The Princess Bride by William Goldman

 

Synopsis: What happens when the most beautiful girl in the world marries the handsomest prince of all time and he turns out to be...well...a lot less than the man of her dreams?

As a boy, William Goldman claims, he loved to hear his father read the S. Morgenstern classic, The Princess Bride. But as a grown-up he discovered that the boring parts were left out of good old Dad's recitation, and only the "good parts" reached his ears.

Now Goldman does Dad one better. He's reconstructed the "Good Parts Version" to delight wise kids and wide-eyed grownups everywhere.

What's it about? Fencing. Fighting. True Love. Strong Hate. Harsh Revenge. A Few Giants. Lots of Bad Men. Lots of Good Men. Five or Six Beautiful Women. Beasties Monstrous and Gentle. Some Swell Escapes and Captures. Death, Lies, Truth, Miracles, and a Little Sex.

In short, it's about everything.

I had thought I recalled that my older brother, Michael once recommended this book and that it was so much better than the movie.  But as I was listening to it, it was exactly like the movie with a few details that changed, but it was literally like I could see the movie playing in my head.  This is one fantastic movie and I would highly recommend the book and the movie. 

Death by Chocolate Cherry Cheesecake by Sarah Graves

 

Synopsis: Life just got a little sweeter in the island fishing village of Eastport, Maine. Jacobia “Jake” Tiptree and her best friend Ellie are opening a waterfront bake shop, The Chocolate Moose, where their tasty treats pair perfectly with the salty ocean breeze. But while Jake has moved on from fixing up houses, she still can't resist the urge to snoop into the occasional murder. 

 
Jake and Ellie have been through a lot together, from home repair to homicide investigation. So when they decide to open a chocolate-themed bakery, they figure it’ll be a piece of cake. With Ellie’s old family recipes luring in customers, they expect to make plenty of dough this Fourth of July weekend. Having family home for the holiday only sweetens the deal for Jake—until the ill wind of an early-season hurricane blows up her plans. When the storm hits, Jake’s grown son Sam is stranded in a Boston bus station, and her husband Wade is stuck on a cargo ship. But as bitter as the storm is, something even more sinister is brewing in the kitchen of The Chocolate Moose—where health inspector Matt Muldoon is found murdered.
 
Ellie never made a secret of her distaste for Matt, who had been raining on their parade with bogus talk of health code violations. Now, with no alibi for the night of the murder, she’s in a sticky situation with the police—and it’s up to Jake to catch the real killer and keep Ellie living in the land of the free.

With this book I had accidentally come upon the 3rd book of this series at my local library and figured I could't start in the middle of the series and I had to start at the beginning. (I actually found out after reading this book that this character had a whole bunch of books before this one that dealt with home improvements and murders....maybe that will be for a different read). I do like a good mystery and this one had all the elements.  I was certainly kept guessing to the end of the book and I'm excited to read the next two books in the series soon.

The Lady in the Coppergate Tower by Nancy Campbell Allen

 

Synopsis: Hazel Hughes has spent her life believing she is a Medium—someone who can talk to ghosts. But as of yet, that skill has remained frustratingly elusive. She is also suffering from a reoccurring childhood dream of someone who looks almost exactly like Hazel, but this dream version of herself is slowly going mad.

Sam MacInnes is a talented surgeon who runs in the highest social circles thanks to his family’s position and history. When Sam hires Hazel to assist him with his medical practice, he is immediately drawn to her intelligence, wit, and beauty.

Their potential relationship is derailed one evening when a mysterious count arrives in London and reveals to Hazel the truth about her past: she was abducted at birth and her twin sister has fallen dangerously ill.

Hazel agrees to travel to Romania with Count Petrescu in order to save her sister, and Sam insists on accompanying her. The count has secrets, though, and the journey grows more sinister with every mile that draws Hazel closer to her homeland. Even as her feelings for Sam become deeper and more complicated, she fears she might not survive the quest to save her sister with her heart intact, not to mention her life. She must learn to draw on gifts she doesn’t know she has if they are going to ever return home again.
 
Hazel and Sam must fight their way past dark magic, clockwork beasts, and their own insecurities as they try to reach her sister in the impenetrable Coppergate Tower before time runs out.

These books are growing on me and I find then fascinating that it is a retelling of a beloved fairytale but with a different spin on it.  It took me longer in this book to figure out what story it was, but it was so good.  I found the following review from Heidi Robbins on goodreads.com and I agree with what she has to say. 

"The author does a wonderful job drawing the reader into the world of fantasy fairy-tale retelling and steampunk with realistically grounded characters and a mystery to solve. Unrequited love that is secretly not unrequited is one of my favorite tropes and I really enjoyed the developing romance between Hazel and Sam with the tension that holds them back all the while falling more in love with each other. There is a darkness to the suspense as they follow the dubious Romanian uncle to Hazel's sister, and I was anxious to see how they would rescue her. Such creative world-building! Characters and situations from the previous two books are referred to and while I had read the second book in the series, I wish that I had read the first one also, so I would recommend reading them in order for full enjoyment. It definitely works as a standalone though." 

Still Me (Me Before You #3) by Joho Moyes

Synopsis: From the #1 New York Times bestselling author Jojo Moyes, a new book featuring her iconic heroine of Me Before You and After You, Louisa Clark.

Louisa Clark arrives in New York ready to start a new life, confident that she can embrace this new adventure and keep her relationship with Ambulance Sam alive across several thousand miles. She steps into the world of the superrich, working for Leonard Gopnik and his much younger second wife, Agnes. Lou is determined to get the most out of the experience and throws herself into her new job and New York life.

As she begins to mix in New York high society, Lou meets Joshua Ryan, a man who brings with him a whisper of her past. Before long, Lou finds herself torn between Fifth Avenue where she works and the treasure-filled vintage clothing store where she actually feels at home. And when matters come to a head, she has to ask herself: Who is Louisa Clark? And how do you find the courage to follow your heart—wherever that may lead?

Funny, romantic, and poignant, Still Me follows Lou as she navigates how to stay true to herself, while pushing to live boldly in her brave new world.

Out of all the books of the trilogy this one was my favorite. It was one that I could't put down and I wanted to see what would happen to Louisa and what became of her life.   I'm so glad that I found out about this trilogy and it was a great read and a series I would recommend. 

The Lost Girls of Paris by Pam Jenoff

Synopsis: From the author of the runaway bestseller The Orphan’s Tale comes a remarkable story of friendship and courage centered around three women and a ring of female spies during World War II.

1946, Manhattan

Grace Healey is rebuilding her life after losing her husband during the war. One morning while passing through Grand Central Terminal on her way to work, she finds an abandoned suitcase tucked beneath a bench. Unable to resist her own curiosity, Grace opens the suitcase, where she discovers a dozen photographs—each of a different woman. In a moment of impulse, Grace takes the photographs and quickly leaves the station.

Grace soon learns that the suitcase belonged to a woman named Eleanor Trigg, leader of a ring of female secret agents who were deployed out of London during the war. Twelve of these women were sent to Occupied Europe as couriers and radio operators to aid the resistance, but they never returned home, their fates a mystery. Setting out to learn the truth behind the women in the photographs, Grace finds herself drawn to a young mother turned agent named Marie, whose daring mission overseas reveals a remarkable story of friendship, valor and betrayal.

Vividly rendered and inspired by true events, New York Times bestselling author Pam Jenoff shines a light on the incredible heroics of the brave women of the war, and weaves a mesmerizing tale of courage, sisterhood and the great strength of women to survive in the hardest of circumstances.

It was the cover of this book that caught my eye when browsing for a new read and while waiting for another book to be delivered since I had many others on hold.  I do admit that the first chapter was easy to follow but when it listened to the other two they were a little harder to follow until we reached later chapters. I know this was for character building of the story, and it all came together in the end.  This story was vivid and captivating in the style of writing and imagery.  I wonder if any of this was based on a true story or any true characters.  It is a novel I would highly recommend to a fan of historical fiction.  

After You (Me Before You #2) by Jojo Moyes

Synopsis: From the New York Times bestselling author of The Giver of Stars, discover the love story that captured over 20 million hearts in Me Before You, After You, and Still Me.

“You’re going to feel uncomfortable in your new world for a bit. But I hope you feel a bit exhilarated too. Live boldly. Push yourself. Don’t settle. Just live well. Just live. Love, Will.”

How do you move on after losing the person you loved? How do you build a life worth living?

Louisa Clark is no longer just an ordinary girl living an ordinary life. After the transformative six months spent with Will Traynor, she is struggling without him. When an extraordinary accident forces Lou to return home to her family, she can’t help but feel she’s right back where she started.

Her body heals, but Lou herself knows that she needs to be kick-started back to life. Which is how she ends up in a church basement with the members of the Moving On support group, who share insights, laughter, frustrations, and terrible cookies. They will also lead her to the strong, capable Sam Fielding—the paramedic, whose business is life and death, and the one man who might be able to understand her. Then a figure from Will’s past appears and hijacks all her plans, propelling her into a very different future. . . .

For Lou Clark, life after Will Traynor means learning to fall in love again, with all the risks that brings. But here Jojo Moyes gives us two families, as real as our own, whose joys and sorrows will touch you deeply, and where both changes and surprises await.

I loved this book and I'm so glad this was a sequel to see what happened in the life of Lousia Clark and how she learned to cope with the death of a loved one and to come to terms with his decision.  It was surprising to meet the new character that was in relation to Will and how she affected the story line. It is definitely a story I would recommend to anyone. 

Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory

Vivian Forest has been out of the country a grand total of one time, so when she gets the chance to tag along on her daughter Maddie’s work trip to England to style a royal family member, she can’t refuse. She’s excited to spend the holidays taking in the magnificent British sights, but what she doesn’t expect is to become instantly attracted to a certain private secretary, his charming accent, and unyielding formality.

Malcolm Hudson has worked for the Queen for years and has never given a personal, private tour—until now. He is intrigued by Vivian the moment he meets her and finds himself making excuses just to spend time with her. When flirtatious banter turns into a kiss under the mistletoe, things snowball into a full-on fling.

Despite a ticking timer on their holiday romance, they are completely fine with ending their short, steamy affair come New Year’s Day. . .or are they?

Out of all the books in this series, this was was my most favorite. The language was toned down and their romantic encounters were just enough and not over the top in graphic description. It was fun to read this story and even though I read this book in the summer time it was a nice getaway to read a holiday book set in the Christmas time of year. 

Me Before You by Jojo Moyes

Synopsis: They had nothing in common until love gave them everything to lose . . .

Louisa Clark is an ordinary girl living an exceedingly ordinary life—steady boyfriend, close family—who has barely been farther afield than their tiny village. She takes a badly needed job working for ex–Master of the Universe Will Traynor, who is wheelchair bound after an accident. Will has always lived a huge life—big deals, extreme sports, worldwide travel—and now he’s pretty sure he cannot live the way he is.

Will is acerbic, moody, bossy—but Lou refuses to treat him with kid gloves, and soon his happiness means more to her than she expected. When she learns that Will has shocking plans of his own, she sets out to show him that life is still worth living.

A Love Story for this generation and perfect for fans of John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars, Me Before You brings to life two people who couldn’t have less in common—a heartbreakingly romantic novel that asks, What do you do when making the person you love happy also means breaking your own heart?

I had watched this movie several years ago but hadn't known it was a book. So when I discovered it was a book I wanted to read it and see the similarities between the book and the movie.  After listening to the novel I borrowed the movie from the library and was pleasantly surprised to see how well it followed the book. I felt like it really captured the mood of the book and the story line in great detail. It was after I finished the first one I also realized there were two more books in the series, which the movie doesn't cover, so I was excited to see what happened next in the life of Lousia Clark.