I chose this book as part of the 2024 reading challenge for July, a book by an author born outside the Unites States, and it was also in the "New Fiction" area which I always peruse. This was an excellent read by the author who lives in Japan and who had this work translated. The chapters of the book were tales of life stories with life lessons and interconnections told in a very interesting, unique, and moving way. Every tale had a central figure, Mrs. Komachi. She was the local community center librarian with a penchant for felting and selecting just the right book for her patrons. Mrs. Komachi's felting materials were kept in a Honeydome cookie tin which was central to the book. I could continue to write more about how I liked this book, but suffice to say, it really made me think and reflect, and I will be looking for more books by this author if translated!

I really enjoyed this one. It was interesting to read about a bookseller who has a rare book collection. I liked both of the main characters and I am going to read the next two books in the series.

I.Loved . Hicory ????????

This is S.T. Dubbs debut novel that takes place in Tucson, AZ where the author actually resides. I really wanted to like this book and placed it on hold because I, too, love birding. There was a very simple plot of an avid birder, John Maguire, who enters a birding contest but his partner drops out at the last minute and asks an acquaintance to step in. Enter Celeste who knows nothing about birds. The rest of the book is a basic boy meets girl, and they fall in love with no twists or surprises. John and Celeste are in their 40's and the sex scenes, sexting, etc. were a bit much and not believable, and I am no prude. But it is called Birding with Benefits...!

Excellent book with a very unique story. I would want everyone to read it. Imagine traveling the country with 2 giraffes. And it's based on a true story! Makes it even more unique and fun!

Easy good read. SJM does a really nice job of hooking you in for the last 100 pages. She never disappoints. Excited to see where this new story line goes

This book is an historical fiction that takes place in Lisbon, Portugal during WWII. The descriptions of life in Lisbon kept my interest, but the characters and the story were exciting and comical. I felt I understood that even in dangerous times, people can find a way to use their talents and enjoy working with others toward a common goal.

I liked this one. I had read Throne of the Fallen before starting this series and I really enjoyed it so I figured why not go back and try this one,

A page turner for sure. Great story, hard to put down. Love the characters and the twists… and I will admit that I fell for them all. Highly recommend this one.

Not one of my favorites of his. I really didn’t like reading a book within a book in this case (I generally do not mind but I didn’t like it here). I think the plot of this book didn’t really make much sense to me nor did I like the main character. The ending was just too bizarre too.