Blog - Pages and Pekoe

Review : The Xeno Manifesto

This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale.

I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

by Brysen Mann
Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Suspense, Thriller
Pages: 252
Source: the author
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Goodreads
five-stars

Deputy Frank Smirnov wants a peaceful life but fate has chosen a different path. He could never have imagined a course that not only gives him insight to his past but to the true origins of the human race. NSA Agent Zachariah Allmass' job is to eliminate those who know too much, and those "Beings" with powers untold that have elected to remain hidden for all these millenniums, now possess evidence he needs for his true employer, the Committee. But Allmass has an agenda of his own.
Meanwhile, Roman Petrov is a violent man who puts his retirement on temporary hiatus after being left with collateral damage that leaves him no choice but to eliminate the "thorn in his side".
When these men's worlds collide, secrets that were never meant to be exposed will shake the very foundation of mankind's existence.

I’m happy to report another 5 star read with The Xeno Manifesto! Check out my star rating system so you know that a 5 star book is to me and how I review things. The majority of books I read tend to be in the 3 or 4 star range so it’s always a nice surprise to come upon a 5!

If you’re into suspenseful mysteries with a little science fiction thrown into the mix, I’m pretty sure this will be in your wheelhouse. As an added bonus, it’s heavy on conspiracy so that was fun too! As a whole, great book from start to finish with lots of surprising twists.

One of the things that I really liked about this book were it’s characters. Frank is a stellar main character who is incredibly intriguing and enjoyable to follow. His beginnings are a mystery and as the pieces are unraveled, we learn more and more about who is is and how he came to be that way. Everything that happens to him comes as a surprise to me and there were very few times that I was able to see something coming although once it’s explained, it all makes sense.

The pacing is quick yet thorough which makes it really hard to put down! It’s a great book for a weekend read or travel companion. I often found myself getting lost in it and losing all track of time and space! Lots of shocking twists and interesting scenarios to keep you intrigued and entertained. The conspiracy theories added a lot of fun into the mix and definitely made me break out the tin foil hat!

If you’re into Sci-Fi or Suspense AT ALL, I really think you’d enjoy The Xeno Manifesto and highly recommend you check it out. This has been the most fun I’ve had with a book in a long time!

Review: The Cursed Wife

The Cursed Wife by Pamela Hartshorne
Published by Macmillan on March 8th 2018
Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Historical Thriller
Pages: 480
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Goodreads
five-stars

A gripping historical thriller by the author of Time's Echo, Pamela Hartshorne.The Cursed Wife is a page-turning, psychological thriller set in Elizabethan London, by the author of Time's Echo, Pamela Hartshorne.Mary is content with her life as wife to Gabriel Thorne, a wealthy merchant in Elizabethan London. She loves her husband and her family, is a kind mistress to the household and is well-respected in the neighbourhood. She does her best to forget that as a small girl she was cursed for causing the death of a vagrant child, a curse that predicts that she will hang. She tells herself that she is safe.But Mary's whole life is based on a lie. She is not the woman her husband believes her to be, and when one rainy day she ventures to Cheapside, the past catches up with her and sets her on a path that leads her to the gibbet and the fulfilment of the curse.

The Cursed Wife is a fantastic read! The contrasting personalities of the two female protagonists gave such an interesting perspective and twist on the traditional historical fictions I normally read. Each woman was strong and interesting and I went back and forth over which one I preferred. In the end, I realized I loved them both for their own reasons.

Both Mary and Cat were strong, smart women in very different ways and they made their way in the world the best way they knew how. Mary was the more reserved, introspective, and delicate or the two, while Cat was boisterous, determined and became slightly unhinged. The role reversal was so interesting and was pivotal to the plot. I found that all of the various relationships in the book were very complex. Romantic, familial and friendships.

No detail was lost and I often felt that I could see and smell the captivating streets of Elizabethan London. I enjoyed the descriptive nature of Hartshorne’s writing and it added so much to the colour and ambiance of the story. The city streets were almost a character in themselves. From the house interiors to the storefronts and even the clothing each woman wore, I could easily picture the scene.

The supernatural was a subtle, but present, force throughout the book with the lingering curse and Peg the creepy doll. It gave just enough interest and mystery to the story without making it feel like an outlandish fantasy novel.

The ending was an exciting surprise! I certainly didn’t see it coming but it didn’t feel rushed or out of place. It fit within the pace of the story and wrapped things up while still leaving enough room for you to add more with your own imagination.

If you enjoy a good Elizabethan historical thriller, The Cursed Wife is definitely in your wheelhouse! It’s interesting, quick, engaging and surprising all in one and I had a hard time putting it down!

2017 Reading Stats

Those who know me, know how much of a nerd I am. I hated math in school but in my adult life, I find statistics pretty interesting. Particularly, reading stats! Don’t ask me why. I couldn’t explain it if I tried! Some of my favourite blog posts to read and videos to watch are of people sharing the details of genres, page counts, star ratings, all that good stuff!

Although the Goodreads reading stats are pretty sparse, I thought I’d share mine anyway. Like many book bloggers, I am tracking my own statistics in greater detail for 2018. If for nothing else than my own curiosity! I’m looking forward to seeing the sorts of things I discover about my reading this time next year.

Here are a few of my 2017 reading stats from Goodreads

My 2017 reading goal was 20 books and I passed that by 2 books and I was pleased with that. I probably only really got back into reading every day in the fall sp the majority of those books were read in the latter half of the year. For 2018, I set my reading goal at 40 which I feel is definitely achievable at the rate I am going. I know that I’ll have periods of drought when I won’t feel like picking up a book but I’ll also have periods when I devour them so I’m sure it will even itself out.

I wasn’t surprised to see that The Nest was the most popular because I was seeing it everywhere throughout the year. On the other hand, I was very surprised that my average star rating wasn’t higher. I find that I’m pretty generous when rating books so I figured that would be at least a 4.

If you keep track of your reading stats, was there anything you found that was surprising? Chat with me in the comments!

Review: Through Streets Broad and Narrow

This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale.

Through Streets Broad and Narrow (Ivy Rose Series #1) by Gemma Jackson
Published by Poolbeg Press on January 1st 2013
Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction
Pages: 464
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Goodreads

On New Year s Day 1925 Ivy Rose Murphy awakes to find her world changed forever. Her irresponsible Da is dead. She is grief-stricken and alone but for the first time in her life free to please herself. After her mother deserted the family, Ivy became the sole provider for her Da and three brothers. Pushing a pram around the well-to-do areas of Dublin every day, she begged for the discards of the wealthy which she then turned into items she could sell around Dublin's markets. As she visits the morgue to pay her respects to her Da, a chance meeting introduces Ivy to a new world of money and privilege, her mother's world. Ivy is suddenly a woman on a mission to improve herself and her lot in life. Jem Ryan is the owner of a livery near Ivy s tenement. When an accident occurs in one of his carriages, leaving a young girl homeless, it is Ivy he turns to. With Jem and the people she meets in her travels around Dublin, Ivy begins to break out of the property-ridden world that is all she has ever known. Through Streets Broad and Narrow is a story of strength and determination in the unrelenting world that was Dublin tenement life.

We have the first 5 star book of the year with Through Streets Broad and Narrow! If you have taken a look at my About page, you’ll already know that my favourite genre to read is Historical Fiction and this book is one of the reasons why. I actually found it on Kindle Unlimited which is an awesome place to find something new to read because each month there are new books available to you for free.

One of the things that I like most about this genre is that it allows me to glimpse into what it would have been like to live in a specific time and place. Unlike something like a story involving magic and fantasy (which I also enjoy), the environment and people in a historical fiction novel could have actually existed and for some reason that makes me love it even more. To imagine what life was for someone in a different time period is so interesting! This book is set in 1925 Dublin and it follows a young lady named Ivy who has to beg every day to support herself and her father in the poor tenement neighbourhood called The Lane.

Jackson does a great job building a cast of characters who you can either love or hate and who you can really feel for. Ivy is such a fantastic strong female protagonist and her evolution throughout the book is so enjoyable to follow. Something in particular that I loved about the characters is that it is full of strong, smart and fiery women. It was so easy to cheer Ivy on through her struggles, to be interested in Ann Marie’s story, to love Granny Grunt, and those are just 3 of the fabulous females that you meet throughout the story.

The Lane, poor neighbourhood where Ivy lives, is almost a character on its own. While much of the story takes place outside of The Lane, it has a sort of pulse which I am sure was typical of that sort of area in 1920’s Ireland. The author does a wonderful job describing the houses and environment so it’s easy to imagine how things might have looked, felt, and even smelled.

Through Streets Broad and Narrow is the first of the Ivy Rose series and I already have the next book loaded on my Kindle and ready to go. It’s a fast-paced and easy read and I would definitely recommend it if you enjoy Historical Fiction or literature on Irish life.

Do you have a favourite Historical Fiction book or is the genre not your cup of tea?

7 Reading Tracker Ideas

Every year, I debate what I’m going to do for a reading tracker and whether or not I’ll use it. As I said in my reading goals post, I want to make a bigger effort to read more this year and I like to keep some sort of list outside of Goodreads, because who doesn’t like making more work for themselves? For some reason, I want to be able to see something on paper and watch my list of books grow in a tactile way. I suppose if I really wanted to do that I could just put all of the books I read in a big book stack on the floor but I feel like my husband might object and my kids would kick it over for fun. So paper it is.

Here are some fantastic ideas that I found after scouring the depths of the internet. Some are free, some you buy, but I like them all for different reasons. I like that there are premade books you can get made just for this or you can go the personalized route of your bullet journal or planner. Whatever floats your boat!

Printable Reading Log

Bujo Book Life from @oak.tree.journaling

Keeping a Book Journal – Mommy Mannegren

Reading Journal – HappyPrettyBlog

Bibliofile

Books to Read – AlinasCreativeCorner

Reading Log – @jtraftonart

Do you use some sort of Reading Tracker or Log?

This post contains affiliate links which means that I am paid for purchases made through them with no extra cost to you. Thanks for that!

Review: A Texas Legacy Christmas

This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale.

A Texas Legacy Christmas (Texas Legacy #4) by DiAnn Mills
Published by Barbour Books on September 1st 2007
Genres: Holiday, Christian, Fiction, Romance
Pages: 288
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Goodreads

Zack Kahler heads back to Texas with a homeless eight-year-old pickpocket named Curly in tow. But soon Zack finds his hands full as he tries to run a newspaper, recover from a lost love, and keep his unruly charge out of trouble. Boardinghouse worker and life-long outcast Alice Hawkins has had her fair share of hurt and rejection. When Zack and Curly show up on her doorstep, more than one wounded heart is stirred with love. But soon a life-threatening illness and misunderstanding threaten to destroy all their hopes. Can the love of Christmas present a miracle to heal these Texan hearts? A Texas Legacy Christmas is part of the Texas Legacy series. Other books in the series include Leather and Lace: Book 1, Lanterns and Lace: Book 2, Lightning and Lace: Book3.

Ugh. I really don’t like giving negative reviews. And it’s not that I have lots of super negative things to say about this book, it’s just that I don’t have many positive things to say either. Apparently, this book is part of a series of Texas Legacy books and I can’t say that I’ll be seeking out the others. I should probably just stick to genres that I prefer.

I have to preface this by saying that this book doesn’t align with my interests so THAT is why it wasn’t my cup of tea. Not because the writing was poor or because it was offensive in any way. The writing was absolutely fine and I found her style enjoyable. The characters, although ridiculous, were likeable and real enough. I thought that I would enjoy it because I love historical fiction and this was set in 1911 Texas, and while those aspects of it were very good, it wasn’t enough for me to love the book.

First of all, I don’t enjoy a cheesy romance and second, I am not into religion and this is a Christian faith-based book. Neither of those things makes this low review the author’s fault at all, but my own for choosing something so far outside of my wheelhouse. That’s not to say that I’ve never enjoyed reading books in either of those genres, just that this one is not quite for me.

I debated not reviewing at all, however, one of my 2018 goals is to review more for the purpose of contributing to the bookish community and developing my own writing style and voice. It is important to me that I am able to write honest and sometimes critical reviews because I want you to trust that when I say I loved a book, you know that it’s true. Not every book is going to be for every person, and that’s perfectly ok!

The Texas Legacy series is probably a wonderful series for many people and I hope they get a lot of enjoyment from it. I’m just not one of those people.

How do you review books you don’t enjoy?

Reading Goals 2018

Happy New Year, friends! I’m not normally one to make yearly resolutions, but having a list of goals is definitely something I can get behind. Maybe it’s just the word “resolution” that I don’t like. It’s entirely too formal and restrictive to me. Since this book blog is just beginning, now is the perfect time to set myself some reading goals and share them with you in the hopes that you’ll motivate and inspire me to complete and possibly surpass them. Let’s smash our goals together!

Read 40 Books

I always participate in the yearly Goodreads Reading Challenge and this year will be no different. I have achieved my reading goals for the past 2 years and I’m looking to keep that going for 2018. In 2017, I was so happy to get back into reading after a few years hiatus because of all of the things life was throwing at me. I set myself a lofty goal and I’m excited to get to it!

Organize My Books

My books currently reside in a number of different places around the house. I have 2 large bookcases in the living room, 1 in the computer room, 1 in my office, a shelf above my bed, and inside my nightstand. They really are everywhere. I need to come up with some sort of organizational system to make it easier for me to sort my books and try to keep them contained in only 1 or 2 places.

Write More Book Reviews

The whole idea behind launching and growing this blog is about documenting the books that I read, participating in the book community, making new friends, and improving my writing. I want to take that feeling you get when you finish a great book and just want to talk about it and share that with like-minded people. Because you’re my kind of people! I hope you’ll share your thoughts with me too! Let me know if you have a book blog and I’ll check it out.

Do you have a book blog that I can check out? I want to connect with you! You can follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, Facebook, Twitter, and of course Goodreads. I’d love to follow you back and make some new bookish friends!

What are your reading goals for 2018?

Star Ratings for Book Reviews

When I first joined Goodreads back in 2012, I liked it as a way to keep track of the books I had read and see what my friends were reading but that was pretty much it. I didn’t give much thought to star ratings or book reviews because I couldn’t see how my opinion really mattered to anyone. Today, I still don’t see how my opinion matters to anyone but I like to put it out there anyway!

Actually, I enjoy reading reviews from other people, especially after I read a book because I like to see if they picked up on something that I didn’t or the make sense of a part of the story that left me confused. Plus, it’s a great way to chat with people when you’re excited about a great book that you just finished because you know they’ll appreciate and understand your thoughts. I check out reviews on Pinterest, Instagram and Goodreads so follow me there and I’ll follow back!

I wasn’t always consistent in giving my star ratings, especially in the beginning. So now I’ve come up with a guideline that I use when I’m trying to decide on how many stars to give a book that I just finished reading. This way, I have a better picture overall of the types of books that I really loved and the types that I wasn’t so fond of. It also gives a consistency to my book reviews that wasn’t there before. I used it for my last book review and I will for all of them going forward.

Star Ratings Guideline

★★★★★ Perfection! I loved everything about the book!
★★★★ I liked it! There were a few things missing or problematic, but great overall!
★★★ It was ok. There were issues but it was still a decent read.
★★ Meh. Some things were good but it was mostly not my taste.
★ Not my cup of tea at all for a number of reasons.

I think they’re pretty straight forward! It will be a very rare occasion for a book to get a single ★ from me and I can’t remember the last time I had to DNF a book. Most of my star ratings fall in the 3 or 4 star range which I think is a good thing because it means I am generally enjoying what I am reading.

What star rating to you give most often?

Review: Seven Days of Us

This post contains affiliate links you can use to purchase the book. If you buy the book using that link, I will receive a small commission from the sale.

Seven Days of Us by Francesca Hornak
Published by Random House Large Print Publishing on October 17th 2017
Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Holiday
Pages: 464
Buy on Amazon, Buy on Book Depository
Goodreads

A family can't escape their secrets when they're forced to spend the Christmas holiday in quarantine in this "sharply funny" (People) novel--an Indie Next and #1 Library Reads Pick! "Witty and deeply heartfelt."--Emily Giffin "Perfect for fans of cozy Christmas films like Love Actually and The Family Stone. An emotional but ultimately uplifting holiday story."--Kirkus Reviews It's Christmas, and for the first time in years the entire Birch family will be under one roof. Even Emma and Andrew's elder daughter--who is usually off saving the world--will be joining them at Weyfield Hall, their aging country estate. But Olivia, a doctor, is only coming home because she has to. Having just returned from treating an epidemic abroad, she's been told she must stay in quarantine for a week...and so too should her family.

For the next seven days, the Birches are locked down, cut off from the rest of humanity--and even decent Wi-Fi--and forced into each other's orbits. Younger, unabashedly frivolous daughter Phoebe is fixated on her upcoming wedding, while Olivia deals with the culture shock of being immersed in first-world problems.

As Andrew sequesters himself in his study writing scathing restaurant reviews and remembering his glory days as a war correspondent, Emma hides a secret that will turn the whole family upside down.

In close proximity, not much can stay hidden for long, and as revelations and long-held tensions come to light, nothing is more shocking than the unexpected guest who's about to arrive...

theSkimm Reads PickNew York Post Required ReadingOne of Elite Daily's Books to Read This FallLiz & Lisa's Best Books of OctoberBrit + Co's Best of October RoundupOne of BookRiot's October Must-Reads

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of Seven Days of Us and I was very excited to dig into it! One of the things that excited me the most is that it is Francesca Hornak’s debut novel and that means the potential for a favourite new author. I had briefly glanced at a few reviews but I didn’t want to know too much going into it.

The first thing that I really liked about this novel was the point of view in which it was written. Each chapter focuses on a different character and their experience of the events so it was a good way to get right into knowing the characters. While it took me a while to actually like and feel for the characters, I think the perspective offered a great start.

The whole story revolves around the Birch family, who are upper-middle class British folks and each have very different personalities and ways of dealing with the situation that they are in. They are stuck together at the family’s country estate in quarantine because daughter Olivia is a doctor who was working abroad treating a viral epidemic. Let’s call it “the plague”. She was directed to stay in quarantine for one week following her return and that means her family is stuck there too.

There are surprises around every corner with Emma’s secret health issue, Andrew’s illegitimate son Jesse, Phoebe’s love life, and Olivia’s plague status. Some I saw coming from a mile away and others got me good! I was very entertained throughout. I do think that Hornak laid the cheese on a little bit thick at times but that may appeal to some people. While there definitely is a romance factor here and relationships are a big focus, I wouldn’t fully classify it as a Romance novel. More of a feel good, family, holiday one. Although it’s set at Christmas time, that’s actually a very small part of the plot so I would definitely read it any time of the year.

I mentioned that it took me a while to become attached to the characters. Other than Jesse. For some reason, Jesse had me right from the get-go. I think Andrew was the least relatable character for me. I found him snarky and cold … which I’m sure was intentional, especially at the beginning. I really enjoyed the dynamics between the family members. Instead of being one big happy family, the Birch’s were very real. Because of the point of view changing each chapter, it was fun to get both sides of the relationships.

It was generally light-hearted and funny but there Hornak also tackled some tough issues and feelings. Cancer, difficulty dealing with homosexuality, infidelity, and more but I don’t want to spoil too much. She discussed things in enough detail so as not to gloss over it, but didn’t dwell enough for things to get too dark and dreary.

Overall, I really liked Seven Days of Us! Not perfect, but a fantastic first novel for Francesca Hornak. I will be following along to see what she comes out with next!

Have you read Seven Days of Us? What did you think?

Welcome to Pages and Pekoe – A new book blog!

Hi, friends!

I’m Kim and if you haven’t met me yet, you can read more about me over at my longtime blog HappyPrettyBlog. While I love my home there, there’s a huge part of my mind that is consumed in a book. I have written some bookish type content there but HPB tends to be a mish mash of my life, in true lifestyle blog fashion. I wanted to create a place for me to expand on my love of literature and focus in on it.

And what accompanies a book better than a nice cup of tea? While tea (any kind will do but pekoe sounded best when thinking of a name) is my usual poison, I’d take a hot cup of coffee or other warm beverage too. I’m not picky. I went to a medium once who told me that someone was coming through to me with the advice that “there is nothing that can’t be solved over a cup of tea” and that has stuck with me.

Much like the rest of my life, my taste in books is eclectic! I can’t really say that I’ve met a book yet that I’ve HATED completely. I usually find something enjoyable in every book I read. I’ll read anything I get my hands on when given a chance! So if you have a favorite that you want to recommend, please feel free to let me know and maybe I’ll review it and let you know what I think. Anyway, stay tuned!