Thank you to randomhouse for sending me a copy of Junie by Erin Crosby Eckstein. randomhousepartner When you read two Civil War related books in a week you might get them confused - hence me confusing Junie with Jubilee in The Jackal's Mistress! Oops!⁣
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Junie is about an enslaved girl who is best friends with her mistress Violet, although of course this friendship is unbalanced. Things change for both women when Violet is courted and might leave home. Junie is shocked that she might be forced to leave as well. With the help of the ghost of her sister Minnie and a new friend in Caleb, Junie grapples with the price of freedom. ⁣
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I liked this book for the most part. It is a well written story with some surprises. I generally like magical realism in a book so I didn't mind it here, though I did think it took away from some of the reality of a harrowing story. ⁣
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How do you feel about ghosts in books or in life?
Thank you to randomhouse for sending me a copy of Back After This by Linda Holmes. I'm so glad I read the review of this book by electric_bookaloo because while I liked Linda Holmes's book Evvie Drake Starts Over, I was less of a fan of Flying Solo, and I was going to pass on this one. Luckily I didn't, because I loved it!⁣
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This is about Cecily, who is a podcast producer and becomes the host of a new show in which she goes on 20 blind dates. Meanwhile, she also meets a kind and funny man chasing a run away Great Dane. And then she keeps running into him. I loved Will and his amazing dog rescue! I appreciated that the 20 dates weren't dragged out and were summed up succinctly. I loved the characters and their banter as well as the way Cecily evolved with regard to her career. I'm so glad I read this one!⁣
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This silly guy is the dog I'm currently watching until this evening. He loves snuggling up under blankets! I also love this bookmark. What does your favorite bookmark say?
Thank you doubledaybooks for sending me a copy of The Jackal's Mistress by Chris Bohjalian. This story is set during the Civil War in VA and follows Libby, who takes in an injured and left for dying Union army officer in spite of the danger he brings to the home she shares with two freed slaves and her niece. Her husband is himself held in a Union prison camp and Libby runs a gristmill which produces grain that is taken by the Confederate army. So taking in a Union soldier is risky. ⁣
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Inspired by a true story, this moved somewhat slowly for me and did not feel like Bohjalian's previous books. More of a character driven story, Libby's niece Jubilee was my favorite. ⁣
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It's Monday - how does your week look?
Thank you otrpr for sending me a copy of The Midwives' Escape by Maggie Anton, the author of the Rashi's Daughters series. This is not just historical fiction but biblical fiction, which felt unique and interesting.Maggie Anton has taken on biblical history from the 10th plague in Egypt to the Israelites conquer to Jericho. The story is told by midwives Shifra and Asenet as their families leave Egypt, cross the sea, arrive at Mt. Sinai, and spend 40 years in the desert. While I found some of the sections of the story a bit slow, I enjoyed the pieces that I could directly recognize from the Torah and from stories I learned throughout my life. I was very amused that in this version of the story, Moses has a daughter and names her Dara!

This is a great book for the Passover season. Are you familiar with this biblical story?
Thank you gallerybooks scoutpressbooks for sending me a copy of Count My Lies by Sophie Stava. This was a fun, fast, and twisty thriller that reminds the reader of other similar books but was still a great read for me.It is about Sloane, who meets Jay and his daughter at the park and soon becomes friends with his wife Violet and starts to work as their daughter's nanny. The only problem is that everything she tells them is a lie, including her real name. And she's not the only one who's lying. I think any thriller lover will enjoy this one. 

Have you ever gotten caught in a lie?
Thank you simon.audio for the chance to listen to this extremely hyped book, Broken Country by Clare Leslie Hall. It is about Beth, who is married to Frank, but whose teenage love Gabriel returns to her life with his son. Beth is drawn to Gabriel and his son having lost her own son a few years earlier. As the book begins, we know someone is dead and someone is on trial for the murder, but this story line isn’t revealed until towards the end of the book.⁣
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Other than the literary writing style and the character driven plot, I am not sure why so many people are loving this one. The love triangle was cringe worthy to me and there are a lot of difficult topics covered, including the death of a dog and the death of a child. There is a mystery and there are some twists, but I didn’t find them all that surprising. I did enjoy the suspense of the ending section about the trial, but I guess character driven stories are still not my favorite.⁣
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Is there an overhyped book you liked but didn't love? Or one you didn't like at all?