Girl In Ice

 

Girl In Ice by Erica Ferencik 320 pages

 

As the heat turns up in St. Louis, I always try to find a book that is set somewhere cold. Well, you can’t get much colder than the research facility, Tarrarmiut Artic Science Station, off the coast of Greenland. The temperature and wind chill are so cold, they don’t register on thermometers. There are five other people living and working there, well at least until five months ago.

 

That is when Andy Chesterfield walked outside in the middle of the night in nothing but his boxers and froze to death. How could that have happened? His twin sister, linguist professor Val, is skeptical,

 

Val, an expert in dead Nordic languages, receives an email from the lead scientist, Wyatt, to the research station asking her to come and help him identify the unknown language a girl found frozen beneath the frozen landscape speaks. Unfortunately, Val (as had Andy) suffers from crippling anxiety that prevents her from hopping on the next plane bound for Greenland. It takes her ninety-nine-year-old father and a large dose of her anxiety pills to convince her to help Wyatt and search for indications that Andy did not kill himself.

 

Wyatt, Andy and the two other scientists believe the girl they found and slowly, slowly, slowly thawing out is about seven hundred years old. How she got there and how she is as much a mystery as her guttural speech.

 

When the girl thaws out, she is alive. Scared and confused, the young girl lashes out at anyone who comes near her. After the thaw, Wyatt insists that Val be the only one to have contact with her. The two develop a bond, and Val learns that her name is Sigrid. But that is the only word Val can understand. Sigrid speaks in a language Val has never heard.

 

Val does get Sigrid to draw pictures, but she draws the same scene over and over. No one can figure out what they mean. But Val is about to find out. When Sigrid gets sick, no one at the facility knows what is wrong? Could it be the food they eat? Could she be dying?

 

Ferencik draws beautiful pictures of the landscape, so cold and so beautiful I needed a sweater in the 90+ degree weather. The tension throughout the story runs high and low. Girl In Ice receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

 

One Italian Summer

   One Italian Summer by Rebecca Serle 272 pages 

I’ve spent ten days in Italy back in the summer of 1997. I threw coins in the Trevi Fountain, so hopefully its legend is true, and I’ll go back someday. In the meantime, I must settle for books that take place in the country of my ancestors.  

Author Serle sets her novel along the Amalfi Coast in the town of Positano. Her descriptions of the colorful houses and shops, the beauty of the clear ocean, the steep stairs that rival San Francisco’s hills, the bright sun and the cool breezes lacing through your hair made this reader feel as if she were there.

 

In the novel, Katy and her mother, Carol, had planned a trip to Positano for Carol’s sixtieth birthday. Unfortunately, Carol dies. Katy is devasted by the loss of the mother and best friend. After much persuading from her family and friends, Katy decides to go...alone. Upon her arrival, Katy is sure she has done the right thing; she can feel her mother’s spirit tagging along.  

The hotel is gorgeous, the views are heavenly (no pun intended) and the service is remarkable. Katy has a plan; to do all the things she and Carol had planned to do: visit Capri, shop, eat, drink, sunbath. It was to be the perfect getaway. 

In the hotel’s lobby, Katy meets a woman who looks exactly like her mother. No, it can’t be. She dresses, sounds and acts like Carol. Through some quirk of time travel, the woman is indeed her mother. Only she is thirty years old.  

Over the course of the novel, the two women bond. Katy learns to let go of her grief and realize that her mother’s spirit will always be with her. Learning to let go involves a romance... or two...as well as getting to know Carol in various other ways. 

“One Italian Summer” was a delightful read and a perfect getaway for those of us who won’t be traveling again this year. This book receives 5 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.  

The Girl With The Broken Heart

The Girl With The Broken Heart by Lurlene McDaniel, 273 pages

“Kenzie Caine is enrolled at Vanderbilt University, with the goal of becoming a veterinarian. When she lands a summer job caring for and helping to rehabilitate abused horses at the Bellmeade Estate stables, she is over-the-moon happy. One place she does not want to be is at home with her parents. Since the tragic death of Kenzie's younger sister, her mother has unraveled and her father has lost Kenzie's trust. At the stables, Kenzie is in her element. But a serious heart condition limits her ability to complete the more physical aspects of the job, so her employers have tasked the charming Austin Boyd with helping her. But Austin has secrets. And as Kenzie and Austin become closer, those secrets threaten to harm their relationship, as well as reveal other startling truths.” I admit, I had guessed at some of the secrets early on in the story, but not all.  This was a good story for teens who like a good romance, mixed with a little action.

Tyler Johnson Was Here

Tyler Johnson Was Here by Jay Coles, 299 pages

“When Marvin Johnson's twin, Tyler, goes to a party, Marvin decides to tag along to keep an eye on his brother. But what starts as harmless fun turns into a shooting, followed by a police raid.
The next day, Tyler has gone missing, and it's up to Marvin to find him. But when Tyler is found dead, a video leaked online tells an even more chilling story: Tyler has been shot and killed by a police officer. Terrified as his mother unravels and mourning a brother who is now a hashtag, Marvin must learn what justice and freedom really mean. Tyler Johnson Was Here is a powerful and moving portrait of youth and family that speaks to the serious issues of today--from gun control to the Black Lives Matter movement.”  This was an excellent story about the problems of race and police violence in the community.  I would highly recommend it for teens who like realistic fiction and books about current issues.

The Astonishing Color Of After

The Astonishing Color Of After by Emily X. R. Pan, 472 pages

“Leigh Chen Sanders is absolutely certain about one thing: When her mother died by suicide, she turned into a bird.  Leigh, who is half Asian and half white, travels to Taiwan to meet her maternal grandparents for the first time. There, she is determined to find her mother, the bird. In her search, she winds up chasing after ghosts, uncovering family secrets, and forging a new relationship with her grandparents. And as she grieves, she must try to reconcile the fact that on the same day she kissed her best friend and longtime secret crush, Axel, her mother was taking her own life. Alternating between real and magic, past and present, friendship and romance, hope and despair, The Astonishing Color of After is a stunning and heartbreaking novel about finding oneself through family history, art, grief, and love.” This book was pretty amazing.  I would give it to any teens that enjoy a good story.

Race To The Bottom Of The Sea

Race To The Bottom Of TheSea by Lindsay Eagar, 423 pages

“When her parents, the great marine scientists Dr. and Dr. Quail, are killed in a tragic accident, eleven year old Fidelia Quail is racked by grief. But she is forced out of her mourning when she's kidnapped by Merrick the Monstrous, a pirate. Her task? Use her marine know-how to retrieve his treasure, lost on the ocean floor. As Fidelia and the pirates close in on the prize, with the navy hot on their heels, she realizes that Merrick doesn't expect to live long enough to enjoy his loot. Could something other than black-hearted greed be driving him?”  This book was pretty amazing.  I would give this to kids that like adventure, historical fiction, or strong female characters.

Expelled

Expelled by James Patterson & Emily Raymond, 296 pages

“One viral photo. Four expelled teens. Everyone's a suspect. Theo Foster's Twitter account used to be anonymous--until someone posted a revealing photo that got him expelled. No final grade. No future. No fair. Theo's resigned to a life of misery working at the local mini-mart when a miracle happens: Sasha Ellis speaks to him. Sasha Ellis knows his name. She was also expelled for a crime she didn't commit, and now he has the perfect way to get her attention: find out who set them up. To uncover the truth, Theo has to get close to the suspects: the hacker, the quarterback, the mean girl, the vice principal, and his own best friend. What secrets are they hiding? And how can Theo catch their confessions on camera?” This was a little better than some of other Patterson’s books.  It had a little more depth than I’m used to seeing.  I liked it and would recommend it to teens who like realistic fiction.

After You

After You by Jojo Moyes           Audio Book:  11 hours      Paperback Book:  400 pages         

This book picks up where Jojo Moyes previous book, “Before You,” left off.    Louisa Clark has taken the trip Will Traynor provided for her.    While his intention was to broaden her experiences and improve her life it didn’t.   Louisa just feels lost, out of place and not accepted by the people she meets.   She ends up coming back home, more knowledgeable of the world than when she left geographically at least, but, saddened by the feeling that maybe there isn’t any place for her.    Much of the book is very down and the reader goes through the emotions that Louisa is experiencing and the utter depression she is going through still mourning Will Traynor (the paraplegic man she cared for on a daily basis for 6 months only to lose him to suicide which he had planned before she got there and made her an acoomplish to fulfill his wishes.   He had been her world once they got close then her world was ripped from her grasp and though she begged him to stay with her, it was a forgone conclusion in his mind that he would leave his life on his terms and in his timing.    Louisa was left in a limbo like void – going through the motions of trying to survive each day without the man she loved above all else.   Her family didn’t get her and couldn’t understand why she didn’t just slog it off and get on with her life.    She was too emotionally attached for that and everything brought back a memory it seemed to the point where she goes out onto a roof  to sort her thoughts and try to recover her former positivity.   While standing at the edge of the roof she turns when she hears a woman behind her scream (the woman thought she was planning to jump).   The scream startled her so that she loses her footing and falls off the roof.   Fortunately her fall is broken half-way down and she doesn’t die though she never gets past the stigmata of being a jumper in both her family and acquaintances minds.   A lot happens and the paramedic that works on her ends up becoming a friend.    Lots happes I don’t want to spoil all of it but she gets another shock when she comes in contact with the alleged daughter of Will Traynor which no one including Will’s parents knew about.    Lots of adventures ensue and while the author’s writing is always good, this is probably my least favorite of her books.    The storyline necessarily has to be down in tone dealing with depression and grief but this one was just way too down throughout over one thing and another so the tone was off-putting to me.    Kind of like the difference between eating a sweet and a sugar free sweet.    Good, just not as good without the sweetness you are accustomed to which you can’t stop mentally comparing it to.    3 stars for this one.    I would have liked to see the main character have fun and retain her eccentricities like she was in the first book in this storyline.    She was such a fun character when first introduced that it was impossible not to like her.    Now, she just feels damaged and no longer has that perky be my own kind of gal vibe.   In this one she is more the victim than the victor.    A valiant effort, just so low-key and down throughout.

The Inexplicable Logic Of My Life

The Inexplicable Logic Of My Life by Benjamin Alire Saenz, 445 pages

“Sal used to know his place with his adoptive gay father, their loving Mexican American family, and his best friend, Samantha. But it's senior year, and suddenly Sal is throwing punches, questioning everything, and realizing he no longer knows himself. If Sal's not who he thought he was, who is he? This humor-infused, warmly humane look at universal questions of belonging is a triumph.” This book was beautiful and amazing.  It will only be read by a teen who is a reader because of its length, but I would recommend it to any teen who likes realistic fiction.

Two If By Sea

Two If By Sea by Jacquelyn Mitchard, 401 pages

“Just hours after his wife and her entire family perish in the Christmas Eve tsunami, former police officer Frank Mercy pulls a little boy from a submerged car. Not quite knowing why, Frank doesn’t turn Ian over to the Red Cross. Instead he makes up a story about where the boy came from and takes him home, where Frank realizes that Ian has an otherworldly gift—an extraordinary ability to transform lives beyond anything he’d ever imagined. Awed and confused, Frank confesses Ian’s secret to Claudia, a beautiful champion rider who is training for the Olympics. They join together to fight the sinister forces gathering to take Ian back. In a final confrontation, Frank and Claudia will risk everything—their love, their family, their very lives—to save this boy they now love as their own son.”  I really liked the book, even though it was kind of dark and the ending was a little unsatisfying.  However, I would give this to people who like thrillers and supernatural books.

Losing Gabriel

Losing Gabriel by Lurlene McDaniel, 319 pages

Lani has had a crush on Dawson since high school.  Dawson only ever had eyes for Sloane.  Sloane had Dawson’s baby but left soon after.  Now the baby, Gabriel, is three years old and has severe asthma.  Lani, in training to be a nurse, comes in to care for Gabriel.  She still has feelings for Dawson but finds that she loves Gabriel just as much.  When Sloane comes back into their lives, Lani is conflicted between her feelings for Dawson and what is best for Gabriel.  This is mostly a story about a love triangle, but centers around Gabriel, the sick child, as all of McDaniel’s books do.  Teens who like a love story with tragedy thrown in will enjoy this and all of her books.

Jane Unlimited

Jane Unlimited by Kristin Cashore, 451 pages

Jane made a promise to her Aunt Magnolia that she would visit a place called Tu Reviens if she was ever invited.  Tu Reviens is owned by her former tutor’s family.  After Jane’s aunt dies, Jane runs into Kiran, her tutor.  Kiran invites her for a gala event and Jane accepts.  Once she arrives, she realizes that odd things are happening there.  Expensive art seems to missing, servants of the family seem to have known her aunt, and the children of a family who have gone missing seem to be there.  This is just the tip of the iceberg.  This is a story written in six parts.  The first part leads us up to a point where Jane must choose which avenue of investigation of these mysteries she wants to pursue.  In each of the following five parts, she makes a different choice, and the mysteries are revealed to the reader.  I loved this book.  There was one section that I wasn’t very fond of, but I liked the other four a lot, and loved two of them.  I would definitely recommend this to teens who like mystery and science fiction.

Whisper To Me

Whisper To Me by Nick Lake, 535 pages

Cass has started hearing voices.  Well, one voice.  The voice says terrible things to her, telling her to do things to hurt herself, threatening to hurt people that she loves, and generally telling her what an awful person she is.  Cass doesn’t have a lot of friends, but this has put a strain on her already rocky relationship with her dad.  When Cass meets a boy that she likes, she doesn’t want to tell him about the voice and, luckily, the voice is quiet when she’s with him.  However, this book is written as a letter to him because something has happened over the summer to break them up and Cass tells us the whole story as she explains to him everything that he didn’t know, including information about her past.  This was an excellent story.  While it is a romance, the romance is secondary to the story of Cass’s voice and the trauma in her life.  This is an excellent book for teens who like realistic fiction that may have a little bit of thriller aspect to it.

We Are Okay

We Are Okay by Nina LaCour, 234 pages

Marin has had a hard first semester at school.  Several events took place right before she left, including the death of her only family member, her grandfather.  Marin is staying in the dorm over the Christmas break and Mabel, her former best friend, comes to see her.  As we move through the three days encompassing her visit, many secrets are revealed about exactly how hard her grandfather’s death was and why, and how everything is tied up with a brief romance with Mabel.  This book was amazing and difficult and messy and I loved it.  I would give this to any teen who likes realistic fiction, but it will probably resonate more with girls.

Flowers in December

Flowers in December by Jane Suen   140 pages

I felt a little rooked when I saw on Amazon that Jane Suen’s short work was listed as 140 pages. In actuality, the story itself is only 113 pages.

This is the story of losing a parent and finding yourself. Thirty-eight-year-old Connor Norton lives in the “city,” which I took to be New York, but it could have been any city in the U.S. He isn’t married, has a demanding career that requires him to work a minimum of sixty hours a week.  He likes it, but he’s no longer in love with it.  He goes back home to Rocky Flats as little as he, mostly on the obligatory holidays.

Now his mother has died. He is instant regretful that he didn’t spend more time with her. But upon his arrival back in his hometown, Connor begins to enjoy the slow pace of life. He becomes instant friends with his mother’s neighbor, the girl at the flower shop, and the mortician and his daughter. He even falls in love with Tom, his mom’s orange tabby.

Flowers in December has great bones. Unfortunately, it has poor execution. I would say to the author, “Keep it up. You have talent. You just need to work at it more before you publish your next work.” Suen overuses everyone’s names in paragraphs and often the same sentence is repeated within a paragraph just worded differently or turned around  It’s for these reasons that I give Flowers in December receives 3 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world. 

The Year of Fog

The Year of Fog by Michelle Richmond     432 pages

When I go on vacation, I like to read books that place in that locale. This year my destination was San Francisco, and I happened upon this wonderful novel about memory, obsession, and one woman’s search for a missing child.

I don’t know about you, but when I hear about a child who has gone missing without a single trace, I shake my head, say a quick prayer, and tell others that I cannot imagine what the parents are feeling. Michelle Richmond did an amazing job in keep the character in one place yet moving forward at the same time, all the while letting readers be voyeurs of this horrific happening.

Freelance photographer Abby Mason is the step-mother-to-be to six-year-old Emma. Abby loves her new role as fiancée and as friend and mom. Abby and Emma go to the foggy Ocean Beach almost every day. Today it may be summer, but it’s almost always cold and foggy at this remote beach. Emma twists her tiny hand from Abby’s and runs ahead. Momentarily distracted by a dead seal pup, when Abby turns back to Emma, she has disappeared in the fog. Literally, she is gone.

Readers will get a behind-the-scenes look at a search for a missing child. The police and volunteers who comb the area, the flyers, the reward posting, the sleepless nights, the inability to choke down more than a few morsels of food, the fear that grips Abby and Jake, Emma’s father.

Police at first believe she has drowned. Then they look at the Jake and Abby as possible suspects. Jake goes on national television to plead with anyone who may have seen Emma, especially her mother, Lisbeth, who abandoned Jake and Emma three years earlier.

As the minutes turn to hours to days to weeks to months, the police give up as new, more solvable cases capture their attention. After months, Jake wants to hold a memorial service and move on with life. But not Abby, she refuses to believe that Emma cannot be found.

Readers go with her on her travels through the Bay area, shoving flyers into strangers’ hands, practically begging for help. Readers go with Abby on her quest to locate any memory of their surroundings on the beach that day.

I don’t often have a need to peek at a novel’s ending, but the tension is so great that it was all I could do not to peep at the ending.

I give The Year of Fog 6 out of 5 stars.

June

June by Miranda Beverly-Whittemore    400 pages

Dual timelines and dual heroines make up Miranda Beverly-Whitemore’s fourth novel, June. At the heart of this suspenseful tale are movie stars, inheritances, and the fine line between truthfulnesses and falsehoods.

I loved that the title had played three roles, first as the book’s title; second, as the 1955 heroine’s name; and third, as the month both timelines occurred: June 1955 and June 2015.

The book opens in June 2015. Cassie Danvers has retreated back to her grandmother’s home, Two Oaks, in small town St. Jude, Ohio. She seems a tad delusional, or maybe, it’s just sensitivity to the spirits that still lurk in the crumbling mansion. Even her dreams are made of the houses’ long-gone inhabitants. She also seems to be suffering from clinical depression.

The mansion is almost beyond repair, yet all the twenty-five year-old wants to do is stay in bed. She barely eats, lets the mail pile up on the foyer floor, and refuses to answer the landline. Cassie is not only mourning her grandmother, but she is reeling from the breakup, which instigated (I think), with her beau, Jim, back in New York City.

Then the doorbell rings.

The story then switches to June 1955. Told from Lindie’s point of view, the whole town is anxiously awaiting the arrival of a film crew, in town to shoot the exteriors for Erie Canal. Starring in the movie are handsomer-than-handsome Jack Montgomery and more-beautiful-than- a-spring day Diane DeSoto.

June is expected to marry Artie Danvers in three days’ time, provided he returns to St. Jude.

June is a wonderful novel, full of interesting characters and plot twists. It took me a little while to get into the story. I had hoped to be pulled in quicker to the story. Cassie’s section was slower to develop than June’s. I think Lindie’s strong character had a lot to do with it. That’s the reason I give June 4 out of 5 stars.

I received this novel from Blogging for Books in exchange for this review.

Together at the Table: A Novel of Lost Love and Second Helpings

Together at the Table: A Novel of Lost Love and Second Helpings; Book 3 in the Two Blue Doors Series by Hillary Manton Lodge    320 pages

When I saw that this third book in Hillary Manton Lodge’s Two Blue Door Series was available for review from Blogging for Books, I jumped at the opportunity to review it (and it didn’t hurt that I got it for FREE!).

I was highly irritated at the end of Book Two. The story just stopped; literally it just stopped. It was a wonderful read until that point. I was eager to know what happened between Juliette and Neil. And would she learn the truth about the man she thought was her grandfather and the man who may have been? Book Three does not disappoint.

When we last saw Juliette, her mother had been diagnosed with cancer; the restaurant she opened with her brother, Nico, was off to a good start; she had traveled to Italy to meet both her paternal and maternal relative and try to solve the mystery of who was her grandfather; but her long-distance romance with Memphis-based immunologist Neil McLaren had ended.

Since then, her mother has died, leaving a gaping hole in the family. No one is quite over the shock. The restaurant is a success. She is dating the sous-chef Adrian. She has read the letters she discovered by her grandmother, but hasn’t had the time to follow up, and she is not over Neil McLaren, no matter what comes out of her mouth.

Taking a break from her hectic schedule, she takes a walk on Portland’s riverfront with Adrian. There in the distance is a familiar figure. Could it be Neil?  Her heart tells her it is.

In a delightful novel, Manon Lodge ties up all the loose ends and give readers a satisfying conclusion. I’ll miss these characters and hope that she reconsiders and gives us a fourth Two Blue Doors. I think it’s doable.  

The Thing Is

The Thing Is by Kathleen Gerard    299 pages

Meredith Mancuso (aka Meredith St. John) is a successful romance writer. But since the murder of her fiancé three years ago, she has barely written. Heck, she’s barely lived. She’s become reclusive and clinically depressed. Her lonely relative, a sister, Monica, notices but as she’s a workaholic, she doesn’t pay much attention.

It’s tax season and accountant Monica is swamped. One of her best clients, Helen Hendrix, has broken her foot, and needs help taking care of her Yorkshire terrier, Prozac. Yes, he has a tendency to be a bit neurotic. Monica is too busy to give Prozac the attention Helen insists that he have, so Monica foists him off on Meredith.

Meredith can barely take care of herself, much a dog that requires a lot of attention. To make matters worse, Prozac has a social schedule that would rival Paris Hilton. But the difference is, Prozac is a certified therapy dog and must keep his appointed rounds. His main focus is the independent living facility, Evergreen Gardens. The folks there look forward to his weekly visits.

I found the parts of the story that switched to Prozac’s point of view interesting, but really, they could have been deleted without hurting plot line.

I shouldn’t have laughed at Meredith’s inadequacies but watching her cope with Prozac was funny. Meredith begins to come out of her shell; it’s not that her heart still isn’t broken into eleventy-jillion pieces; it’s that she no longer has the time to nurse her broken heart.

I enjoyed The Thing Is quite a lot until I got to the ending. Every story should end leaving the reader felling that is the only outcome. Author Gerard pulled a cheap trick with her ending, there are several alternative endings, but the only she relied one is ill-conceived and left me wanting to throw the book against the wall.  This book was headed for a 5-star rating, but the best I can do, based on the inappropriate ending, is a 4.

Because

Because by Jack A. Langedijk       388 pages

I was invited by the author’s press people to read/review Because. Sounded great. When it arrived in the mail, I was more than a little skeptical. If I had seen this on a bookshelf, I would have passed it by. The cover art is confusing, the title is boring and weird (that lowercase “b” really threw me off), and the back cover text didn’t pull me in.

Then, I started reading. The first 23 pages were bad. I had no idea what was happening. Thank God for my 50-page rule (I almost always give a book 50 pages before I say it’s not for me).By the time I reached page 50, I realized that those first pages merely had a badly placed flashback.

And by the time, I reached page 50, I was hooked on Robert and his story. Robert, real name Roberto Sanchez, had a great life: He gave workshops to at-risk kids; he climbed mountains—and had climbed the most difficult ones, including Mt. Everest; he had a loving and supportive wife, and a beautiful daughter. He was “on the top of the world,” physically and psychologically.

Then, the avalanche happened. He was trapped beneath six stories of snow and ice. He was rescued, obviously, but lost both legs. How does a man go from being active and fit, to no longer being able to do the things he loved? It’s hard that’s for sure.

Robert’s story weaves between past and present, not necessarily in that order. Langedijk does a great job in naming each chapter so readers can figure out what’s happening. For the past, Langedijk also weaves in the stories of how the other three members of Robert’s climbing party (not including the guides) came to be in that group. Troy, Nancy, and Phillip are fascinating, well-developed characters. I was especially taken with Troy, and I think other readers will find him one of their favorite characters also. The author also weaved in Robert’s sessions with a counselor.

For the present story, Lanfedijk provides a linear story that culminates in heartbreak and happiness. Toward the end, the story became a little preachy and got a little old. But by the end, I was once again riveted with Robert’s plight.

I give Because 4 out of 5 stars.