You'll love this one...!! A book club & more discussion

I hope you all had a fun time traveling with the toppler this month! Please report your reads here. Be sure to start with your WoF name and include:

- a link to the book read
- which task the book fit
- a quick note about what you thought of the book you read

Please only make one reporting post.

For reference, the tasks were:

Read a book that is set:
🛩 at a beach or with a beach on the cover or "beach" in the title.
🛩 in the mountains or with a mountain on the cover or "mountain" in the title.
🛩 in a fantasy land or on another planet.
🛩 in another time: historical fiction or history genre, time travel, or in the future.
🛩 in one of these locations where the world's most beautiful flower fields are found:
🌸 British Columbia or Ottawa, Canada
🌸 Japan
🌸 Tuscany, Italy
🌸 Netherlands
🌸 Provence, France
🌸 California, Oregon, or Washington, USA
🌸 Yunnan province, China
🌸 Dubai, UAE
🌸 Spain

One finished and a second one started (No WOF: don't need one but thanks!)

Finished: An Unfortunate End An Unfortunate End- a fun historical mystery set in 1920s London with an interesting romantic angle. Better than I expected: I'll be reading more of the series. 282 pages. 3.5 stars

Finished Daughter of the Reich --what an emotional roller coaster!!! 560 pages. 4.5 stars

Started: City of Flickering Light 401 pages.

**Ha. So I woke up this morning at 8 minutes after 10, and my book said I had 1:50 left in it, which means if I do NOTHING else before noon I should finish with two minutes to spare..... racing ahead!

Squeaked in under the wire: Finished as well. It was interesting to see who the book's characters were based on in the afterward: I see other books about this period of film in my future. 4 stars.

WoF Almeta

Finished A Killer Cupcake for

Read a book that is set at a beach or with a beach on the cover or "beach" in the title. , Beachfront Bakery series

I read Red Sky Over Hawaii. It takes place on a mountain (the volcano Kilauea). My book was audio - paperback pages 352.
I enjoyed the book. It brought up some things I hadn't thought about before- like how hard it was on Hawaii to be isolated after Pearl Harbor without supplies being able to be delivered very often because it was surrounded by Japanese submarines. Also how hard it must have been for those of Japanese descent on the island of Hawaii.

Jennifer, you don't want a badge? It's not a requirement, of course,

Almeta & Katrisa, don't forget your WoF names. :)

Oops! WoF Katrisa. I can't edit my post because I'm just on the app :/

Katrisa wrote: "Oops! WoF Katrisa. I can't edit my post because I'm just on the app :/"

Ok, got it. :)

WoF: Kristie

I read The Mystery of Mrs. Christie

It fit the historical fiction task.

I really enjoyed this story. I was a little concerned going into it because I read some less than favorable reviews, but I really enjoy Marie Benedict's writing. I thought it was a great story and loved Benedict's version of what happened during the week Agatha Christie went missing.

WoF SharonBiskit


It fit the beach on the cover task.

I like Nancy Thayer’s writing. Admittedly, this time, it might have been any other writer writing about Nantucket. I did enjoy Eleanor, the matriarch at 70, who seems to have a mind of her own and a true sense of who she is. This book takes place mainly during the summer with some insights throughout the year. It was a good read for a lazy Saturday afternoon when I wanted something not taxing and entertaining.

WOF Stacy SP

I read Alchemy and Rose.
It's Historical fiction.

I really enjoyed this book. It takes place in 1866 during New Zealand's last great gold rush.

WoF Vicki

I finished The Black Tides of Heaven 236 pages
for the task- Set in a fantasy land.

I really enjoyed it. The landscape wasn't described a whole lot but the politics and society were very clearly defined in such a small book. We follow one pov from a twin and there is a twin book that I'm guessing is the perspective of the other twin. You can begin the series with either. I'll have to check that out soon.

Kristie wrote: "Jennifer, you don't want a badge? It's not a requirement, of course,

Almeta & Katrisa, don't forget your WoF names. :)"

Duh!

WoF Pragya

I read The Assault
Based in Netherlands

Such a terrifying, horror retelling of real life events but stays with you long after, making you ponder on ethics, morality, and what not.

Highly recommended reading.

WoF Rusalka

The Collapsing Empire
Set in the future

Very fun scifi, space opera-y read. Very sweary, which doesn't bother me. But wonderful character interactions which I need in these kinds of novels. Highly recommend if people are looking for things in this genre, particularly if not your normal genre.

WoF - Jenn

I listened to The Love Season, which has a lovely beach scene on the cover.

I have read a few of her books previously, and this one fits her style for me. There were surprises, but they weren't really, because they fit her style, for me at least. Still a quite enjoyable look at love in an assortment of its guises.

WoF Almeta

Also finished Palm for Mrs. Pollifax 10 Apr

Read a book that is set in the mountains or with a mountain on the cover or "mountain" in the title.
Page 13 “two days ago Fraser fell off the mountain near the clinic”
Set in a health resort in the mountains of Switzerland.

I looked at the book but then backed out after seeing it's sci-fi but when you say to pick up if not your normal genre, makes me rethink, Rus.

WoF Odette

I read The Just City

It is set in a fantasy land on Atlantis in the early 1000's. The book is based on a re-imagined Plato's Republic. It is populated by people from different centuries in the future, Greek Gods, philosophers and a group of 10 year old children brought there from different lands. In the course of the book the children grow up.

Though the Just City took a little time to get into, I became fully immersed in this world. Found it easy to keep reading it until just after midnight (AEST).

I am getting into reading more Sci-Fi/Fantasy and am enjoying this genre.

WoF - Anusha

I read The Cat Who Saved Books, set in Japan.

Normally, it is hard for me to connect with Japanese stories, but I loved this one. It had a nice philosophical flow that I loved and the story was simple and entertaining.

P.S: Sorry, did not have access to the Internet to report earlier.

WoF Aya

I listened to Which Way Is Home?, historical fiction.

I like how this book, despite of the after war and Communist vs Democratic setting, has an easy way to tell the reader how dangerous their situation at the moment. Maybe because it's also a middle grade book? I think it's one of the lightest HF I've ever read. I also loved the narrator of this book. Loved her change of tone, it made the characters more real.

WoF Grainne

I am on the app I am going to record it now and edit it later to add the link to the book.

I read Camino Island Camino Island by John Grisham. It has a beach on the cover and I’ll link the cover later.


It was a departure from his usual style of writing as it is about gathering the evidence to build a case rather than about the trial. It’s a funny, witty book. I enjoyed the interactions between the characters but I think he is better in the courtroom. The drama is kinda missing in the one for me. I am sorry to say it as I like his writing style overall.

*will edit after work when I get home.

WoF - Lynn

I read Malibu Rising - at a beach

Eh, it was ok. The story was interesting enough that I kept with it but it really was melodramatic.

Badges have been posted! :)

Great badge Kristie, thank you 😊