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Showing posts from May, 2025

Book Review: The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

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The First Ladies by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray is a historical fiction novel that spans many years and tells of the friendship between former first lady Eleanor Roosevelt and civil rights activist Mary McLeod Bethune. I don't know if I would have picked up this book if it hadn't been the August selection for one of the book clubs I belong to in my area because I don't read a lot of historical fiction. However, I am so glad that I read it and was able to learn many things I hadn't learned about in any of my history classes.  I don't recall learning anything about Mary McLeod Bethune, and she is an important part of American history. The things she helped spearhead to provide African American people equal rights is quite impressive. One of the things I was horrified to learn about is Franklin D. Roosevelt's resistance to stop lynchings because he was afraid of losing the Southern Democrats backing for his New Deal Bill. Another thing that I fo...

Book Review: Witness 8 (Eddie Flynn, #8) by Steve Cavanagh

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Witness 8 (Eddie Flynn, #8)  by Steve Cavanagh opens with Ruby Johnson, a maid for the ultra wealthy in New York City, witnessing someone leaving a house of one of her clients and discarding a weapon on his way out. Eddie Flynn is a former con artist turned attorney who takes on cases that are hopeless. How do the paths of Ruby and Eddie cross? I'd like to thank NetGalley for the Advanced Readers Copy (ARC). I've heard fabulous things about Steve Cavanagh, and I was excited to see what all the hype was about. When I requested to read Witness 8 , I didn't realize it was part of a series. I absolutely loved the storyline of this story. I couldn't wait to see how and when the paths of the two main characters crossed and what would happen. During the first half of the book, I found myself having trouble keeping the characters straight. I definitely recommend starting with the first book in the Eddie Flynn series. The first few chapters did flip from character to character a...

Book Review: The Housemaid (The Housemaid, #1) by Freida McFadden

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The Housemaid (The Housemaid, #1)  by Freida McFadden is the first book in a series and opens with Millie interviewing for a housemaid position for the wealthy Winchester family. She's relieved when she learns that the job is hers until the gardener warms her of danger. It can't be worse than prison, right? I purchased a paperback copy of this book from my local BJ's Wholesale Club, and I have to say that I was not disappointed at all. This story helped give me a headstart in getting out of my reading slump because it's a fast, engaging read. With that being said, I was expecting to be completely blindsided by the ending, and I had quite a bit figured out relatively early on, so when the big twist came about, I wasn't really too surprised. I am eager to read the rest of the series to see how it pans out. As far as the characters, I really liked the main character of Millie, who we know from the start has recently been released from prison and on parole. We do know t...