The Bookish Island: April 2019

4/23/2019

Penne Dreadful by Catherine Bruns | Book Review #157

The Bookish Island's Book Review:
Penne Dreadful by Catherine Bruns

Are there spoilers?

None.

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Title: Penne Dreadful

Author: Catherine Bruns

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Pages: 416

Published: July 30, 2019

Publisher: Poisoned Pen Press

Genre: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Food

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Date Read: March 7 to March 13, 2019

Rating: ★★★★☆

Tomato sauce isn't the only thing that runs red...

Local chef Tessa Esposito is struggling to get back on her feet following her husband's fatal accident. And when the police knock on Tessa's door, things just get worse. They've discovered Dylan's death wasn't an accident after all, and they need Tessa to start filling in the blanks. Who would want her beloved husband dead, and why?

With the investigation running cold, Tessa decides it's time to save her sanity by reconnecting with her first love-cooking. And maybe the best way back into the kitchen is to infiltrate Dylan's favorite local pizza parlor, which also happens to be the last place he was seen before he died. But the anchovies aren't the only thing that stink inside the small family business, and with suspects around every corner, Tessa finds that her husband's many secrets might land her in hot water.

The Rating:

My Review:

Penne Dreadful is was a twisty cozy mystery with a food theme.

Tessa's husband had recently passed away in a car accident. But later she finds out that it wasn't an accident after all. She takes a job at her husband's last job in order to snoop around and find out whatever she could. In the process of learning that her husband was keeping a lot of secrets from her. Leaving her with many questions.
Together with her cousin, Gaby, who owns a bookstore, they get themselves into dangerous situations.

This story was a fun, well-crafted cozy mystery. With well-developed characters and a strong plot.
And I totally didn't see who the main suspect was till the end.

The author also included recipes at the end. For pizza, sauce, and stromboli.
🍕🍝🍅

Goodreads

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The Bookish Island
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4/12/2019

Romanceopoly's Women's Avenue | Recommendations

So this year I've been participating in more reading challenges than before. And one of the problems I've come across is the lack of recommendations for some of the challenges.

What I mean by that is that there are some challenges where I'm stuck standing in front of my bookshelves like the thinking man trying to somehow figure out what book to read for certain categories.

For the most part, Romanceopoly does have a ton of Recommendations. They even have recommendations from each of the hosts. But they are also books I do not own or find all that interesting at the moment. We have different taste in books too. So that doesn't help. But for the other challenges I'm doing I end up getting stuck -like I said.

So I'm going to try and make a list of 5 or more books that can help other people who are stuck like me. Of course, I'm only doing this for the categories I've already done so far. And hopefully, this ends up actually being helpful.

And the first recommendations list I'm going to do is for the Women's Avenue square in Romanceopoly. Which is to read women's fiction novels. For this, I didn't have that many books I had read which can qualify so it's just going to be a list of 4 books. But in the end, I will include an extra that I haven't read but are on my tbr list on Goodreads. So a book I would totally read. Just so I have an overall list of 5 books.

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Me Before You by Jojo Moyes
Goodreads

If I'm being honest, I only read this because I wanted to see the movie. But woah, was I wrong. I not only loved the book and the characters but I cried like such a baby.
Of course, the movie was great and I cried a bunch when I saw it too but the book still holds a spot in my heart.

The Hurricane Sisters by Dorothea Benton Frank
Goodreads

I actually read this book after Hurricane Maria swept by Puerto Rico. When I needed to read in order to escape and not freak out. And read it in one day.
The family aspect of this is beautiful and too real. This family doesn't get along but when it counts they join together and help each other. And the twist it has fits the story perfectly.

Landline by Rainbow Rowell
Goodreads

Landline was one of the first books I read on my reading journey. And it was such a good way to start it all. It was so good and I even cried a few times. It surely captured my heart and became one of the books that made me love romance books as much as I love romantic movies.

These two books by Anita Hughes.

Rome in Love by Annita Hughes

Goodreads

Santorini Sunset by Anita Hughes

Goodreads

Both of these books by her are so good. Both very different but carry great stories with female leads. Rome in love is from the point of view of a famous actress who might be falling for a stranger she met on the streets of Rome. And Santorini Sunset is about a bride to be who's going to be married to a wealthy elite. But there will be something that will get in the way of that.

Austenland by Shannon Hale
Goodreads

I might have just added this to my tbr because I saw the movie a long time ago and fell in love with it but I have no idea how I'll get my hands on it. It's an older book so it's not gonna be super easy to find. So I'll have to keep searching from time to time on BookOutlet till it pops out.

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The Bookish Island
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4/03/2019

Can't Wait Wednesday #23 - Eyes on Me by Rachel Harris

Can't Wait Wednesday is a weekly event, hosted by Wishful Endings.

I've decided to switch to this since Waiting On Wednesday has been over for a long time now. But its basically the same concept. Books that I can't wait to get my hands on, or am really interested in that are to be released soon. I should also add that its rare that I manage to actually get my hands on these books.

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Why I Can't Wait:

The cover is so adorable. And the story sounds so good too. I mean - two people from different backgrounds finding themselves working together and falling in love. Ugh! Love!
💕💃💕

Eyes on Me by Rachel Harris

Look up the word “nerd” and you’ll find Lily Bailey’s picture. She’s got one goal: first stop valedictorian, next stop Harvard. Until a stint in the hospital from too much stress lands her in the last place a klutz like her ever expected to be: salsa dance lessons.

Look up the word “popular” and you’ll find Stone Torres’s picture. His life seems perfect—star of the football team, small-town hero, lots of friends. But his family is struggling to make ends meet, so if pitching in at his mom's dance studio helps, he’ll do it.

When Lily’s dad offers Stone extra cash to volunteer as Lily’s permanent dance partner, he can’t refuse. But with each dip and turn, each moment her hand is in his, his side job starts to feel all too real. Lily shows Stone he's more than his impressive football stats, and he introduces her to a world outside of studying. But with the lines blurred, can their relationship survive the secret he's been hiding?

Published by: Entangled: Teen