Bookish Jyo

 Book Review: The Goldfinch My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️ "A young boy in New York City, Theo Decker, miraculously survives an accident that takes the life of his mother. Alone and abandoned by his father, Theo is taken in by a friend's family and struggles to make sense of his new life. In the years that follow, he becomes entranced by one of the few things that reminds him of his mother: a small, mysteriously captivating painting that ultimately draws Theo into the art underworld. Composed with the skills of a master, The Goldfinch is a haunted odyssey through present-day America, and a drama of almost unbearable acuity and power. It is a story of loss and obsession, survival and self-invention, and the enormous power of art." ~  From Goodreads   ~ This one was so painstakingly long! The writing is good, the story is good, the morals and lessons and the descriptions are too good. Initially, I read every word, thinking that it will matter at some point. At almost 70%, I realized tha

 Book Review: The Midnight Library  My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐ "Between life and death there is a library, and within that library, the shelves go on forever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. To see how things would be if you had made other choices . . . Would you have done anything different, if you had the chance to undo your regrets?” A dazzling novel about all the choices that go into a life well lived, from the internationally bestselling author of Reasons to Stay Alive and How To Stop Time. Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. One tells the story of your life as it is, along with another book for the other life you could have lived if you had made a different choice at any point in your life. While we all wonder how our lives might have been, what if you had the chance to go to the library and see for yourself? Would any of these other l

 Book Review: The Other Wife  My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐ "Childhood sweethearts William and Mary have been married for sixty years. William is a celebrated surgeon, Mary a devoted wife. Both have a strong sense of right and wrong. This is what their son, Joe O'Loughlin, has always believed. But when Joe is summoned to the hospital with news that his father has been brutally attacked, his world is turned upside down. Who is the strange woman crying at William's bedside, covered in his blood - a friend, a mistress, a fantasist or a killer? Against the advice of the police, Joe launches his own investigation. As he learns more, he discovers sides to his father he never knew - and is forcibly reminded that the truth comes at a price. A mesmerising psychological thriller from one of the greatest crime writers of today, Michael Robotham, the international bestselling author of THE SECRETS SHE KEEPS." ~  From Goodreads  ~ This is was a good story. I liked the writing style too. Si

 Book Review: The Night Circus My Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐ "The circus arrives without warning. No announcements precede it. It is simply there, when yesterday it was not. The black sign, painted in white letters that hangs upon the gates, reads: Opens at Nightfall Closes at Dawn As the sun disappears beyond the horizon, all over the tents small lights begin to flicker, as though the entirety of the circus is covered in particularly bright fireflies. When the tents are all aglow, sparkling against the night sky, the sign appears. Le Cirque des Rêves The Circus of Dreams. Now the circus is open. Now you may enter. " ~  From Goodreads ~ I am not quite sure why I didn't give this one 5 stars. It ticked all the boxes in my head for my current rating system. It is well written, it is something different, it has good character sketches, it has a bit of mystery and intrigue, and it is obviously a feel-good book.  The romance is undeniable of my favorite kind. Mushy and magical. The rela