Audiobook Review: The Dogs of Venice by Steven Rowley

Author: Steven Rowley

Narrator: Neil Patrick Harris

Title: The Dogs of Venice

Genre: Short stories, Fiction, Contemporary

Format: Audiobook

Pages: 50

Published:  December 29th 2020

Where I got It: Audible

Summary: 

A heartbroken Paul takes a solo trip to Venice while his ex-husband moves out of their joint place back home. While on the trip Paul looks for a connection and meaning.

Review:

Had zero idea what this is about. The title and the narrator caught my eye, so I just started right away. 

We follow Paul who has taken a solo trip to Venice while his ex-husband is moving out of their place. Paul has always had issues being okay by himself and not needing anyone. While on this trip he wants to look for a connection and meaning and maybe, just maybe, be okay with being by himself. 

Awwww poor Paul. I felt bad for him. I could relate to him in a lot of ways....I have a hard time being okay alone. Kuddos to him even just going on a trip by himself. I can't even fathom that. I went to a restaurant once by myself and I felt so awkward. 

ANYWAYS.

Yes. I loved this whole story. It was short but it was fun to follow him. 

I especially had a love-hate with the ending. It was so heart-warming and it really hit a cord for me. However...there needed to be more. I want to see what happens next. Paul has a long way to go. I can't spoil the ending, but it needed more. I want to see more. Maybe a book 2?

The narrator was fantastic....duh. Neil Patrick Harris is amazzzzzing!

I'll give this 4 stars overall. I liked it, but it needed more. 

Challenge(s):
- #7 for Audiobook challenge

 

Book Review: Strongheart by Jim Fergus

Author: Jim Fergus

Title: Strongheart -The Lost Journals of May Dodd and Molly McGill

(One Thousand White Women #3)

Genre: Historical Fiction

Format: ebook

Pages: 400 

Published:  2019

Where I Got It: My shelf (Netgalley)

Summary: 

In 1873, a Cheyenne chief offers President Grant the opportunity to exchange one thousand horses for one thousand white women, in order to marry them with his warriors and create a lasting peace. These women, "recruited" by force in the penitentiaries and asylums of the country, gradually integrate the way of life of the Cheyenne, at the time when the great massacres of the tribes begin.

After the battle of Little Big Horn, some female survivors decide to take up arms against the United States, which has stolen from the Native Americans their lands, their way of life, their culture and their history. This ghost tribe of rebellious women will soon go underground to wage an implacable battle, which will continue from generation to generation.

In this final volume of the One Thousand White Women trilogy, Jim Fergus mixes with rare mastery the struggle of women and Native Americans in the face of oppression, from the end of the 19th century until today. With a vivid sense of the 19th century American West, Fergus paints portraits of women as strong as they are unforgettable.

Review:

Didn't realize this was part of a series until I started reading. Somethings seemed familiar...like names and places and etc. I feel like I read book 1 a million years ago? The summary seemed familiar. I know I didn't read book 2 at all. Mmmm. BUT - this did okay as a standalone. 

In 1873, a Cheyenne chief offers President Grant a chance to exchange one thousand horses for one thousand white women in order to marry them with warriors and try and create peace. These women are recruited by force and sent to the Cheyenne tribe. They gradually integrate and become beloved members of the tribe. However, after the battle of Little Big Horn, the peace is destroyed. Some female survivors, including some of the white women, decide to take up arms and fight back. In this final volume, we will follow our girls as they face the struggles of being women, Native American oppression, and the struggle to keep a culture alive.  

This was all done in diary/journal formatting. Which I did like for the most part. We got to see three different viewpoints. Mary and Molly McGill who are two women who were given to the Cheyenne in the 1800s. We also follow an ancestor also named Molly in modern day who is fighting a battle to save all the Native women who vanish in droves each year. It was a lot to keep track of so it is a slow read (at least for me). 

There is a lot going on and this is a book I do not recommend speed-reading through. The timeline is not straight all the time. We do some jumping around so you really have to pay attention. I'll admit that I had to backtrack a couple of times. 

Besides for the jumping timeline, I really enjoyed this novel. It made me want to read the past books (like I said...I swore I read book 1 years and years ago). This did get dark but the West at this time was a dark place especially for women and Natives. Soooo dang sad. But yes - just a warning because we do have some graphic scenes. 

The ending had me in tears. Not in a bad way necessarily, but I was said to say goodbye. These women are so strong!!! I really admired them and their strength. Maybe we'll get more diaries in the future ;)

I adored the 2 Mollys and May. I also adored Chance and Hawk. Hawk and Chance both have my hearts! 

Overall, I really did like this book. It did well as a standalone, but I think I would recommend going back to book 1 first. I want more from these women! I'll give this 4 stars.

Best of January

Happy February everyone!!!! 

Here are our best of last month!

Best Book of the Month:

Blodeuedd's pick..........Ship of smoke and steel by Django Wexler

I want more, the world was messed up.

Carole's pick.......Redeeming Vows by Catherine Bybee

This was so good! My favorite of the series for sure.

Best Movie of the Month:

Carole's pick.....Promising Young Woman

I had a couple good movies this month, I this was good. I had to watch it twice.

Blodeuedd's pick.....Nothing this month. 

Best TV show of the Month:

Blodeuedd's pick...........Hilda

Tv series binge of the month. OMG totes adorbs

Carole's pick........Gilmore Girls (Season 1 and season 2)

I forgot how much I adore this show. We've been binge watching! About to start season 3 soon ;) 

Best Cover of the Month:

                                  

Blodeuedd: Best cover, cos weird and creepy

Carole: Such a fun and cool cover

Blodeuedd's Monday Review: The Obsidian Tower by Melissa Caruso

Paperback, 483 pages

Published June 4th 2020 by Orbit

Series: Rooks and Ruin #1

Fantasy

Own

I enjoyed this one and arghh no news about book 2. I wish goodreads had some kind of notification that tells me when someone adds news about book 2. Srsly goodreads, you need something like that!

It does have its flaws too, but I can live with them all for the easy flow of things in the book. It is adult, but yes it does read as YA at times. As always sorry YA, I think it is because the main character is 21, I read her like 16. As with all her new found friends and even this enemy that shows up. I guess he can be 100, but eh, 16 the bunch of them. And also cos the world is still not fleshed out. We are there, we do not learn much.

But it was still so good! It was almost great, like omg, 5% more and it would have been. But the evil guy gave up so easily, Ryx who had these awesome dark powers where even the grass withered under her did not use them or could use them when she should have. That felt a bit plotholish. She could have vanquished her foe with just a step. Do not tell me someone is that powerful and then just eh, not this time.

Still, I really liked it. It was light. Shit goes down, what is this evil tower (like omg tell her what the evil tower is, how can one guard something and not know what. OH OH and bloody easy to gain access to said tower. Bit plotholish again.) People argue, people show up, people die, and what will happen next? I do wonder.

With all my complaints I truly liked it. I totally want more, damn goodreads for not having a button that will let me know.

The mage-marked granddaughter of a ruler of Vaskandar, Ryx was destined for power and prestige at the top of Vaskandran society. But her magic is broken; all she can do is uncontrollably drain the life from everything she touches, and Vaskandar has no place for a mage with unusable powers.

Then, one night, two terrible accidents befall her: Ryx accidentally kills a visiting dignitary in self-defense, activating a mysterious magical artifact sealed in an ancient tower in the heart of her family’s castle.

Ryx flees, seeking a solution to her deadly magic. She falls in with a group of unlikely magical experts investigating the disturbance in Vaskandar—and Ryx realizes that her family is in danger and her domain is at stake. She and her new colleagues must return to the family stronghold to take control of the artifact that everyone wants to claim—before it destroys the world.