How Not to Die: Surprising Lessons on Living Longer, Safer, and Healthier from America's Favorite Medical Examiner

 

Shirley J.     Adult Non-Fiction       Medical tips on how not to end up early on a slab in the morgue

How Not to Die: Surprising Lessons on Living Longer, Safer, and Healthier from America's Favorite Medical Examiner by Jan Garavaglia     288 pages

Excellent book!  You will learn so much about how your body parts and how your body responds to various diseases, accidents, infections, stupid people tricks, internal/external bleeding, horrific vehicular accidents, gun shots/stabbings, tumors, enlarged hearts, hypertension, you name it, you will likely find it here.   She explains autopsies, both whole and partials, she explains medical procedures, she will open your eyes to multitudinous manners of death and how she goes about reasoning out exactly how a person died and how she helps solve cases with law enforcement agencies as to whether there is guilt or innocence - whether a murder or not.   She also has a t.v. show - which from reading this book ought to be fascinating to actually see the things she discusses here.   You will never look at things the same way again.   She discusses the hazards of alcohol abuse, smoking, over eating, drug use both accidental and purposeful,  and she tells you how the organs of the body are affected and exactly what they look like in each stage from healthy to extremely damaged/ravaged.    This is an excellent book on perhaps a brutal subject but you will learn so much here.   And yes, she goes into the gross parts of her job, too, (Smells, maggots, bloated bodies pulled from water, etc. )    You will reconsider some of your own behaviors when she shows you what your seemingly innocent acts or ignoring signs there might be an issue with your health and how feeling fine isn't always fine.   GREAT BOOK!  I am so glad I read it.   If the younger set are of a bent to be interested in medicine, science, anatomy then I say go for it, this stuff can never be taught too early, but, if you are at all squeamish avoid this one like the plague because she is honest and open and tells it like it is so be prepared for sincere sharing of facts here even the unpleasant ones, especially the unpleasant ones.   I would say budding scientists/doctors at any age beyond that probably mature teens through senior citizens - she also talks about breaking hips - she works in Orlando, FL. after all, with the state of Florida being the senior citizen capital of the world.

The Unknown

 

Shirley J.                                Adult Fiction                       Ghosts and Paranormal Investigators

The Unknown by Heather Graham   336 pages

Excellent book.   Sienna Murray's grandmother dies when she is 14, but, she continues to appear to Sienna and watches over her and others are helped by Grandma's letting Sienna know  to go save them.   Turns out there are other people in the world with the ability to see and talk to ghosts and reader, you will surprised by who that turns out to be.   Really well done story, good plot and good character development.  I recommend this book to all who have a bent for the paranormal - ghosts in particular - and anyone looking for a good read that includes firebugs, murder and mystery solving.   I recommend this one to middle schoolers on up.  

The Unveiling of Polly Forrest

 “The Unveiling of Polly Forrest” by Charlotte Whitney 310 pages  

Readers get ready to block off some to when you start reading this historical mystery! Definitely a page-turner. 

Polly Wolcott is only twenty years old when she marries the much older Sam Forrest. She marries him because she doesn’t want move from rural Michigan to Connecticut to help her mother take care of her grandmother.  And, it doesn’t hurt that Sam appears to be wealthy. He has his own thriving farm. 

But it is 1934; the Great Depression has gripped America. Even Sam is affected. Crops and farm animal’s prices are at the lowest anyone has even seen. Then Sam is killed in a freak farm accident that is brutal. Polly isn’t mature enough to, nor does she want to, take over the farm by herself. So what will happen? 

Author Whitney’s novel is narrated by three individuals: Polly, Polly’s sister Sarah, and Sarah’s husband, the local preacher Reverend Wesley Johnson.  Three distinct voices in short chapters that tell the story from all three points of view. 

In the beginning, Polly is not accused of murdering Sam. After all it does appear to be an accident. However, the Sheriff’s Office is looking into his death. He and his deputy question Polly, Sarah and Wesley for what seems like an eternity. The novel is set from February 7 to December 25, 1934. The questions last through the summer. 

The two strangers claiming to be White House Police show up at Polly’s door, demanding answers to their questions and thoroughly search the house and all the outbuildings. Seems like Sam was involved in some pretty shady dealings that left me reading the pages as fast as I could.  

During the course of the story, Polly’s unveiling comes in many ways---from her views and days as a flighty young woman to a more wizened, experienced woman. I thoroughly enjoyed this who-dun-it set in the glories of rural Michigan and the hardships of farm life. “The Unveiling of Polly Forrest” is a thrilling read and receives 6 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

 

Rose Royal: A Love Story

“Rose Royal: A Love Story” by Nicolas Mathieu (translated from the French by Sam Taylor) 96 pages  

This dark gem of a novella packed a powerful punch. Rose is almost fifty years old, divorced and has had it with men. Her favorite thing to do after work is to head to her favorite bar, the Royal, where she loves to drink beer, gin and vodka (but not together). One of the fascinating things about Rose is that she carries a .38 caliber handgun with her at all times. Like I said, she’s had it with men and their tendencies toward violence. 

Her friend, Marie-Jeanne, joins her every night and two nights a week, she sets up a small hair salon in the bar’s corner. Personally, I wouldn’t want anyone cutting my hair after they have had a few. 

On this night, the bar is basically empty. Near closing time, a group of teenagers, “seniors at a local private school,” come in to celebrate that they are only one hundred days from final exams. After Fred, the bartender, clears them out, the place is quiet until a man stumbles in carrying a dog that has been hit by a car. Rose helps him with the animal.  

His name is Luc and he drives a very expensive car. Luc and Rose are attracted to each other and soon begin dating. Despite the problem that they incur, neither one walks away. Instead Rose moves into his country house. But things don’t get any better. 

The story roars to a shocking conclusion. I was so shocked, I went back and re-read the entire novella.  I’m not sure that I truly understand why what happened, happened. And I don’t fully understand the title. Rose is the protagonist and Royal is the name of her favorite bar. Other than that, “Rose Royal” is a thrilling read and receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

The Mysterious Affair at Styles

 

Shirley J.                  Adult Fiction          Murder Mystery, Philanderers, Wealthy Widows, Step Heirs

The Mysterious Affair at Styles by Agatha Christie 224 pages

A 70 year old wealthy widow with grown step-children she has raised and who think of her as their mother suddenly remarries a man much her junior.   No one believes it was for love.   Her step sons are resentful.  Suddenly when the widow turns up dead likely from poison, the suspects are crawling out from the woodwork.   Could it be from her husband who even she suspected, or her long time companion?  Every one begins to speculate and point fingers as to why someone else might have done it.  Thank goodness Poirot is on the scene nearby and can come sort it all out.   The servants are possible suspects, as is the attending doctor who just happens to specialize in poisons....hmmmmm.  Gotta love dame Agatha, she knows how to paint all of her suspects into corners and like rats come fighting their way out, but, someone had to do it,  but, why?   So many motives, so many suspects, it will keep you guessing all the way to the end.   I recommend this one to adults.   It has that old school who dunnit vibe that I think the younger crowd might not care for.  

A Deadly Affair

 Shirley J.                           Adult Fiction                           Murder mysteriously wrapped in love stories

A Deadly Affair: Unexpected Love Stories from the Queen of Mystery by Agatha Christie   272 pages

The game is always afoot in Dame Agatha's stories but even more so in these short stories that are true gems.   I can't get enough of them each is excellent and the whole host of Dame Agatha's sleuths are hear at the ready to solve the murders.   There are stories featuring Miss Marple, Hercule Poirot, Tuppence and Tommy, Harley Quin and Parker Pyne.   I thoroughly enjoyed every one of them.  If you have not been introduced to Agatha Christie's excellence this would be a great book to start.  Each story is so well thought out and the clues are all there but it is amazing how the mysteries all come together.   I recommend these stories to adults, just because I think adults will appreciate them for their nostalgic whimsy and non-technological attributes.

Ms. Marvel: No Normal

 

Shirley J.                   Young Adult Graphic Fiction               Teenage Muslim Superhero!

Ms. Marvel Vol. 1: No Normal by G. Willow Wilson   120 pages

Really well done story about a teenage Muslim girl named Kamala Khan who lives in Jersey City, New Jersey.   Through unusual circumstances she becomes a superhero.   Really well done story.   Her parents are very traditional so you can imagine how hard it must be for a young Muslim woman to sneak out of the house to save the world.   Well worth the read.  I recommend this one to elementary schoolers on up. 

Aunt Dimnity and the Heart of Gold

 

Shirley J.                          Adult Fiction                  England, winter, ghost communicating, mysteries

Aunt Dimity and the Heart of Gold by Nancy Atherton  240 pages

Excellent story!   The story itself is a good one and the ghost communication with Aunt Dimity is almost a footnote rather than a major part of the story but that is o.k. because the story is such a good one.  Christmas time in England current day and the story is so alive and real seeming you can picture the whole thing as if you are right there.   The friends are so funny and fun, the countryside covered in ice and snow and all the yuletide events going on.  Then there is the dinner party that ends up a search and rescue mission, with new friends and blooming romance a foot.   The weather is almost another character in the mix and the new mysterious lady so full of knowledge but so introverted any info the gossipy folk can dig out of her is like pulling teeth!   One mystery leads to another then to another but it is fascinating and you reader, will learn so much along the way.  History abounds and what could possibly tie all the loose ends together?   Will they ever solve what is up with that strange room and what its purpose might be?   Whoa!  Wait a minute, what is that stuff insider there?  Yikes!  More mysteries!   Excellent story, excellent dialogue.  This too, I find is part of a really big series all involving the ghost Aunt Dimity.   I will likely check out the rest of the series because I like the people so much.    I recommend this to mature middle schoolers on up.  

The Confession Club

 

Shirley J.                            Adult Fiction                                Friends sharing their secrets over dinners

The Confession Club by Elizabeth Berg  320 pages    

What starts out as a group of local ladies in Macon, MO, getting together to swap recipes and enjoy pot lucks together, soon turns into secret swapping, they start confessing their sins and hopes and dreams, lusty desires, secret shames, regrets find out they aren't judged but commiserated with and helped by the advice and knowledge that gets shared along with the rest.  For some it is spurring them on to do things they want to but are afraid to, for others it is getting long held burdens off their consciences.  As the saying goes true friends are the ones that know everything about you and like you anyway.   This is a fun inclusive book that makes the reader feel like a part of the group even if you are only hearing others' stories, you feel a real kinship with these gals.   Come to find out this too is a part of a series about women in Mason, MO so I plan to read the other two books since I enjoyed this one so much.  I recommend this one to adults, I'm not sure young people would get as big a kick out of it as older ladies might.  There are so many things ladies of a certain age can relate to that the young are just far too young to worry about, yet, or appreciate in the same way an older gal will.

That Summer

 Shirley J.                   Adult Fiction                                  clandestine romances from the past 

That Summer by Lauren Willig    352 pages

A well told tale of an American woman in 2009 who inherits a house in England from a great aunt she doesn't remember.    A lusty tale of clandestine love becomes a must solve mystery when while staying at the house getting it ready to sell portraits are found that allude to far more than family history lets on. The tale goes from present day putting the pieces together on why this aunt gave her house to a niece so far away when plenty of relatives lived near her English manse.   Really good plot and super characters, from snobby English cousins rooting for a lordship to raise the family position to catty romantic notions.  It is hard for an American to trust exactly what is going on when new found relatives pretend to be friendly only so they can get a chance to make away with everything they can through deception.   And then the one person she thinks she can trust is made out to be the worst of all.   It will keep you turning the pages just to see what happens next and then when it takes you back centuries to a torrid love affair going on under the nose of an undemonstrative husband, well....I recommend this one to mature teens on up.  Good story.  

       

The Magnolia Palace

 “The Magnolia Palace” by Fiona Davis    352 pages 

One of the things that I like about Fiona Davis’s novels is that she uses setting as character. If you haven’t read any of her books and don’t know what that means, think of Tara in “Gone With the Wind.”  Tara is as much a character in the book (and movie) as Scarlett and Rhett. In Davis’s books, she writes about famous buildings in the New York City. In her other books, she has written about Grand Central Station, The Dakota (the apartment building where John and Yoko lived), the Barbizon Hotel, the Chelsea Hotel and the New York City Public Library.  Davis sets this novel in the Henry Clay Frick Mansion (currently closed for renovation, but the massive Renaissance to the twentieth-century  art collection is still available for viewing at Frick Madison).  

As in her other books, Davis wrap a historical mystery in dueling timelines. This story is set in 1919 and 1961. 

In 1919, Lillian Carter (based on the real-life artists’ model Audrey Munson) must support herself after her mother dies in the 1918 Spanish Flu pandemic. She becomes renown as “Angelica,” a model, often posing nude, or nearly nude. Statues of Lillian’s classical image dot Manhattan landmarks. Behind on her rent, Lilly tries to sneak out of the apartment she shared with her mother, leaving all her belonging behind. On her way out, she becomes entangled, albeit minimally, in a murder. Still she manages to sneak away and spends a few days on the streets. She winds up at the Frick Mansion, inadvertently interviewing for the position of private secretary to Frick’s daughter, Helen. 

In 1966, Veronica Weber arrives from England for a photo shoot at the Frick Mansion. She manages to do everything wrong and is fired from the set. Humiliated, she retreats to a part of the Mansion and gets lost. When she decides to leave, she learns that the house is empty except her, and she is trapped.  She settles down to wait out the night, but a snowstorm creates a blackout, leaving her stranded in the dark, heatless mansion for gosh who know how long. 

Veronica explores the best she can, even the pipe organ room, which house forty-seven hundred pipes. There she finds some papers stuck between the pipes that send her on a scavenger hunt. Soon Veronica learns that she is not alone in the mansion, but the intern, Joshua, had fallen asleep in the basement and was also stranded for the duration. Together they manage to make life bearable until the storm abates. 

As always, Davis vacillates between the two time periods with ease. She knows instinctively when to end a section that leaves readers wanting more, only to be wrapped up in the other time period, causing readers to stay up way past their bedtimes. Based on the buzz I’ve heard about this book, Davis did not disappoint; she certainly didn’t this reader. The only problem that comes from this novel is that I have to wait about another year before a new novel is available. I wonder what she’ll write about next.  I can’t wait!  “The Magnolia Palace” receives 6 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

 

Fortitude: American Resilience in the Era of Outrage

 

Shirley J.                Adult Non-Fiction                      Navy Seals, politics, attitude of outrage

Fortitude: American Resilience in the Era of Outrage by Dan Crenshaw   256 pages

While this book starts off a little all over the place as though it can't decide exactly what it is going to settle on to be about, once it gets going Crenshaw finds his groove and delivers an impactful teaching tool.   He brings insight from his Navy Seal training, his life post Seals, his political career and his deep abiding faith in God.     I'm glad I persevered because this actually turned out to be a very good book.  I would certainly recommend this to all military affiliated folk, and also to mature teens on up.  A study in dealing with adversity with willpower to overcome and faith in God to get you through.  Much good information here and life lessons.   

The Liz Taylor Ring

 “The Liz Tylor Ring” by Brenda Janowitz  384 pages 

If y’all follow my reviews, y’all know that I’m often drawn to a book by its title and cover. Well, let me tell you, this book has both: an awesome cover and an equally awesome title. While I might not be the biggest Elizabeth Taylor fan, I am a huge fan of Old Hollywood glamor. 

There are two alternating timelines in this wonderful novel: 1968-69 and present day. It doesn’t even matter that Liz Taylor plays a tiny role in the novel. 

In 1968, Lizzie Morgan starts to date Ritchie Schneider. Lizzie’s parents are against the match as Ritchie dated Maggie, Lizzie older sister, several years prior. But no one can keep Lizzie and Ritchie apart. Their loves grows deep and passionate. This timeline follows the couple’s relationship through both the good and the bad, but the fire cannot be extinguished…even after a nine-month separation. 

The separation is where the ring comes into the picture (no pun intended). To facilitate the end of their separation, Ritchie buys Lizzie an 11-carat, flawless diamond ring, much like the one Richard Burton bought for Elizabeth Taylor, but much smaller (Liz’s was 33- carats.). The ring has disappeared and each of their three children is sure they know what happened to it. 

The oldest, Abby, and her husband, Gary, work in the clothing story that Ritchie founded. Its survival can be attributed to Abby’s creative ideas and marketing skills, taking the store into the 21^st century. “Addy was sure (the ring) had been stolen, back in 2008.” 

The middle child, Nathan, is having a domestic problem of his own. He isn’t sure he wants to be married to Diego any more. “Nathan is convinced that Lizzie, her Alzheimer’s rapidly progressing, placed it in Ritchie’s casket when he died in 2015.” 

The youngest is Courtney, twelve years younger than Abby and Nathan. Abby is jealous of Courtney, and Nathan seems indifferent. She has even bigger problems than her old siblings. Courtney knows “for a fact the ring had been gambled away in the fall of 2006.” 

The siblings are contacted by a bank in the Cayman Islands. Ritchie had a secret safety deposit box. The three fly down, unsure of what, if anything, they will find. And to all three’s astonishment, the ring is in the box. And yes, it is real. Each sibling has definite ideas of what should be done with it that wildly contradicts the others. 

This was an easy read, a quick “beach read” if I may, about family relationships. “The Liz Taylor Ring” receives 6 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

 

Animals By the Numbers: A Book of Infographics

 Shirley J.              Juvenile Non-Fiction                        Statistics on animals, insects and humans

Animals By the Numbers: A Book of Infographics by Steve Jenkins    48 pages

Really interesting book detailing loads of scientific statistics on all species deemed, animal, oceanic creature or insect, even stats as compared to the animal ones on humans in comparison.    Really well presented and so full of things one may have not considered before.  Information on bees to whales.  Chock full of facts anyone could base a paper for class on even so far as a thesis.  O.K. one would have to glean additional information to do a thesis, but, this certainly would give you grounds to start.   Excellent job, Steve Jenkins!   I recommend this one to 1st graders on up.  Even the elderly will be surprised at how much you will learn here.

Who Says You're Dead?: Medical & Ethical Dilemmas for the Curious & Concerned

Shirley J.                      Adult Non-Fiction                               Ethics and Medical Law

Who Says You're Dead?: Medical & Ethical Dilemmas for the Curious & Concerned by Jacob M. Appel  352 pages

Excellent book dealing with almost every medical situation one can think of and how each case is looked legally and ethically.   Fascinating.   Readers might think they know the obvious answers to many of these medical/ethical dilemmas but will be surprised.   Nothing is cut and dried nor black and white.   There are so many issues with everything that need to be addressed that laymen might not consider off the top of their heads, but, that doctors, hospitals, lawyers and judges see from a completely different perspective.   Well worth the read to give one background information on so many things that can and do happen in life and death and what one needs to know in advance.   Excellent!  All will come away enlightened.  Too heavy for the young, but anyone interested in a career in law would do themselves a favor to read this.  Adults will be surprised by all you learn here.

Around the World in 80 Days

 

Shirley J.                    Adult Fiction (Classic)           World Travel, gentlemen's wager, adventure

Around the World in 80 Days by Jules Verne  288 pages

English gentleman, Phileas Fogg, member of the Reform Club, who happens to have a fascination for and obsession with mathematical facts, gets into a discussion of world travel with other members of his club.   Being betting fanatics all, a wager is made between several members of the club and Phileas Fogg that Mr. Fogg will make a journey completely around the world in only 80 days (remember this was written in 1873).   A great adventure ensues with lots of memorable characters and cultures.  A fun read, and a different level of interpretation when you read it again later in life for fun.  I enjoyed it even more with this reading.  I recommend it to grade schoolers on up.   Fogg's French valet, Passepartout is funny and full of surprises.  

Wish

 

Shirley J.      Juvenile Fiction               Broken Homes, Loving Relatives, True Friends and a Dog

Wish by Barbara O' Connor    256 pages

11 year old Charlie Reese's Dad can't stay out of jail.    Her Mama is fond of drink and is currently on a depression downswing she can't lift herself out of.   Social Services steps in and removes Charlie from her Arkansas home then sends her to live with her mother's sister, Charlie's Aunt and her husband who live in North Carolina.   While the scenery of the Blue Ridge mountains is beautiful, Charlie misses her friends at school in Arkansas, and even if home wasn't all that, with her folks hollering and fighting most of the time, at least she had her older sister to make her laugh and comfort her when things got rough.   Now her sister is finishing out her last few months of highschool and was allowed to stay with her best friend in her friend's parent's home till she is old enough to graduate and leave home.   Charlie is miserable getting sent to live with strangers - she had never met these people - shoved in with a bunch of squirrel eatin' hillbillies!   Charlie railed at everything.  No matter how nice folks tried to be to her and how understanding of her being taken away from everything she was familiar with to be thrust into a new home, new circumstances, a new school.   Her Aunt and Uncle love her even when she treats them awfully.    She would set those hillbilly kids at school straight too, after all, one of her three favorite things was fighting.  She got her temper from her Daddy who was always going to jail for fighting.   After several altercations with other kids at school, some not undeserved, she is assigned a study buddy to show her the ropes of the school/system.   He becomes her unlikely mentor and friend as do his family.  Charlie makes life hard for herself but with her new mantra to chant when she gets angry she tries to cool her jets a bit though following through with her fists comes easier.  A stray dog she meets and names, Wishbone, changes her life.   A deeply sweet story with lots of humor and I don't think any one will go away untouched by Charlie and her plight.  I recommend this one to grade schoolers on up.   Adults will like this story, too.

Since We Fell

 

Shirley J.      Adult Fiction  Psychological Thriller         Negative Information Overload = Breakdown    

Since We Fell: A Novel by Dennis Lehane    496 pages

When journalist Rachel Childs undergoes a number of horrible, terrifying events while doing a story in Haiti, she loses her mind for a time and relapses when she encounters triggers to this event.   Her life becomes a prison inside the walls of her apartment.   She cannot go past the threshold without having another melt down.   She loses her career, her marriage and for all intents and purposes her life.   She is given another chance with a man devoted to her every wish, who caters to her every whim and cherishes her and coddles her when things begin to overwhelm her, then, she finds out he is seeing a very pregnant woman and thoughts of his leading a double-life take over and become her obsession.   Her fairytale is coming to an abrupt end and she is the evil that is bringing it to a close.    Is she losing her mind again or is there more to this story?   Her philandering husband must pay so she shoots him and throws him off a boat or is she mixing fantasy with reality?  No she saw the blood...wait....what?     Good story, I liked it way more than I thought I would although Rachel can be like fingernails on a chalkboard at times.  Well done!   I would recommend this book to adults just because some of the events are really tragic and haunting even if they are fiction they describe actual things that have happened.

The Dying of the Light: A Novel

 Shirley J.                Adult Fiction              Virginia gentry,  wealth, big houses, marrying for money    

The Dying of the Light: A Novel by Robert Goolrick    I only read 100 pages in and stopped

I tried to stay with this book, but, I couldn't.   The way the story was told to that point was like it all ran together and as if it was one tremendously long run-on sentence.    There wasn't a lot of depth or feeling to it.   Nothing memorable, nothing to cling to that would get you to want to see what happened next.  I sadly found it very dull and uninteresting.   I was hoping the somewhat historical background would hold my interest but sadly no.   The character had no pizzazz.    The read was like enduring a class with a professor who spoke in only a monotone and put you to sleep.    I kept having to force myself to try to stay with it but finally I had to stop, there was just nothing to hold my interest here.   I cannot recommend this one as it was not to my taste.

Confessions of a Teenage Drag King

 

Shirley J.               Young Adult Fiction                         Drag Shows, Double Lives, Highschool    

Confessions of a Teenage Drag King by Markus Harwood-Jones    176 pages    

A good story set in Toronto about a 17 year old girl named Lauren living a double life as an invisible blending in at high school making as few waves as possible to stay under everyone's radar while leading a double-life as a chest binding, mascara beard stubble painter, thrift store rock star mode costume outfit wearing drag king named REN at an all-ages drag venue.   Shy in her other life, she rules as REN in the evenings lip-syncing her way to drag stardom.    As REN she is as arrogant as she is shy in her Lauren persona.   Her drag family gets enough of some of her disrespectful behavior and while there is a bit of a abyss between them all for a while, when it comes down, drag families are family, too.    Good story.   A bit of love, a bit of Lauren thinking no one knows and a whole lot of performance art going on.   I recommend this book to tweens on up.  

The Keeper of Lost Things

 Shirley J.          Adult Fiction                    Love and loss, ghosts and the wish to fix what is broken

The Keeper of Lost Things by Ruth Hogan   288 pages

Recapturing the past is illusive.    It seems like if we try really hard, if we over extend ourselves to try to make up for past wrongs, but, no, the past evaporates like smoke hanging in the air one moment then wafting away the next.  Seems like we could grasp it but it is a dream, a wish, a desire, a promise, but finally only the best we can do with what we have to work with.    Great book, many lives and stories tied together across time and miles.  Sometimes a nudge from a spectral presence points us in the correct direction if not the desired one.   Funny enough, it works out.    A neighbor girl who reminds me a lot of the little girl in the American Horror Story television series who "knows" things.    Never underestimate anyone,  you never know what their abilities are.   Excellent story.   I am a fan of Ruth Hogan's writing.   I recommend this one to adults who I feel can appreciate so many things that speak to people who have been around long enough to experience a lot of living to appreciate the art of dying.

The Second-Worst Restaurant in France

 

Shirley J.         Adult Fiction          Relationships and Siamese Cats, Cousins,  French Food Good & Bad

The Second-Worst Restaurant in France by Alexander McCall Smith   256 pages

Food writer, Paul Stuart survived his trip to Tuscany coming away with a book and a romantic relationship with his editor who brings along her 2 Siamese cats.   Things begin getting a little hairy for Paul when his favorite cousin, Chloe invites him to escape to her residence in the French countryside.   Considering how much fun they always have together, Paul jumps at the chance.   After all, he is writing another book on the Philosophy of Food so why not do his research in the country known for its fine food.   Of course the adventures begin for Paul when he arrives.   Noting local comments on a restaurant known as the second-Worst Restaurant in France he and his cousin Chloe decide to check it out and find out if it is really as terrible as the town folk say.    The dinner turns into another long and involved hilarious story with Paul and Chloe as the stars among a cast of quirky but lovable characters who without malice poison Paul, put Chloe to work as a waitress all while muttering there is a possible murder in Chloe's background and she is not who Paul thinks she is.   Madness ensues and this is another fun page turner.   You will thoroughly enjoy it.  I did.   I think this one is more for the adult crowd who will get a big kick out of it. 

The Wish

 Shirley J.                   Adult Christian Fiction                                   Amish vs. "English" life

The Wish by Beverly Lewis   432 pages

Living in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania is beautiful and growing up Amish or Plain in a world of vast technological advances can be challenging.    Best friends, Leona and Gloria don't even seem to notice as they happily go through life but one day out of the blue,  Gloria's family just picks up and moves to Arkansas no explanation but talk is something happened with Gloria's father and the community and now the family is shunned, but no one was saying why or what happened.  Leona and Gloria are devastated.  They were close as sisters for the years they got to spend together growing up and now hardly time to say their goodbyes.  For 4 years no word came of Gloria nor her family, though Leona kept them in her daily prayers then finally a letter arrived from Gloria for Leona.  She told her how much she had thought of her over the past years and how much she missed her friend  She explained that her family was now living as the "English" (non-Amish) and she and Leona cooked up a plan for Leona to come visit.  Leona prays and prays that Gloria and her family will come back to the Plain people and hopes if she visits she might be able to bring them back to the fold.   Gloria's father is way against going back.   Her mother follows her father as do her brothers but while Gloria has settled into the "English" way of life, she wears jeans, has a cellphone, an "English" boyfriend, and she drives a car instead of a horse drawn buggy.   Things are sure different when Leona arrives, but, while they all seem to have acclimated to this new lifestyle there is still a longing in Gloria to revisit the plain folk.   A good story that keeps the reader interested all the way to the end.   Like the song says, "Be it ever so humble, there's no place like home."  I recommend this book to teens on up.   A tale of the endurance of friendship and faith.    

You Wouldn't Want to Live Without Bees!

 

Shirley J.              Juvenile Non-Fiction                     Everything you ever wanted to know about bees

You Wouldn't Want to Live Without Bees! by Alex Woolf     40 pages

Everything you ever want to know about bees and honey can be found right here in this book.  Very enlightening and very entertaining.   The illustrations are great, with cute, comical captions.  However, the information found here is astounding!  There is so much information included here in its 40 pages I can liken it to a crash course on bees.   From descriptions and illustrations of all the parts of a bee's body and exoskeleton, to the explanation of the life of a bee stating exactly what they are doing at each of the stages of their short lives and let me tell you that is plenty from birth to death.  Fascinating, I had no idea bees were that busy (cleaning, babysitting/feeding, hunting, gathering, not to mention doing fancy dances to explain to the rest of the hive where the best pollen can be found.   I did not know that there are over 20,000 different species of bees.  Some as big as the palm of your hand and some so small they are nearly microscopic.   Killer bees were bread in Brazil by mating African and European bees which produces offspring that are REALLY aggressive and not fans of humans especially with a lot of movement.  The Killer Bees surround their Queen in the center of their swarm to protect her as they attack whatever perceived threat and when like 10,000 bees in a swarm attack, whatever they go after, is done.   The author discusses how bees help the earth and other species in so many ways that it really is amazing - ways one wouldn't normally think of.   And the process of making the honey (not for the squeamish) and all the medicinal uses of it - this is such a good book and well worth the read for everyone on the planet.  You will never consider bees in the same light again.   I recommend this to kindergarteners on up!  Everyone will learn a lot from this book.

SLPL January totals

 

This month four people read twenty-four books with a total of 6869 pages!

Shirley read the most with a total of 16 books and 4282 pages.

Iris Apfel: Accidental Icon

 Shirley J.                  Adult Non-Fiction                           Textiles, Style and the Oldest Living Teenager

Iris Apfel: Accidental Icon: Musings of a Geriatric Starlet by Iris Apfel   176 pages

What a role model!  Iris Apfel is her own person.   She promotes creativity in life and like Thoreau, takes that road less travelled by Walden Pond.   Her family life at home growing up taught her fashion sense and her parents strongly encouraged her to be her own person and follow her own way in life.   She was in her mid 90s when she wrote this book and to this day, she is now 100yrs. old and still following her own drummer.   She loves flea markets and enjoys pairing expensive couture fashions with inexpensive jewelry she finds rummaging among bins for that oh so precious amazingly perfect find.   She was told early on that she wasn't going to make it on her looks but her sense of style was beyond compare.   She loves color and her outfits and pairings remind me of Frida Kahlo's gorgeous, bold paintings.   She loves layering lots of clothing and pieces of jewelry together.   She mentions that sometimes her outfits are so heavy they feel like horse blankets but she wouldn't dare leave off one item of the ensemble.   Her floor length capes are exquisite and do not convey the phantom of the opera look one might think but a superbly styled fashionista.    She doesn't let other people's opinions sway her and this attitude has served her well over the years.   She is adored the world over for her daring looks.   Her field has always been textiles and interior design rather than fashion yet they go hand in hand and it is her fashion sense she receives praise for though in her career as visiting instructor at Texas University her curriculum includes all phases of fashion from textiles to color sense/appropriate placement just the right thing just so perfectly adorned, to the fashion industry and museum and historical influences.   She deems herself the oldest living teenager and a geriatric starlet as she is so well known and still fashioning forward even at 100 years old as of August 29, 2021!   Still kicking and still making news as she brings her uniqueness, her joie de vivre, her astute and spot on takes on life to everyone lucky enough to bask in the glow that is Iris Apfel.  I recommend this book to all who love art in all its many splendors, most likely to mature middle-schoolers on up.   

 

In the Face of the Sun

 “In the Face of the Sun” by Denny S. Bryce   320 pages  

Denny S. Bryce hits another one out of the park with her second novel, “In the Face of the Sun.” She returns to the 1920s for one of her two timelines, but juxtaposes it with a 1968 road trip from Chicago to Los Angeles.  

In 1928 Los Angeles, Daisy Washington is a young woman who has dreams of becoming a journalist, writing for Black-owned papers. Mostly she collects gossip for Harry Belmont’s column in the “California Eagle” she gleans from the rich and famous Blacks who are checking into the new Hotel Somerville where she and her sister work as chambermaids... From Bryce’s descriptions the hotel is stylish and glamorous. Daisy is excited that gets to meet Stepin Fetchit, the comedian, one of the first Black actors to make it big in Hollywood. But even more, Daisy is over the moon to see W.E.B. Du Bois as he and a bevy of Hollywood elite arrive. Du Bois has arranged to hold the NAACP’s annual meeting at the Somerville.  

Then the narrative shifts to 1968 Chicago. Daisy’s niece Francine (aka Frankie) has learned that she is about eight weeks pregnant with her abusive husband, Jackson. For the baby’s sake, and hers, Frankie has decided to leave him. As she is headed to the bus station, Daisy pulls up and talks her into going to Los Angeles with her. Since they will be driving, Jackson will never be able to catch up with her and force her to return. The two take off for a Thelma and Louise road-trip along Route 66. Daisy isn’t being nice; she has some business in LA and wouldn’t mind the company.  

The 1928 timeline was well-researched. I felt as if I were there.  In the 1968 timeline, there were more twists that made the road trip dangerous. 

A third plot line that weaves between the two narratives is Daisy and her sister, Henrietta. They were very close, but a tragedy forced them to not speak for over forty years. Bryce is excellent at spooling out bits of information about this subplot as the roared toward a conclusion. 

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed “In the Face of the Sun.”  This sophomore novel receives 5 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

 

The Last Dance of the Debutante

“The Last Dance of the Debutante” by Julia Kelly   333 pages  

After reading two intense books (Melanie Benjamin’s “The Children’s Blizzard” and Dolen Perkins Valdez’s “Take My Hand”---I highly recommend both), I was looking for something a bit lighter. As I was strolling through the library, I saw that Julia Kelly had a new book out. I can always count on Kelly for a lighter read. 

Instead of World War II England, Kelly chose the 1958 debutante season for her third novel. The still-newish Queen, Elizabeth II, has decreed that will be the last season for high society parents to present their daughters to the Queen, in hope of finding a husband who is titled and/or wealthy. 

Lily Nicholls’ grandmother and mother have ties that can secure Lily’s future. But Lily doesn’t want to so “the season.” She wants to finish her studies and go the university. However, she gives in and allows herself to dive into the grind.  

I never realized how exhausting “the season” could be. From right after Christmas through late June, the debutante attends an ongoing array of teas, balls, outings, cocktail parties, and any other imaginable get-together that will put the young women near eligible men. Multiple events were held daily. It must have been exhausting…and expensive.  Lilly makes two friends, Leana and Katherine, who help her keep going. 

Lily’s family consists of her mother, her wealthy grandmother who is paying for most of the season, and a sister she has never met. The first half of the book is Lilly running from party to party, dance to dance. All she wants by halfway through the novel is a nap, and who could blame her. That first half deals with the pettiness, the sabotages, the gowns, the young men, the backstabbing.  

But halfway through, the plot gets juicy. Lilly is convinced that her mother, who has never recovered from her father’s death, doesn’t like her. Lily is certain she is hiding scandalous information about her hardly-mentioned sister, Joanna, and sets out---between parties---to discover the truth. 

To add to the intrigue, a tragedy near the end of the season shifts the plot into high gear, and I could not read fast enough. I admit that I got a little bored with the first half, but the second half shot this up to 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.