Are you an avid reader looking for your next "fix"? Can't bear to be without some form of reading material in your spare time? Welcome to my world! Whether you are seeking a new book to "feed your need", or you are an author seeking an unbiased point of view on your own recent masterpiece, this is the place to be. With life as with books, you never know where the next step might take you...

Tuesday, June 6, 2023

Happy BOOK BIRTHDAY to... The Radcliffe Ladies' Reading Club by Julia Bryan Thomas - REVIEW!




It’s Publication Day for SO MANY great titles this month, and while I would love to get them all in one felt swoop, SO not realistic! With that in mind, let me chisel away at the MUST ADD TO YOUR TBR list one book at a time. Are you ready? This one is for my Historical Fiction, and Women’s Fiction fans, and it celebrates its grand release day via Sourcebooks Landmark (woot woot! Go team, go!). It’s a story that introduces you to a group of young women on the cusp of their futures, and the grand (and not so grand) things that await them. Ladies, and gents, I give you our book of choice... 


by 
9781728248578 
Sourcebooks Landmark 

About the book...
Never underestimate the power of a woman with a shop full of books 

Massachusetts, 1954. With bags packed alongside her heavy heart, Alice Campbell escaped halfway across the country and found herself in front of a derelict building tucked among the cobblestone streets of Cambridge. She turns it into the enchanting bookshop of her dreams, knowing firsthand the power of books to comfort the brokenhearted. 

The Cambridge Bookshop soon becomes a haven for Tess, Caroline, Evie, and Merritt, who are all navigating the struggles of being newly independent college women in a world that seems to want to keep them in the kitchen. But when a member of the group finds herself shattered, everything they know about themselves will be called into question. 

From the author of For Those Who Are Lost comes an extraordinary love letter to books and friendship, a story that is at once heart-wrenching, strengthening, and inspiring. 




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Oh my goodness! 
Right from the start, this book had my heart. I was highlighting so many passages that I loved, for both the conversations and descriptions, that had it been in print, I’m pretty sure I would have nary a page left unmarked. 

Meeting this group of women was an experience. First and foremost, Alice...she may have been considered the matron of the bunch, but she had life experience, love experience, loss experience. She had LIVED, and she was willing to share her gleaned knowledge with these ladies as needed without judgment, without impressing her own designs on it, or influencing their acceptance or rejection. She cultivated a climate, an atmosphere to challenge them to think for themselves, consider other angles, and may-hap form new views. She may have only met with them regularly once a month, but she was always there in spirit. As for our cheerful foursome, they were as varied as flowers in a field, while still being quite similar at heart. Each was looking for her place in the world. Each held her own prejudices and beliefs from which they were not easily swayed. Each would have decisions to make, hardships to face, and an uncertain future to take ownership of...however, each young woman would most certainly not end up in the same place. I hesitate to reveal too much of each of these characters because, as is often said in real life, they are not always what they at first seem. The twisted and winding roads their stories take will not surprise you at times, while completely shocking you at others...as will the turn of events later on in the story...but such is the path from childhood to adulthood. We are told things, taught ways, and eventually have to assimilate it into something that works for each of us...but the one thing that stays strong with all of them, even from afar, is their friendship. 

A great read to explore during these summer days, and beyond, and a remarkable story you won’t want to put down. I highly suggest joining these ladies the first Thursday of the month, after all….we’re all serious book lovers here! 




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Special thanks to Anna and the Sourcebooks Landmark team for the eARC for review. (THANKS!) For more information on this title, the author, or the publisher, feel free to click through the links provided above. This title is ON SALE NOW, so click on over to your favorite online retailer, or take a break for a visit to your local brick and mortar. 

Until next time, remember...if it looks good, READ IT!



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