Wish You Were Here

 Shirley J.               Adult Fiction Murder Mystery                   Murder solving cat and canine

Wish You Were Here by Rita Mae Brown and Sneaky Pie Brown   242 pages

Finally!   I lucked into the 1st book of a series!  This is book 1 of the Mrs. Murphy series which I will now be glad to check out more of.  Mrs. Murphy is a female tiger cat (a Ginger) and one of two beloved pets, the other a female Welsh corgi dog named, "Tucker," belonging to Mary Minor Haristeen, nickname, "Harry," living in Crozet, Virginia.  Lots of great characters here, Harry and her furry kids being my favorites.   Harry is going through a divorce with her philandering husband, but, at least it isn't ugly, just unfortunate.  Harry is a good soul, among other things the local postmistress of her small town who loves to read the postcards she sorts into locals' mail slots.   When postcards with famous people's gravesites start showing up, Harry notices they all say, "Wish you were here,"  then, oddly enough the recipients of said postcards end up murdered.   Too good a mystery not to speculate on and with a bent for amateur sleuthing and a pal in the local Sheriff, it is game on for Harry.   Her pets are already 3 steps ahead of her in their own investigation of things and with enhanced sensibilities of smell, they are one up on her and all the cops in town.   Mrs. Murphy, Tucker and their overweight neighbor cat, Pewter investigate murder sites and follow scent trails and more in their discovery of who done it.   Fun story.   I'm hooked.   Mrs. Murphy and Tucker are my new Stephanie and Lula.   On to book 2!   I recommend this one to murder mystery fans of all ages.   An enjoyable read with laugh out loud moments.    

Ricochet Joe

Shirley J.                             Adult Fiction Suspense                          Time Travel, Alternate Realities

Ricochet Joe by Dean Koontz    142 pages

A dip into science-fiction for Dean Koontz.   I always associate him with horror themes, but, this one is more science fiction with aliens and time travel even alternate realities.   A good short story, but, you have to really pay attention to what is going on because maybe you are hearing about the real, Joe, or at least the one we know as of this writing,  but, what of the other Joes existing in alternate scenarios living lives similar but different from the one being observed.  Choices take us in all kinds of directions which can lead to cross-overs at interdimensional intersections.   Pay attention.   Sci-fi fans will love this one.  Koontz fans, too.   I liked the story and would recommend it to older teens who will get it.  I think younger readers would be looking for bigger punches and be put off by the romance of it all.   

The Sweetest Remedy

 Shirley J.                    Adult Fiction Romance                                           Being Bi-Racial, Nigeria    

The Sweetest Remedy by Jane Igharo   320 pages    

Really good story of a young woman, Hannah Bailey, who after growing up at home with her (white) American mother is presented with an invitation to attend her Nigerian father's funeral.   Hannah had never know her father and always wondered why he didn't want her.   Her parents never married and when her mother told her father she was pregnant he left.   He began sending Hannah's mother money to help support them, but, ghosted them otherwise.   Hannah's mother finally convinced him to come see his daughter when she was 8 years old.   Hannah couldn't understand why he didn't want to be with them.  She never saw him after that but the void in her life where her father should have been deeply affected her and her future relationships.   Then all of a sudden after all the empty years, her mother is notified Hannah's father has died and in his will he asked that Hannah attend his funeral in Nigeria.   Hannah was not planning to attend but her mother hounded her for days that she should go.  Finally, Hannah relented and went.  She gets the surprise of her life when she gets there!   The book really takes off at that point.   A good story told well.   I highly recommend this book it will take the reader on a journey to Nigeria.  The author, herself, is Nigerian and offers a familiarity with the culture, language, cuisine, and night life to be found there.    I couldn't put it down.   It is a "and then what happened?" feel that keeps you so involved with the story you will be pleased where it takes you.   Well done, Jane Igharo!  I recommend this book to middle-schoolers on up.

Joy to the World: Christmas Around the Globe

 Shirley J.        Juvenile Non-Fiction                  Christmas traditions observed in various countries

Joy to the World: Christmas Around the Globe by Kate DePalma    40 pages

When I first started reading the verse (it rhymes in the first part of the story geared to the kindergarten set),  which tells of Christmas celebrations in 13 different countries, I thought, whoa, wait a minute these traditions must be embellished because these are not country-wide happenings as some of the cultures are not known for their leanings toward Christian/Pagan observances, however, in the second part of the book which is geared toward kids through the 4th grade it goes back and gives stats on the percentage of the population in each of the 13 countries mentioned (Ethiopia, Serbia, India, Egypt, Lebanon, the Phillipines, Argentina, Italy, Canada, Columbia, Iceland, Mexico & Australia) that celebrate the holiday in the ways mentioned.   It is a little odd to present it the way it is, making it appear that the entire country does celebrate the day but the disclaimer style explanation sets the record straight.   A bit awkward, but, informative and told in a fun way.    Yes, I think it would make a great read aloud then discuss after book for teachers, children's librarians, parents and grandparents (aunts, uncles, big brothers, big sisters, cousins, babysitters...everybody in fact!)  I recommend it for kids but do think a discussion should follow so they realize it is a choice not a blanket worldwide concept.  Good for listeners (babies) who will enjoy the rhyming sounds of the stories on up to 4th grade and beyond.  Everyone will learn something here about other cultures.

Flora & Ulysses

 Shirley J.                 Juvenile Fiction                           a vacuum cleaner, a cynic, and a typing squirrel   

Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated Adventures by Kate DiCamillo   256 pages

When Mr. Tickman buys his wife a Ulysses Super Suction, Multi-Terrain 2000X vacuum cleaner and they are testing it out on multi-terrain, Mr. Tickman sucks up a squirrel!   Local 10 year old self-proclaimed cynic, Flora Belle Buckman sees what happens and rescues the poor thing.   Flora Belle is a little lax on friends and becomes attached to this new friend whom she dubs, Ulysses (after the vacuum cleaner).   Now throughout the world there are many reports of people undergoing near death experiences that once they return to this plane of existence find they have developed psychic abilities and after Ulysses harrowing escape from suction oblivion he and Flora find that he has flying squirrel abilities, appears to have gained super strength and who knows what other superpowers and oh yes, he starts typing out poetry.  A fun story for young and old maybe both at the same time.  Text and some of the storyline told in graphic novel illustrations.   I hear Disney has done the movie, too.   I highly recommend this for all ages from listeners (babies) on up.   A great read aloud story, too, I think.  Fun from beginning to end.

Lakeshore Christmas

Shirley J.               Adult Fiction                                  Librarians, Child Stars, Community Service

Lakeshore Christmas: Lakeshore Chronicles Book 6 by Susan Wiggs  384 pages

Maureen Davenport, town librarian, and, former child star, Eddie Haven are like fire and water or a steel wool pad and chenille.   They are working on the town's upcoming Christmas pageant, Maureen out of happy inheritance of the role, Eddie is supposed to be doing community service for an infraction he committed several years ago in the town.   Maureen acts like a pissed off cat that somebody tried to bathe, constantly all claws, fluffed out fur like she stuck her finger in an electric socket just an old biddy with a terrible attitude.   She treats the guy like he is a total jerk all through the book, even though the reader finds out what a good guy he is and that she is too tightly wound to see.   They both have back stories but her prior poopy relationship and aftermath had nothing to do with him.   His backstory is he grew up with hippie show-biz parents who never celebrated Christmas they stayed on the road doing shows throughout the season so he never had a normal home life nor a normal Christmas at home and never got any presents.  He says he doesn't like Christmas but every year he shows up to help out with the Christmas pageant and does everything he can to help make it wonderful for everybody, of course, he had been assisting the former Christmas pageant director who was a wonderful motherly lady who basically let him do whatever he wanted.   Not so much with Maureen now taking over the event.   She is bossy, opinionated and she certainly does not like Eddie nor any of his ideas.   She says she loves Christmas but with that hateful attitude she would stop Santa in his tracks!  I did not like Maureen even after I found out what caused her to be the way she was.  Then for her to play, I hate you, I love you, just didn't sit well with me when Eddie was a descent guy trying to get along, offering his all for the town and the show only to be shot down at every gesture.   And then he falls for her.  Whaaaat?????  He must have dominatrix issues liking someone who is constantly mean to him but that is just my opinion.   The story kept me interested and there are some surprising twists and characters that really keep the story interesting.   It is a good story regardless of the fact that Maureen is such a crabapple.  I would recommend it to all who love Christmas stories, it would make a great movie on the Hallmark channel.  

Full-Figured 13: Carl Weber Presents the Full-Figured Series

 Shirley J.                     Adult Fiction                                    Big Beautiful Women Looking for Love 

Full Figured 13: Carl Weber Presents the Full Figured Series by Mona Love and Katt

Two different stories are told in this book, one by each author.   The first story by Mona Love is: A Million Dollars Worth of Fat.   This story is about Keisha Long a full-figured big beautiful woman who weighs 320 lbs.  Gorgeous with lots to love, but, all the guys she meets either blow her off for being a big gal or tell her they think of her as a friend or like their sister.   Some are just plain rude.   She can't seem to find anyone to love her, some might use her sexually, but, have other women in their life and don't see Keisha as a serious love interest just a sperm depository.  Until she wins the lottery.   All of a sudden all those old one night stands, or now and thens, when they don't have another woman lined up show up at her front door professing love and devotion when in reality a blind person could see through them to their true motives of wanting her money and planning to stick around only as long as the money holds out or just flat gangster wanting to take all of her money and split.   Keisha so wants to believe they actually have feelings for her even though she really knows the scoop and when she forgets her best friend is sure to remind her they are only after one thing and it isn't sex it's her money!   Good story.  A cautionary tale.  The second story by Katt is: Complications.   Secret Johnson had it all, she was a successful model, going to college, life was going great, until she met David.   When she fell madly in love with David she gave up everything good in her life for him.  David was getting by but she wanted to help him so she paid for their dates to help out.  She wanted to help him achieve his dream of graduating from college and having his dream career.   She quit school and put him through college because she loved him so.   They married and after the first pregnancy she gained 70 lbs.  even more after their second child was born.  David started telling her how fat she was and cut her deeply telling her how sick it made him to even contemplate having sex with her, and worse.  She felt him slipping away...he started "working" more and more, long nights away from her and the kids.  She felt she had to do something drastic to save their relationship.  Her life becomes a blurred nightmare and it keeps spiraling dragging her down lower and lower as she loses her grip on reality.   A good story and another cautionary tale beware the love that uses you.  As the saying goes someone who truly loves you won't make you cry.  Tragic and full of emotions blown to the stratosphere.   I really liked both stories, they offer so many truths and show women what love gone wrong can do to them.   I recommend this to teens on up, especially to all the big beautiful women of the world.  Stay strong and discern ladies. 

Bluff by Jane Stanton Hitchcock

 Bluff by Jane Stanton Hitchcock 305 pages

Bluff  is the story of former socialite (current poker player) Maud Warner.  When she was young and impressionable, she was taken in by celebrity accountant Burt Sklar.  Once she figured out that he was a fraud, her mother had already invested money with him and lost most of it (think Bernie Madoff).  One day she goes into The Four Seasons restaurant and tells the maitre d she is meeting Burt and his dining companion Sun Sunderland.  She draws a gun from her purse and shoots.  She hits Sun Sunderland since Burt Sklar uses him as a shield.  Did she hit the wrong man?  After this she goes into hiding with one of her poker buddies in Washington D.C.  I would summarize more, but might give away the twists.

Filled with plenty of twists and turns (and poker terminology), Bluff is a delightful caper mystery from beginning to end.  If you enjoy a lighter story with a twist, Bluff may be just what you are looking for.

 

We Are Not Broken

 Shirley J.                  Adult Memoir                                    Grandmothers raising grandkids

We Are Not Broken by George M. Johnson  240 pages

This is a wonderful story of two sets of brothers, George and Garrett and Lil' Rall and Rasul who are raised by their grandmother.   The story is funny (like when Nanny goes over to kick her son's girlfriend's behind for calling her a B), sad, when their cousin, Lil' Kevin,  who lived with them for a while gets killed, bittersweet with their struggles to become black men under Nanny's loving, watchful eye.  It is such a great story about family, love, devotion not without fighting, they were 4 young men growing up together, but, a deeper family love that kept them all 4 together as they have grown up and pursued their own lives which is also talked about in the book.    It will make you laugh out loud at times and shed a tear others.    Excellent book.   I recommend this one to middle-schoolers on up.

Dear Evan Hansen

 Shirley J.           Young Adult Fiction                           How letting a lie survive allows it to grow    

Dear Evan Hansen: The Novel by Val Emmich, Steven Levenson, Benj Pasek and Justin Paul 368 pages

Wow!  Things can take off in the twinkling of an eye and that is exactly what happens to Evan Hansen.  Evan has some mental issues he is working out with his therapist.  His therapist asks him to write himself a letter each day starting out:  Dear Evan Hansen, today is going to be an amazing day and here's why...Sounds simple enough but when the highschool outcast/Goth dude/also mental issue having guy gets the Dear Evan Hansen letter from the printer at school and just as he was handing it to Evan, said Goth/mental/outcast dude starts to read it then takes off with it because Evan has mentioned the guy's sister.  The guy being, Connor Murphy.  Now he thinks Evan is f-ing with him.  He flips out.   Evan is beside himself.  He thinks Connor is going to belittle him over social media and the whole school will know the fanciful letter he wrote and he will be an even bigger school pariah than he currently is.  Evan stresses over the situation.  Connor kills himself and when his body is discovered, Evans letter is in his pocket and his family thinks he wrote his suicide note to Evan and they must be besties.  Connor's parents confront Evan at school and freaked out and humiliated, Evan doesn't tell them the truth that he himself wrote the letter and their son Connor merely stole it from him.  A time goes on the grieving parents keep wanting more and more information from Evan about their friendship, grabbing onto any glimmer of hope they can glean from whatever words, emails, time spent with each other that Evan can share with them.  Evan's mother is a nurse who often works double shifts trying to support herself and Evan since his father left and divorced her to marry a younger woman.  The plot thickens it goes from bad to worse to over the edge.   A good book and a good film.  I recommend this to middle-schoolers on up to let them know how things can blow out of proportion even if you don't mean for them to.

The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure

 Shirley J.   Adult Non-Fiction      Three things being taught in today's education system that are toxic

The Coddling of the American Mind: How Good Intentions and Bad Ideas Are Setting Up a Generation for Failure by Greg Lukianoff and Jonathan Haidt    352 pages

The authors state that 3 things are being taught in the education sector that are setting future generations up for a big fall.   They are:  what doesn't kill us makes us weaker;  always trust your feelings and life is a battle between good and evil people.   They call these the 3 Great Untruths.   They say society has come to a psychological push for safetyism.   By over controlling and making worriers out of the younger generations who tend to fear way more than their predecessors did it is in fact making it harder for people to grow up into confident competent adults.   There is a higher stress and anxiety factor now than there eve has been and young adults are not prepared to take on the troubles that come in life.     It starts in childhood with fearful parents who no longer push for unsupervised play, monitoring their children and instilling in them fear of predators, a there are people out to get me feel they instill in their children as they grow up and become teenagers and young adults furthering the social distance from their peers by spending more time in social media than in actual contact with other human beings.   This polarization due to technology is creating a generation of young adults who when in social situations become defiant and shout down those with differing opinions essentially shutting out new ideas and/or exploration of old ideas from educators creating an atmosphere of people who are afraid to speak out honestly.   They bring up a number of fascinating points with examples and real life actions that have taken place.   Information is being strangled because educators are trying to please all sides without taking any initiative to take a stand.   Interesting book.  I recommend this book to adults because I think young adults and kids would just blow it off and the gist of what the authors are saying would come to pass. 

Talk Like Ted: The 9 Public Speaking Secrets of the World's Top Minds

Shirley J.      Adult Non-Fiction       Learning the Skills to speak well and comfortably to audiences

Talk Like Ted: The 9 Public-Speaking Secrets of the World's Top Minds by Carmine Gallo   304 pages

Excellent book with so much knowledge to share with the reader on how to be able to get up in front of an audience and be comfortable, present knowledgeably and be entertaining so you don't lose your audience.  So many examples of speakers who gave memorable presentations that have gone viral.   Gives pros of using visual stimulation to make your talks dynamic as you share your knowledge with the group and how to keep from putting them to sleep.   Lessons are given on cadence of speech, how to manipulate the volume of your voice to surprise the listeners and emphasize your point.   So much excellent information to be gleaned here it is like taking a college course with the most interesting teacher you have ever been instructed by.   I highly recommend this book to middle-schoolers on up.   You can't learn this stuff early enough and it will help careers to take off and people to cross the world's worst fear off their list.  

Beyond the Point

 Shirley J.                 Adult Fiction                                                Female cadets at West Point

Beyond the Point by Claire Gibson   528 pages

This is the story of three female cadets at West Point.   They initially start off awkwardly, sort of competitive since having been athletes in high-school but things don't always stay the way they once were and not every athlete continues on to compete.   Not every tender hearted person can stay sheltered from the bad things that happen in life and just because someone starts off with a leg up in life sometimes they grow and blossom from there and sometimes things just don't fall into place like the original plan.   This story starts out with 3 young women from completely different backgrounds who find out just how tough and rigorous military life can be, who end up forging a forever across the miles and ghosting that comes along, they are still resilient together.    A really good gripping story that explains why the tough talker might just be covering low self-esteem, the perfect life can shatter like glass in an instant and the dream job doesn't always bring all the dreams come true.  I recommend this to teens on up.

This Is Our Rainbow: 16 Stories of Her, Him, Them, and Us

 Shirley J.             Juvenile Fiction                      16 Stories all with LBGTQ+ themes

This Is Our Rainbow:16 Stories of Her, Him, Them, and Us by multiple authors edited by Katherine Locke and Nicole Melleby   336 pages

All of the stories in this book deal with themes of being bullied, or feeling insecure in the feelings they are having for same sex love interests or for being attracted to both male and female, basically for being different and happy in their place in the world.  It touches on lesbian, gay, binary, transgender middle-schoolers finding their way to who they really are.   The stories are a collection of 16 different writers telling the reader that whoever you are you are just who you are supposed to be and that feelings for another person whatever their sexual code is okay and not to be ashamed of.   The book is written for middle-schoolers and the stories relate from that place.  There are text and graphic stories and a goodly mix is to be found here.  These stories might be just what someone needs to hear at the age they are coming to grips with a whole lot of confusion and conflicting thoughts.  Well done.  I would recommend this to middle-schoolers on up.

Game On

 Shirley J.                  Adult Fiction                                            Female Bond Recovery Agents

Game On by Janet Evanovich   304 pages

Stephanie Plum is at it again.  This time she and the paranormal apprehension agent, Diesel, from previous adventures is back and they are both after the same perp., Oswald Wednesday.    Diesel sneaks in a few nights sharing Stephanie's bed while her cop boyfriend is busy on a case.   Lula is always a joy and goes all the way live with her new wigs.    Even Ranger makes an appearance with several saves and replacement vehicles a plenty (how does he do it?).   I recommend this one to teens on up.   Stephanie and Lula are a heck of a duo when it comes to being a bounty hunting comedy team.

Caravans and Wedding Bands: A Romany Life in the 1960s

Shirley J.              Adult Memoir                  Romany Life as an adult married woman and seer

 Caravans and Wedding Bands: Memories of A Romany Life by Eva Petulengro   288 pages

The story begins with Eva Petulengro's life after marriage.    It covers her life extensively through the 1960s and how her fame as a tarot card reader, palm reader and clairvoyant soared.   She talks about doing readings for several celebrity and royal clients.   She talks about having kids and moving homes (still that wandering Romany spirit), she talks about family and friends and man did those folks drink!  But life was nearly always a dream except when cheeky journalists or t.v. shows tried to trick on to their shows to make her look like a fake.   Her fortune telling was spot on and she is still on many folks speed day today.  Fun recalling of Romany memories growing up and growing older in the Gypsy life.   I recommend this one to teens on up.

The Girl in the Painted Caravan: Memories of a Romany Childhood

 Shirley J.     Adult Biography           A young girl growing up a Gypsy living in her granny's vardo

The Girl in the Painted Caravan by Eva Petulengro    310 pages

Eva Petulengro tells the story of growing up a Gypsy when vardos (elaborate wagons Gypsy families lived in) were still pulled by horses.    She goes through the modernizing of Gypsies moving from horse drawn rigs to driving cars.   A delightful book relating Gypsy life and how they feel and deal with non-Gypsies.  She talks about how her grandmother and her mother read Tarot and taught her to do so and the charms and healing ointments and elixirs her family made and sold.   She ends this book at the point she marries a non-Gypsy and is afraid tell her parents so she lives at home the first month they were married before she finally gets up the nerve to confess to her mother.   Excellent story.  Turns out Nina is psychic.   I recommend this to teens on up.

An Almost Perfect Christmas

 Shirley J.        Adult Comical look at herself and her family during Christmas      Christmas Craziness       

An Almost Perfect Christmas by Nina Stibbe   192 pages      

Nina Stibbe brings you into life with her and her family during Christmas.   So many tales of how the holidays can go wrong but how you can put the right spin on it and survive it anyway.   A good writer with lots of humor to share from Christmas dinner (her mother is a fanatic about  trying to get the turkey to stay moist (she hates dry turkey!) to re-gifting.   Nina captures the fun and the fury that often arises during the happiest stressful time of the year.   I recommend this one to teens on up.  Nina is English and talks about many English traditions, food, etc. that may not be familiar to all, but, she has a glossary in the back to explain terms and people not necessarily familiar to American holiday traditions.

Cilka's Journey

Shirley J.    Adult fictionalized version of a real person's experience       Life in prison camps WWII on 

 Cilka's Journey by Heather Morris   384 pages

Heather Morris researched the life of Cilka Klein and wrote this fictionalized version of her life, at least, the conversations and some of the camp prisoners were, but, much of the story is factual.   At 16 she was taken to Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camp (1942).  The commandant took her for his own because she was so beautiful.  When the camps were liberated by the Russians, she was taken to a Siberian prison camp after the war accused of being a collaborator with the enemy for sleeping with the German commandant.   Though it was against her will the Russians refused to listen to her side of the story that she did what she had to survive.   The gulag she was forced into was more treacherous than what she had originally suffered through at Auschwitz.   A bright light happens when a female doctor sees in her an ability to work with the sick even heal others who would have been her enemies outside the camp.   The doctor uses her influence to bring Cilka in to the hospital to learn how to assist her during medical procedures.  The story is very well told and so real you feel for this poor creature.   Good story.  I recommend it to teens on up.   Found out today it is book 2 in a series titled, Tatooist of Auschwitz.  Are there no stand alone books anymore?   This one actually does even if it is a part of a series.

Trejo: My Life of Crime, Redemption, and Hollywood

 Shirley J.           Adult Biography               Actor and Activist Danny Trejo's life story 

Trejo: My Life of Crime, Redemption, and Hollywood by Danny Trejo    288 pages    

The best biography I have read.   The man calls it as he sees it and he doesn't candy anything up when telling what he did, when he did it and what happened next.   He talks openly about his drug abuse, his stints in prison (Folsom, Soledad, San Quinton, more), his love of marriage but not monogomy.  He tells how there is a saying in Spanish, "Uno en la casa y otro en las calles," which translates to one in the house and one in the streets - Danny had 3 in the streets while he had one in the house.   He talks about his family both at home growing up and with the women he married or lived with along the way, he speaks openly about the drug abuse carried on by two of his three children.   He tells truisms of Hollywood and names names.  He says he is the mean Mexican that he played on screen.  Often the enforcer whether in real life or on a movie set when the Director asked him to keep certain people (other actors) in line, Danny always does Danny.   I am a huge fan of his work and more so of the man.  He has been clean for a long time and now works with groups and individuals who have substance or alcohol abuse issues.   When on location he looks up local groups and goes and spends time with youth and adults meeting with them, counselling them and speaking at meetings.  He goes to poor areas and donates money, time, food, clothes whatever is needed.  He gives back to his fellow man because God gave him so much help and a second chance to turn his life around.   EXCELLENT BOOK but he writes what he speaks so four letter words flow freely.  I recommend this book to teens on up as it could be a conduit for someone struggling with their own demons to find the help they need.  

They Threw Us Away

“They Threw Us Away” (Book 1 in the trilogy “The Teddies Saga”) by Daniel Kraus 256 pages 

I’m not sure what to make of this novel. When I picked it up, I never, in my wildest dreams, suspected that it was a horror story. When I got into the first particularly disgusting part, I checked the audience and learned that the book is aimed at 10-14 year olds. I know I wasn’t ready for this kind of horror at that age, but kids are worldlier these days. 

The premise of the story is a hero quest. Five teddy bears find themselves in the middle of a garbage dump. Buddy becomes their leader. He knows this is not where they are supposed to be, but he doesn’t understand how he ended up here. He was made to be loved and petted by a child. Or how he is supposed to get out. 

As Buddy wakes, he realizes that he is no longer tied to the box that he called home.  He can move! But now what? 

In the group are Sugar, Sunny, Horace and Reginald. Each has a different personality that is reflected in their colors. Sugar is pink, Sunny is yellow, Horace is black and Reginald is gray. Buddy is blue. One aspect that I really did like is the depiction of Sugar. She is a damaged teddy with a head injury. The others know she is different, but help her and protect her when needed with out being condescending or pitying. It’s a great lesson for kids. 

The teddies band together to climb over the mountains of trash and back to the modern world. Along the way they encounter ravenous rats, bulldozers, screeching gulls, a highway full of cars and truckers and not-nice people. Their goal is to find the Yellow Plastic Mountains. There, they have been told, they will be safe. I had to chuckle when I found out what the Yellow Plastic Mountains were. It was the only light-hearted moment in the entire book. 

I gagged several times as the little band made its way across the dump. This book is like a car wreck.  You don’t want to look, but you must.  I didn’t want to finish it, but I had to. I’m not sure if I’ll ready Book 2, “They Stole Our Hearts.” But I was so upset about the ending, I may have to in the hopes of something happy happening. I really don’t know how to rate this. Therefore, I’m going to give “They Threw Us Away,” 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world. 

Playing Dead

Playing Dead: A Journey through the World of Death Fraud by Elizabeth Greenwood, 244 pages

Many people, it seems, have pondered faking their own death.  Some enjoy the fantasy of the ultimate escape from the traps they have fallen into.  Others long to pit their own cleverness against 21st century technology and investigative techniques.  Every year, a small number of people actually try it.  Why they do it is mostly predictable - usually to escape money or legal problems.  How they try it is the more interesting matter.

Unfortunately, Playing Dead keeps the discussion of how people fake their own deaths largely in the background.  Instead, it profiles a half dozen people involved in death fraud, some as fraudsters, others as investigators, and a couple who are somewhere in between.  The book has the chatty tone of a true crime podcast, so that the reader's enjoyment is likely to be largely a matter of how much they like the author.

Sinatra and Me: In the Wee Small Hours

“Sinatra and Me: In the Wee Small Hours” by Tony Oppedisano 320 pages 

I’ve always been a Sinatra fan. When kids my age were listening to The Beatles and the Rolling Stones, I played Frank on my record player. I think my parents were secretly relieved they didn’t have to listen to “that racket.” 

The author and former Sinatra road manager has written a fascinating look at the private life the “The Voice” in his later years. Not always sure that I believed all of it, but I did feel like I was getting to know the man. 

When the book opens, Frank is just coming out of his self-inflicted retirement. It wasn’t hard for him to get back on top.  It bothered me that the first pages were mostly about the author himself. I saw very little of Ol’ Blue Eyes there. 

Then the tone shifted and he began to relate antidotes that happened that and me feel close to Frank. His legendary temper. His friends. His work routine. His love lives. His generosity. Recording sessions. The feud between his wife and his children. 

I found the stories about his wife, Barbara, interesting. In her memoir, “Lady Blue Eyes,” She came off as a gold-digger. And she comes off as one here also. I’m sure there was no love lost between Frank’s children and Barbara, but the way she treated him in his later years made me sad.  And the way she refused to let anyone call his kids while he lay dying until she could reach her son was horrifying to me.  Keep in mind her son was in New York and his kids were 10 minutes away. 

I consider myself very lucky to have seen Frank live in concert twice in my lifetime. They were remarkable experiences. When I finished, I felt myself mourning the loss of the legend all over again, but maybe a little deeper after I read this memoir/biography. I felt that I had actually known him. 

“Sinatra and Me: In the Wee Small Hours” 5 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world. 

 

The Anomaly

“The Anomaly” by Herve Le Tellier (translated from the French by Adriana Hunter) 400 pages

This is the weirdest book I have ever read…and I’ve read some doozies over the year. It won France’s Prix Goncourt in 2020 (a prize in French literature, given by the académie Goncourt to the author of "the best and most imaginative prose work of the year"). 

First, let’s talk about why I wanted to read it. From the back cover: “…an international phenomenon, the dizzying whip-smart novel blends crime, fantasy, sci-fi, and thriller as it plumbs the mysteries surrounding a Paris-New York flight.” I knew it could get a little weird because of the fantasy/sci-fi aspect and I was willing to accept that, but, honestly, I expected a more traditionally plotted novel. I had only a vague overarching idea of what was happening as I was reading. But I was curious as to what the fuss is all about, so I read Every. Single. Word.  All the way to a bunch of gobbled-gook that ended with

                                                                         e

                                                                         n

                                                                        d 

 

Don’t ask me what that was about. 

The novel is broken into two parts. The first part is about a large group of characters and their lives are told in flashbacks as they hurtle through the air from Paris to New York. I think. They hit God-awful turbulence that had me feeling queasy myself.  The air-traffic controllers along the way begin to show panic about the flight which only added to the uneasiness of the flight. The plane does land safely in New York. Trouble is, that same flight, with the same crew, and the same passengers landed at JFK in March. But now it’s June. 

I think the reason that it was noticed has something to do with the pilot, but I’m not really sure. The plane is diverted to a hanger where it and passengers and crew are held as the government tries to determine what the heck has happened. Can you hear the “Twilight Zone” theme playing in the background? 

It is determined that everything about this flight is identical. The passengers even have the exact same DNA, the exact same memories and the exact same physical. The second half of the book is about the passengers from the March flight meeting those who just arrived on the June flight. Government officials take to substituting the passenger’s last name with either March or June so they were easily identifiable. 

Unfortunately there is no viable conclusion to this work, and it sort of tapers off. I don’t even know how to rate this novel. Therefore, I’ll go to the middle of the rating system and give “The Anomaly” 3 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world. 

 

 

Unsettling of America

The Unsettling of America: Culture and Agriculture by Wendell Berry, 223 pages

In this early work, Wendell Berry decries what he sees as the continuing colonization of the North American continent, concentrating on the colonization of the rural by the urban.  This colonization is carried out by technocratic elites who reduce everything to economics, ignoring the human, social, and environmental costs of their policies.  Although Berry's subject is agriculture, his theme is over-specialization and fragmentation, a feature of modern life that of itself tends to transform all human interaction - even "charity" - into forms of money-exchange.  The alternative, he insists, must be the invention (or recovery) of an economics, a politics, a philosophy, and even a theology of limits.

This was always intended as an argumentative work, a new salvo in an ongoing debate.  Now it is a mostly forgotten volley in a debate that has moved on, but its echoes can, perhaps, still be heard in the hills.  While it is explicitly tied to the particular time and place in which it was composed and published, with considerable space taken up by criticism of academic and political figures in power or in fashion in the late '70s, the underlying principles are hardly outdated, and what it has lost in ripped-from-the-headlines relevance is compensated for by what it has gained in historical value.

SLPL November totals

 This month three people read 24 books with a total of 6,123 pages.  Shirley wins again with 17 books read and two bonuses.  Keep on reading!  I hope to join you with reviews this month.

Christmas Sweets

 

Shirley J.      Adult Fiction       A love story, a murder mystery and a jewelry heist all at Christmas

Christmas Sweets (Large Print) by Joanne Fluke,  Laura Levine and Leslie Meier     489 pages

Three delicious stories (complete with recipes in the first one!) that will put you in the holiday spirit.  Joanne Flukes story is about a boarding school where some of the students must stay at school over the holidays for  varying reasons.   The two newest teachers are recruited to stay with them during the interim and suddenly find themselves falling for each other.   The kids have other ideas, though, and the boys set out to sabotage said blooming romance.   A good story with lots of great ideas on things to do with kids during the holidays that are fun and loads of recipes for sweets to prepare together.   

The second story as told by an not entirely jolly elf who gets stuck playing the role to a real jerk of a santa impersonator.   The universe has a way of dealing with the situation and a murder mystery takes place that just happens to be up the elf's skill set even though she is a suspect.     

The third story is about a working gal at a hotel during the holidays.  When her vacation home gets cancelled due to a rich muckety-muck booking the hotel for 4 days for 600 of his closest friends for a media blitz blow out blingle ball where the 47 million dollar jewels he just bought his former porn star wife will be displayed for all to see or will they?

Fun stories, excellent sounding recipes and holiday decorations a plenty.   Even help from unlikely places.  Thoroughly enjoyable and easy reads you won't want to stop reading till they are done.   I recommend this book to mystery loving middle-schoolers on up.

Make it Scream, Make it Burn: Essays

 Shirley J.             Adult Non-Fiction                         Essays on the life experiences of Leslie Jamison

Make it Scream, Make it Burn by Leslie Jamison    272 pages

Fourteen essays told in the best possible way - believably - and so believably that the author brings you in as a character into the setting of the piece then so perceptibly describes the emotion of the moment so perfectly that not only will you feel you are there,  you will be made to feel every emotion the author is through her deftly and precisely worded essays on each of her subjects.   Whether describing the loneliness of a whale whose song is at such a low decibel other whales cannot hear him nor realize he is there at all to the keenly felt emotions of children who describe past lives so adeptly and so finitely detailed there is no question they were linked to other places and times.   Research leads her all over the world for the pieces she writes and has perhaps seasoned her take on life and its many different people and unique experiences giving her the benefit of sharing special circumstances in tangible ways as her writing declares the emotions of the moment she shares in her writing so strongly they reach out and touch the reader.  She writes of war in Sri Lanka, lost love expressed in the museum of broken hearts, the challenges of committing solely to another person, the fear of becoming a parent to a little girl who lost her mother when she was 3 years old, to the fear of pregnancy, nearly losing her baby then reclaiming her through c-section.   So many stories are shared here and such a mixture of feelings from very high highs to extreme lows.   Jamison manipulates the reader like play-doh in her hands and brings you to the end a more rounded person for sharing the ride with her.   Excellent book.   I recommend it to mature middle-schoolers on up.

The Good Son

“The Good Son” by Jacquelyn Mitchard 352 pages

When Stefan Demetriou was seventeen years old, he got hooked on drugs. For each new drug he tried, he became addicted to it. One night, the drugs fueled a deeply hidden rage in Stefan that caused him to brutally murder his girlfriend, Belinda. However, Stefan has no memory of his actions. 

Sentenced to prison as an adult, the novel opens, three years later, when Stefan is released. To quote the back cover, “he’s released to a world that refuses to let him move on” and a world he does not recognize. Life on the outside is hard for Stefan. He wants to make amends for what he’s done, but the community doesn’t seem to want to help him. 

I have never read a novel that focused on the hardships convicted felons endure after their release. Stefan fails at first in his new venture, but I thought he succeeded too quickly. It was almost too easy. I don’t think it would be easy to do what he wanted to, even if he hadn’t been an ex-con. 

His mother, Thea, is also struggling. For the last three years, Belinda’s mother continues to lead a group who protests in front of Thea’s home who won’t let Belinda’s death be forgotten. It’s a daily reminder of what happened to her son. Thea isn’t so sure that what happened the night Belinda died is the truth. She teams up with the detective who initially investigated the murder in order to learn the facts.

 “The Good Son” receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world. 

 

Sister of the Great War

“Sisters of the Great War” by Suzanne Feldman 400 pages

Fans of the Civil War medical novel, “My Name is Mary Sutter” by Robin Olivia will love this World War I medical novel.

It’s 1914. America has yet to enter the Great War, but two American sisters, Ruth and Elise Duncan, are watching Europe implode in the Baltimore daily newspapers. They are desperate to unshackle the chains of conventional roles which society bounds them.

Ruth has grown up studying with her doctor father; she can make a diagnosis better then he…and most other doctors. However, society dictates that women cannot be doctors, so she is studying to be a nurse. She feels her talents are being wasted.

Elise is much like Ruth, but her talents lay in mechanics. She can take anything apart and put it back together. Elise is the household mechanic and keeps the family car her father needs for house calls in running shape. Her only prophecy for her future is to marry well and become a mother. 

As the war escalates, the girls want to volunteer to help. On his way to the front, Dr. John Doweling, the son of their father’s friends, stops to stay with the Duncan’s a few days before shipping out for Belgium. He gets to know the girls and encourages them to volunteer as American has yet to enter the conflict. 

Ruth goes as a nurse and Elisa as an ambulance driver. They are assigned to the front at Ypres. The conditions---living and working---are appalling. Author Feldman does an outstanding job in re-creating the Front. Be prepared to see, smell and hear the war as it unfolds around the sister. 

Each sister does have a love interest. For Ruth, it is the Englishman, Dr. John Doweling, who encouraged her to pursue her dreams. For Elise, it is Heda, another ambulance driver.

By the time I had reached the conclusion of “Sisters of the Great War,” I felt as if I had time-traveled back to this period and had participated in the war. Therefore, “Sisters of the Great War” receives 6 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world. 

 

 

Ian Celebrates Christmas

Shirley J.                 Juvenile Fiction                              A little boy named Ian's Christmas activities

Ian Celebrates Christmas by Pauline Oud   32 pages    

Very cute story to read to little ones about a little boy named Ian and all of his activities during the Christmas season.   The book includes how-to craft projects that will be fun projects for all ages.   I recommend this book to young children, parents, aunts, uncles, babysitters, librarians, teachers and grandparents, any one who likes to read to children.  

What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Blacker

 

Shirley J.              Adult Non-Fiction                            The Memoir of Damon Young 

What Doesn't Kill You Makes You Blacker: A Memoir in Essays by Damon Young

Damon Young tells the story of his life, from his life with his parents, and later his adult life with his wife and child.    Growing up as a black male has been an "extreme sport" in his words.   Contending with white people is frustrating, infuriating, and angst causing.  It has taught him survival methods from watching his neighborhood change from where he grew up to a gentrified group of Kens and Karens or as he terms them Beckys.   He strongly believes his mother who suffered with debilitating cancer did not receive the medical care she would have had she been white.   He explores how he has often been mistaken for being gay, how he plays hoops every Thursday with a bunch of older white republicans and while he hates the fact they are Trumpers it isn't like he ever invites them over to his house so he justifies his dislike of their whiteness with the fact that he enjoys playing hoops enough to endure.  Often funny, his take on life is well worth the read whether he is pondering "some more o' that white people sh*t" or describing a day in his life.    I recommend this one to adults.  

Tribes

 

Shirley J.                  Adult Non-Fiction                   How-To on getting people to follow you

Tribes:We Need You to Lead Us by Seth Godin    160 pages

Whether you are leading a movement, a company, a scout troop, a religious organization, etc. whatever group of like minded individuals, this book is for you.  It will tell you how to find your "tribe" - people working toward the same goal, whether PETA working toward saving animals, conservationists working toward saving the rainforest, Trekkies, etc.  social media has opened up the means to concur geography, time differences, inflated costs to allow people wanting to be a part of any ideal followed by others on the planet to make things happen and change the world.   Every tribe must have a leader - someone who is willing to take the lead so that the followers can amass and work toward solutions.  It all starts with the desire to change things.   Forming and leading tribes is easier than you think and Seth Godin explains how and encourages every reader to go forth and do.   Good book.   I recommend this to high schoolers on up.

          

A Warning

Shirley J.               Adult Non-Fiction                         Expose of the Trump white house and politics            

A Warning by Anonymous       272 pages        

An expose on Donald Trump's way of running the country and the political machine.  The book was written anonymously at the time but the name of the author has been revealed since.  Written by a senior official within the Trump administration in the white house during the Donald's four years in office.   Many revealing things were brought out in this book and it is a very good look at a very precarious time in the nation's history.  Interesting from beginning to end and even though Donald Trump is no longer in office it offers much information that is still good to know.   I recommend this to any politically oriented high school students on up though I suspect adults will find this of greater interest.     

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings: Who Guards My Sleep?

Shirley J.                    Juvenile Fiction                              Magical Beasts Who Watch Over Us

Shang-Chi and the Legend of the Ten Rings: Who Guards My Sleep? by Marie Chow    32 pages

Beautifully illustrated by Sija Hong with dazzling legendary creatures, a fox with 9 tales, a phoenix, a dragon and so many more creatures who all watch over us as we sleep and guard us.   The story talks of them as our spirit creatures who represent our personalities.   A lovely story, beautifully told and magnificently illustrated.   I recommend this for a night time story even adults might like to fall asleep to.

You Can Respect Differences: Assume or Find Out? (Making Good Choices)

Shirley J.               Juvenile Learning Tool                     Getting to know people who are different abled 

You Can Respect Differences:  Assume or Find Out? (Making Good Choices) by Connie Colwell Miller

24 pages

This is a choose your own ending book.  Aisha is a new girl at school who is in a wheelchair.  this makes Ben uncomfortable.  He wants to speak to her but isn't sure what to say.   He wants to ask her if she would like to play basketball - she is on the court after all talking to some other kids, but, he is unsure how to approach her.      Will Ben assume she has the other kids to talk to and go his way or will he get to know Aisha himself?  The reader gets to choose how Ben will deal with the situation and what happens after he makes his choice.   A good teaching tool on learning that it is fun to get to know other people and just because someone is different or differently abled than we are, it makes it that much more interesting to expand our horizons and get to know them.    A good story.  It is geared to the 5-9 year old set but I would recommend it  to anyone because everyone could learn from this encounter.  Parents, Siblings, Grandparents, babysitters, teachers, librarians, can all enjoy how this one turns out - after all - it is all about the choices we make.  

The Book of Magic

 

Shirley J.                      Adult Paranormal Fiction                        Witches, magic, family curses

The Book of Magic by Alice Hoffmann    400 pages

I love the Owens family, the quirky aunts, the magic afoot.  And finally a solution to the age old family curse.  There is such a need for balance in the universe and the sunshine must have its rain and so it is with the Owens family curse.  No free rides nothing comes easily nor without consequences.   I can only say I loved this story nearly as much as Practical Magic which I adored.   Every generation offers its sisterhood and this one is delightful and will please.   Lots of characters introduced and faraway places sought.  Another rich and delightful tale from Alice Hoffmann.  Bravo.   I recommend this one to middle-schoolers on up.

Yours, Cruelly, Elvira: Memoirs of the Mistress of the Dark

                                                             

Shirley J.                Adult Non-Fiction                     Memoir of Cassaundra Peterson (Elvira)

Yours Cruelly, Elvira: Memoirs of the Mistress of the Dark by Cassaundra Peterson   304 pages

I am a fan of Elvira.   She has a great sense of humor and I love the character developed by Cassaundra Peterson.   I was able to catch her movies macabre in California back in the 80s and met her at a personal appearance she did.  She is the whitest person I have ever seen.  Her skin is almost translucent it is like alabaster (how does she do that living in L.A.?)  Originally from Kansas via Colorado before going on a family vacation as a teen to Las Vegas, Nevada and leaving as a showgirl - that is the life of Cassaundra Peterson.  This is an in-depth, put all the cards on the table tell the naked truth (I say that figuratively and literally) and name names of big time folks who are household names we all know of and how said folks played roles in the life of a free-spirited young girl with visions of stardom.   The roles are good and bad and she does not pull punches on telling her truth.  You will be astounded, seriously.   Great book by a great lady.   The poor dear has had her troubles for sure but she keeps pressing on looking for that rainbow and sometimes finding it.  I recommend this one for adults. 

"This Was Toscanini: The Maestro, My Father, and Me" by Samuel Antek and Lucy Antek Johnson   184 pages

I have to admit that before I read this book, I was cognizant that Arturo Toscanini (1867-1957) was one of the greatest conductors who ever lived. However, I thought he was one of the old masters, from the 1800s. I had no idea that he headed up the NBC Symphony Orchestra from its first performance on November 13, 1937 until it disbanded in 1954. The Orchestra performed weekly radio broadcasts and served as the house orchestra for NBC.

This book was originally written by the man who played first violin, Samuel Antek. When it was originally published in 1963, it was a book about a musician written for musicians. I borrowed that copy from the library and it was too technical for my reading tastes.  It quickly fell out of print.

Now in 2021 Antek’s daughter has revived her father’s original work, but added her own memories and observations. This is more of a biography/biography/memoir book if I had to give it a genre.

Ms, Antek Johnson retained all the original photographs by Robert Hupka. They are striking and sometimes penetrating; sometimes I swear I could see Toscanini’s soul in those photographs as he strived to make beautiful music.

Ms. Antek Johnson’s take on the book was to reprint the photographs and her father’s words, but she wrote an introduction to each chapter. Written in a rather chatty style, I felt as if I was listening to an old friend reminisce about a grandfather and father.

 I really enjoyed this work and feel as if I’m a more rounded person because of it---or that could be that Toscanini was the answer to a recent “Jeopardy!” question that I would never have known the answer to otherwise.  I really struggled with Antek’s original last chapter, “Toscanini Conducts Oberon.” It was too technical for me. I ended up just reading the word without understanding their meanings. Never mind my failings, "This Was Toscanini: The Maestro, My Father, and Me" receives 5 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

 

A Woman of Intelligence: A Novel

 

Shirley J.                       Adult Fiction                                                 Dysfunctional marriage, spies    

A Woman of Intelligence: A Novel by Karin Tanabe       384 pages    

How do you go from a party-girl to a wife and mother to a spy for the F.B.I.?   Set in the 1940s and 50s, college educated Katharina Edgeworth had been an insanely happy party girl going out with friends every night sometimes partying so hard she went to work the next day in the same clothes as the day prior because she went straight from a night of drinking back to the office for a cup of coffee to start her day.  She spoke 4 languages and got her dream job at the United Nations as an interpreter.   Life was good and neither she nor her roommate ever wanted to get married until Katharina met the man of her dreams, a doctor, was swept off her feet and before she knew it she is the mother of two boys, her single friends no longer want to hang with her - they aren't into kids and her oldest is an absolute terror, kidding her, spitting on her, bolting into a run at the drop of a hat and she is overwhelmed and feeling in over her head when her husband keeps long hours at the hospital and they drift apart.   With no friends to talk to she is left to her own devices and feels she is not equipped for this mother role she finds herself in.  Her husband and his family (fabulously wealthy) look down their nose at her and verbally abuse her belittling her for her lack of parental skills.   She just wants to get away and cry.  Life just keeps speeding by on a downhill spiral when she is approached by the FBI and asked to join their ranks as an informant.   Seems one of her semi serious paramours from her college days is now a high-level Soviet spy working hand in hand with the KGB and no one has been able to get close to him.  Enter Katharina who is desperate for an ego boost, an adventure and to once again find that confident woman who ran her own life instead of the milk toast house frau she has become.   Let the adventures begin!   Good story.  She is such a likeable character and you feel her pain when that awful child spits in her face and gives her hell every day, then top it off with her husband who gives her crap over not being a good parent, not loving her children and accusing her of losing her mind altogether to the point he hires a psychologist to meet with her daily while putting her on psychological house arrest.   It will stir the reader to want to spank her child and punch her husband in the face but it will delight with the mata hari of it all.   I recommend this one to teens on up.   Get a good taste of the trials of motherhood and marriage young ones and decide to be strong and be your own person.