Bookish Jyo

 BOOK REVIEW : The Wife Upstairs My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐ " Meet Jane. Newly arrived to Birmingham, Alabama, Jane is a broke dog-walker in Thornfield Estates––a gated community full of McMansions, shiny SUVs, and bored housewives. The kind of place where no one will notice if Jane lifts the discarded tchotchkes and jewelry off the side tables of her well-heeled clients. Where no one will think to ask if Jane is her real name. But her luck changes when she meets Eddie­ Rochester. Recently widowed, Eddie is Thornfield Estates’ most mysterious resident. His wife, Bea, drowned in a boating accident with her best friend, their bodies lost to the deep. Jane can’t help but see an opportunity in Eddie––not only is he rich, brooding, and handsome, he could also offer her the kind of protection she’s always yearned for. Yet as Jane and Eddie fall for each other, Jane is increasingly haunted by the legend of Bea, an ambitious beauty with a rags-to-riches origin story, who launched a wildly success

 BOOK REVIEW: The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle                   My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐ " Aiden Bishop knows the rules. Evelyn Hardcastle will die every day until he can identify her killer and break the cycle. But every time the day begins again, Aiden wakes up in the body of a different guest at Blackheath Manor. And some of his hosts are more helpful than others. With a locked room mystery that Agatha Christie would envy, Stuart Turton unfurls a breakneck novel of intrigue and suspense. For fans of Claire North, and Kate Atkinson, The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle is a breathlessly addictive mystery that follows one man's race against time to find a killer, with an astonishing time-turning twist that means nothing and no one are quite what they seem. This inventive debut twists together a thriller of such unexpected creativity it will leave readers guessing until the very last page." ~ From Goodreads ~ Oh my God! What did I just read!!! This is the feeling I was le

 BOOK REVIEW: The Break My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ " 'Myself and Hugh . . . We're taking a break.' 'A city-with-fancy-food sort of break?' If only. Amy's husband Hugh says he isn't leaving her. He still loves her, he's just taking a break - from their marriage, their children, and, most of all, from their life together. Six months to lose himself in south-east Asia. And there is nothing Amy can say or do about it. Yes, it's a mid-life crisis, but let's be clear: a break isn't a break up - yet . . . However, for Amy, it's enough to send her - along with her extended family of gossips, misfits, and troublemakers - teetering over the edge. For a lot can happen in six-months. When Hugh returns if he returns, will he be the same man she married? And will Amy be the same woman? Because if Hugh is on a break from their marriage, then isn't she? " ~ From Goodreads ~ This was a tough one to read. So many emotions, so many truths, and so man

 BOOK REVIEW: Cards on the Table My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐ "A flamboyant party host is murdered in full view of a roomful of bridge players… Mr Shaitana was famous as a flamboyant party host. Nevertheless, he was a man of whom everybody was a little afraid. So, when he boasted to Poirot that he considered murder an art form, the detective had some reservations about accepting a party invitation to view Shaitana’s private collection. Indeed, what began as an absorbing evening of bridge was to turn into a more dangerous game altogether.." ~ From Goodreads ~ So many twists, so many turns, so many murders, and so many clues. This one confused the hell out of me. I think I had attempted to read this one a long time ago but left it because I couldn't understand the game of Bridge! I still do not understand the game of bridge, but I read through it anyway. I do think the cleverness of the crime would have been more evident if I had known how that game is played. Nonetheless, I enjoye

 Book review: Dot Journaling - A Practical Guide              My Rating:  ⭐ ️ ⭐ ️ ⭐ ️ ⭐ ️ ⭐ "Organize your life, record what matters, and get stuff done! What the heck is a dot journal? It’s a planner, to-do list, and diary for every aspect of your life: work, home, relationships, hobbies, everything. Early adopter Rachel Wilkerson Miller explains how to make a dot journal work for you—whether you find the picture-perfect examples on Pinterest inspiring or, well, intimidating. You decide how simple or elaborate your journal will be, and what goes in there: - Lists of your to-dos, to-don’ts, and more - Symbols that will make those lists efficient and effective - Spreads to plan your day, week, month, or year - Trackers for your habits and goals (think health, money, travel) - Accoutrements such as washi tape, book darts, and more!" ~ From Goodreads ~ Have you spent a lot of time watching youtube videos of beautiful "dot journals in the making" or spent countless hour

 Book review: Mycroft and Sherlock: The Empty Birdcage           My Rating:  ⭐ ️ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ "The new novel by NBA All-Star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, starring brothers Mycroft and Sherlock Holmes. It is 1873, and as the economies of Europe threaten to crumble, Mycroft Holmes finds himself in service to the Crown once again. A distant relative of Queen Victoria has been slain by the Fire Four Eleven killer, a serial murderer who leaves no mark upon his victims, only a mysterious calling card. Meanwhile, Sherlock has already taken it upon himself to solve the case, as his interest in the criminal mind grows into an obsession. Mycroft begrudgingly allows Sherlock to investigate, as Ai Lin—the woman he is still in love with—needs his aid. Her fiancé has been kidnapped, and the only man who might know his fate is a ruthless arms dealer with a reputation for killing those who cross him. Mycroft persuades his friend Cyrus Douglas to help find the young man, but Douglas himself is put in harm’s way.

 Book review: Flatland: A Romance of Many Dimensions        My Rating:  ⭐ ️ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ "Flatland is populated by Squares, Triangles, Circles, and Lines, all of which are strictly divided by class and gender. However, our narrator, A Square, living a practical life in this two-dimensional universe, dreams of other worlds. Perhaps A Sphere, a figure from a three-dimensional realm, can help drive home the point. But, as A Square soon discovers, educating Flatland about the shapes of things to come proves to be a dangerous infraction. Published in 1884, Abbott’s intricately imaginative novella, which became a classic in the era of Einstein, was a skewering of social hierarchy that inspired Carl Sagan, Stephen Hawking, and anyone who dared to think—literally—outside the box." ~ From Goodreads ~ This one took me by surprise. I didn't think I would enjoy it so much.  It has said to have a political, racial/classist undertone to it. But I didn't mind it because it is an old clas

 Book Review: Emma My Rating:  ⭐ ️ ⭐ ️ ⭐ ️ ⭐ "Emma Woodhouse is one of Austen's most captivating and vivid characters. Beautiful, spoilt, vain and irrepressibly witty, Emma organizes the lives of the inhabitants of her sleepy little village and plays matchmaker with devastating effect." ~ From Goodreads ~ This was a tough one to read. It took some time to get used to the English. It took some time to be able to visualize the scenes. I had watched "Bridgerton" last month and that finally helped me gain interest again in this one with respect to the above-mentioned issues.  I also discovered a library app that gave me a free version of this book in audio and ebook formats. It took all of the above factors to help me finish this book! I didn't like Emma. Not the book, but the character. She is the exact sort of person that I thoroughly dislike. She thinks very highly of herself and her situations and very lowly of almost everyone and everything else. She also t

Book review: Milk and Honey                     My Rating:  ⭐ ️ ⭐ ️ ⭐ "The book is divided into four chapters, and each chapter serves a different purpose. Deals with a different pain. Heals a different heartache. Milk and Honey takes readers through a journey of the most bitter moments in life and finds sweetness in them because there is sweetness everywhere if you are just willing to look." ~ From Goodreads ~ I have nothing against the emotions expressed in the words of this book. Yet, I don't think I consider it poetry for one. Then the repetitions in it put me off a bit. I got a bit confused with the lines sometimes. The first chapter didn't make any sense to me, it left me feeling that I am not too "intellectual" to understand it. Maybe you will! I did get the gist of it, but the actual lines never led me to feel the way it should have? Maybe if I reread it, it might make more sense.  The other chapters, I could understand pretty well. So I guess the ab

 Book Review of the Month - February  2021 💓💝 Book Review of the Month 💝💓 I have started a blog hop here in 2021 with the hope that I can add more books to my already growing TBR. It is fun to have a list of everyone's previous month's reads. So inviting anyone and everyone to add their favourite January 2021 book's review in here, so that we can all read and enjoy them.  It's simple, review the favourite book (just most fav one) you read in January 2021 and link it here.  I would love to see your recommendations and reviews. Do Join in.  Click on the "Click here to enter", blue button to add your link.   {My fav book  review will be in there as well} Comment below if you face any difficulties.  HAPPY READING AND REVIEWING my fellow bookworms.  Here's wishing more Bookish days and nights for you... You are invited to the Inlinkz link party! Click here to enter

Book review: Daisy Jones & The Six           My Rating:  ⭐ ️ ⭐ ️ ⭐ ️ ⭐ ️ ⭐ " Everyone knows Daisy Jones & The Six, but nobody knows the reason behind their split at the absolute height of their popularity . . . until now Daisy is a girl coming of age in L.A. in the late sixties, sneaking into clubs on the Sunset Strip, sleeping with rock stars, and dreaming of singing at the Whisky a Go Go. The sex and drugs are thrilling, but it’s the rock and roll she loves most. By the time she’s twenty, her voice is getting noticed, and she has the kind of heedless beauty that makes people do crazy things. Also getting noticed is The Six, a band led by the brooding Billy Dunne. On the eve of their first tour, his girlfriend Camila finds out she’s pregnant, and with the pressure of impending fatherhood and fame, Billy goes a little wild on the road. Daisy and Billy cross paths when a producer realizes that the key to supercharged success is to put the two together. What happens next wil

  Book review: The Bookish Life of Nina Hill          My Rating:  ⭐ ️ ⭐ ️ ⭐ ️ ⭐ ️ ⭐ " Meet Nina Hill: A young woman supremely confident in her own...shell. The only child of a single mother, Nina has her life just as she wants it: a job in a bookstore, a kick-butt trivia team, a world-class planner and a cat named Phil. If she sometimes suspects there might be more to life than reading, she just shrugs and picks up a new book. When the father Nina never knew existed suddenly dies, leaving behind innumerable sisters, brothers, nieces, and nephews, Nina is horrified. They all live close by! They're all--or mostly all--excited to meet her! She'll have to Speak. To. Strangers. It's a disaster! And as if that wasn't enough, Tom, her trivia nemesis, has turned out to be cute, funny, and deeply interested in getting to know her. Doesn't he realize what a terrible idea that is? Nina considers her options. 1. Completely change her name and appearance. (Too drastic,