September 2026 – Lady Book Dragon

Land of Dreams by Gian Sardar

Bookshop.org | TG Jones | World of Books

Blurb

It’s 1933, and though the country is stuck in the Great Depression, movies are the ultimate escape. But Hollywood is skilled at selling lies, and nothing is as it seems.

Frankie Donnelly is scrappy, smart, and ambitious. Her knack for spinning any story into stellar publicity has made her an invaluable “fixer” at RCO Studios, where she works under the tutelage of powerful Nico Marconi. Frankie’s latest fix is the upcoming marriage of Hollywood royals Jack Sawyer and June Finney, and millions of fans can’t wait to see their favourite silver-screen lovers tie the knot. But Frankie knows the truth: The marriage is an artful cover for Jack and June’s darkest secrets.

When a shocking murder occurs, allegiances fracture, the tabloids go wild, and a devastated public is left reeling. Frankie uncovers new layers of scandal and deception and is forced to choose which Hollywood player to protect and who to destroy. Now, more than ever, the country needs a happy ending—but at what cost?

Review

This was an Amazon First Reads choice and I am so pleased I chose it because I could not put it down. I will be honest since having my baby girl my Kindle has been used for 90% of my reading so I am so grateful for Amazon First Reads.

I love a book set in old Hollywood and always find it fascinating how the actors lives were dictated by the studios. Their lives always looked so glamorous but the truth was far from it and we get to witness some of these horrors in this book.

The book follows Frankie who works as a fixer for RCO Studios. Frankie has had a difficult childhood and working in Hollywood is her way of preventing living in poverty again so she works as hard as possible to keep her job and progress. Frankie spends a lot of time fixing the lives of Jack Sawyer and June Finney. The public see Jack and June as the perfect couple because of the fixers but the truth is very different.

Hollywood is then shaken when a murder occurs and Frankie finds herself desperately seeking the truth but when there are so many lies told and believed she struggles to find out what is the truth and then to trust it is the truth.

This book isn’t just centred around the murder it also involves a love story and regularly dips the inner workings of Hollywood in the 1930’s. It is a fantastic read and although a bit slow in the beginning it soon picks up and turns into a wild ride. I loved the characters in this book and I thoroughly enjoyed the historical details. Gian Sardar is a new author for me and one that I have added to my auto buy list. I give this book 5 out of 5 dragons and so far it is the best book I have read in 2026.

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About the author

Gian Sardar was born in Los Angeles, California. Her father was from Kurdistan of Iraq, and her mother is Belgian American and from Minnesota. She studied creative writing at Loyola Marymount University and is the author of the novels When the World Goes Quiet, Take What You Can Carry, and You Were Here and is coauthor of the memoir Psychic Junkie. Her work has appeared in the New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, Literary Hub, Confrontation Magazine, and Salon.com, among other places. She lives in Los Angeles with her husband and son, and she enjoys gardening, cooking, and other forms of procrastination.

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The Dream of Rome by Boris Johnson

Blurb

Focuses on how the Romans made Europe work as a homogeneous civilisation and provides a look at why we are failing to make the EU work in modern times.

Review

The thing I like about Johnson’s writing is how accessible he makes the topics he writes about. The history of the Roman Empire is brought to life by Johnson. I also love how he shows what European leaders of the past have appropriated certain symbols and ideas from the Roman Empire in an attempt to recreate its success and greatness. Obviously with adding his usual comic twist.

This book packs a lot of historical data but it is engagingly presented with some very thought provoking analysis. You don’t get bogged down with all the facts and quite often find yourself having a little chuckle. The book mainly focuses on the mechanics of the Roman Empire and how the various control systems were instituted by Augustus.

However towards the end of the book Boris focuses on how he believes the fall of the Roman Empire happened with the fall of Constantinople. This is where he approaches the historically troublesome relationship between Christian Europe and Islamic Turkey. I will be honest I found this a very brave move by Johnson. There are not many people who would openly suggest that Islamic culture is not as rich as its Western counterpart.

I really enjoyed this book and found it interesting, funny and incredibly brave at times. I also enjoyed the glimpses into Johnson’s life. I give this book 4 out of 5 Dragons.

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About the author

Boris Johnson is a British politician in the Conservative Party and the former Prime Minister of United Kingdom as well as the former Mayor of London. Due to his public school, blustering, comedic style, he is generally either loved or loathed by members of the British public.