My Favorite Books of 2023 – #eBooks and #Audiobooks

As promised last year and in an effort to streamline the process of picking out a favorite book from the previous year, I chose a monthly favorite in 2023.

More selective with Indie authors, we read and listened to more library books in 2023 than in previous years and the books again include a wide range of genres from #cozyanimalmysteries to #historicalfiction. The big surprise when all tallied out was that I failed both my #historicalfiction challenge as well as the #audiobook challenge which I had been confident in winning.

Links on titles are to my review and pics are links to Amazon (US).

My Favorite Books of 2023

Jan – The Huntress by Kate Quinn. This masterful work carries a sinister, skin-crawling aura of suspense from the first chapter to the triumphal conclusion. With a frenetic pace and a narrator who totally nails each language, it became impossible to multi-task and I just sat down and listened. This one set me on a course to read more by the #KateQuinn and find additional books narrated by #SaskiaMaarleveld.

Feb – Path of Peril by Marlie Parker Wasserman. The first time a standing president departed from the continental United States, the CE was gripped with this novel regarding Rough Rider Theodore Roosevelt taking on the completion of the Panama Canal. A CE review.

Mar – The Rose Code by Kate Quinn. Three very different women are invited to participate in the war efforts in Bletchley Park. The novel is an amazing immersion into 1940 Britain as they stare down the barrel of the impending fight with the Nazis. Also, I greatly enjoyed the epilogue imparting historical details regarding the facility.

Apr – Spare by Prince Harry The Duke of Sussex. A raw memoir told in this audiobook by Harry. He lays it all out from the loss of his mother to his experiences with drugs, alcohol, women, and the military—which I have to say is impressive. I thought it sounded open, honest, and heartfelt. If you haven’t read or listened—perhaps the wait list is gone. Try again.

May – Snapshot by Don Keith and George Wallace. Just a slight misunderstanding of the boundaries of international waters between the US and Russia leads to a tension-filled fictional sea story. The novel presents the ever-present danger of a possible catastrophic response to what appears as aggression. A CE review.

Jun – The Caretaker by Ron Rash. A haunting and thought-provoking literary narrative. Perhaps just a tad slow to create the setting, the characters, and the atmosphere of this small Appalachian town. It’s 1951 and there is still a conscription in the US; boys are still being sent overseas. Some don’t come back. Some who do have changed. This one goes right to the heart.

Jul – Unwrapped by Lynda McDaniel. I love this author’s writing style, generally focused on the Appalachians, this one being a Mountain Christmas Mystery. I really love this series. Great characters, authentic setting, sweet clean domestic stories that always pack a subtle moral. Abit is a great character; innocent, sincere, earnest. He’s not always the sharpest tack, but his heart is on target. Each can be read as a standalone but they all have you coming back for more.

Aug – For All The World by Jean Grainger. A seriously radical departure from the author’s varied Irish family drama series. The storyline begins with three unusual soldiers at the end of WWI and morphs into a traveling troup with unique performance skills. The plot is multi-layered, complex, and compelling.

Sept – The Women by Kristin Hannah. Awesome book! Generation of men and women in “Nam, living the conflict, protests, division of sentiments that only now thanks the veterans for their service. The scenes are so powerful, graphic. The struggle with returning home and the effort of assimilation. I urge my readers to put it on their #TBR lists—St Martin’s Press is releasing on February 6, 2024. Amazon currently notes it as #1 New Release in #FamilyLifeFiction 5+ stars

Oct – The Ghost Orchid by Jonathan Kellerman. An Amazon #1 New Release in Ghost Suspense. A layered investigation in the crime scene of the LA area. The aesthetics and atmosphere, characters, and well-plotted and paced of the storyline is magnetic, compelling. Love that southern California vibe—almost makes me miss my home state.

Nov – The Crossing by Michael Connelly. My audiobook review from the Harry Bosch Series, Book 18. Connelly is combining both Bosch and defense attorney Mickey Haller into a continuation of the series and I love it when they collaborate on a case. Always fast-paced, immersive, intelligent. Also enjoy the courtroom jousting by Haller. For me, an automatic go-to.

Dec – None of This Is True by Lisa Jewell. An Amazon Charts #20 this week. Two women, “birthday twins,” one of whom is not who she appears to be. Toxic relationships, dysfunctional families, well-developed characters. The novel is well-plotted and fast-paced. Love the twists you don’t see coming.

All these monthly favorites garnered five-star reviews from us.

There is a good mix of genres among which are legal thrillers, family dramas, historical fiction, literary fiction, and a memoir. Once again, it would appear that historical fiction is a favorite, so unless I missed counting the category, still not sure why I didn’t score success with that challenge.

Of my favorites in 2023, there are two that stand out: Kate Quinn’s The Huntress and Kristin Hannah’s The Women. (I’d be hard put to name number one.) Did you read or listen to either?

Do any of these grab your interest? Read it already? On your #TBR? Disagree with our reviews? I’d love to know and always welcome your comments!

Coming Soon:
»My Reading Challenges for 2024
»Netflix Series All the Light We Cannot See vs eBook All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

©V Williams

#TuesdayBookBlog

Rosepoint Reviews – August Recap – Dog (or Puppy) Days of Summer

Rosepoint Reviews-August Recap

August is a roll of the dice here, the only thing you can really count on is the humidity.

A good month for the garden though; all of a sudden tons of tomatoes, and I’m thinking salsa! But salsa from little yellow pear tomatoes? They are so sweet! Unfortunately, also a good month for squash, not one of the CE’s favorites, but I haven’t resorted to sneaking any squash on my neighbor’s porches in the dead of night yet. Wasn’t really happy with the frozen results from last year, so yeah, no more squash. Not really good for melons and haven’t made pickles for a while so sticking to short season cool weather crops and starting round two of sugar pod peas and bush beans now.

Last month we were surprised by our daughter bringing us a puppy (though I’d vowed NO PUPPIES), a little female we named Cooper to the brother she kept. A Mini-Aussie/Jack Russell mix—probably a mixed breed only someone younger with more stamina should have even considered. These are high-energy dogs, even as an adult.

Frosty, our Bichon, was laid back, low key, easy and calm. Cooper bounces off the walls and has no off switch. You can’t help but love a puppy, but after a week, I was exhausted and yelling Uncle. As our son had indicated interest, I broached the subject to him and his wife again. They took her. Obvious from the beginning she was smarter than I, also became obvious to everyone else we have one very darling and precocious pup. Cooper While Cooper lives with our son and Mel, we get granddoggy rights and are looking forward to playing, walking, working on tricks and discipline with her—and then sending her home. I miss Frosty so much and our kids were both encouraging us to get another dog. We said no more dogs. Cooper is a handful–but so sweet—and I’m learning it’s great to be a granddog parent.

September will find us happily “on the road again.” (Celebrating another anniversary with our son.) No, not to Texas this time, but September will be an iffy month for reading and reviews. I have a few reviews scheduled, but it will not be a normal, or even, regular schedule. I need some down time and looking forward to riding my bike and playing with our granddog before winter hits.

A diminished month for books (we were busy with puppies!)—we read (or listened to) twelve books in August. These are still predominately from NetGalley as well as my local library with both audiobooks and digital. (As always, links below are to my reviews that include purchase info.)

Rosepoint Reviews - August Recap

The Things We Cannot Say by Kelly Rimmer (audiobook)
Frank’s Shadow by Doug McIntyre (CE review)
Split by Alida Bremer
Sanctuary Motel by Alan Orloff (CE review)
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah (audiobook)
For All The World by Jean Grainger
Devil Makes Three by Ben Fountain (CE review)
Memory Man by David Baldacci (audiobook)
No Mistaking Death by Shelley Costa
Trial By Jury by Stephen Penner (CE review)
White House by the Sea by Kate Storey (audiobook)
The Rotting Whale by Jann Eyrich

These included historical fiction, literary fiction, legal fiction, biographical fiction, crime thrillers, and one new eco-mystery series.

Favorite Book of the Month

I couldn’t help but be caught up in The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah even as the story used a familiar trope but in an Alaska setting. I must issue a bravo, however, to Jean Grainger for her radical writing departure into a new series in which she built a unique “family” who holds no familial ties. I’m looking forward to discovering the path the author takes with these colorful characters.

Book of the Month for August—For All The World by Jean Grainger.

My Reading Challenges page… I have 100 books of a goal of 145 in Goodreads (at this point five books ahead of schedule) and still riding at a 97% feedback ratio in NetGalley. And **BIG** surprise, I’ve caught up the Reading Challenges page and discovered I’m woefully behind in both the audiobook and historical fiction categories. Whaaa? Two of our favs? How’d that happen?

Okay, I’ve had the chance to work on both the Instagram and the Twitter, BIG X, feed. I’m not sure what I did or how it happened, but got both feeds back and thank you for the helpful comments. Still, I’m frosted that there is no longer a free Tweetdeck. You’ll pay for the same privilege of scheduling tweets now and it’ll certainly be a “cold day in ….” before I’d throw my Social Security money at Musk. I see he’s messed with the twitter home page now and you know how we feel about change. Have you signed up? How do you feel about the loss of Tweetdeck? (Not sure who created this super graphic of the tweet bird impaled on the X and I must say it wasn’t I, although I thought it perfect for this discussion.) As for the new Dogecoin logo–I have yet to see it–a Shiba Inu? Huh?! Have you?

Welcome, as always, to my new subscribers and thank you to those who read and comment. I do appreciate you hanging in there with me!

For All The World by Jean Grainger – #BookReview – #TuesdayBookBlog

Rosepoint Rating: Five Stars

Cullen’s Celtic Cabaret – Book 1

Book Blurb:

Dublin, Ireland and Valencia, Spain 1917.

Peter Cullen has no money and no prospects, but he has talent and the will to succeed. All he needs now is luck.

May Gallagher is determined to make her own way in life, even if it means defying her parents’ plans for her.

Nick Gerrity is ready to turn his back on his past and start anew, but his secrets might just catch up with him.

And Aida Gonzales, destitute and alone, discovers an unexpected lifeline in the midst of the carnage of World War I.

Together, as the war to end all wars wipes out an entire generation, these four young people will take a chance to break free of society’s shackles and forge a new future of glamour, glitter, and greasepaint.

My Review:

One thing you know you will get from a Jean Grainger book is disparate characters. But even for Ms Grainger, this is quite the departure from her Irish family dramas which have been captivating and compulsive.

These charismatic characters begin in late WWI with the story of Peter—coveting a role in the theater and grabbing the first one available—but that’s a female role–he’ll dress up. It’s a transgression and embarrassment to his volatile father that results in his ejection from the family. No big loss—his Dublin neighborhood is one of poverty and misery.

Well, fine! He’ll enlist in the military!

Next we are introduced to Nick who is one of several sons in a well-to-do family with an unfortunate stutter. He discovers, however, that with his education he can speak in a foreign language or sing a ballad sweet enough to cause tears without the stutter. But his family? Nope.

Fine! He’ll sneak off and enlist in the military!

Peter is easy going, happy go lucky and doesn’t worry about Nick’s stutter when they discover each other in the trenches of France. Then begins the introduction of additional characters from widely different parts of the world including Enzo—an Italian from London, talented Ramon from Spain and later his dance partner Aida, and Two Soups, a Scotsman and comedian.

As serendipity will happen, they manage to meet up in the ugly circumstances of the final stages of war and discover each other’s talents. An impromptu opportunity to perform is just the beginning. They later go on to entertain their own troops and later the wounded in military hospitals.

It was Peter’s girlfriend May who encouraged Peter to pursue his theatrical goals. She has designs on Peter that he isn’t quite her equally enamored. There are other possible romantic liaisons brewing which we’ll have to wait and read about in the next installment of the new series which is showing a strong start.

I love it when the author takes off in a new direction with a strong series promise. These characters are engaging and the theatre background immersive. I’m anxious to see where this is going with that teaser Epilogue included at the end.

I received a complimentary review copy of this book from the author that in no way influenced this review. These are my honest thoughts. As always, I’m thoroughly intrigued!

Book Details:

Genre: Historical Irish Fiction, Historical British & Irish Literature, Women’s Historical Fiction
ISBN: ‎ 1914958950
ASIN: B0C94MD3H5
Print Length: 284 pages
Publication Date: August 17, 2023
Source: Author
Title Link(s): For All the World [Amazon-US]
Amazon UK

The Author: JEAN GRAINGER – USA TODAY BESTSELLING AUTHOR

SELECTED BY BOOKBUB READERS IN TOP 19 OF HISTORICAL FICTION BOOKS.

WINNER OF THE 2016 AUTHOR’S CIRCLE HISTORICAL NOVEL OF EXCELLENCE

Hello and thanks for taking time out to check out my page. If you’re wondering what you’re getting with my books then think of the late great Maeve Binchy but sometimes with a historical twist. I was born in Cork, Ireland in 1971 and I come from a large family of storytellers, so much so that we had to have ‘The Talking Spoon’, only the person holding the spoon could talk!

I have worked as a history lecturer at University, a teacher of English, History and Drama in secondary school, a playwright, and a tour guide of my beloved Ireland. I am married to the lovely Diarmuid and we have four children. We live in a 200 year old stone cottage in Mid-Cork with my family and the world’s smallest dogs, called Scrappy and Scoobi..

My experiences leading groups, mainly from the United States, led me to write my first novel, ‘The Tour’. My observances of the often funny, sometimes sad but always interesting events on tours fascinated me. People really did confide the most extraordinary things, the safety of strangers I suppose. It’s a fictional story set on a tour bus but many of the characters are based on people I met over the years.

[truncated—please see her full bio on her Amazon author page]

Many of the people who have reviewed my books have said that you get to know the characters and really become attached to them, that’s wonderful for me to hear because that’s how I feel about them too. I grew up on Maeve Binchy and Deirdre Purcell and I aspired to being like them. If you buy one of my books I’m very grateful and I really hope you enjoy it. If you do, or even if you don’t, please take the time to post a review. Writing is a source of constant contentment to me and I am so fortunate to have the time and the inclination to do it, but to read a review written by a reader really does make my day.

Rosepoint recommended