Broken (in the Best Possible Way)

 Broken (in the Best Possible Way) by Jenny Lawson 285 pages

Summary from Goodreads:  As Jenny Lawson’s hundreds of thousands of fans know, she suffers from depression. In Broken, Jenny brings readers along on her mental and physical health journey, offering heartbreaking and hilarious anecdotes along the way.

With people experiencing anxiety and depression now more than ever, Jenny humanizes what we all face in an all-too-real way, reassuring us that we’re not alone and making us laugh while doing it. From the business ideas that she wants to pitch to Shark Tank to the reason why Jenny can never go back to the post office, Broken leaves nothing to the imagination in the most satisfying way. And of course, Jenny’s long-suffering husband Victor―the Ricky to Jenny’s Lucille Ball―is present throughout.

And here's what I thought: Typical for her books, Jenny Lawson makes me laugh until I'm crying and then with the next chapter, makes me get choked up. Mostly, I laugh until I'm ready to cry - which is why I cannot read her books when I'm in bed before I go to sleep . . . I get way too punchy and laugh too much.  She's a little like Allie Brosh -- I can't relate to all of her stories, but I can relate to some of them. And that's what makes Jenny Lawson pretty awesome --- she's not afraid to bare it all, even if it's something ugly or sad. And she's there for the journey and takes you along with her.

By the way - I also cannot listen to her audiobooks in the car. I tried her first book on audio and was laughing so hard I had tears running down my face . . . which I could tell alarmed the person stuck next to me in traffic.

The Ladies of the Secret Circus

The Ladies of the Secret Circus by Constance Sayers  454 pages

Summary from Goodreads: Paris, 1925: To enter the Secret Circus is to enter a world of wonder-a world where women tame magnificent beasts, carousels take you back in time, and trapeze artists float across the sky. But each daring feat has a cost. Bound to her family's strange and magical circus, it's the only world Cecile Cabot knows-until she meets a charismatic young painter and embarks on a passionate love affair that could cost her everything.

Virginia, 2005: Lara Barnes is on top of the world-until her fiancé disappears on their wedding day. Desperate, her search for answers unexpectedly leads to her great-grandmother's journals and sweeps her into the story of a dark circus and a generational curse that has been claiming payment from the women in her family for generations. 

And here's what I thought:  Secret circus? Sign me up!  If you like stories of circuses, and things like Cirque du Soleil, as well as dark fantasy, this is your book. I really enjoyed this book and the back-and-forth in time storytelling.  This circus is fascinating, but there's something very dark at play here and as the pages turn, more and more is revealed, bit by bit. A ticket may be something you want, but is it worth your soul?  Can you pay off a lifetime of bad acts by performing a circus act?  Definitely a dark story, and a bit of heartbreak here.  Smoothly paced, this story builds in intrigue with each page and there is a dark current running all the way through.

Girlsplaining a (sorta) Memoir

 Girlsplaining a (sorta) Memoir by Katja Klengel  154 pages

Summary from Goodreads: Cartoonist Katja Klengel tackles the subjects that have shaped her life: from body shaming to the exploration of female sexuality, from the representation of women in the media, and the social pressure on women who have not yet started a family all with a sense of humor, an open heart, and an unsparing candor.

Why do we fear the word “vulva” more than “Voldemort”? (Shh, don't say his name!) Do we really have to be ashamed of our body hair? Why do gender roles in children’s toys seem stuck in the 50s? In seven chapters, cartoonist Katja Klengel tackles the subjects that have shaped her life: from body shaming to the exploration of female sexuality, from the representation of women in the media, and the social pressure on women who have not yet started a family. With a sense of humor, an open heart, and an unsparing candor, Klengel draws inspiration from her own life as she examines what being a woman today means to her (and really, a whole lot of us!)

And here's what I thought: I saw this at the library and was curious. It's a fun book, but there are some thoughtful things here. Exploring personal topics through a graphic format makes it look less serious than it is, but Klengel does explore some pretty interesting ideas here. Very funny, but also very real.

The Drowning Kind

 The Drowning Kind by Jennifer McMahon  319 pages

Summary from Goodreads: When social worker Jax receives nine missed calls from her older sister, Lexie, she assumes that it’s just another one of her sister’s episodes. Manic and increasingly out of touch with reality, Lexie has pushed Jax away for over a year. But the next day, Lexie is dead: drowned in the pool at their grandmother’s estate. When Jax arrives at the house to go through her sister’s things, she learns that Lexie was researching the history of their family and the property. And as she dives deeper into the research herself, she discovers that the land holds a far darker past than she could have ever imagined.

In 1929, thirty-seven-year-old newlywed Ethel Monroe hopes desperately for a baby. In an effort to distract her, her husband whisks her away on a trip to Vermont, where a natural spring is showcased by the newest and most modern hotel in the Northeast. Once there, Ethel learns that the water is rumored to grant wishes, never suspecting that the spring takes in equal measure to what it gives.

And here's what I thought: This was a really nice, creepy story. With the back-and-forth in time, you get an interesting perspective on the property in question, which I thought was interesting. In fact, the property and the pool of water, itself, is a character unto itself. I also liked that because some of the characters have . . . . issues, they are unreliable narrators. That sense of "can I believe them," and "is the water somehow evil?" kept things interesting.

Definitely a good story if you like a little ghost story with your suspense novel.

The Little Shop of Found Things

 

The Little Shop of Found Things by Paula Brackston    307 pages

Summary from Goodreads: Xanthe and her mother Flora leave London behind for a fresh start, taking over an antique shop in the historic town of Marlborough. Xanthe has always had an affinity with some of the antiques she finds. When she touches them, she can sense something of the past they come from and the stories they hold. So when she has an intense connection to a beautiful silver chatelaine she has to know more.

It’s while she’s examining the chatelaine that she’s transported back to the seventeenth century. And shortly after, she's confronted by a ghost who reveals that this is where the antique has its origins. The ghost tasks Xanthe with putting right the injustice in its story to save an innocent girl’s life, or else it’ll cost her Flora’s.

While Xanthe fights to save her amid the turbulent days of 1605, she meets architect Samuel Appleby. He may be the person who can help her succeed. He may also be the reason she can’t bring herself to leave.

And here's what I thought:  This book was okay. I thought the premise was interesting, but I found it was a bit much on some of the detail and there was more romance than I wanted in the story. The author does put a lot of detail into the story, so it's easy to picture the settings and the characters, which I did like. However, the time spent in 1605 seemed a little too "clean" to me --- I think my practical mind just couldn't always accept that things went so smoothly for her. Oddly enough, I can suspend my disbelief for science fiction and fantasy stories --- but not  "I went back in time and everyone smelled good and everyone's teeth were fine and I never ever worried about the fact that I might get my period."  Enough said.

Just because I didn't love this book doesn't mean it won't be someone else's cup of tea, though.

Unleashed

 Shirley J.     Juvenile Fiction        Science Fairs/Young Inventors

Unleashed by Gordon Norman (Book #7 in the Swindle Series)   208 pages

When their school is invited to participate in a science fair everyone expects Griffin Bing to be the first to sign up - his father is a serious inventor so naturally everyone expects Griffin to follow in his Dad's footsteps, everybody except Griffin that is.   Gordon has no interest in the competition but when his arch nemesis and arrogant bully, Darren Vader, taunts him into a competition to see which of them will win and force the other to get up in the lunchroom in front of everybody and make a speech about how great the winner is - well!   Griffin plans to enlist the help of his science geek friend Melissa only to find out Melissa has signed up to compete herself which causes a big hoorah between them escalating into a girls vs. boys match.   Griffin is stuck trying to talk his dad into helping her, but, his Dad makes it clear he will help but he won't DO the project.   And then new crabby neighbor, Mr. Hartman ("Heartless" the kids call him) moves in and stops the gang from taking a short cut through his yard.     And what is he  up to squirreling away building materials and boxes of groceries?  Things get way out of hand and surveillance becomes the word of the day enlisting Ben's ferret, "Ferret-Face," to do search and rescue missions.    A cute story that can stand alone in it's own right.   I would recommend this story to 4th graders on up.

The Dutch House

Shirley J.          Adult Fiction          Childhood Homes and Memories    Families    Forgiveness

The Dutch House by Ann Patchett      337 pages

I loved this story.   It is the bittersweet story of siblings Danny and Maeve Conroy and their memories of growing up in the Dutch House a mansion-esque home in the suburbs outside of Philadelphia, PA.   Their father, Cyril Conroy, made his fortune in real estate and as a surprise for their mother bought the Dutch House, a home that had been owned by a Dutch family and still held many of their things though all the Dutch family had by then passed away.    It was a great old house, a bit of a fixer upper on the third floor (raccoons had moved in) but a joy to behold for young Maeve who basically had her own suite as she awaited the birth of her younger brother Danny.    Their mother was of a mind to become a nun until Cyril talked her out asked her to marry him.    But, she never go away from her calling to help others and be a servant to mankind.    So much happens over the years, I will say one man's happiness does not mean every one is happy and a huge toll is taken on the family and changes come overnight.   Nothing is ever sure and tomorrow is not promised.   The story unwinds and people come and go, families are formed and reformed.   An excellent tale.   I couldn't put it down.   Sometimes the bond between siblings is so tangile it is almost supernatural and if you are not part of that bond, you will never understand it..   Great story.   I recommend this to mature elementary school students on up to senior citizens.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue

 

Shirley J.     Adult Fiction           Deals with the Devil

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab   444 pages

Addie Larue was born in the 1700s in a small town in France.   She grows up being friends with a local woman who teaches her about herbs, healing, the new and old gods.   When Addie comes of marrying age, her father and a local older man who is a widower with children strike a deal for Addie's hand in marriage.   Addie does not want such a life and when she is unable to reason with her parents she goes to her wise woman friend for advice.   Addie plans to run away but the woman tells her to take her plight to the old gods but not the ones out after dark.   Fate being what it is Addie is out after dark running from her parents who are giving her over to this stranger to marry.   She runs pleading with any entity that will hear her to save her from this fate.  Guess who is listening and turns up?   He  first appears as the "Green Man,' of the forest but later he turns up in the guise of the man of Addie's dreams, tempting her though she knows this personna is not a true one, she still often finds it irresistable.     Deals made in the dark to dark gods are never without a dear price to pay for them in exchange and Addie finds this out to her sorrow.   A good book that holds your interest throughout.    I would recommend this book to highschoolers on up due to sexual content. 

The Day Is Now Far Spent

The Day Is Now Far Spent by Robert Cardinal Sarah and Nicolas Diat, translated by Michael J Miller, 343 pages

The hour is late indeed, says Cardinal Sarah in this book-length interview with his favorite interlocutor, Nicolas Diat.  The Church, he tells us, is riven by dissension, compromised by unbelief, and stained with sin.  Meanwhile, the decadent ruins of Christendom are in the grip of a "fundamentalist liberalism" that pursues wealth and power (often under the guise of "justice" and "liberation") while treating the sacred with indifference and contempt.  The irony is that, by attempting to place himself at the center of the world, modern man has created a world in which he is increasingly superfluous.  Not content in its iconoclasm with the destruction of its own past, the neo-colonialist West actively works to erase the cultures of Africa and Asia even as it plunders their lands of their natural resources.  

It is necessary, then, for faithful Catholics to resist the temptations of compromise and despair.  This demands the cultivation of virtue and excellence - "The Church does not have the right to be mediocre."  Fittingly for the author of The Power of Silence, while Sarah's message is urgent, it is not primarily a "call to action", but a call to prayer and contemplation.  "Your mission is not to save a dying world... Your mission is to live out with fidelity and without compromise the faith you received from Christ."

Off the Wild Coast of Brittany

Off the Wild Coast of Brittany by Juliet Blackwell 464 pages

For fans of Jenny Lecoat’s “The Girl from the Channel Islands.”

This story takes places on a fictional island, Ile de Feme, off the coast of  France’s Brittany region, the part of France that sticks out like a thumb into the Atlantic Ocean.  It has one of my favorite plot devices too, dueling timelines.

Most of the book is centered in present day. Natalie Morgen is a best-selling memoirist. In fact, people travel to the island (accessible only by boat) just to catch a glimpse of her or have their picture taken with her. But Natalie’s like isn’t going according to plan.

Her partner, Francoise-Xavier, had abandoned her to return to Paris. There he plans to open a new restaurant. But on the Ile de Feme, Natalie is left with a guest house that is stuck in a partial rehab. He has absconded with their bank account, leaving Natalie almost penniless. She is thinking of chucking the whole thing and heading, well, she isn’t sure where. Fortuantely, her sister, Alex, arrives. She is a great handywoman and pitches in to help get some of the basic repairs done.

The two sisters have never really been close, but this affords them the opportunity to get to know each other.

Alex and Natalie find an old cookbook, more like a journal, in a concealed cupboard.  It once belonged to a young woman named Violette, who has some interesting things to share. One is that she marries a man named Mark, who is besotted with her, yet she is in love with his brother, Salvatore. Quite  the dilemma!

When the Nazis occupy France, all the men on the island take their fishing boats and head for England to join de Gaulle and the Free French. The women are left to fend for themselves.  The Germans take over the entire island and many of the men are billeted in the islanders homes. Violette’s home is no exception, and she becomes friendly with Rainier, a military customs officer. As food becomes evermore scarce, Rainier helps out Violette and her parents obtain the necessary food supplies to keep them alive.

As much as this book is about relationships, it also about secrets. Everyone, past and present. on Ile de Feme has a secret---Violette, Rainier, Natalie and Alex.

Off the Wild Coast of Brittany  is a good read. I loved the descriptions of the scenery, but I hated the abundance of French words that the author used that was overkill in my opinion. Therefore,  receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

 

View From My Window

View From My Window by Barbara Duriau  396 pages

In March 2020 widespread lockdown spread across the world. From Afghanistan to Zimbabwe, citizens in every country were told to stay home, to stay away from people who do not live in your household, to wear masks, to use lots and lots of sanitizer, to not go outside if it could be helped. The novel Coronavirus-19 was spreading around the globe at a breakneck speed.  Hospitals were overrun; people were dying by the thousands on a daily basis.  It was scary stuff!

On March 22, 2020, Barbara Duriau opened a Facebook group called “View From My Window.” Faced with only the view from her studio window in Amsterdam, she wondered if others were having the same feelings of anxiety, isolation and loneliness. With this new group, she invited the world to snap a picture from a window in their home and post it.

On March 23, Barbara posted her view. Almost immediately, “344 people accepted her invitation. The following day there were 2,675. One week later, 50,000!...On April 26…(the) Facebook group had more than two million members.” When I checked today (April 25, 2021), Facebook indicated 2.2 million members. Soon, it was more than Barbara could handle alone, and she built a team to keep the site updated.

Views from windows (or doors) from almost every country in the world---city and countryside—began popping up on Facebook, bringing a few moments of respite from the deadly disease that had the world by its throat.

I’m not sure how the book came to be, but I don’t care. Flipping through the urban, country, seasonal, landscape pictures, and those with views with all sorts of animals---made me feel like I wasn’t locked in my home but able to travel the world, seeing things I will never, ever get to see. Those photos are amazing!

Thanks to my wonderful sister-in-law, Mary, for gifting this book to me as postponed birthday gift. I LOVE IT! 

View From My Window receives 6 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

 

St. Louis Noir

Shirley J.          Adult Fiction              Melancholy Fiction all set in the St. Louis Metro area

St. Louis Noir by Scott Phillips    267 pages

A book of all noir stories set in the St. Louis metro area.   I loved this book.  Definitely dark stories but all told so well you won't be able to stop and will wish there was a volume 2.    Various authors either from St. Louis or living in St. Louis came to show tales that call up a black and white movie in your head.    They pull you in,  mab a little rough, maybe a little seedy but all great takes on people, places and events taking place in the STL.    I highly recommend this book especially to those readers who may not always want a happy ending, just a satisfying one.  Well told tales, my compliments to each author.   I highly recommend this book perhaps better slated to adults than teens.

The Life and Afterlife of Harry Houdini

 Shirley J.         Adult Non-Fiction            Biography of Harry Houdini

The Life and Afterlife of Harry Houdini by Joe Posnanski     316 pages

The author's love for all things Houdini clearly shows throughout this new look at the life of Erich Weiss known as Harry Houdini.   Posnanski talks about his lifelong fascination with Houdini and his burning question, "why is Houdini remembered after all this time when so many other musicians are not?"  The answer he came up with was because Houdini kept reinventing himself.    He was a magician, an escape artist, an actor, a vaudeville showman, a comedian, a locksmith, a showman the list goes on.    Houdini wasn't only one thing, he was a myriad of talented acts.   He knew how to contact newspapers and sensationalize himself to get coverage in the papers of the times.  He and his wife performed clairvoyant acts, dabbled in spiritualist acts then denounced and exposed those who would try to defraud the public by pretending to call up the souls of their dearly departed.   People remember Houdini because he worked tirelessly to keep his name in the minds of his audience  in what ever way it took.   THe author discusses Houdini's wife's life after his death, which I had never heard about before and he tells the code the Houdinis had between them so that Bess would know that Harry had been able to cross the divide and contact her after death.   A very good book on Houdini by someone truly in love with his memory.   I recommend this book to all fans of Houdiini, fans of showbiz, fans of biorgraphies, and anyone looking for a well written read about a household name.   

Ten Big Ones

 Ten Big Ones by Stephanie Evanovich  312 pages

Shirley J.     Adult Fiction            Murder mystery    StreetGangs

Stephanie Plum could easily have been Calamity Jane in the old west.    This story has Stephanie going up wild, wild west style against a street gang that gets it in for her, they even put a contract out on her and a paid assassin known as, "The Junkman," comes to town to take her out.   As if that isn't bad enough she goes through another car .exploding.   Is any one keeping track how many it has been now?   Stephanie is worried this time.   She is afraid for herself, MOrelli and her parents.   She has to hide out, but, where?   Then it occurs to her - the Bat Cave.    Good story.   The ending left me wondering - wouldn't other members have continued soldering?   but still a good story and I like all the different angles Janet Evanovich works Stepanie into.   Good story, this one I would recommend to adults.   I think teenagers would question where this story went and the outcome savvy as they are.  Good story none the less and Stephanie and Lula rock as bounty hunters.   Oh and look for a big announcement from Valerie in this one.

Fierce Little Thing

 Shirley J.              Adult Fiction                   Communes,  Charismatic Leaders

Fierce Little Thing By Miranda Beverly-Whittermore    432 pages

THis is the story of a bunch of damaged people who come to live together in a hippie-like commune in Maine.   One of the teenagers there, Saskia is mesmerized by the charismatic leader who assures everyone he loves them and wants to take care of them.   Saskia is taken in by his charms.   She is an impressionable girl and he is an older virile man who claims love as his only motive and saving this group from the politicos who kill anyoee wanting to live outside societal norms.  (David Koresh, etc.)  He inspires the community living in the woods  with him so much so that they hang on his every word and do things unthinkable at his command.   An unsettling book with some surprise twists.   I recommend this to mature teens on up.  It is an unsettling story.   Very melancholy showing how even when in close contact, you may never feel close to other people. 

Twelve Sharp

Shirley J.              Adult Fiction            Murder Mystery

Twelve Sharp by Janet Evanovich    310 pages

This story introduces us to Ranger's wife.   What???   Seems Ranger is popping up everywhere all of a sudden.   What is going on?   And Ranger's wife is so jealous especially of Stephanie.   Not to mention all of a sudden Stephanie has a muffin top!   Valerie is gaining weight like crazy too.   Is it a sister sympathy thing?   Albert Kloughn starts haveing bad dreams about a whale suffocaqting him, is that pre wedding jitters?    Stephanie's mother and grandmother shanghai her to go try on the bridesmaid dress as they plan full steam ahead with the wedding.  Sounding pretty sweet, but...it is so good you must read it to find out what all transpires.   I recommend this one to highschoolers on up.

Eleven On Top

 Shirley J             Adult Fiction              Lady Bounty Hunters Murder Mystery

Eleven On Top by Janet Evanovich   310 pages 

In this story, Stephanie has had enough, she quits being a bounty hunter.  Lula steps up to take the job since it is open.   Stephanie finds out that even though she is out of the biz, she still has someone trying to kill her.   It seems one of her former foes has come back from the dead and has a lot of animosity to work out namely by killing her.   In the meantime Stephanie is trying to work joe jobs to make her rent, remember the button factory her mother is always suggesting?   And the feminine products place?  Yeah, those jobs.  She even does a stint at the chicke place she and Lula love to eat at until that is...well read it and you'll find out.   Another day in the life of Stephanie Plum.   Good story.  I recommend this one to highschoolers on up.    

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Girl Gone Viral

 Shirley J.         Adult Fiction        Viral Internet Posts on Social Media

Girl Gone Viral by Alisha Rai  383 pages

This is the second book in a romance series but seems to stand on its own as a story.   A quiet introverted gal goes into her favorite coffee shop is sitting at a table when a nice looking man asks if he may share her table?  She is working on her laptop when he begins a conversation.   Being polite she replies and pretty soon they are in a conversation.    What she doesn't notice is that the folks working on their computers at the next table are taking video of her and this stranger's animated chat.    Katrina King has been through some things that the book will explain and it has left her wanting to live a reclusive life, now all of a sudden she becomes the mystery woman on the internet and people worldfwide are trying to find the female part of this adorable couple who are going viral on the internet.   The guy enjoys the celebrity it brings and goes with the story that they are a couple and he is going to ask her to marry him and so on.   This feeds the internet frenzy.   When the girl finds out she is livid and bolts out of town to find a better hiding place and when she does, she finds true love was right under her nose all the time.    A good story.   I enjoyed it.   zI would recommend it to teenagers on up.  

One For the Money

 Shirley J       Adult Fictiom      Murder Mystery/Comedic Bounty Hunter Gal

One For the Money by Janet Evanovich    330 pages

Book 1 of the Stephanie Plum series.    Great book.   The characters are real, they are funny and the plots are great.    Stephanie Plum a lingerie buyer at Macy's is let go from her job and while searching for her next job - the rent is coming due afterall, she ends up applying for a file clerk job with her cousin Vinny who is a bondsman.  Before long Stephanie realizes there is money to be had in apprehending folks who fail to show up for their courtdates and depending on the severity of their offense the money can be very enticing.   So much so in fact that Stephanie does become a reluctant bounty hunter.   Growing up in N=ew Jersey gives her an edge, she has that Tony Soprano moxy if not the skill set she actually needs to do the job properly.   Great story.   I am committed to read the entir series now.   I recommend it to teenagers on up.

To the Nines

 Shirley J.         Adult Fiction           Vegas, Super Model Diets Roses and Chrysanthemums

To the Nines by Janet Evanovich    312 pages

Lula goes on a supermodel diet eating mostly meat and no carbohydrates or at least fewer.   It is funny how often dogs follow her now.     Connie, Lula and Stephanie end up going to Vegas to apprehend a perp and of course to shop, play slots, drink  and sight see while they are there.   Fun Girls Night Out Vibe.   Lula ends up finding out dogs aren't all bad.   In fact they can be kind of cute.  And what is the deal with the roses and chrysantemums?   Loved it.   I enjoyed the good times with the gals on their VEGAS BABY trip.   I highly recommend this one to highschoolers on up and the entire series too.   

Two for the Dough

 Shirley J.     Adult Fictioin    Bounty Hunter/Murder Mystery

Two for the Dough by Janet Evanovich   301 pages

Stephanie Plum is a resilient gal.   Tough from growing up in the "Burg," she continues her fugititve apprehension agent status and goes after a guy she grew up with, Kenny Mancuso.  Seems people are coming up dead and Stephanie is trying to figure out the connection.   You won't believe the cleverness of the author as she connects surplus caskets, gun running and old army buddies into a real surprise ending.   I recommend this series to teens on up (some sexual content).

Three to Get Deadly

 Shirley J.         Adult Fiction     Murder Mystery/ Bounty Hunter Pervert

Three to Get Deadly by Janet Evanovich    344 pages

Stephanie Plum series, book 3.   Everybody loves Uncle MO, he has run the icecream shop in the burg as long as anyone can remember.   He has photos of all the kids in the neighborhood up on his walls in the shop so when Stephanie sees his name as one of the perps she needs to apprehend, she cna't think of what to do.   It must be a mistake.   Uncle MO?  No way.   He would never do anything wrong, but, he did.   When she goes by to see Uncle MO to get this straightened out, he is no where to be found.   He has disappeared and no one knows if it is foul-play or if Uncle MO is on the lam.   Stephanie must find him.   As she delves into his life she learns a whole lot of things no one else knows about Uncle MO, like his interest in porn.   Another great story from the mind of Janet Evanovich.  I recommend this to highschoolers on up.

Four to Score

Four to Score by Janet Evanovich     294 pages

Shirley J.               Adult Fiction    Murder Mystery  Bounty Hunter  Transgender

What do a 7 foot Drag Queen named Sally, counterfeit money and a vengeful ex-wife have in common?   Stephanie Plum in this latest adventre.   Such a great storym I couldn't put it down.   You will really get a kick out of these folks.   I loved the story and would recomment it to highschoolers on up.

High Five

 Shirley J.             Adult Fiction          Murder Mystery Female Bounty Hunter

High Five by Janet Evanovich   292 pages

Stephanie's cheap skate Uncle goes missing and the family asks Stephanie to find him,   Nothing is ever as easy or as simple as it should be for Stephanie.   Ramirez gets out of prison and she and Lula do a fugitive apprehension on a little person known as Bunchie.   Never a dull moment in Stephanie's world.   Loved the book.   I recommend this series to teens through adults.  You will love it.

Hot Six

 

Shirley J.             Adult Fiction     Murder Mayhem and Mystery  Bounty Hunting

Hot Six by Janet Evanovich   350 pages

Stephanie offers to dog-sit then the guy suckers her into keeping the dog, Bob, who eats everything, shoes, furniture, you name it.  Also in this story Ranger is suspected of murder and you won't believe whose!   The Ramos family plays a big role in this one.   The stories just keep intensifying, but, Stephanie's skill set, not so much.  She has a streak of luck a mile wide even if she does end up rolling around in dumpsters and slime now and then.   Love the characters, love the stories.   Can't get enough of them.    I recommend the series to teens on up..     

Seven Up

 Shirley J.             Adult Fiction            Female Bounty Hunters  Mobsters

Seven Up by Janet Evanovich   337 pages

The best way to describe this book is you gotta have heart.   Stephanie overfeeds Bob Chinese food among other stuff he eats then she takes him to an arch enemies house to dump a load actually several and some vomit.   Stephanie's burnout friends from highschool who have never moved out of that mentality goes missing.    Is Mooner running around stoned or has he been kidnapped?   Stephanie is on all of these trails.   Excellent story.  Thank goodness Lula knows a guy.   Treat yourself to this series, you won't regret it.    I recommend this series to highschoolers on up.

Hard Eight

 Shirley J.     Adult Fiction     Bounty Hunter Tales Murder Mayhem  

Hard Eight by Janet Evanovich    311 pages

We are introduced to Stephanie's perfect sister Valerie we have heard so much about.   Hmmm, is anyone really perfect?   We also get to meet a new lawyer with the last name of Kloughn pronounced CLOWN, you can see where the humor is going can't you?   There are snakes and large rabbits in this one.   We also get to see Stephanie's Mom's mother tiger flip out.    Good story  Loved meeting the new folks..   I highly recommend this series to highschoolers on up. 

Hairpins and Dead Ends: The Perilous Journeys of 25 Actress Through Early Hollywood

 Hairpins and Dead Ends: The Perilous Journeys of 25 Actress Through Early Hollywood by Michael G. Ankerich  488 pages

 When the “movies” first evolved in the 1910s and 1920s, they were silent; words appeared on the screen from time to time as dialogue, but audiences of those days had to follow the acting in order to understand the action. There was musical accompaniment that could help set the atmosphere of each scene. And like, today, there were hundreds of wanna-be actresses to descended on Hollywoodland, with only less than ten percent reaching star-status. Some of those women's names are still recognized more than 100 years later: Mary Pickford, Lillian Gish, Mabel Normand, Marie Dressler, Gloria Swanson and Marion Davies to name just a few.

The stories in this book are not their stories. These are the stories of those forgotten women who died young and/or tragically. The young women who, when they didn’t “make” it or their star shone too, too briefly, became involved in drug addiction, alcoholism, suicide attempts, prostitution and much worse. And this is the story of those who did survive, only to wind up “in wrenching poverty, living in the derelict remnants of their once-glorious mansions.”

There is one name that stood out for me: Margaret “Gibby” Gibson. When I was kid, I saw a movie whose title I don’t remember, about the Feb. 1, 1922, murder of director William Desmond Taylor that is still unsolved to this day. In fact, there is a Facebook Group dedicated to WDT. Two then-well-known actresses (Mabel Norman and Mary Miles Minter) were suspected, but the charges were never proved. Their lives and careers were ruined thanks to the scandal. Gibby was never mentioned as a suspect. I don’t recall ever having heard her mentioned before, but according to Ankerich’s book, Gibby made a 1964 deathbed confession, saying that she was the one who pulled the trigger. I was disappointed that the book didn’t delve into the confession more, but I realize that that wasn’t the purpose of this book.

This book isn’t one that should be read in a few sittings; the tales are too depressing. And like most of the women in this book, readers will soon forget their names…again. I found it fascinating to take a peek behind the red curtain into a time that we often think of as innocent and pure. Ha!  Therefore, Hairpins and Dead Ends: The Perilous Journeys of 25 Actress Through Early Hollywood receives 5 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

 

Flowers of Darkness

Flowers of Darkness by Tatiana de Rosnay 256 pages

I’m still thinking about this novel almost a week after I finished reading it. It’s creepy and disturbing!

The story is set in the near-future in Paris (I peeked at other online reviews, and they guess the time frame to be somewhere anywhere from 10 to 50 years ahead.).  Life on the whole has not really changed that much, except that many of the world’s most recognizable landmarks are gone---having been bombed (The Eiffel Tower and the Sistine Chapel are two that are mentioned.) years earlier and climate change is in full bloom.

Clarissa Katsef has left her husband of twenty years because of his infidelity. She has applied for residency at one of the most high-apartment buildings in Paris, not that far from where the Eiffel Tower once stood. It’s a residence meant to encourage art---from musicians, to painters, to writers, to sculptors. Clarissa is a writer with several notable book to her name. She is accepted, to her surprise, and snags the top eighth floor apartment.

The apartment in very, very, very high-tech. It comes with a personal assistant, whom she has named Mrs. Dalloway, after her favorite writer Virginia Woolf.  Mrs. Dalloway is creepy al by herself! The residents are filmed at all times (for “security reasons”), except when they are in the toilet room and hit the option of “intimate mode” for sex while in the bedroom.

Clarissa is trying to figure out what direction her life should take. She has her daughter, Jordan, and her granddaughter, Andy, her first husband, Toby, and a cat named Chablis. Her current Francois is trying desperately to get her to come home. Clarissa had just walked out, leaving all her possessions behind.

It is Andy who first mentions the clicking noise and other odd happenings that Clarissa thought were the result of trying to write another book and the break-up of her marriage. Now Clarissa must investigate what in the heck she has gotten herself into. She makes friends with another resident, but he promptly disappears.

Intermixed with all this drama are a few journal entries where Clarissa tries to find Francois’ mistress, and what she discovers is horrifying and disturbing.  I won’t even get into that part of the novel.

Technology is great, it’s wonderful, but de Rosnay gives readers a peek into what our future holds that doesn’t really appeal to me.

 I don’t know really how to score this novel. I want to give it 5 stars since it has stuck with me; 3 stars for it’s creepy and disturbing nature. I can’t say I would recommend it, but I wouldn’t say whatever you do, don’t read this one. Therefore, Flowers of Darkness receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

Desert Tracings

Desert Tracings: Six Classic Arabian Odes by 'Alqama, Shanfara, Labid, 'Antara, Al-A'sha, and Dhu al-Rumma, translated by Michael A Sells, 76 pages

This collection presents six poems from the rich history of the Arabian qasida, a primarily oral tradition practiced amongst the bedouins in the centuries before the advent of Islam.  The typical form begins with a lament for lost love, continues to an account of a journey, and ends with a boast. 

     She takes your heart

          with the flash edge of her smile

     her mouth sweet to the kiss

          sweet to the taste.

The poems are full of images of desert animals, the desert landscape, and the ways of the desert people, who were often little more than brigands.

     I have three friends: a brave

          heart, a bare

     blade, and a long

          bow of yellow wood.

But their values are found to be preferable to those of the city.

          What you own

     is a wooly plaything,

          growing long on stubby sheep,

     then shorn.

And they are not strangers to irony and satire.

          I fell for her by chance

     She fell for another

          who fell for another

     other than her.

Remarkably complex yet not at all "sophisticated", rooted in a dynamic, living tradition spanning centuries, unmistakably tied to a specific place and time and way of life, the beauty of these Arabian odes is unique and profound.

Autumn in Venice: Ernest Hemingway and His Last Muse

Autumn in Venice: Ernest Hemingway and His Last Muse by Andrea di Robilant 368 pages

When I learned that PBS was airing a new documentary a new Ken Burns/Lynn Novick about Nobel Prize in Literature writer and all around man’s man, Ernest Hemingway, I pulled this book off my shelf, where it’s been sitting, patiently, since 2018.

I won’t say that I am a huge fan of Hemingway’s. I don’t enjoy his writing style. It’s too sparse and the action moves to slow…ironic for a man who constantly craved action. Well, there is the exception of The Old Man and The Sea. That I loved. I had hoped that the book would help me understand more about the man before the documentary aired…and it did.

It starts in the fall of 1948 when Papa and his fourth, and last, wife, Mary visit Venice for the first time. There the fifty-year-old Ernest meets Adriana Ivancich, an eighteen-year-old woman, girl really, who had just graduated from a convent school.  He fell head over heels in love. The documentary didn’t delve too far below the surface of their relationship, which was rather disturbing. He called her “Daughter,” and she called him “Papa.”

From what I’ve read, in this book and others, Hemingway loved to be in love. It stoked his creative juices, caused him to dig deeper to find the words that gave the world classics like A Farewell to Arms, The Sun Also Rises and many others.

Author di Robilant does a remarkable job in only 368 pages. He manages to give readers a full biography of the man while maintaining his focus on Adriana. The couple didn’t seem to have a physical relationship, but more of a visceral one. He craved her youth, her vitality, her beauty.

Before Ernest met Adriana, his career seemed washed over. He was not writing and publishing as he had in his younger days. I can’t help but wonder if she was his motivation for rising every morning to go to his writing room and write.

As the years rolled by, Adriana was always in his heart, soul and mind. Even as his life began to spiral out of control due to a family history of mental illness, several traumatic brain injuries/concussions and alcoholism, she seemed to be the one where his sight landed.

Autumn in Venice: Ernest Hemingway and His Last Muse is a wonderful read and really gives the reader insights into the man. I was sometimes lost in the first few chapters as Ernest and Mary traveled through Italy and France---I didn’t recognize any of the town names. Therefore, Autumn in Venice: Ernest Hemingway and His Last Muse receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world. 

 

The Last Bookshop in London

The Last Bookshop in London by Madeline Martin  320 pages

Two young women, both eighteen years old, come to the big city of London from the English country side. Grace and Viv have aspirations of being shop assistant’s at Harrod’s. However, they need letters of recommendation, but only Viv has one. Grace had been living with her uncle’s family and running his store since the death of her mother. He was a mean man and refused to help his niece.

Upon their arrival in London, the girls had a place to stay---with Mrs. Weatherford and her son, Colin. Mrs. Weatherford had been her mother’s closest friend. The girls felt comfortable staying with her.

It’s August 1939. Hints of the impending war are being seen around London. Viv gets her position, leaving Grace to feel left behind. Mrs. Weatherford steps in and arranges for Grace to work at the Primrose Hill Bookshop. Browbeating the owner, Mr. Evans is more like it though. At first, Grace is extremely apprehensive about taking the position. She has never been a reader and knows nothing about books and literature.

When she arrives for her first day, she is dismayed by the clutter, the dust, and the lack of any kind of structural organization for the books. Grace knows how to organize and clean, so she gets to work.  It’s a daunting task, but she has no choice if she wants that recommendation letter.

Soon, Grace has made inroads to the mess. She even begins to offer help to the store’s customers. She meets one of the store’s regulars, George, an RAF pilot who loves the written word. George sees her distress and encourages her to read. She starts with “The Count of Monte Cristo.” As Grace falls into the story, she and George strike a small romance, sharing books and plotlines.

The Germans begin their attack on England with the London Blitz. Viv leaves Harrod’s to join the war effort with the ATS (Auxiliary Territorial Service – a branch of the British Army). Again Grace is left behind; With Colin recently drafted, she feels she cannot leave Mrs. Weatherford or Mr. Evans.

Grace, though does part and becomes an ARP (Air Raid Patrol) warden. With her partner, Mr. Stokes, she walks the blacked out streets, helping those who have been impacted by the nightly bombings. 

As the bombs fall, Grace, on her nights off, and Mrs. Weatherford are forced to join the rest on London’s citizens taking cover in the underground tube station. There she sees her neighbors and some of the bookshop’s customers. To make the nights less scary, Grace begins to read aloud. Soon, many of her tube-mates join the ever-growing circle around Grace’s voice. It is here, safe as possible from falling German bombs, that Grace begins to learn the power of books.

 Author Martin does  a wonderful job in pulling me in from the very first page. I also like how the Blitz is a character, doing what it needs to do so that Grace can stay connected.  I really enjoyed this novel, and The Last Bookshop in London receives 5 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world. 

 

Nanda Devi

Nanda Devi: The Tragic Expedition by John Roskelley, 213 pages

In 1976, a team of Americans and Indians set out to climb Nanda Devi, the highest peak entirely within India, by a new route.  One of the leaders of the team was Willi Unsoeld, and one of the members was his daughter, Nanda Devi Unsoeld, whom he had named after the mountain.  From the beginning, the expedition was marred by interpersonal conflict, competing visions, and a leadership crisis that was never really resolved, ending in tragedy high on the mountainside.

It is at the moment of tragedy that the book takes a sudden sentimental turn, changing from a contentious account of struggle against the elements and each other into a celebration of the beauty of Nanda Devi, the mountain, and Nanda Devi, the woman.  Unfortunately, little in the first part prepares the reader for what follows - there is little spirituality, no rhapsodizing on the aesthetics of the mountains, and Devi Unsoeld blends in with the other climbers.  Perhaps only belatedly did Roskelley realize that the poetry of Unsoeld's connection to the mountain was the hook for his narrative, or perhaps this is due to Roskelley being a mountaineer rather than a novelist, or perhaps this is a genuine reflection of Roskelley's experience, and all of the frustrations and disagreements became insignificant in their shared loss and grief.  Whatever the cause, the jarring disconnect at the climax keeps a solid book from being a classic.

Rhapsody

Rhapsody by Mitchell James Kaplan   352 pages

I was so excited to get my hands to read this novel. Set during the Jazz Age in New York, the story centred around George Gershwin and Kay Swift.  I admit that I had no idea who Kay Swift was in the annals of music history. But I am familiar with George, and especially his brother, Ira. The story, I thought, was supposed to be about George and Kay’s 10-year love affair. To me, that story seemed to live in the background most of the time.

Here’s a summery from Goodreads.com that made me want to read this novel:

“One evening in 1924, Katharine “Kay” Swift—the restless but loyal society wife of wealthy banker James Warburg and a serious pianist who longs for recognition—attends a concert. The piece: Rhapsody in Blue. The composer: a brilliant, elusive young musical genius named George Gershwin.

Kay is transfixed, helpless to resist the magnetic pull of George’s talent, charm, and swagger. Their ten-year love affair, complicated by her conflicted loyalty to her husband and the twists and turns of her own musical career, ends only with George’s death from a brain tumor at the age of thirty-eight.

Set in Jazz Age New York City, this stunning work of fiction, for fans of The Paris Wife and Loving Frank, explores the timeless bond between two brilliant, strong-willed artists. George Gershwin left behind not just a body of work unmatched in popular musical history, but a woman who loved him with all her heart, knowing all the while that he belonged not to her, but to the world.”

The novels opens with the focus on Kay. I admit that I had no idea who the author was talking about most of the time when “Jimmy” kept cropping up. Turns out, Jimmy is James Warburg, a wealthy banker and Kay’s husband.

I hate to feel lost and that is what I felt most of the time I was reading. I felt this way the same way I felt about “Loving Frank.”  I just couldn’t care about these people.  In my opinion, Rhapsody is a big ol’ flop and receives 1 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world. 

 

Hop 'Til You Drop

Hop ‘Til You Drop (A Jules & Bun Mystery; Book 3 in the Series by J. M. Griffin 288 pages

I fell in love with Bun, a telepathic Dutch rabbit, during his first outing, in “Left Fur Dead.” And now in this, the third book in the series, little Bun and his owner Juliette “Jules” Bridge continue to be a wonderfully loveable pair of sleuths.

Jules primary source of income is children’s parties that she attends where she brings several of the rabbits she has at her rescue, Fur Bridge Farm. All the rabbits live in hutches in the barn, but Bun has his own room in the house. The conversations Bun and Jules have are sometimes hilarious.

In this episode, Jules has agreed to help out her New Hampshire communitywith the first, and hopefully annual, Hop ‘Til You Drop Easter Egg Hunt. Jules has been assigned to hide the eggs and she takes Bun along…he would never let her end the end of it if she didn’t. After all, Bun’s an expert at finding great places to hide eggs.

As they scout their sector, Bun hops across a dead body. It’s not just any body, but the deceased is Della Meany, a very unpleasant woman who is spearheading the event. Our dynamic duo know that Sheriff Jack Carter would prefer that the not nose around in his investigation. As the bodies begin to pile up, he turns to Jules for help in snooping in places his uniform can’t get him into.

I love the interaction between Bun and Jules. Bun is a super confident little dude, who knows his worth and is incredibly nosy.

Hop ‘Til You Drop receives 5 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.