Leah On The Offbeat

Leah On The Offbeat by Becky Albertalli, 343 pages

“In this sequel to the acclaimed Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda--now a major motion picture, Love, Simon--we follow Simon's BFF Leah as she grapples with changing friendships, first love, and senior year angst. When it comes to drumming, Leah Burke is usually on beat--but real life isn't always so rhythmic. She's an anomaly in her friend group: the only child of a young, single mom, and her life is decidedly less privileged. She loves to draw but is too self-conscious to show it. And even though her mom knows she's bisexual, she hasn't mustered the courage to tell her friends--not even her openly gay BFF, Simon. So Leah really doesn't know what to do when her rock-solid friend group starts to fracture in unexpected ways. With prom and college on the horizon, tensions are running high. It's hard for Leah to strike the right note while the people she loves are fighting--especially when she realizes she might love one of them more than she ever intended.” I haven’t read the first book yet but it wasn’t necessary.  If I had realized before I’d started that it was a sequel I might have gone back and read it first, but I loved this story anyway.  Leah was a great character, easy to like even when she doesn’t like herself much.  This is a great read for teens who like realistic fiction or are questioning their identity.

Undefeated

Undefeated: Jim Thorpe And The Carlisle Indian School Football Team by Steve Sheinkin, 280 pages

“Native American Jim Thorpe became a super athlete and Olympic gold medalist. Indomitable coach Pop Warner was a football mastermind. In 1907 at the Carlisle Indian Industrial School in Pennsylvania, they forged one of the winningest teams in American football history. Called "the team that invented football," they took on the best opponents of their day, defeating much more privileged schools in a series of breathtakingly close calls, genius plays, and bone-crushing hard work. Sheinkin provides a true underdog sports story -- and an unflinching look at the U.S. government's violent persecution of Native Americans and the school that was designed to erase Indian cultures.” This was fascinating.  I knew nothing about Tbhorpe and very little about Pop Warner beyond his name.  The book read more like a story than a work of non-fiction, which made it fun to read, but it also imparted a lot of information, about the people, the history of football, and about the schools in general and Carlisle in particular.  This is a great book for history and sports buffs.

Well-Tempered Clavicle

Well-Tempered Clavicle by Piers Anthony, 320 pages

“Picka Bones and his sister Joy'nt are off in search of adventure with three creatures newly arrived from Mundania--and not the sort of creatures you might expect! Join them in a madcap quest, in this 35th tale of the land of Xanth.”  The author revealed in the note at the end that his daughter dies while he was writing this book and wasn’t sure if it had the same quality as the previous books.  I did not think that the story suffered, but the editing left a lot to be desired.  There were a lot of small mistakes that should have been caught and corrected because they were distracting, but overall, this was still a fun story and fans of Xanth won’t want to miss it.  Fantasy fans who are new to Xanth should start at the beginning anyway, but this is not the book to start with if they are jumping in to a later book.

Goldenhand

Goldenhand by Garth Nix, 344 pages

“Lirael lost one of her hands in the binding of Orannis, but now she has a new hand, one of gilded steel and Charter Magic. On a dangerous journey, Lirael returns to her childhood home, the Clayr's Glacier, where she was once a Second Assistant Librarian. There, a young woman from the distant North brings her a message from her long-dead mother, Arielle. It is a warning about the Witch with No Face. But who is the Witch, and what is she planning? Lirael must use her new powers to save the Old Kingdom from this great danger--and it must be forestalled not only in the living world but also in the cold, remorseless river of Death.” The more I read Nix the more I love him. This is a must read for Young Adult fantasy lovers.

Finding Baba Yaga

Finding Baba Yaga by Jane Yolen, 141 pages

“You think you know this story. You do not. A harsh, controlling father. A quiescent mother. A house that feels like anything but a home. Natasha gathers the strength to leave, and comes upon a little house in the wood: A house that walks about on chicken feet and is inhabited by a fairytale witch. In finding Baba Yaga, Natasha finds her voice, her power, and herself.... A contemporary retelling of an iconic myth about a young woman discovering her voice by a beloved and prolific American storyteller.” I’m not sure that I really liked this very much.  I honestly don’t know who I would give this to either.  I love fairy tales and horror and books in verse have grown on me some and this book has all of that but I didn’t care for it.  I also generally like books by Yolen.  This book was dark and kind of predictable.  It ended up being more hopeful, but it didn’t feel that way.  I think that the contradiction in that bothered me. 

Riding Lessons

Riding Lessons by Jane Smiley, 183 pages

Ellen has a mind of her own and doesn’t always behave the way she should but she tries to behave most of the time so that she can keep taking riding lessons.  She loves horses and riding and especially jumping.  She is excited when she meet a new horse, Ned.  Ned seems to talk to her and Ellen is always happy when she gets to see him.  She wants nothing more than to own a horse of her own someday.  This is a great book for kids who love horses.  It’s historical, but not much in the story is dated.  It’s definitely realistic, but has a more slice-of-life feel to it.

Rapunzel’s Revenge

Rapunzel’s Revenge by Shannon and Dean Hale, 144 pages

This graphic retelling of Rapunzel is pretty awesome.  In this one, Rapunzel isn’t locked in the tower until she realizes how evil her “mother” is.  She finally manages to escape on her own, meets up with Jack, of beanstalk fame, and enlists his help in fixing the witch and helping her real mother and all of the people in the area that the witch has terrorized for so long.  It’s a marvelous adventure and teens who like graphic fairy tales will love it.

His Majesty's Dragon

His Majesty's Dragon (Temeraire #1) by Naomi Novik     353 pages (listened to audiobook)

What if you wrote a book that was alternate history, where the Napoleonic Wars happened with aerial combat?  And that aerial combat was dragons?  You'd have a totally awesome series!!

The first time I read this book was with a book group. I admit, I didn't expect to like it much --- I mean, it sounded weird.  However, I completely enjoyed the first book, and read all the way through the series.  So this month, instead of re-reading the first book in the series, I tried the audiobook. 

I think the audiobook makes this book even better.  The man reading the book does a fantastic job --- voices for each character, and in a way that makes complete sense. You buy that of course there are dragons used in the aerial corps in the Napoleonic War. You completely buy that of course, dragons are intelligent and talk. Novik writes in such a way that you get pulled into the story and everything makes sense.  Read by Simon Vance, this book is immensely enjoyable.

 I've already grabbed the second book in the series as an audiobook to listen to ----- and unfortunately, will have to see out the rest, as our library doesn't have any other audiobooks of this series.

Here is summary, courtesy of Goodreads: 
Aerial combat brings a thrilling new dimension to the Napoleonic Wars as valiant warriors ride mighty fighting dragons, bred for size or speed. When HMS Reliant captures a French frigate and seizes the precious cargo, an unhatched dragon egg, fate sweeps Captain Will Laurence from his seafaring life into an uncertain future – and an unexpected kinship with a most extraordinary creature. Thrust into the rarified world of the Aerial Corps as master of the dragon Temeraire, he will face a crash course in the daring tactics of airborne battle. For as France’s own dragon-borne forces rally to breach British soil in Bonaparte’s boldest gambit, Laurence and Temeraire must soar into their own baptism of fire

The Overdue Life of Amy Byler

The Overdue Life of Amy Byler by Kelly Harms    332 pages

"Overworked and underappreciated, single mom Amy Byler needs a break. So when the guilt-ridden husband who abandoned her shows up and offers to take care of their kids for the summer, she accepts his offer and escapes rural Pennsylvania for New York City."  

Amy is a school librarian in Pennsylvania and when she's given the chance to get away for a week, she decides to get some continuing ed credits and signs up to go an upcoming library conference in New York and present on a project she's been working on at her school.  Lucky for Amy, she has an old friend who runs a magazine in New York City, so she has somewhere to stay.  What she doesn't anticipate is this week will turn into a longer adventure, connecting her with an interesting man who captures her heart.  When it comes time to return back to her old life, will she?

So, I liked this book okay --- but it required several suspensions of disbelief.  I could buy the fact that Amy's husband left her and she had to figure out how to get a job and take care of her kids on her own.  What I had a hard time believing was 1) she is able to, at the last minute (from what it sounds like), submit her program for the conference, register and get to New York; 2) without a hotel reservation because she's sure she's staying with her friend . . . even though she didn't get a firm confirmation from her; and 3) there's no mention at all of how hot New York City is in the summer . . . and how packed these conferences tend to be.  I really don't buy that she was able to submit her proposal for a program right before the conference --- sorry, but I know how much lead time they need for things.  Also, I know how hot New York City gets in the summer --- and I know that library conferences get scheduled during the summer in locations that are hot because they save money that way.

And of course, Amy's friend in New York City, who runs a magazine, is wealthy and the magazine does a profile on Amy with a makeover . . . .   it's like everything can fall in place if you're friends with people with connections and a lot of money.   Also, I can't quite believe Amy goes somewhere wearing stretch pants and a sweater set ...  or wear a knit dress to dinner . . . I mean, it's summer.

So this is maybe a little snarky. While I found this book entertaining, I don't think I was quite in the mood for this Cinderella story starring a school librarian.  It's an okay story, but it just didn't quite resonate with me.

Neverwhere

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman 337 pages

"Richard Mayhew is a young man with a good heart and an ordinary life, which is changed forever when he stops to help a girl he finds bleeding on a London sidewalk. His small act of kindness propels him into a world he never dreamed existed. There are people who fall through the cracks, and Richard has become one of them. Now he must learn to survive in this city of shadows and darkness, monsters and saints, murderers and angels, if he is ever to return to the London that he knew."   (courtesy of Goodreads)

I think I've read this book more than 10 times.  While not as sophisticated as his later books, this story is one that always captures my imagination.  Every time I read it, I remember things but then come across details I had completely forgotten.  I enjoy the characters, and the way that some of them are completely good or completely bad --- but the more interesting ones aren't as easy to figure out.  This is Gaiman's first book, so it's not without flaws --- but it's one of my favorite books.

Open Carry

Open Carry by Marc Cameron            Audio Book:  11 hours, 31 mins.   Mass Market Paperback:  448 pages                    

Good mystery novel.    I found out today it is the first in the Arliss Cutter Novels.    Good characters, believeable scenarios and often funny dialogue.   The author speaks with knowledge and authority come to find out he spent 29 years in law enforcement so he knows that of which he speaks, also, he has been on assignments just about everywhere in the northern hemisphere so I am sure he has a lot of stories he can make into books.    When a reality t.v. series called, “Fish Wives,” comes to Alaska it was a love /hate relationship.   Many locals saw it as a boom for tourist trade others thought the disruption to people’s lives and industry, not to mention the attitudes of the staff, crew and some of the talent brought in pissed off area locals.    And as happens in with the good came some low lifes, letches,  pedophiles, kidnappers all disguised under new names and identities though their proclivities were still active.   Throw in a drug cartel for extra measure, lots of salty types, former hippies and biological explorers – it makes for a very entertaining novel.    I highly recommend this book if you like mysteries,  there are so many potential killers here all with motives.    A good read, very good author.  I will be looking up number 2 in the series.  

 - Shirley J. 

Artificial Condtion

Artificial Condition  by Martha Wells          Audio Book: 3 hrs., 21 mins.      Hardback Book:  160 pages                  

I found out this was book 2 in the Murderbot series.    I wish books would note when they are a part of a series and what number the book at hand is in such series.   It is one thing if it is the first book in a series but to be out of order and not starting with the first book in the series can be a littles disappointing.    However,  this book could stand alone, the reader just knew there were things that transpired prior to the Murderbots arrival at the location he was in this book, but, that could be explained away by the murderbot main character’s reference to them as being a part of semi-erased memory tapes or the like.     I wanted to like this story.   It had elements that weren’t bad but some of the continuity was off, sometimes the robot’s language didn’t jive, some things seemed off because that far in the future I don’t think robots would cuss, be streetwise, and use slang and or the dropping of the endings off of words.   I was struck with the feeling that this was a first attempt at writing or perhaps a highschooler’s writing assignment.    It did not come across as good writing, but, perhaps something that was done for a class, or an attempt at trying one’s hand at science fiction.   I wanted to like the story, there were parts of it that were o.k. but overall – I would not recommend this one.  It needed some editing before its release that somehow fell through the cracks.   I don’t know about the previous book nor can I speak for any later books in this series but I would not be interested in reading any further on this story.   Not to be judgey just to offer constructive criticism, this book seemed a little 1 dimensional.   No recommendation here.   

 - Shirley J.

For One More Day

For One More Day by Mitch Albom                  Audiobook:  3hours, 36 mins.         Paperback Book:  208 pages                                   

A nicely told tale that just might bring a few tears, especially to those of us reading or listening to it who’s mother has passed away.    Well told tale in that Twilight Zone tradition that takes you out of reality as we know it and delivers you to another place however briefly that you wish you could make last.   Not in the creepy Pet Sematery by Stephen King kind of way ala the Monkey’s Paw version of someone returning from the dead but in a virtual reality sort of way, dreamlike and surreal yet solid and comforting.    The story is short but no less sincere in its delivery.    A man at the end of his rope finds his dead mother’s returned and for all his screw-ups she surrounds him with love and non-judgmental understanding.   She becomes the ear to hear the sorrow in his soul and the shoulder he could always cry on from birth to manhood when things got beyond him.    Her sweet spirit is calm and soothing reminding him doing the right thing is never the wrong thing regardless the consequences.   Yet, he can’t stop telling her, “You know you’re dead, right?”   That awful ugly bit of truth that keeps nagging and won’t allow him to just bask in the moment and hug her and hold her with all his might.   She tells him he has always taken things far too seriously.   Is he high strung or did his mother know how much he needed her and visited him to give him back one more day – the day he lost with her the day she died and he wasn’t there.     I wish it had been a longer story going into more detail but in retrospect, it was just enough.    I would recommend this story especially to those who grieve for their lost parents but I think everyone could be moved by this grown manchild allowed to spend one more day with the person who loved him best and who he too, loved best.    It is a hand up when you are down and a lovely story.

 - Shirley J.

Sitka

Sitka by Louis L’Amour     Paperback: 352 pgs.         

     This book, originally published in the 1950’s, was somewhat of a departure for Louis L’Amour, who was known for his Westerns.  You could consider this novel a Western, but it’s also different than most books of that genre.  Though it largely takes place in Alaska, our westernmost state, I doubt many people think of Alaska when they think of the Old West!  There are no cowboys, as you would expect to find in a Western, but there is a shootout and a few Indians appear in it (though they are inhabitants of Alaska, not the Great Plains).

     Jean LaBarge, the main character, would easily fit into a Western novel or film.  He is tough, self-reliant, determined, observant and resourceful.  An orphan growing up in the woods of the Northeast, he realizes a dream of becoming a fur trader and becomes a wealthy resident of San Francisco.  But his ultimate dream is to trade furs in the Alaska.  The Russians control that vast territory in this time period (the 1850’s and 1860’s) and forbid outsiders from engaging in that occupation, but that doesn’t stop LaBarge.  He succeeds both in trading furs in Alaska and evading Russian patrols until the very end of the book.  He is quite a Renaissance man— a fur trader, sailor and successful businessman who knows how to get things done.  He even influences events in the halls of Congress and the palace of the Russian czar.


     Some of LaBarge’s exploits are so amazing, in fact, that they seem unbelievable.  This made it a less-engrossing story, since it was more difficult for me to “suspend disbelief”, so as to better enjoy the fictional story.  It’s worth noting that Sitka is not a very “deep” novel— you don’t see a lot of character development.  It’s very much a simple “good guy vs. bad guy” adventure story; unlike many present-day novels, we don’t see an evil side to LaBarge, nor do we see any goodness in the villain, a Russian named Zinnovy.

    As I weigh all the positives and negatives, L’Amour’s “Alaska Western” earns 3 out of 5 stars in my book.  ★★★

 - John W.

Woman of the Pharisees

The Woman of the Pharisees by Francois Mauriac, translated by Gerard Hopkins, 241 pages

Brigitte Pian is a wicked stepmother.  She is all the more wicked because she is so widely admired for her goodness, a goodness which she pursues tirelessly.  Yet it is goodness sought not for its own sake but a cramped, loveless drive for perfection rooted in the desire to dominate and control.  Thus, in the end, all of her good deeds turn to ashes.

The story practically writes itself: the religious hypocrite is, after all, a common trope in Western culture, and one that is ideally suited to the ideological demands of modernity.  Thankfully Mauriac is too good a writer for cliche.  Brigitte does not sin through the open embrace of evil but through a perversion of the good.  Were it otherwise, she would not be so pitiable, nor her example so salutary.

Ask a Manager

Ask a Manager: How to Navigate Clueless Colleagues, Lunch-Stealing Bosses, and the Rest of Your Life at Work by Alison Green, 287 pages

Green is a workplace advice columnist. She has been answering questions for more than ten years through her blog. Her intent is to give the perspective of a manager. I didn't have a specific question I wanted answered. I like to see what perspectives advice columnists have and was curious about hers.

There are four chapters and they address conversations with different people. They are with your boss, your coworkers, when you're the boss and with your job interviewer. The questions range from the ordinary to the strange. A strange one that stood out to me was a situation where an employee was threatening to curse (as in magic) a coworker. A lot of them address issues that a lot of people feel awkward about bringing up. I am not sure that her advice will always work but almost all of it seems like a good way to approach the conversation. A lot of it is geared towards collaboration and finding solutions. Or tactfully addressing the situation without making assumptions.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is looking for advice on work related issues. If you can't find a relevant question her approach may inspire a good way to address the issue or you can ask her through her blog. It can also serve as a primer for ways to approach any issues that come up in the future.        

Ice

Ice by Anna Kavan, 193 pages

"In this haunting and surreal novel, the narrator and a man known as the warden search for an elusive girl in a frozen, seemingly post-nuclear, apocalyptic landscape. The country has been invaded and is being governed by a secret organization. There is destruction everywhere; great walls of ice overrun the world. Together with the narrator, the reader is swept into a hallucinatory quest for this strange and fragile creature with albino hair. Acclaimed upon its 1967 publication as the best science fiction book of the year, this extraordinary and innovative novel has subsequently been recognized as a major work of literature in its own right." Summary courtesy of Goodreads

There is a plot to the novel but it is loose. In fact, it can be hard to keep track of what is going on because of the hallucinations. But that seems to be the point. It is a psychological examination of destruction and control. It's about what might happen at the end of the world.

It is notable that no characters are named. The prose is beautiful. The forward and afterword help give background and context to the novel. I would recommend this to those like science fiction and those that like literary fiction.

Against Empathy

Against Empathy: The Case for Rational Compassion by Paul Bloom, 285 pages

Bloom has written multiple articles on this topic so the book is meant to be an expansion of his ideas and arguments. Most people take for granted that empathy and more of it is a good thing but Bloom disagrees. He states that compassion is better. 

He starts by giving an overview of his arguments, then he goes into more detail about the psychology and neuroscience of empathy in further chapters. He also examines empathy in relation to politics, intimacy and evil. Finally, he argues for human rationality.

Bloom contends that, upon analysis, empathy is a bad moral guide because it leads to bias. The bias is usually towards those closest to us or like us which comes into conflict with broader considerations. He shows there are multiple things that can lead our morality.

Bloom does a good job of making arguments against empathy but then he backtracks and says something along the lines of, "...it may not be that bad." So, at the end of the book all of his arguments seem wishy-washy. Other criticisms include the rigorousness of his arguments and not being as concise as he could be. Lastly, I would say that he could have gone deeper into his case for rational compassion. Despite its shortcomings I would still recommend this book. I think Bloom's core argument holds up. Empathy may not be as great as people think it is.

Annibale Carracci in Bologna

Annibale Carracci in Bologna: Visible Reality in Art after the Council of Trent by AWA Boschloo, translated by RR Symonds, 364 pages (2 vols)

The doctoral dissertation of noted Dutch art historian Anton Boschloo, Annibale Carracci in Bologna is, as its title declares, an analysis of the paintings the most celebrated of the Carraccis created in their hometown prior to his move to Rome.  Boschloo carefully traces both Annibale's influences and his departures from those influences, especially the other members of the Carracci family, not only the painters but also the tradesmen, whom Boschloo credits with helping inspire Annibale's interest in common people and concrete realities.  This, in turn, complemented the needs of the Catholic Reformation, at least as interpreted by the contemporary reforming archbishop of Bologna, Gabriele Paleotti.

This work was published in two volumes, with the first containing the text, the second the notes and plates, which has the advantage of making it possible to always directly compare the two.  Disappointingly, however, none of the plates are in color.

Childfree by Choice The Movement Redefining Family and Creating A New Age of Independence

Childfree by Choice: The Movement Redefining Family and Creating a New Age of Independence
by Amy Blackstone    279 pages

The author, a professor of sociology, has been studying the childfree choice from 2008, and is a nationally recognized expert on the childfree choice.  She draws upon research and anecdotes, including examples from her own life, to explore this choice. As the book description states, "As a childfree woman, Dr. Amy Blackstone is no stranger to a wide range of negative responses when she informs people she doesn't have--nor does she want--kids: confused looks, patronizing quips, thinly veiled pity, even outright scorn and condemnation. But she is not alone in opting out when it comes to children. More people than ever are choosing to forgo parenthood, and openly discussing a choice that's still often perceived as taboo. Yet this choice, and its effects personally and culturally, are still often misunderstood."

I found this to be an interesting book that made me reflect on many things, and which led to some interesting conversations with my husband.  I think this is a book that would generate some good discussions between many people, and for some, help them understand choices that others make.  I appreciated that Blackstone explored this subject without feeling like she was pushing an agenda. Instead, it's explanation, exploration and rumination with no judgment.  Good read.

Women's Work A Reckoning With Home and Help

Women's Work: A Reckoning With Home and Help by Megan Stack   336 pages

"When Megan Stack left her prestigious job as a foreign correspondent to have a baby and work from her home in Beijing writing a book, she quickly realized that childcare and housework would consume the time she needed to write. This dilemma was resolved in the manner of many upper class families and large corporations: she availed herself of cheap Chinese labor. The housekeeper Stack hired was a migrant from the countryside, a mother who had left her daughter in a precarious situation to earn desperately needed cash in the capital. As Stack's family grew, a series of Chinese and Indian women cooked, cleaned and babysat in her home and she grew increasingly aware of the brutal realities of their lives: domestic abuse, alcoholism, unplanned pregnancies, medical and family crises. Hiring poor women had given Stack the ability to work while raising her children--but what ethical compromise had she made?
Determined to confront the truth, Stack traveled to her employees' homes, met their parents and children, and turned a journalistic eye on the tradeoffs they'd been forced to make as working mothers seeking upward mobility--and on the cost to the children who were left behind."   Summary courtesy of Goodreads

I found this book interesting, but ultimately annoying. While I understand the point Stack is making with this book, I sometimes questioned her choices and motives.  She makes the decision to have her baby in China, but then she writes about how dangerous it is there for children and how polluted so many things are.  She struggles to eat organic, etc for the baby --- but of course, this isn't easy.  She makes the choice to hire someone to help her with the housework, which turns into housework and childcare, but she still doesn't seem to be able to find time for herself to write.  So, there is resentment.  And yes, as expected, resentment towards her husband who doesn't know what she does all day and who should be doing more to help out at home.

When she and her husband move to India while she's pregnant with their second child, she makes the decision that they must hire more than one person to help with their households because it's very important to her to write her book. Her husband's salary gives them the ability to do this and at first, she's conflicted and then just takes it in stride.  However, the women she hires have issues of their own, which makes Stack have resentment towards them. Then she questions herself . . . and then, she is "determined to confront the truth" and learn more about these women who have worked in her home.  I was wondering why she didn't seem to make much effort to know much about them when they worked in her home --- for example, she never ventured to where they lived in their servants quarters.  

The published notes that this "is a stunning memoir of four women and an electrifying meditation on the evasions of marriage, motherhood, feminism, and privilege."  I wouldn't say it was stunning, although it's certainly a meditation on marriage, motherhood and privilege.  I kept reading because I was curious, albeit annoyed some of the time, but by the end, I realized that this just wasn't the book for me.  I was more curious about the women who worked for Stack, but seeing them through her journalistic eye, I felt that they were still unknown.

Thin Ice: A Mystery

Thin Ice: A Mystery by Paige Shelton  275 pages  I read a galley - book is due out in December, 2019

On the run after a horrifying kidnapping ordeal, Beth Rivers goes to Alaska to hide out while her kidnapper is still on the loose. Her new home seems to be sparsely populated, with people who all seem to be hiding from something or someone, so she actually feels pretty safe . . . until someone mentions a local (suspected) murder. With a background of working in her sheriff grandfather's office, and the knack for getting to the heart of a good story, Beth tries to help solve the local mystery. Complicating things is the fact that memories of her kidnapping keep coming back in bits, making her wonder if she can ever reclaim her old life.

The author is well known for her cozy mysteries so here, she takes a darker turn and adds some elements of a thriller to this mystery.  I admittedly have not read her other books, but I can see where she might be a writer of other kinds of stories --- there was something about the character development that had a Jessica Fletcher-esque feel to it.  I liked this book, although I sometimes got annoyed with Beth. I felt like she didn't give people enough time to get to know them a little before launching into questions about the murder (something which, actually, another character points out to her).  At times, she seems vulnerable and at other times, pretty brash.  I also wondered about a character who would choose to go to Alaska without really packing clothes for that climate.  Good thing she has plenty of money and someone who can help her out once she gets there.

A good read, and the first in a series.


LibraryReads summary: Trying to hide from her kidnapper who is still on the loose, Beth Rivers escapes to Alaska, where she finds herself in the middle of solving a (suspected) murder.
This is something new from cozy mystery writer Shelton, who takes a darker turn in this thriller/mystery.

Light from Other Stars

Light from Other Stars by Erika Swyler   304 pages

Nedda Papas is eleven years old and obsessed with becoming an astronaut. Living in a small Florida Space Coast town in 1986, this dream seems within reach. Her father, Theo, is a scientist laid off from NASA and dealing with his own struggles, and her mother, Betheen, has her own obsessions. When Theo turns to experimenting with how he can extend his daughter's childhood a little longer, the result is an invention that alters the fabric of time.

Told between the present and the past, this is a story of a girl pursuing her own dreams while at the same time confronting  her own father and his secrets, and also of how she finds an ally in the mother she never felt she understood.

In the present, Nedda is on a space mission (this isn't a spoiler) and she and her crewmates are faced with a serious crisis; if she can come to terms with  her past, she may hold the key to saving them.

I read a galley of this book, one that I had sitting in my house for weeks and which I hadn't picked up yet.  I haven't read the author's previous book although after reading this one, I'm curious. I can't say that I entirely loved this book, although I certainly found it to be interesting. Some of the details are a little horrifying, and I think that's what put me off a bit a few times. It's definitely an interesting concept, though -- and almost reminded me of a combination of more recent Stephen King + The Martian by Andy Weir.

You Can’t Spell America Without Me:

You Can’t Spell America Without Me:  The Really Tremendous Inside Story of my Fantastic First Year as President Donald J. Trump (A So-Called Parody) by Alec Baldwin and Kurt Andersen      

 Audio Book:  5hrs, 57mins        Paperback Book 384pgs.                                  

If you like political comedy you will enjoy this book.    Historical History meets tongue in cheek humor in this sometimes biographical sometimes spot on humorous comments that the Donald has made and ones that it is quite possible he was thinking about saying.    Nothing is off-limits in this hysterical send up and truly it is so funny.    From poking fun at Trump wanting to buy the white house and lease it back to the government to calling Trump towers the North White House and  Trump’s Miralago the Southern Whitehouse to referring to the Royal Family as the Queen and all those others, to explaining his riding in a golf cart filled with secret service while all the other world leaders in the group walked to their destination without body guards –“it’s not like anyone would want to assassinate them.”   This is such a hilarious spoof that is so true to character using Trump’s own words that are often funny on their own, “That Kim Jong-un is one tough cookie.”       Jabs are taken at Hilary Clinton, President Barack Obama, Chris Christie, German Prime Minister, Angela Merkel,  no person in politics is safe from becoming the butt of serious political humor.    From Fake news to often referring to his brilliant uncle, John Trump from MIT, to that Russian stuff, to his Slovenian current wife, Melania who was born and raised in Yugoslavia when it was still a communist regime before it became Slovenia which is probably why Melania and Putin had so much to talk and laugh about over dinner.    Totally irreverent about as politically correct as a certain President’s tweets – oh yeah, the tweets are brought up, too.   All that is the Donald is played with in this fun book.    I really enjoyed it, I highly recommend it for light hearted folk who love a laugh and for the politically oriented that allow a bit of fun poked at both sides under their radar.   I don’t think younger folks would get as much a kick out of the jokes as adults, but if you like Saturday Night Live (SNL) you will get the humor here.

 - Shirley J

The Library of Lost and Found

The Library of Lost and Found by Phaedra Patrick         Audio Book:   10 hrs., 28 mins          Hardback Book:  352 pages                       

Much like her mother who was meek and mild and went along 100% with whatever her husband said all of her life, Martha Storm was meek and mild and backed up from confrontation and no matter what burden anyone laid on her, she dealt with it without complaint.     Martha loved to read and organized a book club  at her local library.   The funny thing about it was, most of the people in the bookclub didn’t read the titles they were supposed to but were always there to bring more work to Martha, one lady who complained of a bad back had fanagled a deal with Martha where she would bring her laundry in to to the bookclub with her and Martha would take the woman’s laundry with her to wash, dry and repair the woman’s clothes then return them to the woman’s home without so much as a farthing for her efforts.    She got roped into repairing papier mache’ dragons’ heads for the local Chinese New Year annual celebration,  she ended up moving back home in order to take care of her aging parents until their deaths after which she was left with a house full of all sorts of things to sort through because her sister was always evasive and would never commit to coming over and going through their parents thigns  with Martha.   When it came to work, her sister always had something better to do, using her failing relationship with her husband or her two kids as her main excuses and of course her me time with her friends as if Martha never needed any me time.   Her boss at the Library took major advantage of her, leaving her out of memos, not telling her when an author event got cancelled even though he had put Martha in charge of setting it up and buying the food, decorations and so forth and when Martha dragged all the stuff to the Library the night of the event only to see on the poster CANCELLED scrawled across it in big letters.   It was like she was invisible.   She tried several times to get better positions at the Library when a staff member would leave but was always passed over by her boss for a younger person.    She could never say no to anyone no matter what the project and ended up spending all of her time, darning her nephews and nieces clothes for her sister, running errands for other people,  taking care of one of the book club attendees plants and fish (for months now), being at every one’s beck and call waiting on them hand and foot and getting nothing not even respect in return.   This was Martha’s life until one day, a local used bookseller came across a book of fairytales with a dedication personally handwritten by the author to Martha.    He tracked her down and dropped it off at the Library for her.   Her life totally turned around when she read the mysterious dedication and begun a hunt to track down where the book came from.    Family mysteries and secrets are revealed in this story that takes Martha back to her childhood.   Her life is turned upside down in this tale that shows sometimes things aren’t always as we think they are.   Well told and a good, gripping story. Of a woman adrift just sort of floating through life who comes to grips with some harsh realities and finds nothing is as she thought it was and her whole life up to that moment had been lived in lies.   Good book, I would recommend this tale to Middleschoolers on up.    It has an 1890s feel even though it is set from the 1960s to current.   Well done, Phaedra Patrick.  

 - Shirley J

Life Will Be the Death of Me…And You, Too!

Life Will Be the Death of Me…And You, Too! By Chelsea Handler              Audio Book:  5 hrs., 25 mins        Hardback Book:  256 pages             

It seems the election of Donald Trump to the Presidency set Chelsea Handler off on a journey of anger and depression that led her to therapy which turned out to be the road to discovery and self-realization.      Chelsea takes the reader along with her from beginning to end with a lot of hilarious reveals about her own real life, family , friends, dogs, personal assistants and housekeepers as she works through her neurosis.   She finds out she doesn’t have any empathy for other people and wants to fix that.   She also reveals that while she hates Trump she has the hots for Special Counsel Robert Mueller (she has a thing for older men – up to 20 years older – she’s not sure she wants to go beyond that).   She knows he’s married but if he ever gets divorced…She loves “fluffy” dogs – they are great to cuddle with even if she does have to lift them up on her bed because they are so heavy they can’t jump up there by themselves.   She tends to see things from her own point of view but never the point of view of others, therapy has made her see that and she begins working on it once the realization is out there.   Really funny and Chelsea really goes bare bones in her honesty on her personal life.    Because she speaks “freely”  about all topics perhaps this one ought to remain with the adult crowd as she also liberally uses the vocabulary of a sailor.  J   I enjoyed it and if you like Chelsea Handler you will like this opening of the door to her life.   Well done, Chelsea.

 - Shirley J

Paul Bunyan

 

Paul Bunyan by Darryl Wimberley    262 pages

As I was reading this enhanced tale of logger Paul Bunyan and his blue ox, Babe, I wondered if kids still learn about these mythological beings. It wouldn’t surprise to me discover that they don’t. How sad for them.

What author Wimberley has done is take the legend and invent a life behind it, filling in all the details. As the story starts, in 1920, an older Paul wants to have a will created. Oh, he has a few worldly possessions and that’s not why he wants this document. According to Paul, it’s “what a man wants fold to remember ‘bout hisself.”  I had to laugh when the narrator said that Paul was old.  That he didn’t know what was old for a lumberjack…thirty or forty… but Paul was older.

Paul’s story starts out simply: “I am a child of the forest.” I think that simple sentence is so profound, considering that Paul spent his entire life in the wilderness. Readers get a glimpse of how Wimberley imagined Paul’s life, from when he was found as a child until he was working his last log jam.

Wimberley provides lots of logging history, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and the descriptions of the forest, logging camps, log jams, cutting the trees, and more will stay with me a long time.

I do have one complaint about the novel and that is its lack of tension. I didn’t feel the sense of urgency/dangerousness in some situations, like unplugging a log jam. And that’s why  “Paul Bunyan” get 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

Eucharist

The Eucharist: Mystery of Presence, Sacrifice, and Communion by Lawrence Feingold, 607 pages

Lawrence Feingold's The Eucharist is a comprehensive exploration of Church teaching on the nature and significance of the Blessed Sacrament, from its Old Testament types through the patristic age and medieval and modern developments.  In this narrative, all development occurs only so that what was held from the beginning may be more perfectly affirmed and understood, and a side effect of this is that deviations from orthodoxy are highlighted by their discontinuity.  Although the book was designed for use as a theology textbook, complete with study questions at the end of each chapter, it is well-written enough to captivate casual readers, drawing us deeper into the sacred mysteries.

Metropolitan Stories

Metropolitan Stories by Christine Coulson    208 pages

I’m not a huge television watcher, but I do enjoy watching the behind-the-scenes shows at zoos. Watchers get to take a peek behind the curtain at what it takes to care for the thousands of animals in their care. Fascinating stuff.

I feel the same way about Christine Coulson’s new novel, “Metropolitian Stories.” From a writer who worked at that renown institution for more than 25 years, reads are taken through to the offices, the storage rooms, the cafeteria and what seems to a million-mile labyrinth of hallways that connect the myriad of buildings, galleries and studios. On the down side, I had no real idea of where the vignettes were actually happening, and that confused me a bit. But it didn’t stop me from reading.

 I loved all the stories, but my favorite is “Meats and Cheeses.” It involves a 4,000-year-old leg of lamb. The narrator, Kate, is on a mission of a different kind, but winds up in a room full of hats---all types from pith helmets to straw boaters. Hebe and Helen, who work in the room, are a

riot. It seems that Kate’s, who has only been with the Met about a year, main job is to deliver the yellow interoffice envelopes known as “cheeses.” She is following a hand-drawn map and trying to get a sign off for a China exhibition’s title wall.  I won’t write anymore as I may give it away, but Kate’s adventures through the maze of hallways looking for a blue door is the perfect story for readers to understand the complexity of working at the Met.

Light-hearted, full of whimsy and just plain fun, I give “Metropolitan Stories” 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

Ever Faithful

 

Ever Faithful by Karen Barnett      352 pages

 Former park ranger Karen Barnett has given historical fiction readers a wonderful series in her stand-alone novels set in America’s National Parks. Almost like a Ken Burns for readers! We get the history, the beauty and wonderful tales about characters that feel oh so real.

In this, her third novel, she takes us to Yellowstone National Park in 1933. The Great Depression has hit America hard, and the National Parks are no exception. Visitors to the park are few, causing the management not to open certain lodgings and other services. It’s almost a double whammy to park employees.

The protagonist is a young adult, Elsie Brookes, who has grown up in the parks. She desperately wants to go to college and become a teacher. She has been working as maid in the park’s hotels, but after four years, she still hasn’t saved enough. 

I chuckled at the nicknames the park’s employees gave to position, terms like pillow pushers, savages, pack rats, gear jammers, etc.  And I like the way Barnett let the reader know what each nickname represented without overtly doing so.

Poor Elsie. She is facing another summer with little hope of saving enough money for college. However, FDR’s New Deal comes to the rescue without officials realizing it. The year is 1933 and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) is sending a group of men to help work in the park, looking for bug-infested copses, culling trees and all around manual labor. For most, this is the first time they have ever seen this much wilderness. Elsie is offered a second job as a teacher to the men who are coming, and she jumps at the opportunity.

Enter Nate Webber. The Brooklyn-ite shows promise. He is a hard worker and a born leader. But he has a secret that he will protect at all costs. When Elsie uncovers that secret, she vows to do everything she can to protect that secret, it makes for some dynamite reading. 

I give “Ever Faithful” 5 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

Traditional Japanese Poetry

Traditional Japanese Poetry: An Anthology, translated by Steven D Carter, 456 pages

This anthology collects 1157 poems written by Japanese poets between the 7th and 20th centuries.

     Hearing the echo

          of a bird-scarer announcing

               "He is here no more,"

     I am saddened by the loss

          of the world that went before.

Japan may be unique among the great cultures of the world in lacking an epic poetic tradition.  Famously, however, the Japanese developed the short poem to extreme levels of subtlety and refinement.  Along with the familiar haiku, which is a relatively late form, this collection includes a number of other established traditional forms, including linked poetry, each verse of which, often written by different poets, connects obliquely to those before and after.

     One can not be sure of living

          even until the evening.

     In the dim dawn light

          I watch the waves in the wake

               of a departing boat.

Carter provides short explanatory introductions to each section, and has even included several complete poem sequences, demonstrating the distinct art of compilation and arrangement.  The sheer scope of this collection will enrich even the casual reader, who can then, in turn, provide an answer to Shunzei's question.

     Far in the future,

     will someone remember me

          with a tender heart -

     sharing with me the habit

          of musing on the past?