Two Dogs and a Book

Deadly Camargue: A Provence Mystery by Cay Rademacher My rating: 3 of 5 stars What does the murder of a rice mogul, the theft of a van Gogh Painting, and the gruesome death of a journalist by bull impalement have in common? You will have to read this awesome detective novel to find out. Capitaine Blanc is on a case which will look in the past and present. What appears to be an accident, smells like murder to him. I was attracted to this book because of its van Gogh connection. I am a big fan of the artist and I am always interested to read stories where he is involved (in some way). This detective novel is intelligent and gripping. There are so many clues and many suspects. This novel is the second book in the Provence Mystery Series. I love all the French references and landscapes. If you like Agatha Christie books, you will like this one. A big thank you to Minotaur Book and St. Martin’s Publishing Group of my advanced reader’s copy of this awesome detective story....

Night of Miracles by Elizabeth Berg My rating: 5 of 5 stars Elizabeth Berg welcomes her readers on yet another stunning novel about unlikely friendships, community spirit, and surprising miracles. Night of Miracles is the sequel to the beloved book The Story of Arthur Truluv. The book picks up where it left off, so I recommend you read the first book to appreciate the story and all the eclectic characters. And what grand characters they are!! I love how Ms. Berg writes and infuses her books with her characters’ deepest thoughts. It feels like they are sitting beside you, pointing out this and that while telling you the story. Her writing is beautiful and whimsical. I highlighted so many phrases in the book because they are inspirational or motivational. I was reading the novel on the commuter train; that might have not been my brightest moment since there are parts in the book which are very emotional, and I wear my heart on my sleeve. Just to say, that my fellow commuters...

The Glass Ocean by Beatriz Williams My rating: 4 of 5 stars Beatriz Williams is one of my favorite authors. Her books are filled with historical facts and the plot is always captivating. The Glass Ocean does not disappoint. This is a two timelines story. One takes place in April 1915 and the other in May 2013. In the current timeline, Sarah Blake needs inspiration for her next book. She discovers in an old chest content that her grandfather was on the RMS Lusitania, a passenger ship which was sunken by a German U-Boat while on its journey to England in 1915. Her grandfather was a steward on the ship and he appears to have had a connection with Robert Langford, a renowned spy novelist, who was a passenger on the ship at that time. She contacts John Langford, a direct descendant of Robert, and together they embark on a discovery journey which includes traitors, secret formula, thievery, and a love affair. This book is another tour-de-force by Beatriz Williams. She will ke...

364 Days A Year by Sarah Riad My rating: 5 of 5 stars I love the #bookstagram community. I met wonderful authors and book reviewers which inspire me daily. Recently I befriended author Sarah Riad and she asked me if I wanted to read her upcoming book 364 Days a Year in exchange for an honest review. I say “Yes” without hesitation. I am always humbled and happy when an author asks me to read his or her book. Thanks Sarah! I just finished her book and I am still shaken by the multitude of emotions I felt while reading it. This is a fresh and well-written story with many layers of human behaviours. I love the storyline and how it flows beautifully. It starts with the main character waking up in the body of recently deceased Effie Garcia. Since 1909, our heroine has lived her 17th year over and over. Each year, on the 29th of March, she starts a new cycle in a new body. She does not remember who she is, but she knows that all the hosts recently pass away and that she has 3...

A Map of Days by Ransom Riggs My rating: 4 of 5 stars I thought the Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children Series ended with the third book: Library of Souls. Hold and behold, imagine my surprise when I found out that a fourth book was in the making. A Map of Days gives a new life to the series starting where it left off in the third book. Jacob is about to be admitted to a loony bin by his father and his uncle when his peculiar friends show up to deliver him. There is something new about Miss Peregrine’s peculiars… they no longer risk to age rapidly when they travel in the future (or present depending on who you are). They are all assigned tasks in the rebuilding of the damaged loops and are not very happy about it. Jacob is hoping to follow in his grandfather's footsteps and that the ymbrynes will assign him missions in America to save peculiar children. It is not the case forcing Jacob to rebel and starts his own mission to save a special peculiar located in New York. The bo...

Chili and Sundae were very cooperative today and decided to help me with this double post. 🔹BOOK REVIEW 1: Booked for Trouble by Eva Gates 🔹 My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 stars My Review: This is the second book in the Lighthouse Library Mystery Series. Another murder takes place on the library grounds. This time, Lucy’s mother is the prime suspect. It does not take long that everyone becomes a suspect. Who had motives to commit the murder? You have to read it to find out. I love this series. The stories are light and fun. I particularly like the fact that you have to wait to the end of the book to really know who committed the crime. 🔹BOOK REVIEW 2: Reading Up a Storm by Eva Gates🔹 My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐/5 stars My Review: This is the third book in the Lighthouse Library Mystery series. It is a light read and can be fun at times; unfortunately, the storyline is pretty much the same in all the books. I enjoyed the love triangle dilemma between Lucy, Connor, and Butch… the introduct...

The Make-Ahead Sauce Solution: Elevate Your Everyday Meals with 61 Freezer-Friendly Sauces by Elisabeth Bailey My rating: 5 of 5 stars I have a four-hour commute to work every day and attempt to cook a healthy meal every weeknight even if I have very little time to do it. This is not an easy task and often I fail because most delicious healthy meals take time to prepare. The Make-Ahead Sauce Solution book is a life-saver and offers so many delicious sauces which can be prepared in advance (like on the weekend) and freeze until usage. It also offers great advice on cooking different bases such as chicken, pasta, tofu, etc. The Sausage Ragu sauce was easy to prepare and tasted so good. I am looking forward to trying more and be on the road to conquer fast and healthy meal preparation. A big thank you to NetGalley and Storey Publishing for the fantastic ARC of The Make-Ahead Sauce Solution by Elisabeth Bailey. This book will be available at your favourite bookstore on Oct...

Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott My rating: 5 of 5 stars A big thank you to Simon and Schuster Canada for giving me an advanced reader copy of this fantabulous book. The cover is one of the most beautiful I have seen this year. The story was just as stunning. I was quite excited to have the opportunity and read and review this book as it deals with CF (Cystic Fibrosis). This subject is near and dear to my heart as I lost my cousin to this disease. Benoît and I were very close from almost birth and I saw him fight all his life. Unfortunately, he lost the battle at age 36 while waiting for a lung transplant. FIVE FEET APART is the story of Stella, a teenager who has CF and is waiting for a set of lungs to be available for transplant. While in the hospital, she meets Will, another CF patient. Will has a death wish and rebels against his treatments. Stella is determined to help him live and, with much persistence, succeeds to convince him to follow his meds regime. Beca...

By Book or By Crook by Eva Gates My rating: 4 of 5 stars By Book or By Crook by Eva Gates is the first book in the Lighthouse Library Mystery Series. Recently I received the fourth book in the series via an Instagram contest on @writing_fun and enjoyed this clever storyline. This inspired me to attempt to read the first three. I was happy to find out that my local library offers copies via Overdrive. Lucy leaves her dream job, family and ex-boyfriend, back in Boston to move to a small community in the Outer Banks where she takes a job as Assistant Librarian at the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library. Not everyone is happy that Lucy got the librarian job. During her first week, the library chairman is found dead in the library. He has been murdered and there are many suspects. Lucy can’t help herself and tries to help the investigation. Her help soon shines a spotlight on her and she becomes a suspect herself. This is a light and fun read. I love that the characters are re...

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman My rating: 5 of 5 stars There are a few authors I can say I enjoy all their books. Fredrik Backman is one of them. His writing is beautiful and his stories moving. A Man Called Ove is about a grumpy elderly man who lived his life by strict principles and rules. After being made redundant at his workplace, he finds himself contemplating his next move in life. A stray cat, new neighbours, and old friends will interrupt his plans and will discover how valuable Ove is to them. This heart-warming story will make you laugh and cry as well. This book is going to my all-time favorite pile. Follow me on Blogger @ http://guylous.blogspot.com or on Instagram @twodogsandabook to see my latest book reviews. 🔹 🔹 #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #book #books #booklover #bookish #bookreview #bookworm #bookaholic #reading #ilovebooks #bookaddicted #bookishcanadians #amancalledove #fredrikbackman #fiction View all my reviews

📚HAPPY PUBLICATION DAY📚 THE DREAM DAUGHTER by Diane Chamberlain My Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 My Review: The Dream Daughter by Diane Chamberlain is a historical/science fiction novel about a young woman in the 70’s whose husband dies during the Vietnam War. A few weeks after his death, she discovers that she is pregnant and that the baby has a major heart defect. Her baby will not survive once out of the womb. Carly is devastated as this baby is all that is left of her husband. Her brother-in-law is not exactly who is says he is. He is a traveler from the future and he persuades Carly to go to the year 2001 where she will find medical help for her baby. After proof that Hunter is from the future, Carly accepts to make the time travel to save her daughter. Once born, Joanna is very sick and cannot travel back with Carly. Carly must leave her daughter to go back to the past but promises her that she will come right back to bring her back to 1970. But time travel can be tricky, and Hunter must c...

📚BOOK PUBLICATION DAY📚 Build-A-Bowl by Nicki Sizemore My rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 My Review: I love reading cookbooks. First of all, I love cooking and secondly, I love discovering new ways to prepare delicious and nutritious meals. The past year or so, I often encountered meal-in-a-bowl types of recipes. I tried a few and love the concept. When I saw that Storey Publishing was offering an ARC of <b>Build-a-Bowl: 77 Satisfying Nutritious Combos: Whole Grain + Vegetable + Protein + Sauce = Meal</b> by Nicki Sizemore on NetGalley, I jumped on the opportunity to request it. The book is a fast read and it offers wonderful insights into the provenance and nutritional values of grains. Nicki also offers great tips on how to cook the numerous variety of grains listed in the book. The recipes are well detailed and easy to follow. She suggests great substitutions to change up the recipe or to make it vegetarian. There is something for everyone in this cookbook. I am planning to tr...