Malorie

Malorie by Josh Malerman   320 pages (e-galley)

This is the sequel to Bird Box (which was made into a Netflix film . . . which I did not watch).

When we last saw Malorie in Bird Box, she has led her children to a safe place. Still blindfolded and threatened by the dangerous creatures outside, this sequel to Bird Box focuses exclusively on Malorie and her two children. Now teenagers, her son is especially eager to explore the outside world. When a stranger finds them and tells them of a special Blind Train, and that Malorie's parents are listed as alive, Malorie makes the wrenching decision to leave all that is safe and try to find the train. But once they find this train, will it deliver them to people she loves and to a safer place?

I was intrigued by this story, since I enjoyed Bird Box (and did not watch the Netflix adaptation). While I liked the sense of danger running through this book and the focus on one character and her children, I found the ending of the book to completely unsatisfying. Too many loose ends for my taste.

The Space Between Worlds

The Space Between Worlds by by Micaiah Johnson   336 pages

Cara has always been quite good at dying, a talent which enables her to move between the multiverse, pulling data and other information for her employer. However, on this visit to a different Earth, Cara discovers that one of her last remaining doppelgangers has died under mysterious circumstances. Now, she is in a new world, but still carrying an old secret and entangled in a plot that could endanger the entire multiverse.

This isn't much a science fiction book as it is a story about the exploration of self, of how far someone will go to help someone they love, and also how far and how deep a secret can be carried. Cara is an intriguing and flawed character, and while I felt the plot sometimes struggled a bit, she is compelling and I wanted to see how the story ended.

They Never Learn

They Never Learn by Layne Fargo 352 pages  (e-galley)

Scarlett has no sympathy for the men she kills. After all, they asked for it. College student Carly is starting to look at her classmates the same way, noticing that some boys just seem to be entitled, dangerous jerks. What connects Scarlett to Carly? You'll be surprised when you find out.
Told with a sharp, dark sense of humor and a steady, almost compulsive pace, this psychological thriller takes us into the mind of a ruthless, deadly and intelligent predator.

Is it wrong that I found Scarlett to be an enjoyable character? She's an apex predator and I found her compelling (and also very much connected with some of her dark humor). She's the kind of woman with a razor-edged smile, someone who is dangerous but so, so interesting. I found the juxtaposition of Carly against Scarlett made me wonder how they were connected -- and then once that reveal happened, it totally made sense. I liked that the author kept me guessing and a bit off balance about what would happen. Really liked this book!

For LibraryReads: Scarlett has no sympathy for the men she kills. After all, they asked for it. The question is, will she finally meet her match? Told with a sharp, dark sense of humor and a steady, almost compulsive pace, this psychological thriller takes us into the mind of a ruthless, deadly and intelligent predator.
For readers who enjoy dark psychological thrillers. Similar author: Chelsea Cain

The Harpy

The Harpy by Megan Hunter 300 pages (e-galley)


Nothing whets the appetite for revenge once you get started. Lucy and Jake seem happy enough, but when Lucy discovers Jake has been having an affair, she cannot forgive him. When Jake puts forth the idea that Lucy may hurt him three times, Lucy agrees. However, how much hurt is enough? As Lucy descends into her anger and grief, she discovers a capability within herself she had not expected. She also delves into her past research and fascination with the harpy, a being which exacts revenge.

Dark, disturbing, and memorable, this is a story with an almost fairy tale feel, as Lucy returns again and again to the harpy, a being of revenge. Good for readers who enjoy some unraveling of characters and a pace which steadily intensifies.

Bulwark

Bulwark by Brit Lunden   146 pages

 Something strange is happening in the small Georgia town of Bulwark.  First the sheriff’s daughter is kidnapped. No ransom note.  No trace whatsoever.  Then, residents are reported wolf sightings, but wolves have not been seen in that ara in decades. Third, an “older” couple’s (the author says in their sixties---give me a break) car lands in the middle of a murky green pond/lake/puddle (the author can’t make up her mind) that wasn’t there before the accident.

As Sheriff Clay Finnes begins to investigate, even stranger things begin to happen. The couple was coming from the opposite direction, but the road is closed. The only thing back there is an abandoned paper mill. How could they come from that direction? 

Clay has bigger problems than weird events. An plucky reporter who senses a story thwarts him at every turn.  Given that that same reporter is the reason Clay’s marriage broke up, he’s doubly irritated at what is going on.

Clay has no choice but to find the mysterious road the earlier victims mentioned in their statements. Clay has lived there most of his life and has never heard of Linden Lane.  But that night he manages to find it, along with a dilapidated gingerbread house and a very old woman who lives there.

The story moved along at a quick pace, even though it wasn’t scary or anything new. It irritated me that the author gave two endings. Make up your mind.  But one thing did impress me: This book is a series and each of other seven or eight books are written by a different author using other characters from Bulwark, Georgia.

 “Bulwark” receives 3 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

The Englisch Daughter

 

 

The Englisch Daughter by Cindy Woodsmall and Erin Woodsmall   352 pages

 “In the ever-changing world when life was clam and steady one day and torn to shreds the next, three things were steady: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these was love.”

This quote, which appears on Page 242, succinctly captures the essence of this novel.

There are two plot lines, one greater than the other.  First there is the major plot involving Jemima and Roy Gaber. An Old Order Amish family, Jemima and Roy have four children. While she tends to the children and the house, Roy spends long hours training and selling horses. Roy’s life is also complicated. He’s gone more and more often for long stretches of time.

This is only one of the things that create a big strain on their marriage that pushes it to the brink.  Roy is also recovering from a carriage accident that he and oldest daughter, Laura, had last year.  Roy’s sister, Abigail, had taken a leave of absence from her teaching position to help, but it’s not enough.

Abigail and Jemima had dreams of owning and operating a food truck.  They have been saving for years. When an advertisement offering what seems to be exactly what they envisioned, Roy must admit that the money is gone. He has depleted their savings account. The hurt Roy has inflicted upon Jemima is deep. But when she learns what he has done with the money that cuts the wound even deeper.

The other plot line is the attraction that Abigail feels toward the new hired hand, Chris. Not currently practicing the Amish faith, Chris has been turned out of his parent’s home and shunned by the community. But nonetheless, the attraction is strong.

I really enjoyed this novel. It as fairly east to ascertain what the Amish words meant. I found the glossary when I was already two-thirds through. I think it would have been helpful to have upfront because I was annoyed while I was reading, and highly annoyed after I found the novel.

There are some very exciting part to the story that had my nerves on edge. 

 “The Englisch Daughter” receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

Code Name Helene

 Code Name Helene by Ariel Lawhon   464 pages

 Over the years, I have a read a lot of novels about the French Resistance during World War Two, but I feel I can honestly say this is the first time I have ever felt as if I was embedded in a group of fighters.

This biographical fictional piece centers on Nancy Grace Augusta Wake, an Australian freelance journalist living and working in Paris. The book covers the time period of 1936-1944. Right before the Germans march into the City of Lights, Nancy and Henri, a wealthy industrialist,  fall in love and marry. Then Nancy gets involved in helping fight the Nazis.

What truly amazed about this novel is the complexities of the timelines (I counted six!) that tell Nancy’s story that takes place from 1936 through 1944, and in some ways, it is written backwards. I cannot image how author Ariel Lawhon managed to keep it all straight.

I mentioned six timelines: Nancy and her four code names (Madame Andree, Lucienne Carlier, 

Helene and The White Mouse) plus Henri. There is so much detail and yet it seems like there is hardly any; each element enriches the story. I never felt lost or confused about who was who and what was happening. Like the war itself,  Nancy’s story is too grand to have only one aspect of it spoken about or recorded.  The research Lawhon must have done probably lasted years!

I could not put this book down.  “Code Name Helene” receives 6 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

The Lost Orphan

 The Lost Orphan by Stacey Halls 288 pages

 In late November, 1754, Bess Bright has given birth to a daughter earlier that day. Bess lives with her father, Abe, and her brother, Ned. They live in the London slums selling shrimp to earn enough to not die.  The conditions the family lives in are deplorable. Less than twelve hours are giving birth, Bess is forced to give up her child, whom she has named Clara. The only saving grace is that Bess knows she can reclaim her daughter as long as she can pay for her room and board.

 

I think that scene should have come later. While I felt sorry for Bess, it was hard for me to generate a lot of empathy as I didn’t know Bess or about her life.  I believe it could have been a very powerful episode if it had been the second or third chapter.

 

But it wasn’t.  Chapter Three starts six years later. Bess has been saving to retrieve Clara from the Foundling Hospital.  When she has a pound saved, she makes her way to the hospital, only to learn that her child had been picked up the following day by someone pretending to be Bess. She is distraught over the loss of her child and cannot understand who took her child or how they were able to obtain the information needed to have access to the child.

 

Then the story switches narrators to Alexandra, a widow living with her daughter Charlotte and a few servants. She is afraid to go out of the house and in fact, hasn’t been out of the house in six years. Alexandra’s doctor convinces her to hire a nursemaid for Charlotte, which Alexandra reluctantly agree to do.

 

This is a very complicated plot line. I can’t say much more without spoiling the suspense. However, until the end of the novel, for me, there were a lot of questions, which were answered, but with information I felt could have been revealed earlier.

 

I found the beginning of Alexandra’s story rather slow for most of her first part, but when it did pickup, it was unputdownable! “The Lost Orphan” receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

If You Were Me and Lived in Germany

If You Were Me and Lived in…Germany by Carole P. Roman; illustrations by Kelsea Wierenga  35 pages

I have reviewed several other books (there are at least 20) in Carole P. Roman’s “A Child’s Introduction to Culture Around the World” series and have found them interesting, accessible and informative.  This installment takes kids, and their parents, to Germany.

Roman starts with a very short synopsis about the country and the how kids might have gotten their names…but only lists the top three in each gender, a visit to the grandparents’ home and a visit from an aunt and uncle. The family takes the aunt and uncle sightseeing, which makes them hungry. The food is always my favorite part of these little gems. Reader’s parents can expand their child’s knowledge of learning about the German culture is to have a German night and serve German food one night. And now I have a craving for apfelstrudel (apple strudel).  After a few more adventures, the child is required to write a report on five important facts about Germany. This is a perfect way to give the reader information in a creative way.

The illustrations, by Kelsea Wierenga, are well-done, but not overly exciting.

 “If You Were Me and Lived in…Germany” receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

A Game of Thrones

A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin    835 pages


"Long ago, in a time forgotten, a preternatural event threw the seasons out of balance. In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are massing beyond the kingdom’s protective Wall. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the land they were born to. Sweeping from a land of brutal cold to a distant summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, here is a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards, who come together in a time of grim omens."  (summary courtesy of Goodreads --- because I can't figure out how to summarize this without taking a full page to do it).

I finally got around to reading this. I had meant to, and then started watching the show on HBO. My husband, who has read all the books in this series, warned me the show wasn't following the books 100%, so I waited on reading the books.  But now, with more reading time on my hands, I took the opportunity to read this first one.

Having watched the HBO show, I felt it was a little easier to follow some of the plot lines. I could tell this first book is a bit rough around the edges --- Martin's writing style needs a little polishing, so I'm hoping this improves in the next book. I did enjoy how the chapters move from character to character, and I found this book to be a much quicker read than I had originally anticipated.

Ghost Story

Ghost Story: A Novel of the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher  481 pages

"When we last left the mighty wizard detective Harry Dresden, he wasn't doing well. In fact, he had been murdered by an unknown assassin.

But being dead doesn't stop him when his friends are in danger. Except now he has no body, and no magic to help him. And there are also several dark spirits roaming the Chicago shadows who owe Harry some payback of their own.

To save his friends—and his own soul—Harry will have to pull off the ultimate trick without any magic... "  (summary from Goodreads)

This story picks up from the end of the last book in the series where Dresden was shot.  The story flies from there with Molly now in her twenties and more powerful than ever, horrible monsters, people from Dresden's past who are the complete opposite of what they were and ghosts and wraiths galore.   I don't want to give too much away but this is the most different Dresden story, yet.   Yes, I highly recommend it to all Dresden fans middle-school on up.

 - Shirley J.

I'll Push You: A Journey of 500 miles

I'll Push You: A Journey of 500 miles, Two Friends and a Wheelchair by Patrick Gray and Justin Skeesuk   280 pages

A very emotion stirring book telling the true story of two life-long friends who travelled the Camino de Santiago, a 500 mile trip through the Pyrenees Mountains in Spain.  Add to that that one of the travellers, Justin Skeesuk had a denerating muscular disease that had left him basically a head on top of a non-working body whowould travel in a special 250 lb. wheelchair and who could only contribute verbal support and required completely everything being done for him including carrying his wheelchair over the path when the rocks, etc. made rolling his chair impossible.   Through the kindness of strangers all along the way they were able to make it and a film credo recorded their victory over obstacles all along the way.   A good story of friendship, loveand commitment.   Good book, I recommend it to all ages, middle school up.

 - Shirley J.

Changes: A Novel in the Dresden Files

Changes: A Novel in the Dresden Files Series by Jim Butcher 

14 hours 45 minutes    438 pages

"Long ago, Susan Rodriguez was Harry Dresden's lover-until she was attacked by his enemies, leaving her torn between her own humanity and the bloodlust of the vampiric Red Court. Susan then disappeared to South America, where she could fight both her savage gift and those who cursed her with it.

Now Arianna Ortega, Duchess of the Red Court, has discovered a secret Susan has long kept, and she plans to use it-against Harry. To prevail this time, he may have no choice but to embrace the raging fury of his own untapped dark power. Because Harry's not fighting to save the world...

He's fighting to save his child."  (summary from Goodreads)

Wow!   Loads of action, monsters everywhere.   Susan Rodriquez is back, so is Sonya.   Lots of  jaw dropping stuff happens in this one and you won't know the good guys from the bad until the very end.  OMgosh!   This one will literally make you feel as though the wind is knocked out of you.   YES!  Read this one - it will blow you away what you find out here.   Dresden fans unite!  I highly recommend this one to Mature middle schoolers on up.

 - Shirley J.

Mama Kisses, Papa Hugs

Mama Kisses, Papa Hugs by Lisa Tawn Bergen; art by Aleksandar Zolotic  40 pages

When I was little, sometimes my folks would give my brother and I Eskimo kisses.  In case readers don’t know what those are, it when two people rub the tips of their noses together. Eskimos supposedly did this because it was cold where they lived, and that was all of their faces that protruded. Well, we know better then that.

However, author Lisa Tawn Bergen brings us something very similar in the 12^th book in her “God Gave Us” series. When her little boy decides he’s too old for kisses (and hugs from Papa), Mama illustrates how the animal world gives kisses. She uses sloths, lions and tigers, polar bears and horses to show the variety of ways Mama’s give kisses.

Once the young boy decides he isn’t too big for Mama kisses, he decides that he is too big for Papa hugs. Papa also uses animals to make his point.

Throughout the book, the point is made over and over: That God made everyone physically different, yet in some ways we are all alike.

The most touching part of the book was when the little boy asked, “Mama, how does God kiss us?” what a beautiful answer!

The art, by Aleksandar Zolotic, is vibrant and beautiful.

 “Mama Kisses, Papa Hugs” receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany

 The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany by Lori Nelson Spielman 400 pages

 By the time this book is released to the public, hopefully the Coronavirus Pandemic is over.  Back when I was reading this in March 2020, the world was gripped with stay-at-home orders, exhausted medical staffs and too few supplies for said medical staffs. For me, though, this book was a relief.  Since going back to visit Italy is on my bucket list, it was a welcome respite from the bad news. Thank you, Natalie S. from Penguin Random House for sending me an Advanced Readers Copy.

It’s been more than two-hundred years since Filomena Fontana put a curse on her sister and cursing all second-born daughters forever after, causing them to never find true love. Based on the fact that all Fontana second-born daughters have never married, contemporary Fontanas believe the curse is real.

Fast forward to 2018 in Brooklyn, New York. At twenty-nine, Emilia, a second-born daughter, is happy with her life in the family bakery.  She makes a cannoli to die for say customers.  She works in the bakery with her father and nonna. Dad is a quiet man, but Nonna Rosa is a hard woman, expecting perfection and to be obeyed. Emilia has an apartment that she shares with a cat named Claws. Her best friend is a man she has known since they went to school together as children.

Out of the blue, a letter from her great-aunt Poppy arrives, inviting Emilia and her cousin, Lucy, to accompany her on a trip to Italy. The goal is to be at the cathedral on her eightieth birthday to meet the man she fell in love with in 1959. Aunt Poppy is estranged from the family, but Emilia remembers her sending birthday and Christmas cards. Nonna Rosa is against the trip and makes her wishes known.

Needless to stay, Emilia defies Nonna and off they go. The scenery is gorgeous; the trio’s adventures are alternately fun and sad, and family secrets are revealed…and there is a happy ending. 

I was sad when the story ended. I had come to love these characters as they navigated through uncharted territories.   “The Star-Crossed Sisters of Tuscany?” receives 6 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.