The Time Hop Coffee Shop / Phaedra Patrick
What it is: A sweet tale about the magic of coffee
Did I like it: gulped it down in one go

Thank you friend P, for providing me with a reading challenge category that involves coffee. In my family we solve problems with/over coffee*; I imagine if we had a family crest it would feature a coffee tree and the motto Potus Arabicum problematis solvendis. Which also sounds like a magic spell. And what is coffee if not a delicious kind of dark magic? So yes, it’s fair to say I was eager to dive into the world of coffee-related stories.

The Time Hop Coffee Shop is a fun treat that obviously starts with the title.
The story is about Greta, who, it has to be said, is not my favourite headliner of all time. She’s longing for her glory days, jealous of other peoples’ success, and just when you think she’ll redeem herself…she doesn’t quite. But, I’m getting ahead of myself (it must be the caffeine) so I’ll take it back to the story itself.
Greta is an out-of-work actor who has some difficulty accepting that she’s no longer able to land roles, asked to cut ribbons, or get recognized by the general public. She also is frustrated about the fact her husband, who is an actor as well, still has a solid career. She’s also disappointed that their daughter, once a child actor, is now a moody teenager who wants nothing more than to turn her back on acting.
Greta has the tendency to look back on days gone by with rose-tinted glasses but when her husband tells her that, she gets annoyed. Clearly, this lady can do with some self-reflection and it is offered to her in the form of some special coffee.
Iris is the barista at the Time Hop Coffee Shop and she prepares special blends for her customers. She instructs Greta to make a wish as she drinks the coffee and it’s no surprise that Greta wishes for her life to be the perfect version she pretended to live in the coffee commercials she once starred in, where everything is a little too shiny and nice.
As I said, Greta is not my favorite main character ever. It takes her a long time to turn around. Greta’s desperation for something that’s not real, really annoyed me. Greta is supposed to be a grown-up but her behavior felt more like that of a teenager.
I like flawed characters because perfection is boring. And I think that’s what’s rubbing me wrong about Greta as well; her preferred world of the fake perfection over the real world. Life is not a filtered social media post photo, or a glossy commercial: it’s mostly messy and at times really scary and dark, but that only makes the wonderful, joyous, lovely times stand out even more so. I know my overly optimistic attitude can annoy the Greta’s of this world so maybe we’re just not meant to click.
In any case, I still liked the book enough that I blew right through it. The way that coffee is used to solve problems in this book is less real than I use it, and in my mind Greta would have been better off with some therapy but oh well. No bonus points for people ending up in Portugal, but at one point Greta literally does get lost for a moment so I’m still counting that at least.
Now if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to make myself some coffee.

*and duct tape

Three days in June / Anne Tyler
What it is: a sweet, short story
Did I like it: like a breeze on a warm summer day

It’s June! The halfway point of the year. And the month that I finally get to read a book that has the month in the title. Thank you to friend M for providing this item of the challenge!
I accidentally stumbled onto this book back in February but then had to wait some before I got to read it. And then there was a short moment of panic when I wanted to start it but came up empty on my bookshelf: it turned out it was just wedged between two other books and because it’s so thin it had become almost invisible. Panic over, I settled with a cool drink and dug in. At slightly under 150 pages I didn’t even need a refill to finish this book.

This is a sweet and short story that takes place over, no points for guessing here, three days in June. There are three chapters because simplicity sometimes is just best.
Typically weddings are all about the happy couple, some even just about the bride. But in this case, it’s all about the mother of the bride. The story is told exclusively from her perspective and because Gail thinks a little bit differently from most people that not only makes it an interesting point of view but funny as well.
It starts on Friday, when Gail arrives at work and her social awkwardness gets her into a difficult situation. Fifteen minutes later she’s leaving the office, jobless. While she sits at home contemplating the situation, things go from bad to worse when her ex-husband shows up at her door. He doesn’t have a place to stay for the weekend and because Gail knows he cannot afford a hotel stay, she reluctantly allows him to stay the weekend in her guest room. He is a happy-go-lucky kind of person as opposed to Gail’s structured planner personality, for example: he brought a cat with him, but not a decent suit. Adjusting to his high energy and spontaneity is difficult and just when Gail thinks this must be rock bottom, bride-to-be daughter Debbie stops by with news about her fiancé that threatens the entire wedding. It also brings up a lot about Gail and Max’ past and Gail is forced to rethink some things.

I liked Gail a lot. She thinks, feels, and communicates a bit differently from most people. She’s loving and caring but doesn’t come across as such which is frustrating for everyone involved. The events of the weekend have her reflecting on choices made in the past and options for the future. The story is that of family and love and it’s serious and messy and warm and sharp all in one. Though it is a short story it is the perfect length for what it is and I have to admit I was surprised by how much I liked it.

The book of secrets / Anna Mazzola
What is it: a story of poison, death, and intrigue
Did I like it: very much so

Reader123, thank you for providing me with this category because it turned out to be a thrill of a read! I love reading historical fiction so I have to say it was a treat to have this on the challenge!

This story is set in 1659, which is definitely not World War Two.
It takes place in Rome and kicks off when young prosecutor Stefano is appointed lead investigator for the case of a mysterious death. Rome, like most of Europe, is just recovering from years of the plague, and the people in power want to prevent another disease spreading like wildfire. Stefano, eager to prove himself worthy, teams up with a doctor who can help him with the necessary medical insights. They quickly conclude that this isn’t about a disease but poison, and because the list of mysterious deaths keeps growing, the pressure is now on them to track down the poisoner.
The Governor of Rome and the Pope are so eager to get this solved, that Stefano is allowed to have his own taskforce, and a building to house all suspects. This building is an abandoned jail that was used during the inquisition and handily still has the torture rooms intact.
Soon, the prison is filling up with suspects, as Stefano closes in on the source of the problem. As he gets deeper and deeper into the investigation, Stefano slowly starts to lose himself in the process and even though friends and family warn him to step back, quitting is not an option for him, afraid as he is to lose face.

The story is alternately told from Stefano’s perspective, and those of Anna and Giolama. Anna and Giolama are two of his many suspects. All his female suspects astound Stefano, but none as much as Anna and Giolama. Giolama is uneducated and of a lower class yet she manages to outwit Stefano whenever he questions her. Anna is a woman of a higher class, with money and connections. How can she possibly be involved with poisoners or have a reason to want to kill her husband?
Stefano’s views of women are frustrating because although he seems at times aware that society, and especially the law, does not favor them, he refuses to understand that he can make a change and by not doing so he is part of the problem.
I guess that’s what defines the patriarchy even to this day, which is doubly frustrating as we’re four-hundred years on and not enough has changed.

This book proved difficult to put down: it’s well-written, and the buildup around the mystery is well-paced, getting more pressing by the page.
Very impressive that this story is based on true events. Imagine! The author explains a bit about the process of turning such an old event into a story, and provides some further reading materials for those that are interested. I am, but I’ve already got some follow-up material ready so keep an eye out for that!

Slags / Emma Jane Unsworth
What it is: a midlife crisis in a campervan
Did I like it: so glad I didn’t judge this book by its cover!

This category was provided by friend E, who had warned me that it would be more difficult than it appears and yes, she was right because one (I) automatically/subconsciously veers towards covers that one does like.
And if I hadn’t heard about this book, I wouldn’t have picked it up: I don’t like photos on covers and I don’t like the amount of text on the cover. But, I had heard about it and eventually I did buy it after all. And promptly enjoyed the heck out of it. Because, it’s the inside that counts of course, and the story itself was really good (even though the font size was a point too small for my liking). I do understand the cover, the image really fits, but I just don’t like it. (My apologies to the cover designer: it’s not you, it’s me.)

This book is about two sisters on a road trip. Sarah has organized the trip to celebrate Juliette’s fortieth birthday, and has rented a campervan which they use to travel around Scotland. The story is told from Sarah’s perspective and the chapters alternate between the now, in which Sarah is sort-of-sober, cynical, and single in the city, and the 90’s, when Sarah is fifteen, desperately in love with her teacher, and getting drunk on peach schnapps.
Juliette is married with children and living in the suburbs and you can sense Sarah’s eyerolls whenever ice-bath loving, tweed cap wearing brother-in-law Johnnie is mentioned.
They both carry some luggage from incidents that happened while they were young, and they are both uncomfortable discussing the past as much as the present. They haven’t really connected in a while and the trip is meant to kickstart their relationship.
Being a sibling is an odd thing: it’s the longest relationship you’ll have with someone, and it’s a relationship like no other because you know each other in ways nobody else ever will. That can lead to a beautiful, contentious or downright warring relationship. Sarah and Juliette’s relationship is a mixture of all of that and it’s wonderful. The trip is full of tense moments, and pranks and confessions alike.
The chapters set in the past are as good as the ones in the now. It gives an amazing insight into how Sarah became who she is, and how she dealt with the typical and not-so typical teenage stuff. Sarah and her best friend are obsessed with sex, they drink and try drugs, and they are both in love with out-of-reach men. It’s hilarious, cringy, and sad at the same time.
Both storylines take place over only a couple of days and are nicely mirrored that way.
Despite the chaos of the trip (hookups, too much whisky, frostbite) they manage to grow a bit and the last chapter felt like a well-deserved and true-to-style ending.

I found this book refreshing and didn’t want to put it down, so luckily I read this while it was unseasonably warm and too hot to do much else than read.

The door-to-door bookstore / Carsten Henn
What it is: a modern fairytale about book lovers
Did I like it: I loved it

Thank you Reader123, for giving me this item for the reading challenge. I love chapter titles in books and I think it’s not available enough. So, I happily spent my time browsing the TBR for titled chapters. And because I couldn’t find any, I moved my task to the bookshop. And that’s how I got to The door-to-door bookstore. Loving the title and description on the back, I crossed my fingers for chapter titles inside. Success! (Not only are there chapter titles in this book, they are in the form of literary references like Great expectations. Bliss!)

This story is about Carl, who is seventy-two and could have been retired but considers it his calling in life to deliver books. He has done this for a local bookshop he has worked at for years. There is a loyal group of customers and after years of delivering their books to them, Carl knows exactly what they like to read. He knows their likes and dislikes where it comes to reading, and picks their books carefully. He has also given his clients literary nicknames which is awesome. There are Mr. Darcy, Effi Briest, Hercules, and Mrs. Longstocking amongst others. (And if that’s not enough, there is also a cat named Dog.)
Carl has a strict routine and route which is how, one day, Schascha gets to meet him. She lives on the town square Carl crosses every evening at exactly the same time, and one evening she goes out to join him. While Carl does his best to scare her off, she delightfully ignores him and simply comes along on his route. Schascha is nine and curious and chatty. Her child-logic and creativity are something that Carl needs some adjusting to, but eventually picks up on.
With Schascha by his side, Carl becomes a bit more free from his strict routine and learns that there is more to life than his own literary bubble. Schascha is quick to point out that Carl gives his customers the books they want, not what they need, which annoys him massively, especially when he later realizes that she is onto something.

Carl is the hero of this story and like true heroes he isn’t without flaws. Every fairy tale needs a baddie and this story is no exception, although the person is granted an option out. The group of support characters assisting Carl on his way to change is just a delight and, of course, as with every fairy tale, there is a morale and happy end.
I loved every page of this book and would recommend this to anyone who enjoys a sweet story and/or something about the power of books.

The Stolen Life of Colette Marceau / Kristin Harmel
What it is: a cold case mystery
Did I like it: no mystery here: absolutely

Another shout-out to JJReads for providing me with the second reading challenge item in a row!

I was gifted this book by friend E (thank you, E!) and this made me happy because:
a) It was a birthday gift, given wayyy ahead of my birthday “because presents are best when you don’t expect them” (true!)
b) I got a book for my birthday! (You’d think that happens a lot, but most friends don’t dare to give me books because they think I’ve read them all (they underestimate the number of books being published and overestimate my ability to keep up with that))
Also, the book came with the note that it should fit the no. 23 item of the reading challenge, which it does! The story is half/half set in Europe and North America so that’s a double check for the different continents.

I’ve read books by this author before and enjoyed this one just as much as I did those. The theme was the same: occupied France during World War Two, but the storyline of the jewel thieves was an interesting take, as was the continued mystery in the “now” of 2018 in the Boston area. The only thing I took with a pinch of salt was the incredible coincidence that some of the almost-hundred year old key players were still alive and living in the same area, but I was willing to ignore that part and stay with the rest of the story because the premise was too intriguing.
So, to that story. As the title suggests, it’s about Colette, who is a teenage girl living in Paris when the city falls into German hands. She lives with her younger sister and parents, and her English mother tells the girls stories of their English ancestors, most notoriously: Robin Hood. She also teaches Colette (the younger sister is still too young) everything about stealing and her most important lesson is to only steal from the rich to fund justice as this basically is the family motto. Her father hates every aspect of the thievery and ignores it happening, but Colette and her mother steal jewels from the necks and wrists of Nazis and collaborators to fund a local Resistance chapter. Then one night it all goes wrong, and her mother ends up arrested and her sister is murdered.
None of this is a spoiler because it’s on the back of the book. It’s also not a spoiler to say that Colette survives the war because the book starts with a chapter that features her as an elderly lady living in Boston. For seventy-six years she has been consumed by the mystery of her younger sister’s murder for which she has always felt responsible. This murder mystery is not just a cold case, but an icy one. But then a museum exhibit displays the bracelet that her sister had on her when she went missing. It’s the first clue in seven decades and Colette jumps on it.
The story goes back and forth between the two times and places and as the mystery is slowly revealed, so is Colette’s personal history. It’s nicely done and it was one of those books that was difficult to put down; I read this fast and then regretted reading it so fast. In my world, that makes something a very good read.

If you read and liked other titles by this author, I’m sure you’ll like this as well. If you’d like to discover a new author who writes compelling stories set during World War Two, this book can go on your reading list!

Holy Boy / Lee Heejoo
What it is: stalker central
Did I like it: it was okay

This category was suggested by JJReads: thank you JJReads! And because I love music I had no doubt I would be able to figure something out for this item.
One music genre I know very little about or voluntarily listen to is the K-pop genre, but when I spun the wheel of the virtual radio it landed on Jump by Blackpink. It’s a catchy song and I figured I should make my next book something Korean. The amount of translated Korean books on the market is reaching new heights every week it seems, which meant I was spoiled for choice. So a book about four fans kidnapping a K-pop star? Perfect!*

The book starts with a newspaper article and an interview, which give away some clues about the story that will develop (but which I didn’t remember well until they came into play). Then the first chapter is told from the perspective of a young man lying bandaged in a bed. The women caring for him assure him he’ll get better but he has lost his memory, broken his legs and some ribs and injured his feet. This leaves him confused and only able to stare out of the window and observe the women whenever they come into his room.
From that point on the story focuses on these women and lets you in on how they met and what their personal background stories are. This set-up is solid and really takes you in right away.
Ahnna, Mihee, Nami, and Heeae are four women from different backgrounds and have different ages, but they have one common denominator: their love for singer Yosep. He is their idol and they are his fans. Although they would describe it as devotion, any normal person would label it stalking as they know everything there is to know about their idol and they are convinced that nobody cares as much about him as they do. And so, they decide to kidnap him and take proper care of him.
It is Ahnna who finds the other women and becomes the group leader: the kidnapping is her idea and she provides their hideout location. This hideout is a mansion in the hills in the north of South Korea surrounded by forest. It’s a classic setting because not only is it secluded, but it allows for the house to be filled with scary taxidermy as well. Also, it’s raining non-stop, making it feel more desolate.

While this book must be an absolute nightmare for anyone having a career in the spotlight, there were some things that didn’t really work for me and one of these things was the lack of timing mentioned in the chapters. It was sometimes difficult to tell if I was reading in the now or in the past, especially when storylines started to overlap and more people were introduced. All in all this book was a good-enough for me, with an interesting idea and great setting, but some clunky bits in it.

*Disclaimer: it is never okay to kidnap any kind of popstar

Paper heart / Cecilia Ahern
What is it: a discovery of selfworth
Did I like it: wholeheartedly

Former colleague E2 sent in this category which had me going through the library, shelf by shelf, pulling out books to check the color of the cover. One librarian was slightly alarmed at my quick dismissal of books, judging them on the covers and not even taking the time to check the titles, but once I explained my search she thought about it and agreed that purple was not a color that happens a lot outside of the romance section at the moment. She called in a colleague to brainstorm with us and this lady said “the new Cecilia Ahern has a purple cover but it’s already on loan”. Ahern is an auto-buy for me so I happily skipped to the nearest bookshop and bought myself a copy. Three librarians were involved in getting me to this book, so thank you all, especially E2 for prompting the search in the first place!

Paper heart is the story of Pip. At sixteen she made a misstep that her family still hasn’t forgiven her for; the lasting effect being that her parents still hold this over her head at thirty-two. According to her parents, Pip cannot be trusted, cannot make any decisions, cannot be left alone. This has resulted in Pip being a people-pleaser and not having much of self-worth and confidence, or any independence. Because Pip doesn’t have a license and they live in the middle of nowhere, she depends on her parents to drive her wherever she needs to go. She has no friends, or co-workers she likes, and when she’s home she spends most of her time in her bedroom writing poems that she folds into origami figures. These actually sound amazing and showcase Pip’s artistic side, but it’s just about the only positive thing she has going for her.
There is a quiet defiance to Pip though, and spurred on by new and rekindled friendships alike, this defiance becomes outspoken. The new friendship arrives in the form of Io, a scientist at the observatory, and one of the rekindled friendships is with her ex-boyfriend Jamie. Jamie left town years ago, but comes back because of family issues. Then there is local hotshot Sammy, who becomes interested in Pip. Suddenly, she has three men involved in her personal life and things quickly become complicated.

It’s easy to find yourself stuck in a role or position, especially within a family setting, and it can be difficult to step away from that so I cheered Pip on when she finally began to push back and reclaim her ground. I liked that she got her self-esteem back after so many years of making herself near-invisible, but the change is a full u-turn which seemed a bit much, given the timeframe.
The story has a hint of Romeo and Juliet going, with a touch of Cinderella. There is an otherworldliness nicely woven in too.
I didn’t like Pip enough to really get invested in her as a main character, but the story itself was still so nice that it had me breezing through the pages.

Oona Out of Order / Margarita Montimore
What it is: a perfect vacation read
Did I like it: yes – not really – then yes again

I’m lucky enough to be in a position where I get to enjoy at least one vacation per year, which is a great privilege that I never take for granted. No matter the destination, the duration or the company I travel with, one thing is a solid: I pack a book for my vacation, sometimes multiple ones. And a lot of the time, I hardly read more than a couple of pages because I tend to get distracted by the new environment and/or people I travel with, meaning this category wasn’t the easy fix it might have seemed.
However, I recently went on a vacation that required a four-hour flight and while my travel companion took that time for a decent nap, I got my book out. That’s how I got to a decent start right away and it allowed me to actually finish a book while on vacation and the reason this book is going into the number 24 category, and not number 19 (the author has an alliteration name: must be easier to find another one of those than the miracle of me finishing two books on vacation).
Thank you to GR for providing the item and making me want to read while on vacation!

Oona Out of Order is about Oona. Her story starts on New Year’s Eve 1982, and at midnight she is about to turn 19. It never gets that far because instead, she travels through time and lands herself in the year 2015 and at age 51.
Her confusion at this jump through time mirrored mine, but because this was the first jump the story takes its time to settle on Oona’s feelings at the experience and her new situation. At the same time it leaves a lot of questions, the biggest one being how this happened to her. Oona didn’t seem to be wondering about this, but I was and much to my annoyance the situation was never explained. Oona simply accepted the time travel, but I wasn’t as easily persuaded. Every birthday Oona travels through time, in her own life. She hops from 2015 to 1995 to 2004. The people she meets are sometimes new and sometimes other-aged versions of ones she already met. She travels all directions without any reason or rhythm. The fact that after the second time jump Oona was still not wondering what the heck was going on, had me quite annoyed and the annoyance started to take over the entertainment of the first chapters. And just when I started to get a bit bored with the concept, bam! there was a plot twist that had me I back into the story, and along with Oona I accepted the situation for what it was and decided to just enjoy myself.

I would really like to chat more about the story but I don’t want to give away any spoilers so this’ll have to do.
All in all, this book was a perfect holiday read: it didn’t require me to pay too much attention, and it was entertaining enough. I’m guessing I would have asked more questions at the book under “normal” circumstances but the sound of the waves of the Atlantic Ocean had a calming effect on me and took the edge off my criticism.