This month, the small but mighty SLPL team read some interesting books!
This month, Shirley J. had the highest page count, with 3430. However, Jen O. was close on her heels with 3383 pages!
Onwards to March!!
Summary from Goodreads: After artist Claire Beaudry Chase is attacked and left for dead in her home on the Connecticut coast, she doesn’t know who she can trust. But her well-connected husband, Griffin—who is running for governor—is her prime suspect.
And here's what I thought: I really liked the fact that there was more than one viewpoint and that the story moved back and forth in time. You start with something happening right now, and then move backwards, and then go back and keep moving forward again. The past days give some nice foreshadowing to what will happen, and combined with the steady pace, I found this one to be a page turner. I also liked the setting, which was important to the story and the characters (and sounded like a place I'd like to visit).
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This book covers all kinds of inventions and patents, from automatic dishwashers, COBOL, drip coffeemakers, Kevlar and much more. Some of the entries are longer than others, but it makes for really interesting reading. And, it's easy to find more information on all of these women if you want to learn even more about them --- especially if you look up what their patent drawings look like.
Summary from Goodreads: For decades, people have been warned about the Cold Creek Highway. Hitchhikers have vanished along it over the years, and women have been known to have their cars break down... and never be seen again. When Hailey McBride decides to run away from an unbearable living situation, she thinks that her outdoor skills will help her disappear into the Cold Creek wilderness, and she counts on people thinking that she was the victim of the killer.
And here's what I thought: I liked this story -- the pacing has a steady build, and there is a thread of tension that winds tighter and tighter as the story continues. The characters are believable and realistic, so it's easy to become caught up in their story - and even become concerned for their welfare. I liked the interplay between the storylines of both Hailey and Beth, and the backdrop of the setting and the town help underscore the feeling of danger. What's also enjoyable is that some of the other characters are unpredictable and it's hard to know who can be trusted (if anyone). Because there are multiple characters with different secrets and agendas, there are some twists and turns in the book. Definitely a book for readers who enjoy emotional suspense stories, psychological thrillers, stories tinged with horror, and books where the setting is just as instrumental as any other part of the story. There are dark, gritty and violent aspects to this story --- but if you like Chevy Stevens, it will be just as great as you expect.
Best readalike I can think of: Find Her by Lisa Gardner
Summary from Goodreads: WHEN PERFECT IMAGES
And here's what I thought: It's clear from the beginning that something is completely off about the main character, Delta Dawn. What's not quite clear is just how completely off she is and as the story continues, more and more becomes revealed. What I really liked was that although I was picking up on clues and making my own assumptions, Delta would make an offhand comment in the story that would really open something up. I thought it was interesting that the way the story is set up in the summary, you might expect one thing --- but Delta's manipulations don't always play out as expected. Kind of a disturbing main character, but I found the story to be a page-turner.
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Summary from Goodreads: This new collection (an expansion of the limited-release Bibliomancy, which won the World Fantasy Award in 2005) showcases a wildly inventive author at the height of her powers. Included in this collection are "The Least Trumps," in which a lonely women reaches out to the world through symbols, tattooing, and the Tarot, and "Pavane for a Prince of the Air," where neo-pagan rituals bring a recently departed soul to something very different than eternal rest. Written in the author's characteristic poetic prose and rich with the details of traumatic lives that are luminously transformed, Saffron and Brimstone is a worthy addition to an outstanding career.
And here's what I thought: I re-read this book usually once a year because I enjoy some of the stories so much. Each time I read them, I usually re-discover something I had forgotten about, which is fun. The first story, about an unusual young woman and moths, never fails to captivate me. And I really love The Least Trumps, as well. Hand's writing style is really descriptive and evocative and I often savor a sentence or two in a story. Her description of being tattooed is the most accurate I've read -- "It's more like carving your own skin with the slanted nib of a razor-sharp calligraphy pen or writing on flesh with a soldering iron."
Summary from Goodreads: he first time Alexis saw Austin, it was a Saturday night. Not in a bar, but in the emergency room where Alexis sutured a bullet wound in Austin's arm. Six months later, on the brink of falling in love, they travel to Vietnam on a bike tour so that Austin can show her his passion for cycling and he can pay his respects to the place where his father and uncle fought in the war. But as Alexis sips white wine and waits at the hotel for him to return from his solo ride, two men emerge from the tall grass and Austin vanishes into thin air. The only clue he leaves behind is a bright yellow energy gel dropped on the road.
And here's what I thought: I finally remembered I wanted to read this - and there were library copies available!
This is the second book by this author that I read this month and the two couldn't be more different, plot-wise. This story has an incredibly scary virus at the center of the story (plus a lot about rats, which is scary all by itself). I guess I would call this a medical thriller because the virus is at the center of everything and Alexis and her boyfriend are caught up in it. I really appreciated that Bohjalian includes very realistic details, along with believable characters -- this is the kind of story I can see coming to life as a movie. The settings are vivid and the story has a fast pace, with a tension that stretches from beginning to end. Good book, although I don't know if I'd be ready for a re-read anytime soon because the subject gave me the creeps.But reading this made me remember how much I liked other medical thrillers when I was a teen -- like books by Robin Cook.
Summary from Goodreads: f you are a boss who wants to do great work, what can you do about it? Good Boss, Bad Boss is devoted to answering that question. Stanford Professor Robert Sutton weaves together the best psychological and management research with compelling stories and cases to reveal the mindset and moves of the best (and worst) bosses. This book was inspired by the deluge of emails, research, phone calls, and conversations that Dr. Sutton experienced after publishing his blockbuster bestseller The No Asshole Rule. He realized that most of these stories and studies swirled around a central figure in every workplace: THE BOSS. These heart-breaking, inspiring, and sometimes funny stories taught Sutton that most bosses - and their followers - wanted a lot more than just a jerk-free workplace. They aspired to become (or work for) an all-around great boss, somebody with the skill and grit to inspire superior work, commitment, and dignity among their charges.
And here's what I thought: I found some really good things in this book and wound up marking a few pages with sticky notes to come back to later. While I felt there could have been more perspectives from female leaders, the no-nonsense advice here applies to any boss, at any level. Good book and something to maybe keep handy (depending on your job).
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Summary from publisher: In a dusty corner of a basement in a rambling Victorian house in northern New Hampshire, a door has long been sealed shut with 39 six-inch-long carriage bolts.
And here's what I thought: I have read other books by this author that I enjoyed, and I liked this one --- although not as much as some of the others, admittedly. This is a ghost story combined with a creepy haunted-house seeming story, combined with herbal lore. The characters are interesting and I liked that sometimes, I couldn't quite tell if they were reliable narrators or not. It's clear that something is wrong with Chip, since he seems to be seeing and hearing dead people. And some of the women in the town definitely seem to be hiding something --- are they witches? Maybe just weird women? I liked some of the elements of the story, although I sometimes became a little impatient with some of the characters. And, there were some surprises here -- and I was definitely surprised by the ending and had expected something different.
Summary from Goodreads: FBI Special Agent Kimberly Quincy and Sergeant Detective DD Warren have built a task force to follow the digital bread crumbs left behind by deceased serial kidnapper Jacob Ness. And when a disturbing piece of evidence comes to light, they decide to bring in Flora Dane who has personal experience of being imprisoned by Ness.
And here's what I thought: I was really happy to read another book with the characters of Flora Dane and D.D. Warren. I think these two characters in particular play well off of each other and I liked seeing Kimberly Quincy again. Like other books by Gardner, this is a dark story with some twists and turns, where details become uncovered that lead to some ugly discoveries. The book has a tight pace, which I really enjoy, too.
The Last Exit by Michael Kaufman 298 pages
Summary from Goodreads: Set in Washington D.C. 20 years from now, climate change has hit hard, fires are burning, unemployment is high, and controversial longevity treatments are only available to the very rich. Enter resourceful young police detective, Jen B. Lu, and her 'partner', Chandler, a SIM implant in her brain and her instant link to the Internet and police records, and a constant voice inside her head. He's an inquisitive tough guy, with a helluva sense of humor and his own ideas about solving crimes.
And here's what I thought: I liked this spin on the near-future with AI. The story is a combination of science fiction and mystery and I thought rhe main characters of Jen and her AI, Chandler were interesting. However, the story often didn't keep my attention and I put it down a few times before finishing it. Jen isn't super-likeable, which doesn't matter too much to me -- but the pacing sometimes lagged and I think that's where I would get stuck. So, interesting book and maybe I'll try it again at some point to see if I can more fully engage with it.
Between the World and Me by Ta-Naihisi Coates 152 pages
From Goodreads: Coates shares with his son—and readers—the story of his awakening to the truth about his place in the world through a series of revelatory experiences, from Howard University to Civil War battlefields, from the South Side of Chicago to Paris, from his childhood home to the living rooms of mothers whose children’s lives were taken as American plunder. Beautifully woven from personal narrative, reimagined history, and fresh, emotionally charged reportage, Between the World and Me clearly illuminates the past, bracingly confronts our present, and offers a transcendent vision for a way forward.
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I re-read this book for a book group discussion and found it was just as thought-provoking as the last time I had read it. There is a poetic quality to Coates' writing, and although this is a short book, there are a lot of powerful things here to think about.
Shirley J. Adult Fiction Women's Spiritual Groups, Friendships, Secrets
Shirley J. Adult Non-Fiction Bull Terriers, Cancer Victims, News Correspondent
Ovenly: Sweet and Salty
Recipes from New York’s Most Creative Bakery by Agatha Kulaga and Erin Putinkin 272 pages
I love to bake almost as much as I love to read. So when I got my hands on the updated version of Ovenly: Sweet and Salty Recipes from New York’s Most Creative Bakery, I was in hog heaven. I couldn’t wait to flip through its glossy pages and see what spoke to me. Is it bad to say that almost everything did? And I think I gained five pounds just drooling.
What I liked most about this cookbook was that it is geared toward an experienced baker, yet doesn’t forget about the novices out there. I loved the Essential Tools & Ingredients guide, Choosing a Baking Pan, Sugar definitions and conversions charts,
I haven’t tried many of the recipes, but the Hot Chocolate Cookies are wonderful! I’m eager to try the Bloody Mary Scones, The Stumptown Shorty and Spicy Bacon Caramel Corn.
One thing that I did not like about the recipes was that many of them had ingredients that are not commonly found in everyday kitchens, mine included. Therefore, Ovenly: Sweet and Salty Recipes from New York’s Most Creative Bakery receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.
Lyra and her daemon Pantalaimon were the main characters of the "His Dark Materials" trilogy, and this series begins with Lyra's "origin story" as an infant, when she was already being sought after for the part she is destined to play in a mysterious prophecy. Powerful forces work for against Lyra's safety, and it's difficult to know who is on the side of good. Malcolm Polstead, a boy living and working at the inn owned by his father, meets Lyra when a group of nuns become her caretakers. Malcolm has befriended the nuns, who live close to his father's inn, and he is fascinated and charmed by the infant Lyra. When a dangerous flood and sinister people threaten Lyra's safety, Malcolm escapes with Lyra and Alice, a girl close to Malcolm's age who also works at the inn, to the relative safety of the flood. The rest of the book is non-stop daring and adventure with bits of mythology and mysticism thrown in to keep the pages turning.
Pullman writes wonderful young characters who are distinct and likeable in their own ways, and Malcolm and Alice are as engaging and relatable as the characters of Will and Lyra in the previous series. We also encounter some of the adults we met in the previous series and get to know a bit more of their stories, and this book, like the others in the series, is action-packed, thought-provoking, and compelling. I can't wait to read the next one!
The Plague by Albert Camus, translated by Stuart Gilbert, 308 pages
I’ve been enamored with the Jazz Age, and especially F. Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald, since the first time I read The Great Gatsby. I’m one of the few people I know who really like it. And as I learned more about the couple, I grew fascinated with their lifestyle. There is just something about it that makes me wish I was there for one Gatsby-style party.
This coffee table book focuses on what was probably the happiest time for the lavish-living couple: their honeymoon in Westport, Connecticut. After having been thrown out of several hotels in New York, S and Z made their way to “The Gray House,” where they continued their wild parties.
While the Fitzgerald’s play an important part of the book, its main focus is to prove that Westport, not Long Island, was the setting for The Great Gatsby. The author, Richard Webb, decided to prove the claim made by author Barbara Probst was true and does a wonderful job substantiating her claim.
Readers learn about the reclusive, multi-millionaire F. E. Lewis, and his estate Longshore, who was, more than likely, Scott’s inspiration for Jay Gatsby. Articles from area newspapers and a few S and Z diary entries make for fascinating reading. But what I enjoyed most was the section called “Behind the Scenes in 1920s Westport.” It contains brief synopsis about the places and the people which Webb writes and provides a clear case for Webb’s, and Probst’s, claim.
It was heartbreaking to read of Scott’s alcoholism (30+ beers and a quart of gin---day) and Zelda’s need for a mental institution and her ultimate death in a fire at the asylum.
The Paris Library by Janet Skeslien Charles 368 pages
This fabulous novel explores the meaning of friendship, loyalty, and most important, the need--- and the desire---for information. It illustrates how important libraries are, even in these days of Google and the internet.
The library in this novel is The American Library in Paris. A real, still-functioning library in Paris’ 7th arrondissement, ten minutes from the Eiffel Tower, celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2020. From their website: “The American Library in Paris was established in 1920 under the auspices of the American Library Association with a core collection of books and periodicals donated by American libraries to United States armed forces personnel serving their allies in World War I. The Library has grown since then into the largest English-language lending library on the European continent. It operates as a non-profit cultural association…”
I loved looking at the website photos to help clarify my visions of what the library looked during the novel’s time frame (1939-1944). That is one timeline in this fabulous story. The other is 1986-87 and takes place in Montana.
The war years’ part of the story mostly takes place in the library. There is a whole cast of employees and patrons that readers get to know as the noose of the German Occupation grows tighter and tighter. However, the main protagonist is Odile (Oh-deal) Souchet. The Montana part of the story gives readers full-circle about what happened after the war.
Odile has just landed her dream job at the library. She is so happy to be there, she doesn’t even mind that her parents are desperately trying to find her a husband. Her dad, a police commissioner, is always bringing single officers home for Sunday dinner. Odile has no interest in marriage.
As the Nazis goose-step down the Avenue des Champs-Élysées, most Parisians flee the city, except for the library employees and a few faithful patrons. The employees stay behind because they believe in their mission, to provide information and entertainment.
What happens in this novel is not unlike what is happening at libraries in 2021. They are doing their best to stay open and meet patrons’ needs. I work at a library (not on the frontlines though) and felt a symbiotic relationship with Odile and the others. Even when they were in danger (as our staff is with the coronavirus running amuck), they showed up to complete their mission---even if that meant home deliveries and hiding patrons of a certain religious persuasion.
I cannot recommend this novel highly enough. I also recommend visiting The American Library in Paris; website at americanlibraryinparis.org.
The Paris Library receives 6 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.
Dragonfly by Leila Meacham 576 pages
Fiction writing 101: The author needs to know her/his character(s) like the back of her/his hand in order to know which details to leave in and which to leave in. Most of the time, readers never know the character(s) that in depth. But author Leila Macham put everything in this book. Often, putting in everything doesn’t work, but here it does. This is the first of hers (this is her eighth novel) that I have read, and I wonder if all her work is this detailed. Guess I’ll have to do a little research.
In 1942 America, five twenty-somethings receive a letter from the Office of Strategic Services [OSS] (forerunner to today’s CIA) asking them if they are willing to fight for their country. Note: This is not a draft notice. They come from different parts of the country and have different careers. Yet, all are willing, especially after Pearl Harbor, to do their part.
The three men and two women have been carefully selected and report to “the man in brown.” Once they accept, they are given an OSS code name and a working name. Their operation is assigned the code name “Dragonfly.” Then they are dropped in Occupied Paris and embedded among high-ranking Nazis. Thank heavens Meacham provide a Cast of Characters before the story even begins, otherwise I would have been lost.
They communicate via a mural that one of the women paints on a blank convent wall, with permission of course, and a secret drop box located nearby.
The novel is broken into four parts: “The Recruits,” where readers get a lot of background information on the intrepid spies. Then Part Two is “The Missions,” where readers learn the groups’ objective. Next is “The Game” (1942-1944), the young spies at work. To me this section is the best as it had most tension because more was at stake. The last is “Home” (June 1944 – September 1962). Readers are brought full circle with the recruits and learn the end of their stories.
All-in-all, this was a good book. Not great, but good. I found it interesting enough to keep reading, but I took me a good three weeks to finish it. Highly unusual for me. And that is why Dragonfly receives 3 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.
Paris 1943. Lana Hartman, formerly Lana Antanova, is hurrying to visit her musician husband, Frederic, at the convent where he teaches. She cannot wait to share that they are to have a baby! She slows when she sees a German truck parked in front.
Through her ties to the convent, Lana is introduced to Henri, a member of the French Resistance. He has come to tell her the name of the Nazi-bastard who killed Frederic and, ultimately, the baby and recruit her.
I’ve read a lot of novels about the French Resistance, but none of those novels ever took place in one of the most beautiful spots in the world. It was a nice change of pace, and the landscape becomes one of the characters.
Lana throws some of her mother’s evening gowns in a bag and boards a train. Her cover is that she is the live-in mistress of wealthy Swiss industrialist and fellow fighter. Lana’s job is to use her beauty and elegance to gain information from the Nazis who were enjoying some time off from the war that would help them to help Jews escape. Lana and Guy are the perfect couple and attend parties most evenings.
I enjoyed Abriel’s novel as it was a little different. The tension was adequate, but not high. What really forced me to give Lana’s War 3 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world is the ending. It was so predictable. The novel would have been much more realistic without it.
The Mystery of Mrs. Christie by Marie Benedict 288 pages
One of the most highly reported disappearances of the 20th century is from 1926 and has largely been forgotten. That is where author Marie Benedict excels—exploring the past. In this, Benedict’s fifth novel, up and coming mystery writer Agatha Christie has seemed to vanish from the face of the earth. Her abandoned car is found near Silent Pool---“a small spring-fed lake,” that Agatha found inspiring, but no sign of her. Suicide is quickly ruled out.
She turned up eleven days later in an elegant, nearby hotel. Where she had been, and why, has, still in 2021, not been explained. Even Agatha did not address the event in her autobiography.
The Mystery of Mrs. Christie is written in two of my favorite styles---dueling timelines and multiple viewpoints---are fictionalized diary entries. The first is a section called “The Manuscript”---which I didn’t understand why---is from Agatha’s point of view from 1912 to current day, which is 1926. It revolves around her courtship and subsequent marriage and life with Archie Christie, and her budding career.
The second section is from Archie’s viewpoint and takes place in December 1926. It revolves around his coping with his wife’s disappearance, their child, their marriage, his mistress, and the fact that he is the police’s prime suspect.
A third, overarching section, only has one entry, but it dictates Archie’s every move during those eleven days. Agatha left Archie a letter in which she states that if he doesn’t do exactly as the letter says, he will never see her again. The police only learn of the letter near the end of the eleven days, which heightens their suspicions. However, Archie had burned it, so the police have no idea what Agatha could have written, which only fueled their suspensions.
I’m a huge fan of Benedict’s work, but I was truly disappointed in this one. There was no real tension, no sense that Agatha was in any real danger. Even Archie didn’t seem to care much about Agatha and was more worried about his reputation. The “supposed” reason Agatha left was lame. The Mystery of Mrs. Christie receives 2 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.
This month, our small but mighty team logged a lot of interesting books!
This month's Super Reader was Shirley J., who steadily logged 14 books. !!
Looking ahead to February and gettin' in some good reads!
