Month: April 2019

Book of the Week | The Book of Dreams by Nina George

~ Danielle Olson ~ Leave a comment

TITLE: The Book of Dreams

AUTHOR: Nina George

PUBLISHER: Crown Publishing

RELEASE DATE: April 9, 2019

GENRE: General Fiction, Adult Fiction

BUY LINKS: AMAZON | B&N | INDIEBOUND

Warm, wise, and magical—the latest novel by the bestselling author of THE LITTLE PARIS BOOKSHOP and THE LITTLE FRENCH BISTRO is an astonishing exploration of the thresholds between life and death

Henri Skinner is a hardened ex-war reporter on the run from his past. On his way to see his son, Sam, for the first time in years, Henri steps into the road without looking and collides with oncoming traffic. He is rushed to a nearby hospital where he floats, comatose, between dreams, reliving the fairytales of his childhood and the secrets that made him run away in the first place.
 
After the accident, Sam—a thirteen-year old synesthete with an IQ of 144 and an appetite for science fiction—waits by his father’s bedside every day. There he meets Eddie Tomlin, a woman forced to confront her love for Henri after all these years, and twelve-year old Madelyn Zeidler, a coma patient like Henri and the sole survivor of a traffic accident that killed her family. As these four very different individuals fight—for hope, for patience, for life—they are bound together inextricably, facing the ravages of loss and first love side by side.
 
A revelatory, urgently human story that examines what we consider serious and painful alongside light and whimsy, THE BOOK OF DREAMS is a tender meditation on memory, liminality, and empathy, asking with grace and gravitas what we will truly find meaningful in our lives once we are gone. (Description from NetGalley)

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Book of the Week | The Perfect Wife by JP Delaney

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TITLE: The Perfect Wife

AUTHOR: JP Delaney

PUBLISHER: Ballantine Books

RELEASE DATE: August 6, 2019

GENRE: Thriller, Mystery, Fiction, Suspense

PRE-ORDER LINKS: AMAZON | B&N | INDIEBOUND

A missing woman receives a second chance at life, thanks to her billionaire husband–but the consequences are deadly in this gripping psychological thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of The Girl Before.

Abbie awakens in a daze with no memory of who she is or how she landed in this unsettling condition. The man by her side claims to be her husband. He’s an icon of the tech world, the founder of a lucrative robotics company. He tells Abbie that she is a gifted artist, an avid surfer, a loving mother to their young son, and the perfect wife. He says she had a terrible accident five years ago, and that, through a huge technological breakthrough, she has been brought back from the abyss. She is a miracle of science.

But as Abbie pieces together memories of her marriage, she begins questioning her husband’s motives–and his version of events. Can she trust him when he says he wants them to be together forever? And what really happened to Abbie half a decade ago? (Description from Goodreads)

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Book Review | I Love You, Ronnie by Nancy Reagan

~ Danielle Olson ~ Leave a comment

BOOK REVIEW | I LOVE YOU, RONNIE

TITLE: I Love You, Ronnie; The Letters of Ronald Reagan to Nancy Reagan

AUTHOR: Nancy Reagan

PUBLISHER: Random House

RELEASE DATE: February 26, 2002

GENRE: Nonfiction, History

BUY LINKS: AMAZON | B&N

No matter what else was going on in his life or where he was traveling to make movies, at the White House, or sometimes just across the room Ronald Reagan wrote letters to Nancy Reagan, to express his love, thoughts, and feelings, and to stay in touch. Through these extraordinary letters and reflections, the private character and life of an American president and his first lady are revealed. Nancy Reagan reflects with love and insight on the letters, on her husband, and on the many phases of their life together. A love story spanning half a century and the private life of this classic American couple come vividly alive in this rare and inspiring book. (Description from Goodreads)

MY THOUGHTS

I really enjoyed this book and it was such a quick, easy read that I finished it in one day.

You can see in Reagan’s letters to Nancy that he was so in love with her. He constantly mentions how he can’t live without her and that he was a lonely man before he met her. Then you get to see how much she loved him as she thought back to their life together when he wrote the letters.

One of my favorite parts of Reagan’s letters are how many different nicknames he had for Nancy. it was so funny reading nicknames like Nancy Poo, Nancy Poo Pants, and Glamour Puss. Thankfully, Nancy explains where some of the nicknames come from, but not all, making me wonder how the others came about. Every time a new nickname came up, I thought about my husband and me. We also have so many silly nicknames I’ve lost count.

It’s very nice to see another side of Ronald Reagan from the person who knows him best and was with him through all the ups and downs of his life as well as his career. Nancy made it a point that her life was all about Ronald Reagan and making sure he had a conformable home. He always made a point to show her how grateful he was for it and never stopped writing her letters.

Overall, its a very wonderful cute love story of the President and First Lady. Even though people knew how much they loved each other just from seeing them together, it was great to read about them from Nancy’s point of view. After reading this book, I feel even more certain that they are the most in love historical couple.

OVERALL RATING

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I’m Back!

~ Danielle Olson ~ Leave a comment

Hello My Fellow Book Lovers!

It’s been a long time (longer than I want to admit). I took a few years off to do some other things that were really important to me.

I started a non-profit called the Lisa Michelle Memorial Fund. It’s a fund started in honor of my mother and provides scholarships to students who have lost a parent to substance abuse. It’s been a great rewarding experience to provide these scholarships every year.

I also had been promoted at work and took on a very demanding role. It was a lot of work, but I learned so much in the process. Now I’ve found a new job (same company) as an entertainment underwriter. I essentially get to insure commercials, music videos, documentaries, films, and so much more in film/video production. I love my new job and it has much better work life balance.

I also gained two beautiful nieces and became godmother to both of them. They are beautiful, smart, and fun little girls, so I was spending a lot of time with them. Now they have moved to Idaho and I find myself with a lot more time on my hands.

Now that I’ve gained back some free time, I realized how much I missed my book blog and the book lover community. I may not post as much as I did, but I do want to get back to sharing my thoughts on books, sharing new books I’ve found, and find some new ones in the great community of readers.

Looking forward to being back!