Book Reviews

 Blogger, in all of its wisdom, republished this post. This is old news. :)

A few things I've been reading lately.

The Proof of the Pudding by Rhys Bowen, Adult mystery, 2023

The Proof of the Pudding is #17 in the Royal Spyness series.* I have decided to read this series through to the end. That is atypical for me. I usually read one or two books in a series and then move on to something else. I actually see the benefits now of reading all of the series, and in order as you get to watch the characters and their stories develop.

In this adventure, Georgie attends a neighbor's dinner party after which several people get sick, and someone actually dies. Who got sick and who didn't seems very random. Per usual, real people appear in the stories as minor characters. This time, Agatha Christie is one of the guests at the party and helps solve the mystery. I found that a lot of fun. At the end of the book, a pregnant Georgie gives birth to her first child. 

This was a predictable, but enjoyable installment to this series.

We Three Queens by Rhys Bowen, Adult mystery, 2024

This is #18 in the Royal Spyness mystery series.*

In this story, we find Georgie and her husband, Darcy, with their baby, James Albert, at home in the Ensleigh Estate. They end up with her brother and family, the King's secret lover staying with them, along with a Hollywood film crew using the mansion for filming. There are disappearances and eventually a murder. 

This was an okay, typical installment to the series. I felt there was too much time spent on the missing child star (it was very obvious what happened) and not much build-up to support the ending. However, I enjoyed it nonetheless. It's always fun to catch up with Georgie and her crew.

* The Royal Spyness books follow Georgie, 35th in line to the British Throne, in the 1930s, as she stumbles onto murder after murder. There are castles, rich people, royalty, and many class restrictions that surround the stories. Despite being royalty, Georgie has no money, which causes a set of problems all its own. The stories are in historically accurate settings, and humorous relief is provided by her inept maid, Queenie.

These books are as much about the characters and settings as the mysteries, and I reach for one of them while I am waiting on a hold or looking for a familiar comfort read.

Seabird by Michelle Kadarusman, Children's historical fiction-middle grades, 2025

This is a fictionalized account of Raden Adjeng Kartini, who was an activist for the education of girls and women in Indonesia.  There is a national holiday in her honor.

Kartini's family was one of wealth and status. Her father was the local Regent. We meet her in 1892 when she is 12 years old. Following old traditions, she has been banished to her home until a marriage is arranged. For the first year, she is locked in her room. After that, she is allowed to move around the family compound, but not beyond its walls. 

Unlike her older sister, she was allowed to go to school until she was 12. Here she makes a best friend, Lesty, a Dutch girl whose father is on assignment in Java. When Lesty moves back to Amsterdam, they become pen pals, and each learns about the other's world and shares their different perspectives. Through this, they both come to understand the plight of women and the poor, as well as the difficulties of colonization.

Kartini wants the same privileges as her brothers and eventually convinces her father to give her a chance. From an empowered speech she gives, a movement is started for better opportunities for women. 

I wanted to know more about her adult life, but sadly, Kartini died at age 25. Much has been written about her, and a book of her letters has been published. The author tried to be as true to the known facts about Kartini in this book.

I have woefully condensed this fascinating story. I recommend you check it out on your own. 

Your Actual Life May Vary by Linda Lenhoff, Adult fiction, 2025

The premise of this book caught my attention right away. Patty, a 31-year-old graduate teaching assistant, is dissatisfied with her job and must be out of her apartment in a week. She attends a sales seminar about a new planned community in Northern California and decides that this is the place for her to start over. (She lives in Southern California. 

Also, she thinks she has seen a little boy tied to a doghouse in her neighborhood. After multiple failed attempts of getting any action from authorities, she grabs the little boy, along with her belongings, and heads north.

Patty is always looking over her shoulder since she has kidnapped the boy. In addition, she has no parenting experience and has many self-doubts about what she is doing with the boy. The child is non-verbal, so he provides no information about his previous life, including his name. She picks the name Troy for him. He also has a self-soothing practice of biting his hand until it bleeds.

She slowly establishes herself in the community and forms friendships with the owners of the hardware store where she works, her daycare provider, a waitress, and a children's librarian. Some of these people and their children have their own set of issues that they are working through.

The bad guys of the story are the company that is promoting the new town. They have built an amusement park and a new library with hazardous materials that eventually cause serious problems. 

I found the book interesting and kept reading to figure out how Patty and Troy were going to find their way. However, I grew tired of all the imagined conversations Patty had in her head. They served the purpose of exploring Patty's self-doubts well, but I think they were overdone. Eventually, I started to just skim them instead of reading them.

While the story wraps up with some happy endings, I was dissatisfied because other parts of the story were left unsolved. Maybe the author is hoping for a sequel?

Tyger by SF Said, Children's fiction (middle grades), 2022

Tyger won the British Book Award for Children's Fiction, along with several other awards. It was a bestseller, has been lauded by many, and has study guides available. If you want to know more than the brief summary I give here, just Google the book. There has been much written about it.

Tyger, a fantasy, takes place in a dystopian London with slavery and evil lords, who are especially cruel to any darker-skinned people.  A young Muslim boy, Adam, discovers a wounded mythical tiger in an abandoned warehouse and realizes it needs help getting back to infinity, or it will die on earth. Adam joins a girl named Sadie, and they work together to help Tyger.  

The Tyger guides them through different doors, heightening their senses to perceive things others can't. Eventually, there is a satisfactory conclusion to the story. (BTW, I'm often vague here because I don't want to give too much away, because when I read, I don't want to know much about the story.)

The story has a lot of cruelty as well as a tender relationship between the Tyger and the children. And there are plenty of heart-pumping action scenes. While this is not usually the type of book I enjoy, I did like this one, and I understand why it has gotten all the accolades that it has. 

Until next time...

Book Reviews

Here are a few books I've read recently. 

Pressed to Death by Kirsten Weiss, mystery, 2017

This is the second book in the Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum cozy mystery series. In this one, Maddie helps solve murders involving local winery owners and one from the past involving a "haunted" grape press. This is an easy, fun read, but I was tiring of it by the end, especially since I had just read the first one. I will probably read another one in the future, but not anytime soon.

Dial A for Aunties by Jesse Q. Sutanto, fiction, 2021

Let me say, up front, that I did not finish this book. It's the first of a trilogy about Meddilin and her 3 Asian aunts and mother. All the men in the family— husbands, sons, and cousins —have left, and Meddie feels compelled to stay and be the good daughter. Thus, the aunts are totally involved in her life. 

Meddie accidentally kills an aggressive date, and most of the book is about them trying to get rid of the body. I stopped reading after a while because the constant bickering that went on among the aunts was starting to annoy me. Also, it was full of ridiculous situations in a French farce style. Some of that was fun, but it got tiring after a while. When discussing the book with Ward, who has read all three books, I said I can see someone making a movie out of the book that might be okay, but it's not a great read. And, lo and behold, Netflix has done just that. We don't have Netflix, so I won't be watching it anytime soon, but I would watch it sometime if the opportunity presented itself.

Ward, who read all of them, does not recommend them. He said the premise is good, but overdone.

Just for the Summer by Melody Carlson, fiction, 2024

I grabbed this book at the library because it looked like a light read. Two women, Ginny and Jackie, both hotel managers, are dissatisfied with their jobs and seize the opportunity to participate in a job exchange for the summer. Ginny works in a fancy hotel in Seattle, and Jackie works at a fishing camp in Idaho owned by her grandfather. Ginny is the good character and thrives in Idaho. Jackie is the shallow character who only looks out for herself. 

At the end, all the characters with big flaws are redeemed, and Ginny finds romance. I told Ward that it was like a Hallmark movie with a little more character development thrown in. As it turns out, many of Melody Carlson's books have been made into Hallmark movies. This will never make it to Oprah's book club, but it was still an enjoyable read.

The Mystery of the Locked Rooms by Lindsay Currie, children's fiction, 2025 

Things are tough at 12-year-old Sarah's house, which is about to be foreclosed on. With her best friends, West and Hannah, they sneak into an abandoned 1950s fun house looking for the treasure that is rumored to be there. They hope they can find the treasure and save Sarah's house, so she won't have to move. The majority of the book revolves around the trio in the fun house, as they solve clues that lead them through it. The house is elaborately decorated, and the clues are difficult. While solving the clues, the trio also discovers things about themselves and each other. The book is complete with a feel-good ending. 

I found the rooms and clues interesting, and I'm pretty sure I would not have been able to make it out of the house if I'd been the one trying to figure them out. I found the feelings part of the book cliche and then remembered that it was a children's book and probably just right for the age group.

The book is the first in a two-part series. The second book is scheduled for release in September. The Mystery of the Locked Room is a New York Times and USA Today best seller, as well as Amazon's editor's pick for 9-12 year olds. Along with everyone else, I recommend it.

That's it for today.

Until next time...

Book Reviews

Here are a few books I've read recently.

One Summer in Savannah by Terah Shelton Harris, fiction, 2023.

A friend recommended this book a year ago, but I held off reading it because of the serious subject matter until recently. The story is about Sara, who was raped at a party when she was a teenager and became pregnant. Although her rapist was sent to prison, Sara's name and reputation were drug through the mud during the trial by a high-price lawyer the wealthy, important family of the town hired to protect the rapist. She fled from Georgia to Maine before anyone knew she was pregnant because the custody laws were more favorable there in case the baby's father and family ever found out about the child. Sara was afraid, with their money and influence, that they would take the child from her. 

Sara's father is dying, so she is forced back to Savannah with her 8-year-old daughter. And despite Sara's best efforts to remain hidden, all truths come out. Many complicated relationships are explored, with every character having tragedies in their past that influence their behavior. Because of the death of his wife years ago, Sara's father only speaks by quoting poetry. Depending on your perspective, that either enhances or hinders the story. The author does a good job of describing emotions from the different characters' perspectives.

This is the first book in a long time that I wanted to get back to when I was not reading it. However, toward the end, I thought the author spent too much time on the feelings of Sara's romance. But perhaps I just wanted to get to the bittersweet resolution of the story sooner.

The book is a compelling story with the underlying theme of forgiveness. Both Ward and I recommend it.

Little and Often by Trent Preszler, memoir, 2021

Little and Often is a beautifully written memoir about the year the author spent after his father's death building a canoe. Trent was estranged from his father after Trent revealed to him that he was gay. His father was a Vietnam veteran, rodeo champion, and rancher in South Dakota, and a hard, no-nonsense man who did not understand his son. This led to many years of not visiting and rarely talking. Before his father's death, Trent spent Thanksgiving with him and his mother, and the healing process was starting. However, his father died with many issues unresolved. Trent's father left him his toolbox, which Trent used to build the canoe. He had little carpentry experience and made many mistakes while building the canoe in the middle of his house, but the process was cathartic and helped him grieve. The book switches seamlessly between the present-day boat building and scenes from his childhood. 

The book was a serious read, and I thought the author tried a little too hard at the end to make everything fit. However, I would recommend the book.

The Perfectly Proper Paranormal Museum by Kirsten Weiss, mystery, 2016

Ward reads a lot of mysteries and said he thought I would like this cozy mystery. The story involves Maddie, who returns to her small hometown after losing a high-powered international job. While job hunting, she agrees to watch over the town's Paranormal Museum, where a murder happens. Maddie eventually solves three murders, two in the present day and one from the past. The paranormal aspect makes for a fun setting, and even though Maddie does not believe in ghosts, strange things happen. 

The book was an easy, fun read, and I have just ordered the next one in the series from the library.

The Girl with the Pearl Earring by Tracy Chevalier, historical fiction, 1999

This New York bestseller has been translated into 39 languages and has been popular since it was first published in 1999. The movie based on the book was also well-received and won several award nominations. So, this is another story that I may be the last one around who is reading it for the first time. 

The book gives a back story for the famous Vermeer painting Girl with a Pearl Earring. It takes place in 17th-century Delft, Holland. Sixteen-year-old Griet goes to work for the painter, Vermeer, as a maid and, among other things, cleans his studio. This leads to more tasks, and she eventually poses for a painting. The prose is rich and measured, but it builds tension to a plausible story of what might have happened.

I understand why this book is called a modern-day classic and highly recommend it--in case you are the only other person who has not read it. :)

Until next time...

M is for More Book Reviews

 Here are more books I've read recently.

A Morbid Taste for Bones by Ellis Peters, historical mystery, 1977

This is the first of 20 historical mysteries featuring the 12th-century Welsh monk Brother Cadfael. Kris recommended it in the comments on my last book review post. 

In this one, an ambitious priest wants to bring the remains of Saint Winifred from Wales to his abby in England. The town does not want to let her go, and a murder happens while the monks are in Wales to retrieve her. Through different deductions and tests, Brother Cadfael figures out who did it. 

I enjoyed the book but had some difficulty reading it, at least in the beginning. First, I was unfamiliar with the hierarchy and some of the religious practices of the Catholic church, especially in the 1100s. Next, the Welsh names and some of the local words were unfamiliar to me. However, about halfway through, I found a glossary in the back of the book with many of the Welsh words defined. 

The book was richer than the cozy mysteries I sometimes read, and I will add more Brother Cadfael books to the rotation when I'm in the mood for a mystery.

The Mayfair Bookshop by Eliza Knight, historical fiction, 2022.

Granny Sue recommended this book on her blog. She said it was the best book she had read in a while, so I put it on my list to read.

The Mayfair Bookshop is based on the life of Nancy Mitford and her family during WWII in England. The book follows Nancy through her younger, carefree days in a high-society family into a bad marriage and the horrors of WWII. While Nancy is loyal to England and tirelessly helps the war effort, some of her sisters are in Hitler's inner circles. This causes much strife in the family.

The book fluctuates between chapters about Nancy during WWII and the present day when Lucy is trying to solve the mystery of who Iris was in Nancy's life. The present-day story is less compelling than Nancy's, but it's okay.  

While the book is fiction, it is a fact-based story, including almost all names, dates, and places. The Mitfords were often in the newspaper for scandals and wrote copious letters, so much was known about them.  

I agree with Granny Sue and would recommend this book. I have requested Nancy's 1945 novel The Pursuit of Love from the library. It was her first commercially successful novel, and the Mayfair Bookshop describes the circumstances under which it was written. I am curious to see what I will think about it in the present day.

Note: Since I wrote this, I have read The Pursuit of Love by Nancy Mitford. The book focuses on the narrator, Fanny, and her cousin, Linda. Linda is a somewhat one-dimensional character who is in pursuit of love. Mitford is definitely writing about what she knows, and the characters in this book are recognizable from her family, with Linda being a combination of a couple of the Mitford girls. The book was okay, but I won't be reading the next one.

Book Reviews-Kids

 I've been intending to write a post about some recently read children's books, but I keep putting it off. I figured I'd better do it before I forget what I've read. These are not all of what I read, but if I wait until I have a complete list, I'll never get it done. 

So, without further ado, here are some of the kid's books I've read recently.

Finally Seen by Kelly Yang. Fiction, 2023, middle grades.

Lina is 10 years old and finally joining her parents and sister in the US after a 5-year separation. Her parents moved to California with her younger sister and left her in China with her grandmother until they were established. The story tells of Lina's family's immigration struggles and her struggle to adjust to life in the US and fit into a family she hasn't seen for 5 years. 

The book is moving and does a good job of exploring Lina's emotions and perspective. The ending had me both cheering and moved to tears. I highly recommend this book. 

The author, Kelly Lang, has written several children's books exploring the immigration experience, including The Front Desk, which is listed among the 30 most influential children's books of all time. Lang immigrated to the U.S. when she was 6, and much of her writing comes from personal experiences. 

Finally Heard by Kelly Lang, Fiction, 2024, middle grades.

This is a sequel to Finally Seen and Lina's family. The book explores the problems of too much screen time and the downfalls that come with it. We see Lina gradually become addicted to her phone and watch as she, her family, and friends all have problems with social media. One of her teachers presents the brain science behind it all and gets the kids' attention, but that doesn't stop them from constantly monitoring their phones. As a side story, Nina is developing breasts sooner than her other classmates, causing her teasing and embarrassment. 

While I'm not obsessed like the kids in the book, it gave me pause to think about what instant feedback we get from our screens is doing to my brain. Finally Seen is not as moving as Finally Heard, but it is an important story all the same. I can see this book as a starting point for important family discussions. I also recommend this book.

Yang also wrote this book based on personal experiences with her kids. Despite doing everything right, her kids still got in trouble with their phones. At one point, Yang shut down her home internet and discovered that the kids were using their neighbors' internet. 

The Wrong Way Home by Kate O'Shaughnessy, 2024, Fiction, middle grades

Fern is a 12-year-old who has just moved away from a cult that she had lived in since she was 6 years old. She does not like the outside world and plots to make it back to the cult. The book is a gripping and moving story that gives insights into the cult world. It has numerous awards, including the Newbery Honor, and I highly recommend it.

(Note: Ward says I should have written more about this book. For example, does Fern make it back to the cult? I think that gives too much away, so I left it out. Except for a general sense of what a book's about, I don't want to know too much about it beforehand. I want to discover things while reading. And I'm tired, so that's what you get for now.)

Book Reviews and A Case of Mistaken Identity

I said my next book reviews were going to be about children's books. Well, I changed my mind. First, I am going to discuss another adult book.

First up is Agatha Raisin and the Wellspring of Death by M. C. Beaton, mystery, 1998

There are over 30 books in the Agatha Raisin series, with the first 24 written by M. C. Beaton. In case you aren't familiar with Agatha Raisin, she is a 50-something woman who sells her advertising business in London to move to a simpler life in the country. She brings her city ways with her and is often brash and impatient, but she gradually adapts to the slower way of life and eventually gains most of the locals' acceptance. She also has an obsession with James, her next-door neighbor, and they have an on-again-off-again relationship as they investigate murders together.

The Agatha Raisin books are cozy mysteries and easy reads. I enjoy them then and again, although I sometimes tire of Agatha's fixation on James. 

The Wellspring of Death is #7 in the Agatha Raisin series. In this book, there is a controversy over the use of a natural spring and the subsequent murder of the council head, who had the deciding vote on what happens. There is a long list of people who are upset for one reason or another, and one of them is the bad guy in the end. 

And now, for the rest of the story. Ward saw my Agatha Raisin book and asked if he would like it, especially since it was a mystery, which he reads a lot. I said maybe, but he wouldn't initially like Agatha, but she would grow on him. However, I suggested he should start with the first one, The Quiche of Death, so he could learn the characters. He likes to read e-books, so he checked it out and started reading on his phone. He was about a third of the way through before he figured out he had the wrong book. He was reading The Quiche of the Dead by Kirstin Weiss instead of The Quiche of Death by M.C. Beaton. He was wondering when the story was going to introduce Agatha, the main character. However, he finished and enjoyed Weiss's book, fortunately, the first in a series. He enjoyed it enough that he has read four of the series so far. 

In the meantime, I checked an Agatha Raisin DVD out of the library. British television made a series from the books, and we watched the Quiche of Death episode. I was right. Ward didn't like Agatha very much. The show was pretty true to the book, but I like reading the mysteries better than watching them. I am going to encourage Ward to give Agatha another chance and actually read one of the books.

But before that, Ward will review The Quiche of the Dead for You.

Ward says he doesn't remember agreeing to write a review of "The Quiche of the Dead", and he's going to be busy for a very long time, so I should just go ahead and publish this post.  😉

Until next time...

Note: Miss Landers has read all of the Agatha Raisin books and said that Ward and I should keep reading them and watch the characters develop.

Ward here: OK, I've been asked twice to do this. Here goes - The Quiche and the Dead by Kirsten Weiss is the first of a series of cozy mysteries centered around Valentine Harris, who runs the Pie Town bakery. She is accompanied by her seventy-something pie crust maker, Charlene, who has no filter and says what she thinks and who believes in crazy theories. Together, they work to solve a mystery - in this first book, a customer dies of poisoning in her pie shop after eating one of her quiches. Romantic tension arises from the attraction between Val and the (single, handsome) policeman Gordon, who cannot act on his feelings because Val is a suspect. It is sweet and silly, wrapped around a decent mystery. I think there are five or six books in the Pie Town series, and I'm on book number four.

Book Reviews

 Here are a few books I've read recently.

Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley, fiction, 2024

In current-day Britain, people from the past are brought to the present day to see how well they can adapt and how well their bodies can survive the process. The story centers around Gore from 1847 and his bridge (unnamed woman), who is helping him adapt to the present-day culture. During this process, there are interesting philosophical discussions about whether all progress is really good. The first 2/3 of the book develops the relationships among the characters with some foreshadowing of the wild ride the last 1/3 of the book takes you on. The book has been described as romantic science fiction, which seems right. It's also been described as a hilarious romp, but I didn't find much humor in the book. The end is surprising, and grasping it all takes some thought. One of my friends said she read the ending three times before she understood it.

The book has been getting good reviews and lots of buzz. Ward and I both read it and recommend it. (Note: I usually don't read sci-fi.) It would make an excellent book for a book club as there is much to discuss about the story.

Summer Island by Kristin Hannah, fiction, 2001

Kristin Hannah has been writing bestsellers for decades, so I thought it was time I read one. This book involves a broken mother-daughter relationship and the week they spend on Summer Island, learning that not all is as it seems and finally coming together again. There is a dying friend in the mix who reminds them that our time is not endless. The story drew me in, but I had to put it down sometimes because the strife the characters were going through was too much. The book was well-written, and I can understand Hannah's success. I will probably read more of her books.

Margo's Got Money Troubles by Rufi Thorpe, fiction, 2024

This book has an abundance of good reviews; however, I hadn't heard of it until a customer requested it. Occasionally, when someone came into the library and asked for a book, I would put it on hold for myself. This was one of those books, and I didn't remember it when it finally came in. I had no idea what it was about when I requested it. 

The story features Margo, who becomes pregnant by one of her professors and ends up with no money and a baby at 20. A series of setbacks end her in dire financial trouble. Out of the various options available to her, with little education and no means for childcare, she ends up in the online world of Onlyfans, a subscription online service that produces pornography, among other things. Her father, a retired pro wrestler, comes to live with her to help out. He has his own set of problems, including drug addiction.

As serious as the description sounds, the book has a lot of humor. I found it fascinating because I knew nothing about the wrestling and Onlyfans worlds. They are much more complex than I imagined, and the book gave me new insights into both of them. Ward and I each read this one and would recommend it. It would also be a good book for a book club discussion. However, be forewarned, if a discussion about penises would make you uncomfortable, this may not be the book for you. (One of Margo's Onlyfans gigs is having people send her pictures of their penis, and she telling them what Pokemon character it looked like.)

Funny Story by Emily Henry, fiction, 2024

This is another book that a customer told me about. It is a New York Times #1 bestseller with many superlative reviews. The story revolves around Daphne and Miles, whose fiance, Peter, and girlfriend, Petra, dump them to be with each other. Having no place to live, Daphne moves in with Miles and bonds over their screwed-up love life. They learn to deal with their feelings for a predictable ending. While I found the book an enjoyable read, I don't think I would have given one of the best books of 2024 rating as some did.

Next time, I will tell you about some children's books I've been reading. 

Until next time...

More Books

 The other day, Kris said that she was interested in the children's books and mysteries I was reading in addition to Horse. So here are some of them.

In no particular order:

 Operation Do Over by Gordon Korman (a middle-grade fiction book)

(Note: I listened to this book, and the narrator was excellent.)

Ty and Mason have been best friends forever. They are 12-year-old, straight-A students and science geeks. Their favorite topic is time travel. All goes well until a new girl, Ava, comes to town, and they both have a crush on her. Their relationship is severed over Ava. I won't give any more away, but the book has a time-travel element to it. As with Korman's other books, the characters are well-thought-out and relatable. The time-travel element adds an extra dimension to the story.

Korman's stories are told with humor and heart. I have not read all of his books (he's written over 100 middle-grade books), but my favorite is The Unteachables, about a classroom of misfits and a teacher who is just biding his time until he can retire. 

The Boxcar Children by Gertrude Chandler (an elementary school fiction book)

The first version of this book was published in 1924. Another version was published in 1942, and that version is still being published today. It's been on several lists for the best children's books of all time. 

I first heard the story of the Alden children in second grade. Every day after our noon recess, Mrs. Murry, my teacher, read us a chapter. I loved the book and liked how the 4 orphaned children made a cozy home for themselves in a boxcar. In the end, they go live with their grandfather. I read this recently when I needed a feel-good read with a bit of nostalgia.

Down Cut Shin Creek by Kathi Appelt and Jeanne Cannella Schmitzer (a children's nonfiction book)

This book is about the packhorse librarians in Kentucky. I picked it up at the library after reading The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, an adult fiction book, to learn a little more about them. This book agrees with the descriptions of things I read in the Troublesome Creek book.

Across So Many Seas by Ruth Behar (a middle-grade fiction book)

From the publisher: Spanning over 500 years, Pura Belpré Award winner Ruth Behar’s epic novel tells the stories of four girls from different generations of a Jewish family, many of them forced to leave their country and start a new life.

This book is fairly typical of many kids' books today that deal with serious subject matter. It was a well-written, good book, and I predict it will be an award-winner.

House Love by Patic Richardson

This is the same person, also known as the Laundry Guy, who wrote Laundry Love. Both books are told in a folksy way, including stories about people from his life who inspired him. Unlike Laundry Love, which is full of all kinds of laundry advice, House Love is more general with fewer specifics. This is one of my nighttime reads when I want a non-emotional book before I go to sleep. I actually asked for a copy of Laundry Love last Christmas after reading a copy from the library because of the wealth of info in it. I am going to be perfectly happy reading House Love and returning it to the library.

I think that's enough for now. I'll add a few more to the list tomorrow (or whenever I get around to it.)

Until next time...

A Book Review - Sort of

 About a month ago, I read Horse by Geraldine Brooks. The book was a detailed, thought-provoking, historical fiction story. I wanted to mention it here on my blog; however, I haven't been able to do that. Why? I would say perfectionism was rearing its ugly head. I wanted to do the book justice, but it is complex, and that was going to require more effort than I was able wanted to make when I thought about writing a post. So instead of writing a simple, "Horse is a good book. You might give it a try." I played games of Quordle, worked online jigsaw puzzles, and checked my email.

So here is the compromise that I made with myself. I will reprint a previously published summary. Below is from the Geraldine Brooks website.

KENTUCKY, 1850

An enslaved groom named Jarret and a bay foal forge a bond of understanding that will carry the horse to record-setting victories across the South. When the nation erupts in civil war, an itinerant young artist who has made his name on paintings of the racehorse takes up arms for the Union.

On a perilous night, he reunites with the stallion and his groom, very far from the glamor of any racetrack.

NEW YORK CITY, 1954

Martha Jackson, a gallery owner celebrated for taking risks on edgy contemporary painters, becomes obsessed with a nineteenth-century equestrian oil painting of mysterious provenance.

WASHINGTON, DC, 2019

Jess, a Smithsonian scientist from Australia, and Theo, a Nigerian-American art historian, find themselves unexpectedly connected through their shared interest in the horse—one studying the stallion's bones for clues to his power and endurance, the other uncovering the lost history of the unsung Black horsemen who were critical to his racing success. Based on the remarkable true story of the record-breaking thoroughbred, Lexington, who became America's greatest stud sire, Horse is a gripping, multi-layered reckoning with the legacy of enslavement and racism in America.

The book has been well-received by both readers and critics. I was amazed by the detail with which the book was written. I wondered how any one person could do enough research to write expertly about the diverse subjects the book covers. Sometimes, I am not in the mood to deal with heavy material, and this book had its fair share of that. However, the story between the horse and Jarret transcended those.

 So much more could be said, but I'll just say, "I recommend Horse to you as an interesting, well-written book."

Note: My sister-in-law recommended this book to me along with this story. When she was growing up, there was a neighbor girl who galloped everywhere. Literally, galloped everywhere on a horse. The neighbor eventually went into art but still had a passion for horses. She is listed in the credits as one of the experts who helped the author with research for the book.

A Book and Its Sequel

 Recently, I read a book and its sequel that I enjoyed, so I thought I would share them with you.

The first is The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michelle Richardson. This historical fiction book came out in 2019 with favorable reviews and was on many bestseller lists. Somehow, I missed it and only stumbled on it when looking for something to read/listen to recently.

The story takes place in 1936 in the mountains of eastern Kentucky and revolves around Cussie Mary, a Blue packhorse librarian. A Blue is a person with a rare genetic disorder that makes their skin appear blue. There was an isolated group of Blues in eastern Kentucky, and they were severely mistreated by many as they were considered "colored" or a work of the Devil. The Packhorse Librarians was a project of the WPA (Works Progress Administration), and the purpose was to get books into the hands of people living in remote areas. Many places were only accessible by horse (or mule, as in Cussie's case); thus, the packhorse librarian name.

The narrative of the Book Woman of Troublesome Creek is a blend of hardship and beauty. It alternates between scenes of mistreatment and poverty, and vivid descriptions of the mountains and the resilient people who call them home. The emotional journey of Cussie Mary is intertwined with secondary plots of people on her route and her father's difficult time in the coal mines.  

I loved this book. The story was compelling, and the writing was rich, with each word seeming to have been carefully chosen. Also, I enjoyed learning about a part of the history of the Blues and the packhorse librarians that I knew little about.

Last fall, the sequel, The Book Woman's Daughter, came out, and I listened to it after finishing the first one It picks up about 16 years later but goes back and fills in some of the stories of what took place during that time. As with most sequels, The Book Women's Daughter could be read independently, but will be a much richer experience if you read the first book first. This book shows the same warmth in some characters and horrible behavior from others. In both books, the mountains are one of the characters, and Richardson continues with the same beautiful language to describe them.

I recommend both books.

Note: Here is an important part of my positive experience of the books. I listened to them. I do not usually listen to books, but I was looking for something to listen to when I stumbled on The Packhorse Librarian. The narrator, Katie Schorr, is excellent. After I was into the story, I considered getting the book to read because it would progress faster. But the characters became real with Shorr's voice, and I looked forward to visiting with them through her.  These books would be compelling reads, but I highly recommend the audio version of them.

Until next time...