Forever Boy: A Mother's Memoir of Autism and Finding Joy

Forever Boy: A Mother’s Memoir of Autism and Finding Joy by Kate Swenson 288 pages

Expectant mothers and fathers never dream of a special needs child. It makes it even more difficult when a complete diagnosis cannot be given until their child is at least two years old.

When author Kate Swenson gave birth to her first child, Cooper, she knew something was wrong. He made little noise, and as he never reached the milestones that other children did. Although she was convinced that something was horribly wrong, what she read on the internet did not align with what she knew.

Loving Cooper was easy. He was a sweet little boy, no trouble, with a head of golden hair. He did communicate, in his way.

Cooper was finally diagnosed with severe, non-verbal autism. Kate and her husband were immediately relived and scared. Relieved that they weren’t making things up. Now that they knew, they could work toward making Cooper’s life as fulfilling as possible. It just wouldn’t be in the ways they imagined during their pregnancy.

At first, I thought this might be a hard book to read, and in some ways it was. But as Karen “found joy,” in her son, she let go of all the negativity that she experienced. Turns out, having a child with severe special needs can be a blessing. A parent might have to look for it, look really, really, hard, but it can be found.

I found Karen and Cooper’s story uplifting. “Forever Boy: A Mother’s Memoir of Autism and Finding Joy” receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

 

You Love Me

Shirley J.                   Adult Fiction                               The You saga continues, blended families

You Love Me by Caroline Kepnes   432 pages

I love this series and the t.v. show made from it.   Great and clever writing as always Caroline Kepnes!  Joe is out of prison and Love has banished him from her life and their son's life.  Love named their son Forty after her dead brother.   Trying to piece a life together, Joe moves north to an island off the Seattle coast.   Love's father gave Joe a house and in the millions to stay away from his daughter and grandson so, at least Joe has a roof over his head and a nest egg to fall back on.   Not needing to work right away, Joe becomes a volunteer at the local library where he falls hard for the head Librarian, Mary Kay DiMarco.   However, Mary Kay comes with baggage.    I hate it that this is the last book in this series.  What a wild and wonderful ride!   I think I will recommend this book for mature highschoolers on up.

The Devil You Know

 

Shirley J.                     Adult Fiction                                                Missing Girls, Serial Killer

The Devil You Know: A Novel by Elisabeth de Mariaffi    336 pages

Evie Jones grew up in a town where many of the children came up missing only to be found later dead, their bodies, tortured, sexually abused, sometimes maimed.    A tangible fear clung in the air causing townies to keep checking over their shoulders for someone lurking in the shadows.   Eleven year old Evie's best friend, Lianne Gagnon disappeared and no one was ever caught for the crimes.   Evie grew up and along with her other best friend, David Patton, worked as a crime reporter for the local paper.   Her boss a ludicrous, bossy but nice woman gives Evie an assignment dealing with the missing girl stories, a where are they now piece.    Delving back into the events brings tortured memories and dreams to Evie, she can't escape.   Evie starts getting paranoid believing the killer is now or maybe still after her.   She reads way too much into everything and eventually people start thinking she is going off the deep end.   She cannot let the facts of the cases go and starts sleuthing to see if she can draw the killer out and see that the killer is captured at last.   So many possible suspects including her buddy David's father!  This wedges a stake in their maybe working toward amorous relationship.   Evie is on a mission and even though David tells her to back off of his father even if he is a jerk who has a thing for young attractive girls.  Suddenly, I'm thinking David is protesting a little too much....hmmmm....he doesn't even like his Dad for the most part...   A good who-done-it?   Even if Evie's OCD becomes a bit like fingernails on a chalkboard.   I recommend this one to mature teens on up.   The subject matter might be a little hard to take for middle schoolers, and might even be so for high schoolers.

The Legend of the Christmas Rose

Shirley J.                      Juvenile Literature                  A different spin on the story of the Christmas Rose

The Legend of the Christmas Rose by William H. Hooks   32 pages

A little girl named Dorothy lives in the Bethlehem of over 2,000 years ago.   She has 3 grown brothers who tend sheep for their father.   One night while tending the sheep, angels appear in the sky over Bethlehem proclaiming the birth of the promised Savior.   Dorothy's brothers are so amazed and trembling from the sight.   They run home to tell their parents they are going into town to find where the star leads them to the Savior that has been born!   Dorothy wants to go, too, but, she is told she is too little.   She sneaks after them anyway.  Along the way she realizes she has nothing to give to the baby and begins to cry.  Thank you God, for angels for that very same angel that appeared to her brothers provided white flowers for her to gather and give to Jesus.  A sweet story and telling not only of how the flowers became the Christmas rose (gotta love angels) but the book goes on to talk about the actual real flower known as the Christmas rose and that it is sought after for its medicinal qualities.   Good book!   I recommend it to youngsters on up to seniors.   The illustrations are excellent, too.

The Legend of the Christmas Rose

Shirley J.         Juvenile Literature             A beautiful garden that blooms in honor of Christ's birth 

The Legend of the Christmas Rose by Ellin Greene   38 pages

A poor, hungry woman and her five children out begging for food stop and enter the open gate of the town's monastery.   They see a beautiful garden being tended by one of the monks.   When he sees the family he starts insisting they leave but they argue they are only looking.   The abbot appears and speaks with them noting their appreciation for his beautiful garden.   The woman tells him it is beautiful but not the most beautiful she has seen.   The abbot questions her about where she saw better?  She tells him of a garden that blooms only at Christmas time to honor Christ's birth.   The abbot must see this garden.  The woman tells the abbot that her husband cannot get work because he took something years ago and has been banned from the town ever since.   If the abbot will get her husband pardoned for his crime so that he can go into town and seek work she will get the monk to the special Christmas garden.   The abbot speaks on behalf of the man to the local magistrate and obtains a pardon for the man.   As promised the woman sends her son to the abbot and his assistant to show them the way to the garden.   The story takes place in Sweden so it is very cold and snowy and the journey is arduous, but, at last they arrive and the garden is everything the woman said it was, magnificent!  And of course there is an exquisite rose growing in the center of the garden.  A good book.   I recommend this story to youngsters and all who love stories about the symbols of Christmas.

The Devil You Know: A Black Power Manifesto

 

Shirley J.      Adult Non-Fiction        A reporter's laser view of black history, social injustice, & politics

The Devil You Know: A Black Power Manifesto by Charles M. Blow        

An excellent must read for anyone interested in the history, geology, sociology, political states, civil rights movements and heroes of Black America.    New York Times columnist, Charles M. Blow wrote this book as his response to the police brutality and murder of black people going unchallenged in the United States until Black Lives Matter became the slogan that created a new strong world wide cry for social justice and accountability for the policing bodies committing atrocities and formerly getting away with it.   No longer quiet, no longer held down and held back the truth now seen by the whole world of the evil committed for all to see, Charles Blow shines a laser on what has been denied, ignored and repressed.   Charles Blow offers a new path, a new vision clearly and concisely put, calling all black people to a new action based on his experience and deep knowledge and research into how to navigate from the slave mentality of the collective past to a future of true equality and respect.  One of the best books I've ever read.   He brings facts to light in ways that will make you take notes to ponder on over and over.   This book is like you are in the best class you have ever been in learning from a professor you wish you could do a Vulcan mind meld with.  I highly recommend it to middle schoolers on up, and especially to lovers of history, black history, political history, geographical migrations, politics and societal issues.  

Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person

Shirley J.               Adult Biography                          The Life and Times of Shonda Rhimes     

Year of Yes: How to Dance It Out, Stand In the Sun and Be Your Own Person by Shonda Rhimes          352 pages

A fun introduction to the talented writer/actress that is Shonda Rhimes, author of three hit t.v. shows, Grey's Anatomy, Scandal and How to Get Away With Murder.  She had an awakening one Thanksgiving when her sister said to her, "You never say yes to anything."   After that she determined to turn her life around and say Yes to everything.   An introvert at heart, she hated public speaking and confrontation.  Though famous for her hit shows on the air, she feared doing interviews.  Mother of three she always had an excuse that she was swamped with work and motherhood and got out of committing to anything liking being home and not in the center of things.   After her sister's observation she took it as a challenge and determined she would say yes to everything for one year - that one year became so joyous - it is now her lifestyle.   She found by leaving the house and putting herself out there accepting speaking engagements she found how happy it made her to help others.   And accepting an acting role on the Mindy Project let her know life on the other side of the camera and script.  She is so funny and open about her life growing up - she considered herself a bookish nerd and always wrote stories from 6 on up to help her relate to the people in her world.  A fun, enlightening and enjoyable read.   I recommend this one to middle schoolers on up, introverts of the world, fans of her t.v. shows and fans of hers.   A great book on how to open oneself up to new experiences.

Africville

Shirley J.      Juvenile Non-Fiction        History of the Africville community in Halifax, Nova Scotia

Africville by Shauntay Grant  32 pages

A children's book on the history of the black community known as Africville located in Halifax, Nova Scotia.   Africville was a part of Halifax for 150 years, beginning in the 1800s until its demise in the 1960s.   Africville was an area of brightly painted houses, a bustling tight knit community of black residents many former slaves from the United States who had made their way north across the Canadian border in hopes of freedom and a better life.   Sadly, the black settlers were met with racism from the local white people and the Africville community grew up on the outskirts of Halifax on the south shore of the Bedford Basin.   Despite local prejudice, the Africville community thrived.   There were stores, a school, a post office and the Seaview United Baptist Church, which served as the spiritual and social center.

The city of Halifax refused to provide access to clean water, the folks in Africville had to boil their water for usage, there was no sewage nor garbage disposal either even though the whites in Halifax had these things and the residents of Africville paid the same taxes the whites did.  Africville residents were forced to rely on wells for their water.    The residents asked the City to provide these basic services on many occasions but no action to help the residents there was ever taken.  The City brought even more problems to Africville by building an infectious disease hospital there, putting a dump there and also a prison.   In a further show of disrespect for the residents the City came in and removed and relocated long time residents from their homes without any warning nor discussion.   The residents were not consulted in any way about this forced move and as a further slap they were forcibly moved in garbage trucks to new locations at which locations they were met with further hatred, racism and threats of being burned out.  Many cried to be forced from the homes they owned and had lived in all their lives.   The City had no heart for the black people.   The City said they wanted the land to build industry and infrastructure.  They came in and tore down their homes razing them to the ground.   They claimed they were raising their standards of living relocating them to better areas.   Most residents got no more than $500 for their property and those who couldn't show proof of ownership even though they had lived in their homes for generations, got nothing.  No consultation with residents, no consideration of their viewpoints.  This from the Halifax Human Rights Advisory Committee, the group charged with consulting the community.   The community was demolished in 1964.   The last home was destroyed in 1970.   Most of the residents were forced onto government assistance in social housing.    In the 1980s the Africville Genealogy Society was formed.   An apology was issued to the Africville community by the Mayor of Halifax in 2010 and after years of residents seeking recompense, a settlement was reached though some former residents still seek individual compensation for what they suffered.   The Seaview Baptist Church was rebuilt as part of the settlement and today serves as the Africville Museum.

The Farmer's Daughter Bakes

Shirley J.                   Adult Cookbook                   Lofty, Luscious Recipes

The Farmer's Daughter Bakes: Cakes, Pies, Crisps and More for Every Fruit on the Farm                          by Kelsey Siemens only read 172 pages

Luscious recipes here.   So many recipes while dessert specialties, there are some veggies mixed in with the fruits (can you say rhubarb?).    These recipes are more on the lavish end with lots of lavender, curds, creams and creme's.    So awesomely tasty sounding, though!   The photographs are gorgeous, too, and pastry shop quality.   If my fancy lattice work and other decorative feats turn out anywhere near the ballpark on these delights, I will be bragging for days!  She incorporates older recipes from her grandmother's time to now and even newbie experimental pairings of flavorings and flowers.   Having the advantage of living on a farm and enjoying the bounty of great fruits, veggies and nuts available - man -how could you not come up with loads of new confections to please your loved ones and friends with.  She incorporates chai, she poaches fruit, she adds salted carmels, you can feel the love she has for all she does because this gal puts some time into her bakery goods.   The special effort shows and gives her recipes that flare that takes a baked item from one star to five star quality.   Fancier than your normal baked goods, but, so spectacular!   I recommend this cookbook to mature teens, anyone who truly loves baking in a Julia Child sort of way, and all adults especially those who may have access to an orchard or fresh produce.   The joy here is in the vision the dish becomes as well as the taste.

Cookies

 

Shirley J.              adult recipe book                        Cookies, every kind imaginable!

Cookies by Betty Crocker only read 226 pages (the recipes I wanted most to try)

A great book on all things cookie.   So many excellent cookie recipes to choose from!  Not only that, but, tips for easier mixing and baking and how to store them for later enjoyment once they are made.   There are easy to understand and implement ideas for cookie exchanges and how to get the kids involved in making and baking cookies.  Oh my gosh, the recipes here are to die for.   Just reading them you start salivating contemplating how good they are going to smell baking and how light and melt in your mouth good they are going to taste.  Thank you Betty Crocker (all the Crockers involved in the process of this book, recipes, etc.).   Read these recipes before you go to bed and you will dream and believe you can smell the cookies baking in your oven.   Not to mention the delicate treasures they become.   And all of the recipes are so easy and the instructions are so simple to follow and no outlandish ingredients you have to track down at a specialty store.  All things easy to find in any grocery store that won't cost an arm and a leg.   Love how down to earth Betty Crocker's recipes always are.   Especially these.   I recommend these to adults and kids with adult supervision.  They are all wonderful!   This is a wish book, because you will wish you could make every recipe then wish you could eat them and they wouldn't have any calories.

Vendetta

 Shirley J.                     Adult Fiction                         Terrorism in Guyana, Putting Soldiers in Danger    

Vendetta by Iris Johansen only read 200 pages

After 200 pages, I hated the heroine of this story so much for her self-centeredness, I decided not to continue reading.    Rachel Venable's father was head of the CIA task force on terrorism and he ordered his most trusted ally, Jude Brandon,  to go in at whatever cost and rescue his daughter who was being held in prison by a super terrorist in Guyana.   A special team of twelve elite soldiers are sent in and they rescue her at great danger to themselves.   Now this haughty hag goes all super jerk and like her belligerent father she orders them to go in to even far more dangerous terrain to get a woman and her daughter out because even given the situation with all the odds against them surrounded by killers like roaches who are everywhere, this loathsome c word (I only attribute that to those who earn it) orders these soldiers not only after they have accomplished the mission of getting her despicable personage out, but, she has the brass to demand they go back in country even further to get a woman who is hiding out in a cave with her daughter which neither she nor the soldiers know WHERE in this scenario then she tells them not only rescue these other two but also go back again out of their way to drop them at what may or may not still be a location with a hospital but no that isn't all, after all that if any one is left alive she practically spits in their faces saying that after finally dropping these next two off they are to do a 360 and return to the vary gates of hell of the hold of the terrorist Max Huber who had held her in captivity for four months, to go get another guy out of there, all her agenda,  jeopardizing the lives of 12 men and their platoon leader in such a flagrant disregard for their lives and the families that are lovingly waiting at home for them praying desperately they return from the hazardous mission of retrieving her!   I was seething and slammed this story shut.   O.K. it is a fictional character but the total disregard for human life and the belittling of the great and grievous task they had just accomplished in saving her only to let them know how little their lives meant to her by forcing three more search and rescue missions they had not signed up for.    I was hoping a fictional sniper would shoot her in her fictional head to solve the problem she was for this band of brothers.   Nope, I had enough of Rachel.   No recommendation here, either.    

The Cellar

Shirley J.                            Adult Fiction                    Kidnapping, child abuse in all forms

The Cellar: A Novel by Minette Walters  256 pages

The story is dark.   Muna, an 8 year old girl is taken from an orphanage in West Africa by the Songoli family.   They move her to a home in London and force her into slavery where she sleeps in the cellar.  She is mistreated by the mother through violent beatings, the father repeatedly rapes her and both the mother and father verbally abuse her.   Their son begins following in the father's footsteps in his wretched treatment of Muna.   They treat her as an imbecile, starving her, showing only loathing for her.   She is not taught to read nor write, her only interactions are with the three monsters abusing her.  At 14 she knows the English language from t.v. and radio snippets she manages to hear when the family have them on.  She memorizes the sequences she sees the mother do on her phone when shopping via the internet, etc.   One day the son goes missing and when the police are called in, Muna is brought upstairs and explained away as their "daughter."   Strangely enough she goes along with it.   Stockholm syndrome I'm guessing, but, there is far more going on here they do not give Muna credit for.  The ending is a twisted thing and leaves the sense that the story goes cold and flat and is a very unsatisfying end to an incredibly unjust situation.  I would not recommend this story.  It is like forcing yourself to watch a movie that isn't good then finding out the ending is worse and leaves you up in the air asking yourself, Whaaaat?  Yeah, this book is like that.  No endorsement here, it is a quick read full of hard to take events and while you root for Muna to get her vengeance you see she has become what they raised her to be.  I am still pondering the end.  I can only say this book will make the reader uncomfortable from beginning to end.   The brutalities humans put other humans through is more horrific than any ghost, gobblin or long leggedy beastie could ever inflict.  No endorsement for this story here.  The author does capture a caricature of innocence which makes it all the harder to read.

Charles the Bald

Charles the Bald by Janet L Nelson, 264 pages

Charles the Bald, the youngest son of Louis the Pious and a grandson of Charlemagne, has often been regarded as the first French king, even as he has often been characterized as a weak ruler who squandered his inheritance and empowered an increasingly assertive aristocracy.  In Janet Nelson's account of his life, however, he is understood as a semi-independent ruler within the greater Carolingian empire and as a deft politician who struggled with fractious vassals and relatives at a time when the end of expansion meant that rewards and inducements had to come from within the already existing realm.

Nelson manages to make even discussions about the distribution of coins from regional mints readable, if not enjoyable.  The book is neither revolutionary nor a particularly deep exploration of the Carolingian world, but it is an intriguing look at certain aspects of that culture, from an interesting perspective.

Master of Hestviken

The Master of Hestviken by Sigrid Undset, 994 pages

By right, Olav Audunson inherits the estate of Hestviken when he is still a boy, although he is an orphan living far from the home of his ancestors.  By the time he is able to take possession of it, decades have passed and he has already experienced love, hatred, loss, exile, betrayal, and mortal sin.  His struggle with this last defines his life, a grim life full of tragedy illuminated only by intermittent flashes of grace.

The Master of Hestviken is a series made up of four novels, The Axe, The Snake Pit, In the Wilderness, and The Son Avenger, set in 13th century Norway.  Although there is a bit of action and bloodshed, and quite a bit of romance, it is fundamentally a social, familial, psychological, and theological drama.  It is slow-moving and complex, but also compelling, heartbreaking, and surprising.  

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle

The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle by Jennifer Ryan 432 pages

In today’s world, we think we know about supply shortages due to covid. However, what we are experiencing today is nothing like the Europeans experienced during World War II. Shortages are at the heart of Jennifer Ryan’s latest novel, in particular wedding dresses.

Three female protagonists help tell the story of the women on England’s Homefront as they band together to help each other through the war years. The novel is set in Aldhurst Village and London

Readers are first introduced to Grace Carlisle. Daughter of the local Vicar, Grace is a shy, quiet young girls, helping however and whenever she can. She is engaged to a vicar from another village. Throughout the novel, Grace comes to realize that she is marrying Lawrence for all the wrong reasons. With the wedding not far off, Grace tries desperately to mend her late mother’s wedding dress that has been eaten by moths and mites.

Cressida Westcott is a well-known fashion designer in London. She is a workaholic, never marrying or having children. During the Blitz, Cressida’s home and design house are victims of the Nazi planes, leaving her homeless and without a source of income. She has no choice but to go to her ancestral home in Aldhurst Village, where her only niece and nephew reside. Will they take her in? Or are they like their father, Cressida’s brother? A hate-filled old goat.

The third protagonist is Cressida’s niece, Violet Westcott. With all the men away at war, aristocrat Violet is sure she will wind up a spinster, unable to make a suitable match with a titled man. Then Violet’s conscription letter arrives. She is in despair at the boring uniform.

Cressida goes to the village sewing circle. A group of women meet every week and sew together. Grace goes for help with her mother’s dress. Cressida goes to teach the women some basic sewing skills, and Violet goes for want of anything else to do.

This circle is where the wedding dress for every bride is born. The village women donate their dresses while Cressida contacts her old clients to donate theirs, and a movement is born. The idea of a white dress for every bride is true. Be sure to read the author’s notes for the scoop on how dresses for brides grew and grew, eventually with the United States participating,

I enjoyed reading “The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle.” It interesting, but not riveting; therefore “The Wedding Dress Sewing Circle” receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

 

Last Samurai

The Last Samurai: The Life and Battles of Saigo Takamori by Mark Ravina, 214 pages

In 1877, Saigo Takamori died in battle against the army of the Emperor of Japan, an army he had once commanded and an emperor to whom he had pledged his life in service.  Even before his end, he was already popularly portrayed as a semi-divine figure transcending mere politics, and after his death he would continue to be celebrated by generations of Japanese romantics and reactionaries dissatisfied with the march of modernity.

Yet in Mark Ravina's telling Saigo had a crucial role in that march.  Not only was Saigo a key player in the overthrow of the shogunate after Progress was brought to Japan in the mouths of American cannons, he was central in the subsequent disempowerment of the daimyo, including his own liege lord, who had backed the ousting of the shogun.  Although it is impossible, at least from the material Ravina provides, to know exactly what Saigo believed would follow, it is difficult in hindsight to imagine anything other than a bourgeois democracy filling the resulting vacuum.  This is consistent with a view of Saigo's character that sees him as addicted to the grand gesture, the type of man who could sway the fortunes of a nation with a dramatic action at a pivotal moment, but who is uninterested in the minutiae of actually governing a modern state.  It is possible to judge this as foolishness or even indiscipline, or imagine it to be the disinterested pursuit of virtue and the selfless leadership of a true hero.  Whether deliberately or by accident, Ravina leaves that decision to the reader.

Dreaming Death

Shirley J.                            Adult Fiction                    Deja Vu, Ghosts, FBI Psychic Investigators

Dreaming Death by Heather Graham   (Book 32 in the Krewe of Hunters Series)   336 pages

Stacey Hanson has had very vivid dreams and nightmares ever since she can remember and often they are harbingers of something that comes to happen in real life.   She does not like her gift as often it falls into night terror territory.   They continue throughout her life and when she becomes an adult she trains to join the FBI.   Stacey's first case is that of a serial killer who is stalking Washington, D.C. in a copy cat crime spree emulating that of Jack the Ripper.   Stacey's dreams increase and the demon on a gory path to the destruction of prostitutes in varying mutilations taunts her, calling to her.   She studies the Ripper case history and knows how each of the murders will be done, but finding the killer before it happens seems nearly impossible.   The elusive murder or murderers seems more phantom than human.  And like the baffled constabulary in Jack the Ripper's time, no one can figure out if the murders are being carried out by a surgeon, a butcher or a calculated fiend of paranormal proportion.  Special Agent Keenan Wallace, whose ghostly great-grandfather aids him from time to time and case to case, is teemed up with Rookie Stacey Hanson and while he is not happy about the fact, he knows she has exhibited a special ability or she wouldn't have been selected to work with the Krewe of Hunters.   Ties from the murders lead to all sorts of suspects even upper echelon and political types.    A good who done it for fans of murder mysteries and the paranormal.   I recommend this one to high schoolers on up, kids are savvy at an early age but this one has a little gratuitous sex thrown in. 

Catwoman: Soul Stealer (DC Icon Series)

 

Shirley J.        Adult Fiction                       Costumed Cat woman, cystic fibrosis, healing waters

Catwoman: Soul Stealer by Sarah J. Maas  (DC Icons Series - 6 books)   400 pages

Selina Kyle's (Catwoman) background story is laid out and her motive for thievery of fine things shown to be more Robin Hood than robber.   I loved it that Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy appear in this story, too.  Harley Quinn has been a favorite of mine since watching the films she appeared in, Suicide Squad and Birds of Prey, her own story is a good one and of course her hyena whose name is Bruce is also a joy, but, back to Selina Kyle.  The ladies team up to take on Gotham City while Batman is out of town on a mission.   However, Luke Fox, a.k.a. Batwing, is keeping an eye on things and the reader will learn his background story, too.  Well written, well thought out plot with intriguing good and bad characters as well as those who straddle the fence.   Selina's motive is not greed she has a higher purpose and you will find out what that is here.   Even Batwing has to acknowledge that her criminal acts are not solely criminally intent.  They form a begrudging partnership founded on attraction and admiration with mutual respect thrown in.   A good book.  Middle schoolers have grown up on these characters, but, their language in this story is definitely adult with expletives thrown in.   However, I still recommend this book and series to Middle Schoolers on up.

Bewitched, Bothered and Dead

Bewitched, Bothered and Dead (Book 13 in the Rat Pack Mystery series) by Robert J. Randisi 281 pages

I was so excited when I learned a new Rat Pack Mystery was coming out. I ordered it, waited impatiently for it to arrive, devoured it, and LOVED it!

I’m gonna tell y’all upfront that if y’all haven’t read any of these mysteries and if you loved the Rat Pack, y’all will love these books as much as I do.

In this outing, it’s 1966. Things are starting to change in Sin City. Gazillionaire Howard Hughes is back in Vegas, looking to make some hefty purchases. Hughes was thwarted once before, but now he is on a mission. Of course, readers never see him; he is that elusive loner who has others do his bidding.

The Sands pit boss Eddie Gianelli, known as Eddie G. around town, was instrumental in stopping Hughes earlier and now Vegas is counting on him to stop him again. The Sands manager, Jack Entratter, assign Eddie G the job of convincing the other casinos not to sell. Hughes already has the Desert Inn in his pocket. When Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin hear of what’s happening, the fly to the Strip to help.

Eddie G. is grateful for the help, as he has another big problem. Danny Thomas has confided to him that the three people whom he had trusted to run St. Jude’s Hospital in Memphis has stolen a hefty sum of money. One of them is in Vegas. Eddie G. knows he needs help so he brings his backup in from Brooklyn, Jerry, and his good friend Danny, a local PI.

These characters have stayed with me over the years, which is highly unusual. Reading these books is like visiting old friends; I look forward to visiting with them and tagging along on each  new adventure. Sit back, relax, have a drink, and tag along for the ride. And, as Frank would say, ring-a-ding ding.

The only problem with these books is that they are over to fast, and I have to wait a year or more for the next visit. “Bewitched, Bothered and Dead” received 5 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

 

Leaving the Hermitage

Leaving the Hermitage by Rohan Koda, translated by Jiro Nagura, 195 pages

Leaving the Hermitage is a collection of poems collectively telling the story of a poet who seeks refuge in a hermitage in order to escape the distractions of the passing world and draw from the deepest part of his heart the purest poetry, but who eventually discovers that poetry fills the mundane world as well.

Koda was better known as a novelist than a poet, and Leaving the Hermitage is a kind of novel of poetry, as the poet considers his lot and encounters a series of challenges to his repose.  The quality of the poems as poems is not that high, but it is impossible for anyone who does not read Japanese to know whether this is a failing of the poet or the translator, while the narrative flow has an undeniable charm.

Birgitta of Sweden

Birgitta of Sweden: Life and Selected Revelations by St Birgitta of Sweden and others, translated by Albert Ryle Kezel, 235 pages

St Birgitta (often referred to as St Bridget but here given the more Teutonic variant in order to distinguish her from her more popular Irish namesake) was born in Sweden around 1303 and died in Rome in 1373.  Such was her reputation that she was canonized less than two decades later.  Beginning in early girlhood, she experienced a series of mystical visions of varying nature and subject matter, all drawing her into an ever more passionate love for God, a consuming flame that demanded to be spread to others. 

The core of St Birgitta's visions, as they are presented here, are of a dissolute monk (unnamed but known to the visionary) who interrogates God as to His nature and the nature of His creation.  This runs through an impressive catalogue of objections to God's existence, not only general questions about the existence of evil but also more specific inquiries into the cruelty of beasts, the economy of salvation, and the purpose of pleasure, all resolved with holy clarity and simplicity.  The collection of texts is rounded off with the rather dry Life prepared for her canonization and a selection of moving prayers to Christ and His Mother.

Hallelujah! The Welcome Table: A Lifetime of Memories With Recipes

 

Shirley J.              Adult Non-Fiction                Maya Angelou's life and Culinary Extravaganzas

Hallelujah!  The Welcome Table: A Lifetime of Memories With Recipes by Maya Angelou  240 pages

A wonderful blend of the essence that is Maya Angelou and the cookery that would put Julia Child on her toes.   From the rich stories of Maya Angelou's growing up at her grandmother's in Stamps, Arkansas to her days in St. Louis, her European tour and her 30 year teaching career at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.   She shares the joys, the celebrity and the recipes that she amazes and astounds her lucky guests with.    One of the great story tellers of this century, Maya Angelou shares openly and honestly the life she has lived and all the many paths it has taken her on.   In this book, she shares how many of those paths led to working as a creole cook when she was 17 (and had no idea what creole cooking was so she asked a friend from Louisiana who taught her what vegetables and spices to add to all of the dishes to give them creole flare so she could earn $75 a week!) to preparing many of her soul food recipes taught her by her grandmother and mother as well as the many haute cuisine recipes she picked up along the way in her many travels around the world.   Being in her company alone would have been a treasure, but, for her to cook for you?  Untold blessings!   What a great book!   I recommend this book to all who love Maya Angelou, and to all who want to know her.   I think Middle Schoolers would enjoy this on up to Senior adults.   

De-Escalate: How to Calm an Angry Person in 90 seconds or less

Shirley J.             Adult Non-Fiction                 Calming an irate person easy to follow instructions        

De-Escalate: How to Calm an Angry Person in 90 Seconds or Less by Douglas E. Noll   256 pages

The book offers many scenarios, an angry person off the street, an angry spouse, child, parent, boss, co-worker, friend, etc.  and Noll walks you through de-escalating the tension in each of these situations.   He offers various examples and offers his oft times clinical take on your response.   For the most part, the first half of this book, my gut feeling tells me if you tried to parrot back at a really ballistically volatile human the jargon Noll recommends the hostile person would likely punch you in the face and maybe not stop there because the robot-like bounce back at the attacker speak he promotes is even more infuriating in any scenario he brings up and would only fan the flames of the person's anger and frustration.   I don't agree with his opinion, however, by the second half of the book, he is being far more down to earth and truer in his repartee with the anxious, frustrated and fiery talker and the second half of the book, actually talks the person off the ledge and gives them an assurance the listener (You) is actually grasping what they are trying to get across to them and actually is listening to what the speaker is saying and either sympathizing with their plight or at least letting them get it all expressed and not being judgmental.   An irate person is not always looking for someone to solve their problem, sometimes they just need someone to listen to them vent or to be understanding of their position in whatever problem they are experiencing.   In the second half of the book Noll expresses this kind of response and offers solid realistic tactics for de-escalating a person who is one click away from triggering a reaction no one wants.   So, once you get through the stuff that you will shake your head on and say to yourself, "Oh this person is going to get hurt if they act like a wall and bounce the person's words back at them like that."  It does get better later on.  I can't even imagine why a professional would try that because this isn't the old days, folks are one step away from throwing down at any given moment (ie. road rage, etc.) but his suggested responses in the latter half of the book are more realistic and would stand a better chance of communicating that you are non-threatening, you hear what they are saying, you get what the issue is and you are here to help or listen whichever is what the person is looking to you for.   I would recommend this book because the first part will inspire you to come up with ways that would fit logically for you as a responder and not the impractical responses offered, the second half will actually offer useful information.   I would recommend this book to adults (kids would drop it like it is hot when they saw the "clinical" responses and call b.s.) particularly those with interest in psychology and social interactions.

The Legend of the Candy Cane: The Inspirational Story of Our Favorite Christmas Candy

 Shirley J.                           Juvenile Literature                  Symbolism of the Candy Cane & its colors

The Legend of the Candy Cane: The Inspirational Story of Our Favorite Christmas Candy by                Lori Walburg  32 pages

A stranger comes into a prairie town and sets up shop.   There is much speculation as to what business he will open - turns out he is a candy merchant.   A little girl named Lucy offers to help the proprietor unpack his wares and get the store cleaned and ready for business.   The store owner tells her the story of the symbolism of the candy cane.    It was designed to look like a shepherd's crook.  When turned upside down it is the letter J for Jesus.    The white color is for purity of faith and the red reminds us of the blood he shed for our sins.   A really good story that I think anyone from kids on up would enjoy.

The Legend of the Christmas Tree

 

Shirley J.                    Juvenile Literature                       The Christmas Tree and its link to God

The Legend of the Christmas Tree by Rick Osborne   32 pages

This book tells how the evergreen tree became a symbol of the Christmas season by a monk named Boniface who used the evergreen tree to show people that the tree had 3 sides but is one tree that is how God, Jesus and the Holy Spirit are 3 but all one God.   In Germany people would bring an evergreen tree inside their home during the Winter holy season then began to decorate it with berries and trinkets then later adding tiny gifts.    The custom took hold, spread, burgeoning into the celebratory symbol it is today. A good book, I recommend it to all who celebrate Christmas and all who enjoy a good story explaining how a custom came to be.

The Devil You Know

 

Shirley J.               Adult Fiction                           Internet Hookup Sites, Serial Killers

The Devil You Know by Mary Munroe  400 pages

Best friends, Joan Proctor-Riley and Lola Poole are unhappy with things a they are in their life.  Lola is single and Joan is married but her sex life is dull.  One day they decide to shake things up a bit and join an online sex club, casual no-strings encounters with other like minded partners.   The ladies find the club to be just what they are looking for, extremely hot and satisfying.   Before long the two friends are sharing their sexploits with each other and covering for each other to get out of their houses, Joan from her husband and Lola from her over bearing step-mother and step brother and sister.   Everything is going along smoothly, though one of Joan's regular also married lovers in the club desires for her to leave her husband, move to his town where he will set her up in her own home as his mistress, as he will never leave his wife but wants Joan on the side.   Lola in the meantime has fallen head over heels in love with one of her lovers, an over the road truck driver named Calvin Ramsey.   Calvin is hiding a dangerously dark side just below the surface not to mention a fiancee'.   Lola is so obsessed with Calvin she wants to marry him.   Be careful what you wish for!   A really good story of love gone wrong.   I recommend this one to adults given the subject matter and sexual content.   Well delivered story line with a pleasing twist.

Disraeli's Reminiscences

Disraeli's Reminiscences by Benjamin Disraeli, 148 pages

During the 1860s, Benjamin Disraeli, with the best part of his career still ahead of him, began jotting down notes towards a future autobiography that, as things turned out, was never actually written.  The notes survive, however, in this loosely arranged series of brief anecdotes and scraps of narrative.  

Some of the bits and pieces are amusing, and the personality of Disraeli shines through clearly.  Those hoping for insight into his life or the political and social world he inhabited are likely to be somewhat disappointed, however, especially since, as the editors take care to note, the author was hardly above embroidery and invention.

A Raisin in the Sun

 

Shirley J.                         Adult Fiction/Play                   Discrimination, determination    

A Raisin in the Sun: A Play by Lorraine Hansberry   176 pages

A raisin in the sun is the story of a black family struggling to get by, with dreams for a better life.  Held back and held down by racism, the question is which is better?  To get over on Mr. Charlie for all the wrongs done to them or to take the path of determination to make a way in spite of the hateful treatment and rise above it showing the man black people will endure no matter what.   Mama stands for right and the latter wins out in this true look at what it takes to survive the indignities of racial prejudice.   Wonderful characters and dialogue in this work of fiction that speaks the truth.    It was first performed on the stage in 1959 but is just as genuine in 2022 as it was then.  A tour de force then and now.   The title was taken from a Langston Hughes poem titled, "Harlem" which says that "a dream deferred might dry up like a raisin in the sun" this play is filled with the dreams and hopes of these characters and is a beautiful realization in the end of what you want truly can be.  Amen.  

SLPL April Totals

 

In April, three people read 27 books with three bonus points for a total of 7600 pages!

Of those, Shirley read 19 books with three bonus points.

Congrats to Shirley!!!

Hidden Bodies

 Shirley J                  Adult Fiction                       Serial Killer, Los Angeles, Psychological Drama 

Hidden Bodies by Caroline Kepnes   448 pages

Joe Goldberg is back and he has moved from New York City to Los Angeles.   He is sharing the love and the body county with the Angelinos.   Another great book from the mind of writer extraordinaire, Caroline Kepnes.   I wish there were more than 3 books in this series, it is addicting.   The writing is so good you feel you know the character and see through his eyes and understand through his thoughts why he does the things he does.    Amazing writing it truly is captivating because you won't be able to put this story down.   In this book, Joe is chasing a former love who disappeared with Joe's books, money, other things.  He is determined to track her down and kill her but life happens once Joe gets to LA LA Land.   He meets a brand new love, one like he has never met before.   The two are so of one mind, hers being VERY open that Joe has likely found his soul mate here.   Her brother is baggage Joe doesn't need but the druggie brother surprisingly can be likeable and does have his off good moments.  The girl and her family being ROCK STAR RICH doesn't hurt.   How many sins can love endure?   The answer will surprise you.   I LOVE THIS BOOK AND THIS SERIES!   Due to sexual content and depictions of killings I recommend this series to adults.   EXCELLENT READ.   If you are a fan of "Dexter," you will be over the moon for this one.

The Legend of the Pointsettia

 

Shirley J.   Juvenile Literature    The story behind the Pointsettia, its name and Christmas affiliation

The Legend of the Pointsettia by Tomie dePaola    32 pages

The story behind the Pointsettia takes place in Mexico.     When a little girl has no gift to present to the baby Jesus at Church on Christmas Eve she sees weeds growing along the road, she picks up an armload and places them at the altar saying a prayer that her gift will be accepted.  Her eyes are closed and as she hears gasps behind her she opens her eyes to see the weeds have become beautiful red star plants.   The name Pointsettia came from the surname of the man who introduced them to America.  A good telling with magnificent colorful illustrations.   I recommend this book to anyone interested in the stories behind the symbols of holidays and especially to little ones to be read to and anyone really who enjoys a good story.       

Copygirl

 

Shirley J.                               Adult Fiction                     Marketing,  Writing Ads, Glass Ceiling    

Copygirl by Anna Mitchael and Michelle Sassa   320 pages        

Copygirl is the story of females working in an ad agency where their worth is seen as somewhat less than their male coworkers.   The males in the agency tend to hang together and go out drinking with some of the bosses/owners of the company so therefore have a better rapport with the company power players.  One of the females at the firm, Peyton, is a notorious flirt and joiner and always makes it her business to go with the office mates after hours at their local hangout, "The Hole."  She is always seen posting on social media where the staff are, them doing shots, playing drinking games, pranking each other,  and what they are up to, often coming across slutty to the other females in the office.  Her sucking up to the guys has more behind it than just after work stress relief.     When Peyton is seen sitting on the lap of Ben who Kay Carlson has her eye on hatred flies and tempers in the office become taught.   Because Kay is not a joiner and seldom drops by "the Hole" with the "boys,"  bully boss, Elliott, gives her the account no one else wants.   Kay takes the assignment seriously and does her best to capture the clients' favor in spite of all the vitriol she gets from the others.   Turns out she does a great job,   now the company is vying against other ad agencies for a make or break account that would make them millions and establish them as the agency to beat.  On the other hand, losing the KOLA account would mean the agency would suffer significantly and likely have to downsize or even close.   To deal with all the stress she is under, Kay picks an old hobby back up, making wax dolls, and with today's technology she starts making video shorts of the dolls acting out various scenes in her own life at work she sends the videos to her best friend who has moved to France.   The laughs they share help Kay to destress but Kay's friend thinks the videos Kay is doing with the dolls is so funny she starts sharing them with her own friends list and before long the videos are all over Europe and Asia heading to the U.S.  People love them and they go viral.  She finally shares this with Kay who is surprised at first but then thinks how fun it is and she continues to work hard then take her dolls on location to shoot new videos.   The story develops and takes a few twists with Kay's life being fodder for her films.   It gets cutthroat at the agency with people divided into teams trying to out do the competition, and each other, to capture the KOLA account.   A good look into the creative process in marketing products and what goes on behind the scenes in corporate ad agencies.   Fun book, I would recommend this one to high schoolers on up, maybe mature middle schoolers, it is a good look into future employment ideas.  

YOU

 Shirley J.                 Adult Fiction                             Inside the head of a Serial Killer 

You: A Novel (#1 in the You series) by Caroline Kepnes  464 pages

Wow!  This book will blow you away.   You will love the main character so much, feel so much that he feels, understand his thoughts and sometimes mentally excuse his actions (it is a work of fiction after all even if some of the characters are painted to be such a-holes it is somehow satisfying when they get theirs).    Carolyn Kepnes is an outstanding author who carries you away with her words, you are so swept up you envision everything the serial killer is seeing, doing as though you were seeing through his eyes.  It is virtual reality in word form.  An amazing read.  Due to the sexual content I recommend this one only to adults but adults trust me this is a book your mind will consume like your body eats food.  You will be so immersed in this story you will be anxious to see where it goes and I wish she would write stories about this character till she draws her last breath it is addicting and you won't want to let the story go, you will want to know everything about Joe until his dying day.  I end as I began - WOW!

City Without Walls

 City Without Walls and Other Poems by WH Auden, 121 pages

     We can only

     do what it seems to us we were made for, look at

          this world with a happy eye

          but from a sober perspective.

These poems were written in the late '60s, and for Auden, himself only slightly younger than the century, things are winding down and wearing out.  If the energy remains, it is now disorganized, aimless, vulgar.  And yet he endures with humor.

     I at least can learn

     to live with obesity

     and a little fame.

Still there are moments when even irony yields.

     Like music when

     Begotten notes

     New notes beget

     Making the flowing

     Of time a growing,

     Till what it could be

     At last it is,

     Where Fate is Freedom,

     Grace and Surprise.

And the effort is always worth making, however slim the chance of success.

     To speak is human because human to listen,

     beyond hope, for an Eighth Day,

     when the creatured Image shall become the Likeness

The One and Only Wolfgang: From Pet Rescue To One Big Happy Family

 

Shirley J.    Juvenile Non-Fiction         12 Older Pets Rescued from Shelters adopted into 1 Family    

The One and Only Wolfgang: From Pet Rescue To One Big Happy Family by Steve Grieg and            Mary Rand Hess     32 pages

Excellent book about older pets who were rescued from shelters and who became one big happy family all living together enjoying their second chances at happiness.   There are 9 dogs, 1 pig, 1 rabbit and 1 chicken.   What a delightful family!    The book hopes to promote the idea of older pet adoption showing that senior pets are just as loveable and fun as their baby counterparts.   I love this book and I highly recommend it as a read-to book for pre-readers through primary grades and a pass around book for the family even a read-to for elderly seniors.  Everyone would enjoy this book, especially animal lovers.  Middle-schoolers and teens would like it too, though, honestly, and they could cover saying it is for their younger siblings or kids they babysit.  (Wink, wink.)

Whatever Happened to Margot?

 Shirley J.      Adult Non-Fiction               Margot Durrell's life after Corfu, Life as a Landlady

What Ever Happened to Margot by Margaret Durrell   259 pages

This is the story of Margo Durrell after the family left Corfu during WWII, after she grew up, travelled extensively, had two sons, got divorced then became the landlady over a boarding house.   Margo shares her adventures with the many characters who rented rooms from her over the years.   Margo is as good a writer as her younger brother, Gerald Durrell and many of the chapters here will have the reader laughing out loud just like his tales of their family's lives in Corfu did.   Margo portrays herself in real life just as Gerald did, open minded, funny, animal lover and often a little ditzy but a beautiful, kind hearted soul with a deep compassion and empathy for her fellow humans and animals.   This is a fun book.  I do so love the Durrell family and there are plenty of tales including the family as well as the wacky eccentricities of her tenants.  Lovely book.   I recommend this to anyone who is as infatuated with the Durrell family as I am and anyone looking for good laughs playing voyeur to Margot's cavalcade and oft times circus of memorable people and situations.  Never a dull moment.   Middle schoolers on up would enjoy this story I think.