Miss Julia Strikes Back: A Novel (#8 in the Miss Julia series of 22 books)

 Shirley J.                   Adult Fiction                                  Southern Belles, Southern Belle mentality

Miss Julia Strikes Back: A Novel (#8 in the Miss Julia series of 22 Books) by Ann B. Ross  339 pages

I was lucky enough to stumble upon this title while looking up books about Julia Child and I am so happy I did.  This lady, Miss Julia is a true born and bred southern belle to the hilt.    Anything not up to her standards is an outright offense and never breach manners, politeness or respect in her presence the outrage will fly at you like a tigress in the form of demure Miss Julia.  This book was a hoot!  I laughed so much throughout.   Miss Julia takes no names but she does go after anyone wronging her for sure and she drags an entourage along for the ride/adventure.  It is so hilarious the pickles she get into and having no patience for who she deems a fool at any time, this little genteel lady/wildcat goes after whatever she has a mind too consequences be darned!  A Lady would never outright cuss, afterall, but, she takes no guff off of anyone believe me.  She is so funny, so disarming but always the epitome of a true southern lady.   The things she gets into and she has no patience when it comes to something she wants or wants done and she feels wronged by the slothfulness or slowness of those she sought to help.   Forget it she will do it herself with a few selected others in tow.   I enjoyed it so much now that I know there are more Miss Julia stories out there I look forward to the next.

Julia Child the Last Interview and Other Conversations (The Last Interview Series - 41 books)

Shirley J.               Adult Non-Fiction                                Julia Child, her personality in interviews 

Julia Child the Last Interview and Other Conversations (The Last Interview Series - 41 books)                by Julia Child    160 pages

Julia Child's sense of humor is often at play in these conversations and interviews.   Always beguiling and jovial, always owning up to her own mishaps then cleverly elaborating on how she fixed them, always a joy, always going the extra mile to make things as easy for others as possible.  She is a joy to learn about on paper.   Makes me wish I had paid more attention to her when she was still alive.   She was an avid letter writer, typist and loyal friend to all lucky enough to know her.   How great it must have been to be considered a friend of hers.  Her lush life in France, the way its people and the country took to her and she to them as if coming home to where she was meant to be.  Learning the language, the ways and then the recipes and skillset of the French, Julia immersed herself in the culture as though she had met her soul's desire there.  Her husband Paul felt the same so they were soulmates in the place where both their souls loved to be.  So many adventures it is as though the woman lived several lives within one.   I enjoy learning all I can about how adversity inspires ingenuity and humor overcomes where skill later follows.  She seems like a ball of fun.   I recommend this book to adults as some of the beginning can be a little dry until the book gets going.

The Woman in the Window

 Shirley J.                  Adult Mystery Thriller                    Agoraphobia, murder, Voyeur

The Woman in the Window by A. J. Finn     512 pages

Excellent mystery thriller in the genre of Alfred Hitchcock's works.   Rear Window on steroids!  Agoraphobic Anna Fox is so consumed by fear that she cannot leave her apartment even to step outside her door.  She lives vicariously through the views she sees through her window.  Some would say she spied on her neighbors, she was looking out her window, the neighbors happened to be just across the way in a high rise what was she to do?   And especially when she saw something amusing or wait was that a murder she just witnessed???   The police didn't believe her when she called because she tended to call OFTEN and whatever she called about never turned out to be anything of concern as far as the officers could tell.   Anna was once a successful therapist and had not lost her skills at analyzing others, she just couldn't leave home to go to her office any longer.   She became very fond of drink and along with her medication, well it tended to make a cocktail that could bring on hallucinations once in a while, but, this time she is stone sober and knows what she saw.   The story is like a work of fine violin music as the story scampers lightly along introducing characters and events some startling some not as, but, oh there is so much more to this story that continues all the way to the end.  A real grabber, you won't want to stop you finish it.   I highly recommend this to mystery fans, pychological story fans, Hitchcock devotees and anyone looking for a good story to get them through the night.  I recommend this one to high schoolers on up.

Who Was Julia Child?

 Shirley J.              Juvenile Non-Fiction                           Julia Child, Her life and her cookery

Who Was Julia Child? (Part of the Who Was? series of 213 books) by Geoff Edgers

I am such a fan of Julia Child.  The more I learn about her life, the more I want to know.  This book geared to 8-12 year olds is exceptionally well done.  Geoff Edgers did his research on her and presents it in such a delightful way.  Each book I have read on her presents new information and this little gem delivers.  So much good information and background showing you how Julia went from a child in a well to do family in California to the world famous author of several cook books particularly her most famous, "Mastering the Art of French Cooking," international t.v. star of her own shows and documentaries as well as world traveler, fluent multi-linguist and graduate of the Cordon Bleu in France.   Just a delight.  I recommend this book to the 8-12 set on up it is a delightful introduction to the energetic force that was Julia Child.

Mr. Perfect on Paper: A Novel

 Shirley J.                 Adult Fiction                                        Jewish Matchmakers, Jewish Life & Dating

Mr. Perfect on Paper: A Novel by Jean Meltzer    416 pages    

This book is a real charmer.   It gives you so much great information about Jewish life and teaches you so much about the Jewish faith you will be in awe.   There is also a little Yiddish thrown in.   The story revolves around a third generation Jewish Matchmaker and her Bubbe (Grandmother).   Seems granddaughter, Dara Rabinowitz, can find the perfect match for others, but, not herself.   Through lots of great storyline it eventually comes down to Dara and her Grandmother going on national television on a Today Show type format and to boost their ratings they have Dara come on the show and go on dates with eligible Jewish suitors to find her Hebrew Prince Charming.   Her dates turn out to be hilarious like mini sitcoms with one ordeal after another, one embarrassing occurrence after another the t.v. show is killing in the ratings war while Dara experiences one humiliating event after another.  Then she meets the Jewish doctor who checks every box on her husband list...except....well I will let you read the book to find out but this is a really fun read.   I recommend this one to Middle Schooler on up to seniors.   You will laugh, you will learn, you will want to yell MOZEL TOV!  and you will enjoy this read. 

Break the Bodies, Haunt the Bones

Shirley J.                     Adult Fiction                      Ghosts, Mechanical Wizardry, a dying town

Break the Bodies, Haunt the Bones by Micah Dean Hicks     304 pages        

A very deep and often tragically sad story about a dying town whose one factory is about to go.   Ghosts of former residents haunt the place to out numbering the human inhabitants left.   So many ghosts they not only haunt people but also things.  One such ghost who was good in life at tinkering with mechanical things possesses a young boy creating amazing contraptions with his human hands accrediting the boy who was highly intelligent and insightful already with skills way beyond his own capability and understanding.   The boy/ghost creates a robot that helps around the house, fixes the decrepit car his mother and sister drive, then a sinister twist occurs when in trying to save the town and the factory he creates something then somethings of Orwellian lore.  The town becomes divided in their prejudice against this new invention, the boy's mother kicks their father out of the house and he becomes the creepy weird guy lurking around with crazy eyes in the night, his sister tries to find a connection with a fellow like minded guy only to find her world in more turmoil than ever.   It is a bizarre but really excellent story you will want to read cover to cover.   It is sad and spooky so I recommend this one to mature teens on up it might be a little hard to take for the younger set.

The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates by Wes Moore

Shirley J.                                 Adult Non-Fiction                        Two People, Same Name, Same Town

The Other Wes Moore: One Name, Two Fates by Wes Moore         256 pages  

This is the true story of two men both born in the same town, having the same name but two opposite futures.    Wes Moore, who is writing the details of these two lives is a Rhodes Scholar, he is a decorated combat veteran, a White House Fellow, a business leader, author and speaker.   The newspaper that ran a story of praise for this Wes Moore for his accomplishments also ran the story of another Wes Moore who the police were looking for in connection with two other young men in a botched robbery and killing of a policeman.   When Wes the Rhodes Scholar read the article it unsettled him.   He was disturbed by the fact that the article could have been about him and how if fate had played a different hand the other Wes Moore could be receiving accolades instead of police searching for him and his brother.  Wes stayed with the story of the youngman who shared his name and followed it through the other Wes' capture, trial, conviction and sentence life in prison without the possibility of parole.    The story haunted him until he finally wrote to Wes Moore in prison.  He was so moved by the story he had to find out who this man was and what led to his being in prison.   How could their two fates be so different when they started out in the same place?   What led to that killing moment in Wes Moore's life.   Through letters and prison visits the two Wes Moores got to know each other and find out how similar their circumstances had been, hanging out on the same corners with the same types of friends, growing up fatherless, both had difficult childhoods and run ins with the police.   What led to such vastly different lives?   Their choices is what accounted for the vastly different destinies.   Wes Moore wanted the world to know the other Wes Moore's story and so he has told it here.  A heart wrenching telling of how fate can deal such unimaginable outcomes from similar beginnings.   I recommend this to middle schoolers on up.   Reality based it shows how hard it is growing up for young black men.  The two Wes Moores remain in contact in what is now a decades long alliance.                 

    

                                      

 

The Marsh King's Daughter

Shirley J.                                     Adult Fiction                    Abduction, Seclusion, Michigan's U.P.

The  Marsh King's Daughter by Karen Dionne      352 pages

Wow!  This was a GOOD book.   A thriller all the way.   It is the story of a girl who was abducted by a man who kept her trapped in a secluded marshland in Michigan's Upper Peninsula.   The story is like something out of the headlines or newscast.  He enticed the youngster to help him find his missing dog until he brutally overpowered her then took her to his cabin in the marsh where he repeatedly raped her and kept her in chains.   She eventually becomes pregnant and makes her give birth without any aid other than the occasional  glass of water he brings her.   When the child is coming breach he having no medical knowledge warns her it is going to hurt more than the contractions and proceeds to reach inside her to pull the baby out.   In so doing he damages her body to the point she will never bear any more children.   The story continues for the next 12 years describing their life and the child Helena.   Not knowing the back story Helena adores her father who often beats her mother and sometimes hurts Helena making the girl believe they deserved it.   The story keeps the reader's imagination captured all the way to the end.  It is a nail biter for sure.   I recommend this to mature teens on up because some of the content might be nightmarish to younger.   

Jack Rabbit Smile

 Shirley J.                   Adult Fiction                                                    Best friends, private detectives

Jack Rabbit Smile (Book 11 in the Hap and Leonard novels series) by Joe R. Lansdale     272 pages

I love these guys!   What a hilarious at times, in your face at times story!  Hap and Leonard are private investigators who work with the law and often just outside the law but they always seem to be able to get the job done which is not to say somebody isn't in for an a** whippin' or killed depending on how serious the bad guys make the stakes.   The camaraderie and banter between these two best friends and co-workers will crack you up!   It is like hanging out with a bunch of guys talking "stuff" all the time.  They are hilarious and believe me they could make a sailor blush but they are so funny.   The kind of say anything at any time any where repartee of two long time friends who know each other so well.   They are hired by a Pentecostal mother and her racist son to find the daughter/sister of the two.   It is a wild ride with far more people, places and shoot 'em ups than you would think would be involved in a search for a missing person.   Great story, great characters, great fun.   This book stands alone but now that I know it is 11th in a series of 12 books I am going to go back and read them all.  I love these guys.  Hap considers himself a white trash rebel and Leonard is ready to fight at the drop of an inuendo!  He is a black gay Vietnam Vet and his lover is Pooky a lawenforcement officer who is also a riot.   Oh yeah and Hap's new bride and their boss is Brett and she too is a pistol.   Great book.   I think teenagers on up will get a kick out of it but I warn you there is a lot of cussing going on.                

My Life in France

 

Shirley J.              Adult Biography                                                        The autobiography of Julia Child    

My Life in France by Julia Child & Alex Prud'homme       368 pages

While the book is written by Julia Child's nephew Alex Prud'home, it is dictation from the lady herself along with journals, diaries, letters and a little input from friends and family.   A wonderful book I hated to see come to an end.   Julia's recollections in her own joie de vivre words, the excitement she brings to everything and how her love of people and her desire to learn is inspirational.   Her devotion to her beloved husband, Paul Childs, her honest open conversations about her father and his political opinions that they bucked heads over till his passing, yet, her joyful young girlish jest for life are a treasure to behold.   I am so glad her nephew captured these delightful memories of her happiest years living in France and her history of where she began where life took her and even to her leaving this plane to the end the final meal she made herself two days before she died was French Onion soup.   She led such a remarkable fun life and in this sharing you will learn more about the real Julia who loved to party, cook, decorate, meet people, learn languages and cultures and more.    She seemed at home wherever she went except that brief layover in a small town in Germany but hey bitter with the sweet and this book is endearingly sweet.   I recommend it to every Julia Child fan.  I'm not sure teenagers would enjoy it as much as adults, especially adults who have experienced her cookery on t.v., her witty interviews and the wonderful books written by and about her.

Uncommon Type: Some Stories

Uncommon Type: Some Stories by Tom Hanks 403 pages

I have to admit that the only reason that I picked up this book because I wanted to see if they were published because author Tom Hanks is movie star Tom Hanks, or if they were worthy of publication. I’m happy to say that the latter is the case.  Now I won’t say that I loved all of them, but I did find the majority enjoyable.

My favorite story was “Christmas Eve 1953.” It starts out with what seems to be a remembrance of one family’s Christmas Eve traditions. I wondered if they were the Hanks’s rituals. Then after the kids have gone to bed, the story takes a nosedive into how the holidays aren’t happy for everyone. You see, turns out Father/Virgil is a vet who suffered several amputations. Every Christmas Eve, around midnight, an old Army buddy, Bud, calls him. They catch up and remember the ones who didn’t make it home from the war.  Truly poignant, and I found myself wiping away a tear a time or two.

My least favorites were four interludes: “Our Town Today with Hank Fiset.” They were okay, but really didn’t touch on the human condition…or me…as his other stories did.

There stories that had the same characters as other stories; a bit of Sherwood Anderson’s “Winesburg, Ohio.”  It was fun to hear about characters such as Anna, Steve Wong and MDash. I felt a kinship with these characters because I had read about them earlier and sort of knew them. Another characteristic aspect that each story had was a typewriter. I was always eager to find out how Hanks would work into the stories.

I highly recommend “Uncommon Type: Some Stories.”  Therefore, it receives 6 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

 

The Davenports

The Davenports by Krystal Marquis 384 pages

Debut novelist Krystal Marquis has written an historical romance worthy of a Harlequin, a name synonymous with romance novels. She has written a work loosely based on the “real-life story of the C. R. Patterson family.”  Patterson was the first Black owner of first a carriage company, then a car company, based in Ohio.

Marquis shifts her story to Chicago in 1910 and gives readers a look into the lives of wealthy African Americans. The Davenports own a carriage company,  and they live in a luxurious home, complete with servants.

There are three teenagers in the house. All three of the children are expected to make good, wealthy marriages. The oldest daughter, Olivia, thinks she is in love with Jacob Lawrence. Her parent eagerly await news of their engagement. But once she meets Washington DeWight, a political activist, it’s love at first sight.

The middle child, John, is being groomed to take over the carriage company. He has dreams and desires to fade out the carriage company and replace it was a car company. He is not currently attached, but many of the young ladies in their societal sphere seek his attentions, including the maid, Amy-Rose, and Ruby, Olivia’s best friend.

Younger daughter, Helen, is a tomboy. She scoffs at romantic relationships, preferring be a mechanic and spend her days under the hoods of the latest horseless machines. And she’s good at it, really good at it. At her parents’ anniversary party, Cupid darts her with his arrow. The man she wants is strictly forbidden.

The book is told from three points of view: Olivia, Helen and Amy-Rose. The chapters are short, and, sometimes I was confused about whom was chasing, or wanted to chase, whom.

According to the back cover, this is “the first in a frothy, page-turning YA series set in turn of the last century Chicago and featuring an all-Black main cast.”  I don’t know if this means that Marquis will be writing sequels to “The Davenports” or if other authors will have books set during this time. 

I enjoyed reading “The Davenports,” even though romance novels are not my preferred genre. I loved the history and the escapades that the characters found themselves embroiled in. “The Davenports” receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

 

Twenty

 Shirley J.                 Adult Fiction                                             School Shootings,  parents, cops/FBI

Twenty by James Grippando    384 pages

There is a school shooting happening.  You are the parent.  You are in the school building when it happens.  You are an FBI agent.   What do you do?     FBI agent Andie Henning knows she is supposed to stay locked down in the area she is in but her daughter is in the kindergarten room, she is a mother first and foremost...a gun is found onsite that is registered to another parent of a child attending the school, a Muslim man named Amir Khoury, who is married to Andie's friend, Lilly, a white woman whose ancestors go back to the founding of America.   Emotions erupt to the frenzied anti Muslim days of 9/11, when Middle Easterners dealt with hostility and terrorist accusations.   Al Qaeda claims responsibility fanning the raging fury over 20 killed at the school.   Andie's husband Jack is a trial lawyer and is called in.  This is a story that is so full of emotion and could be pulled from current events.  

Julia Child: An Extraordinary Life in Words and Pictures

 Shirley J.                              Juvenile Non-Fiction             Julia Child - a biography for youngsters    

Julia Child: An Extraordinary Life in Words and Pictures by Erin Hagar     160 pages            

Short and sweet but a wonderful biography on the absolutely amazing life of a phenomenal lady.  This book shows the reader, that while she was a tremendous cook, she was also a down to earth fun person who knew how to joke, have a good time, enjoy food and festivity with family and friends who loved people, cultures and learning.   I loved how this book shares Julia's skill set of mastering the French language and French cooking while also letting the reader see other accomplishments she achieved such as working with top secrets during WWII, working in Ceylon, China and France,  her ability to connect with people from all walks of life.    Julia Child was a ball of energy throughout her life.  She was well organized, always striving to do her best at whatever she set her mind to and totally devoted to the love of her life, Paul Child.   A lovely book and great introduction to the life of a great lady.  I recommend this to anyone of any age who delights in all things, Julia.

Cop Town: A Novel

 Shirley J.                    Adult Fiction Thriller                 Female Cops harassed by male cops

Cop Town: A Novel by Karin Slaughter      464 pages

Excellent story about female cops in Atlanta, Georgia in 1974.  The harassment they have to endure is merciless, degrading and while 98% of it comes from their fellow male officers, the other female officers give the newbies grief, too.   Then there is an additional factor of racial barriers as well.   Trying to navigate the precinct is tough enough, the streets are no joy ride either.   This is the most realistic story I have read to date regarding the social problems female officers have to deal with regarding the old boys network.  The male cops in this book loathe the female officers and do everything in their power to make the female rookies run scared and leave law enforcement.   Unfortunately I hear that is normal, there is a big abyss between the genders on the force in every locale.   And it wasn't just in the 70s but goes on strong today, too.  It gives the reader empathy for what these female warriors have to go through.  The story is great.  Karin Slaughter is an excellent writer and the grit and feel of the job and crimes is uncannily genuine.   This gal has gotten a real inside view of the lives of which she speaks here.  The reader will learn a lot about the City of Atlanta, information on crimes committed there, local information and you will feel a kinship to the characters protecting the citizens and patrolling the streets.  This is the best police oriented book I have ever read.  Kudos to Karin Slaughter.   A lot of this info is intense so I recommend this book to mature teens on up.   

Deception: A Novel

Shirley J.                             Adult Fiction                         Female Poker Player, Murder, Foster Kids   

Deception: A Novel by Selena Montgomery    400 pages

This is the story of 4 women who grew up in the same foster home presided over by a firm but caring woman.  Many things happen along the way of growing up in foster care and Finn Borders toughens up and builds a protective shield around herself never letting anyone too close.   She moves as far away from her foster home in Hallden, Georgia as she can as soon as she is old enough to leave.  She stays in touch with her foster sisters but always feels the woman who's care they were all in never liked her.  Always feeling she was a disappointment and never feeling she could find acceptance she got involved with men who taught her many things, one being how to play poker and how to play it so well she became a professional poker player.   She breaks her vow to never return to Hallden, Georgia when her "sisters" contact her to tell her their house mother has been accused of a horrible crime.  Like a superhero, Finn rushes back to help.  This is a story of redemption, of forgiveness, acceptance and hope.  A very good story.  I could picture Taraji P. Henson playing Finn if the book is ever made into a film.  I recommend this book to high schoolers on up.

Gangsta Divas

 Shirley J.       Adult Urban Fiction                 Cripettes, Lady Vice Lords, Lady Gangster Disciples

Gangsta Divas by De'nesha Diamond   352 pages

Hey, the male gangsters of the Crips, Vice Lords and Gangster Disciples are forces to be reckoned with but their female members are just as tough and ride or die to the end, too.   Excellent story of gang violence, love, discipline, respect and loyalty in the daily battles and vendettas fought against rival gangs.  It is everything you would expect from young people brought up to be strong and deal with all the hardships dealt them in life.   So many harsh situations and fatalities are told in this story but it is so gripping you won't be able to put it down till you reach the end.   Well told by author De'nesha Diamond so real that if it isn't true, you know it could be.   It is pretty in your face and might not be for everyone, some of the incidents described are pretty graphic, the language is no holds barred and there are sexual encounters described just as real and graphically as the story calls for.   It is naive to think that younger kids don't know this stuff, but, for language, sexual content and violence I will recommend this for mature teens on up.  Having said all that, it is a story of strength and overcoming heartbreak to tend to business.  I liked this story very much.

Now That I've Found You

 Shirley J.                   Adult Fiction                             Movie Stars,  Relatives, Musicians

Now That I've Found You by Kristina Forest   336 pages

Evie Jones' grandmother is ultra famous movie star, Evelyn Conway.   Evie wants to follow in her steps and become a famous film star herself.   Unfortunately she is betrayed by her bff who cons her into doing an impression of a famous director who has offered Evie a part in a plum film he is making.  When her bff posts the video of Evie on social media, the director finds it offensive and pulls the offer affectively blacklisting Evie in Hollywood and oh yes her bff lands that role Evie just lost!   Near a mental breakdown, Evie goes to see her famous grandmother, Gigi, but, shall we say Evie has a spoiled and entitled attitude and when she goes off on her grandmother in Gigi's own house no less.  Gigi wants some space to deal with her hurt.  She disappears.  Good enough for spoiled brat Evie, but, now trying to boost her acting career, Evie has been offered a gig presenting Gigi with a lifetime film career award, but, she needs Gigi to appear at the awards so Evie can self promote at her Grandmother's expense.  Gigi does not want the award and doesn't want to go to the awards show.  It is more than Evie can stand!  She searches for Gigi to save her own career regardless of what her grandmother wants.  Evie is only thinking of herself tough cookies on everyone else including Milo Williams an up and coming young musician who is a friend of Gigi's and who tries to mediate between the two.  Lots happens and the story is a good one.   I recommend this one to teens on up.   Family, fame and fleeting opinions fly.  Sometimes enemies become frenemies, sometimes the ones we love get used in the bargain but everything is a learning experience.   

Thanksgiving

 Shirley J.              Adult Fiction                    Colonial Williamsburg, new Pediatrician, abandoned baby

Thanksgiving by Janet Evanovich    256 pages

Megan Murphy is a tour guide in colonial garb working in Williamsburg, Virginia.  While taking a break one day she looks down to see a large brown rabbit chewing a hole in the hem of her period costume.   From there the rabbit leads her to its owner, the new pediatrician in town,  Dr. Patrick Hunter.   As in other stories by Janet Evanovich. the heroine is witty and funny and just a bit quirky.  She and the good doctor have an on and off relationship complicated by her parents inviting her ex to Thanksgiving dinner at Megan's knowing full well the bum left her at the altar, not that she really minded all that much it was just terribly embarrassing.  Then there is the patient of the good doctor's who drops in out of the blue at his house and in a quick conversation states she will be back in two weeks and pretty much dumps her baby on him.  Abandoned baby, should he alert the authorities?  Since Megan heard the conversation and offers to help babysit since the mom said she would be back in two weeks.   A comedy of errors ensues to the point Dr. Pat and Megan sort of play house and become a pretend family...what will come of all this?   Good story.  I am already a fan of Janet Evanovich's writing and this story did not disappoint.   Fun and hilarious dialogue between the main characters.   I recommend this one to middle schoolers on up to seniors.   A fun read.

 

"Peach Blossom Spring" by Melissa Fu

 

Peach Blossom Spring by Melissa Fu

400 pp

Peach Blossom Spring covers the years 1938-2005 in the lives of a family.  The story starts in China during the war with Japan (the early days of WWII) and follows his wife and son as they travel through China to meet his brother to find safety from the Japanese bombers.  Meilin (the wife) has a valuable scroll that her husband took in trade so that she and he could have their own business someday.  She uses this scroll to tell her son stories through much of the book.  Meilin and her brother-in-law and his family come together for some time, but when one of the nieces dies, Meilin is blamed and she decides to sever ties.  They make their way to other parts of China eventually coming to settle in Taiwan.  Her son goes to school and is a good student.  He goes through high school and college in Taiwan, but gets the opportunity to go to the US for his master's degree.  Meilin sees her brother-in-law while she is working at a party and gets him to help her son qualify to go to the US.  The story then mainly follows the son who takes the Americanized name Henry when he goes to the US.  Henry eventually marries an American woman and they have a child named Lily.  The story they follows Lily after she goes to college, but has brief interludes with Henry and Meilin.

This was an excellent story.  I particularly liked the stories from the scroll that were native to China. There is also a part set in St. Louis since the woman the son marries family is from here. The author is a woman with a background from China and the US Southwest, but who lives in Great Britain now.  Were I to give it stars, it would definitely make four our of five for me.

 

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone

 

Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson

384 pp

Everyone in Ern's family has killed someone, but not all are murderers. Erv is a writer of books to help writers write books in particular genres. He is joining his family at a ski resort in Australia (I did not know they had these!) for a family reunion since his brother is getting out of jail. Within 24 hours of arriving at the reunion, a body is found. Then (of course) a big storm comes in and cuts off all communication for the family with anyone outside of the resort.

Throughout the book, Ern recounts his different family members and who they killed.  I have read some reviews that said that they thought the book was like the  "Knives Out" series of movies.  Unfortunately, I thought the story required the reader to suspend belief several times and played upon cliches of the mystery/suspense genre.  Perhaps I read this at the wrong time to find the humor.

The Cloisters

The Cloisters by Katy Hays 320 pages

I don’t need tarot cards to let me know that Katy Hays has a big future in writing, even if it goes off the rails a bit.

When Ann arrives in New York City, ready for her summer internship at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, she is dismayed that the job no longer exists. Instead she is sent to The Cloisters, a museum that is part of the Met to work there. I had never heard of The Cloisters and spent an entire afternoon online, learning about this medieval museum and garden. I hope to visit there someday.

But back to Hays’s debut novel. The story start rather slowly, not much happening before page 183. It does pick up as the curator, Patrick, and his assistant, Rachel, are obsessed with locating a missing tarot card from a 15-century deck that will seal their careers. They believe that finding that lost card, that is undeniably located somewhere in the museum, will set history on its ear. 

Readers who don’t much about academia and its dark side, I think, will find that aspect of the novel compelling. There are a lot of secrets that haunt the museum, but nothing earth-shattering.

Undoubtedly, this book is well written, but it lacks depth. The setting, the museum and its gardens, provide a creepy aesthetic, but the characters are shallow. “The Cloisters” receives 3 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

 

Lucy by the Sea

Lucy by the Sea by Elizabeth Strout 291 pages

It’s 2023, and upon opening this book I’m plunged back into 2020. America and the world were thrust into the midst of the covid pandemic, all of us positive that we were gonna die before it loosened.

I was one of the lucky ones; I was sequestered at home for about six weeks before I was able to go back into my office. Hubs on the other hand was always out as he worked for an “essential” business.

Lucy’s ex-husband, and the father of her two grown daughters, William is a scientist. He understands what is happening more than Lucy. To keep her safe, William borrows a cabin on the coast Maine that he whisks Lucy to in order to avoid the virus. Drama rears its head as Elizabeth and William keep tabs on their offspring, Chrissy and Becca.

This novel centers on the isolation and loneliness and how the fear of merely going to the grocery was so prevalent. As with most Elizabeth Strout novels, “Lucy by the Sea,” is character driven.

Lucy is still mourning the death of her second husband, David, all the while re-adjusting to life with William. They cook, take long walks, keep in touch with their daughters and gasp! Even make a new friend.

Their new friend is Bob Burgess, whom readers will remember from “The Burgess Boys.” When he visits, there is always the minimum six feet apart from each other.

 Readers will also rejoice in the briefly brief appearance of Olive Kitteridge, but I won’t spoil that sighting.

And, as my daddy used to say, “everything always works out.” I spent two evenings reading this novel. It was both too long and too short. Too long in that I did not really reliving those early pandemic days, and too short in that I wanted more. I look forward to reading more about Lucy and William in the future.

“Lucy by The Sea” receives 5 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

 

November 2022 Team Totals

 

In November two people read twenty-two books with a total of 6921 pages.

Shirley read the most with eighteen books and 5401 pages, but for a change Jennifer contributed!

Great job everyone!

December 2022 Team Totals

 

This month two people read twenty-three books with a total of 6021 pages.

Shirley read the most with twenty books and 5165 pages.

Great job everyone!

The Lipstick Bureau

The Lipstick Bureau by Michelle Gable 464 pages

Normally, I’m a big fan of author Michelle Gable’s. I fell in love with her work with her debut novel, “A Paris Apartment;” then again with her fourth (“The Summer I Met Jack”) and fifth (The Bookseller’s Secret”) novels. This woman can write historical fiction!

In this, her sixth novel, we get a World War II saga that is based on the real life OSS operative Lauwers. It never fails to surprise me that with all the WWII-era books out there based on real figures that there is anyone left to influence a novel.

This one is a little different. Instead of resistance groups, concentration camps and those left behind on the home front, author Gable takes readers into the moral operations within the OSS (predecessor to the CIA).

Czech-born Niki Novotna has become an American, a newlywed with a failing marriage, and stationed in bomb-shattered, yet liberated Rome.  Her job is to write false propaganda that can dropped behind enemy lines. Looking as if the leaflets were produced in Germany, they disseminate such false information that Hitler is dead, the Allies are closer than then they think and the end of the war is very near.

Then Niki’s job is to get the prepared publications in the enemy’s hands.  That is the hard part! She comes up with a rather unorthodox way to get the information to the enemy, especially since the Air Force and the Army are more interested in dropping bombs than dropping propaganda. Her new idea borders on violating the Geneva Convention.

This book looks at the interactions of the Special Operations: Rome than how the enemy perceives the information.

Niki and her officemates are referred to as “The Lipstick Bureau,” but there were as many men in the office as women. Maybe it includes the “other” group of Italian women Niki paid to get the information out.

Y’all know how I love dual narratives. Most of the book takes place from 1943-45 and 1989. It doesn’t work. It wasn’t necessary and could have easily been deleted. However, it had to stay because this book is loosely based on the real-life operative, Barbara Lauwers, and their efforts to help win the war.

I found the office workings often tedious and lacking a forceful plot. Therefore, “The Lipstick Bureau” received 3 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

 

 

Charlotte Illes is Not a Detective

Charlotte Illes Is Not a Detective by Katie Siegel 352 pages

“Nancy Drew” was the first book series I read as a child, and, if memory serves, I did read all fifty-six of them.  Maybe it was because the back cover copy tells us that it is nostalgic (albeit a much younger nostalgia than mine) that Nancy resurfaced in my memories. Still, it was fun to relive those wonderful days of lying on the couch consumed with the latest un-putdownable episode that evoked such warm feelings for Charlotte.

When Charlotte “Lottie” Iles was ten years old, she solved a small mystery at her elementary school.  She became an overnight sensation and was soon helping lots of people solve little mysteries at school and in the community.

But now Charlotte is twenty-five years old. She is unemployed, lives with her mom, had no love life and a small social life. She is worried that she has “peaked.” But the universe is giving her one more chance to get her act together.

It seems that the company where her brother’s girlfriend, Olivia. works is trying to organize. Seems outdated in 2023 that unions are still considered a threat and that companies will do anything to stop it. But once I started reading this book, I saw it everywhere on the news. And so a dead body of one of the other employees turns up.  But that’s not the thing that captures Charlotte’s attention. It’s the murder and the disappearance of Brian, one of Olivia’s co-workers that lures Charlotte back into detecting. Joined by her two best friends, Lucy and Gabe, the trio pits their heads together and gets to work.

A cozy mystery disguising itself as a mystery, this mixture of past and present amateur sleuthing gives “Charlotte Illes is Not a Detective,” a wonderfully innocent, yet amusing, aura that last until all the mysterious elements are resolved.

Therefore, “Charlotte Illes is Not a Detective,” received 5 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

Release date is June 27, 2023. 

That Summer in Berlin

That Summer in Berlin by Lecia Cornwall 464 pages

England, 1935. Hitler has risen to power in Germany, yet the world isn’t sure if he poses a danger or merely a nutcase.

On the England’s south coast, debutant Viviane Alden is headed to a party. The same boring type of party with the same people, all looking for a suitable partner for marriage. Trouble is, Viviane isn’t interested in marriage. Not right now anyway. She was to take photographs, and she is excellent at it.

The right people see her photographs, and she is recruited as a spy. It’s not unusual for Viviane to go to Berlin in 1936. After all, the world is flocking there for the Summer Olympics that are slated to take place. They should be quite the spectacle as the world waits to see how Hitler will handle any Jews on any team. 

While the world turns its attention to Berlin, Hitler and his gang of thugs are on their best behavior. They erase any sign of antisemitism, welcoming visitors with examples of peace and goodwill. It’s Viviane’s job to use her camera as a tool to uncover the darkness that hides right beneath the surface.

She is partnered with a journalist, Tom, to reveal the truth that Germany is preparing for war. The two manage to get into a few scraps and dangerous situations, but I never felt they were truly in harm’s way. The novel did not have as much tension as I had expected. In places it plodded along.

However, I was captivated by the Opening Ceremonies of the 1936 Summer Olympic Games. Seeing the event through Viviane’s lens was quite remarkable, but it wasn’t enough to propel this novel into a 4-star read. Therefore, “That Summer in Berlin” received 3 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

 

One-Lane Bridge

One-Lane Bridge by Dan Krzyzkowski 436 pages

What a great way to start 2023 with an exceptional novel by an unknown writer and a six-star read! I won the book in a giveaway contest on Shelf Awareness. It sounded interesting, and I like to get free books.  I must admit that heart sank when it arrived in the mail. 

Self-published! YIKES! That usually means a talented writer, but the manuscript isn’t polished. I can say though that this one couldn’t be more polished! I also must admit that I perused the reviews on Amazon before reading to see how bad it is. I mean, 436 pages is a lot to read of a less-than-perfect manuscript. 

I wish I had written the reviewer’s name down, but once I read this sentence, “I traveled to so many places both inside and outside of the human heart through the pages of One-Lane Bridge.”, I knew I was in for a treat!

Thanks to encouragement from his dad on the day he died, the now twenty-three-year old Simon Kozlowski is taking a gap year between college and law school. His dad wanted him to work for a year with his hands in order that he may truly understand potential clients. He wanted Simon to do hard work, like the majority of Americans. Simon secured a job doing road construction in New Hampshire.

He has to take several transportation modes to get to the job site from his home in New Jersey. That part of the book was a tad slow, but don’t give up. If you, like me, find it tedious, keep reading, it will be worth your time!

Unfortunately, when Simon arrived, the job had been eliminated. The project he was supposed to work on was not going to happen.

Simon had to figure out what he was going to do. He was stuck in Swan Like, an up-scale, Hallmark-esque small town. He wanders into a diner for a piece of pie. As he tells the diner’s owner, Molly, his woes, one of the area’s residents, Alisha Caldwell, overhears him and offers him a job as a “companion” for her five-year-old son, Corey. Companion is another word for nanny or manny.

Since he is out of options, Simon agrees. It’s a nanny job, but soon, Simon finds himself becoming attached to Corey… and to his mother…and to the town.

Secrets of the town, of the Caldwell’s, and even Simon’s own family back in New Jersey begin to unravel.

This novel is character-drive, and soon I was enchanted with these characters. To me it was reminiscent of Robert James Waller's novel, "The Bridges of Madison County. Therefore  “One-Lane Bridge” received 6 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.