Squished

 

Shirley J.                       Juvenile Graphic Novel                      Wanting one's own space in a big family     Squished: A Graphic Novel by Megan Wagner Lloyd (illustrated by Michelle Mee Nutter)    256 pages

Eleven year old Avery Lee is feeling squished.  She is the second oldest of seven Lee children.   Sharing her room with her 8 year old sister, Pearl, has been o.k. up to now, but,  Avery is growing up and feeling the need for her own space and privacy.   She has never had her own room all to herself.   When she was little, she shared a room with her older brother, Theo.   After fourth child, her younger brother Max was born, he was moved in with Theo and Pearl was moved in with Avery.   Now Theo at thirteen has his own room and she is still sharing a room with Pearl and now their parents moved Max in with Avery and Pearl, too!  It's not fair!!!  Mom has her hands full with the three youngest siblings, Beatrice being the new arrival and still a baby so that leaves Avery taking care of Max and Pearl and the rest more often than not.  All Avery wants is a little space of her own for peace and quiet and privacy.  Why did her parents have all these kids anyway?   It was embarrassing when they went out.  People would stare and either whisper or make comments about them.  Avery hated it.  She asked her parents how much it would cost to build another room onto the house so she too, could have her own room?    Dad said around $6,000 or more and they couldn't spare the money for it.   Avery decided to earn the money herself.   The book is a fun read that everyone can relate to.  I recommend it for its targeted audience of 3rd graders on up.   I think anyone any age would enjoy the story as who hasn't wanted their own room/space/privacy?   Good family story.

                     

My Boyfriend Is A Bear

 

Shirley J.                    Adult Graphic Novel Fiction                          Yep, a human and a bear in love!        My Boyfriend Is A Bear by Pamela Ribon (illustrated by Cat Farris)    176 pages

I was intrigued by the title so naturally I had to check the book out.  It did not disappoint.  This is one of the loveliest romances I have ever come across.  I loved it and the sheer thought of snuggling a teddy bear, well, ladies... ; )    Nora has been through a lot of boyfriends/one nighters/want to be but weren'ts.  None worked for her.   The guys were either jerks, users, mental abusers or just not wanting a relationship.   She tried so hard to make her relationships work even when the guys weren't good to or for her, but, she gave each relationship or lack thereof her best.   Then one day while on a walk in the hills above Los Angeles a bear along the trail sees her.   He stalks her for a while smitten with her not seeing her as the catch of the day.  Finally he approaches her and they are able to find common ground.  The bear cannot speak language as Nora does, but, they are able to come to understand one another and find they have a lot in common and really genuinely like one another.  Their relationship evolves as relationships do and she finds the bear to be kind and loving.  He cares for her, he takes care of her, he makes her feel safe and loved and protected, something she has never known before.  While she sought these attributes in her past romantic adventures, she never found them.   She gave 100% and received so little in return it was like grasping for crumbs.  Now, the Bear was proving he was everything she wanted from a lover.  He was thoughtful, attentive, he always put her first and he was loving.  They moved in together.  Her family and friends talk mess about him to her but she knows better.  Life is bliss.  Then hibernation time came... A wonderful book.  I loved it as I said.   While graphic it is definetly an adult story.   I recommend this one to twenty somethings on up.   Well worth the read.  He is every one's dream bear. 

Luna & Me: The True Story of a Girl Who Lived in a Tree to Save a Forest

 

Shirley J.                       Juvenile Literature                   Social Activism, Saving the Giant Redwoods        Luna & Me:The True Story of a Girl Who Lived in a Tree to Save a Forest by Jenny Sue Kostecki-Shaw    40 pages

Based on the true story of Julia Butterfly Hill, who climbed 180 feet up in a 1,000 year old redwood tree in Humboldt County, California to save it and the redwood forest there from Pacific Lumber, a division of the Maxxam Corporation from the environmentally destructive process of clear-cutting the ancient trees.   Julia thought it might take a week or two to stop the company from wanting to destroy these ancient behemoths but she ended up living in the giant redwood, "Luna," from Dec. 10, 1997 to December 18, 1999!  Two years and 8 days!    Because of the plundering of the redwoods to the right of "Luna" a massive landslide occurred because there were no trees holding it back and many homes in the town of Stafford were wiped out.    In actuality, Hill endured weather (El Nino storms), harrassment on the ground and in the air (helicopters) from the company,  a ten day siege by security officers from the company and the utter sorrow of witnessing the destruction of this wonderful ancient forest (one of the last in the world!).   She didn't plan on becoming a champion for the environment she just let her love and belief in the cause of saving this amazing tree and her strong conviction in doing the right thing saving a 1,000 year old living thing from those who did not see its beauty and worth for itself but only for its value as a commodity.   Though Julia "Butterfly" was 23 when this event occurred, the story shows her as if she were a young girl in the story.   Still beautifully and well told.   I recommend this one to listeners on up to senior citizens. 

Puss in Boots: A Musical (Libretto)

 

Shirley J.              Juvenile Fiction           Sibling rivalry meets fatherly and feline savoir faire                       Puss in Boots: A Musical (Libretto) by Neil Fishman and Harvey Edelman    81 pages

Before he died, a man bestows his worldly goods upon his 3 sons.  To the eldest he gives his farm and his horse.  To his middle son, he gives all the barnyard creatures and to his youngest son, he gives a farthing and his cat.  Upon his death the two older sons kick the youngest son out to fend as best he could for himself.   You can't go to far on a farthing, but, it turns out, his father's cat is able to speak and speak in a French accent.  (Not the Steven Spielberg, Antonio Banderas version.)  Turns out the father thought the two oldest to be kind of stupid, so he left them enough to continue supporting them for the rest of their lives, but the youngest he knew to be creative, inventive and brilliant and he knew this son with the guidance of a wonderful counsellor like the talking cat, would be able to turn a farthing into a fortune in no time.  The story is a good one with a princess and her pushy parents, a town willing to foster a falsehood to keep from suffering the King's wrath, and an ending that is as real as life itself.   A fun telling of this age old story with new twists, good for any age.  Baby Boomers will recognize it as similar to the fractured fables told on the Rocky and Bullwinkle show.    I recommend this to all ages.    

Bag of Bones

 Shirley J.       Adult Fiction Horror          Prejudice & Treachery leading to hauntings & ghosts                Bag of Bones by Stephen Kings   544 pages

Writer, Mike Noonan was happily married until the day his wife died suddenly falling to the street dead instantly in Derry, Maine where they lived.   Four years pass and Mike is still grieving and hasn't been able  to write since.  Good thing he stashed those titles he wrote over the years but hadn't submitted for publication.  Good thing, indeed, when his publisher and agent started pushing him for more books.  Four years and he is still grieving.   He keeps having ghostly nightmares about the lake home he and his wife shared, "Sarah Laughs."  In spite of this he decides to go back to "Sarah Laughs" and is met with a bunch of ghostly visitations.  He also meets a struggling young widow with a 3 year old daughter who is in a custody battle with her father-in-law.   Mike falls in love with the young widow and sees her daughter as the child he and his first wife had tried so hard to have.   The story is a good one and a creepy, spooky one as Stephen King is master of.   I recommend this one to all who love horror, Stephen King fans and those who love a good read with the thrill of ghosties.

I'm Lucy: A Day in the Life of a Young Bonobo

 Shirley J.                 Juvenile Literature                            A young Bonobo, her family, her life                 I'm Lucy: A Day in the Life of a Young Bonobo by Mathea Levine   32 pages

Just a sweet precious book of photos and words telling the story of Lucy a young bonobo (similar to a chimpanzee but smaller and the closest species to humans).  The photography is excellent and will welcome all readers young and old.  Bonobos live in peaceful, matriarchal societies though their numbers are growing smaller and smaller and scientists expect they will be extinct within 10 years as their habitats (the rainforests of the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Africa) are diminishing daily.  A beautiful book and story to hopefully increase awareness of the bonobos and all the profits from this book go to the Bonobo Conservation Initiative and the Roots and Shoots program - organizations working to save the bonobos and the Earth.   There is a website mentioned in the book:  www.bonobokids.org where with a code from the book you can log in and adopt your own virtual bonobo and earn points for helping endangered creatures and the world.    A great book and an even greater cause.   I recommend this one to all ages.

    

The Stories Behind the Stories: The Remarkable True Tales Behind Your Favorite Kid's Books

 Shirley J.                        Juvenile Literature                         The stories behind several juvenile titles

The Stories Behind the Stories by Danielle Higley     96 pages

I love this book!   It gives so much information about the 29 children's books discussed here.  The reader will get the scoop on the author and how they came to write the particular story, tidbits and trivia about the stories and authors like how J. R. R. Tolkien didn't like his friend C. S. Lewis' Chronicles of Narnia because Lewis mixed angels and Norse mythology along with talking animals and war references and had so much going on from so many sources Tolkien thought it utter chaos!  Critics.  Or J. K. Rowling who began writing her first Harry Potter book on the train home from work, or Theodor Seuss Geisel, Dr. Seuss as we know him, who wrote Green Eggs and Ham on a bet.  So many fun facts to learn about the authors, the stories they wrote that are found in this book and bits of history of the times when they wrote their stories.  I enjoyed this book and I think most people of 3rd or 4th grade on up would.      

The Mistake I Made

 Shirley J.                 Adult Fiction                                 Single Mom, Major Debt, Desperation

The Mistake I Made by Paula Daly    368 pages

The things one will do when faced with a mountain of debt, eviction and a child to feed.   To make things worse her ex ran up much of the debt then left her for a younger woman.  He neglected to take his debt with him and now he has moved back in with his mother, he isn't working and he isn't paying child support nor helping Roz in any way.  Oh yeah, he refuses to bear any of his responsibilities and his mother covers for him.  Now Roz's business has gone under and she is between a rock and a hard place with no solutions for how to get out of all the debt she is drowning in.  To cheer her up her sister invites her to come over to her birthday soiree.  Just an intimate get together of a few of her sister's friends with food, cake and drinks.  Why not, Roz decides.  Maybe a night out will clear her head for a little bit.  At the party she is introduced to very rich and very married, Scott Elias who develops an obsession for Roz.  He has to have her.  After several drinks it comes out at the party that Roz is going through a difficult time financially, though, she tries to play it down some.  Scott sees his way in with Roz.   He starts stalking Roz, declares his intention for her and offers to give her a huge amount of money to sleep with him.  Roz argues he's married and she doesn't want a relationship with a married man, but, Scott wheedles her down with reasons why it could be beneficial for both of them - she needs money and he needs sex just not with his wife.    Roz with her back against the wall finally agrees and the story turns dark from there.   IT IS A GOOD STORY, TOO!  This is one of those you can't put down.   I highly recommend it to mature teens on up.                     

February 2023 Team totals

 

In February, two people read sixteen books for a total of 5408 pages read.  Shirley read the most with 16 books and 4486 pages.  Thanks for your reviews!  Keep reading.

The Love of My Life

 

Shirley J.            Adult Romance                                                       Cancer, Past Secrets, The One

The Love of My Life by Rosie Walsh    384 pages

Emma and Leo have a loving marriage complete with beloved daughter Ruby.   Their ideal life is briefly shadowed by Emma battling and overcoming cancer, but then a secret Emma has been keeping comes to light.    Leo is devastated, but he is not going down without a fight.    Leo is the love of Emma's life, Ruby is the love of Emma's life but she is hiding another third great love of her life and every thing will come to light possibly shattering everything good and right that Emma clings to.  Will Leo ever trust her again?  Will everything be taken from her (again)?    Really good story.  The characters are all excellently portrayed and the story is a solid one with surprising twists.  I recommend this one to mature teens on up. 

Guilty Minds (A Nick Heller Novel 33 )

 

Shirley J.                Adult Fiction                                                        Supreme Court Justice, Set-Up    

Guilty Minds (A Nick Heller Novel #3 of 4) by Joseph Finder  480 Pages

A supreme court justice is accused of having 3 tristes with a call girl at a famous hotel in the D.C. area and a lead reporter for a scandal sheet is ready to publish the story.  Asking for the justices' side of the story, the justice bargains with the reporter to get 48 hours before the story is printed.   Trying to get ahead of the story, Nick Heller, a private spy (former intelligence operative hired by lawyers, politicians and even foreign governments to get them out of jams by doing whatever it takes to get to the heart of career damaging situations) is recommended to him as the go to guy to get him out of this jam.  The  justice maintains his innocence in the situation, swears he does not know the woman and has never stayed at a hotel in town since he lives in town there is no need.    The call girl maintains he definitely hired her, the hotel records show a room was booked in his name on the dates in question but when questioned the call girl couldn't tell Nick if the judge was circumcised or not.  Was she being coy?  Was she protecting the privacy of the customer?  Or is there something more devious going on?   Really good story.   This book will stand alone although I just found out it is part of a 4 book series.   Nick Heller is an excellent character and I really enjoyed this book enough to want to read the other books in the series.  I would recommend this one to mature teens on up.

This Lullaby

 Shirley J.               Young Adult Romance                                Musicians, cynics & eternal optimists

This Lullaby by Sarah Dessen      352 pages

Remy is cynical when it comes to love.   Could be because her mother has been married four times and is now preparing for her fifth wedding.   Remy feels responsible for her Mom.   Remy and her older brother's dad was a musician.  Her parents met during the free-love hippie era and fell in love and were married in the woods by a guy who probably did not have a license to perform marriages legally.  Her mother never counted that one as a marriage just a tremendous love affair which gifted her the two children before her musician lover/husband disappeared cause he couldn't take the family life.   Before he booked, he wrote a song for Remy titled, "This Lullaby," in which he openly shares in lyrics how he knew he would never be there for Remy, he wouldn't be the one teaching her things or looking out for her and she would likely grow up not trusting him or maybe anyone to truly stay around for the long haul.   Turns out he was right.   Remy and her brother promised each other they would never marry and no one would ever mean more than a few months of fun together then done.  Love as they saw from their Mother's life was fleeting if it was even real at all and nothing lasts forever that is just a fairytale.  Remy had rules for her life: Never get serious with anyone, never let anyone break your heart - she was always the one to break relationships off and never NEVER! date a musician!  Her father was a jerk and a loser and she was never going to put up with that.   That is until she met this wild off the wall dude named, Dexter, who played in a rock band.   It is a fun story about kids growing up too fast and too disillusioned with life who can't feel love - most of the time she didn't get along with her mother although she always felt like she had to look out for her because her mother was too hippie minded to protect herself which is why she was always falling for some low life that would hurt her and leave her.  Remy was way too smart for that and way stronger than her mother would ever be.   Then came Dexter.  She still fought against allowing him to get too close but life has a funny way of creeping up on you as Alanis Morissette says.   Good book.   I recommend it to the 12 years and up crowd it is geared to but adults will like this one too.    

Shop Till You Drop: A Dead-End Job Mystery (Book #1)

 Shirley J.                    Adult Fiction Murder Mystery                Kept Women with large amounts to spend

Shop Till You Drop: A Dead-End Job Mystery (Book #1) by Elaine Viets          288 pages

Finally!  I lucked into book #1 of a series.   I really like Elaine Viets' style.  I met her several years ago at Central Library when she was in for a book reading event.  At the time she was a local news reporter doing special local stories ie. her take on them.  A fun and funny lady,  she often thanks the staff at SLPL for their invaluable help in her research for her books in the acknowledgement portion of her books.    Many of her books are set in St. Louis and all have some mention of affiliation to St. Louis.  This one is no exception.   Helen is running from a bad marriage in her hometown of St. Louis.   She walked in to find her husband in bed with their female neighbor.  There is lots of mystery surrounding what actually happened in that moment, but, Helen left a 6 figure job and went off the grid working a minimum wage job in Fort Lauderdale, Fl. for which she is paid cash.   She brought along a suitcase of case she had saved up during her marriage and does everything she can to stay out of anyone's radar.   She is desperate not to go back to St. Louis and not to let her image be seen in any way.   She is terrified of being identified and returned to St. Louis.  She finds a tiny studio apartment with a great landlady and nice if quirky neighbors.    She lands a job at "Juliana's", a high end dress shop that is only open to big spenders who dress impeccably.   The store is run by Christina for a never there owner who dictates what type of customers he wants in his store (the unbelieveably wealthy with open purses).  The clientele are all the amazingly thin and beautiful kept women of mobsters, real estate moguls and the like, who shower money with no limits on their trophy girlfriends as long as they maintain their youthful gorgeous looks and continue to put out to often homely men with big wallets.    The women think nothing of spending thousands of dollars per shopping trip and who enjoy being elitist in delighting in the fact they are allowed in the shop when so many aren't.   You have to be chic and current in your couture last year's shoes or designs won't do so don't even think it.   Funny enough, there is a lot going on behind the scenes at "Juliana's" that doesn't meet the eye.   How is Christina able to afford living in a posh super expensive condo in a bourgeois beach front area?   Was that pills that spilled on the floor from one of the select purses only Christina handles?   Then, Christina turns up dead floating in a barrel!  WTFudge?  Excellent story.  Fun characters, even the bad ones are fun to get to know.   I recommend this one to high 0schoolers on up due to adult content.

Ghost Night (The Bone Island Trilogy Book 2)

 Shirley J.                         Adult Fiction                                   Ghosts, haunted film set, South Bimini

Ghost Night by Heather Graham (The Bone Island Trilogy Book 2) by Heather Graham   400 pages

I do wish there was a way to know in the catalog when a book is part of a series and where in that series it falls.   It is off-putting to find what you think is a stand alone title is actually one of a larger story.  I always prefer to come in at the beginning, but, this book was an easy read and told you enough about the previous story that the reader can be comfortable going forward.  A documentary on a long ago pirate adventure was being shot when 2 of the cast of the documentary were brutally killed while one actress escaped.  That is where the first book ended and this second book in the series begins.   It is several years later, another documentary crew has decided to go back and document what happened with the pirates and what happened the set when the actors were murdered.  There are ghosts afoot, a mysterious dark man in the shadows (is he the murderer? ) and the remainder of the original cast and crew coming back together to help work on the remake of the original.   Sounds like all the elements of a good murder mystery.  It is.   I would recommend this book to teens on up.

Robert B. Parkers' Lullaby (Book 40 of 51 books in the Spenser series)

 

Shirley J.                Adult Fiction                  A 14 year old girl hires Spenser to find her mother's killer

Robert B. Parker's Lullaby: A Spenser Novel (#40 of 51 in the series) by Ace Atkins     400 pages

Excellent story.   I am now such a fan of the Spenser character.   I had heard of the character before but this is my first story with him as lead investigator.   When 14 year old Mattie Sullivan sees two men take her mother forcibly into a vehicle after which her mother is never seen again, she wants to find her mother's abductors/killers.   She takes a bus to Spenser's office to hire him to find them.   Spenser is taken with her tough exterior, her language that would make a sailor blush and her determination to find who really did kill her mother.  It was 4 years since her abduction.  The cops didn't do much searching, her mother's friend (with benefits) gets blamed for her murder, but, Mattie is sure he is innocent.  For the price of a dozen doughnuts (6 cinnamon and 6 chocolate glazed) and a large cup of coffee, Spenser enlists the help of his friend Hawk to help find out what happened.   Things turn out way more involved than Spenser had imagined but he is ready for anything and puts a hilarious spin on every conversation he has with everyone he meets.   So funny and such a good murder mystery.  I recommend this one to teenagers on up for the language content.   Lots of cussing here, but, funny.

The Case of the Bizarre Bouquet

 Shirley J.                Adult Fiction                        Sherlock and Mycroft Holmes' little sister Enola

The Case of the Bizarre Bouquets: An Enola Holmes Mystery by Nancy Springer   176 pages

When Sherlock Holmes' best friend and right-hand man, Dr. Watson goes missing, Sherlock is baffled but on the search for clues.  Mycroft, his older, wiser brother is enlisted but little do the brothers know there is a third searcher, their younger sister, Enola.   Of course, Enola doesn't let on she is on the case but her disguises and sleuthing rival her older brothers' skill in tracking down clues.  It is a fun story with just the right bit of whit and humor like Sir Arthur Conan Doyle brought to all his Sherlock stories.  The reader gets to experience Enola's process in figuring out the case.   I enjoyed this story immensely and will be checking for other tales starring Enola Holmes.   I recommend this one to Middle Schoolers on up.

Lover Awakened

 Shirley J.                            Adult Fiction                                                          Vampires vs. Slayers

Lover Awakened by J. R. Ward   I only read 120 pages

First let me say that I like vampire stories.   And it turns out this book is #3 of 21 books in the Black Dagger Brotherhood Series.    I wish series, and the place in the series books are were listed in the catalogue.   After forcing myself to give this book a chance, I stopped.  The book, in my personal opinion stunk.  It is not a good story, it is not well developed in its plot nor its street gang 6 vampires.   I have no desire to go back to read the first book to be introduced to the series, I found it not worth my time.  I would not recommend this book to anyone.

Two Nights

 Shirley J.                Adult Fiction                                    Ex Cop now P. I., kidnapped girl        

Two Nights: A Novel by Kathy Reichs    416 pages

Sunday "Sunnie" Night is an ex-cop.  She is tough as nails but after her last case encounter that left her shot in the eye losing her vision, she left the force but antsy to catch bad guys she went in to private investigation.   This story is a case she takes on in her new life as a P.I.   She goes under contract to a multi-rich family looking for their missing granddaughter.  The girl tied in with a less than trustworthy man who may have either spirited her away from the family, though, he is so shady, it is a mystery why he wouldn't want to bilk the family of their money or he may have been involved with a sex-slave ring and hoodwinked her into going with him and the skallywag betrayed her trust and sold her into bondage.  Lots going on and Sunnie is not one to be told how to handle her investigation even if someone is footing all the bills.  Her search for the girl takes her on a twisty trail with suspects aplenty.   Sunnie feels a kinship to the missing girl, thinking what she may be going through.  And because Sunny has experienced her own particular hell coming up, she won't stop until she finds the girl, her abductors and the reason for her capture.    A hard hitting bit of literature here.   Sunnie is likeable as is her cohorts.   Her tenacity is admirable and throughout the reader is let into the thoughts of the missing girl and what she is going through.  Good book.   I recommend this one to adults.   The story is just a bit creepy.

Space Case

 

Shirley J.                Juvenile Fiction                                                   Living on the moon, murder mystery

Space Case by Stuart Gibbs is book 1 of 3 in the Moon Base Alpha series  368 pages

This was a really good story.  It is told by 12 year old, Dashiell Gibson whose family is the first to colonize the moon.   Other families have since moved there too, all known as lunarnauts or "moonies" all living on Moon Base Alpha.   Dashiell is bored because kids aren't allowed to go out on the lunar surface so all the young lunarnauts are sort of stuck inside an increasingly shrinking space (it seems to get smaller as they grow older) with very little to keep them mentally stimulated and occupied.   As a matter of fact the only other kid his age is way into virtual reality video games which he spends most all of his waking hours on and Dashiell requires more than that to stay interested.   When the top scientist in the colony turns up dead Dashiell plays detective trying to find out who did it and why.   No one believes him and accuse him of creating a conspiracy theory as it is all conjecture on his part.   Even his parents don't seem to see the reality of what is going on.  Dashiell goes looking for clues.  Dr. Holtz death is being played off as him being a little senile and going on the lunar surface without his helmet properly fixed, but, Dr. Holtz is the one who invented the suits and knew perfectly well how they had to be worn.  Something foul is afoot and Dashiell won't rest until he solves the mysterious death.   This is a good story with fast paced witty dialogue and interesting characters.  The plot is a good one too.  Don't want to give too much away but Dr. Holtz had made an important discovery that would change everything for them first then mankind.  Whaaaaat????   Yeah, it's like that.  ; )   I would recommend this to middle schoolers on up.   

Deadly Cure

 

Shirley J.              Adult Historical Mystery                          Opioids, Brooklyn, NY, Radical medicines

Deadly Cure by Lawrence Goldstone   336 pages

While this is a fictionalized version of the truth, there are many historical figures and happenings included that perfectly round this fascinating story out.   Snake oil and over the counter access to heroin, opium, cocaine, etc. plummets 1899 Brooklyn, New York into a recurring medical nightmare when children and adults start dying from their medications.   Politically motivated real-life doctor Arnold Frias, has interests in pharmaceuticals that aren't at that time being regulated.   Medical doctors of the time were prescribing laudenum for many ailments but when people begin self-medicating or believing in quack cures that have all sorts of harmful chemical ingredients, even poisonous ingredients, people start dropping like flies.  This book explores the introduction of heroin into society by the German Bayer company, yep, later famous for Bayer aspirin which became a household name and how opioids got introduced.   This is a fascinating story.  I recommend this one to adults as I don't know if the younger set would find it as fascinating as those of us who have seen the power big Pharma has gained and historically how medical quakery and hardcore drugs have played such a big role in society.   A real pageturner here.

The Good People

 

Shirley J.                Adult Fictionalization of a true story                   Fairy Folk, Changelings, Healers

The Good People by Hannah Kent     400 pages

Based on true events, this is an excellently told story of life in a small rural community in 19th century Ireland.   The residents, while adhering to their Catholic teachings still hold to the old ways and while the parish priest preaches against belief in fairy folk and folk cures, the residents have grown up on a strong belief that if bad things are happening (crops fail, women miscarry, etc.) it is because the fairy folk are peeved and taking it out on humans and their animals (ie. the hens won't lay, the cows' milk dries up, etc.).  So like many cultures, while believing strongly in their Catholic faith, they cling to the pagan beliefs they grew up hearing about, too.   A fascinating story of poverty, famine, the belief in fairy folk and changelings (creatures identical to a human baby or child that fairy folk sometimes exchange for human babies/children) and the swift and merciless retaliation of the Catholic church in combating these beliefs.    Well told gripping story.  I recommend this one for mature middle schoolers on up.  Really good story to the very last page.      

                              

Big Little Lies

 Shirley J.              Adult Fiction                                  Privileged women, trophy wives, exes, lies!

Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty  512 pages

Such a good book!   Loved the characters, loved the story.  It reminded me a lot of the writing of Sophie Kinsella.   The three main female characters are great.   Second time married Madeline is hilarious so funny, so witty and always in the midst of everything!    The beautiful fabulously rich Celeste has a rich attractive suave husband who adores their twin boys and gives Celeste anything she wants...and a whole she doesn't.  Jane had a horrible romantic encounter that has left her emotionally scarred but finds new life in a new town.   Her chance meeting with Madeline throws her into a new circle of female friends that changes everything.   This is a book you won't want to put down.  The folks here practically jump off the page they are so real.   I recommend this one to teens on up.   Well done, Liane Moriarty!

The Pearl Thief

 Shirley J.                 Adult Fiction Mystery                        Scottish Pearls, Travellers, Privilege    

The Pearl Thief (Book #4 in the Code Name Verity Series) by Elizabeth Wein   352 pages

15 year old Julia Beaufort-Stuart wakes up in the hospital with no idea how she got there nor what happened to her other than she has a pain in her head.   Was it an accident or intentional?  Who would try to hurt her and why?  Oh, you will find so many reasons when you read this book.  Set in the Highlands of Scotland, Julia's grandfather, once a hugely influential rich man had gotten ill toward his latter years and lost most of his fortune.  Julia learns a boy from the traveller's (Gypsy) camp, Euan Ewen, had come upon her and carried her to get help.  Many distrusting the traveller's as thieves accuse Euan for harming her and he later ends up coming up on charges.   There is a magical factor of the Scottish Pearls of Mary, Queen of Scots that Julia comes upon in her grandfather's things.   A quirky librarian at the oldest existing library who guards artifacts and jewelry also belonging to Mary Queen of Scots in her wee library, a tough old bird, she wields a shotgun to do so.  Julia tries to pass for 18 to her sorrow when her coy lies entice a rough fellow and she incurs the ire of the local constabulary defending the travellers.   Lots of good story here and the reader will learn a lot about Scottish pearls in the reading.  I recommend this book to middle schoolers on up.  Some good lessons to be learned for young folks.  

                            

As Good As the First Time

 Shirley J.            Adult Fiction Romance                             Family, Lost & Found Loves

As Good as the First Time: A Sugar Lake Novel by K. M. Jackson     406 pages

Olivia Gale had it all, a great man, a great job until she didn't.   All in one day her boyfriend leaves her and she loses her job.  What was she going to do?  New York was great but how would she survive now?  Then as fate would have it, her mother received a call from her Aunt who fell off her roof and broke her hip.  Her Aunt runs the family bakery, "Goode N' Sweet" and isn't able to do the baking and carrying now.  Well, fortuitous timing wins out and Olivia "Livie" goes to Sugar Creek to help her Aunt.  Her younger sister tags along to lend a hand and it is like going "home" again.   They remember the fun summers they spent in Sugar Creek and Livie remembers falling in love and going away to school only to return to the love of her life to find out he didn't wait for her as promised.  He married someone else!  Now joy of joys, who does she run into when she returns the firechief, the man she had fallen so desperately in love with all those years ago and who broke her to the bone.   She has all kinds of attitude for this dude.   I would recommend this one to middle schoolers on up.  There is a lot of good natured sisterly rivalry, a lot of teen angst carried into adulthood and good natured family teasing and support along with some fence mending.

 

The Way They Were: How Epic Battles and Bruised Egos Brought a Classic Hollywood Love Story to the Screen by Robert Hofler 304 pages

 

The 1973 movie “The Way Were” is one of the greatest movies Hollywood has ever produced. And that’s just not my opinion either. It ranks sixth on the American Film Institute’s list of 100 Years…100 Passions list. Celebrating its 50^th anniversary this year, Robert Hofler has written a behind-the-scenes tell-all about the greatest movie that was almost never made. Sort of.

It’s no secret that screenwriter Arthur Laurents wrote the role specifically for Barbra Streisand, but finding her Hubble was another story. Robert Redford did not want to play what he referred to as a “Ken” doll. Director Sydney Pollack and Laurents fought bitterly over the film as each had a different vision. 

That’s the gist of this truly awful book.  Each chapter heading pits someone against someone else, whether real of fictional.  I felt like I was just reading a bunch of facts punctuated by made up dialogue.

Fellow readers, avoid “The Way They Were: How Epic Battles and Bruised Egos Brought a Classic Hollywood Love Story to the Screen” at all costs. I want to give this book zero stars. I only give it 1 star for Amazon and Goodreads requests it.

 

The Mitford Affair

The Mitford Affair by Marie Benedict 352 pages

I have not previously read a lot about the six Mitford sisters, but I’ve known who they are. Six girls/women who grew up and in the highest of the early part of the 20^th century English society.  While each sister had her distinct personality, they were a tight-knit clan. They thought and did exactly as they pleased; rules be damn! Sometimes, it was hard to tell them apart. Especially on the first few chapters where readers are introduced t their nicknames for each other; I had a terrible time keeping them straight!

Author Marie Benedict, one of my favorites by the way, takes on three of the sisters as life in England was rapidly changing. This novel focuses on the period from 1932 to 1941.  Benedict gives us the loves and the lives of three of those sisters (Nancy, Diana and Unity). But don’t worry, the other three (Pamela, Jessica and Deborah) so show up from time to time, especially in the first few chapters.

Fans of Benedict’s know that this will be another character-driven novel, so plot seekers don’t bother.

Diana and Unity are estranged from the rest of the family due to their ties and fascination with Fascism and Nazism.  Diana has an affair with the leaders of the British Union of Fascists and ultimately leaves her husband for the man. Unity has gone to Munich to supposedly study the German language, but becomes so enamored of Adolph Hitler that she stalks him until she becomes part of his inner circle. Historians are unsure of whether she was one of his mistresses, but Benedict gives enough evidence to support that she did.

Nancy has gained fame her own way by writing novels, some of which are still in print today. I did see a collection available online that contains all eight. Nancy has the role of peacekeeper and tires to ease the stress between Diana and Unity and the rest of the family.

Besides the crisp prose, there are two things that really stood out in this novel. First, each chapter is dated and readers get to know what each of the women was up to on each date. Second, Diana and Unity’s chapters were told from a third person point of view while Nancy’s was in first person. I found this jarring as I read. Still “The Mitford Affair,” receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

A Noble Cunning : The Countess and the Tower

A Noble Cunning: The Countess and the Tower by Patricia Bernstein 266 pages

“Based on a true story of Winifred Maxwell, a Catholic in Anti-Catholic England.”

As the novel opens, Bethan Glentaggart, Countess of Clarencefield, is pulled from her bed by loud banging on the front door.  A group of men barge in, accusing her of hiding a Catholic priest in her home. The men search high and low yet cannot find their quarry. I found myself holding my breath as the men tracked in mud and snow, peering into private places and generally making a mess of things. Luckily Bethan’s husband, Gavin, was not at home and unluckily her children and servants were home in their beds.  I really liked that Bernstein dropped the reader into the middle of the action.

In the following chapters, readers learn that is 1710 in Scotland. The Catholic religion has been banned, yet those who were practicing their religion continued to do so, hiding chapels in their homes and attending masses often held in unusual places.

I was really confused as Bernstein explained who was king, who should have been king, and what was happening and who sided with who. It made my head spin, and I wanted to give up, but I trudged ahead. I’m glad I did.

Gavin gathered the men of the region to go a Crusade-like mission to restore the rightful king. Unfortunately, the king’s men were better equipped and outnumbered Gavin’s throng. If the rebels weren’t killed in battle, they were taken to the London Tower.

Jails weren’t like they are today. The men had to purchase their meals, water, blankets, and everything they needed. If a prisoner had no money, they often died of malnutrition or lack of sanitary conditions. An eye-opening experience for this reader.

The last third of the book was Bethan’s determination to get the monies Gavin needed to purchase fresh foods.

As I watched Bethan take charge, I admired her strength and determination. Many times, I found myself holding my breath, worried that Bethan would not be able to succeed in her mission.

My suggestion to anyone who plans (and you should) read this, study Appendix B first. It’s a Chart of Stuarts and Possible Heirs to the Throne of Great Britain. If I had found that sooner, I probably wouldn’t not have struggled so much early in the story.

I enjoyed reading “A Noble Cunning: The Countess and the Tower,” even though this is not preferred time period or setting. I loved the history and the escapades that the characters found themselves embroiled in. “A Noble Cunning: The Countess and the Tower,” receives 4 out of 5 stars in Julie’s world.

 

Spirit of the Season

 

Shirley J.                  Adult Fiction/Holiday Romance                    Christmas Season, Small Town, N.C.

Spirit of the Season by Fern Michaels   288 pages

When Joy Preston's grandmother passes, her will states that Joy is to inherit Nana's bed and breakfast known as Heart and Soul.  A quaint little inn nestled in a small town in North Carolina, that comes to bustling life every holiday season especially Thanksgiving and Christmas when the town comes together to compete in who can make the best (according to the judges) gingerbread sculpture, the theme changes from year to year, and who can put up the best Christmas display, etc.   Each B&B in town tries to outdo the other from their in-house offerings, to glorious over the top meals, etc.   It is great fun but also loads of work and stress not to mention how ticky some of the elder ladies get in getting down to the nitty gritty and trying to disparage their competitors!   The up and down side of small town life.   Joy grew up here, but while on a trip with her highschool class to Colorado, she fell in love with that state, it's mountains, skiing, beauty so when it came time for college, though her grandmother did her best to get her to stay home and attend college in North Carolina, Joy had her heart set on the University of Colorado and couldn't wait to get back there.  Now with her father's passing at 47 and Nana's passing, Joy can't understand why Nana would give the successful B&B to her and not her mother.   Of course after her father passed her mother started going on round the world cruises (20 so far) and didn't stay home with her mother to help tend the B&B, though, she loved it and enjoyed all the work it took to keep it working wonderfully.   Nana also put in her will that Joy has to come back and live in the town for 6 months and run the B&B.   Joy is beside herself.   She is a very successful CEO of her own company, she loves her life with her friends in Colorado.   Why would Nana do this to her?   Was she senile?   Maybe she can figure this out with the local lawyer handling Nana's will, the hot, sexy lawyer with the voice that makes her want to melt...It is a good story, very visual as Fern Michaels paints word pictures for her readers.   I didn't care for her main character, Joy Preston, but I guess her angst was all about having to pull up stakes from the place she thought she was happiest in.  Still she can get a little annoying.  I recommend this story to anyone, any age that enjoys holiday stories and especially holiday romance stories.   If this isn't a Hallmark movie already, it could be.

The 39 Clues: Book One of the Maze of Bones Series

 

Shirley J.                Juvenile Fiction                    Powerful Families, Mysteries, Inheritance

The 39 Clues: Book One of the Maze of Bones Series by Rick Riordan   220 pages   

This is an excellent story.   When Grace Cahill, matriarch of the most powerful family in the world with ties to just about every larger than figure in history, realizes her end is near, her mind races over the things she has yet to share with her grandchildren.   She changes her will at the last minute to offer a million dollars for family members to accept as their inheritance and walk away or they can search for 39 clues that are hidden throughout the world that if all are found the family's secret will be revealed.  Up to now no one has been able to discover them all, but, with Grace's demise, the race is on between all the heirs.  So many family groups, some not so nice, go on this world-wide scavenger hunt to find the answers to all of their questions.   This is a REALLY good book, I just have to grit my teeth that the story is spread out through 13 books to find out the family secrets and untold wealth.    I highly recommend this story, while geared to the younger set, this story holds its own for any age group and I think adults will find it just as engaging as kids do.   There are also three different authors who will participate in the telling over the course of the series.

Ghosted

 

Shirley J.               Adult Fiction Romance                      Love, Horrible Accidents, Love Lost & Found

Ghosted: A Novel by Rosie Walsh   352 pages

Sarah and Eddie meet, hookup and spend 7 days of utter bliss.  They fall madly in love and it is the best of all worlds, this is the one each has been waiting for, this is forever and ever until it isn't.   Eddie goes away on a previously planned trip promising to be in touch then disappears.  Sarah can't figure out what happened.  No word, no call, no text.   It is like Eddie just disappeared off the face of the earth.   Perhaps a dire, terrible truth one that is so awful it goes above and beyond but fate brought them together didn't it?   So why after this wonderful, beautiful, magnificent all encompassing perfect love they have found must it all shatter to the ground?   Try as she might Sarah cannot find out what happened to Eddie, nor where he is, though she does her best to contact his friends both sides of the pond.   Sarah is estranged from her family due to an accident when her sister and her sister's best friend were 12.  It was so terrible, Sarah even moved to the States for a time supplanting her former family with a family of caring new friends.  Life has been a jumble for her and now with Eddie things were at last looking right until they weren't.   Still what they had haunts her thoughts daily and she can't let go despite her friends urging her to move on.   A good story, I recommend this one to middle-schoolers on up.

Peter Pan Must Die

 

Shirley J.               Adult Fiction Murder Mystery                    Assassins, Political Figures, Murder

Peter Pan Must Die by John Verdon   448 pages

A prominent politician is assassinated while giving the eulogy at his own mother's funeral.  Whoa!  His wife is accused of committing the murder or if not that actual doing, she hired someone to do it.   Ex-NYPD to homicide cop, Dave Gurnery is brought in to investigate.  He turns up mob affiliations, a potential hit-man so short he could be a jockey, often mistaken for a woman and even a child due to his slight build, who is known as Peter Pan.   There are Greeks involved it is a hodge-podge of innocence, highly flawed police investigations and less than lily white investigators.  Gurney's path is filled with femme fatales, local constabulary who let him know up front he is no longer a cop and has no jurisdiction in the case nor the investigation and needs to BACK OFF!   A good story with lots of twists.   My complaint is that Verdon often tends to go too repetitively over some details and some diaglogue to the point you feel he is beating the proverbial dead dog to death.  Once the point is made it is only annoying to keep going over and over it.  Dialogue too at times is continued over and over like 2 children saying the same thing over and over in the backseat of the car on a roadtrip.   I have to think he is certainly paid by the word in these cases.  This book ended badly for me, too.   The story was pretty good except for the repetition and the outcome, but, would I recommend it?  There is the conundrom.   I am going to have to say no on this one.  It could be o.k. but the too wordy parts and the ending leaves me less than a fan of this title, though, I liked the main character.

 

January 2023 Team Totals

 This month three people read 27 books with a total of 9,334 pages.  Shirley read the most books with 17 books and 5,436 pages.  Congratulations to everyone and thanks for reviewing books!

Dragon Pearl

 

Shirley J.                  Juvenile Fiction                                                Shapeshifters, Fox Spirits

Dragon Pearl:A Thousand Worlds Novel, Book 1) by Yoon Ha Lee          only read 160 pages

This book had a number of things that sounded really good shapeshifters, fox spirits, ghosts but try as I might, I couldn't stay interested as it was presented.   The main character, Min, a 13 year old Fox Spirit from a family and long line of fox spirits.   She and her family were shapeshifters which could have been so interesting and offered  limitless possibilities but Min had a personality and actions that I could not get interested in.   She kept making me mad by deliberately choosing to do the opposite of what her mother asked, and seemed intent on sabatoging the family which I know was not supposed to be the book's intent but that is the impression I came away with.   She seemed very disrespectful and thinking only about herself even her desire to find her brother came back to being about her getting to take on the adventure he had left for until circumstances changed.   I finally decided to put the book down though I had such hopes for the shapeshifterness of it.    I read half of the book before with disappointment I went no further.   I cannot in all fairness recommend this book though perhaps there is an audience for it.

This Is Your Mind On Plants

 Shirley J.    Adult Non-Fiction             How plants enhance life through sustenance, stimulants, pain relief        

This Is Your Mind On Plants by Michael Pollan   288 pages  

Michael Pollan explores how life enhances when you add plants.  Plants are wonderful sustenance in the forms of fruit, vegetables, herbs, spices, then moving further to coffee, tea with their stimulating caffeine boosts to help focus our minds and make us alert.   He also discusses the poppie plant whose seed head can also be used in tea form.   However, one is legal and one is not, much like tobacco which can be smoked and marijuana which is becoming legalized in more states in the U.S. but still an issue in some and regulated in others.   Pollan discusses at length the positive attributes of opium and mescaline and their uses in rituals for their consciousness shifting abilities.  He shares a lot on peyote and ayahuasca the latter only legal when used in Native American religious ceremonies and ayahuasca used in South American religious shamanic spiritual rituals and medicine.   Lots of information and all presented so entertaingly by Michael Pollan who has the unique ability to present lots of concepts in a completely down to earth enlightening way.   I recommend this one to adults as he goes into not just the biology of plants but also the  husbandry and the outcomes.    A good book he shares his own experiences as a gardener and experimenter.

I'm Glad My Mom Died

 Shirley J.                  Adult Biography                              Stage Mother, Abuse, Anorexia, Bulimia, etc.    

I'm Glad My Mom Died by Jennette McCurdy   320 pages    

Wow!  Jeanette McCurdy, former child star on Nickolodean in ICarly and Sam & Cat endured far more than the public had any idea.   Growing up a Mormon, she and her brothers were home schooled.  Her mother's dream for herself was to become a star (celebrity), so since she was unable to realize that in her own life she determined to live vicariously through her daughter who she would push to become a star.   At 6 years old her mother took her to her first audition.   Jennette loved her mother and tried her best to please her dutifully going to audition after audition though she personally had no interest in doing t.v., movies, commercials, none of that, she just wanted to make her mother happy.  At 11 her mother starts forcing her to diet by telling her how fat she is getting, etc.   Her mother pressed her so hard, Jennette became the sole source of income eventually for the family.   Her mother had weird ideas on showering Jennette (up until the age of 16), giving her female examinations herself though she had no medical background, she raged at her for not being selected for roles, she hounded her to learn the lines and perform them as she thought she should.   She demanded Jennette be able to cry on cue to the point she became dehydrated from being asked to do so often on sets,  she suffered from anorexia, later bulimia.   She even became an alcoholic from trying to deal with all the pressure and turmoil.   There is so much to be found in this book, and while the title may grab readers judge not until you have read the book to find out the emotion behind the title.   It was a good book, an eye-opener fly on the wall view of a child star through a young adult being so forcefully driven by the mad whims of a wanna be actress who made her daughter make her dreams come true.   I recommend this book to middle schoolers on up as a cautionary tale.   

Normal Family: On Truth, Love, and How I Met My 35 Siblings

 Shirley J.                  Adult Non-Fiction                              Artificial Insemination, Ancestry.Com

Normal Family:On Truth, Love and How I Met My 35 Siblings by Chrysta Bilton     288 pages    

The Brady Bunch they are not.   Chrysta Bilton, her mother and her sister made a startling discovery after having submitted a saliva sample to Ancestry.Com, Chrysta started getting lots of hits from people saying according to their DNA it shows they are related.   Times that by 35 and counting!  What Chrysta's mother hadn't told her and her sister was that her father was not in a loving relationship with their Mother, he had actually just happened to be in the same hair salon at the same time as her mother, a gay woman in the 1980s decided to approach the man who would become Chrysta's father with a proposition.   He was so gorgeous she thought he would make a beautiful baby and Chrysta's Mom so wanted a baby.   They worked it out, she paid him not to have sex with her but to give her a sperm sample in a turkey baster so she and her partner could artificially inseminate her to become pregnant.   Over the years she did this twice with the same guy so her daughters would have the same parents.  In order to get Dad to come by and spend a little time with the kiddies, Chrysta's mother would pay him, he never appeared unless he was paid of course the little girls didn't know this.   It is an interesting tale of opulence and loss, addiction, AA, love and family in all sorts of circumstances and situations, recovery and forgiveness.   It is a good story better because it is true for all those involved.  I recommend this one to adults on up, the subject matter is best digested after overcoming some of life's ups and downs to give a little clarity to some of the crazy situations life deals them.

The Totally Unscientific Study of the Search for Human Happiness

 Shirley J.   Adult Comedy    Paula Poundstone's Experiments/Research/Findings on what makes her happy

The Totally Unscientific Study of the Search for Human Happiness by Paula Poundstone  320 pages

I always knew Paul Poundstone was funny but I had no idea how truly brilliant she is until having read this book.   She tells hilarious story after hilarious story and after each she gives her quantitative theorems on her hap (happy) level from each experience and the summation of her findings.   The further I went the more I liked this book and the more I liked Paula Poundstone.  Whether talking about her three kids, her 16 cats and other animals in their family menagerie, the Lamborghini she rented for a day, her stint on "Wait, wait...Don't tell me!, her stand up gigs every weekend, her bone to pick with the school system or political system in America, the lack of accountability she finds irritating, she will amuse sometimes mystify but always assail the reader with hilarious commentary and she strives to find happiness through self reflection and experiments.   She presents her data as easily as Sheldon Cooper spouting string theory and she does it with such a wonderful grasp of humor and how to deliver it with aplomb!   Whether she is taking her daughter who has cerebral palsy on a 4 day hike through southwest terrain, she is learning to swing dance much like women who clean their house before letting in a house cleaning service she surreptitiously takes private lessons on the side while joining a beginner's class so she will look smart and capable, or the home organizer she hires only to feel as though the woman is trying to tear memories from her when she wants her to throw away the several pairs of jeans she hopes to fit into again one day, Paula Poundstone is an incredibly busy amazing person (just the constant cleaning up after her cats is more than most folks could accomplish in a week, geez!).   A fun read that will keep you laughing out loud and that in itself is happiness as is this book.  Well done, Paula Sugar Push Poundstone (see the part on Swing Dancing).  A joy for all ages middle school through seniors - so funny!