Wednesday, May 20, 2015

Chateau of Secrets by Melanie Dobson

Hello Bookworms!
          I have a new review today! I recently won Chateau of Secrets by Melanie Dobson in a Goodreads Giveaway ( if you don't have a Goodreads account and you love to read, consider getting a Goodreads account. Its free, there are quizzes, polls, you can track your reading and set goals, book recommendations, and LOADS of easy entry giveaways!!) I read Chateau of Secrets and now I'd like to discuss it with you! Here we go!


Summary
        a young woman is hurtling down a path that she isn't entirely sure about. She is engaged to a man who she thinks loves her, though he seems to be having trouble showing that love lately, and she is about to leave a career she loves to follow her soon-to-be husband down the campaign trail. She could be the wife of the city's youngest mayor soon. But when an invitation to return to her family's old Chateau in France and do an interview comes, all of her plans may change.


1940's France
         Gisele is a well born French woman who loves her life at the Chateau. She lives with her father and brother (who is supposed to be with the military preparing to fight Hitler and his army). She is constantly fending off marriage proposals from her devious cousin, but all in all she cannot complain. Except that she is hiding a secret.
           Life gets much more complicated when the Nazi's take over her hometown and eventually, her home. Hiding a jewish child in plain sight is much harder when the Nazi's are under your roof. It is a dangerous time for Gisele and everyone she had held dear all these years. No one knows who will survive and who will not. How will Gisele ever survive the Nazi occupation with her life, her safety, and her sanity in tact? Can she?


           Read as these two women's journeys run side by side and both of them find strength they didn't know they had.


Review
        Readers, I am in love with Chateau of Secrets! My only regret was that I didn't read it sooner. But even that wasn't so much of a regret as I ended up reading it in time for the 70th anniversary of VE Day when the Germans were officially defeated in World War II. It was a wonderful way to celebrate the anniversary of such a historical and life changing event.
          Chateau of Secrets is a thrill ride from start to finish. I confess that I was so engrossed in the novel it only took me 3-4 days to finish it. I was sad to see it come to an end. Chateau of Secrets is going to be one of those books that will always put a smile on my face when I see it on a shelf because of the pleasant memories of reading such an amazing journey.
           The imagery is beautiful, the story is faced paced and the suspense at times is heart-stopping. The love stories included are beautiful. There's something for everyone. The characters are so real I felt like I was reading a real life account rather than a historical fiction novel. I HIGHLY recommend that as many as will read Chateau of Secrets by Melanie Dobson and recommend it to your friends. It would make a great gift for history buffs and the reading obsessed alike.


Buy Chateau of Secrets


Until next time,
               Lizzie <3

Thursday, May 14, 2015

The Man with the Twisted Lip - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle


Hello Bookworms,

            I’m back with another of the Sherlock Holmes short stories that I am reading through. This time I want to talk about The Man with the Twisted Lip by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Summary

            A young woman is stressed by the disappearance of her husband. Her husband is an upstanding citizen who loves her dearly, but when she sees him yelling from the window of a street where he shouldn’t be and then he doesn’t come home, the young woman fears the worst. To clear the matter up she has contacted Sherlock Holmes. Sherlock knows of a homeless man who can answer a lot of questions. Can Sherlock find this man and make him talk? Is it too late for the woman’s husband?

Review

            Oh my gosh readers! To read this story right behind The Five Orange Pips was just mind blowing! Once again, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s writing kept my mind engaged and kept me guessing right up to the end! I think that readers will thoroughly enjoy The Man with the Twisted Lip.
              A word of caution to parents who are helping their children through the Sherlock Holmes stories, know that a large portion of The Man with the Twisted Lip takes place in an opium den and there is quite a bit of talk about people using opium including Sherlock Holmes himself. It may not be one that you want to read to the kiddies just yet.



Links to the books I’m Using:

I am currently using two different published collections of Sherlock Holmes stories. Both of these collections can be found on Amazon for under $10 each. I have described and provided links to each below:
Currently I am reading The Original Illustrated Sherlock Holmes because they are published as they might have been seen the The Strand with Sidney Paget's original illustrations. You can find that here:
To fill in the gaps of stories that the first book left out, I bought The Complete Sherlock Holmes: a lovely two-volume box set that has all of the short stories and all 4 novels, but no illustrations. You can find it here:

 

 Either set would be a wonderful addition to your collection of books and with both being so inexpensive, why not get both? ;)

 

Until Next Time,

            Lizzie <3