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.

The Book Haters' Book Club

The Book Haters’ Book Club by Gretchen Anthony 352 pages

Love the title of this book! I had to read it just to find out who would attend a book haters’ book club if the person hates books. That had to be an interesting group of people. Perplexing at the least.

Elliott, co-owner of Minneapolis’ Over the Rainbow Bridge, has recently passed away, leaving the other co-owner, Irma, in a pickle. Business is not good, and bills are piling up. Irma is also grieving the death of her longtime boyfriend, Nestor, from cancer.

Irma calls a meeting with her two daughters, Bree and Laney, and Elliott’s life partner, Thom, at the lawyer’s office. She has decided to sell to a developer who plans to raze it and replace it with high-rise condominiums.

As shocking as this decision is to the three, Bree has the most to lose. She works in the store and has assumed that she would take it over when Irma retired. Laney just wants to get back to her home in Oakland, California, and running a tire-repair shop with her husband. Thom is angry at Irma, but no one seems to know why, including Irma. The most infuriating part is that Irma won’t say why she so desperately wants to sell. This part of the plot dominates the first book’s first half.

The second half is about Irma coming clean with her secrets and what the three can do to save their relationships…and the bookstore.

The book’s title comes not from a fictional book club, but that is the name of the newsletter that Elliott sent out with reading recommendation to his customers. That title comes from Elliott’s belief that “all it takes is the right book to turn a book hater into a book lover.” He wasn’t actively trying to turn non-readers into readers, and, truthfully, I don’t get it. Readers are treated to a few of the newsletters. Cute and interesting, but they do not push the plot forward. And neither does periodic visits from Elliott in the form of the Forward, Commercial Breaks, Intermission, Curtain Call and One Last Thing…They’re creepy.

“The Book Haters’ Book Club” receives 3 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

 

Dinner for One: How Cooking in Paris Saved Me

Dinner for One: How Cooking in Paris Saved Me by Sutanya Dacres 352 pages

I enjoy most foodie memoirs/biographies. If y’all haven’t read and of Ruth Reichl’s series of growing up and working around food, I highly recommend them.  They are simply wonderful, as is the one novel she wrote, “Delicious.”

I thought I was getting kind of the same things when I picked up “Dinner for One: How Cooking in Paris Saved Me.” Well, I read, and read, and read, and read, and read. Took me almost a month to finish this book. I was bound and determined to finish it and find that nugget that would have made it all worthwhile. The book contained almost one hundred pages of recipes, so I just knew that it would be unputdownable.

I was wrong. It starts out well enough, with Dacres meeting her husband, who is only referred to TFM (The French Man) through all 352 pages, in the New York.  They had a long distant relationship for three years before they married.  Dacres left everything and everybody she knew and loved to move to Paris.

The honeymoon didn’t seem to last long. Dacres knew no one in Paris, didn’t know her way around, and barely spoke the language. I would have thought that she would try to learn the basics before she moved to Paris, but she didn’t. French is not an easy language to learn, and Dacres didn’t seem that interested. TFM had his own set of friends, was a native Parisian, and a job. Dacres seemed alone most of the time.

Readers must watch Dacres and TFM’s marriage fall apart for more than two thirds of the book.  It got old after a while. Normally I would have bailed, but I was really waiting for the good part.  Mostly after Dacres and TFM separated we had to watch as she drank too much and had a series of one-night stands.

She does decide that she is spending too much of her time trashed and starts cooking, but it is too little too late. There isn’t much about cooking in this memoir and not a mention of the recipes that she includes.  I was extremely disappointed in this narrative, and equally as irritated at myself for hanging on to the very last word, especially since it put me seven books behind toward my Goodreads goal. Therefore “Dinner for One: How Cooking in Paris Save Me” receives 1 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world. 

 

Tha Magic of Lemon Drop Pie

The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie by Rachel Linden 352 pages

On a hot, hot summer day, there is nothing better than staying indoors with a light, fun book. “The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie” is the perfect book to read indoors, or for sun lovers, lying on the beach or in a hammock.

Lolly Blanchard is in a rut. When her mother died ten years ago, she put all her dreams on hold. She took over her mother’s role at the family’s diner and acts as a mother to her thirteen-year-old sister, Daphne. She rises before dawn every day to make the lemon meringue pies for which the diner is famous. She takes care of the books and runs the front of the house. Dad is the chef, but he is still so lost in his grief that he can barely function.

One day, Daphne discovers one of Lolly’s high school journals where she listed her life goals. Much to her dismay, she has not completed any of them, and it’s even harder that there are only five. Four big goals and one smaller goal, but still.

Lolly sinks into a funk. Her thirty-third birthday is just around the corner. The diner is slowly losing business and bills are hard to pay.

Great-Aunt Gert, an eccentric old woman, gives Lolly a most unusual birthday present:  three lemon drops. But these aren’t just any lemon drops; they are magical. Each one will give Lolly the opportunity to “live a single day in a life that might have been hers.”

Lolly uses the lemon drops to answer some of her biggest regrets. She decides to spend a day with her mother, open a restaurant overseas and made a life with the only man she has ever loved.

This was a sweet, sweet (no pun intended) story. The choices Lolly makes with the three lemon drops will open her eyes to see the new possibilities in her existing life. And on learning of a fourth lemon drop that will allow her to stay in one of those lives, Lolly discovers the strength and happiness she had no idea could be hers.

A light read for a sweltering day, “The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie” is the perfect beach read and receives 5 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

 

The Christmas Wedding Guest

The Christmas Wedding Guest (Book 1 in a new series) by Susan Mallery 432 pages

I love a great cover, and this first book in a new series by Susan Mallery has one!  The white wedding dress is gorgeous, and it hanging in front of that red door really makes it pop. 

It’s Christmas all year in the tiny town of Wishing Tree, Washington. It’s a magical place most of the year, but during the Christmas season, it’s amazing. 

“The Christmas Wedding Guest” features two sisters and a dog named Belle---a 120-pound Great Dane with a nervous condition. 

The last time Reggie, short for Regina, had come home, she had the world’s shortest engagement. Jake proposed on Friday, the couple celebrated with a party on Saturday night, and on Sunday afternoon, he dumped her. Luckily he has moved away from Wishing Tree, and she won’t have to run into him while she helps plan her parent’s vow renewal.  

Reggie’s sister, Dena, is a pregnant single mom---by choice---who is tired of the dating scene and looking for Mr. Right.

 Things are about to change when Reggie’s high school sweetheart, Toby, moves back to Wishing Tree with his son. She wonders if the sparks are still there, but Toby is a much different person than he was back then. He has a lot of scars that he’s not willing to sacrifice anymore of his heart. Toby owns and operates Judy’s Hand Pies, a fleet of food trucks, that have made him a multi-millionaire.

Speaking of multi-millionaires, Dena is about to meet one too. She runs a local B&B and Micah checks in for the holidays. Micha’s a rock legend who has come to Wishing Tree to be inspired. He hasn’t written a song since his wife and unborn child were killed in an auto accident. Luckily, he goes mostly unnoticed by the people of Wishing Tree. 

What transpires is typical holiday romance, but the hilarity arises when Great Dane Belle has to maneuver around Reggie and Dena’s parent’s 22-pound dachshund, Burt. Burt is always trying to intimidate Belle, and most of the time, he succeeds. Until one day... 

I enjoyed this novel. I see it as two separate Hallmark Movies for the holiday season. They fit the mold. “The Christmas Wedding Guest” receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world. 

 

Oh, William!

Oh, William! (Book 3 is the Amgash Series ) by Elizabeth Strout 256 pages

I have to admit that I’m a little late to the party; I’ve never read any of Pulitzer Prize winner’s Elizabeth Strout. And I’m a little late by reading Book 3 in a series, but that doesn’t matter. I didn’t feel list or confused by reading this novel. Strout did an amazing job in filling in the blanks for new readers.

I knew that Strout had written a book about the protagonist, Lucy Barton, but I didn’t know anything abou it.  But that didn’t stop me from enjoying this slim volume that packs a punch.

In this novel, Lucy is now in her sixties. There are two narratives happening simultaneously. First is Lucy’s trip dowm memory lane, ruminating on her life, her career, her daughters and escpecially her childhood. Her husband, David, has died, but she remains in close contact with her daughters’ father, her first husband, William. They still call each other by the pet names they used from their marriage.

William is married, happily I’m not so sure, with a daughter is approximately ten years old. HE is turning seventy, and seems lost in the world. When he stumbles on life-changing family secret, he seems to feel even more lost. I get the idea that William has always been a rather sad person, and this secret only exacerbates those feelings.

When William invites, pleads is  more like it, for Lucy to accompany him on a fact-finding mission to unlock the long-ago.

The story is told in caveats so readers can see both sides of the situation. However, what I didn’t like about the novel is the overuse of some statements. For example, she may say “This is what I meant…” or “This is what I meant to say…” several times in the same paragraph. That style would interrupt the story’s tension for me. Therefore, “Oh, William” receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world. 

 

Meet Me in London

Meet Me in London by Georgia Toffolo 336 pages

For fans of Josie Silver's “One Day in December” and Christina Lauren's “In a Holidaze.” 

I’m just gonna say it now. “Meet Me in London” is a novel that would be a wonderful Hallmark Christmas movie. This rom-com has it all: great setting; girl hates boy before she even meets him; boy is indifferent to girl, yet they need each other; low-level sparks fly; and BAM! they fall in love.

 At her core, Victoria Scott is a vintage fashion designer. I love vintage clothing and I wish author Toffolo had described some of her clothing. Maybe she did, and I missed it. The clothing could have been from any decade from the 1930s to the 1990s. I got the feeling that it was 1950s, but I wouldn’t put money on it.

To make ends meet, she works in a bar in Chelsea; across the street is her ex-boyfriend’s business. The area the two businesses are in sounds quaint and wonderful….lots of little specialty shops and restaurants. However, there is a new store opening down the street that will change everything and probably put all the shops out of business: Russell’s, an old and established department store.

The store is facing its own set of challenges: its way, way behind schedule and its grand opening date in early December may not happen. Oliver Russell, son of the store owner and heir apparent, has been sent to fix things and get the opening back on schedule or they’ll lose the Christmas buying season.

Oliver is also trying to fend off his mother who wants to meet his girlfriend over the holidays; a girlfriend who doesn’t exist. Victoria and Oliver literally run into each other outside the department store. Readers know where this is going so I don’t need to go on.

One thing that confused me is that the novel takes place in London’s Chelsea neighborhood. So how can the title be “Meet Me in London”? Although the novel was predictable, I did like it. It wasn’t great, but reading a holiday rom-com is fun during the dog days of summer. Therefore, “Meet Me in London” 3 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world. 

 

The Photographer

The Photographer by Mary Dixie Carter 304 pages

For fans of Tarryn Fisher’s ‘The Wrong Family.”

Delta Dawn is the children’s photographer to New York City’s elite. She specializes in children’s birthday parties. She is magic behind the camera, thanks in part to a boatload of editing software. She can make the most disastrous party look like fun was had by all. For the most part, she is just a fly on the wall, unseen and unnoticed.

Then Delta is hired by Amelia and Fritz Straub to shoot eleven-year-old Natalie’s party. It’s there that she realizes this is the perfect family and longs to be noticed, to play an important role in their lives.

She develops a plan that will integrate her into their lives and becomes indispensable to the Straub’s. The plan begins with Delta taking an interest in the neglected little girl. She begins babysitting on Friday nights when Amelia and Fritz have to go out. The Straub’s are famous architects who have clients around the world. Delta tries to seem like a friend who can help. She runs errands for Amelia; talks with Fritz about a myriad of subjects.

When Delta isn’t at the Straub family home, she is in her apartment, manipulating photos to include herself. The pictures are of her and Fritz…in bed and naked; of her and Amelia…laughing and drinking wine, standing extremely close together…photos of her and Natalie having fun.

Delta learns Amelia deepest desire, and how that desire has been thwarted over the years. But Delta knows how to help make her dream come true.

Carter, a first-time novelist, has created a super-duper creepy thriller that will have readers looking twice at anyone who comes into their homes. I read it in one day! There was only one problem in this pageturner. There is no explanation as to why Delta needs this family so much. What triggered this obsessive need to fit in with the Straub’s. Not that it impedes the creep factor, but as I read the last page, I wondered what was Delta’s motive?

I was going to give “The Photographer” 6 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world. However, due to the lack of motive, “The Photographer” received 5 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

 

When Harry Met Minnie

When Harry Met Minnie: A true story of love and friendship by Martha Teichner 256 pages

Get ready to fall in love with this true, heartbreaking and heartwarming story of two women and their bull terriers. It won’t be a bad idea to have a box of tissues handy either.

 “CBS Sunday Morning” correspondent and multi-Emmy Award winner Martha Teichner tells the story of her enchantment with the bull terrier breed. In the past she has been best friends with Piggy, Goose, and now, Minnie. Martha and Minnie loved to walk around New York City, especially the Chelsea Piers and the Union Square Farmer’s Market. All the vendors at the market knew Minnie and had a treat waiting for her. Her favorite? Mangos!

It was at the market, on July 23, 2016, that Martha and Minnie ran into an old acquaintance, quite by chance. It had been a couple of years since she had seen him and his dog, but there they were. Weirdly, Martha didn’t know much about him, not even his name, but they bonded over their dogs. When Martha’s old friend learned that Goose had died six months earlier, he had an idea.

He had another friend, Carol, who was looking for a new home for her bull terrier, Harry. Carol had developed cancer from the 9/11 toxins as her apartment building was near Ground Zero. After thinking about, Martha agreed to let Harry and Minnie meet. This started a nearly two year adventure of slowly introducing the dogs as bull terriers can be quite territorial and aggressive.

Harry and Minnie immediately hit it off! There were multiple dates, overnights and walks around the city. Readers will get to know their individual idiosyncrasies and their breed’s stubbornness and watch them bond. Harry had several medical issues also; quite a few as Martha soon learned. But that wasn’t an issue---Minnie loved Harry, and Harry loved Minnie.

A deep friendship also formed between Martha, Carol, and Martha’s acquaintance, who was named Stephen. What fun it was to be a voyeuristic part of their group! Martha still had not committed to taking Harry as late as Fall 2017. However, as Carol deteriorated, it became a matter of fact that Martha would take Harry and love him all the rest of his days.

This story reminded me a bit of Elizabeth Berg’s novel, “Talk Before Sleep.” I was attracted to the cover---Harry and Minnie’s adorable faces staring at me. I feel now as if I knew them.  

When Harry Met Minnie: A true story of love and friendship receive 6 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

 

 

An Unorthodox Match

An Unorthodx Match by Naomi Ragen   336 pages

 I admit that I’m not well educated in the different sects of Judaism. I depend on great authors like Naomi Ragen to help me understand that extremely complex world. Usually, she does a great job.

Lola is looking for a sense of purpose and roots. She has known the world and all it’s twenty-first century trappings and tragedies. Yet she longs for a simpler life. That is why she has decided to join a Jewish Orthodox community in Brooklyn, New York. She has even changed her name to Leah.

Yaakov has recently lost his wife. He is struggling to raise his five children and continue his studies of the Torah. He has gotten a lot of support from family and friensds, but he know she needs more; he needs a wife.

As Leah and Yaakov navigate the idea of an arranged marriage, the attraction the feel for each other creates problem after problem.

 I had an extremelu difficult time with this book. At times, as in the first 40 pages, there was too much information on the various forms of Judiasm, which I had to read at least three times. I was never clear if some of the words were Yiddish or Hebrew. And if it was explained, I missed it.  I’m sure that this is why I didn’t care about the characters for the rest of the story.

The story seems well-written, the plot seems strong. But this just wasn’t my cup of tea. It’s the reader, not the writer in this instance. I feel bad about my ranking, but it’s an honest opinion.  “An Unorthodx Match” receives 1 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

The Girl Who reads on the Metro

The Girl Who Reads on the Metro by Christine Feret-Fleury  208 pages

I consider myself well-read, but when the author started listing titles and books I’ve never heard of, I felt stupid. Maybe that set the tone for me for this book.

Juliette lives in Paris. She has an ordinary life and an ordinary job. On her commute to her ordinary job, she is always interested in the books her fellow commuters are reading. Desparate for a change, Juliette gets off the metro at a stop unfamiliar to her. As she wandes through this new area, she discovers a gate held open by a book.

Entranced, she venture through the gates and discovers a small but very crowded bookstore. This was creepy if y’all ask me. The store is run by a man named Soliman, who lives on the premises with his young daughter. Soliman was creepy. He never ventures out of his compound, yet he has a gaggle of passuers that seem to do his bidding. Their goal is to match a book with the right person.  I was never really sure how that worked. The general gist was that they should follow the person, get to know their habits, etc., so they could be matched with the perfect book.

 “The Girl Who Reads on the Metro” isn’t my cup of tea, and that is why it receives 2 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

Left Fur Dead

 

Left Fur Dead (Book 1 in the Jules & Bun Series) by J. M. Griffin 368 pages

When a librarian friend emailed me the covr of this book, there was no way tha I could pass it up. If the bunny was gray, it would look a lot my sweet rabbit, Gracie.

Juliette Barnes and operates Fur Bridge Farm where she cares for rescued rabbits. I’m sorry to say that there are two major errors in the story’s beginning that made me cringr. First, rabbits don’t get yearly shots. They do need to go to the vet twice a year though. Second, rabbits should never be given a drip bottle for their water. They can’t enough at one time, which can lead to frustration/aggression and dehydration, which if gets too severe can lead to death.

Those two points weren’t enough to deter me from what ends up being a delightful read. Bun is a black-and-white rabbit, and if he’s the one on the cover, he’s of the Duthc breed. Of all the bunnie in Jules’s care, Bun is the only one who lives indoors. He has a special talent that makes their bond even more special. Bun can communicate, telepathically, with Jules. And he is quite the opinionated little dude.

Life is going just fine until one afternoon, while on their walk, Bun and Jules find a dead body. They are shocked to learn that they know the man; someone Jules works with on occasion. While that doesn’t scare them too bad, it’s not until Jules is attacked in the barn one night by a unknown person who’s features she can distinguish, that the plot heats up. The attacks continue, although Jules is never badly hurt, and the rabbits are never harmed (whew!), the intruder is bent on freeing the bunnies.

Who, and more important, why would someone want to hurt Jules. Could it be the high school kids who work for her sometimes. Or the young girl she has just hired to run  Fur Bridge’s gift shop. Or maybe it could be that homeless man who is living in the woods and seems to be keeping an eye on the place.

Except for those two errors I mentioned earlier, this cozy was a fun read. That’s why “Left Fur Dead” receivs 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world. Regardless, I can’t wait for Book 2.

The Mistletoe Promise

The Mistletoe Promise by Richard Paul Evans     273 pages

From Goodreads:

Elise Dutton dreads the arrival of another holiday season. Three years earlier, her husband cheated on her with her best friend, resulting in a bitter divorce that left her alone, broken, and distrustful.

Then, one November day, a stranger approaches Elise in the mall food court. Though she recognizes the man from her building, Elise has never formally met him. Tired of spending the holidays alone, the man offers her a proposition. For the next eight weeks—until the evening of December 24—he suggests that they pretend to be a couple. He draws up a contract with four rules:

1. No deep, probing personal questions
2. No drama
3. No telling anyone the truth about the relationship 
4. The contract is void on Christmas Day

The lonely Elise surprises herself by agreeing to the idea. As the charade progresses, the safety of her fake relationship begins to mend her badly broken heart. But just as she begins to find joy again, her long-held secret threatens to unravel the emerging relationship. But she might not be the only one with secrets.

Review:

This is such a cozy book, even though it contains some darker elements. The love story is sweet and romantic and it's a great read in the Christmas season.

The Last Time I Lied

The Last Time I Lied by Riley Sager     384 pages

From Goodreads:

Two Truths and a Lie. The girls played it all the time in their tiny cabin at Camp Nightingale. Vivian, Natalie, Allison, and first-time camper Emma Davis, the youngest of the group. The games ended when Emma sleepily watched the others sneak out of the cabin in the dead of night. The last she--or anyone--saw of them was Vivian closing the cabin door behind her, hushing Emma with a finger pressed to her lips.

Now a rising star in the New York art scene, Emma turns her past into paintings--massive canvases filled with dark leaves and gnarled branches that cover ghostly shapes in white dresses. The paintings catch the attention of Francesca Harris-White, the socialite and wealthy owner of Camp Nightingale. When Francesca implores her to return to the newly reopened camp as a painting instructor, Emma sees an opportunity to try to find out what really happened to her friends.

Yet it's immediately clear that all is not right at Camp Nightingale. Already haunted by memories from fifteen years ago, Emma discovers a security camera pointed directly at her cabin, mounting mistrust from Francesca and, most disturbing of all, cryptic clues Vivian left behind about the camp's twisted origins. As she digs deeper, Emma finds herself sorting through lies from the past while facing threats from both man and nature in the present.

And the closer she gets to the truth about Camp Nightingale, the more she realizes it may come at a deadly price.

I tried so hard to figure out “who did it.” Sadly, I was not successful, but I guess that just means that Sager made a compelling story that was unpredictable and new. This felt like a real story, it was so thrilling, page by page. Once the story returns Camp Nightingale, Sager really hits her stride and the story picks up and it’s difficult to put down.

Overall, it’s a solid mystery – I really enjoyed reading it, I enjoyed the suspense, and I really liked the writing. Sager is really talented and I’m interested in reading anything else he has written. I’d definitely recommend this to mystery buffs and anybody who is in for a thriller story.

Finding Baba Yaga

Finding Baba Yaga by Jane Yolen     144 pages

From Goodreads:

A harsh, controlling father. A quiescent mother. A house that feels like anything but a home. Natasha gathers the strength to leave, and comes upon a little house in the wood: A house that walks about on chicken feet and is inhabited by a fairy tale witch. In finding Baba Yaga, Natasha finds her voice, her power, herself....

A mythic yet timely novel-in-verse by the beloved and prolific author and poet Jane Yolen, “the Hans Christian Andersen of America.”

Yolen reinvents the classic tale of Baba Yaga with a modern twist, and poetry. I loved the texture of words Yolen created, mixing soft with rough, kind with unkind. You could really get a sense of Tash's turmoil, her sense of self. Her character growth is well developed, from afraid and weak to strong and confident under the Baba's tutelage. 

There are some wonderfully playful elements to this story, between Tash and Vasilisa, and even with Baba Yaga. Yolen plays with modern elements, like with Baba Yaga's upgraded house elements, but still keeps much of the traditional story, like Baba Yaga teaching the girls to fly with the mortar and pestle. All the fun, interesting bits of Baba Yaga lore are there for fans to see, but Yolen also does a good job of ushering a new generation of Baba Yaga enthusiasts into the story, giving time to explain some of the more traditional elements of Baba Yaga's story. 

I really enjoyed this book, and once again, Yolen really hooked me into this modern fantasy world.

Hurricane Child

Hurricane Child by Kheryn Callendar     256 pages

"Twelve-year-old Caroline is a Hurricane Child, born on Water Island during a storm. Coming into this world during a hurricane is unlucky, and Caroline has had her share of bad luck already. She's hated by everyone in her small school, she can see things that no one else can see, and -- worst of all -- her mother left home one day and never came back. With no friends and days filled with heartache, Caroline is determined to find her mother. When a new student, Kalinda, arrives, Caroline's luck begins to turn around. Kalinda, a solemn girl from Barbados with a special smile for everyone, seems to see the things Caroline sees, too. Joined by their common gift, Kalinda agrees to help Caroline look for her mother, starting with a mysterious lady dressed in black. Soon, they discover the healing power of a close friendship between girls."

This book was not for me. Not only were the main characters unlikable, but the themes in this story seemed much too heavy to be geared toward young readers (now, I know, depending on where children grow up and what their sexual orientation is, or what their home life is like, this story isn't any worse than what they've experienced, but the way this story is written doesn't seem like it would bring a reader in, especially a young reader. The writing style, to me, doesn't seem as if it were written for the age the main character is, but this is my opinion). I will just say that I don't know what kind of reader I would ever be able to recommend this book to, because the story is challenging, the narrative is a bit all over the place, and there is not much of a plot.

Five Feet Apart

Five Feet Apart by Rachael Lippincott     288 pages

"Stella Grant likes to be in control—even though her totally out of control lungs have sent her in and out of the hospital most of her life. At this point, what Stella needs to control most is keeping herself away from anyone or anything that might pass along an infection and jeopardize the possibility of a lung transplant. Six feet apart. No exceptions.

The only thing Will Newman wants to be in control of is getting out of this hospital. He couldn’t care less about his treatments, or a fancy new clinical drug trial. Soon, he’ll turn eighteen and then he’ll be able to unplug all these machines and actually go see the world, not just its hospitals.

Will’s exactly what Stella needs to stay away from. If he so much as breathes on Stella she could lose her spot on the transplant list. Either one of them could die. The only way to stay alive is to stay apart. But suddenly six feet doesn’t feel like safety. It feels like punishment.

What if they could steal back just a little bit of the space their broken lungs have stolen from them? Would five feet apart really be so dangerous if it stops their hearts from breaking too?"

This was such a beautiful love story, told from the perspective of two teenagers with Cystic Fibrosis. Will and Stella couldn't be more different in their outlook on life, him wanting to stop treatment and life life to the fullest while he still can, she trying to hold everything together to get better so she won't hurt the people she loves. But when they meet, slowly they change each other for the better and they find love where they didn't expect it.

I found both Stella and Will to be well rounded characters and I liked them both. They both seemed believable and earnest in their feelings and the why of their feelings was explained well. I also felt that the relationships with side characters was strong, mostly between Stella and Poe. There was a feeling of real time spent together, their routines and inside jokes helped show just how much the knew and loved each other. Not much time was spent with other friend characters, like Stella's school friends or Will's friends, but the story was not long, so there wasn't much time to include these.

I think the parents were believable as well, though I do think it was a bit too good to be true for Stella's parents to <spoiler> have gotten back together so easily and quickly after Stella's long transplant</spoiler>. I do like that the parents were there and involved, rather than just being props to make the story move along.

I kept wondering how the story would end, since the prospect of CF being terminal suggests that one or both characters could die at any time. I am glad that the author didn't create a magical/unbelievable recovery for Will or made it so that both characters actually could be together in the way they wanted, as this would have taken away from the reality that this book is trying to convey. The ending is bittersweet, but also ambiguous in a hopeful way. Stella's and Will's stories are not quite over and you, the reader, are left to imagine what you think might happen to them.

Lastly, I very much enjoyed the author's decision to provide a very real portrayal of the lives of people with CF. I think many stories don't handle illnesses well, or attempt to use illness as a quirk to create a compelling or unique romance and end up using the illness as a tool or don't present it in an accurate way, thus showing that the inclusion of illness in the story is just to make it novel or provide a tragic reason that the two leads cant be together - I’m looking at you, Everything, Everything! From the way this book was written, really lovingly, I could tell that the author wanted to provide a positive story for those who have CF, that accurately represented their lives, and that would make them seen by the rest of the world. At no point in the book did I feel like CF was just a story tool or was used to add heightened drama. It was very real, eye opening, and moving.

I would highly recommend this story and I am very glad I read it. Anyone who loves teen romance stories or who want to read a book with compelling, well written characters should read this book.

Squirrel Days

Squirrel Days by Ellie Kemper     256 pages

There comes a time in every sitcom actress’s life when she is faced with the prospect of writing a book. When Ellie Kemper’s number was up, she was ready. Contagiously cheerful, predictably wholesome, and mostly inspiring except for one essay about her husband’s feet, My Squirrel Days is a funny, free-wheeling tour of Ellie’s life—from growing up in suburban St. Louis with a vivid imagination and a crush on David Letterman to moving to Los Angeles and accidentally falling on Doris Kearns Goodwin.

I was so excited to see this book on NetGalley – I knew I had to read it. As a self-proclaimed Office and Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt fan, and as a St. Louis native, I knew I had to read Kemper’s book. And I am so glad I did! Kemper’s humor comes across in her writing so well. I giggled constantly while reading this book. Each chapter tells of a different experience or memory from Kemper’s life and she is very open and honest in her writing. She includes a disclaimer in the beginning of the book that her stories will be embellished – and there are plenty of moments where you can see this in action, and it gives the work an artful storytelling quality that I quite enjoyed, because really, everyone remembers things differently than how they happened. Kemper uses this to channel her humor and creates a scene that almost feels like you’re reading the scene of a movie. It was wonderful seeing all the bits and pieces that Kemper includes about St. Louis in her story. St. Louis is both a fairly large city and at the same like a small town (where you bump into people you know more often than not), so it often gets passed up when people consider major cities in the US. It was nice to get this little nod of recognition from Kemper. As she related bits about her childhood, I could easily picture the places she mentions and I got a little thrill every time. It was also amazing to hear a little behind the scenes tidbits from the shows and movies she’s acted in, like getting a little Office trivia. It was very cool to see things from her perspective about a show that I’ve watched so many times. She actually lived some of it! I would definitely recommend this to fans of the Office or Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt. It’s also just a really funny book with lots of slice of life scenes that are made larger than life with Kemper’s humor and storytelling. A fun, quick read that’s worth picking up.

To All the Boys I've Loved Before

To All the Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han

What if all the crushes you ever had found out how you felt about them… all at once?

Sixteen-year-old Lara Jean Song keeps her love letters in a hatbox her mother gave her. They aren’t love letters that anyone else wrote for her; these are ones she’s written. One for every boy she’s ever loved—five in all. When she writes, she pours out her heart and soul and says all the things she would never say in real life, because her letters are for her eyes only. Until the day her secret letters are mailed, and suddenly, Lara Jean’s love life goes from imaginary to out of control. 

What can I say about this book other than that it is disappointing because it wasn’t even close to what I was expecting? If you look at the cover, if you read the book description, all signs point to YA Romance. But that’s where it gets you: there is no romance.

Some might protest: “Oh no, there’s the romance between Lara Jean and Peter!” or “Lara Jean and Josh!” But I say, “NO.” This is not romance. For one thing, a fake relationship does not translate to romance. Even when Lara Jean and Peter <spoiler>admit that they like each other</spoiler> that does not really equal romance. And nothing comes of it anyway. For another, you can’t even count Josh – he’s a periphery and nothing happens <spoiler>and don’t even count the fact that he surprise kisses Lara Jean and she sort-of kisses him back before breaking it off.</spoiler>. NOT ROMANCE.

What this book is really is just a hint, a tease, to get you to read the next book. The beginning says: buckle up, the characters are circling each other in a “will they/won’t they”! The middle says: nothing remotely romantic is happening, only wistful day-dreaming about romantic things. The end says: PSYCH! No romance, just a could-have-been and now it’s over, but IS IT???!!!

Now I have to read the next book to see where that takes me – and to figure out why in bloody heck there’s a THIRD book. Why is this love story a series? I couldn’t figure it out before I read this book and now I know why. Because, most likely, the romance won’t happen till somewhere by the end of the second book, but probably not until the third book. Is it worth the struggle? I’ll say yes, because this book is a light, easy read.

Proceed with caution if I haven’t warned you off yet: Lara Jean is not the greatest head to be inside. As if her name weren’t cutesy enough, Lara Jean is such a “baby girl” that she reads more like a 13 year old. This is perpetuated by her continuous use of the titles, “Mommy,” and “Daddy,” for her parents. I’ve never met anyone above the age of 10 who calls their parents mommy and daddy. It was really freaking weird and I could not get over it. Lara Jean also has no life – she hangs out with her sister(s) and her dad and she goes to school. The only other person she sees more is Josh (because he freaking lives next door!). She has a sort-of girl friend, Chris, but that doesn’t really count because a) they don’t hang out at school and b) Chris only pops up every once in a while or calls Lara Jean. They don’t frequently see each other enough to call them best-friends.

And then, of course, there’s Peter. The “love interest.” I say it in quotes because <spoiler>their relationship is based on a contract</spoiler> but also because there is absolutely no chemistry between Lara Jean and Peter. In fact, Peter is very much still hung up over his ex-girlfriend throughout the book. Even when he says he likes Lara Jean, I sort of don’t believe him because I just don’t see any proof of that in the text and that’s either the author’s fault or Peter is just a really terrible person. But I think, it’s actually kind of both.

I’m going to go on a side-tangent here (feel free to skip to the bottom for my final say on this book): Neither Peter, nor Josh, are good romantic choices for Lara Jean.

I’ll start with Josh because the reason is really short: he’s her sister’s ex-girlfriend. Even if the author might in future write a scene where Margot says, “Lara Jean, I really am completely over Josh and I don’t even care that you and he are in a relationship, in fact, go you! I’m your biggest fan and supporter,” I would not be down with this relationship. For one, <spoiler>Margot breaks up with Josh and clearly still has feelings for him. And he for her. I don’t really buy the whole, “Lara Jean why didn’t you say something before because actually I love youuuu,” thing. In fact, it makes Josh an even bigger creep because he seems to be in love with Margot and Lara Jean interchangeably. If I were Lara Jean (or even Margot, to be honest) I’d be constantly worried about who Josh is thinking of when he kisses me/does anything romantic with me</spoiler>. Secondly, Josh and Margot <spoiler>had sex</spoiler>. If I knew that about my sister and the guy I have a crush on, I think any feelings would immediately be doused. Just no.

Now, Peter. First of all, Peter is still into his ex, a girl he’s on/off dated for all of high school and some of middle. If that doesn’t spell trouble, I don’t know what does. Secondly, Peter continually treats Lara Jean badly. He continually makes fun of her, picks fights with her, and has very little to say positively about her. He’s also extremely vain/selfish, a fact which Lara Jean CONTINUALLY brings up. If she can see it, I don’t know why Peter becomes attractive to her because that seems a bit problematic, especially given her romantic notions. After a certain point in the book, Lara Jean starts saying, “He’s really not like that,” or “He’s actually a nice guy,” or something to that effect. What I want to know is, how has she come to this conclusion? Even though a good percentage of the book is her and Peter hanging out, I don’t really see him change at all from her initial perception of him: he’s a bro, he’s vain, etc. Either Han is just not good at showing character development or she wrote Lara Jean to be just like all the other girls Lara Jean complains about when in connection to Peter: Peter’s a charmer and he makes every woman fall in love with him. Which means that no, he’s not actually nicer than people thought, not as self-involved as everyone thought, he’s just really good at conning people. I’m leaning towards this one a little bit because Lara Jean often says things like, “If Peter asks, I’ll probably do it,” as in, Peter can convince her to do things she normally wouldn’t do. If that’s how it is, then no – Peter is a terrible choice for a boyfriend.

Final thoughts:

So, ultimately, this book is a giant tease – it hints at romance, doesn’t deliver, and then expects you to read the next book to find out. Also, both love interests are terrible and Lara Jean is so babyish it’s hard to imagine anything romantic happening with her in a way that wouldn’t be creepy because she seems like a 13 year old. It’s a fast read – mostly because I kept trying to get to the good part, but it never happened. Will I read the next one? Probably, because it’ll probably be just as quick. I know I might be setting myself up for more disappointment, but at least it will be over quickly. I don’t know who I’d recommend this to.