The Love of My Life

 

Shirley J.            Adult Romance                                                       Cancer, Past Secrets, The One

The Love of My Life by Rosie Walsh    384 pages

Emma and Leo have a loving marriage complete with beloved daughter Ruby.   Their ideal life is briefly shadowed by Emma battling and overcoming cancer, but then a secret Emma has been keeping comes to light.    Leo is devastated, but he is not going down without a fight.    Leo is the love of Emma's life, Ruby is the love of Emma's life but she is hiding another third great love of her life and every thing will come to light possibly shattering everything good and right that Emma clings to.  Will Leo ever trust her again?  Will everything be taken from her (again)?    Really good story.  The characters are all excellently portrayed and the story is a solid one with surprising twists.  I recommend this one to mature teens on up. 

Guilty Minds (A Nick Heller Novel 33 )

 

Shirley J.                Adult Fiction                                                        Supreme Court Justice, Set-Up    

Guilty Minds (A Nick Heller Novel #3 of 4) by Joseph Finder  480 Pages

A supreme court justice is accused of having 3 tristes with a call girl at a famous hotel in the D.C. area and a lead reporter for a scandal sheet is ready to publish the story.  Asking for the justices' side of the story, the justice bargains with the reporter to get 48 hours before the story is printed.   Trying to get ahead of the story, Nick Heller, a private spy (former intelligence operative hired by lawyers, politicians and even foreign governments to get them out of jams by doing whatever it takes to get to the heart of career damaging situations) is recommended to him as the go to guy to get him out of this jam.  The  justice maintains his innocence in the situation, swears he does not know the woman and has never stayed at a hotel in town since he lives in town there is no need.    The call girl maintains he definitely hired her, the hotel records show a room was booked in his name on the dates in question but when questioned the call girl couldn't tell Nick if the judge was circumcised or not.  Was she being coy?  Was she protecting the privacy of the customer?  Or is there something more devious going on?   Really good story.   This book will stand alone although I just found out it is part of a 4 book series.   Nick Heller is an excellent character and I really enjoyed this book enough to want to read the other books in the series.  I would recommend this one to mature teens on up.

This Lullaby

 Shirley J.               Young Adult Romance                                Musicians, cynics & eternal optimists

This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen      352 pages

Remy is cynical when it comes to love.   Could be because her mother has been married four times and is now preparing for her fifth wedding.   Remy feels responsible for her Mom.   Remy and her older brother's dad was a musician.  Her parents met during the free-love hippie era and fell in love and were married in the woods by a guy who probably did not have a license to perform marriages legally.  Her mother never counted that one as a marriage just a tremendous love affair which gifted her the two children before her musician lover/husband disappeared cause he couldn't take the family life.   Before he booked, he wrote a song for Remy titled, "This Lullaby," in which he openly shares in lyrics how he knew he would never be there for Remy, he wouldn't be the one teaching her things or looking out for her and she would likely grow up not trusting him or maybe anyone to truly stay around for the long haul.   Turns out he was right.   Remy and her brother promised each other they would never marry and no one would ever mean more than a few months of fun together then done.  Love as they saw from their Mother's life was fleeting if it was even real at all and nothing lasts forever that is just a fairytale.  Remy had rules for her life: Never get serious with anyone, never let anyone break your heart - she was always the one to break relationships off and never NEVER! date a musician!  Her father was a jerk and a loser and she was never going to put up with that.   That is until she met this wild off the wall dude named, Dexter, who played in a rock band.   It is a fun story about kids growing up too fast and too disillusioned with life who can't feel love - most of the time she didn't get along with her mother although she always felt like she had to look out for her because her mother was too hippie minded to protect herself which is why she was always falling for some low life that would hurt her and leave her.  Remy was way too smart for that and way stronger than her mother would ever be.   Then came Dexter.  She still fought against allowing him to get too close but life has a funny way of creeping up on you as Alanis Morissette says.   Good book.   I recommend it to the 12 years and up crowd it is geared to but adults will like this one too.    

Shop Till You Drop: A Dead-End Job Mystery (Book #1)

 Shirley J.                    Adult Fiction Murder Mystery                Kept Women with large amounts to spend

Shop Till You Drop: A Dead-End Job Mystery (Book #1) by Elaine Viets          288 pages

Finally!  I lucked into book #1 of a series.   I really like Elaine Viets' style.  I met her several years ago at Central Library when she was in for a book reading event.  At the time she was a local news reporter doing special local stories ie. her take on them.  A fun and funny lady,  she often thanks the staff at SLPL for their invaluable help in her research for her books in the acknowledgement portion of her books.    Many of her books are set in St. Louis and all have some mention of affiliation to St. Louis.  This one is no exception.   Helen is running from a bad marriage in her hometown of St. Louis.   She walked in to find her husband in bed with their female neighbor.  There is lots of mystery surrounding what actually happened in that moment, but, Helen left a 6 figure job and went off the grid working a minimum wage job in Fort Lauderdale, Fl. for which she is paid cash.   She brought along a suitcase of case she had saved up during her marriage and does everything she can to stay out of anyone's radar.   She is desperate not to go back to St. Louis and not to let her image be seen in any way.   She is terrified of being identified and returned to St. Louis.  She finds a tiny studio apartment with a great landlady and nice if quirky neighbors.    She lands a job at "Juliana's", a high end dress shop that is only open to big spenders who dress impeccably.   The store is run by Christina for a never there owner who dictates what type of customers he wants in his store (the unbelieveably wealthy with open purses).  The clientele are all the amazingly thin and beautiful kept women of mobsters, real estate moguls and the like, who shower money with no limits on their trophy girlfriends as long as they maintain their youthful gorgeous looks and continue to put out to often homely men with big wallets.    The women think nothing of spending thousands of dollars per shopping trip and who enjoy being elitist in delighting in the fact they are allowed in the shop when so many aren't.   You have to be chic and current in your couture last year's shoes or designs won't do so don't even think it.   Funny enough, there is a lot going on behind the scenes at "Juliana's" that doesn't meet the eye.   How is Christina able to afford living in a posh super expensive condo in a bourgeois beach front area?   Was that pills that spilled on the floor from one of the select purses only Christina handles?   Then, Christina turns up dead floating in a barrel!  WTFudge?  Excellent story.  Fun characters, even the bad ones are fun to get to know.   I recommend this one to high 0schoolers on up due to adult content.

Ghost Night (The Bone Island Trilogy Book 2)

 Shirley J.                         Adult Fiction                                   Ghosts, haunted film set, South Bimini

Ghost Night by Heather Graham (The Bone Island Trilogy Book 2) by Heather Graham   400 pages

I do wish there was a way to know in the catalog when a book is part of a series and where in that series it falls.   It is off-putting to find what you think is a stand alone title is actually one of a larger story.  I always prefer to come in at the beginning, but, this book was an easy read and told you enough about the previous story that the reader can be comfortable going forward.  A documentary on a long ago pirate adventure was being shot when 2 of the cast of the documentary were brutally killed while one actress escaped.  That is where the first book ended and this second book in the series begins.   It is several years later, another documentary crew has decided to go back and document what happened with the pirates and what happened the set when the actors were murdered.  There are ghosts afoot, a mysterious dark man in the shadows (is he the murderer? ) and the remainder of the original cast and crew coming back together to help work on the remake of the original.   Sounds like all the elements of a good murder mystery.  It is.   I would recommend this book to teens on up.

Robert B. Parkers' Lullaby (Book 40 of 51 books in the Spenser series)

 

Shirley J.                Adult Fiction                  A 14 year old girl hires Spenser to find her mother's killer

Robert B. Parker's Lullaby: A Spenser Novel (#40 of 51 in the series) by Ace Atkins     400 pages

Excellent story.   I am now such a fan of the Spenser character.   I had heard of the character before but this is my first story with him as lead investigator.   When 14 year old Mattie Sullivan sees two men take her mother forcibly into a vehicle after which her mother is never seen again, she wants to find her mother's abductors/killers.   She takes a bus to Spenser's office to hire him to find them.   Spenser is taken with her tough exterior, her language that would make a sailor blush and her determination to find who really did kill her mother.  It was 4 years since her abduction.  The cops didn't do much searching, her mother's friend (with benefits) gets blamed for her murder, but, Mattie is sure he is innocent.  For the price of a dozen doughnuts (6 cinnamon and 6 chocolate glazed) and a large cup of coffee, Spenser enlists the help of his friend Hawk to help find out what happened.   Things turn out way more involved than Spenser had imagined but he is ready for anything and puts a hilarious spin on every conversation he has with everyone he meets.   So funny and such a good murder mystery.  I recommend this one to teenagers on up for the language content.   Lots of cussing here, but, funny.

The Case of the Bizarre Bouquet

 Shirley J.                Adult Fiction                        Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes' little sister Enola

The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets: An Enola Holmes Mystery by Nancy Springer   176 pages

When Sherlock Holmes' best friend and right-hand man, Dr. Watson goes missing, Sherlock is baffled but on the search for clues.  Mycroft, his older, wiser brother is enlisted but little do the brothers know there is a third searcher, their younger sister, Enola.   Of course, Enola doesn't let on she is on the case but her disguises and sleuthing rival her older brothers' skill in tracking down clues.  It is a fun story with just the right bit of whit and humor like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle brought to all his Sherlock stories.  The reader gets to experience Enola's process in figuring out the case.   I enjoyed this story immensely and will be checking for other tales starring Enola Holmes.   I recommend this one to Middle Schoolers on up.

Lover Awakened

 Shirley J.                            Adult Fiction                                                          Vampires vs. Slayers

Lover Awakened by J. R. Ward   I only read 120 pages

First let me say that I like vampire stories.   And it turns out this book is #3 of 21 books in the Black Dagger Brotherhood Series.    I wish series, and the place in the series books are were listed in the catalogue.   After forcing myself to give this book a chance, I stopped.  The book, in my personal opinion stunk.  It is not a good story, it is not well developed in its plot nor its street gang 6 vampires.   I have no desire to go back to read the first book to be introduced to the series, I found it not worth my time.  I would not recommend this book to anyone.

Two Nights

 Shirley J.                Adult Fiction                                    Ex Cop now P. I., kidnapped girl        

Two Nights: A Novel by Kathy Reichs    416 pages

Sunday "Sunnie" Night is an ex-cop.  She is tough as nails but after her last case encounter that left her shot in the eye losing her vision, she left the force but antsy to catch bad guys she went in to private investigation.   This story is a case she takes on in her new life as a P.I.   She goes under contract to a multi-rich family looking for their missing granddaughter.  The girl tied in with a less than trustworthy man who may have either spirited her away from the family, though, he is so shady, it is a mystery why he wouldn't want to bilk the family of their money or he may have been involved with a sex-slave ring and hoodwinked her into going with him and the skallywag betrayed her trust and sold her into bondage.  Lots going on and Sunnie is not one to be told how to handle her investigation even if someone is footing all the bills.  Her search for the girl takes her on a twisty trail with suspects aplenty.   Sunnie feels a kinship to the missing girl, thinking what she may be going through.  And because Sunny has experienced her own particular hell coming up, she won't stop until she finds the girl, her abductors and the reason for her capture.    A hard hitting bit of literature here.   Sunnie is likeable as is her cohorts.   Her tenacity is admirable and throughout the reader is let into the thoughts of the missing girl and what she is going through.  Good book.   I recommend this one to adults.   The story is just a bit creepy.

Space Case

 

Shirley J.                Juvenile Fiction                                                   Living on the moon, murder mystery

Space Case by Stuart Gibbs is book 1 of 3 in the Moon Base Alpha series  368 pages

This was a really good story.  It is told by 12 year old, Dashiell Gibson whose family is the first to colonize the moon.   Other families have since moved there too, all known as lunarnauts or "moonies" all living on Moon Base Alpha.   Dashiell is bored because kids aren't allowed to go out on the lunar surface so all the young lunarnauts are sort of stuck inside an increasingly shrinking space (it seems to get smaller as they grow older) with very little to keep them mentally stimulated and occupied.   As a matter of fact the only other kid his age is way into virtual reality video games which he spends most all of his waking hours on and Dashiell requires more than that to stay interested.   When the top scientist in the colony turns up dead Dashiell plays detective trying to find out who did it and why.   No one believes him and accuse him of creating a conspiracy theory as it is all conjecture on his part.   Even his parents don't seem to see the reality of what is going on.  Dashiell goes looking for clues.  Dr. Holtz death is being played off as him being a little senile and going on the lunar surface without his helmet properly fixed, but, Dr. Holtz is the one who invented the suits and knew perfectly well how they had to be worn.  Something foul is afoot and Dashiell won't rest until he solves the mysterious death.   This is a good story with fast paced witty dialogue and interesting characters.  The plot is a good one too.  Don't want to give too much away but Dr. Holtz had made an important discovery that would change everything for them first then mankind.  Whaaaaat????   Yeah, it's like that.  ; )   I would recommend this to middle schoolers on up.   

Deadly Cure

 

Shirley J.              Adult Historical Mystery                          Opioids, Brooklyn, NY, Radical medicines

Deadly Cure by Lawrence Goldstone   336 pages

While this is a fictionalized version of the truth, there are many historical figures and happenings included that perfectly round this fascinating story out.   Snake oil and over the counter access to heroin, opium, cocaine, etc. plummets 1899 Brooklyn, New York into a recurring medical nightmare when children and adults start dying from their medications.   Politically motivated real-life doctor Arnold Frias, has interests in pharmaceuticals that aren't at that time being regulated.   Medical doctors of the time were prescribing laudenum for many ailments but when people begin self-medicating or believing in quack cures that have all sorts of harmful chemical ingredients, even poisonous ingredients, people start dropping like flies.  This book explores the introduction of heroin into society by the German Bayer company, yep, later famous for Bayer aspirin which became a household name and how opioids got introduced.   This is a fascinating story.  I recommend this one to adults as I don't know if the younger set would find it as fascinating as those of us who have seen the power big Pharma has gained and historically how medical quakery and hardcore drugs have played such a big role in society.   A real pageturner here.

The Good People

 

Shirley J.                Adult Fictionalization of a true story                   Fairy Folk, Changelings, Healers

The Good People by Hannah Kent     400 pages

Based on true events, this is an excellently told story of life in a small rural community in 19th century Ireland.   The residents, while adhering to their Catholic teachings still hold to the old ways and while the parish priest preaches against belief in fairy folk and folk cures, the residents have grown up on a strong belief that if bad things are happening (crops fail, women miscarry, etc.) it is because the fairy folk are peeved and taking it out on humans and their animals (ie. the hens won't lay, the cows' milk dries up, etc.).  So like many cultures, while believing strongly in their Catholic faith, they cling to the pagan beliefs they grew up hearing about, too.   A fascinating story of poverty, famine, the belief in fairy folk and changelings (creatures identical to a human baby or child that fairy folk sometimes exchange for human babies/children) and the swift and merciless retaliation of the Catholic church in combating these beliefs.    Well told gripping story.  I recommend this one for mature middle schoolers on up.  Really good story to the very last page.      

                              

Big Little Lies

 Shirley J.              Adult Fiction                                  Privileged women, trophy wives, exes, lies!

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty  512 pages

Such a good book!   Loved the characters, loved the story.  It reminded me a lot of the writing of Sophie Kinsella.   The three main female characters are great.   Second time married Madeline is hilarious so funny, so witty and always in the midst of everything!    The beautiful fabulously rich Celeste has a rich attractive suave husband who adores their twin boys and gives Celeste anything she wants...and a whole she doesn't.  Jane had a horrible romantic encounter that has left her emotionally scarred but finds new life in a new town.   Her chance meeting with Madeline throws her into a new circle of female friends that changes everything.   This is a book you won't want to put down.  The folks here practically jump off the page they are so real.   I recommend this one to teens on up.   Well done, Liane Moriarty!

The Pearl Thief

 Shirley J.                 Adult Fiction Mystery                        Scottish Pearls, Travellers, Privilege    

The Pearl Thief (Book #4 in the Code Name Verity Series) by Elizabeth Wein   352 pages

15 year old Julia Beaufort-Stuart wakes up in the hospital with no idea how she got there nor what happened to her other than she has a pain in her head.   Was it an accident or intentional?  Who would try to hurt her and why?  Oh, you will find so many reasons when you read this book.  Set in the Highlands of Scotland, Julia's grandfather, once a hugely influential rich man had gotten ill toward his latter years and lost most of his fortune.  Julia learns a boy from the traveller's (Gypsy) camp, Euan Ewen, had come upon her and carried her to get help.  Many distrusting the traveller's as thieves accuse Euan for harming her and he later ends up coming up on charges.   There is a magical factor of the Scottish Pearls of Mary, Queen of Scots that Julia comes upon in her grandfather's things.   A quirky librarian at the oldest existing library who guards artifacts and jewelry also belonging to Mary Queen of Scots in her wee library, a tough old bird, she wields a shotgun to do so.  Julia tries to pass for 18 to her sorrow when her coy lies entice a rough fellow and she incurs the ire of the local constabulary defending the travellers.   Lots of good story here and the reader will learn a lot about Scottish pearls in the reading.  I recommend this book to middle schoolers on up.  Some good lessons to be learned for young folks.  

                            

As Good As the First Time

 Shirley J.            Adult Fiction Romance                             Family, Lost & Found Loves

As Good as the First Time: A Sugar Lake Novel by K. M. Jackson     406 pages

Olivia Gale had it all, a great man, a great job until she didn't.   All in one day her boyfriend leaves her and she loses her job.  What was she going to do?  New York was great but how would she survive now?  Then as fate would have it, her mother received a call from her Aunt who fell off her roof and broke her hip.  Her Aunt runs the family bakery, "Goode N' Sweet" and isn't able to do the baking and carrying now.  Well, fortuitous timing wins out and Olivia "Livie" goes to Sugar Creek to help her Aunt.  Her younger sister tags along to lend a hand and it is like going "home" again.   They remember the fun summers they spent in Sugar Creek and Livie remembers falling in love and going away to school only to return to the love of her life to find out he didn't wait for her as promised.  He married someone else!  Now joy of joys, who does she run into when she returns the firechief, the man she had fallen so desperately in love with all those years ago and who broke her to the bone.   She has all kinds of attitude for this dude.   I would recommend this one to middle schoolers on up.  There is a lot of good natured sisterly rivalry, a lot of teen angst carried into adulthood and good natured family teasing and support along with some fence mending.

 

The Way They Were: How Epic Battles and Bruised Egos Brought a Classic Hollywood Love Story to the Screen by Robert Hofler 304 pages

 

The 1973 movie “The Way Were” is one of the greatest movies Hollywood has ever produced. And that’s just not my opinion either. It ranks sixth on the American Film Institute’s list of 100 Years…100 Passions list. Celebrating its 50^th anniversary this year, Robert Hofler has written a behind-the-scenes tell-all about the greatest movie that was almost never made. Sort of.

It’s no secret that screenwriter Arthur Laurents wrote the role specifically for Barbra Streisand, but finding her Hubble was another story. Robert Redford did not want to play what he referred to as a “Ken” doll. Director Sydney Pollack and Laurents fought bitterly over the film as each had a different vision. 

That’s the gist of this truly awful book.  Each chapter heading pits someone against someone else, whether real of fictional.  I felt like I was just reading a bunch of facts punctuated by made up dialogue.

Fellow readers, avoid “The Way They Were: How Epic Battles and Bruised Egos Brought a Classic Hollywood Love Story to the Screen” at all costs. I want to give this book zero stars. I only give it 1 star for Amazon and Goodreads requests it.

 

The Mitford Affair

The Mitford Affair by Marie Benedict 352 pages

I have not previously read a lot about the six Mitford sisters, but I’ve known who they are. Six girls/women who grew up and in the highest of the early part of the 20^th century English society.  While each sister had her distinct personality, they were a tight-knit clan. They thought and did exactly as they pleased; rules be damn! Sometimes, it was hard to tell them apart. Especially on the first few chapters where readers are introduced t their nicknames for each other; I had a terrible time keeping them straight!

Author Marie Benedict, one of my favorites by the way, takes on three of the sisters as life in England was rapidly changing. This novel focuses on the period from 1932 to 1941.  Benedict gives us the loves and the lives of three of those sisters (Nancy, Diana and Unity). But don’t worry, the other three (Pamela, Jessica and Deborah) so show up from time to time, especially in the first few chapters.

Fans of Benedict’s know that this will be another character-driven novel, so plot seekers don’t bother.

Diana and Unity are estranged from the rest of the family due to their ties and fascination with Fascism and Nazism.  Diana has an affair with the leaders of the British Union of Fascists and ultimately leaves her husband for the man. Unity has gone to Munich to supposedly study the German language, but becomes so enamored of Adolph Hitler that she stalks him until she becomes part of his inner circle. Historians are unsure of whether she was one of his mistresses, but Benedict gives enough evidence to support that she did.

Nancy has gained fame her own way by writing novels, some of which are still in print today. I did see a collection available online that contains all eight. Nancy has the role of peacekeeper and tires to ease the stress between Diana and Unity and the rest of the family.

Besides the crisp prose, there are two things that really stood out in this novel. First, each chapter is dated and readers get to know what each of the women was up to on each date. Second, Diana and Unity’s chapters were told from a third person point of view while Nancy’s was in first person. I found this jarring as I read. Still “The Mitford Affair,” receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

A Noble Cunning : The Countess and the Tower

A Noble Cunning: The Countess and the Tower by Patricia Bernstein 266 pages

“Based on a true story of Winifred Maxwell, a Catholic in Anti-Catholic England.”

As the novel opens, Bethan Glentaggart, Countess of Clarencefield, is pulled from her bed by loud banging on the front door.  A group of men barge in, accusing her of hiding a Catholic priest in her home. The men search high and low yet cannot find their quarry. I found myself holding my breath as the men tracked in mud and snow, peering into private places and generally making a mess of things. Luckily Bethan’s husband, Gavin, was not at home and unluckily her children and servants were home in their beds.  I really liked that Bernstein dropped the reader into the middle of the action.

In the following chapters, readers learn that is 1710 in Scotland. The Catholic religion has been banned, yet those who were practicing their religion continued to do so, hiding chapels in their homes and attending masses often held in unusual places.

I was really confused as Bernstein explained who was king, who should have been king, and what was happening and who sided with who. It made my head spin, and I wanted to give up, but I trudged ahead. I’m glad I did.

Gavin gathered the men of the region to go a Crusade-like mission to restore the rightful king. Unfortunately, the king’s men were better equipped and outnumbered Gavin’s throng. If the rebels weren’t killed in battle, they were taken to the London Tower.

Jails weren’t like they are today. The men had to purchase their meals, water, blankets, and everything they needed. If a prisoner had no money, they often died of malnutrition or lack of sanitary conditions. An eye-opening experience for this reader.

The last third of the book was Bethan’s determination to get the monies Gavin needed to purchase fresh foods.

As I watched Bethan take charge, I admired her strength and determination. Many times, I found myself holding my breath, worried that Bethan would not be able to succeed in her mission.

My suggestion to anyone who plans (and you should) read this, study Appendix B first. It’s a Chart of Stuarts and Possible Heirs to the Throne of Great Britain. If I had found that sooner, I probably wouldn’t not have struggled so much early in the story.

I enjoyed reading “A Noble Cunning: The Countess and the Tower,” even though this is not preferred time period or setting. I loved the history and the escapades that the characters found themselves embroiled in. “A Noble Cunning: The Countess and the Tower,” receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

 

Spirit of the Season

 

Shirley J.                  Adult Fiction/Holiday Romance                    Christmas Season, Small Town, N.C.

Spirit of the Season by Fern Michaels   288 pages

When Joy Preston's grandmother passes, her will states that Joy is to inherit Nana's bed and breakfast known as Heart and Soul.  A quaint little inn nestled in a small town in North Carolina, that comes to bustling life every holiday season especially Thanksgiving and Christmas when the town comes together to compete in who can make the best (according to the judges) gingerbread sculpture, the theme changes from year to year, and who can put up the best Christmas display, etc.   Each B&B in town tries to outdo the other from their in-house offerings, to glorious over the top meals, etc.   It is great fun but also loads of work and stress not to mention how ticky some of the elder ladies get in getting down to the nitty gritty and trying to disparage their competitors!   The up and down side of small town life.   Joy grew up here, but while on a trip with her highschool class to Colorado, she fell in love with that state, it's mountains, skiing, beauty so when it came time for college, though her grandmother did her best to get her to stay home and attend college in North Carolina, Joy had her heart set on the University of Colorado and couldn't wait to get back there.  Now with her father's passing at 47 and Nana's passing, Joy can't understand why Nana would give the successful B&B to her and not her mother.   Of course after her father passed her mother started going on round the world cruises (20 so far) and didn't stay home with her mother to help tend the B&B, though, she loved it and enjoyed all the work it took to keep it working wonderfully.   Nana also put in her will that Joy has to come back and live in the town for 6 months and run the B&B.   Joy is beside herself.   She is a very successful CEO of her own company, she loves her life with her friends in Colorado.   Why would Nana do this to her?   Was she senile?   Maybe she can figure this out with the local lawyer handling Nana's will, the hot, sexy lawyer with the voice that makes her want to melt...It is a good story, very visual as Fern Michaels paints word pictures for her readers.   I didn't care for her main character, Joy Preston, but I guess her angst was all about having to pull up stakes from the place she thought she was happiest in.  Still she can get a little annoying.  I recommend this story to anyone, any age that enjoys holiday stories and especially holiday romance stories.   If this isn't a Hallmark movie already, it could be.

The 39 Clues: Book One of the Maze of Bones Series

 

Shirley J.                Juvenile Fiction                    Powerful Families, Mysteries, Inheritance

The 39 Clues: Book One of the Maze of Bones Series by Rick Riordan   220 pages   

This is an excellent story.   When Grace Cahill, matriarch of the most powerful family in the world with ties to just about every larger than figure in history, realizes her end is near, her mind races over the things she has yet to share with her grandchildren.   She changes her will at the last minute to offer a million dollars for family members to accept as their inheritance and walk away or they can search for 39 clues that are hidden throughout the world that if all are found the family's secret will be revealed.  Up to now no one has been able to discover them all, but, with Grace's demise, the race is on between all the heirs.  So many family groups, some not so nice, go on this world-wide scavenger hunt to find the answers to all of their questions.   This is a REALLY good book, I just have to grit my teeth that the story is spread out through 13 books to find out the family secrets and untold wealth.    I highly recommend this story, while geared to the younger set, this story holds its own for any age group and I think adults will find it just as engaging as kids do.   There are also three different authors who will participate in the telling over the course of the series.

Ghosted

 

Shirley J.               Adult Fiction Romance                      Love, Horrible Accidents, Love Lost & Found

Ghosted: A Novel by Rosie Walsh   352 pages

Sarah and Eddie meet, hookup and spend 7 days of utter bliss.  They fall madly in love and it is the best of all worlds, this is the one each has been waiting for, this is forever and ever until it isn't.   Eddie goes away on a previously planned trip promising to be in touch then disappears.  Sarah can't figure out what happened.  No word, no call, no text.   It is like Eddie just disappeared off the face of the earth.   Perhaps a dire, terrible truth one that is so awful it goes above and beyond but fate brought them together didn't it?   So why after this wonderful, beautiful, magnificent all encompassing perfect love they have found must it all shatter to the ground?   Try as she might Sarah cannot find out what happened to Eddie, nor where he is, though she does her best to contact his friends both sides of the pond.   Sarah is estranged from her family due to an accident when her sister and her sister's best friend were 12.  It was so terrible, Sarah even moved to the States for a time supplanting her former family with a family of caring new friends.  Life has been a jumble for her and now with Eddie things were at last looking right until they weren't.   Still what they had haunts her thoughts daily and she can't let go despite her friends urging her to move on.   A good story, I recommend this one to middle-schoolers on up.

Peter Pan Must Die

 

Shirley J.               Adult Fiction Murder Mystery                    Assassins, Political Figures, Murder

Peter Pan Must Die by John Verdon   448 pages

A prominent politician is assassinated while giving the eulogy at his own mother's funeral.  Whoa!  His wife is accused of committing the murder or if not that actual doing, she hired someone to do it.   Ex-NYPD to homicide cop, Dave Gurnery is brought in to investigate.  He turns up mob affiliations, a potential hit-man so short he could be a jockey, often mistaken for a woman and even a child due to his slight build, who is known as Peter Pan.   There are Greeks involved it is a hodge-podge of innocence, highly flawed police investigations and less than lily white investigators.  Gurney's path is filled with femme fatales, local constabulary who let him know up front he is no longer a cop and has no jurisdiction in the case nor the investigation and needs to BACK OFF!   A good story with lots of twists.   My complaint is that Verdon often tends to go too repetitively over some details and some diaglogue to the point you feel he is beating the proverbial dead dog to death.  Once the point is made it is only annoying to keep going over and over it.  Dialogue too at times is continued over and over like 2 children saying the same thing over and over in the backseat of the car on a roadtrip.   I have to think he is certainly paid by the word in these cases.  This book ended badly for me, too.   The story was pretty good except for the repetition and the outcome, but, would I recommend it?  There is the conundrom.   I am going to have to say no on this one.  It could be o.k. but the too wordy parts and the ending leaves me less than a fan of this title, though, I liked the main character.

 

January 2023 Team Totals

 This month three people read 27 books with a total of 9,334 pages.  Shirley read the most books with 17 books and 5,436 pages.  Congratulations to everyone and thanks for reviewing books!

Dragon Pearl

 

Shirley J.                  Juvenile Fiction                                                Shapeshifters, Fox Spirits

Dragon Pearl:A Thousand Worlds Novel, Book 1) by Yoon Ha Lee          only read 160 pages

This book had a number of things that sounded really good shapeshifters, fox spirits, ghosts but try as I might, I couldn't stay interested as it was presented.   The main character, Min, a 13 year old Fox Spirit from a family and long line of fox spirits.   She and her family were shapeshifters which could have been so interesting and offered  limitless possibilities but Min had a personality and actions that I could not get interested in.   She kept making me mad by deliberately choosing to do the opposite of what her mother asked, and seemed intent on sabatoging the family which I know was not supposed to be the book's intent but that is the impression I came away with.   She seemed very disrespectful and thinking only about herself even her desire to find her brother came back to being about her getting to take on the adventure he had left for until circumstances changed.   I finally decided to put the book down though I had such hopes for the shapeshifterness of it.    I read half of the book before with disappointment I went no further.   I cannot in all fairness recommend this book though perhaps there is an audience for it.

This Is Your Mind On Plants

 Shirley J.    Adult Non-Fiction             How plants enhance life through sustenance, stimulants, pain relief        

This Is Your Mind On Plants by Michael Pollan   288 pages  

Michael Pollan explores how life enhances when you add plants.  Plants are wonderful sustenance in the forms of fruit, vegetables, herbs, spices, then moving further to coffee, tea with their stimulating caffeine boosts to help focus our minds and make us alert.   He also discusses the poppie plant whose seed head can also be used in tea form.   However, one is legal and one is not, much like tobacco which can be smoked and marijuana which is becoming legalized in more states in the U.S. but still an issue in some and regulated in others.   Pollan discusses at length the positive attributes of opium and mescaline and their uses in rituals for their consciousness shifting abilities.  He shares a lot on peyote and ayahuasca the latter only legal when used in Native American religious ceremonies and ayahuasca used in South American religious shamanic spiritual rituals and medicine.   Lots of information and all presented so entertaingly by Michael Pollan who has the unique ability to present lots of concepts in a completely down to earth enlightening way.   I recommend this one to adults as he goes into not just the biology of plants but also the  husbandry and the outcomes.    A good book he shares his own experiences as a gardener and experimenter.

I'm Glad My Mom Died

 Shirley J.                  Adult Biography                              Stage Mother, Abuse, Anorexia, Bulimia, etc.    

I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy   320 pages    

Wow!  Jeanette McCurdy, former child star on Nickolodean in ICarly and Sam & Cat endured far more than the public had any idea.   Growing up a Mormon, she and her brothers were home schooled.  Her mother's dream for herself was to become a star (celebrity), so since she was unable to realize that in her own life she determined to live vicariously through her daughter who she would push to become a star.   At 6 years old her mother took her to her first audition.   Jennette loved her mother and tried her best to please her dutifully going to audition after audition though she personally had no interest in doing t.v., movies, commercials, none of that, she just wanted to make her mother happy.  At 11 her mother starts forcing her to diet by telling her how fat she is getting, etc.   Her mother pressed her so hard, Jennette became the sole source of income eventually for the family.   Her mother had weird ideas on showering Jennette (up until the age of 16), giving her female examinations herself though she had no medical background, she raged at her for not being selected for roles, she hounded her to learn the lines and perform them as she thought she should.   She demanded Jennette be able to cry on cue to the point she became dehydrated from being asked to do so often on sets,  she suffered from anorexia, later bulimia.   She even became an alcoholic from trying to deal with all the pressure and turmoil.   There is so much to be found in this book, and while the title may grab readers judge not until you have read the book to find out the emotion behind the title.   It was a good book, an eye-opener fly on the wall view of a child star through a young adult being so forcefully driven by the mad whims of a wanna be actress who made her daughter make her dreams come true.   I recommend this book to middle schoolers on up as a cautionary tale.   

Normal Family: On Truth, Love, and How I Met My 35 Siblings

 Shirley J.                  Adult Non-Fiction                              Artificial Insemination, Ancestry.Com

Normal Family:On Truth, Love and How I Met My 35 Siblings by Chrysta Bilton     288 pages    

The Brady Bunch they are not.   Chrysta Bilton, her mother and her sister made a startling discovery after having submitted a saliva sample to Ancestry.Com, Chrysta started getting lots of hits from people saying according to their DNA it shows they are related.   Times that by 35 and counting!  What Chrysta's mother hadn't told her and her sister was that her father was not in a loving relationship with their Mother, he had actually just happened to be in the same hair salon at the same time as her mother, a gay woman in the 1980s decided to approach the man who would become Chrysta's father with a proposition.   He was so gorgeous she thought he would make a beautiful baby and Chrysta's Mom so wanted a baby.   They worked it out, she paid him not to have sex with her but to give her a sperm sample in a turkey baster so she and her partner could artificially inseminate her to become pregnant.   Over the years she did this twice with the same guy so her daughters would have the same parents.  In order to get Dad to come by and spend a little time with the kiddies, Chrysta's mother would pay him, he never appeared unless he was paid of course the little girls didn't know this.   It is an interesting tale of opulence and loss, addiction, AA, love and family in all sorts of circumstances and situations, recovery and forgiveness.   It is a good story better because it is true for all those involved.  I recommend this one to adults on up, the subject matter is best digested after overcoming some of life's ups and downs to give a little clarity to some of the crazy situations life deals them.

The Totally Unscientific Study of the Search for Human Happiness

 Shirley J.   Adult Comedy    Paula Poundstone's Experiments/Research/Findings on what makes her happy

The Totally Unscientific Study of the Search for Human Happiness by Paula Poundstone  320 pages

I always knew Paul Poundstone was funny but I had no idea how truly brilliant she is until having read this book.   She tells hilarious story after hilarious story and after each she gives her quantitative theorems on her hap (happy) level from each experience and the summation of her findings.   The further I went the more I liked this book and the more I liked Paula Poundstone.  Whether talking about her three kids, her 16 cats and other animals in their family menagerie, the Lamborghini she rented for a day, her stint on "Wait, wait...Don't tell me!, her stand up gigs every weekend, her bone to pick with the school system or political system in America, the lack of accountability she finds irritating, she will amuse sometimes mystify but always assail the reader with hilarious commentary and she strives to find happiness through self reflection and experiments.   She presents her data as easily as Sheldon Cooper spouting string theory and she does it with such a wonderful grasp of humor and how to deliver it with aplomb!   Whether she is taking her daughter who has cerebral palsy on a 4 day hike through southwest terrain, she is learning to swing dance much like women who clean their house before letting in a house cleaning service she surreptitiously takes private lessons on the side while joining a beginner's class so she will look smart and capable, or the home organizer she hires only to feel as though the woman is trying to tear memories from her when she wants her to throw away the several pairs of jeans she hopes to fit into again one day, Paula Poundstone is an incredibly busy amazing person (just the constant cleaning up after her cats is more than most folks could accomplish in a week, geez!).   A fun read that will keep you laughing out loud and that in itself is happiness as is this book.  Well done, Paula Sugar Push Poundstone (see the part on Swing Dancing).  A joy for all ages middle school through seniors - so funny!  

Miss Julia Strikes Back: A Novel (#8 in the Miss Julia series of 22 books)

 Shirley J.                   Adult Fiction                                  Southern Belles, Southern Belle mentality

Miss Julia Strikes Back: A Novel (#8 in the Miss Julia series of 22 Books) by Ann B. Ross  339 pages

I was lucky enough to stumble upon this title while looking up books about Julia Child and I am so happy I did.  This lady, Miss Julia is a true born and bred southern belle to the hilt.    Anything not up to her standards is an outright offense and never breach manners, politeness or respect in her presence the outrage will fly at you like a tigress in the form of demure Miss Julia.  This book was a hoot!  I laughed so much throughout.   Miss Julia takes no names but she does go after anyone wronging her for sure and she drags an entourage along for the ride/adventure.  It is so hilarious the pickles she get into and having no patience for who she deems a fool at any time, this little genteel lady/wildcat goes after whatever she has a mind too consequences be darned!  A Lady would never outright cuss, afterall, but, she takes no guff off of anyone believe me.  She is so funny, so disarming but always the epitome of a true southern lady.   The things she gets into and she has no patience when it comes to something she wants or wants done and she feels wronged by the slothfulness or slowness of those she sought to help.   Forget it she will do it herself with a few selected others in tow.   I enjoyed it so much now that I know there are more Miss Julia stories out there I look forward to the next.

Julia Child the Last Interview and Other Conversations (The Last Interview Series - 41 books)

Shirley J.               Adult Non-Fiction                                Julia Child, her personality in interviews 

Julia Child the Last Interview and Other Conversations (The Last Interview Series - 41 books)                by Julia Child    160 pages

Julia Child's sense of humor is often at play in these conversations and interviews.   Always beguiling and jovial, always owning up to her own mishaps then cleverly elaborating on how she fixed them, always a joy, always going the extra mile to make things as easy for others as possible.  She is a joy to learn about on paper.   Makes me wish I had paid more attention to her when she was still alive.   She was an avid letter writer, typist and loyal friend to all lucky enough to know her.   How great it must have been to be considered a friend of hers.  Her lush life in France, the way its people and the country took to her and she to them as if coming home to where she was meant to be.  Learning the language, the ways and then the recipes and skillset of the French, Julia immersed herself in the culture as though she had met her soul's desire there.  Her husband Paul felt the same so they were soulmates in the place where both their souls loved to be.  So many adventures it is as though the woman lived several lives within one.   I enjoy learning all I can about how adversity inspires ingenuity and humor overcomes where skill later follows.  She seems like a ball of fun.   I recommend this book to adults as some of the beginning can be a little dry until the book gets going.

The Woman in the Window

 Shirley J.                  Adult Mystery Thriller                    Agoraphobia, murder, Voyeur

The Woman in the Window by A. J. Finn     512 pages

Excellent mystery thriller in the genre of Alfred Hitchcock's works.   Rear Window on steroids!  Agoraphobic Anna Fox is so consumed by fear that she cannot leave her apartment even to step outside her door.  She lives vicariously through the views she sees through her window.  Some would say she spied on her neighbors, she was looking out her window, the neighbors happened to be just across the way in a high rise what was she to do?   And especially when she saw something amusing or wait was that a murder she just witnessed???   The police didn't believe her when she called because she tended to call OFTEN and whatever she called about never turned out to be anything of concern as far as the officers could tell.   Anna was once a successful therapist and had not lost her skills at analyzing others, she just couldn't leave home to go to her office any longer.   She became very fond of drink and along with her medication, well it tended to make a cocktail that could bring on hallucinations once in a while, but, this time she is stone sober and knows what she saw.   The story is like a work of fine violin music as the story scampers lightly along introducing characters and events some startling some not as, but, oh there is so much more to this story that continues all the way to the end.  A real grabber, you won't want to stop you finish it.   I highly recommend this to mystery fans, pychological story fans, Hitchcock devotees and anyone looking for a good story to get them through the night.  I recommend this one to high schoolers on up.

Who Was Julia Child?

 Shirley J.              Juvenile Non-Fiction                           Julia Child, Her life and her cookery

Who Was Julia Child? (Part of the Who Was? series of 213 books) by Geoff Edgers

I am such a fan of Julia Child.  The more I learn about her life, the more I want to know.  This book geared to 8-12 year olds is exceptionally well done.  Geoff Edgers did his research on her and presents it in such a delightful way.  Each book I have read on her presents new information and this little gem delivers.  So much good information and background showing you how Julia went from a child in a well to do family in California to the world famous author of several cook books particularly her most famous, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking," international t.v. star of her own shows and documentaries as well as world traveler, fluent multi-linguist and graduate of the Cordon Bleu in France.   Just a delight.  I recommend this book to the 8-12 set on up it is a delightful introduction to the energetic force that was Julia Child.

Mr. Perfect on Paper: A Novel

 Shirley J.                 Adult Fiction                                        Jewish Matchmakers, Jewish Life & Dating

Mr. Perfect on Paper: A Novel by Jean Meltzer    416 pages    

This book is a real charmer.   It gives you so much great information about Jewish life and teaches you so much about the Jewish faith you will be in awe.   There is also a little Yiddish thrown in.   The story revolves around a third generation Jewish Matchmaker and her Bubbe (Grandmother).   Seems granddaughter, Dara Rabinowitz, can find the perfect match for others, but, not herself.   Through lots of great storyline it eventually comes down to Dara and her Grandmother going on national television on a Today Show type format and to boost their ratings they have Dara come on the show and go on dates with eligible Jewish suitors to find her Hebrew Prince Charming.   Her dates turn out to be hilarious like mini sitcoms with one ordeal after another, one embarrassing occurrence after another the t.v. show is killing in the ratings war while Dara experiences one humiliating event after another.  Then she meets the Jewish doctor who checks every box on her husband list...except....well I will let you read the book to find out but this is a really fun read.   I recommend this one to Middle Schooler on up to seniors.   You will laugh, you will learn, you will want to yell MOZEL TOV!  and you will enjoy this read. 

Break the Bodies, Haunt the Bones

Shirley J.                     Adult Fiction                      Ghosts, Mechanical Wizardry, a dying town

Break the Bodies, Haunt the Bones by Micah Dean Hicks     304 pages        

A very deep and often tragically sad story about a dying town whose one factory is about to go.   Ghosts of former residents haunt the place to out numbering the human inhabitants left.   So many ghosts they not only haunt people but also things.  One such ghost who was good in life at tinkering with mechanical things possesses a young boy creating amazing contraptions with his human hands accrediting the boy who was highly intelligent and insightful already with skills way beyond his own capability and understanding.   The boy/ghost creates a robot that helps around the house, fixes the decrepit car his mother and sister drive, then a sinister twist occurs when in trying to save the town and the factory he creates something then somethings of Orwellian lore.  The town becomes divided in their prejudice against this new invention, the boy's mother kicks their father out of the house and he becomes the creepy weird guy lurking around with crazy eyes in the night, his sister tries to find a connection with a fellow like minded guy only to find her world in more turmoil than ever.   It is a bizarre but really excellent story you will want to read cover to cover.   It is sad and spooky so I recommend this one to mature teens on up it might be a little hard to take for the younger set.

The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates by Wes Moore

Shirley J.                                 Adult Non-Fiction                        Two People, Same Name, Same Town

The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates by Wes Moore         256 pages  

This is the true story of two men both born in the same town, having the same name but two opposite futures.    Wes Moore, who is writing the details of these two lives is a Rhodes Scholar, he is a decorated combat veteran, a White House Fellow, a business leader, author and speaker.   The newspaper that ran a story of praise for this Wes Moore for his accomplishments also ran the story of another Wes Moore who the police were looking for in connection with two other young men in a botched robbery and killing of a policeman.   When Wes the Rhodes Scholar read the article it unsettled him.   He was disturbed by the fact that the article could have been about him and how if fate had played a different hand the other Wes Moore could be receiving accolades instead of police searching for him and his brother.  Wes stayed with the story of the youngman who shared his name and followed it through the other Wes' capture, trial, conviction and sentence life in prison without the possibility of parole.    The story haunted him until he finally wrote to Wes Moore in prison.  He was so moved by the story he had to find out who this man was and what led to his being in prison.   How could their two fates be so different when they started out in the same place?   What led to that killing moment in Wes Moore's life.   Through letters and prison visits the two Wes Moores got to know each other and find out how similar their circumstances had been, hanging out on the same corners with the same types of friends, growing up fatherless, both had difficult childhoods and run ins with the police.   What led to such vastly different lives?   Their choices is what accounted for the vastly different destinies.   Wes Moore wanted the world to know the other Wes Moore's story and so he has told it here.  A heart wrenching telling of how fate can deal such unimaginable outcomes from similar beginnings.   I recommend this to middle schoolers on up.   Reality based it shows how hard it is growing up for young black men.  The two Wes Moores remain in contact in what is now a decades long alliance.                 

    

                                      

 

The Marsh King's Daughter

Shirley J.                                     Adult Fiction                    Abduction, Seclusion, Michigan's U.P.

The  Marsh King's Daughter by Karen Dionne      352 pages

Wow!  This was a GOOD book.   A thriller all the way.   It is the story of a girl who was abducted by a man who kept her trapped in a secluded marshland in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.   The story is like something out of the headlines or newscast.  He enticed the youngster to help him find his missing dog until he brutally overpowered her then took her to his cabin in the marsh where he repeatedly raped her and kept her in chains.   She eventually becomes pregnant and makes her give birth without any aid other than the occasional  glass of water he brings her.   When the child is coming breach he having no medical knowledge warns her it is going to hurt more than the contractions and proceeds to reach inside her to pull the baby out.   In so doing he damages her body to the point she will never bear any more children.   The story continues for the next 12 years describing their life and the child Helena.   Not knowing the back story Helena adores her father who often beats her mother and sometimes hurts Helena making the girl believe they deserved it.   The story keeps the reader's imagination captured all the way to the end.  It is a nail biter for sure.   I recommend this to mature teens on up because some of the content might be nightmarish to younger.   

Jack Rabbit Smile

 Shirley J.                   Adult Fiction                                                    Best friends, private detectives

Jack Rabbit Smile (Book 11 in the Hap and Leonard novels series) by Joe R. Lansdale     272 pages

I love these guys!   What a hilarious at times, in your face at times story!  Hap and Leonard are private investigators who work with the law and often just outside the law but they always seem to be able to get the job done which is not to say somebody isn't in for an a** whippin' or killed depending on how serious the bad guys make the stakes.   The camaraderie and banter between these two best friends and co-workers will crack you up!   It is like hanging out with a bunch of guys talking "stuff" all the time.  They are hilarious and believe me they could make a sailor blush but they are so funny.   The kind of say anything at any time any where repartee of two long time friends who know each other so well.   They are hired by a Pentecostal mother and her racist son to find the daughter/sister of the two.   It is a wild ride with far more people, places and shoot 'em ups than you would think would be involved in a search for a missing person.   Great story, great characters, great fun.   This book stands alone but now that I know it is 11th in a series of 12 books I am going to go back and read them all.  I love these guys.  Hap considers himself a white trash rebel and Leonard is ready to fight at the drop of an inuendo!  He is a black gay Vietnam Vet and his lover is Pooky a lawenforcement officer who is also a riot.   Oh yeah and Hap's new bride and their boss is Brett and she too is a pistol.   Great book.   I think teenagers on up will get a kick out of it but I warn you there is a lot of cussing going on.                

My Life in France

 

Shirley J.              Adult Biography                                                        The autobiography of Julia Child    

My Life in France by Julia Child & Alex Prud'homme       368 pages

While the book is written by Julia Child's nephew Alex Prud'home, it is dictation from the lady herself along with journals, diaries, letters and a little input from friends and family.   A wonderful book I hated to see come to an end.   Julia's recollections in her own joie de vivre words, the excitement she brings to everything and how her love of people and her desire to learn is inspirational.   Her devotion to her beloved husband, Paul Childs, her honest open conversations about her father and his political opinions that they bucked heads over till his passing, yet, her joyful young girlish jest for life are a treasure to behold.   I am so glad her nephew captured these delightful memories of her happiest years living in France and her history of where she began where life took her and even to her leaving this plane to the end the final meal she made herself two days before she died was French Onion soup.   She led such a remarkable fun life and in this sharing you will learn more about the real Julia who loved to party, cook, decorate, meet people, learn languages and cultures and more.    She seemed at home wherever she went except that brief layover in a small town in Germany but hey bitter with the sweet and this book is endearingly sweet.   I recommend it to every Julia Child fan.  I'm not sure teenagers would enjoy it as much as adults, especially adults who have experienced her cookery on t.v., her witty interviews and the wonderful books written by and about her.