Don't Tell a Soul

 
Shirley J.           Adult Fiction       Women's Spiritual Groups, Friendships, Secrets

Don't Tell a Soul by Tiffany L. Warren    288 pages

Really well told tale of several women who are friends and who are members of the womens group at their church.   Each woman has her own family issues going on and several interlap as the husband of one member has a love child with another, he later does a stint in prison and returns a preacher - What?   And that is only two of the wonderful ladies in this story.    spirit filledThere is also a yung former porno star who desperately wants to change her life.  Great coming together of characters and yes there are a couple of gossips at the church who are sure to get their opinions in.   So well written and so spirit filled such a good mix of right, wrong and the gray areas in between.   I would recommend this book to mature teens on up.    Very well written.   I will be looking for more titles from this author.

Park Avenue Summer

Park Avenue Summer by Renee Rosen     368 pages

 I first became aware of “Cosmopolitan” magazine when its intrepid editor-in-chief, Helen Gurley Brown, visited “The Tonight Show” with Johnny Carson in the late 1970s. It was on those shows that I learned of her radically feministic book “Sex and the Single Girl,” which was published in 1962.

This story takes place three years later, in 1965 Manhattan. The publishing world is still the old boys’ network and women were supposed to be at home. Alice Weiss (a fictional character) has left her Ohio home for New York, with dreams of becoming a photographer. Thanks to an old friend, she gets an exciting job as the secretary to HGB, a woman who knows what she wants but doesn’t know a thing about publishing a magazine.

The Hearst Corporation wants to shutter Cosmo, but HGB wants to bring it into the twentieth century and revitalize its contents and looks. She wants to aim it at young women who want something more before they settle down to a home and a family. It’s HGB’s job to turn the magazine around but not offend old conservatives. Easier said than down when the old boys’ network is sabotaging her every move and decision.

Readers get to see the birth of Cosmo and how HGB raised it from the ashes. Daily life is hectic in the magazine world, and readers get a chance to see what life was really like back in those days: the cigarettes that everyone chain-smoked, the lunchtime drinks, the deals.

Author Rosen was fortunate to meet and talk with Lois Cahall, the woman who probably knew HGB better than anyone else. I’m sure that’s why the story feels so intimate. With Alice as its narrator, modern readers get a glimpse into a storied past. Along the way, Alice finds a way to have everything HGB says she can have, and more.

 “Park Avenue Summer” receives 6 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

Another Brooklyn

Another Brooklyn by Jacqueline Woodson, 175 pages

“Running into a long-ago friend sets memory from the 1970s in motion for August, transporting her to a time and a place where friendship was everything--until it wasn't. For August and her girls, sharing confidences as they ambled through neighborhood streets, Brooklyn was a place where they believed that they were beautiful, talented, brilliant--a part of a future that belonged to them. But beneath the hopeful veneer, there was another Brooklyn, a dangerous place where grown men reached for innocent girls in dark hallways, where ghosts haunted the night, where mothers disappeared. A world where madness was just a sunset away and fathers found hope in religion.” This was a sad but hopeful story.  It really spoke to me for some reason that I can’t quite explain.  I loved it, but I’m not sure I’ll want to reread it and I can’t quite explain that either.  I’d recommend this to anyone who likes realistic and historical fiction.

What's a Girl Gotta Do?

What's a Girl Gotta Do? by Holly Bourne     432 pages

HOW TO START A FEMINIST REVOLUTION:

1. Call out anything that is unfair on one gender

2. Don't call out the same thing twice (so you can sleep and breathe)

3. Always try to keep it funny

4. Don't let anything slide. Even when you start to break...

Lottie's determined to change the world with her #Vagilante vlog. Shame the trolls have other ideas...

This was probably my least favorite Spinster book, despite it being one of the most important books because of how directly it addresses sexism and what it means to be a feminist. I only disliked it because the level of angst and emotions was so high it was hard to get through. It’s never enjoyable reading about people going through a really rough patch in their lives, and what Lottie endures is quite rough. It made for difficult reading – as in, I would need to take breaks every once in a while, just to space out the emotional turmoil.

Overall, I will say that this book touches on important topics and I would highly recommend it to young, budding feminists. This book reads like an intro into activism and displays numerous ways that teens can get into addressing sexism or starting activist projects to address issues they are concerned with. I also like that Bourne does address the fact that this book doesn’t cover all forms of sexism. The blanket of sexism is wide and many books or projects that attempt to promote feminist ideals often get shot down, even by other feminists, if they aren’t intersectional enough or don’t attempt to cover all forms of sexism, even going so far as to play the “who has it worst,” game. Any attempts to address feminism, in my book, are important, and Bourne makes sure state that this book is an attempt to light a spark, which I think it does.

Am I Normal Yet?

Am I Normal Yet? by Holly Bourne     434 pages

All Evie wants is to be normal. She’s almost off her meds and at a new college where no one knows her as the girl-who-went-crazy. She’s even going to parties and making friends. There’s only one thing left to tick off her list…

But relationships are messy – especially relationships with teenage guys. They can make any girl feel like they’re going mad. And if Evie can’t even tell her new friends Amber and Lottie the truth about herself, how will she cope when she falls in love?

Wow, this book was a roller coaster of emotions to read. Evelyn, or Evie, is just starting to lower her medication to combat her OCD symptoms. Wanting to experience a "normal" teenage life, she begins to make new friends and perhaps experience real romance for the first time. Except her symptoms start creeping back - only this time, Evie's not willing to admit they're back, afraid that she'll disappoint her family, that her new friends will find out and not want to be around her to deal with mental issues, that she will be "mental" for the rest of her life. Bourne did such a good job conveying the struggles someone might go through with this mental illness, drawing out the problems in our society with stigmas about mental illness, society's casual use of mental illness buzzwords, like "OCD" or "crazy," without realizing how much such casual use of these words might hurt those with actual illnesses. With the character of Evelyn, Bourne is able to bring a light to this issue while still constructing a teenage character with real teenage problems that traditional YA books attempt to highlight. Evie gets crushes, she has family problems, she worries about what her friends might think, all issues tackled in many YA novels. While highlighting mental illness, Bourne does not let it define Evie's character, still showing her in the same light as any other YA-driven novel. This story was so compelling - I felt things very deeply while reading Evie's character, and I especially enjoyed how feminism became a rallying cry for her and her friends, who start their own "spinster" club, to take back the word spinster and perhaps bring about a new, enlightened way of living in a world full of benevolent as well as blatant sexism. While the type of feminism discussed isn't as intersectional as I'm sure some would like, it is still an important component that most YA books do not even attempt to touch, so I applaud Bourne for bringing the topic of feminism, as how teen girls experience it, in this book. The narration was so witty and the cast of characters all felt well rounded and real. I am so happy I finally got a chance to read this book and I will definitely be recommending it to everyone.

How To Change A Life

How To Change A Life by Stacey Ballis         Audio Book:10 hours, 40 mins.     Paperback Book:  400 pages   

How to Change A Life is the story of three adult friends who have been besties since highschool but as life happens and takes them in different directions they lose contact until they meet up again at the funeral of their favorite and most inspiring teacher.   Promising not to lose touch again they begin getting together and end up over drinks making a bet that before they each turn 40 they must complete a bucket list of things to do that will change their lives around completely.   Eloise who has become a near recluse has been tasked by the other two friends, Lynne and Teresa, to start dating with a set amount of dates she has to go on,  (her heart was broken by a relationship she had with an older married man in France - you'll learn all about that - and she avoided relationships after that), Lynne is a control freak so the other friends give her the assignment that she must get a dog, something she has to take care of (other than herself) and love (she is not strong on giving over to anyone or anything.   Teresa who is a stay at home mom is tasked to spice up her marriage with pole dancing classes which she signs the other two gals up for too.     It has a big plot twist complication that keeps the reader in suspense as to who will be right?   Good story.  I enjoyed it.

Copycat

Copycat by Kimberla Lawson Roby Book 181 pages

This is a book about a woman named Simone, who as a result of her troubling past, mimics the lives of certain successful people around her. This causes no end of drama and so goes the story. This book was not Roby's best, but it was still an okay read. I felt like the ending wasn't as conclusive as it could have been, there were a few too many "maybes" for my taste. I am glad it wasn't a long book because I"m not sure it would have been as easy to read as a longer book. Really the one word that comes to mind with this book is fine. The plot was fine, the characters were fine and so on. There were some page-turning moments, but I wouldn't say the whole book is that way. For me, I like when characters go to the very edge of sanity, the crazier the better. That was not the case in this book. Don't get me wrong Simone did some crazy things, but it could have been crazier. I'm from the "go big or go home" school of thought and I know Roby is capable of some very "big" writing (see Curtis Black series). I would recommend this book, but with the caveat that it isn't as dramatic as other books by this author.

Orphan Train

Orphan Train  by Christina Baker Kline   278 pages

In an act of judging a book by its cover, I thought that Orphan Train was a story about the Kindertransport, the organized rescue effort that happened during the nine months before the outbreak of World War II when approximately 10,000 from Germany, Poland, Austria, and Czechoslovakia. They were placed in foster homes, schools, farm and hostels in the United Kingdom.

In a way I was wrong and right. This story is about the relocation of children, but instead of Europe, it happened here in in America between 1854 and 1929. Indigent, orphaned or abandoned children from the East Coast were put on trains to be fostered or adopted by Midwestern families, who often treated them like slaves.

Christina Baker Kline’s novel, Orphan Train, tackles this almost-forgotten aspect of American history. Vacillating between Spruce Harbor, Maine, in 2011, and New York, Chicago, and Minnesota of 1929 to 1943, readers meet two children in dire circumstances.

First is seventeen-year-old Molly, who has been sentenced to community service. She is to help an old woman cleanout her attic. The old woman, Vivian, maybe ninety-one years old, but she has a few sparks left in her. Her whole life is in that attic. She doesn’t so much want to clean it out, but look back and remember her life.

Vivian, along with her parents and three siblings, emigrated from Ireland in 1929. She and her parents lived in one of New York City’s infamous tenements. After her family dies in a fire, Vivian, whose birth name is Niamh Power, is sent to the Children’s Aid Society and ultimately placed on a train bound for Minnesota.

While Molly’s story frames Vivian’s story, both take solace in each other. Molly learns that she doesn’t have it so bad after all. Poor Vivian went by several names before Vivian was finally settled on her.

This is a tale of loss, turbulence, resilience, second chances, adaptability, and courage. Be prepared to not get anything else accomplished once you start this wonderfully woven tale.

Orphan Train receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

Giant Days, vol.1

Giant Days, vol. 1, by John Allison, ill by Lissa Treiman, 128 pages

Susan, Esther and Daisy are vastly different, but that doesn't stop them from being the best of friends in this weird new world called college dorm living.  Is... that enough? Because that's kind of all there is to this.  It's not bad- it's like watching a 30-minute sitcom.  There are some cute parts, some laughs, and some heartfelt/"real" moments of friendship and forgiveness.   Totally worth reading if it's laying around and you're looking for something light. 

Lumberjanes, vol 1: Beware the Kitten Holy

Lumberjanes, vol 1: Beware the Kitten Holy, by Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, Brooke A. Allen (Illustrator), Maarta Laiho, 128 pages

Five gal pals at a summer camp for "hardcore lady types" encounter foxes with three eyes, a river monster, and a boys' camp full of weirdly well-behaved young men.  Oh man, I loved this! It had the charm and innocence of Adventure Time, mixed with humor and friendship and hardcore lady types.  And I love seeing female talent in the graphic novel world! And there's a Pungeon Master badge! You can't beat that!

How to Start a Fire

How to Start a Fire by Lisa Lutz
339 Pages


" When UC Santa Cruz roommates Anna and Kate find passed-out Georgiana Leoni on a lawn one night, they wheel her to their dorm in a shopping cart. Twenty years later, they gather around a campfire on the lawn of a New England mansion. What happens in between--the web of wild adventures, unspoken jealousies, and sudden tragedies that alter the course of their lives--is charted with sharp wit and aching sadness in this meticulously constructed novel. Anna, the de facto leader, is fearless and restless--moving fast to stay one step ahead of her demons. Quirky, contemplative Kate is a natural sidekick but a terrible wingman ("If you go home with him, might I suggest breathing through your mouth"). And then there's George: the most desired woman in any room, and the one most likely to leave with the worst man. Shot through with the crackling dialogue, irresistible characters, and propulsive narrative drive that make Lutz's books so beloved, How to Start a Fire pulls us deep into Anna, Kate, and George's complicated bond and pays homage to the abiding, irrational love we share with the family we choose."

The author of the Spellman Files embarks on a different trek with this entry but the narrative voice is very similar to her earlier books.  The format of the book has each chapter jumping around in time which makes it more difficult to follow the story but give enough hints of the present that the reader wants to find out what happened in the past. 

The Unfortunate Importance of Beauty

The Unfortunate Importance of Beauty by Amanda Filipacchi
 332 Pages


"In the heart of New York City, a group of artistic friends struggles with society's standards of beauty. At the center are Barb and Lily, two women at opposite ends of the beauty spectrum, but with the same problem: each fears she will never find a love that can overcome her looks. Barb, a stunningly beautiful costume designer, makes herself ugly in hopes of finding true love. Meanwhile, her friend Lily, a brilliantly talented but plain-looking musician, goes to fantastic lengths to attract the man who has rejected her--with results that are as touching as they are transformative. To complicate matters, Barb and Lily discover that they may have a murderer in their midst, that Barb's calm disposition is more dangerously provocative than her beauty ever was, and that Lily's musical talents are more powerful than anyone could have imagined."

This book had some glimmers of brilliance about but was in serious need of an editor's touch.  There were too many characters who never were fully developed and the whole murderer portion of the book was an unnecessary tangent that really never added anything to the story.  I only would give it two stars even though I stayed up to finish the book because I wanted to see where the author took the ideas. 

A Wedding on Ladybug Farm

A Wedding on Ladybug Farm by Donna Ball
359 Pages

I started reading this series a long time ago and  the only way I could classify it is as a Hallmark/Lifetime sort of book.  Normally I wouldn't read this type of book but I think I'm fascinated with the idea of finding an old house and uncovering mysteries while rehabbing it.

The series follows the adventures of three women who started their second lives by blending their households and buying an old mansion and farm in the Shenandoah Valley. In this book, Lindsay is getting married while Bridget and Cici struggle to understand the motives of their grown children.

The Bookseller

The Bookseller by Cynthia Swanson
352  Pages

Kitty/Katherine is the main character in a novel set in Denver in the 1960's.  Kitty is running a failing bookstore with her best friend Frieda when she starts to have spells where she imagines she has a different life.  She is married to Lars and has 3 children. She is more elegant and well-dressed but her friend Frieda is no longer a part of her life.  In this reality, things seem better but as time progresses it becomes apparent that there are troubles here as well.  

An interesting premise but not handled as well as Jo Walton's book "My Real Children".  

Vintage

Vintage by Susan Gloss
310 Pages

Violet Turner's vintage shop "Hourglass Vintage" is in trouble.  Her landlord is throwing her out to redevelop her building into luxury condos.  Her only hope is to raise $1 million dollars to buy her building.

A variety of characters come together in this story where each chapter is headed by a vintage item and it's backstory.  This charming novel explores how memories are tied up into objects.