Tag: The Secret Garden

Mini Reviews – Bibliophile Mystery Series – Set #3

Valerie @ Valerie's MusingsLeave a comment

Welcome to the next set of mini reviews for Kate Carlisle’s Bibliophile Mystery series! You can find the first set of mini reviews here and the second set of mini reviews here. This set includes books eight (8) thru eleven (11). Number eleven (11), is the newest of the Bibliophile Mystery series, Once Upon a Spine.

Book Cover: The book stops here - room full of antiques - rocking horse, globe, telephone on top of a book shelf, trunk, and a chair and ottoman with books on them including a copy of 'The Secret Garden' - small orange and white tabby kitten is sitting on the ottoman.Book #8 – The Book Stops Here – 4.5 out of 5 stars

Add to Goodreads button

Purchase Links: Amazon – B&N – Kobo

This is one of my favorites out of the series. Number one, it includes one of my all-time favorite books, “The Secret Garden”, but number two, I also really enjoyed the mystery surrounding the book. I learned a little more about Frances Hodgson Burnett than I knew before and I just enjoyed the story line. It took me a while but I did figure out the murderer before the end. Still this is an awesome series and you should read it!

 

Ripped from the Pages book cover - Winery tasting room with wine bottle cubbies along the sides, bottles of wine on a countertop along with a cheese platter, books, and a small orange & white kitten

Book # 9 – Ripped from the Pages – 5 out of 5 stars

Add to Goodreads button

Purchase Links: Amazon – B&N – Kobo

I actually wrote a review for “Ripped from the Pages”. It’s one of my earlier reviews, so it’s perhaps not as full as some of my more recent reviews, but you can find it here. In short, it’s my favorite in the series so far (although the newest, Once Upon a Spine, is jousting with it for that coveted spot of “favorite”).

 

Book Cover: Books of a Feather: A Bibliophile Mystery by Kate Carlisle - Background shows a door open to a garden with a cat chasing a butterfly - Foreground shows a John James Audubon book with an ornate knife on it, a blue jay sitting on a pair of needle-nose pliers, and a cutting mat with an exacto knife and thread.

Book #10 – Books of a Feather – 4.5 out of 5 stars

Add to Goodreads button

Purchase Links: Amazon – B&N – Kobo

While I didn’t enjoy Books of a Feather quite as much as I did Ripped from the Pages, it was still a very good book. I liked it, it just didn’t bump Ripped from the Pages out of its spot as “favorite”. We get to learn more about Derek from his friend, Crane, in this book, which I thought was great. There’s also lots of great information about John James Audubon in this book which I also enjoyed. Check it out! 🙂

All of these mini reviews have been leading up to my review of the newest Bibliophile Mystery, “Once Upon a Spine”, which will be up in another day or two!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mini Reviews – Bibliophile Mystery Series – Part 2

Valerie @ Valerie's Musings5 Comments

This is the second batch of mini reviews for Kate Carlisle’s Bibliophile Mystery series. The first batch of mini reviews can be found here.

Book Cover: Kate Carlisle - Pages of Sin - A Bibliophile Mystery - Cover includes a wooden desk/shelf holding three stacked books, two roses and a pocket watch

Pages of Sin – Book #4.5 – A Novella – 4 out of 5 stars

Add to Goodreads button

Purchase Links: Amazon – B&N – Kobo

Page of Sin is a novella that comes in between Murder Under Cover and One Book in the Grave.  This is one of my favorites in the series. And the reason I like it so much is not only do we get a pretty interesting mystery to solve, but much of this novella features Brooklyn, her mother, and their relationship. We don’t always get to see a lot of their relationship since they live an hour apart, but we get that rare glimpse in this novella and I really enjoyed that! This is only available as an eBook, but it’s well worth reading, even if you’re not usually a fan of eBooks!

Book Cover: One Book in the Grave - A Bibliophile Mystery by Kate Carlisle - "A first edition fairy tale may lead to a grim ending..." - Background includes a floor to ceiling bookshelf with an orange tabby sitting on it and birds flying outside an open window - Foreground has a desk with books piled, book restorer tools, and a copy of Beauty & the Beast

One Book in the Grave – Book #5 – 4.5 out of 5 stars

Add to Goodreads button

Purchase Links: Amazon – B&N – Kobo

This is another one that I really like, except for the ending. I felt the ending was a little weird. I know to an extent it was supposed to be weird. The cult that’s involved is weird. It just seemed weirder than I was expecting. That’s the only reason this one doesn’t get a full 5 stars.

I enjoy this one a great deal because we learn a lot about Brooklyn’s history and friends before we met her in Homicide in Hardcover. There are lots of great action and a fascinating mystery! Enjoy it today!

Book Cover: Peril in Paperback - A Bibliophile Mystery by Kate Carlisle - "A week in the country turns deadly..." - the background has a staircase with a black cat sitting on the bottom and a suit of armor and a pinball machine sitting next to the staircase. The foreground has a green table with noir paperbacks, other piled books, and a lit candle.

Peril in Paperback – Book #6 – 4 out of 5 stars

Add to Goodreads button

Purchase Links: Amazon – B&N – Kobo

While the writing in this book is well-done, just like the writing in most of Ms. Carlisle’s books, this one is one of my least favorites. I think it’s because for the majority of the book, Derek isn’t with Brooklyn and the assignment he’s on makes waves between him & Brooklyn. I love the two of them together so anything that makes waves between them and causes real conflict makes me nervous!

The mystery in this one is definitely interesting. I chose the wrong villain so I was surprised in the end. Plus, there’s an extra surprise in this one which made it more exciting! No spoilers tho’, you have to read the book! If you enjoy the series, you’ll enjoy this one too. 🙂

Book Cover: A Cookbook Conspiracy: A Bibliophile Mystery: Kate Carlisle - kitchen setting - stove is set in a recessed area that looks like a fireplace. Pots on the stove - an open cookbook on a counter in the background with a pot w/ a lid next to it - Black & white cat sitting behind a colander full of oranges - butcher block table in foreground with knife, kitchen utensils, and cookbooksBook #7 – A Cookbook Conspiracy – 4.5 out of 5 stars

Add to Goodreads button

Purchase Links: Amazon – B&N – Kobo

While not my favorite in the series, I do like this one a lot. I like the subplot (no spoilers!), the characters, the way we learn just a little more about Brooklyn’s life before the series started, etc. We learn more about Brooklyn’s relationship with her sister, Savannah, too, which I always enjoy the interpersonal relationship backstories.

The Secret Garden: A Flowers Primer – REVIEW

Valerie @ Valerie's MusingsLeave a comment

5 out of 5 stars

The Secret Garden: A Flowers Primer book cover - board book with green background, a watering can, various flower blossoms, butterflies and a snail

Add to Goodreads button

Purchase Links: Amazon – B&N

Illustration of a garden gate with hollyhocks, daisies, roses, and spiky blue flowers with a bluebird sitting on top and a grapevine wreath near the gate handle
©Graphic Garden

Synopsis

BabyLit® is a fashionable way to introduce your toddler to the world of classic literature. With clever, simple text by Jennifer Adams, paired with stylish design and illustrations by Sugar’s Alison Oliver, these books are a must for every savvy parent’s nursery library.

Review

The Secret Garden: A Flowers Primer by Jennifer Adams & Alison Oliver (illus.) is part of the newer series of board books called BabyLit books. I picked it up to share with my niece but I think I ended up liking it more!

I really love this board book. It introduces the baby/toddler to different types of flowers and used quotes from the book to talk about them. The colors are vivid, the pictures engaging, and the amount of text just right so the child doesn’t get bored.

It’s a great introduction to flowers and nature for babies/toddlers.

Illustration of a garden gate with hollyhocks, daisies, roses, and spiky blue flowers with a bluebird sitting on top and a grapevine wreath near the gate handle
©Graphic Garden

The Forgotten Room – REVIEW

Valerie @ Valerie's MusingsLeave a comment

4 out of 5 stars.

The Forgotten Room by Stacie Morrell book cover - A sequel to Frances Hodgson Burnett's 'The Secret Garden' - Close up of door cracked open with door knob and latch system

Add to Goodreads button

Purchase Links: Amazon – B&N – Kobo

Graphic illustration of a flower bed with pink coneflowers, white and yellow daisies, some type of blue flowers and a few bees.
©Graphic Garden

Synopsis

‘The Secret Garden,’ written by Frances Hodgson Burnett and published in 1911, has been beloved by generations. Made into a stage play and numerous movies, this enchanting story remains a popular classic today.

‘The Forgotten Room’ begins a few months after the original concludes, continuing the stories of Mary, Colin, Dickon and the rest of the beloved characters from ‘The Secret Garden.’ This is the story of what happens next to the people of Misselthwaite Manor.

Mary finds another secret, learns more about herself her friends, gets a tutor, nearly succumbs to her parents’ fate, and faces a crucial decision or two. Written with the style and heart of the original.

Review

The Forgotten Room: A Sequel to Frances Hodgson Burnett’s ‘The Secret Garden’ by Stacie Morrell was first published as a Kindle eBook in 2012. At the time, it had not been edited/proofread at all. Since then, I’ve received word from the author that it has now been edited/proofread and it is also available in a trade paperback format as well as Kindle.

I am a huge fan of the original The Secret Garden (it’s my all-time favorite book in the world) and have read it more times than I can count. I have also read the other sequel Return to the Secret Garden by Susan Moody, which I thought was absolutely horrid. Consequently, I was a bit skeptical of this story. However, I was pleasantly surprised. I felt that while it doesn’t quite have the same magic that the original story has, the author did stay true to the characters’ personality traits and the dynamics between the personalities.

I thought the story line was sweet and believable. The manor house has been shut up for many years, so it’s not hard to imagine that there are rooms that people haven’t been in for decades. Nor is it hard to imagine Mary not being certain that she wants to share it with anyone else.

The ending seemed a little convoluted, but it was somewhat believable. Since the book mostly focuses on the children, we don’t really see any interactions the adults may or may not have.

If you’re a fan of the original, you may very well like this one.

Graphic illustration of a flower bed with pink coneflowers, white and yellow daisies, some type of blue flowers and a few bees.
©Graphic Garden