The Space Between by Dete Meyers - Reshelved Books

Hello Dewey Readers!

Check out this cool rock necklace the book came with!

I have read only a few books in the past few weeks.  It has been quite the reading slump!  But now that summer is over, there really is no better time than to curl up with a new book.  The Space Between by Dete Meserve was the latest pick for the Once Upon a Book Club Box and it did not disappoint.  

Sarah Mayfield is an astronomer that works for NASA, she is a mother to a teenage son, and she is a wife to a well-off restaurant owner.  Sarah's relationship with her husband, Ben, used to be the love story that so many of us read about in books- the perfect romance, but throughout the years it has begun to unravel.  Between work, busy schedules, and just life the two don't see each other very much.  In fact, Sarah actually considered asking Ben for a divorce.  Then Ben goes missing.  

Suspicions lie all over the place.  Did Sarah killer her husband?  Was Sarah having an affair?  Was it the co-owners of his restaurants that he was suing?  Or was it the shady father of a woman that recently disappeared as well? Is Ben even dead?

The security footage at Sarah's house was mysteriously erased, which means that someone had something they wanted to hide.  But what and who was it?  

I absolutely adored the way that Dete Meserve wrote this novel.  It was just the right amount of mystery, of family drama, and of thriller to keep me intrigued and pull me out of the dreaded reading slump that I was in!

Would I recommended this book? Yes!  Will I keep and eye out for her other novels?  Of course!  Would I give it 5 out of 5 Coffee Beans?  You bet!

Until the next read!
~Jessica 

The Lost Vintage by Ann Mah - Reshelved Books

Hello Deweys! 

The July Once Upon a Book Box came in the mail *yay*!!!! A new book & new gifts that go along with the pages!  What could possibly be more exciting?! Nothing.  Nothing could ever be more exciting.

This month's book selection was Ann Mah's The Lost Vintage.  The gifts were ADORABLE and perhaps even better than last month's which surprised even me, but the book was... eh.

This novel takes place on a winery in France and jumps between the present and the historical time period of WWII.  I'm not a big fan of historical fiction.  I did read The Nightingale and the Lilac Girls, and wasn't blown away by them either (even though I adore Kristin Hannah). So that's probably why I was eh about this one.

So about the novel: Kate live in California, but travels back to France where her family and past love interest live on a winery as she studies for her Master of Wine exam.  In this exam, the applicant must identify different wines and the regions they come from purely by taste.  Then, while in the basement of the winery, Kate discovers bottles and bottles of wine from the WWII era hidden away in a "cave."

During WWII, Helene and her father hid the bottles of wine to protect them from getting into the hands of the Nazis.  Helene and her father were part of the resistance, but her stepmother was a sympathizer....

This novel picked up in pace about 2/3 of the way through, but I just didn't love reading it.  

So Dewey's I'm giving it 2 out of 5 Coffee Beans. 
   
Until the next read!
~Jessica 

The Lost For Words Bookshop by Stephanie Butland- ReshelvedBooks

Dewey Readers! 

I subscribed to a book box that I am absolutely in LOVE with.  What is this magical book box you ask?  The Once Upon a Book Club Box!  Every month a book is sent to my house in an adorable box, accompanied with 3 wrapped gifts.  The gifts are to be opened at certain points during the reading of the book.  Little post-its are placed strategically inside to tell the reader when to open their gift.   It really makes the reading experience an interactive one.

This month's book was The Lost For Words Bookshop by Stephanie Butland.  OH MY GOD.  I ADORED THIS BOOK.  This novel takes place in England and follows the story of Loveday.  It's separated into sections between the past (History) and the present (Poetry).  Growing up, Loveday had it hard.  Her father, who was out of work, was physically abusive to her mother.  Now, Loveday is living her dream, working in a Bookshop amongst the pages and words that that have both saved and consoled her.  She's afraid of love.  Afraid of being vulnerable.  Afraid of getting heartbroken.  She's tried to have relationships before and they have failed, so she's starting to think that maybe she's just better off alone with her books.  Actually, in this sense Loveday reminds me of myself, which is maybe why I liked the book so much.  But then one day a man comes into the bookshop and he gives Loveday his phone number by slipping it inside Jane Eyre.... I'm a sucker for a bookish romance.

I give the book 5 out of 5 Coffee Beans.  

~Jessica 

P.S. The gifts were FABULOUS.  I could not have dreamed up a book box of higher quality.  I can't wait until next month!