The Liz Taylor Ring

Title:  The Liz Taylor Ring

Author:  Brenda Janowitz

Publisher:  Graydon House

Date Published:  February 1, 2022

Genre:  Adult Fiction, Contemporary

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐

My Thoughts:

-    Lizzie and Ritchie have a romance for the ages, much like Liz Taylor and Richard Burton, but Ritchie's gambling problem causes trouble in paradise. After a 9 month separation, Ritchie gives Lizzie a big-a diamond ring. It is similar to the one that Burton gifted to Taylor. Flash forward a couple decades and the children of Lizzie and Ritchie all have different stories about what happened to the ring, so no one knows what to think when the ring suddenly shows up again. 

-    The story starts out great. I was highly invested in the family and the mystery, but I slowly lost interest. Towards the end, I felt like circumstances and happenings were convenient and unimaginative. 

-    I loved all the Elizabeth Taylor references, and I loved Lizzie and Ritchie's relationship. 

-    The book made me want to watch all the Elizabeth Taylor movies.

My Thoughts in a GIF:

The Cartographers

Title:  The Cartographers

Author:  Peng Shepherd

Publisher:  William Morrow

Date Published:  March 15, 2022

Genre:  Adult Fiction, Magical Realism, Mystery

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐

My Thoughts:

-    The Cartographers was one of the choices for my Book of the Month subscription. It caught my eye out of all the picks, and I'm glad I chose it. I'm not sure I would have read it otherwise. 

-    Nell loves maps, and so do her parents, and everyone else she knows. Nell is also on non-speaking terms with her father, which is majorly sad when she gets a call from a family friend that her dad has mysteriously died. While going through his office, Nell discovers an old gas station map. It was among a box of other maps that started the feud with her father. Nell doesn't understand why he would keep such a worthless map, especially after their fight over how worthless it was. Nell starts digging into the past, and she slowly discovers a mystery surrounding a family secret and a town that doesn't exist.

-    The story is a very s l o w build. There were times when I had to push through so I could get to the next good part. The mystery and discoveries kept me interested, and there were moments where the pacing was more exciting, but I struggled through the slower parts.  

-    I don't read a lot of magical realism, so this was new and unique for me. I enjoyed the overall story and "what if" factor. It definitely got the imagination going. 

-    I felt like the whole book is a love note to all map lovers. I really liked the way the characters talked about maps and their importance. The question, "What is the purpose of a map?" kept coming up, and I loved all the answers. I will never look at maps the same way. 

My Thoughts in a GIF:

Spy School the Graphic Novel

Title:  Spy School the Graphic Novel

Author:  Stuart Gibbs

Illustrator:  Anjan Sarkar

Publisher:  Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers

Date Published:  February 15, 2022

Genre:  Middle Grade, Graphic Novel, Mystery

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

My Thoughts:

-    I received a copy of the book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

-    Ben Ripley loves James Bond, and he wants to become a spy just like him. Ben is really good at a video game that was produced by the CIA, and they have been monitoring Ben's skills. One day, Ben gets a surprise visit from an agent and recruited to spy school. Sadly, it isn't as fun as Ben thought it would be, and there is a mole amongst the students. Dun Dun Dun! 

-    This series has been on my radar for a while, but I haven't read any of the books, so when I received a copy of the graphic novel in the mail, I was elated. I wanted to read and review the book before it was released, but you know. . .too many books to read. 

-    I really enjoyed the story. Who hasn't wanted or pretended to be spy? I liked that there was a little bit of mystery, but also a lot of a middle schooler trying to fit in and figure out his strengths. 

-    The book is full of delightful humor. Gibbs is amazing when it comes to humor. 

-    The illustrations are fantastic. I loved all the facial expressions and action.

-    When Gnome and I are finished with the Whatever After series, I think we are going to start the spy school series.

My Thoughts in a GIF:

Once Upon a Tim

Title:  Once Upon a Tim

Author:  Stuart Gibbs

Illustrator:  Stacy Curtis

Publisher:  Simon Schuster Books for Young Readers

Date Published:  March 1, 2022

Genre:  Middle Grade, Fantasy, Humor

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

My Thoughts:

-    I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. 

-    Tim is a peasant, but he doesn't want to be a peasant, and his only other option is to become a knight. His best friend, Belinda, isn't happy with her position in life either, so they both decide to go to the knight tryouts for Prince Ruprecht. He is going on a quest to save a princess from a horrible monster, and he needs knights to accompany him.

-    Tim is the narrator of the story, and he breaks the 4th wall all the time. It is hilarious. He also refers to modern things throughout the story. It is like he knows he is in a book, but he also understands the world outside and likes to refer to it, so he can relate to the reader.

-    Tim likes to educate the readers by giving them "IQ Boosters." These are large words that Tim will define for the reader. He even uses them in sentences, and he is quite clever with his examples. 

-    The book is so much fun, and it is a riot. I read this out loud to Gnome, and we stopped and laughed every time we sat down to read together. Gnome will still quote little pieces of the book to me, and we have a good laugh.

My Thoughts in a GIF: 

The Magnolia Palace

Title:  The Magnolia Palace

Author:  Fiona Davis 

Publisher:  Dutton

Date Published:  January 25, 2022

Genre:  Historical Fiction, Mystery

Rating:  ⭐⭐⭐⭐

My Thoughts:

-    I am torn between 4 and 5 stars for this one. Maybe 4.5 stars? When is Goodreads going to let us do half stars?

-     Lillian Carter a.k.a. Angelica is a famous and highly sought after model. It is 1919 in New York City, and Angelica's likeness can be seen everywhere. She has posed for many many sculptures. Sadly, she is getting older, and her work is slowing down significantly. After a misunderstanding with the police and her landlord, Lillian goes into hiding. Ironically, she is hiding as a personal secretary to a high profile family that collects art. She gets attached to the family, but more misunderstandings and scandalous situations arise. 

Jump ahead to 1966, Veronica is a newly discovered model that is on one of her first photo shoots in the famous Frick house. The home has been donated to the city, and it has been turned into a museum. Veronica gets trapped in the house because of bad weather, and because she got side tracked with a mysterious puzzle to solve. Joshua is an archivist in the museum, and he is stuck in the house with her. Together, they start uncovering clues about the Frick family. 

-    I normally don't like time jumping stories. I get confused, but the writing and storytelling in this one was well done. I loved how the 1966 storyline tied into the 1919 storyline, and I loved how each time we time jumped there was something new to learn. 

-    I was completely hooked from the beginning of the book till the end. I loved Lillian's story. It was so intriguing to me. I liked Veronica a lot as well. Her motivations and character touched my heart. 

-    The story felt a lot like Downtown Abbey, which I loved. I don't know why the relationship between wealthy people and their servants is so entertaining, but it is.

-    My favorite part about the story was Lillian's character growth. She thought she was only good for her looks, but she learns how intelligent and capable she is. Her character development through the book is empowering. 

-    They should make a movie or a TV series adaptation of this book. It would would be SO fun! 

My Thoughts in a GIF: