What a clear winner last week brought me! And because I kept 4 the previous week, I kicked the other 5 to the curb – yay me! So which book won hands down, like by a huge landside…..
This will make a few people very happy!!
So what do we have on offer this week?
The Bourbon Kings by J.R Ward (The Bourbon Kings #1)
Blurb
For generations, the Bradford family has worn the mantle of kings of the bourbon capital of the world. Their sustained wealth has afforded them prestige and privilege—as well as a hard-won division of class on their sprawling estate, Easterly. Upstairs, a dynasty that by all appearances plays by the rules of good fortune and good taste. Downstairs, the staff who work tirelessly to maintain the impeccable Bradford facade. And never the twain shall meet. For Lizzie King, Easterly’s head gardener, crossing that divide nearly ruined her life. Falling in love with Tulane, the prodigal son of the bourbon dynasty, was nothing that she intended or wanted—and their bitter breakup only served to prove her instincts were right. Now, after two years of staying away, Tulane is finally coming home again, and he is bringing the past with him. No one will be left unmarked: not Tulane’s beautiful and ruthless wife; not his older brother, whose bitterness and bad blood know no bounds; and especially not the ironfisted Bradford patriarch, a man with few morals, fewer scruples, and many, many terrible secrets. As family tensions—professional and intimately private—ignite, Easterly and all its inhabitants are thrown into the grips of an irrevocable transformation, and only the cunning will survive.
So it is J.R Ward and I am already reading one series, but do I need to start this one!?
So over to you… stay or go?
The Devil Wears Prada by Lauren Weisberger (The Devil Wears Prada #1)
Blurb
Andrea Sachs, a small-town girl fresh out of college, lands the job “a million girls would die for.” Hired as the assistant to Miranda Priestly, the high-profile, fabulously successful editor of “Runway “magazine, Andrea finds herself in an office that shouts “Prada! Armani! Versace!” at every turn, a world populated by impossibly thin, heart-wrenchingly stylish women and beautiful men clad in fine-ribbed turtlenecks and tight leather pants that show off their lifelong dedication to the gym. With breathtaking ease, Miranda can turn each and every one of these hip sophisticates into a scared, whimpering child.
I have read this book before but I want to read book two and three and I do love the movie!
So over to you…stay or go?
Looking for Alaska by John Green
Blurb
Before. Miles “Pudge” Halter is done with his safe life at home. His whole life has been one big non-event, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave “the Great Perhaps” even more (Francois Rabelais, poet). He heads off to the sometimes crazy and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young. She is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart. Then. . . .
After. Nothing is ever the same.
Well it is John Green, he broke me once. I mean it does sound good!
So over to you…stay or go?
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson
Blurb
It is about a London lawyer named John Gabriel Utterson who investigates strange occurrences between his old friend, Dr Henry Jekyll, and the evil Edward Hyde.
So this is a relatively short book but after the let down of the classic “Dracula” can I risk reading this?!
So over to you…stay or go?
The Shoemaker’s Wife by Adriana Trigiani
Blurb
The majestic and haunting beauty of the Italian Alps is the setting of the first meeting of Enza, a practical beauty, and Ciro, a strapping mountain boy, who meet as teenagers, despite growing up in villages just a few miles apart. At the turn of the last century, when Ciro catches the local priest in a scandal, he is banished from his village and sent to hide in America as an apprentice to a shoemaker in Little Italy. Without explanation, he leaves a bereft Enza behind. Soon, Enza’s family faces disaster and she, too, is forced to go to America with her father to secure their future.
Unbeknownst to one another, they both build fledgling lives in America, Ciro masters shoemaking and Enza takes a factory job in Hoboken until fate intervenes and reunites them. But it is too late: Ciro has volunteered to serve in World War I and Enza, determined to forge a life without him, begins her impressive career as a seamstress at the Metropolitan Opera House that will sweep her into the glamorous salons of Manhattan and into the life of the international singing sensation, Enrico Caruso.
From the stately mansions of Carnegie Hill, to the cobblestone streets of Little Italy, over the perilous cliffs of northern Italy, to the white-capped lakes of northern Minnesota, these star-crossed lovers meet and separate, until, finally, the power of their love changes both of their lives forever.
Lush and evocative, told in tantalizing detail and enriched with lovable, unforgettable characters, The Shoemaker’s Wife is a portrait of the times, the places and the people who defined the immigrant experience, claiming their portion of the American dream with ambition and resolve, cutting it to fit their needs like the finest Italian silk.
This riveting historical epic of love and family, war and loss, risk and destiny is the novel Adriana Trigiani was born to write, one inspired by her own family history and the love of tradition that has propelled her body of bestselling novels to international acclaim. Like Lucia, Lucia, The Shoemaker’s Wife defines an era with clarity and splendor, with operatic scope and a vivid cast of characters who will live on in the imaginations of readers for years to come.
There has been something about this book that has drawn me to this book. The book cover is beautiful and it just sounds so intriguing!
So over to you…stay or go?
The Wish List by Jane Costello
Blurb
The Big 3-0 is looming, but there’s so much still to do… The brilliant new novel from the Sunday Times Top 10 bestselling author
There are six months left of Emma Reiss’s twenties. . . and she has some unfinished business.
Emma and her friends are about to turn thirty, and for Emma it’s a defining moment. Defined, that is, by her having achieved none of the things she’d imagined she would.
Her career is all wrong, her love life is a desert and that penthouse apartment she pictured herself in simply never materialised. Moreover, she’s never jumped out of a plane, hasn’t met the man she’s going to marry, has never slept under the stars, or snogged anyone famous – just some of the aspirations on a list she and her friends compiled fifteen years ago.
As an endless round of birthday parties sees Emma hurtle towards her own thirtieth, she sets about addressing these issues. But, as she discovers with hilarious consequences, some of them are trickier to tick off than she’d thought…
So I have read a couple of Jane Costello’s book and enjoyed them. But is it a case of when you have read one you have read them all? Or is she worth saving?
So over to you…stay or go?
So an interesting offering for you today! You will see in the next coming weeks I did a clicking spree on some authors as they pop up quite a lot and I have tried to spread them out over some weeks!
I can not wait to hear what you think!
Until nex time xxx
noveldeelights says
None of these appeal to me. Chuck them all ?
Kelly says
I second that ? I’ve only read Looking for Alaska, but I felt quite let-down by it. I went in with major expectations after The Fault in Our Stars, and I ended up feeling rather meh ? Chuck the lot, Zoé ?
noveldeelights says
High-five!
calturner says
I mostly feel the same as Kelly above. I’d probably give Looking For Alaska a chance, but that’s only because I loved TFIOS so much. None of the others appeal to me at all. x
Zoé says
Loving this week! I love these posts!
Zoé says
?
Zoé says
That’s why I had John Green because TFIOS was epic! Looks like I’m offloading a load! X
Kelly says
It was so totally epic!! Alaska though? Is not!
Zoé says
?? will give it a kiss then lol
nickimags @ The Secret Library Book Blog says
I was thinking the same ???
Zoé says
??? love this!
Zoé says
?? sorted
ljwrites85 says
I’ve tried both Devil wears Prada and Finding Alaska both I couldn’t get past the first few chapters. Personally I say keep Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde. I keep meaning to read it myself if I ever have the time.
Zoé says
See I loved devils wear prada and the film. It’s only short which is why I might keep Jekyll/Hyde! Thanks lovely x
Melanie (TBR and Beyond) says
None of these are for me and I’d really kick Alaska to the curb. It’s too special manic pixie girl for me lol I think I gave it maybe two stars.
Zoé says
Oh wow! Yeah I am getting that feeling to kick it out. I think it’s there because I loved TFIOS so much. Thanks for commenting ❤️
Davida Chazan says
Oh pish… you didn’t keep the Clan of the Cave Bears. GRRR! As for this week… the only one I can comment on is The Devil Wears Prada. The book is okay… fine… but with a somewhat disappointing ending. If you’ve seen the film, they’re almost exactly the same quality – okay… fine… but with a somewhat disappointing ending. As for the R.L. Stevenson – I haven’t read it, but I’d say YES. As for The Shoemaker’s Wife – it does sound interesting (even though I’m sick and tired of titles with the words wife and daughter in them).
Zoé says
Do you know what because I loved your messages I will bring back Clan of the Cave Bears! Just because of how much you loved it! ❤️
Thank you for commenting! This is why I love doing this because I love hearing what other people think! Ps hope you had a fab vacation x
Davida Chazan says
Look… it may not be your thing, but anyone who likes historical fiction really should read at least the first one. At least to give these a chance. I read the first four, and to tell the truth, the fourth one was a bit… meh, but I really liked the first three. I now see she wrote three more that I never read.
They’re not your typical historical fiction books, but you should at least give them a chance. I’ll watch out for your review!
Zoé says
The covers are what caught my eye all those years ago when they came out. I just never got round to reading them. My father in law loved them. I am goig to add them. Might make them one of my 20books for the summer challenge!!