The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton     521 pages

At a gala party thrown by her parents, Evelyn Hardcastle will be killed--again. She's been murdered hundreds of times, and each day, Aiden Bishop is too late to save her. Doomed to repeat the same day over and over, Aiden's only escape is to solve Evelyn Hardcastle's murder and conquer the shadows of an enemy he struggles to even comprehend--but nothing and no one are quite what they seem.

This book was amazing. I was immediately hooked, the writing was so brilliant. I didn't want the book to end, and at the same time I wanted to get to the end so I could solve the mystery. It was everything I wanted it to be and I am so, so glad this book exists. I'll definitely be reading it, recommending it to all my friends and anyone I meet because IT. IS. A-MAZING.

If you love mystery/thrillers - this is for you. If you love Agatha Christie - this book is for you. If you love puzzles, twists, or being kept on your toes - this book is for you. If you like time travel or "Groundhog Day"-esq tropes - THIS BOOK IS FOR YOU!

Lies You Never Told Me

Lies You Never Told Me by Jennifer Donaldson 336 pages

This young adult novel has an interesting cover; What I think should be the front is really the back, and what I would construe a back cover copy, is on the front.  The copy on back is interesting, but turns confusing after reading the book.

There are two main protagonists: Gabe and Elyse, along with two antagonists, Catherine and Sasha. Their stories are told in alternating chapters, which helps keep the tales separate and easy to follow.

The book’s first chapter is terrifying; I’ve never been so glad to be a child of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s. Gabe is over at his girlfriend, Sasha’s, house. Her parents are out of town and the teens are having a warm evening swim. When the parents call, Sasha lies that Gabe has come over. But thanks to technology, they are able to see what is happening, thanks to a surveillance camera.

While Gave and Sasha are in Portland, Oregon, halfway across the country in Austin, Texas, Elyse is trying out for her high school play. She doesn’t expect to land the lead, but when she does, she realizes she has a lot to lose…and gain.

When Gabe is leaving Sasha’s on the above-mentioned evening, he is struck by a car while he is skateboarding down the street. Lucky for him, a good samaritan stops and calls 911. When he discovers who saved his life, he tried to break-up with Sasha, but Sasha has other plans, including technology to scare him and breaking into his home while he is sleeping.

Elyse is also treading on dangerous grounds, but she just wants to be seen. Her drug-addict mother is barely in the picture. Elyse has been supporting herself for years, doing whatever it took to keep Social Services at bay. But now she has captured a man’s attention.

The story is tense, and the how easy it is to use today’s technology to manipulate people is terrifying. As the novel hurtled toward its climax, it got confusing. I wish I could chat with ya’ll about the ending, but no spoilers here. As I reached the last quarter of the book, I was planning to give it 4 stars, However the confusing ending, forces me to give Lies You Never Told Me receives 3 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe

The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis              Hardcover: 189 pgs.             

Imagine being transported to another world when you open the door of a wardrobe!  That’s what happens to four English children in this classic juvenile fairy tale, set during World War II.

The title summarizes the book well.  The lion, Aslan, is the Christ-figure of the book.  It is he who saves Narnia, long oppressed by the witch.  He even rescues a traitor, one of the children from our world, though, as with Christ, it costs him his life.  It is by Aslan’s power that the children become kings and queens over Narnia.  The witch is the villain of the story, a cruel tyrant who has made Narnia into a kind of frozen wasteland— a place where it is always winter, but never Christmas.  The wardrobe is the means by which the children in the story get into Narnia from our world.  Narnia, after all, is in a different world and can only be found by entering the armoire (when the magic works, that is).  Though they’re not mentioned in the title, the children— Peter, Edmond, Susan and Lucy— are also important to the story.  Even Santa Claus (or Father Christmas, as he is known in the book) makes an appearance.

George Bernard Shaw comically observed that the British and Americans are separated by their common language.  Lewis was an Englishman, so Americans may find certain words and phrases of the “queen’s English” Lewis uses puzzling.  Those unfamiliar with mythology may have a harder time understanding Lewis’s description of such creatures as centaurs, fauns and satyrs.  Other than these difficulties, it reads easily, as one would expect from a juvenile book, and is a truly wonderful and meaningful story.  The sense of adventure and parallel to the Christian gospel make it one of my favorite books.  As a Christian, I find that it fleshes out, through the character of Aslan, the wisdom, mercy, majesty and greatness of God.  But, as I wrote when reviewing The Magician’s Nephew, you don’t have to be a Christian to appreciate this very well-written adventure story.  Thus, whatever your religion (or age), I highly recommend it!

The Magician’s Nephew

The Magician’s Nephew by C. S. Lewis           Hardcover: 202 pgs.             

     I opted for some light reading over the holiday weekend, so I read a few books from The Chronicles of Narnia series by C. S. Lewis.  The series may be classified as juvenile fiction, but it has much to teach adults, as well.  The Magician’s Nephew is the first book, chronologically, in the series, but it was actually the sixth book published (older editions list the books in the series in publishing order, while newer editions opt for the chronological order).  This isn’t a big problem for a reader new to The Chronicles— for the most part, this book stands on its own— but there are a few references to The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe (published before The Magician’s Nephew) that someone unfamiliar with the former book wouldn’t understand.

Whether you read this book first or sixth in order, it’s a quick read (as you would expect from a juvenile book) and a very engaging prequel to the series.  Lewis tells the fascinating story of how the land of Narnia was created, and how humans in our world discovered and began to rule over it.  Humans also corrupt it by introducing the evil witch that also appears in The Lion, the Witch & the Wardrobe; indeed, much of the book is about morality, as one might expect in a fairy tale.  What might be surprising for those unfamiliar with Narnia is that a talking lion, Aslan, is a central character.  Aslan is the creator of Narnia and the Christ-figure in the story— and indeed, in the whole series.  I’ve classified it as Christian literature, but no doubt non-Christians will also enjoy it, as its spirituality does not make it inaccessible to unbelievers.  There is a lot of action— in fact, the accidental adventures of Digory and Polly remind me a lot of similar ones in Star Wars: A New Hope and The Phantom Menace.

As this is one of my favorite books of all time, this classic work of fiction gets two thumbs way up from me!

Insane America's Criminal Treatment of Mental Illness

Insane: America's Criminal Treatment of Mental Illness by Alisa Roth  312 pages

This is a pretty sobering book to read, although it's fascinating. Roth went deep inside the criminal justice system to explore how and why it has become the main place for people with mental illness to end up, and how those people are often denied proper treatment and are punished in ways that make them sicker. Roth personally interviewed people for this book, so you get facts and her analysis, but you also get stories from real people --- and that makes this book especially hard-hitting.  You can read cold facts and not have a reaction, but it's hard not to feel something when you read some of the stories of people who have wound up in the criminal justice system.  Mental illness affects more than half of the inmates in U.S. prisons, so when you read about overcrowding in jails and prisons, keep that in mind.  Mass incarceration has exacerbated this problem so that now correctional facilities have become the mental health providers by default. But, of course, there are too few resources and too many people who need them.

The book is organized around the process of criminalization, so you get a clear picture of the proces from the beginning.  Roth touches on history in order to bring light to current practices and also explores some of what people have been working on to resolve some of the issues that are currently problematic.

The Year of Less

The Year of Less: How I Stopped Shopping, Gave Away My Belongings, and Discovered Life Is Worth More Than Anything You Can Buy In A Store by Cait Flanders        Audio Book: 5 hours, 30 mins 

                                                                                                                                                                                                  Hardback Book: 216 pages

Cait Flanders has had her issues with OCDC.    She has been an alcoholic, an imbiber in pharmaceuticals that had addictive tendencies, binged on food, couldn’t hold onto a loving relationship and comfort shopped when life got too overwhelming until one day she came to that point where she stopped.    It took a long time to get sober, it took a long time to give up the party-girl scene, it was no picnic –pun intended- giving up eating voraciously to comfort the feelings of low self-esteem, she is still meandering through the relationship swirl tending toward the, you know, I think I’m o.k. alone mindset, but, shopping was still her go to form of self-preservation when her feelings became too much to bear like when her Mother and Step-Dad who raised her after her real Dad split and oh yeah when the jerk resurfaces during her childhood creates a horrible fiasco –must read sequence here – the Step-Dad who became her real father figure for life- when he and her mother divorce she had a major melt down, and when her romantic relationships broke up – she couldn’t deal with the grief of lost love and all the one days she dreamt of, anxiety attacks a plenty hit her like a brick wall falling on top of her.    Trying not to find solace in drink, trying very hard to stay with her newly vegetarian lifestyle and exercise regime, no longer looking to drugs as her retreat of choice she instead of those bad choices did what she thought was the best of the worst and comfort in shopping.   She reasoned if she treated herself to something it would give her a sense of her own worth again, afterall she just experienced another let down, another disappointment another tragedy wouldn’t buying something new cheer her up and take her mind off of it?    Yeah, that momentary adrenaline rush of the chase until the bills came in and she realized she was over $30,000 in debt.     She shares with the reader and her followers on her blog her journey to learn how to be enough without all the trappings and crutches.   How to rise up out of the despair pit in positive ways that would serve her instead of like after a sugar high dropping back to the low energy, depression she had been in.    She could sink or she could swim and it was a very easy road to sink afterall she had drawn her own map on that one over the years.   She decided to come up for air, survey her surroundings and pull herself out of the funk and do right by herself.   She set a goal to spend as little as possible for one year to get her finances back in order.   She job hopped a lot until she ended up with a successful blog that would support her needs comfortably.   She found out all the stuff she was buying she seldom really honestly needed.   She decided to kill the impulse buying trigger by getting rid of her cable t.v. – no marketing to her subconscious to buy their products on the commercials or stuff she saw in the t.v. shows she had been watching.    She unsubscribed from every coupon site and every retail site she was constantly getting bombarded with MUST HAVE sale ads.    She kept her airline sites only because she continued to travel on the savings she had by cutting down about half of her expenditures by not shopping.    She also decided to cut down on the stuff she owned, had bought that still had the tags on, etc.   Returned anything she could, sold anything she really didn’t need or want and either tossed or donated a load of stuff in her home and closets that held no real reason to keep.    She even moved from a house that was way bigger than what she actually required and moved to an apartment thereby causing the need for more paring down – no longer did she have the space to stockpile stuff.   She even did a check on herself to inventory what she spent on what items and how many times in the year she replenished her stock.   Formerly she felt the need to always keep a stash of extra toiletries, cleaning products, food which took up much space, and often expired before she could get the benefit of it.    She loved numbers so working through keeping track of how many bottles of shampoo she used in a year and making spreadsheets was very revealing.     It gave her a new eye to see what she really needed and what she thought she had needed.    She got serious about revamping her lifestyle and has never gone back.     Her blog keeps her in touch with her followers who cheer her on and being in charge of her blog when she starts getting backlash from haters and naysayers, she can delete the negativity, though, she keeps the differences of opinions which make her think.   Everyone has an opinion but the ones who want to argue just for arguments sake or call her names or try to destroy what she has built for herself – who needs that?   So bye bye meanies.    She speaks in all honesty and tells stories on herself that made me say, “Girl!   What were you thinking.   The road out of the dark tunnel has been a long one for her, but, now that she has gone through it she wants to help others.    Her story is inspiring and positive and I really enjoyed this book.  I would definetly recommend it.     

Breathing Room: Open Your Hear by Decluttering Your Home

Breathing Room: Open Your Heart by Decluttering Your Home by Lauren Rosenfeld & Dr. Melva Green              Paperback Book: 261 pages                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                 in our stuff

Good book.   A little metaphysical, transcendental on the Lauren Rosenfeld side a little learning to understand the psychological attachments we attribute to the stuff we bring into our homes and often hang onto far longer than we should.    Think the Dalai Lama meets up with your bestest best friend.    It is a spiritual, philosophical read full of support and comfort from psychiatrist Dr. Melva Green who holds the readers hand as she entreats you to join her in looking at your stuff in terms of whether you are holding onto it out of love – it makes you happy, I love this stuffed animal given to me by my nephew when he was 3 or does it bring you guilt – I have to keep this guitar Mom got me when I was 12 because she really wanted me to learn to play it and I never did or worse, shame, I have to keep Grandma’s huge, heavy four poster bed because I didn’t go visit her the last 6 years of her life.   Both ladies approach leading you through the journey of seeing your stuff for what it is, what meaning you have assogmed to it and how to look at it as the object not the attached emotional baggage so you can surround yourself with things you love that lift you up when you see them, not cluttering up your head and heart as well as your home with rooms full of guilt, shame and regret that forces you to carry an unwanted burden not to mention making your house a wreck with a slender path through the forest of despair.    If you don’t see space and give yourself a breathing room, be it an actual room for meditation and joy calling forth an effervescent fountain of happiness and good vibes for you or a closet you can open and decorate with things that make you smile every time you see it  or even a shelf you can make into your altar appreciating your higher power and offering thankfulness for all of the blessings that have been bestowed on you in this life, if you are not establishing your own space to breath in and out purposefully to release all the tensions of the day, then re-read the book again because clearing space in our home is related to everything else in our lives.    Everyone needs just a little room to expand their consciousness and hold sacred as their own special happy place to reenergize their spirits.     If the home is out of whack your life will be affected in every other aspect, too (work, relationships, finances).   If you lose control over one aspect of your life, like dominoes, the effects will be felt in every area of your life.    Learning the WHY is the key.   Center yourself with your breathing room then gain understanding of who you were and who you are so you can go on to become who you are meant to be.    Paring down on the emotional attachments given to stuff presents you with the space you need to create the beauty you desire.   Accept the truth of what was and cleanse the space of what is to be thw wonder of what it can be.    You will feel so much lighter in spirit so much so you can fly.   Let’s stop clipping our own wings and allow the lightness of being, our true selves come out of the cocoon of all the stuff we have hoarded and surrounded ourselves with to cushion us from the fear we build up of letting go.   If birds stayed in the nest forever, they would never know the delight of soaring through the sky.    Loved this book.    Like hanging out with your bestest best friends who know your reality, love you for who you are, offer a hand up and say, “now let’s get busy and jump into moving this out of the way so we can dance!”    Good book!

Falling for My Side Dude

Falling for My Side Dude by Racquel Williams        AudioBook:  6 hours, 42 minutes        Paperback Book:  400 pages            Genre: Adult Fiction     Urban    Romantic Triangle    Murder

Warning folks, this novel is very explicit regarding violence and sex, I’m just sayin’.     Beyond that it is an excellent story about a lawyer her abusive relationship with her husband, her law practice and her skill in the courtroom to get even the most notorious gangsters’ cases dropped.    Her marriage is sad but her home life does have two rays of joy for her- the twin daughters she and her philandering husband brought into the world.     She loves the work she does, she adores her daughters but the beatings she takes from her husband are brutal.   Her only confidant is her office assistant as all her family lives out of town and her husband’s family treat her disrespectfully like she is the gold digger when her cheating husband is clearly the one who married her for her money and potential to make lots more money given her successful career.     It is a fast paced story with lots of action and hot love scenes.      It is one of those books you won’t want to put down because you never know what is coming next but the action is non-stop.     Kudos to author, Racquel Williams, she sure knows how to tell a story, you may have to fan yourself from time to time on this one. 

It’s Even Worse Than You Think

It’s Even Worse Than You Think: What the Trump Administration Is Doing To America by David Cay Johnston        AudioBook: 10 hours, 36 mins.      Hardback Book:   320 pages

OMgosh!   This book will literally make your jaw drop over what is going on inside the Trump Administration told by Pulitzer Prize winning journalist, David Cay Johnston who has been following and reporting on Donald Trump since 1988.    Johnston was the first reporter to say and write about a Trump victory from the outset of the Donald’s campaign beginning in 2015.    Johnston hits the reader like a machine gun on what has transpired in the first 100 days of Donald Trump’s presidency.    He discusses the favoritism in the FOX network’s right leanings and how they mask the faux pas each time one comes up and this book addresses everything from meandering tweets to Trump’s stance on every issue you can think of.   Johnston talks about many of the clandestine actions this administration continues to do without restriction nor recognition of protocol.    He calls the alarm on the appointments to many strategically pertinent cabinet positions that Trump has made without following protocol, dismissing anything he doesn’t agree with, his lack of knowledge on many international issues and cultures and the alarming disregard for the reality of global warming – it’s a lie says Trump as he caters to the fossil fuel lobbyists and corporations.   He talks about Trumps loathing for all things digital and how so many of the promises he made in his campaign speeches have just disappeared without any further word on them once he got elected to office.    This book is an eye-opener for the public told in laymen’s terms nothing is too hard to grasp, Johnston spells everything out very clearly.    The American public would do itself a favor to read this one because many of the actions being taken without public knowledge that are being pressed into law will change the futures of all Americans.   A must read.    Regardless your party leanings, this Journalist cites his sources and pulls no punches.

Two Paths: America Divided or United

Two Paths: America Divided or United by John Kasich               Audio Book:  8 hours, 53 minutes   Hardback Book:  320 pages                

When the Governor of Ohio, John Kasich decided to run for president in 2016 he had no idea what a down and dirty, all but an out and out brawl of backstabbing, out right lies and mud slinging that was certainly as bad as the most famous of the political bashing that went on during the campaigns of John Quincy Adams and Alexander Hamilton.   He couldn’t believe it.    Of course there are different opinions, different stances on issues and policy but he couldn’t believe the behavior he dealt with even among his fellow running mates in his own party.    He said it was unbelieveable the infighting, the jockeying for positions and while he thought his competition was really against who he considered the front runner, Jeb Bush, because no one took Donald Trump seriously or thought he stood a chance of being the Republican Party’s nominee, he couldn’t believe how candidates all tried to intimidate him into dropping out.    Two of his party who were also running demanded he drop out and there were some shady stories about each that could be a problem for them.    He felt like he was punched in the face.   The behavior floored him.    He thought everyone had their platform and would promote it but he didn’t realize while that was true they were trying to shoot each other in the foot to rid the race of competition.   Things were said that can’t be taken back nor forgotten.    He was appalled at the gloom and doom of Trump’s campaign and the outrageous claims he made about himself and the promises he made to voters that he would fulfill upon election.   Kasich thought surely voters would see through the arrogant claims made by Trump about himself and the vague or incorrect information he would spew often telling different numbers (inflating them) to fit whatever he wanted them to.   He was astounded Trump wasn’t asked by the party to leave, but no one ever told him to stop or if they did Trump ignored them, Kasich said.    He hated that Trump’s stance was that everything was wrong in America and that Trump would be the one to make it all right.     Kasich said that he and Trump saw the nation from two different paths – Trumps – the U.S. is going to hell in a handbasket and only he could save the country from itself or Kasich’s path that America is and always has been a wonderful country and that no matter what if times got tough America found a way through it.   America isn’t weak and falling apart as Trump orated, Kasich’s platform was America is great and always will be.    American ingenuity and loyalty will bind us all together when tough times come.  United we stand.   Kasich rallied to be the voice of reason amongst all the bickering.  When candidates came together on one stage to debate, Kasich said he was always relegated to Siberia – the far side of the stage for the candidates that weren’t taken seriously (because their funds weren’t as big as some of the front runners Bush, Trump) and seldom called on to answer questions and when he was called on, because he spoke from a Christian and Family perspective the moderators tended to hit him with questions about Gay Rights, Gay Marriage, Gays in the Military, how did he feel about Muslims, etc.  He took them in his stride because that is what he believed a presidential candidate should do, but, he didn’t miss the message implied there.     He continued to make the point that America is great because America is good, it embraces all people as being created equally and because as our forefathers stated we are one nation under God.   He felt part of his problem other than trying to be the voice of reason, calm and dignity amongst the chaos of the down and dirty remarks made by his fellow running mates and finger pointing and slurring at the other podiums, he did not have the name recognition of the other politicians even though he had been a force in politics for over 18 years in Pennsylvania, Ohio and Washington, D.C.    He did not rule out a run for the 2020 election – he kind of left that door open.    A telling book from the inside, you can feel the whirlwind in his words as if he is speaking from the eye of the storm and in many ways he was.      A very interesting and well detailed glimpse into the hows and whys of what went on in the Republican Party during one of the most controversial presidential elections in this country’s history.   Well worth the read.

The Myth of Perpetual Summer

The Myth of Perpetual Summer by Susan Crandall  368 pages

Not long ago I wrote a review for Joanne Bischof’s Sons of Blackbird Mountain. I call it the first “must read” of 2018. Well, I just found the second “must read” of the year, The Myth of Perpetual Summer, and probably the best beach read I’ve ever come across. To quote the back cover, “A struggling girl uncovers her family’s history and sees how the lies of the past echo throughout their dysfunctional lives today.”

It sounds cliché to say that this novel about family and the secrets they harbor is haunting, powerful and beautifully writer, but those are the best words to describe this story. It’s Southern gothic at it’s finest.

The story starts in August 1972 in San Francisco. Tallulah James has just learned that her brother, Walden, had been arrested for murder in New Orleans. Readers may think this is going to be about Walden, but it’s really about Tallulah. All she knows is that she must get home to him, a home that she left nine years ago and has not been in contact with her family since.

The story revolves around Tallaluah’s growing up in Lamoyne, Mississippi with her two brothers, sister, parents, and grandmother. Chapter Two shifts back to 1958 Lamoyne. Her parents are largely absent, and she feels the weight of raising her twin younger siblings, not to mention making sure the family’s reputation doesn’t get any more smeared than it already is. Her dad is a professor at the local college, and her mother is more interested in “causes” than in child-rearing. Their explosive relationship plays havoc on the entire family. The matriarch of the family, is the Southern-to-the-bone grandmother, who does her best to guard the family’s secrets and.

There is some beautiful writing in this novel, and here are a few lines that I just adored:

            “…everyone knows that is brains were leather, Grayson wouldn’t have enough to saddle a June bug.)”

            “He knows more hiding places in this town than a stray cat.”

            “I will the storm to take is time as the grumbling sky argues for a faster arrival.”

            “The anew quickly spread to Margo, a forest fire hopping from tree to tree.”

But then betrayal and death shake Tallaluah to the core.

I have never read Crandall before, but I’m sure gonna get some of her books. The Myth of Perpetual Summer receives 6 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

The Outsider

The Outsider by Stephen King    477 pages

When an 11 year-old boy is found in a park, hideously assaulted and murdered, all of the evidence seems to point to one of the town's most popular men, Terry Maitland.  Detective Ralph Anderson, whose son Maitland has coached, orders an immediate and public arrest. Maitland claims he is innocent and even has a foolproof alibi with film footage to prove he was in another city when the crime was committed. However, that isn't enough to save him.

What is clear is that Detective Anderson knows what the evidence tells him but he also is trusting the inner voice that tells him something's not right with this case. The question is, if Terry Maitland didn't commit this crime (since he clearly was somewhere else at the time), who left that evidence?  King constructs a plot that slowly unfolds, drawing in different characters who discover there is a horrifying killer still out there. Just who (or what) is this person?  You know I can't tell you --- but suffice to say, if you know Stephen King's work at all, you know it's going to be someone unpleasant.

I enjoyed this story, as I have most of Stephen King's books (at least the ones written after "Christine.").  I did feel like the book was screamingly slow at the beginning, but I understood why King was building things slowly. There's a lot that goes into constructing the story, so it needs to be carefully built piece by piece --- and, as you discover things at the same time that the characters do.

Generation Abandoned

A Generation Abandoned: Why 'Whatever' Is Not Enough by Peter D Beaulieu, 261 pages

In the opinion of Peter Beaulieu, the contemporary world faces a crisis of acedia - of restless boredom, of dissatisfied complacency.  He sees this as the natural consequence of widespread moral indifference, incarnated in a shrug of the shoulders and the word, "whatever".  This, in turn, is a result of what he calls the "Big Lie" of "mandatory amnesia", the total rejection of the past and, with it, any kind of standards beyond the political fashions of the moment, leading inexorably to the conclusion that nothing really matters.  The alternative he presents is that of the Catholic Church, which asserts that everything matters.

Beaulieu's thoughts pour out onto the page in a rhetorical flood, and, like a literal flood, the result is a muddied mess.  Counter-intuitively but convincingly, given our mass media obsession with vacuous fantasy, Beaulieu indicts our contemporary anti-culture of a lack of imagination, and it is clear that imagination is something he possesses in abundance, but organization does not seem to be among his gifts.  There are some startlingly brilliant diamonds in this rough - who else would directly contrast the lives of CS Lewis and Michael Edwards (Priscilla Presley's second husband)? - but the rough is deep and extensive.  Beaulieu amuses himself (and occasionally his readers) with frequent digressions, but oftentimes the digressions overpower his point.  Anecdotes are repeated without acknowledgement of the repetition.  Unfortunately for a book condemning indifference, the author is somewhat sloppy when it comes to facts (the Marquis de Sade was not in the Bastille when it was stormed in 1789, Descartes was not a priest).  Sad as it is to say, however, the book's greatest shortcoming is its author's laudable defense of the lives of the unborn - Beaulieu writes so passionately on the subject of abortion and returns to it so frequently that it is difficult to believe that anyone who disagrees with him at all on this key issue will find his book palatable.  In the end, its incoherence makes A Generation Abandoned ineffective as either a summons for the unchurched or a sermon for the faithful.

The Breadwinner

The Breadwinner by Deborah Ellis     171 pages

Eleven-year-old Parvana lives with her family in one room of a bombed-out apartment building in Kabul, Afghanistan’s capital city. Parvana’s father — a history teacher until his school was bombed and his health destroyed — works from a blanket on the ground in the marketplace, reading letters for people who cannot read or write. One day, he is arrested for the crime of having a foreign education, and the family is left without someone who can earn money or even shop for food.

As conditions for the family grow desperate, only one solution emerges. Forbidden to earn money as a girl, Parvana must transform herself into a boy, and become the breadwinner.

This book was hard to read - the atrocities happening in Afghanistan seem unbelievable in our modern time: women's freedoms being limited to just their homes, unless accompanied by a man, having to cover up in full while out, not being able to go to school or hold jobs, not allowed to make noise or have a voice, etc.

But this book does important work shedding some light on the experiences of Afghans at the hands of extremists. It's an important work that children and adults should be exposed to and I'm glad I was able to read it. 

The Hate U Give

The Hate You Give by Angie Thomas     444 pages

Sixteen-year-old Starr Carter moves between two worlds: the poor neighborhood where she lives and the fancy suburban prep school she attends. The uneasy balance between these worlds is shattered when Starr witnesses the fatal shooting of her childhood best friend Khalil at the hands of a police officer. Khalil was unarmed.

Soon afterward, his death is a national headline. Some are calling him a thug, maybe even a drug dealer and a gangbanger. Protesters are taking to the streets in Khalil's name. Some cops and the local drug lord try to intimidate Starr and her family. What everyone wants to know is: what really went down that night? And the only person alive who can answer that is Starr.

But what Starr does or does not say could upend her community. It could also endanger her life.

This is a read that reflects the troubles of our modern times, including racial profiling, injustice, and police brutality. It was a hard read, but I am glad I did read this book. It's important to understand and to reflect on the words of those closest to these troubles, to listen and to think of ways to be a part of the solution, not the problem.

I think teens will get the most out of this novel - it speaks with a teen voice and the characters people-ing it are mostly teens. This is there story and it is a powerful one.

I think for her first novel, Thomas did very well. The story is compelling, its characters are well-rounded people who feel like they could be out in the world, living there lives right now. I appreciate that the story ends on a hopeful note, even as it challenges the reader to continue to fight: your voice is your weapon - use your weapon.

I listened to the audiobook of this story and it is read well. I very much enjoyed listening to it.

Queens of Innis Lear

Queens of Innis Lear by Tessa Gratton     575 pages

The erratic decisions of a prophecy-obsessed king have drained Innis Lear of its wild magic, leaving behind a trail of barren crops and despondent subjects. Enemy nations circle the once-bountiful isle, sensing its growing vulnerability, hungry to control the ideal port for all trade routes.

The king's three daughters—battle-hungry Gaela, master manipulator Reagan, and restrained, starblessed Elia—know the realm's only chance of resurrection is to crown a new sovereign, proving a strong hand can resurrect magic and defend itself. But their father will not choose an heir until the longest night of the year, when prophecies align and a poison ritual can be enacted.

Refusing to leave their future in the hands of blind faith, the daughters of Innis Lear prepare for war—but regardless of who wins the crown, the shores of Innis will weep the blood of a house divided.

The book is long, so I'll keep my review brief: Writing: amazing. Story: well constructed, based off of King Lear but retold in a clever way, slow going. Characters: Well rounded, flawed, full of angst (every last one) Overall, I can say I liked the book, but definitely not as much as I was expecting to. It was much too long, or the story took too long to grab hold. Lots of flipping back and forth from past to present and so much narration of people, places, things that it took a long time between moments of action. This book was 50% peoples inner thoughts and monologues, 40% people talking to each other but not doing anything, and 10% things actually happening. It was slow, but well written. Is that enough for me to give it four stars? No. For some, this may be a four star or even five star read. Not for me. I don't regret having read it, but I'd only recommend it to people who like long, methodical world building and character development in their high-fantasy.

Mr. Lemoncello's Great Library Race

Mr. Lemoncello's Great Library Race by Chris Grabenstein     288 pages

Everyone's favorite game maker, Mr. Lemoncello, is testing out his new FABULOUS FACT-FINDING FRENZY game! If Kyle can make it through the first round, he and the other lucky finalists will go on a great race--by bicycle, bookmobile, and even Mr. Lemoncello's corporate banana jet!--to find fascinating facts about famous Americans. The first to bring their facts back to the library will win spectacular prizes! But when a few surprising "facts" surface about Mr. Lemoncello, it might be GO TO JAIL and LOSE A TURN all at once! Could Kyle's hero be a fraud? It's winner take all, so Kyle and the other kids will have to dig deep to find out the truth before the GAME is OVER for Mr. Lemoncello and his entire fantastic empire!

Another great installment in the Lemoncello series. This book centers on research and knowing how to search for and find information, all wrapped up in the thrill of a race with high stakes. Kyle and friends are about to find out amazing facts about some incredible figures in history: Abraham Lincoln, Emily Dickinson, Thomas Edison, Michael Jordan, etc. What do all these figures have in common? They've failed, but kept on working hard until they succeeded. 

I love how Grabenstein includes valuable information, like how to do research and how to use libraries for research, within his stories. The Lemoncello series shows just how useful and fun libraries can be and, as a librarian myself, I appreciate that. The fact that this book and the others in the series can be about such mundane activities as research and still be fun and full of adventure is a credit to Grabenstein's writing. I especially enjoyed the inclusion of different cultural backgrounds in this one. It was done in a very natural and everyday way. 

I would definitely recommend this to anyone looking for a fun, quick read or those who have read the previous Lemoncello books.

Life and Times of Michael K

The Life and Times of Michael K by John Coetzee, 184 pages

Michael is a gardener.  To sow seed and care for growing things is what he knows, and what he wants.  Unfortunately, meek Michael is constantly in danger of being trampled into the dust.  Born with a harelip which caused him to be rejected by his mother - at least, until age and poverty made her dependent on him - and raised in an orphanage, what Michael wants most of all is to be left to fend for himself, free from those who would help him as well as those who would exploit him.  The State is, needless to say, his unnatural enemy, preoccupied as it is with official papers, civil wars, and labor camps.  Yet he does not reject all human society, to the contrary, he longs to live with others who are willing to receive what is offered them rather than forcing the world to give them what they want.

Much of The Life and Times of Michael K makes for dreary reading, immersed as it is in Michael's own perspective, knowing little of the ways of the world and yet understanding enough for tragedy.  In the end, this makes the book, and its protagonist, that much harder to ignore or forget.

Medieval and Renaissance Treasures

Medieval & Renaissance Treasures from the V&A, edited by Paul Williamson and Peta Motture, 89 pages

This short book showcases 35 items from the Medieval and Renaissance Galleries at the Victoria and Albert Museum, from a pair of seventh century Anglo-Saxon brooches to pages from Leonardo da Vinci's notebooks.  The items are divided into three categories - "Status and Display", "Piety and Devotion", and "The Secular World" - although the reasoning behind the division isn't entirely clear.  Certainly all of the items from the first category could easily have gone into one of the others, and the boundary between the two latter categories was not as clearly drawn then as it now is (or seems to be).  Each category is introduced by a short essay, and each object gets a couple of pictures and a one page description, few of which provide much in the way of insight or illumination.  Compensating for this, the included objects are undeniably treasures, and largely speak for themselves.

One Last Word

One Last Word by Nikki Grimes, 120 pages

"In this collection of poetry, Nikki Grimes looks afresh at the poets of the Harlem Renaissance -- including voices like Langston Hughes, Georgia Douglas Johnson, and many more writers of importance and resonance from this era -- by combining their work with her own original poetry. Using "The Golden Shovel" poetic method, Grimes has written a collection of poetry that is as gorgeous as it is thought-provoking. This special book also includes original artwork in full-color from some of today's most exciting African American illustrators, who have created pieces of art based on Nikki's original poems. Featuring art by: Cozbi Cabrera, R. Gregory Christie, Pat Cummings, Jan Spivey Gilchrist, Nikki Grimes, E. B. Lewis, Frank Morrison, Brian Pinkney, Sean Qualls, James Ransome, Javaka Steptoe, Shadra Strickland, and Elizabeth Zunon. A foreword, an introduction to the history of the Harlem Renaissance, author's note, poet biographies, and index makes this not only a book to cherish, but a wonderful resource and reference as well." I appreciate what Grimes has done with this and even liked some of the poems but poetry is not my favorite genre so I would probably never pick this book up again.  However, children who like poetry will almost certainly want to read this.

The Quilts Of Gee’s Bend

The Quilts Of Gee’s Bend by Susan Goldman Rubin, 56 pages

“Explores the history and culture of a group of African American quilters from Gee's Bend, Alabama, offering details on the community and their traditions.” This is a fascinating account of the history behind these quilts.  Children who have interest in African American history, especially some of the lesser known history, will enjoy this.

The Inquisitor’s Tale or The Three Magical Children And Their Holy Dog

The Inquisitor’s Tale or The Three MagicalChildren And Their Holy Dog by Adam Gidwitz, 363 pages

“Crossing paths at an inn, thirteenth-century travelers impart the tales of a monastery oblate, a Jewish refugee, and a psychic peasant girl with a loyal greyhound, the three of whom join forces on a chase through France to escape persecution.” This book is pretty amazing.  Any child who likes historical fiction needs to read it.

Undead And Unforgiven

Undead And Unforgiven by MaryJanice Davidson, 286 pages

“If Betsy Taylor has learned anything about ruling Hell it's: 1) She can't do it alone, and 2) She doesn't have to. She's got the help of a devoted vampire king, a dateless zombie, an exhausted new mom, an unshowered cop, a bitchy ghost, a kindly dead priest, and her late stepmother ("Go Team Satan 2.0!"). But the latest major hurdle in her afterlife is so big she can't even see it until it's on YouTube. Betsy's father and half sister Laura (a former Antichrist with a grudge) have teamed up, for what sinister purpose Betsy can't imagine. The former Antichrist didn't take kindly to getting what she wished for, and has decided that's entirely the fault of the vampire queen. What that means for Betsy is trouble (more than usual, even) and possible exposure to an unsuspecting world. Meanwhile Hell is having a deleterious effect on Betsy's friends ("I didn't think it was possible, but the damned are getting meaner."), the newly dead are confused about Hell's new rules ("A buddy system? Really?"), and the vampire king is trying to poach on Betsy's territory. Betsy loves her husband, but that's not the same as trusting him. Before long the king and queen of the vampires aren't speaking to each other, the mansion on Summit Avenue is a war zone, and Betsy's getting calls from a werewolf, a mermaid, and worst of all, her mother ("What do you mean you can't babysit?"). No one said life after death would be easy, but c'mon: this is ridiculous.”  These books are still pretty funny.  The storylines are getting a little crazy but I’m still enjoying them.  These are for people who like supernatural romantic comedy.

Laugh Out Loud

Laugh Out Loud by James Patterson & Chris Grabenstein, 275 pages

“Imaginative middle schooler Jimmy follows his dream to start a unique book company while he is still a child.” This book may not be laugh out loud funny, but it is a lot of fun.  Kids who have read Patterson’s other books will enjoy meeting some of the characters they know and love from other books in this story and they will enjoy the humor in this story as well. 

My Brigadista Year

My Brigadista Year by Katherine Paterson, 198 pages

“A historical novel about a young Cuban teenager who volunteers for Fidel Castro's national literacy campaign that taught those throughout the impoverished countryside to read.” I knew nothing of this time period in history and I really liked learning a little about it through this novel.  This is really well done and kids who like historical fiction will love this book.

Zack And the Turkey Attack

Zack And the TurkeyAttack by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor, 163 pages

“While helping on his grandparents' farm, Zach, his best friend Matthew, and neighbor Josie outsmart a tormenting turkey and, in the process, solve a mystery of missing jewelry.” This was a fun read for elementary kids who like realistic fiction.

Behemoth

Behemoth by Scott Westerfeld, 485 pages

Bottom of Form

“The behemoth is the fiercest creature in the British navy. It can swallow enemy battleships with one bite. The Darwinists will need it, now that they are at war with the Clanker Powers. Deryn is a girl posing as a boy in the British Air Service, and Alek is the heir to an empire posing as a commoner. Finally together aboard the airship Leviathan, they hope to bring the war to a halt. But when disaster strikes the Leviathan's peacekeeping mission, they find themselves alone and hunted in enemy territory. Alek and Deryn will need great skill, new allies, and brave hearts to face what's ahead.” I can’t believe that I waited so long to read Westerfeld’s books.  I love this series and teens who like steampunk, adventure, or fantasy will want to read it.

Shrewed: A Wry and Closely Observed Look at the Lives of Women and Girls

Shrewed: A Wry and Closely Observed Look at the Lives of Women and Girls by Elizabeth Renzetti  304 pages

"Why are there so few women in politics? Why is public space, whether it’s the street or social media, still so inhospitable to women? What does Carrie Fisher have to do with Mary Wollstonecraft? And why is a wedding ceremony Satan’s playground?"

These are just a few of the questions that acclaimed journalist Elizabeth Renzetti addresses in this collection of essays. Her decades of reporting on feminist issues show here; she has a wry and sharp sense of humor and there were a lot of essays that I found thought-provoking (and also funny).  She makes observations on current politics, but also examines how life was back when her mother was working.  Basically, it's a look at how far women have come . . . and how far we have to go.  I liked this book a lot and found it a great companion to other books I've read, including Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay.

The Bookshop on the Corner

The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Cogan          Audio Book:  9 hours, 13 mins      Hardback Book: 368 pages               

Good book.   Set in England at the beginning then in the Highlands of Scotland thereafter, there is such a delightful sharing of the people and landscape told here that the reader really feels and visualizes being there.    I learned that in Summer in Scotland it stays light outside until after 10:30p.m. at night.   How cool.   I had never heard that before, nor did I ever consider the longitude and latitude of the country having close ties with the north pole so much so that the aurora borealis can be seen there at times.   Man!  How cool is that!   I had no idea.    You learn so many things from books.   I love it and the descriptions of the voracious appetites for books and reading that the folks in the small Highland town and countryside that the main character meets and deals with throughout is refreshing.    It starts out with our heroine losing her job at the small Library she has worked in for years.    She decides to go against her normal introverted character and finally pursue her dream of owning a bookshop.   Unfortunately her dreams and her pocketbook are at odds so she thinks outside the box and decides to purchase a cargo van she sees an ad for sale in Scotland to house a mobile bookshop.    Kind of like selling out of the boot (trunk) only bigger.    Her original plan was to buy the van and go around her English hometown to sell books, but, the people in the small Scot town are so intrigued with her idea of the van serving as a bookmobile they try to talk her into doing it as a Library there since their Library closed and there are none anywhere close by.    The inhabitants miss the Library and cajole until finally it works.    While still a bookstore not a library since she has to make a living to support herself as this will be her only source of income, she does end up moving there and bringing in books to sell she gets on the cheap from bookstores and libraries, etc. discounting their materials.    Her landlord and his ex-wife have refurbished one of their barns into a stylish living area which she jumps on because since the landlord is in the midst of divorce he doesn’t know what to charge and gives her a ridiculously low rental fee.    So much goes on, she meets a Latvian man and falls for the romance she reads about in her books more so than really what is in front of her.    It becomes a dangerous deal for her love interest as he drives a train and she gets him to transport the books from London and other areas to her at midnight (for free) by stopping the train for lame excuses long enough for them to unload the books into her van.   She is a bit of a user and really rude at times to her partner in crime and also to her landlord  though she gets annoying toward the end for being such a little jerk seems to me.   She plays it off like the chances people take are their choice – REALLY?   Loads happens.    She wants her way a lot without looking at the other person’s view, so when squirrely things happen to her, I feel she has it coming for being inconsiderate, but, after twists, turns and surprises and what could be really horrendous consequences, I ended up feeling she redeemed herself.    Good book.   If you like Scotland, brogue and books, aye this is a canny story.  

Alice I Have Been

Alice I Have Been  by Melanie Benjamin   351 pages  

Written is 1856 by Charles Dodgson, Alice in Wonderland is still among the most influential “nonsense literature” books ever written. Dodgson was an awkward mathematics professor at Oxford when he made the acquaintance of the Dean’s daughters, Lorina, Alice, and Edith Liddell. In the summer of 1862, Dodgson and friends were boating with the girls while Charles regaled the party with a story of a little girl named Alice who fell down a rabbit hole and traveled into a fantastical world. The story was a success and the “real” Alice urged Dodgson to write it down for her. After some time, under the pen name of Lewis Carroll, the story was published, becoming a sensation the world over, and immortalizing and forever changing the life of Alice Liddell.

For years, Dodgson had been friends with the Liddell girls, often using them as subjects for his hobby as a photographer, until the relationship suddenly ended in June, 1863, for unknown reasons. There are many speculations, and Benjamin choses to weave this historical fiction around the theory that Dodgson had inappropriate and romantic feelings toward Alice, even when she as young as seven. Clearly, rumors of this nature would have destroyed the reputation of any girl in the Victorian era, and the premise of this story is based on Alice’s perpetual confrontation with her lurid past and how her flawed repute followed her to the grave.

The story briefly follows Alice through a failed romance with Prince Leopold, a compromised marriage, the birth of three children, and the loss of two sons during World War I. I was disappointed that Benjamin took the low road and used a sensationalized version of hearsay to literally condemn Alice to a life of compromised options due to her perceived ruined reputation. This version of history also, with no evidence to support it, compromises the reputation of the author, which could very well taint a reader’s impression of a children’s story.

Posted By:   Regina C.   (submitted to Jen 5/22/18)