DNF:: Code Girls: The Untold Story of the American Women Code Breakers Who Helped Win World War II by Liza Mundy

CODE GIRLS: THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE AMERICAN WOMEN CODE BREAKERS WHO HELPED WIN WORLD WAR II by Liza Mundy  

Released October 10, 2017 from Hachette

In the tradition of Hidden Figures and The Girls of Atomic City, Code Girls is the astonishing, untold story of the young American women who cracked key Axis codes, helping to secure Allied victory and revolutionizing the field of cryptanalysis.

Recruited by the U.S. Army and Navy from small towns and elite colleges, more than ten thousand women served as codebreakers during World War II. While their brothers and boyfriends took up arms, these women moved to Washington and learned the meticulous work of code-breaking. Their efforts shortened the war, saved countless lives, and gave them access to careers previously denied to them. A strict vow of secrecy nearly erased their efforts from history; now, through dazzling research and interviews with surviving code girls, bestselling author Liza Mundy brings to life this riveting and vital story of American courage, service, and scientific accomplishment.

My Review: This book is heavily historic. While I thought I would enjoy reading about these women, I kept zoning out and skimming due to all the military details. 

Review: Mad by Chloe Esposito

MAD by Chloe Esposito

Released: June 13, 2017 from Dutton

In this compulsively readable debut, set between London and Sicily over one blood-drenched week in the dead of summer, an identical twin reveals the crazy lies and twists she'll go through to not only steal her sister's perfect life, but to keep on living it.

Alvie Knightly is a trainwreck: aimless, haphazard, and pretty much constantly drunk. Alvie's existence is made even more futile in contrast to that of her identical and perfect twin sister, Beth. Alvie lives on social media, eats kebabs for breakfast, and gets stopped at security when the sex toy in her carry-on starts buzzing. Beth is married to a hot, rich Italian, dotes on her beautiful baby boy, and has always been their mother's favorite. The twins' days of having anything in common besides their looks are long gone. 

When Beth sends Alvie a first-class plane ticket to visit her in Italy, Alvie is reluctant to go. But when she gets fired from the job she hates and her flatmates kick her out on the streets, a luxury villa in glitzy Taormina suddenly sounds more appealing. Beth asks Alvie to swap places with her for just a few hours so she can go out unnoticed by her husband. Alvie jumps at the chance to take over her sister's life--if only temporarily. But when the night ends with Beth dead at the bottom of the pool, Alvie realizes that this is her chance to change her life. 

Alvie quickly discovers that living Beth's life is harder than she thought. What was her sister hiding from her husband? And why did Beth invite her to Italy at all? As Alvie digs deeper, she uncovers Mafia connections, secret lovers, attractive hitmen, and one extremely corrupt priest, all of whom are starting to catch on to her charade. Now Alvie has to rely on all the skills that made her unemployable--a turned-to-11 sex drive, a love of guns, lying to her mother--if she wants to keep her million-dollar prize. She is uncensored, unhinged, and unforgettable.

My Review:

I am a sucker for any book about twins. I thought it would be funny to see how one twin pretended to be the other when I read the summary for this novel. While this wasn't quite the funny read I was expecting it was packed full of crazy adventures, "accidental" murders, drugs, and tons of sex!

Review: The Rules of Magic by Alice Hoffman

THE RULES OF MAGIC by Alice Hoffman

Releasing October 10, 2017 from Simon & Schuster 

Summary: 
Find your magic.
For the Owens family, love is a curse that began in 1620, when Maria Owens was charged with witchery for loving the wrong man.
Hundreds of years later, in New York City at the cusp of the sixties, when the whole world is about to change, Susanna Owens knows that her three children are dangerously unique. Difficult Franny, with skin as pale as milk and blood red hair, shy and beautiful Jet, who can read other people’s thoughts, and charismatic Vincent, who began looking for trouble on the day he could walk.

From the start Susanna sets down rules for her children: No walking in the moonlight, no red shoes, no wearing black, no cats, no crows, no candles, no books about magic. And most importantly, never, ever, fall in love. But when her children visit their Aunt Isabelle, in the small Massachusetts town where the Owens family has been blamed for everything that has ever gone wrong, they uncover family secrets and begin to understand the truth of who they are. Back in New York City each begins a risky journey as they try to escape the family curse.

The Owens children cannot escape love even if they try, just as they cannot escape the pains of the human heart. The two beautiful sisters will grow up to be the revered, and sometimes feared, aunts in Practical Magic, while Vincent, their beloved brother, will leave an unexpected legacy.

My review: 
This was my #1 book I wanted to grab at Book Expo. I was so excited to read it, but was also nervous. I find Alice Hoffman's works to be hit or miss with me. I either love them (The Dovekeepers, The Marriage of Opposites, The Museum of Extraordinary Things) or I'm let down (Faithful). Plus, while I've watched Practical Magic eleventy thousand times, I've never read it! This prequel to Practical Magic was like ordering a meal off a menu that sounds so scrumptious you moan at the description and then when you actually taste it you are transported to another world. The Rules of Magic was utter perfection. It was everything I wanted and more. A total 5 star read for me. 

Foodie Friday Feature + Giveaway: The Welcome Home Diner by Peggy Lampman

THE WELCOME HOME DINER by Peggy Lampman

Releasing: October 10, 2017 from Lake Union

Last year, The Promise Kitchen by Peggy Lampman was one of my Foodie Friday features. This year she's back with The Welcome Home Diner.

Goodreads Description: 
Betting on the city of Detroit’s eventual comeback, cousins Addie and Samantha decide to risk it all on an affordable new house and a culinary career that starts with renovating a vintage diner in a depressed area of town. There’s just one little snag in their vision. Angus, a weary, beloved local, is strongly opposed to his neighborhood’s gentrification—and his concerns reflect the suspicion of the community. Shocked by their reception, Addie and Samantha begin to have second thoughts. As the long hours, problematic love interests, and underhanded pressures mount, the two women find themselves increasingly at odds, and soon their problems threaten everything they’ve worked for. If they are going to realize their dreams, Addie and Samantha must focus on rebuilding their relationship. But will the neighborhood open their hearts to welcome them home?

Sounds good, right? Plus, just like The Promise Kitchen, this novel ends with a handful of delicious recipes. Want to get your hands on a copy? I'm giving away 2 copies right here! Enter now: 

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