What it Seems- Gripping suspense by Emily Bleeker

 

What it Seems 
by Emily Bleeker 
5/5 stars
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

What it Seems is an amazing and gripping suspense novel.
I absolutely BLAZED through this book, and could NOT put it down!
The main character (Angela/Tara) is living with a woman she believes to be her "foster mother"
She does not have a clear memory of how she came to be there due to a traumatic head injury.
She is now a young woman in her early 20's and the mother controls her every action, forcing her to shoplift and sell items on eBay. She finds a way forward by using an old clunky computer and realizing how futile it is to remain.
I won't spoil what happens next, but this was an absolutely gripping read.
The characters are so well-written and described that it is easy to see them in your mind's eye.
It's not super long, and I recommend it very highly.

Death, Dismay and Rose - stay away...

 

Death, Dismay, and Rose

by JC Eaton

2/5 stars

⭐⭐

Death, Dismay, and Rose had potential, but for me, it sort of fell flat. 

I think this may have been part of a series, and perhaps others who have read the series enjoyed it more. 

There were passages that were fairly well- written, where there was suspense, and you wondered how things were going to play out. 

I was very disappointed in the way the author treated food and drink throughout the book. 

For a book ostensibly centered around a winery, there was none of the poetry of wine and wine tasting, or the fun "cellar" experience of being a wine-maker. 

In addition, I was just downright annoyed with the food, every other page the protagonist is telling us what she got for lunch, but doesn't actually DESCRIBE it. 

For example, I got a tuna on rye for lunch 

but not, my tuna on rye was just what I needed, the toast was lightly browned, tart, and crunchy under the flaky, tuna, swimming in rich mayonnaise and counterpointed by the crunch of pickles and onion. 

Either describe it well or forget about it. So you had a sandwich - who cares?

The only meal that got even halfway decent treatment was the wine-maker dinner.

I also found some of the action a bit of a stretch, I think the main character would have been locked up long before the end for her meddling in police business.. 

All in all, I cannot recommend this book- your time is better spent elsewhere. 

Thanks to NetGalley for a free ARC, my opinions are my own.

I finished reading this book late in Nov 2020. 

The Arctic Fury - extreme adventure in a historical setting

 

The Arctic Fury

by Greer MacAllister 

4/5 stars

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I really enjoyed the Arctic Fury!

The story is a construction very loosely based on some facts, and is about an all-female expedition to search for 2 lost British ships of history, the Terror and the Erebus.

The leader of the expedition is a woman named Virginia, who has experience guiding settlers out west to California. The funding for the adventure comes from the wife of one of the lost British officers.

The story was well-written, with beautiful descriptions, allowing you to see the action and scenery in your mind's eye. The story goes back and forth from the aftermath of the expedition to the expedition itself.

I don't want to give any spoilers, but both sections are very intriguing and really draw the reader in.

I must say for me, I was more interested in the expedition sections and just wanted to really know what happened.

The book was a good length, and all of the action and twists and turns made sense.

I would recommend this book for a strong female-led arctic adventure!

Thanks to NetGalley for a free ARC of this fun story just when I needed some armchair travel! My opinions are m own.

Gone with the Wind - Enjoy with a grain of salt!

 

Gone with the Wind 

by Margaret Mitchell

5/5 stars 

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Enjoy this mighty tome with a grain of salt, and historical perspective.

I do realize this book was written in the 1930's and so it does not have a "woke" sensibility, and one must read it with the time of writing in mind.

I think this will likely make my list this year as the longest book I've read!

It was very interesting to come back to this book and read it with adult eyes, and 2020 sensibilities.

I have seen the movie numerous times, and I read the book once previously as a much, much, younger woman. (Maybe even in my teens).

The book is much more complex than the movie.

The most obvious differences are that Scarlett has a child with each of her 3 husbands, not just Rhett. What struck me the most however was 2-fold.

I was really shocked at how "put down" and abused the people of Georgia were after the war. There is a LOT more about carpetbaggers and such than in the movie. We hear alot in the book about the politics of the day, and how the Confederates were not allowed to vote, and were so poor, and threadbare. In the movie this is touched on, but then it is passed over, and in the book you truly got the feeling of how subjugated and poor the Confederates were following the end of the war by the Northerners. This really helped me to understand why southerners to this day often feel the way they do. It was also surprising to me that the KKK evolved to protect the Confederates post-war from the carpetbaggers and freed persons. I did not know that the legislature of Georgia was "packed" with freed slaves, or that these freed persons would go from town to town to vote and revote for the northern Republicans.

In the book we can hear inside the character's head, and "hear" what she is thinking about the enslaved persons who are of course, African-American. Also all of the servants,etc talk in dialect, which they also do in the movie. It was very informative to hear that Scarlette thinks of her servants as children, who need caring for. This is not explicit in the movie. She also speaks of the affection the plantation families had for the servants and in many cases even tho the enslaved person is now free in the book they choose to remain with their white family, or return to the plantations.

Overall, this is truly a BIG story, in more than one way, and makes one think about the value and importance of being kind. Although I was spurred to read this by a book club selection, I'm glad I did, because reading it again with older eyes makes me think about what other books I should re-read. (less)

 

P.C. Cast - Moon Chosen - a rare 5 star review!

 

Moon Chosen 

by P.C. Cast

5/5 stars

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

A RARE 5-star review for me!

I loved this book and zipped through it in just a few days.

This story is about a different world, with different realities, and about halfway or so through I realized it was really a dystopian future. How "we" get there isn't explained in this book, but it looks to be the start of a series.

I have read other series (House of Night) by this author and for me, her writing just draws you in so easily. You really want to keep reading to find out what happens. 

In this book, she does an amazing job of crafting the world of the story and flushing out all the types of inhabitants.

Even though you could tell fairly early on where this story was going, it was still interesting to see how it gets there.

The main character, Mari, is a strong female lead, who must step outside her comfort zone to grow. Although some of the tropes are over-used, the story is still well-written and I really enjoyed it.

I can't wait to read the next one.

Finished reading iin Oct 2020

Where Butterflies Go - a compelling story

 

Where Butterflies Go

by Debra Doxer

4/5 stars 

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Where Butterflies Go is a story of the persecution and resistance of the Jews in Poland, and how some of them move on with their lives after the war ends.

Meira, the main character, her husband, and daughter live in Poland and are affected by the onslaught of Nazi violence and hatred. Meira has great skill as a seamstress since her Dad was a tailor. The Nazis discover this, and come to have their uniforms repaired. When the Nazis ship out the Jews, she is recognized and sent to a camp called Poniotowa to make uniforms for Nazi scum.

What happens at the end of the war is tragic, and Meira manages to escape and ultimately make it to America.

Her story of how she survives and comes to thrive in the US, and becomes a speaker for a Jewish organization is inspiring. 

WE MUST NEVER FORGET! She helps people to understand the true horrors of the war and the ugly details of Hitler's final solution.

BEWARE FASCISM - whether in 1939 or in 2020!

This was a very compelling story and I recommend it.

Thanks to NetGalley for an ARC of this book in exchange for this honest review

Finished reading Oct 8, 2020

 

A Flawed Scotsman

by Hildie McQueen

3/5 stars

⭐⭐⭐

This is a typical bodice-ripping type romance, but set in Scotland a bit before the Battle of Culloden, as the clan structure and frission are in full swing in this story. Also, there is a ton of "ye" and lass, etc in the verbiage of the book.

The story is about a Laird's nephew in Clan Ross who is asked to marry a Laird's daughter in Clan Fraser to strengthen ties against the savage and aggressive Clan Mackenzie.

The story moves along quickly enough and is fun to read, with some silly steamy passages.

It was a fast read for me, and I enjoyed letting the yarn spin out.

Although it is sort of historical fiction, there was less about everyday life and how things were different than in some of the best examples of HF (like Outlander). Also, some themes and thoughts were repeated unnecessarily, as though we forgot what we read in the beginning of the book. For example, Esme (the daughter) must mention that her mother thinks women should not involve themselves outside of home duties at least 4x.

Overall, as long as you understand the type of book this is going to be it can be fine to read, and I enjoyed it.

I received an ARC of this book at NC from NetGalley in exchange for this honest review.

Finished reading Oct 5, 2020

Life is Sweet - a fun bit of fluffy frosting

 

Life is Sweet 

by Elizabeth Bass

4/5 stars

⭐⭐⭐⭐

In Life is Sweet a former child star moves to a small town in Virginia and opens a cake shop/bakery.

Some of the action is centered around a horse ranch so equine -lovers should enjoy this book as well

This book was an easy and fun read. Although I could really see a lot of the action/plot points coming a LONG way off, I didn't know how it would get there, and it was fun to read.

Very light, and sometimes that's just what you need.

Finished reading Oct 2, 2020

The Scent Keeper - some delightful passages

 

The Scent Keeper 

by Erica Bauermeister

3/5 stars

⭐⭐⭐

I started this book, and then set it aside for a couple of weeks, and when I picked it up again, I blazed through it.

I enjoyed it pretty much, although, for me, some of the action was really a stretch.

Parts of the book were delightful, and the prose and descriptions are lovely.

I especially liked the parts where Emmeline is learning about scent and being a nose.

It was unrealistic to me how easy it was for Emmeline to find her mother.

I also think the ending was a bit predictable.

All in all, good to read, but slightly flawed.

Finished reading in Sept 2020

Bookshop of Second Chances - a fun book about books!

 

The Bookshop of Second Chances 

by Jackie Fraser

4/5 stars

⭐⭐⭐⭐

The book starts with Thea Mottram's husband of nearly twenty years leaving her for one of her friends, and she is let go from her office job--on Valentine's Day, of all days. She soon learns that a distant great uncle in Scotland has passed away, leaving her his home and a hefty antique book collection, and she heads up to a small town of Baldochrie in Scotland to deal with it.

Thea falls in love with the beautiful home, and loves the books. She meets Edward and Charles Maltravers, who are feuding brothers, and begins to work for Ed in his bookshop. Their relationship slowly develops with some bumps along the way.

I really enjoyed this book. It was refreshing to have a 40-something heroine, and not to have the ultimate goal be marriage and baby. The emotions seemed written very honestly and the story unfolded nicely. The author describes the countryside so beautifully that it makes one want to head to Scotland for a relaxing vacation. I also especially liked the setting of the bookshop.

I would recommend this book -it reminded me of Jenny Colgan's books.

Thanks to NetGalley for a free ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Finished reading Sept 27, 2020

The Book of V - a different twist on the Esther story

 

The Book of V 

by Anna Solomon

2/5 stars 

⭐⭐

The Book of V is a set of 3 separate but slightly related stories, based on the story of the Book of Esther - the Purim story.

The V in the title is Vashti, the queen who would not follow the request of the king to appear naked at his party. He then forsakes her and ultimately marries Esther who goes on to save the Jewish people from complete annihilation.

V follows Vashti's story, the story of Vivian, a senator's wife, and the story of Lily, a young mom living in NYC. Ultimately Lily and Vivian's stories intersect, and parallels are drawn to Vashti's story, which is told from a different viewpoint.

I did not love this book, altho I did like parts of Esther and Vashti's story.

I thought the modern-day characters were whiny and self-indulgent, and I did not understand their motivation a lot of the time. I did enjoy the description of the Purim Shpiel and could appreciate the challenges of sewing a kid's costume.

There is a magic thread in the Esther story that I also felt undermined her power and diminished what she actually accomplished.

I read this for a Jewish book group, so it will be interesting to hear what the other members thought of this book. I would not recommend this- it falls in the "waste of time" category for me, although it does make me want to read a good translation of the actual Book of Esther.

Finished reading Sept 22, 2020

The Song of the Jade Lily - great story about Jewish refugees in Shanghai

 

The Song of the Jade Lily

by Kirsty Manning 

4/5 stars

⭐⭐⭐⭐

This book is about a family of refugees from Vienna in the late 30's who go to Shanghai to avoid the Nazis. The book jumps back and forth from present-day to wartime, however, it is easy to tell what era you are reading about.

It was very interesting the way the action unfolded, and there was a surprising twist at the end, which I always like.

The book really held my interest and I pretty much literally read it in 1 day, which shows how interested I was.

It was nice the way the stories of different people were told, so you learned about Austrian Jews, Poor immigrants, Americans, Chinese people, and Japanese people.

I would recommend this book highly- it was very enjoyable.

Finished reading in Sept 2020

Ruby - an Oprah book, just a dud for me

 

Ruby

by Cynthia Bond

2/5 stars

⭐⭐

Ruby is the story of a young African-American woman living in Liberty, Texas.

Mental illness figures heavily in the story, as does some magic-type action, and "old-time" religion.

For me, although this was a powerful and sad story, it felt very, very slow to me.

It didn't take me that long to read, and except at the end, it just didn't feel like the action/story was moving along. I'm also not the biggest fan of magical realism, so I didn't love it.

I did like the ending, and a lot of the "side action" was so tragic and powerful.

It is hard to not feel affected by some of the actions, and what happens to young women in the book.

I think this book will speak more to others, but it was certainly eye-opening in parts.

Finished reading on Sept 14, 2020

The Bone Garden - a great read highlighting forensic pathologists!

 

The Bone Garden 

by Tess Gerritsen

4/5 stars

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Finished reading in Sept 2020

The Bone Garden was a great book for me. It's about a young woman who buys an old house, and while gardening finds a skeleton from the 1800's.

It covers the story of who it is and how it got there, going back and forth from the present to the 1800's.

I especially liked it because I am a Medical Lab Scientist, and it depicts how crucial pathologists can be to determining the cause of death and other important details.

It was a very fast read, and really kept me interested, so I really zipped through it.

I would recommend this book highly.

Inheritance- Dani Shapiro's memoir -just OK for me

 

Inheritance 

by Dani Shapiro

3/5 stars

⭐⭐⭐

Finished Sept 7, 2020

Inheritance is the story of a Blonde, blue-eyed Jewish girl who has heard all her life that she "doesn't look Jewish". Well, as it turns out her father was not. After taking an ancestry-type DNA test on a lark, it becomes apparent she is not related at all to her half-sister.

The story of how she searches for and ultimately connects with her biological father is kind of a detective story. It is not a bad story, but I guess I have been reading so much, that it takes a bit more these days to excite me.

It's not a bad book, but not a wow for me.

Eleanor Oliphant was a bit of a snooze...

 

Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine

by Gail Honeyman

3/5 stars

⭐⭐⭐

Eleanor Oliphant is the story of a young woman who has survived a mysterious tragedy.

At first, I thought it was the story of a woman on the spectrum. Maybe it was both.

It took me a long while to get into this story.

It starts very very slow, and then when it starts to pick up for a while it feels pretty predictable. There was an interesting twist at the end, but once you were about 2/3 of the way in, except for the twist, it felt like you really knew where it was going.

I guess I'm glad I finished because I really dislike abandoning a read, but I just felt lukewarm about this one.

Mea Culpa- been away so long...

 

Apologies to anyone who actually reads this for being away so long. 

I've still been reading, just lazy I guess

Going to try to catch up 

Athena's Choice - Sci-fi/YA -a future with no men.

 

Athena's Choice

by Adam Boostrom

4/5 stars

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Athena's Choice is a sci-fi/YA book set about 100 years in the future.

A "Y-virus" has killed all men, trans-men, and even some women.

This is a future that is 100% female, although scientists have found a way to reproduce, (which was a bit unclear to me.)

I liked this book more than I expected given the premise.

The author does a good job of world-building, and explaining things that are not obvious to the reader. Some of these things are not even that far in the future...

The book really caught me in, and I zipped through the story.

Someone has stolen the "Lazarus Genome" which will be used to resurrect the male sex, and Athena is key to the investigation.

The ending was also a bit different from what we've come to expect, and it really made you think.

Both sides put forth compelling arguments, and it certainly makes you think.

Thanks to NetGalley for a free copy of this e-book, my opinions are my own.

The Unblessed Child - YA Fiction, 1st in a series

 

The Unblessed Child

by RJ Kaldanis

3.5/5 stars 

⭐⭐⭐✫

There are two types of people in The New Realm: those who are blessed by the gods of the four elements and those who are unwanted, unloved, and are simply known as The Unblessed.

Eighteen-year-old Aardriyah Veros is living in the shadow of her powerfully water blessed brother and little sister. With her elderly neighbor and newfound canine friend in tow, our unblessed child sets out on an epic journey to uncover the truth behind her dreams.

I hesitated for this review between 3 and 4 stars. If I could I'd do 3.5.

This is a good book, very intriguing, and the world is described well, with the divisions, etc explained. I enjoyed the concept, and even though I was admittedly reading a galley, the constant misspellings made me a little crazy. When nothing grows, something is BARREN, not BARON. I saw that word used a lot and misspelled every time. ..

I also felt that the action was a little confusing at times.

As I got closer to the end, it was apparent this is meant to be a series, and we would get little to no resolution. While I don't mind series books, I thought originally this was a stand-alone.

I also personally prefer series books where the end has some resolution, and they can be read either in series or stand-alone.

This series is clearly intended for YA readers, and I found it hard to believe the protagonist was 18. She comes off much younger to me, maybe due to her "woe is me attitude". I don't know if I would continue with the series or not. I did love the Fox sidekick, named Kit for the Japanese word for fox, Kitsune.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

The Paris Library- an engrossing look at WWII through a different set of eyes.

 

The Paris Library

by Janet Skeslian Charles

4/5 stars 

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I finished this book just yesterday. 

I just loved this book! A book about books, how fun!

The story goes back and forth between Paris 1939-1944, and Montana 1983.

In Paris, we follow the story of Odile, who becomes a librarian at the American Library in Paris (ALP).

I never knew such a thing existed.

In Montana, we follow the story of Lily, a teenager who lives next door to Odile.

It was easy to go between the 2 stories because each chapter has a heading of who is speaking and what year it is. So many books ignore this and just title chapters 1, 2, etc. A time hop is fine if we know where we are, when we are, and who is speaking.

I also really liked that the reason Odile ends up in Montana is not telegraphed so far ahead. Sometimes you can see things coming a mile away, and that was not the case here.

It was also really interesting to read a WWII book that was not from a Jewish perspective. I have read a ton of WWII type books from a Jewish perspective, which is very important, but it's good to see through different eyes as well.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it highly.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Firefly Summer- fizzled out for me

 

Firefly Summer

by Maeve Binchy

3/5 stars 

⭐⭐⭐

I finished this book in the middle of July.

Maeve Binchy writes long Irish saga books.

SO I read this one, for some armchair Irish travel.

It was OK. For me just OK.

A lot of sadness and tragedy, very long, and the ending felt very abrupt.

I was liking it OK and was really into it towards the end, but the ending- UGH.

Such a disappointing ending for me.

I wasn't sure how it would end when you saw how the wind was blowing for the one character, but I just was not satisfied with this ending.

Don't waste your time, this is LONG book.

The Color of Love - a book I did not like

 

The Color of Love 

by Marra B. Gad

2/5 stars

⭐⭐

I finished this book early in July.

In the Color of Love, Marra Gad explores and explains her life as a bi-racial Jewish woman, about to turn 50. It is really more like 2 books, the first about her experience growing up bi-racial and feeling rejected both by Jews and by blacks. The second part is about her experience taking guardianship of her Great-Aunt Nette (who always disliked her and treated her poorly) as Nette develops Alzheimer's. 

I am a Jewish woman about the same age as Ms. Gad who belongs to a reform congregation in the Chicago suburbs. I do not want to discount any of Ms. Gad's experiences, but I can’t help but wonder where she was going, because in our congregation, we have numerous interracial families, and everyone is welcome. We are delighted to have anyone sit and pray, and would never ask anyone "why are you here?" or "Should you be in the kitchen?? " NEVER.

Everyone's experiences are unique and their own, and I am sure that Ms. Gad suffered greatly to have written it all down in this book. For me, after a while, it was the same-same over and over. Yes, it was terrible, get over it, grow up, and move on. In the part about Nette and Alzheimer's, I felt if possible, even more alienated. Ms. Gad goes on about how she thinks or has this belief that as Alzheimer's develops you go back to your original state of "pure love", and her Aunt became so sweet and nice, and would say, "Hello pretty lady" to her. Well hooray for you, aren't you the lucky one? I have very recently lost a very close relative with severe dementia/Alzheimer's, and they became the meanest, nastiest, most difficult version of themselves. I could barely read this book, and I 100% certainly could not relate. Again, I realize my experience was mine, and Ms. Gad's experience was hers, and unique to her, but don't try to tell me that a state of pure love is what happens to Alzheimer’s patients…

I really did NOT like this book one little bit, I didn’t like anything about it, I thought the author was whiny, privileged, and self-indulgent. I will say however, it made me think, and I was thinking about it for days. 

American Dirt- suspenseful tale of immigrants

 

American Dirt

by Jeanine Cummins

4/5 stars 

⭐⭐⭐⭐

I finished this book on Aug 6.

I know there has been some controversy around it, but I thought it was a great book.

You really absorb the feelings of the characters, and there is great suspense.

This is the story of Lydia and her son, who flee Mexico to come to "el Norte" after a mass killing of the rest of their family.

While those of us who live here in the US certainly have heard stories of the hardships immigrants endure, seeing it through their eyes is illuminating. I have heard about coyotes, and how dangerous crossing the desert can be, but had never heard about la Bestia, and that folks ride on TOP of freight train cars, boarding and jumping off while the train is in motion.

I also had never heard that la Migra, that there was a Mexican immigration force trying to prevent this on the Mexican side.

The book was very well-written, and even though there are flashbacks, it's always clear what's going on and when.

The story is a hard and heartbreaking one, but a very quick read.

I would recommend this book for every American.

Mexican Gothic - a little too out there for me...

 

I apologize for the lack of posts in case anyone else is actually reading this blog. 

It's been a busy month. 

I have been reading as much as ever, just missed a few posts. 

Maybe I'll go back and get them...

Mexican Gothic 

by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

3/5 stars

⭐⭐⭐

I actually finished this book last week...

This is the second book I have read by Silvia Morena-Garcia.

Previously I read G-ds of Jade and Shadow, which I absolutely loved.

Unfortunately, this book was MUCH slower paced, and I just not care for it as much.

It took me almost half-way in to really care about the characters,

and it felt like about half-way was where the action truly started.

Even though both books are sort of magical realism, for whatever reason, GOJAS just seemed more plausible than this one. It took forever to figure out what was really happening, and the action was set up so much quicker in Jade and Shadow.

At any rate, where I would recommend Jade and Shadow, I really can't say the same for Mexican Gothic. Too slow and out there for me.

The Ickabog - YA Gem from JK Rowling

The Ickabog
by JK Rowling
5/5 stars
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐


I was a bit late to starting this story (64 chapters long), but that just let me catch up faster!
Reading this story reminded me why I love JK Rowling so much as an author.

This is the story of the small Kingdom of Cornucopia, which starts out bounteous, with a clueless King Fred, and his mean spirited and greedy advisors.
The Ickabog is a creature of tales used to scare children, or is it?
The story was released a few chapters a day over quarantine, and is very fun.
The heroes of the tale are the young people, much like in the Potter series.
No spoilers, but the ingenuity of the young people, and the strong spirit of their parents make a big difference in the outcome.
The writing of course is delightful, and the characters are beautifully drawn, with strong women abounding.

Although this story is intended for a YA audience, I would recommend it for anyone, it is a joy to read!

You can read the story at https://www.theickabog.com/

Opium and Absinthe - The Perils of Tillie- fun and misadventure

Opium and Absinthe
by Lydia Kang
4/5 stars
⭐⭐⭐⭐


In NYC at the end of the 18th century, the story starts when Tillie Pembroke breaks her collarbone following a fall in a failed horse jump. She is medicated for pain, and when she emerges from the haze a couple of days later, she finds that her beloved sister Lucy has disappeared. Lucy's body is ultimately discovered in Central Park, apparently killed by a vampire. (Bram Stoker's new tale Dracula is all the rage). Tillie vows to find out the truth, and the killer.

This book was a very quick read and a good study of the times. It was true to the times in that it really showed how restrained the movements of a young lady of breeding was. Women could not go anywhere alone, and other women of lower social standing were employed as lady's maids or companions because the women could not go alone or they would be "compromised" or perhaps unsafe. The correspondence of the main character was intercepted and reviewed by her mother and grandmother, and they decided whether she could receive or send the letters.

This was kind of a "Perils of Pauline" type tale, but there were some interesting sub-threads within the story. There were some of the stories of the "Newsies" and the strike by the news delivery kids, and they figured heavily in the end. Of course, the issue of drug addiction, to morphine, opium, heroin, and absinthe all figured into the story. It was a really interesting book, and in many ways sad, when you think of how restricted a woman's life was.

I enjoyed this book, and I thought the writing was good. I would recommend it to those who enjoy adventure and suspense within a historical setting.

Spinning Silver -An intriguing new Fairy Tale

Spinning Silver 
by Naomi Novik 
4/5 stars
⭐⭐⭐⭐



Spinning Silver is the tale of Miryem, who lives in Lithvas, a land that has descended into an unending winter because of the Staryk, ice people who live in an alternate universe.

The granddaughter of a famous and canny moneylender, on a sleigh ride home, Miryem boasts she can turn silver to gold and is overheard by the Staryk king. He sets her the same task, with the promise of reward upon completion, and the adventures are off.

This is an excellent story, well-written and well-told. The characters are described in-depth, and the reader can see their rough brown home-spun clothes, in contrast to the fine clothes of the nobility, and can feel the biting cold they travel through.

The pervasive anti-semitism is woven throughout the book, and the fact that it is mentioned so casually makes it all the more insidious.

I loved the strength of all the women characters in this story, even if there were parts where it was obvious that they needed the support of the male establishment.
The resolution of the story was a little unclear to me, why things worked the way they did.

I also have read Naomi Novik's other book, Uprooted. I liked this story MUCH MUCH more than Uprooted. It was way more woman-powered, and there was kind of a creepy older man-younger girl sexual vibe in Uprooted for me.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys fantasy adventure with strong women characters.

The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris - Ooh La La -Colgan

The Loveliest Chocolate Shop in Paris

by Jenny Colgan

4/5 stars

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Another Jenny Colgan book for me... haha

Must be a pandemic thing, I am just enjoying these light fun reads,

although this one was a bit heavier than some of her other stories.

I also thought there would be more about Chocolate and Paris...

But C'est la vie!

It was a great fast read, albeit with some darker elements and moments.

It does help to know a smattering of French when reading this and to know the basics of Paris as well.

I did like the way the main character kind of soldiered on to overcome her challenges and the way it flashed back to the parallel storyline with her mentor.

Nice book, and some fun recipes at the end.

Lab Girl - What do Scientists need Most? MONEY!

Lab Girl 

by Hope Jahren 

4/5 stars 

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Lab Girl is the journey of Hope Jahren who is a paleobiologist, and basically studies plants and soil.

This was a very interesting book for me, but I must caveat that I am a medical scientist myself, so I liked hearing the journey of another female scientist.

One of the challenges for Hope was that she had some emotional issues until she found a good doctor and the right medications. I could understand how this would have made things very challenging for her.

It was basically a good book, and not too "science-deep" if you're not a scientist. I think it also gives the reader a good appreciation of what goes into study of things, and how hard it is to raise the needed funds, while the money continues to roll into the military machine year after year.

Publish or perish is a real thing in academia.

I have lost jobs due to grants running out, it's a common thing in science.

Good book, good read.

Casting Lots - Disjointed story of family building through adoption

Casting Lots 

by Susan Silverman

1/5 stars

⭐

Casting Lots is written by Rabbi Susan Silverman who has 3 biological daughters and then adopts 2 sons from Ethiopia. It is the story of how she builds her family, and her "faith journey" I guess.

I really did not care for this book at all, and honestly would not have finished it, except one of my book groups is doing it.

I found the storytelling to be so disjointed, and I can understand that, because really being a Mom of 5 kids, who has time to do anything, much less write a book? I suppose she followed the path that she felt was most important to her, and I can respect that people change what they think they want, but as a book, this just wasn't successful for me.

It was just the main character cooing over her adoptive son, and perseverating about how to convert him properly, and then after going on about that for like 3 chapters, she never even says why they changed their mind, from one faction to another, or how they ended up. It just was all over the place. I felt like the biological kids got short shrift in the story and it made me wonder if they did in real life too. Although they were supposedly "modern, reform" Jews, maybe this was why they needed to adopt boys, because they were so much more valued than their girls?

It just was not a satisfying read for me. I can't really recommend this book.

Under a Skellig Sky - A delightful trip to Ireland

Under a Skellig Sky 

by Breda Joy

4/5 Stars

⭐⭐⭐⭐

Under a Skellig Sky is about Carol, an artist from the small town of Glenosheen, who has been traveling about and returns home to help her Mom Mary run the family Inn, adding on AirBnB customers. The Inn is on the Wild (Wet) Atlantic Way, and Carol also finds herself painting the flowers and the nearby Skellig Islands which have gained fame and notoriety as the setting of the recent Star Wars movies. Carol and Mary take pity on some stray travelers, and Carol has some adventures of her own, learning to heal and grow from past hurts.

I really enjoyed this book. Although there were parts of it that were a bit predictable, the prose was lovely and having been to that part of Ireland myself, it was nice to revisit it as an armchair traveler. You could truly visualize the seacoast and sky and the little puffins as the author described them. The adventures were great, and the parts that were thrilling and scary were very well written. The other thing I liked about this book is that the characters in it showed growth. They changed over the course of the story and were not the same as when they started. That is one of the best things to find in a story for me. So I would recommend this book.

Thanks to Book Sirens for a free ARC of this book -my opinions are my own.

Clara and Mr. Tiffany - Gorgeous prose - sad details

Clara and Mr. Tiffany
by Susan Vreeland
2/5 stars
⭐⭐


Clara and Mr. Tiffany is about Clara Driscoll who is an unknown artist that worked at Louis Comfort Tiffany studios and was instrumental in designing the famous stained-glass lampshades.
Apparently Tiffany had a women's department because he felt women were more sensitive to colors, but he did not allow any married women to work there, so once you married, you were out.

The book was just OK for me, it was extremely slow in starting, and maybe it suffered from being an online edition. Perhaps in a print book there are photos or drawings of the works being discussed, and processes being discussed. Even though I am somewhat familiar with many of Tiffany's works, this was fairly technical in its discussions, and would have highly benefitted from some illustrations or photos, which I have seen in other online books, so I know it can be done.

I did get into the story more towards the end, but it was very depressing, and really presents a very negative view of Tiffany as a person. As someone that really loves the art of Tiffany, it was very discouraging to hear that not only did he not design many of his own art objects, he was a miserable human being, is not what one really wants to know, so I came away from this book with a bit of a bad taste in my mouth if you will.

However, I do have to commend the author on her exceptional research on Clara Driscoll, and on the era in general. She also had lovely prose and did a nice job of painting the "word pictures" of a scene. When she describes a winter day, you can practically feel the wind cutting through your own coat, and turning your cheeks pink and numb.

So in summary, great research, great writing, slow start, OK story, but some disappointing story points if you're a Tiffany fan.

What Should Be Wild - Beautiful writing, disappointing story.

What Should Be Wild
by Julia Fine
3/5 stars
⭐⭐⭐

I wanted to love this book.
I met the author at an event, bought a signed copy, and she's an alumnus of the College my daughter went to. I really wanted to love it.

I did love the writing. The prose is beautiful. When she writes about the house and the woods, the words are lyrical and paint beautiful word pictures. So I would give it 4 stars for writing.
Unfortunately, I would give it 2 stars for story, so I split the difference here.
It is a "magical realism" kind of story, which in all fairness is not my favorite genre.
I did like the premise of the main character, who if she touches something, changes its state of animation (alive to dead, dead to alive), but there are some fairly gruesome chapters, that involve extended torture, without consent, and one character is used sexually without consent, and the storyline was sooo convoluted I just didn't love it at all.
I did like the backstories of the historical characters in the Blakely family tree, who all end up trapped in the haunted wood. It was interesting to hear how they all dealt with their circumstances at different points in time.

So I guess if you like magical realism, maybe this is your book, but it wasn't for me.

Ignite the Sun - 5 stars - Just what I needed to read right now!

Ignite the Sun
by Hanna C. Howard 
5/5 stars
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐


Ignite the Sun! What a great title and gorgeous cover!
Siria Nightingale (great name) is about to turn 16 in a world where darkness rules and the sun is a myth. Her friends Yarrow and Linden (great names) have helped to guide her education, and unknown to her are part of the resistance. They have all been looking for someone who was born at dawn 16 years ago who will transform on their birthday into a fabled sunchild.

And adventure and a quest ensues!
This was a wonderful fun, fast read, in the vein of the Hobbit/LOTR but very YA appropriate.
Loved the mythology and the characters.
There is danger, lessons learned, bravery, sacrifice, young love, and all of that fun stuff.
It was just what I needed to read right now.
I hope to see more from this author.
Thanks to NetGalley for ARC of this wonderful book. My opinions are my own.

The Rabbit Girls - Good once it gets going

The Rabbit Girls 
by Anna Ellory
3/5 stars
⭐⭐⭐


I have very mixed feelings about this book.
It took me a super long time to finish it.
I read something like the first 15-20% and I just wasn't feeling it, it was really slow going, very hard for me to get through. I almost shelved it and said forget about it.
ut I persisted just a bit longer, maybe because of how much I liked Lilac Girls which was on the same topic.
So then about 25% in, it started to get better for me, and I really got into the story.
I think when the present-day storyline became more compelling and you saw how it related to the older storyline, it was more interesting for me.
Even though towards the end I saw the twist coming, I didn't see it WAY far off, and it was very satisfying.
So I'm glad I stuck with it, although I'm not sure every reader would.

Children of Virtue and Vengeance - a Disappointing Sequel

Children of Virtue and Vengeance
by Tomi Adeyemi
3/5 stars
⭐⭐⭐

Well, I have to admit I read a few other reviews of this book before writing this, because I wanted to see if it just me...
Maybe this suffers from sequel syndrome, but I just did not love it at all.
It was like whiny, and long-winded to me, and I kept feeling like boo hoo, get on with it!
And then for the very last chapter to be COMPLETELY out of left field the way it is... with NO closure at all! I was almost offended. After reading this whole freakin' book, this is how you close????

I absolutely LOVED CofBaB, it was one of those rare 5-star books for me, but this one really can't even pull 4 stars.
The characters just mark time, I felt like there was really almost no character development or transformation at all, which to me is the hallmark of a great story.
Hopefully, the next one will be MUCH improved, but I don't know if I'll be rushing to pre-order the HB like I did with this one.

Read "Celia at 39" instead, that's the one I can't get out of my head.

Celia at 39 - 5 stars - Delicious self discovery!

Celia at 39 
by Jason Pomerance
5/5 stars
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐


Celia Bernhart, almost 39, thinks her life is all planned. She has a successful career selling pharmaceuticals. She's engaged to marry her longtime fiancé, a doctor. Then a package unexpectedly shows up at her door -mailed nearly forty years earlier, along with a sealed note from a daughter to her mother. Celia decides to deliver the package and a delicious adventure of self-discovery ensues.

Jason Pomerance spins a wonderful tale, in a fast, fun read. I loved the story of Celia, and there were so many great nuanced details that were clearly well researched. The BBQ details in particular really resonated for me. Even the many small steps involved in properly building a fire for a smoker (which I have personally done many times and learned from a real pitmaster) rang 100% true. The reader can easily see the iconic car that figures into the story in their minds eye, and its eventual transformation. Celia’s “work uniform” is easy to picture, including her made-up face vs. her more laid-back self once she meets the grandson of the person who originally mailed the mystery package.

I really felt like I wanted to take a vacation down to the BBQ shack in Macon and eat Belle’s biscuits for breakfast after reading this book. (We won’t even start on Daisy’s Coconut cake!)
The food descriptions are so good I can’t believe I didn’t gain 5 lbs. just reading it.
But, as good as the food descriptions are, the descriptions of the action going on around Celia, are awesome. There is a scene where she goes for a night-time dip in a river, and you can almost feel the water and see the steam coming off the bodies.

In the long run, this is a story about listening to your heart, and finding second chances, and you should absolutely take a chance on this book and author!

When I'm Gone -A great read with surprise plot twists

When I'm Gone
by Emily Bleeker
4/5 stars
⭐⭐⭐⭐

This is the second book by author Emily Bleeker I've read.
When I'm Gone is the story of Luke, who is mourning the loss of his wife Natalie to cancer.
The day of her funeral, letters begin to arrive from Natalie, written beginning with her diagnosis.
Secrets are uncovered, and Luke begins to question everything.

The book starts off quick, and catches you right away,
it's very well written, and there are some excellent surprising plot twists at the end that I did not see coming, (again, very nice because I almost always see things a long way off)
however, I did feel like the book dragged a bit in the middle, and there were a few plot developments that were kind of predictable. But overall I felt like this was a very enjoyable read, and made me want to read on with Emily.

The Third Daughter - Go Read IT!

The Third Daughter
by Talia Carner
4/5 Stars
⭐⭐⭐⭐

I just loved this book!
Batya, the third daughter in a family of poor Jews forced out of their home in a Russian pogrom, is married off to an apparently wealthy and kind American businessman. Unfortunately, his “America” is Buenos Aires, Argentina, where Batya is forced into a life as a prostitute.

It was such a captivating story. Although parts of the story were brutal, it is actually based on true events, in that this happened to many, many innocent young women, and there was a large Jewish syndicate of pimps called Zwi Migdal in Buenos Aires at the time period. The author has done a thorough and excellent job of researching this, basing many details on fact. Police and courts were paid off, and girls legally "belonged" to their madames or pimps.

The author also does an excellent job of evoking the time period and painting the scene with word pictures, you really can see in your mind's eye, the things that Batya/Esperanza is seeing and experiencing. You feel her conflict and her longing for her family. Her bravery is so inspiring, and the descriptions of the tango costume are phenomenal. You can almost see her hairstyle and the sequins on her dress.

Batya's bravery throughout the story is admirable, and this was a real page-turner. I just zipped through it in no time at all. This is a great book- don't miss it

Eli's Promise- somewhat suspenseful historical fiction across 3 eras

Eli's Promise
by Ronald H. Balson
3/5 stars 
⭐⭐⭐


Eli’s Promise is a historical fiction tale jumping through three eras; Nazi-occupied Poland, the American Zone of post-war Germany, and Chicago at the height of the Vietnam War. The author explores the human cost of war, the mixed blessings of survival, and the strength of love. Even though the book is named Eli's Promise, it actually revolves more around Max, a "fixer" in a Polish town during World War II, his betrayal of Eli's family, and Eli's ultimate search for justice 25 years later.

I'm never the biggest fan of stories that jump back and forth, however, this book did a good job of titling each chapter so that the reader knows where and when they are. This is key to making a book like this a success. Being from Chicago, I particularly enjoyed the more modern parts of the story, which are set in Albany Park, and at one point they even reference having a deli tray from Kaufman's, one of my favorite haunts in Skokie. There is also a great description of making and eating babka (coffeecake) which really resonated for me as well. That detail aside, I did find the modern part of the story the most compelling, because, well we all know what happens to the Jews in Nazi times, and it isn't anything good. This part of the story I didn't know what was going to happen, so it was like reading a thriller, and it kept me in suspense. Although I was a bit disappointed with the ultimate resolution between the two protagonists. (no spoilers)

The post-war part of the story was also interesting because I wasn't aware that victims of atrocities continued to live in DP camps for SOOOO long after the war ended and that the US had such a strict quota on the immigration of Jews after the war. So it was good to be educated on that.

I didn't like the Nazi era storyline as much, it just felt so frantic to me. I know it was a frantic time, but I've read a lot of Jewish literature, and this part of the story just wasn't as satisfying, it just felt like the characters were running back and forth saying oh me, oh my...
The author does a great job of conveying the uncertainty of the time, and how there are always people trying to go around the system, as well as balancing out how hopeless things can be with how some people continue to hold on to hope.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing a free ARC of this book. My opinions are my own.