Real Wifeys Hustle Hard

Real Wifeys Hustle Hard: an Urban Tale by Meesha Mink      Audio Book:9hrs, 15 mins,    Paperback Book:  320 pages             

Book Three in an explosive series by Meesha Mink, this book is so hot it smolders!  For sure and ADULT title with lots of adult activiities happening through out.     Sophie "Suga" Alvarez is madly in love Dane who happens to be a loanshark - but - a devoted boyfriend and friend.  Sophie's father is a known drunk but there is a heap of stuff that is not known about him - whoa!   Lots of great characters, multi-diverse in character ethnicity and persuasions.   You won't be able to put this one down till you finish it because you will want to know what everyone is up to that much.   If you love the t.v. show, "Power," you will love this book.  A little gansta, a little hustle, money, diamonds, and a few folks getting their freak on in both good and bad ways.    Just when you think someone is safe THEY ARE NOT!  Killing, revenge, betrayal, Meesha Mink covers it all in this book.   And reader, keep a fan nearby - this book is HOT.    Anyone who enjoys urban novels gritty,. get down and say it like it is and call it what it is style will love this one.   Sophie brings GIRL POWER to a new level.    So much goes on so many lives are touched in so many ways just like life on pushed up a notch for most.   Good story.   Not for the prudish, lots of sex, lots of violence and some extreme descriptions of the underbelly of society.    Like coming off of a roller coaster times 10.   This one might make your heart palputate and your breath quicken.  Whew!  I do recommend this book to lovers of urban fiction.

 - Shirley J

Cinder

Cinder by Merissa Meyer           Audio Book: 10 hours    Paperback Book: 448 pages     

This book is the first one in the Lunar Chronicles Series.   Again, I had thought this was a stand alone book until I got to the very end which certainly leaves no doubt this is likely the first book but that it is indeed part of a series.    I wish reading material would come marked this book is part of a series and what number in the series the book is.   Sometimes you just don't want to commit to an entire series, but then to find out where your characters are headed you are kind of stuck especially with a big cliffhanger ending.   This book was a sci-fi take on the Cinderella story except in this version - Cinderella "Cinder" is a cyborg and was "adopted" by a man who she comes to know as her father but who you come to find out may have led a double life.   While you suspect he is dead there is so much high tech chaos occurring that who knows what will come of him?  Cinder's father marries and has two daughters with a wicked woman who treats Cinder as substandard and when either the legitimate death of or clandestine subterfuge happens Cinder;s "stepmother" really gets insulting and lets Cinder know in no uncertain terms ie. she tells her she hates her and doesn't want her in her house and more making Cinder feel terrible.   It is a very unfortunate, very uncomfortable living arrangement.    Of Cinder's two step-sisters, Peonne and CInder get along and do care about one another, however her oldest step-sister could be a clone of the step-mother and treats Cinder so callously and cruelly that Cinder is a far better person than I am because once you have been pushed to that last nerve then pushed some more and in such a disrespectful way - I was expecting Cinder to snatch her up by the neck and have a one on one consultation but her strength lies in her patience.  The story of course has a prince, too and a ball and it all takes place in Beijing, China.   It is certainly well thought out, however, by the end of the book, I had pretty much lost interest.    I won't continue in the series because it drags out too much.   It was an interesting premise but not enough of a pull to keep me coming back for more.   I'm done with this series.   Would I recommend it?  Yes, just to check it out for Middle School through High School and for adults who are gung-ho for sci-fi but I wouldn't recommend it to anyone opposed to sci-fi because I think they would find it tedious. 

 - Shirley J

Unlimited: How to Build an Exceptional Life

Unlimited: How to Build an Exceptional Life by Jillian Michaels               Audio Book: 7 hrs. 49 min     Hardback Book:  272 pages                            

Jillian Michaels in her softer side is shown here.    She is still tough and takes no prisoners but goes after anyone who says they CAN’T do something – of course you can she counters, but, less in your face, and truly offering her thoughts and empathy for those who struggle but try.          She covers mindset, finding one’s higher power, the strength of positive affirmations and how believing you will receive what you want in your life so you aren’t blocking any good coming your way with self-doubt.    She talks about getting every aspect of your life in order from clearing your clutter, cleaning your kitchen, personal hygiene, exercise to clear the excess pounds you carry around with you which is slow suicide.    She talks about her own therapy sessions and how she highly recommends it for everyone to clear the ghosts of your past away – ie.  she hates her father, she has trouble not being an irate shrew in relationships when she feels she is being taken for granted.   She gets very real and very honest.   She cusses like a sailor to make her points but she does it in a funny way.   You still get the point that she lost a lot weight herself – which she also discusses – and so she is taking no b.s. from anyone saying they can’t lose weight because she has been there and did what it took to the point she became a gym junkie.    Amusing, entertaining and insightful.    She talks about how her low b.s. tolerance level causes her to get in people’s faces to the point she intimidates them into losing weight ( ie. she scares the crap out of them) but she tells it with the intention that she is doing it for their own good.   She speaks her mind very clearly always and while she tones her persona down she admits to being a tyrant when she needs to and does not apologize to anyone for anything she feels is required to get the job done.   A more personal look into Jillian Michaels the person and a lot of good transition material discussed from going from flab - body-wise/work-wise/home-wise to fab in all aspects of your life.    Lots of tough love here.    Yes, I would recommend this book.   She expects everyone to be on her page but, maybe, her page carries a lot of merit.    I liked this book – she can be brutal and harsh at times but she is also very thorough and genuine to her own personhood and beliefs.   A good read regardless of age.  

- Shirley J

Above the Line: My Wild Oats Adventure

Above the Line: My Wild Oats Adventure by Shirley MacLaine         Audio Book: 5 hrs. 39 min    Hardback Book:  224 pages                  

What a fun book.    Actress Shirley MacLaine gives the inside info on the actors, crew, Director, financiers, hangers on, and more on the independent film she did titled, “Wild Oats.”    An ongoing project for 5 years or so, the film finally got enough financial  backing to get done and onto DVD.    I was lucky enough to have picked the film up prior to the book because I had seen the trailer and requested it.   Then I saw the title by Shirley MacLaine and though I hadn’t read any of her books so I picked it up independently of the film and was delighted to find the two offset each other and I was lucky enough to have both at hand.   I first listened to the audio book and got the skinny on what was happening behind the scenes before I watched the film itself to see what she was talking about and it made me enjoy the film all the more for knowing.    While friendly the actors spent some evenings together over dinner but as a rule everyone went their own ways.   In the film the actresses are so on top of their game viewers believe the stars have been friends all their lives they play off of each other perfectly.    Billy Connolly played a little aloof but then his character seemed to be in the beginnings of Alzheimers so it wasn’t unenjoyable.   He can be very funny, very odd or very serious and in this role he was oddly serious which made for a whole new Billy Connolly experience still good.    All the hassles and set-backs Shirley MacLaine describes were not observable – the film is flawless.    I remember everyone, except the financial backer, talking about it,  when a certain Latina got 18 pages of dialogue added to her part increasing her screen time, because she was the mistress of the married financial backer.    When I saw her in the film, every time I heard her name I thought of the name the folks on set jokingly referred to her by that Shirley MacLaine hilariously mentions from time to time.     The filmmakers talked Shirley MacLaine and Jessica Lange into signing on to attract financial backers, then they were asked to defer their pay until all the backing was in.   Shirley found out the Director and most all of the crew were paying for the stars hotels, meals, airplane tickets and costumes out of their own pockets and were doing their best to stretch their money as much as possible.     Shirley brought every wig she had ever worn since the 1960s in case anyone needed to use them, and many of the clothes were the actors’ own clothes or they bought the costumes from the set to allow for more money to be used to shoot more footage.   A fun retelling of a very unique experience in the Canary Islands and later the state of Louisiana.    There is also a lot of talk of chakras, and how the location of Atlantis is believed to be where they were shooting and how Shirley MacLaine experienced past life regressions during her meditations while there.   Much, much more.   I do highly recommend this book for a really amusing quick read or listen, then watch the film, you will get the extra flavor from both as if you experienced it all from a butterfly on the wall’s perspective.      Good book.

- Shirley J

The Last Collection: A Novel of Elsa Schiaparelli and Coco Chanel

 

The Last Collection: A Novel of Elsa Schiaparelli and Coco Chanel by Jeanne Mackin     352 pages

This fascinating, detailed historical novel details one of most intense rivalries in the world of haute coutour. Most people today still recognize the name Coco Chanel, thanks to her perfume and purses that are still highly sought after and every expensive. Every woman who has a little black dress in her closest has Coco to thank.

But the world has largely forgotten Elsa Schiaparelli.  Know has Schiap, her designs were outrageous. Sporting vivd colors and geometric patterns, to me, the surreal and experimental clothing sounded extremely uncomfortable. Imagine wearing a har shaped like a shoe?

In 1938-39, the two women were fighting for dominance in the fashion world. Paris was getting ready for a war that would surely come. And although the book is based on the two real-life women, it is narrated by a completely fictional character: Lily Sutter.

Lily is a young American widow, still traumatized by the sudden death of her husband two years earlier. She receives a telegram from her brother, Charlie, who is living in Paris, urging her to come. After a bit of consideration, she packs her bags and grabs the nearest steamer. He is dismayed by her wardrobe and offers to buy her a dress, inparticulary a Chanel design. However, Lily prefers Schiaparelli. When Charlie must divert his girlfriend/model who is joining them from Coco’s house to Schiap’s house, Lilly ges drawn into the raging battle.

Lilly actually becomes friends with both women. Lilly has a flair all her own. She goes undercover at the Chanel house for Schiap.A secret-shopper type of spy. Then over at Coco’s, Lilly begins to believe that Coco’s politics and loyalties might not lie with the French. Or do they?

One of the most shocking events of the novel is when Schiap, Coco and Lilly are at the same gala and Coco pushes her rival too close to the candle flame which sets her costume on fire.

I really like the use of lots of color in the descriptions throughout the novel. The book is divided into three parts: Blue, Red and Yellow. The color descriptions left the imagery dancing in my mind.

As much as I loved this book, it had a slow, slow start. I was about 100 pages in before it really grabbed my by the throat and wouldn’t let go. And that’s why “The Last Collection: A Novel of Elsa Schiaparelli and Coco Chanel” receivs 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

MIddlegame

Middlegame by Seanan McGuire 528 pages

"Meet Roger. Skilled with words, languages come easily to him. He instinctively understands how the world works through the power of story. Meet Dodger, his twin. Numbers are her world, her obsession, her everything. All she understands, she does so through the power of math. Roger and Dodger aren’t exactly human, though they don’t realise it. They aren’t exactly gods, either. Not entirely. Not yet.

Meet Reed, skilled in the alchemical arts like his progenitor before him. Reed created Dodger and her brother. He’s not their father. Not quite. But he has a plan: to raise the twins to the highest power, to ascend with them and claim their authority as his own.

Godhood is attainable. Pray it isn’t attained."    summary courtesy of Goodreads

I absolutely loved this book, which I kind of expected because I enjoy many of the author's other books. I went with the Goodreads summary because admittedly, I don't think I could write something that made as much sense.  Suffice to say, this story is about two people who are connected in an extremely powerful way.  It's Order and Chaos, and not something as simple as Light versus Dark ---- these two have the power to completely remake the world.

McGuire does a great job of bringing some amazing characters to life in a real-world setting, so that you can actually suspend your disbelief pretty easily and imagine that these people could be walking around in the world. I loved how McGuire would go into so much detail about the power of math (in a way that made sense to me, a non-math person), but also how powerful language can be and how words can move the world. Absolutely a fantastic book.

And a funny little coincidence --- I read this book and finished it over the weekend, and then picked up and finished the Sonja Blue collection --- and both have a Hand of Glory in them, and used in a way to move the story along.

The 6 Keys: Unlock Your Genetic Potential for Ageless Strength, Health, and Beauty

The  6 Keys: Unlock Your Genetic Potential for Ageless Strength, Health, and Beauty by Jillian Michaels with Myatt Murphy      AudioBook:   7 hours, 18 mins.      Hardback Book:  304 pages    

I like the way Jillian Michaels talks.   No B.S. just straight talk and she consults neurophysists and speaks the lingo like a pro.    She breaks down a lot of heady stuff about our genetic makeup and all the myriad of things going on in our bodies at any given time, from cell structure on up.   She is a great teacher and while some of her lessons at the first of the book were straight out of a medical classroom 101, it was such engrossing information I had to play it back if I missed something or felt I didn’t quite get it.    She makes me laugh or at least smile at her seasoning of f-bombs here and there to express her point but it just keeps it real and makes the learning feel a little gangsta and very cool to know.   She talks about the 6 age inciters which is what the title – the 6 keys - is all about.   They are:  metabolism; damaged macromolecules; epigenetics; inflammation; stress adaptation and telomeres.   She gives you the background on all of those “keys,” and explains how our bodies don’t have to age if we pay close attention to where we land on the 6 keys and how well we treat our bodies with special attention and care to eat well and do preventative maintenance on ourselves to be sure our keys are in the best shape they can be.      Being mindful at all times ever vigilant  to eat right, to exercise at least 30 minutes a day 7 days a week, drink half our weight or more of water every day to stay hydrated and lubricated,  she gives the reader guidelines and helps with the caveat that yeah you don’t have to give up pizza nor birthday cake for the rest of your life, but just get back on track the next day after you binge on that stuff and get back with the program.   She takes a lot of heavy info and breaks it down into understandable chunks so the reader isn’t bombarded then left to go WTF?  Oops, that was a quote from Jillian.   She gives you tips and tricks to keep mindful of how to grow your telomeres, those little endcaps on our DNA strands very necessary and just because they shrink due to poor diet and lack of exercise once we get on the wagon and start treating our body well again, the damage can be fixed and improved in a very short time and she tells us how.    She talks about how smoke and carbon monoxcide really do a number on us and how we can repair the damage done.   She talks about how meditation can ease the mind and reduce stress she also promotes getting a pet she personally is more of a dog person and how said pet can reduce stress by just being in your home.   She also recommends giving a forever home to a shelter animal.   Doing a good thing for them and for yourself.  People with pets suffer less from stress, less from asthma and loads of other maladies.  She addresses healing the mind, the body, watching what you put into your body to keep it running at top performance no matter what your age,  she disagrees with the many diets out there and promotes eating grass fed meat rather than corn or other feed, she recommends having fun because denial of fun for yourself can lead to a sedentary life which can lead to less social interaction and finally none which can lead to depression and there are too many fun things to keep busy with so no reason to get in such a state.   Delightful explanations.   She talks about fad diets and what they play to within us and why they don’t work ie. once you stop following said fad diet – you balloon right back up to where you were  before.   Jillian’s no nonsense but fun way of coming across is entertaining but also you get what she is saying.   It is not hard it is just doing it.   Very good book.   Now I want to read her book on Metabolism.   I would recommend this book highly to anyone interesting in arresting the age process, getting your body to the point where you have elasticity instead of feeling stove u[ all the time.   Well done, Jillian Michaels.      

 - Shirley J

Black Betty

Black Betty by Walter Mosley       Audio Book:  8 hrs., 35 mins   Paperback Book:  368 pages          

Good book.   I pictured Samuel L. Jackson as the lead character, Ezekiel “Easy” Rawlins.   The story is told from Easy Rawlin’s perspective.   About a lady named Betty he had a mad crush on when he was a young boy.  He didn’t understand a lot of the goings on but many of Betty’s beaus would give him a nickel or a quarter to watch out to see that they were not disturbed while they went into dark alleys.  Lots of years have passed since those days of Easy’s youth and now someone has come to his door hired by a rich family to find her (Betty).   He was told the Easy Rawlin’s could find anybody and knew everybody.    Seems the rich Beverly Hills family that Betty has been working for for years has reported her missing and they want her back,    Seems there are a lot of whys since this is 1961 L.A. and Rawlins can’t imagine why this rich white family is so hot to find their maid who just didn’t show up to work one day.   Naturally there is way morfe here than meets the eye, and more than once in the story the Easy Rawlins’ is running for his life from white cops, business and property owners from Compton to Ojai, even some of his longtime friends are looking at him and treating him funny like they have it in for him, too.    Trying to take care of his non-blood children he took in from their abusive backgrounds and keep them safe from all the mayhem he is dealing with and stay alive himself from all the people who are now tracking him for his interest in Betty, it is an entertaining, edge of your seat nail biter.    Bodies are piling up and sometimes he just has to allow what will be to be and walk away letting the chips fall where they must (“You know somebody is gonna die, Easy, now is it gonna be you or you gonna tell me the name of who I’m looking for?”)    I didn’t realize this book was part of a series, but, it stands alone just fine, although you suspect there is lots of history between many of the characters.   I am going to have to start at the beginning and check out the Easy Rawlins series.  Mr. Mosley presents the underbelly of life for all to see and tells some fine tales about the goings on there and introduces some of the most well-rounded folks in all their glory and/or infamy as suits.   Good story.   If you like gritty private eye stories you will like this one for sure.     I did.   Highly recommend this to adult readers as there are adult themes involved.   Good book.

Impossible Causes

Impossible Causes by Julie Mayhew   410 pages  I read a galley - book is due out November, 2019

What is a rumor worth? What price for secrets? Is isolation the cause of what's happening on the remote island of Lark or is it something more insidious?

This novel has a historical feel to it, although it's set in the present day on the remote island of Lark. While most of the people on the island have lived there for generations, three strangers arrive before the season of heavy fog: Ben, a charismatic new teacher, and Viola Kendrick and her mother, who are looking for a new place to live after an unspeakable tragedy.  What they find is that this tight-knit community has many secrets to it, and the religious traditions that have held Lark together for generations are starting to unravel.

When a body is found one morning, who is to blame? Faith quickly turns to suspicion and fear.  The back of the book says that this book is "Eerie and menacing . . an unputdownable thriller that examins the consequences of silence kept at young women's expense."  I agree with all of that . .  except I found this book easy to put down.  I did not feel immersed in the story and often found it confusing, and the characters annoying, and I would put it down and pick up something else to read.  My curiosity about the story was enough to make me keep reading, but I never really felt like I enjoyed the book.  Which is fine --- I'm just not the reader for this book (so I'm setting it free for someone else to read).

Energy for Future Presidents

Energy for Future Presidents: The Science Behind the Headlines by Richard A. Muller      Audio Book:  9 hrs., 30 mins       Hardback Book:  368 pages            
Genre:       Energy, Physics, Pros & Cons of addressing topics such as Nuclear Power, Wind Power, Hydro Power etc.

This guy is GOOD.   First of all Richard A. Muller is a professor of Physics at U.C. Berkley and in this book, he breaks down the global energy crisis into totally understandable information that any layman will find understandable.    He explains nuclear power, global warming, wind, solar and hyrdro power and the supply and demand that is occurring so the reader can get a grip on what is available and the pros and cons of each source of energy and its efficient extraction as well as less efficient means of obtaining the energy sources.     He brings so much to the table and I love it that he breaks it down so he isn’t talking over the readers head like he is delivering a speech to a room full of nuclear physicists but instead he presents his findings in a very understandable user friendly kind of way where you actually get it on all he has to say and he also presents it as if the reader is the president of the United States and he is presenting all the options for now and the future of humanity to continue to exist.    He talks about the oil crisis, why prices go up and down, where in the U.S. there are sustainable options in the event the Middle East would refuse to sell or withhold oil from the U.S. due to war, etc.   And yes, there are options out there and I think you find them surprising.    He talks about nuclear plant meltdowns, I had no idea these plants need to be redone from their core underground every 30 years or so till I read it here.   He discusses how fear plays a big role in blowing nuclear plant meltdowns out of control in the public’s mind.     Seems we have less to fear than we realize from a meltdown and that things are contained in a far more controlled environment than we know even during a meltdown.   He discusses Oil Spills, their impact on the environment, their clean-up and safer, less work intensive ways of controlling them.    He goes deeply into global warming and dispels a lot of weather related myths that have gotten into the urban culture but that are not necessarily provable via the statistics currently available.   He talks about the realities of global warming, causations, timelines, etc.     This is a fascinating book and a glimpse at some of the scenarios the President is privy to.    A reality check for the public.   I highly recommend this book to everyone from 5^th grade on up to elderly.   A lot of clear concise information in an understandable format.    Well done, Richard A. Muller.

 - Shirley J.

Biloxi: A novel

Biloxi: A Novel by Mary Miller   254 pages  I read a galley - book is due out May of 2019

Louis McDonald, Jr. is 63 years old. His wife of 37 years has left him, he's not close to his daughter, and his father has just passed, possibly leaving Louis a large inheritance. In anticipation of this inheritance, Louis has retired from his job, staying at home watching reality TV, avoiding his ex-wife and daughter, and drinking beer.  One day, he impulsively stops at a house advertising free dogs and meets mixed-breed Layla.  Unexpectedly, he takes her, even though he doesn't know anything about dogs. Soon, it's all dog parks, bologna and extra hamburgers as Louis navigates his life with Layla by his side.

I'm just going to say it: I am not the reader for this book. I'm sure other people will love this book, finding it droll or amusing, but I just didn't get it. I felt like it was a lot of stream-of-consciousness from a character that I neither liked nor found particularly interesting.  I kept reading because I kept expecting something to happen. However, what happened was less than I had hoped and by the time I reached the end, I felt completely secure in my feeling that this book just isn't something that resonated with me. 

I will say that the author creates characters you can easily envision, and the narrative rolls along (to me, much like a 1982 Buick Regal with no air conditioning and cloth seats that smell like old fast food. It's not overly pleasant, but at least you make some progress going down the road). 

The Silent Patient

The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides    323 pages 

Alicia Berenson seems to lead a charmed life as a famous painter married to an in-demand fashion photographer.  So why then, when her husband returns home late one evening, does Alicia shoot him five times in the face?  No one knows, since she then never speaks another word. 

Her refusal to speak complicates this domestic tragedy, turning it into a mystery that captures the public's imagination. While the price of her art skyrockets, she is sent to The Grove, a secure psychiatric forensic unit in North London.  Theo Faber, a criminal psychotherapist, is determined that he can get Alicia to speak again and finally explain what happened with her husband.  But when he gets too close to the truth, it seems like both he and Alicia are in danger.

This is a great example of a suspense book with a good twist in it --- that you shouldn't see coming. I had my suspicions, but even though I read a fair amount of psychological suspense books, I didn't anticipate exactly what would be revealed.  I enjoyed that, even though I found other parts of the book to be slightly less than satisfying. I liked the setup of having a character who would not speak and a second character who was determined to make her speak. With Theo's character, you get insight into Alicia through him, but you also get insight into who he is --- and frankly, I found him to be a little creepy.  This is a pageturner with an interesting premise, though.

Life for a Life

Life for a Life by Lynda McDaniel    339 pages

 

In this first book in the Appalachian Mountain mystery series, readers are introduced to Della Kincaid and Abit.

 

Della has left Washington, D.C., looking for a new start. She spotted a for sale sign on a boarded up store as she took the long way back to D.C. after a week’s vacation in the Black Mountains. A former investigative reporter and newly divorced, Della was looking for a quiet, more predictable life.

 

At first, the local townspeople weren’t too keen on the new arrival, with the exception of Abit, a fifteen-year-old boy with an unspecified mental deficiency. His dad had taken him out of school because he was “a bit slow.” Now he just hangs around the house.

 

But when Della reopens the small grocery store, Abit begins to hang around, sitting in a rickety chair on the porch. Slowly, Della and Abit become friends. Della begins to offer him odd jobs around the store.

 

One afternoon, Della and her dog, Jake, go on a picnic where they discover a dead girl. Enter the sheriff who is stereotypical of all small town sheriffs. When a suicide note is found in the girl’s purse, the sheriff considers it an open-and-closed case of suicide.

 

Della’s reporter’s instinct kicks in, and she begins her own investigation. She calls on old friends back in D. C. and even enlists the help of her now-unemployed ex-husband.

 

The story takes place in the late 1980s, making it a combination historical mystery and cozy-bordering-on procedural mystery. Della and Abit take turns narrating the story. At first, I didn’t think I was going to like the story. The cover isn’t appealing; I would not have picked it up if I saw it on a bookstore shelf. (The author invited me to review the book, in case you’re wondering.) It took a while to get into Abit’s dialect, but McDaniel pulls it off. Still it got old fluctuating between Della’s correct grammar and Abit’s vocabulary and punctuation. That is the main reason  “Life for a Life” receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

 

The Last Year of the War

The Last Year of the War by Susan Meissner   400 page


Susan Meissner’s latest novel, “The Last Year of the War” is set against the backdrop of World War II, but it could easily be written about today’s plight of immigrants around the world.

Elise Sontag Dove is suffering from Alzheimer’s disease. She knows the dark pall is rapidly descending upon her, taking everything—and everybody---she has loved. Before it’s too late, Elise wants to find her friend, Mariko, whom she hasn’t seen since their families were housed near each other in an American-government sanctioned internment camp in Crystal City, Texas, in 1943-1944.

Through a series of fortunate events, Elise locates her friend who is now living in San Francisco. Will her disease rob her of her friend before she can see her again?  Elise doesn’t know, but it’s urgent that she see her as soon as possible.

As Elise makes her way to meet her friend, she recalls growing up in Davenport, Iowa. Her parents had emigrated from Germany twenty years earlier. Although they were registered aliens, they had never applied for citizenship. They always thought there would be time. Davenport, Iowa, is not exactly a hotbed of Nazi sympathizers, but fear of the German war machine is racing across America. Suddenly, Elise’s father, Otto, is arrested and sent to an American-government internment camp. Elise is stunned but not quite as stunned as when her friends and their parents begin to shun the Sontags.

Otto requests, and is granted, relocation to a family internment camp in Crystal City, Texas. There she meets the Japanese-American girl, Mariko. The two become best friends, planning a future move to New York to become journalists after the war is over and they turn eighteen.

That dream dies when the families are pulled apart. Elise and her family are sent back to Germany while Mariko and her family are sent to Japan. Neither country is a welcome place in the middle of a world war. The girls are forced to stop having contact with each other, but Elise has never forgotten her friend.

“The Last Year of the War” is a fascinating look at fear of people who might be different than you and the unbreakable bonds of friendship. The dueling timelines, one of my favorite plot structures, is well done. I would estimate that ninety percent of the book takes place from 1943 on, which gives readers an opportunity to get to know Elise as she was before the Alzheimer’s begins to rob her.
It does drag a bit in the middle. That is the reason “The Last Year of the War” receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

What You Left Me

What You Left Me by Bridget Morrissey, 287 pages

“If I Stay meets While You Were Sleeping in this beautiful and heartbreaking novel told in dual perspectives about friendship, family, and all the other threads that bind us together. Martin and Petra meet for the first time at graduation, and though they've shared the halls of their high school for four years without crossing paths, there's an instant connection the moment they're seated next to each other at the commencement ceremony. Then a car accident puts Martin into a coma; and Petra is somehow left picking up the pieces, using friends, family, and shared dreams to keep their surprise connection going. Together they must unlock the truth of his situation, and with time running out, their bond becomes Martin's best shot at waking back up to the life he's left behind.”  This book is one that will make you think.  I liked it, but it was also very sad so it was a difficult book to read.  Teens that like magical realism and don’t mind a sad story will like it.

The Last Panther

The Last Panther by Todd Mitchell, 246 pages

“An eleven-year-old girl discovers a family of panthers that were thought to be extinct. But when others find out they are alive, too, she must risk everything to save the species.”  I really loved this book.  The message is clear but it isn’t at all preachy.  It might be a little obvious from an adult perspective but the story is captivating and I don’t think that kids would feel spoken down to by the message at all.  I will definitely be recommending this to grade school kids.

100 Ways to Simplify Your Life

100 Ways to Simplify Your Life by Joyce Meyer           Hardback Book: 192 pages                      

Really good book.    Joyce Meyer doesn’t pull her punches especially when she is telling about her own foibles, her temper, her impatience, her childhood when she was molested, living a busy life and coping with home, family, work, travel and trying to find that quiet niche in all the chaos that is life.    She is a good teacher and shares a lot of ideas on how to come out of screw-ups, tragedy, drama, disappointment, elation, pride, learning hard lessons, how to let people in on what is honestly going on in your own head, your own life be it emotional, financial, physical, or spiritual.  She tells a good story and there are 100 of them here.   You get the distinct impression these life lessons were hard won for her, and that she is honest in sharing that she still has to work at all of them, every day brings new joys and woes, there will never be a time of utter peace because something will happen to steal your joy, but, she offers counsel on how to deal with the bad and often turn it around for your good.   I truly enjoyed this book and I plan to read more of her writings she is a wise lady and sometimes a wise-guy lady, but, always enjoyable and entertaining.   She admits she is not perfect so we can all identify with that.   I highly recommend this book to one and all of every age.   It is a blessing and a balm to the soul where our genuine self lives.    Good on you, Joyce Meyer, thank you for writing this one.

Bob

Bob by Wendy Mass & Rebecca Stead, 199 pages

“Visiting her grandmother in Australia, Livy, ten, is reminded of the promise she made five years before to Bob, a strange, green creature who cannot recall who or what he is.” I loved this book.  It’s a perfect story for grade school kids who like fairy tales and fantasy.

Wires And Nerve Volume 1

Wires And Nerve Volume 1 by Marissa Meyer, 238 pages

“In her first graphic novel, bestselling author Marissa Meyer extends the world of the Lunar Chronicles with a brand-new, action-packed story about Iko, the android with a heart of (mechanized) gold. When rogue packs of wolf-hybrid soldiers threaten the tenuous peace alliance between Earth and Luna, Iko takes it upon herself to hunt down the soldiers' leader. She is soon working with a handsome royal guard who forces her to question everything she knows about love, loyalty, and her own humanity. With appearances by Cinder, Cress, Scarlet, Winter, and the rest of the Rampion crew, this is a must-have for fans of the bestselling series.” Iko might be my favorite character in the series.  Although graphic isn’t usually my preferred format, I really liked this, maybe better than the original books in the series.  Anyone who liked the Lunar Chronicles or likes action filled graphic novels will want to read this.

Cakewalk: A memoir

Cakewalk: A memoir by Kate Moses   350 pages

Growing up in the 1960s and 70s, Kate Moses was surrounded by sugar. However, her parents' unhappy marriage wasn't sweet at all and they were too preoccupied with themselves to notice its effects on their children. Telling her own story, interspersed with recipes, Kate Moses writes about her parents in a compassionate and sometimes humorous way. Her mother was a frustrated artist who instructed her three children to refer to her in public as "the babysitter." Her father was aloof and prone to blasts of negative comments directed at his daughter.  Kate looked for comfort in the imaginary worlds of books and found refuge in the kitchen, where she taught herself to bake.

I enjoyed this book. Moses' parents are pretty awful, although she is able to see some of the humor in some of the situations. The author does a good job of drawing into her childhood and later years, even though the book does unravel a bit towards the end. Each chapter does end with a great-sounding recipe (although I did not make anything from this book --- I already have binders filled with dessert recipes), so that's an added bonus.