. We gradually meet the quirky characters: her spiteful cousin Archibald who banishes Emma to the 5th floor garret, cousin and good friend Arabella, aunt Eugenia Spencer, housekeeper and cook Agnes, and evil Aunt Matilde. Lapis Lazuli is the house previously owned by her father, which he left to Archibald until Emma turns 21 years old. Archibald has taken advantage of the situation and has frittered away the entire fortune, leaving Emma penniless.

Mysteries abound – who exactly is Maxwell, why does Cousin Archibald hate Emma, what is the scandal of the Incident which lead to the Scar, and more!

I raced through this charming book but kept telling myself to slow down so I could savor the descriptions of the time, the place, and Emma’s perspective on the world. She has a perpetually cheerful outlook despite everything, and appreciates the humor in every situation. To be expected, there is a lot of tea drinking in her journal, and she adores books and reading – a woman after my own heart! It’s a very quick read – only 107 pages. I will definitely be reading more of this 8-volume set!

Read more of my reviews at https://thegoodreader13.blogspot.com/.

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Tuesday, June 30, 2026

Book Review: The Summer Girlfriend by Kristina Forest (Heart Beach #1)

The Summer Girlfriend by Kristina Forest
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Set primarily in the fictional New Jersey Heart Beach, Noelle and Jeremiah are 'fake dating.' Noelle has been laid off from one of her jobs and needs to save money for her fall tuition. Jeremiah is avoiding his family and their summer beach house by saying he's spending time with his new girlfriend. Noelle and Jeremiah meet cute and he asks if she would stand in as a his girlfriend in exchange for tuition money. It's no surprise that they start falling for each other throughout the summer.

This is the perfect summer beach read -- after all it's set at a beautiful summer beach house on the Jersey shore and involves three generations of Jeremiah's wonderful family. There's the boardwalk, the beach, hang gliding, boating, pools, summer food, books, desserts, and more! This was on the 2026 Modern Mrs. Darcy Summer Reading Guide under the category of Seaside Stories. Take my advice and read it this summer; you won't regret immersing yourself in Noelle and Jeremiah's summer romance!

Read more of my reviews at https://thegoodreader13.blogspot.com/.

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Thursday, June 25, 2026

Book Review: The Astral Library by Kate Quinn

The Astral Library by Kate Quinn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Alexandria Watson - Alix - is down on her luck. She was fired from one of her three part-time jobs, her debit card was declined at the grocery store, and her roommate gave her one week to move out and find somewhere else to live. She visits her manager at the Boston Public Library to see if she can get more hours to work, but was unsuccessful. Frustrated, she goes through one of the BPL Reading Room doors only to discover that she has been transported to the Astral Library and her life is about to change!

This book is a fantastic immersion for the reader into the magical world of books! If you are in love with books, reading, book worlds, libraries, and librarians, then this book is for you! It's full of magical realism; set aside your real world expectations and get transported into various books.

What I loved about this book: the descriptions of the book worlds, the various period costumes, the elegant vocabulary (I wished I was reading the ebook instead so I could easily look up many of those unfamiliar words), the patterned edges of the book, the book's end pages. The author also mentions Henry Ford Centennial Library (in Dearborn, not Detroit as mentioned in the book); I worked at this library as one of my first library jobs!

What I didn't like about this book: the heavy handed overtones of The Library Board and many of the library detractors; it often felt like I was being lectured to. The middle section of the book got bogged down with going back and forth to many other books without any real destination or goal. Also, I have not read many fantasy novels so was not able to fully appreciate all the characters, locations, and authors mentioned.

"Have you ever wanted to live inside a book?" If so, then you will definitely enjoy reading this book!

Read more of my reviews at https://thegoodreader13.blogspot.com/.

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Friday, June 12, 2026

Book Review: The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz (The Book Series #1)

The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Jake is a young novelist whose first novel was an astounding success. Since then he's published another novel which was not as well received. He is working part-time in Vermont teaching writing to students in an MFA program, where he meets Evan, a smug and pretentious student who claims to have an idea for a book sure to be a huge success.

Fast forward three years. Jake is still struggling to write and has started working as a freelance editor for other writers. He remembers Evan's boasts, looks for his published book only to discover that he died soon after the MFA program. Predictably Jake takes the broad story line, writes the book, and publishes it to huge success. (I don't think this is too much of a spoiler -- it's included in the book blurb.)

What follows is an incredible ride for the reader, following Jake in his successes and failures, including the haunting emails and letters from the supposed real author. This is a fast-paced, page-turning thriller, with plot twists and turns throughout. We get a look inside at both the publishing industry and the life of an author. It's also a 'book within a book' because chapters of the book written by Jake are interspersed throughout.

This is the second time that I've read this book; this time it was for one of my book clubs (discussion tonight!). Once again I'm giving it five stars and highly recommend it to anyone interested in books, authors, publishing, and wonderful suspenseful thrillers! It will keep you glued to the pages until the very end!

Read more of my reviews at https://thegoodreader13.blogspot.com/.

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Saturday, May 30, 2026

Book Review: Yellowface by R.F. Kuang

Yellowface by R.F. Kuang
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

(4 1/2 stars) June Hayward and Athena Liu are both young novelists who meet at Yale. They both end up in Washington, D.C. and become the kind of friends who do things together but are not very close. I don't think it's a spoiler to indicate that Athena dies in a freak accident and June steals the manuscript that she has just completed (this all happens in the first chapter and is included in the book blurb). June researches and re-writes much of the manuscript, publishing it as her own without attribution to Athena. The book is wildly successful, prompting fame, fortune and book tours for June.

This book gives the reader an inside peek at the publishing industry: agents, editors, marketing, and the role of social media. It is incredibly fast paced and quite a page turner. There are twists and turns in June's life after the publication of this book and it shows the life of an author in the spotlight. There are themes of plagiarism, racism, and competition, as well as comparing yourself to others when you are lacking the success you think you deserve. None of the characters are very likable, but that didn't stop me from devouring the book. R.F. Kuang indicated that the book is meant to be read in one sitting, which I agree with. This book is highly recommended!!

It's very interesting that I read this book for one of my book clubs, and read The Plot by Jean Hanff Korelitz for another one of my book clubs - both book clubs meeting this week! While both discuss plagiarism, one is the theft of an idea (The Plot) and the other is a stolen manuscript (Yellowface). For more information and analysis of Yellowface, read the reviews on Goodreads - they are the most extensive and informative reviews I have ever seen!

Read more of my reviews at https://thegoodreader13.blogspot.com/.

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Monday, March 9, 2026

Book Review: Every Day I Read: 53 Ways to Get Closer to Books by Hwang Bo-Reum; translated by Shanna Tan

Every Day I Read: 53 Ways to Get Closer to Books by Hwang Bo-Reum
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is a charming book, written originally by Hwang Bo-Reum in Korean and translated to English by Shanna Tan. There are 53 chapters, each about three pages long. She covers a lot of bookish and reading subjects in these 215 pages -- how to start reading again, how to select books (read small books, read big books, read bestsellers), how to track books (keep a reading list, organize your bookcase), and much much more!

It's very easy to read just one essay at a time, then pick it up again later to read another essay. In fact, the author and publisher originally bundled a weekly planner with each book, intending the reader to read one essay a week over the course of a year.

I would recommend this book for anyone who loves books and reading! This is the first book that she has written, but has subsequently Welcome to the Hyunam-Dong Bookshop. This book is about a young very stressed woman who quits her job, divorces her husband, moves to a small neighborhood and opens a bookstore. It's definitely on the short list of books that I would like to read this year! https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/133938826-welcome-to-the-hyunam-dong-bookshop

Read more of my reviews at https://thegoodreader13.blogspot.com/.

View all my reviews