Les's Book Nook

  Title  - The Butcher & the Wren (The Butcher & the Wren #1)  Author  - Alaina Urquhart __________________________________________________________________________________ spice 🌶 - 0 scare 😱 - 4 plot 📖 - 4 characters 🧍- 3 stars ⭐ - 4 She had loaded these words from her quiver and launched them from a tautly pulled bowstring with the force of a seasoned archer. They impale him even now. YES, GIRL!! Obviously, I loved this book considering I read it in two days! There are a lot of mixed reviews for this book. I think people need to remember this is her debut novel. While it may not be the most eloquent or researched it is a decent book. This will not be a 5-star read for everyone, but the slew of 1 and 2-star reviews absolutely tearing her first work apart are uncalled for. As a long-time Morbid podcast fangirl, I had this book on my TBR before it was even out. I knew I had to kick off my spooky read list with this one, and what an amazing decision that wa...

  Title  - Redemption (Eva "Lightning Dance" Duran #1) Author  - Deborah J Ledford __________________________________________________________________________________ spice 🌶 - 1.5 (mentioned but not described)  scare 😱 - 2 plot 📖 - 3.5 characters 🧍- 4 stars ⭐ - 4 Redemption by Deborah Ledford was a good read. The plot is intriguing and relatively fast-paced. The characters were probably the best part of this book, they were well-written and really saved this book in my opinion. While I would say the plot was fast-paced, this book never became a page-turner for me. There was never a point where I felt the pull to keep reading on the edge of my seat. Everything was just a level down from what I would consider a true thriller.  The other negative I found in this book was You. Dont. Need. To. Have. Every. Characters. POV. I find this is an issue with most books that have multiple POVs. This book easily could have done with 4 POVs, there were at least 8 POVs with...

Title  - The Road to Somorrostro  Author  - Julia Slack __________________________________________________________________________________ spice 🌶 - 1.5 (mentioned but not described) scare 😱 - 1 plot 📖 - 3.5 characters 🧍- 5 stars ⭐ - 4   Congratulations Julia Slack on a truly great debut novel!! I loved this book, despite it not being one I would normally pick up. The characters are well-written and the setting in the book is described in such a way you are transported to the Spanish coastline. This book is a BUMPY road, but the ending is so heartwarming you can't help but love everyone involved.  The only reason this book is not a full 5 stars is because I had to get halfway to really get into the plot. This may be because I am not a big historical fiction reader and please do not let that deter you from picking this book up. It is a fantastic read! Thank you Julia for providing my review copy! All thoughts and opinions above are my own.  ❤ Les View my...

  Title  - Mad Honey Author  - Jodi Picoult & Jennifer Finney Boylan __________________________________________________________________________________ spice 🌶 - 2 (not a good kind) scare 😱 - 1.5 plot 📖 - 3 characters 🧍- 4 stars ⭐ - 3.5 This book is a hard one to rate. On one hand, I loved it and I think it'll stick with me for a while, which is uncommon for me. On the other, I got bored - SO BORED. This book grabbed my attention immediately and kind of gave me  Where the Crawdads Sing  vibes. A good fiction book with a side of knowledge is when I really fall head over heels for a book. It makes a book feel worth it when I feel like I learned something for my Tuesday night trivia. However, the similarities between  Mad Honey  &  Where the Crawdads Sing  ends there. The characters in this book have depth and you feel their emotions, especially Olivia & Lily since it is told through their points of view. I read this book with a ...

  Title  - Italy on a Plate: Travels, Memories, Menus Author  - Susan Gravely & Frances Mayes (foreword)  __________________________________________________________________________________ stars ⭐ - 3   *I won this Kindle version in a giveaway* When I started this review I gave it 4 stars - as I wrote this review I lowered it to 3 because part of this cookbook really grinds my gears.  To start off with the good things about this cookbook  1. It is VERY aesthetically pleasing. The photos are great and the layout is consistent, yet differentiated enough that you don't get bored. However, I wish the publisher would have given away hard copies and not Kindle editions because I think the layout is lost on the Kindle version. 2. The book has a good balance between those classic and well-known Italian staples (gnocchi, meatballs, and tiramisu) to some that will really expand your knowledge and palette of Italian cuisine.  3. The recipes are very conc...

  Title  - Zero Days Author  - Ruth Ware __________________________________________________________________________________ spice 🌶 - 1 scare 😱 - 3 (suspenseful scare) plot 📖 - 4 characters 🧍- 4 stars ⭐ - 4      Ruth Ware was one of those authors that I saw her books constantly and always wanted to pick one up and read, but just never did. Then I was sent Zero Days courtesy of a Goodreads giveaway from the publisher. I was stoked. This book is a little out of my comfort zone so I was worried I wouldn't like it, but I did (a lot). It got slow for a bit in the middle but there were still enough exciting points that I feel this was a 4-star read.      The characters in this book are very well written and Ware does an excellent job at explaining some things I have absolutely no idea about without it getting textbooky. I love books that I feel like I actually learned something from.       Overall I think the book is well wo...

Title  - People We Meet on Vacation Author  - Emily Henry __________________________________________________________________________________ spice 🌶 - 3 scare 😱 - 0 plot 📖 - 3 characters 🧍- 4 stars ⭐ - 3      In my opinion, this book is the definition of a 3-star book. It wasn't bad, but it also was not anything I was screaming from the rooftops about. This book made me laugh and there were some deep moments but overall it was just pointless chatter. Also, why this book got over 300 pages I have no idea, but it shouldn't have.  Poppy really did have some lines that stuck with me. This is the first book I have ever highlighted.  My first highlight and absolute favorite line of the whole book:  "Apparently the completion of long-term goals often leads to depression. It’s the journey, not the destination, babe, and whatever the fuck else those throw pillows say. ” And some other honorable mentions:  "And not that there’s any reason to compar...