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2022 Reads and Reviews ~ Anything goes
The Book of Lost Friends – Lisa Wingate – 4****
For this work of historical fiction, Wingate was inspired by actual “Lost Friends” advertisements that appeared in Southern newspapers after the Civil War, wherein newly freed slaves search for family members from which they’d been separated. She uses the ubiquitous dual timeline for this story, and while I’ve come to really dislike this device, I thought Wingate did a marvelous job in this case. I was interested and engaged from beginning to end, and I really appreciated learning about the “Lost Friends” advertisements.
LINK to my full review
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The Adventures of Sally
P.G. Wodehouse
3/5 stars
The story surrounds the life of Sally Nicholas, dancer, her adventures with her friends and her beaus during the 1920’s. When she inherits a fortune, things change for her and her lifestyle. It originally was a serial but then became a novel. A fun romp!
The Boy Who Harnessed the Wind – William Kamkwamba – 4****
Subtitle: Creating Currents of Electricity and Hope. This is the memoir of an extraordinary young man, the son of a Malawian farmer, struggling in poverty and through famine and drought, but following the spark of inspiration, his own thirst for knowledge, and a desire to help his family and community. William saw a need and thought, “What if?” As he explained to a TED conference, “I tried, and I made it.” It’s the not the best-written book I’ve read, but his story is inspiring and uplifting. Bravo!
LINK to my full review
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Ponzi's Scheme: The True Story of a Financial Legend
Mitchell Zuckoff
4/5 stars
Charles Ponzi, an immigrant from Italy came to America in 1920 to make it big. Unfortunately, life was hard in America but he eventually latched on to a scheme in Boston that made him a lot of money at the expense of others. Unfortunately, his scheme ended to be a house of cards falling when he thought he had it made! Well written and very interesting!
The Cat Who Turned On and Off – Lilian Jackson Braun – 3***
Book three in Braun’s popular “The Cat Who…” cozy mystery series, starring Jim Qwilleran (known simply at Qwill), and his two Siamese: Koko and Yum Yum. I really like this cozy series. As a journalist for the local newspaper, Qwill has every reason to search out the story. There isn’t a lot of graphic violence, and Qwill is a gentleman when it comes to romantic interludes.
LINK to my full review
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The Sisters Brothers
Patrick deWitt
3.5/5 stars
Set in the 1850’s in the old West, Charlie and his brother Eli are on their way to kill Hermann Kermit Warm, a prospector as ordered by the Commodore for stealing from him. Things do not go well for them in their travels to find Warm. This was later made into a movie. I enjoyed DeWitt’s tale of mishap!
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Heart of a Dog
Mikhail Bulgakov
4/5 stars
This is the strange tale of a dog, Sharik, in Moscow in whom a scientist transplants a man's glands into the mongrel. Sharik, the dog, turns into a man who then wreaks mayhem in the scientist's life. This satirical novel written in 1968 exposes the flaws in "creating a new Soviet man". Short but very enjoyable. I would read more of this author.
The Pianist – Wladyslaw Szpilman – 4****
The subtitle is all the synopsis anyone needs: The Extraordinary True Story of One man’s Survival in Warsaw, 1939-1945. Szpilman was a Jewish pianist who managed – by luck, courage, tenacity, and the kindness of others – to stay hidden and survive in the bombed and war-torn city. I found it engaging and gripping. Even though I knew he survived, I simply could not stop reading.
LINK to my full review
Julie wrote: "The Sisters Brothers
Patrick deWitt
3.5/5 stars
..."
I thought this was very entertaining!
Ask Again, Yes – Mary Beth Keane – 5*****
This is the kind of character-driven literary fiction that I absolutely love. Keane focuses this decades-long story on two families living in a suburb of New York City. There is so much going on here. Family expectations. Alcoholism. Denial. Mental Illness. Betrayal. Forgiveness. Love. By the end of the novel I felt that I really knew these people. I cheered for them. Was dismayed by them. Worried about them. Forgave them.
LINK to my full review
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Strong Boy: The Life and Times of John L. Sullivan, America's First Sports Hero
Christopher Klein
4/5 stars
Klein does a wonderful job describing the colorful life of John L. Sullivan, pugilist and sports icon who was born in 1858 as he follows the ups and downs of his life and career till his death in 1918. Despite the lack of TV and radio, Sullivan’s popularity was one of the highest in the US and he was considered the US’s first sports hero. Highly recommended!
The Night Watchman – Louise Erdrich – 4****
Erdrich was inspired by the true story of her grandfather, who successfully fought against a US Senator intent on “eliminating” various Indian tribes to craft this novel, set in 1953, on the Turtle Mountain reservation in North Dakota. There are two main characters, Thomas Wazhashk and his niece Patrice Paranteau. Their parallel and interconnecting story lines highlight the life, struggles and triumphs of the Native Americans during this era. I loved these characters, Patrice, in particular, as well as the many supporting characters.
LINK to my full review
Magic Bites – Ilona Andrews – 3***
Paranormal fantasy is just not my thing, but this was really quite fun to read. I loved that the main character is a kick-ass woman who does not suffer fools (or vampires or shapeshifters or demons, etc) lightly. There were parts of the story line that reminded me of Jim Butcher’s Dresden Files stories. The action is nonstop and there’s some interesting sexual / romantic tension. If I need another paranormal fantasy for a challenge prompt I just might turn to Andrews in the future.
LINK to my full review
Tamam Shud: The Somerton Man Mystery by Kerry Greenwood4 stars!
I really enjoyed this head-scratcher of a case which may or may not be a crime story. Well written and moves right along. I came away feeling that the answer was almost within reach, but then the author included a short story she wrote 'solving' the mystery, just to remind me that until we have a solid answer, every theory about the Somerton Man is mostly fanciful.
Mod
I Moved Your Cheese: For Those Who Refuse to Live as Mice in Someone Else's Maze
Deepak Malhotra
3/5 stars
The author who wrote this book comes from Harvard Business School and discusses the book Who Moved My Cheese in where the topic of change is inevitable. However, Malhorta feels that we are more than mice in a maze and that we can make our own changes and create the life we want to live. Short but interesting.
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Chasing the Dime
Michael Connelly
4/5 stars
Henry Pierce is about to make the biggest deal in his life with his new tech company. Things go awry when his new phone number turns out to be previously owned by an escort named Lilly and now he is getting multiple calls from her clients. As he tries to track her down, to sort out this phone mess, he gets obsessed with finding her distracting him and his work at his new company. This is the first book I have read by Connelly and I really enjoyed it!
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Dumplin'
Julie Murphy
4/5 stars
In this coming of age novel, we meet teen Willowdean Dickson who is fatherless and lives with her mother and grandmother. Her mom was a former teen pageant winner and runs the local pageant. Life is hard for her but she has a best friend to lean on. Her self-confidence is not good with her being overweight and with her luck with boys, but she decides to enlist in the pageant and convinces some of her friends to join her. What a wonderful about confidence and being yourself!
True Crime Stories You Won't Believe: A Cavalcade of Chaotic Justice3 solid stars!
An enjoyable, interesting read. Some of the cases were very familiar but others were totally new to me. As promised, every one of the cases was loopy in some way. I look forward to the second volume. My only quibbles with the writing are that some of the names are misspelled and the author needs to master the use of the past-perfect tense. That's spectacular praise for a book that appears to have been self-published.
I've been "on the road" the last couple of weeks, traveling with a friend. But I'm back now and WAY behind in posting reviews. Please bear with me as there will be a larger number than usual posted in the next week or two.--------- * * * * * * * * --------
Have a Little Faith – Mitch Albom – 3.5***
Albom explores what it means to live a life of faith by looking at two very different congregations and their preachers: Rabbi Albert Lewis and Pastor Henry Covington. These two men could not be more different and yet each exemplified what it means to life a life of faith. There were a couple of times when I bristled at the feeling of being emotionally manipulated, but in the end I found it moving and thought-provoking, comforting and challenging.
LINK to my full review
The Spook In the Stacks – Eva Gates – 3***
Book number four in the Lighthouse Library Mystery series. This series features Lucy Richardson, the librarian (and resident) at the Bodie Island Lighthouse Library of the coast of North Carolina. It’s a fast, fun cozy mystery. As the title and cover imply, this one is set around Halloween.
LINK to my full review
Five Days in London, May 1940 – John Lukacs – 3.5***
Historian John Lukacs has written over twenty books, several dealing with World War II. In this book he focuses specifically on Winston Churchill and the five days from May 24 to May 28, 1940. We obviously know the outcome already, but Lukacs manages to convey the sense of urgency and tension and uncertainty of this moment in history. This is a slim volume, but very dense.
LINK to my full review
A Tale For the Time Being – Ruth Ozeki – 4****
This is Ozeki’s most widely-read work (if the Goodreads ratings are any indication). It was nominated for both the Booker Prize and the National Book Critics Circle Award, and it won the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. I don’t think I’ve ever read anything quite like this. Yes, I’ve read other books with multiple narrators and with multiple time lines. But there is an ethereal quality to Ozeki’s novel that I can’t remember ever encountering. I felt transported and immersed in these characters’ lives, even though I didn’t always want to be there. Nao’s story is particularly distressing with the bullying she endures, her family’s disastrous financial situation and her father’s deep depression.
LINK to my full review
Evans Above – Rhys Bowen – 3***
Book # 1 in the Constable Evans mystery series. I can’t really call it a cozy because our lead character is a policeman, after all, and NOT an amateur sleuth, but it has many of the hallmarks of cozies. I enjoyed the book, though it was a bit slow-moving.
LINK to my full review
The Wedding Girl – Madeleine Wickham – 3***
Milly is engaged to Simon, the son of the immensely wealthy Harry Pinnacle. But Milly has a huge secret that is likely to derail all her mother’s plans for the “wedding of the century.” I didn’t like either Milly or Simon, but I still found the book entertaining. It was a quick, fast, chick-lit romantic escape.
LINK to my full review
Legacy – Nora Roberts
2**
From the book jacket: Adrian Rizzo was seven when she met her father for the first time. That was the day he nearly killed her – before her mother, Lina, stepped in. Soon after, Adrian was dropped off at her grandparents’ house in Maryland… Lina, meanwhile, traveled the country promoting her fitness brand and turning it into a billion-dollar business. … A decade later, Adrian has created her own line of yoga and workout videos. She’s just as coolheaded and ambitious as her mother. But while Lina dismisses the death threats that Adrian receives as a routine part of her daughter’s growing celebrity, Adrian can’t help but find the vicious rhymes unsettling.
My reactions
If that synopsis seemed long, imagine how this 400-plus-page-long tome feels. Lord, but it takes forever for the “thriller” part of the plot to come to fruition. And the romance takes just a long to blossom. The only thing more boring would be to actually watch all the yoga / fitness videos she describes.
There was a nugget of an interesting romantic thriller here, and it’s a pretty fast read. Certainly kept me entertained while I spent hours waiting in an emergency room.
The Book Of Magic – Alice Hoffman – 3.5***
I came late to the Hoffman fan club. I’m not terribly interested in reading about witches and magic, and I had seen the movie of Practical Magic, which I thought was terrible. But I finally read that first in the series last year and I was pleasantly surprised by how much I like it. So here I am again. What I really like about the books is the relationships between the generations of women. Hoffman moves back and forth between various characters. She does this quite well, keeping the story flowing and the reader turning pages.
LINK to my full review
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Dumplin'
Julie Murphy
4/5 stars
..."
I also liked this!"
I didn't realize this was a series. There are 2 more books in the series.
Her Royal Spyness – Rhys Bowen – 3***
Book #1 in the “Her Royal Spyness” mystery series introduces us to Lady Victoria Georgina Charlotte Eugenie, daughter to the Duke of Glen Garry and Rannoch, and thirty-fourth in line to the throne, and commonly known as Georgie. There’s little actual spying involved, rather it’s a typical cozy mystery in which Georgie tries to clear her name, and her brother’s, after a body is found in her bathtub! There’s a host of upper-class friends / family to round out the cast, and, best of all, her maternal grandfather, a retired cop. A fun, fast, read.
LINK to my full review
Lightning Men – Thomas Mullen – 3.5***
Book two in the Darktown series continues the story of a newly integrated Atlanta police force in the 1950s. There’s a lot going on here from the basic police procedural involving the crimes the officers are trying to solve, to the racism on the force, to the ugly and dangerous tactics of the Klan, to some personal marital issues, to political corruption. It certainly captured my attention. Mullen crafts a tight thriller, with complex characters, and a couple of stunning scenes. Still, I felt a little lost regarding the relationships between the characters because I hadn’t read the first book in the series first.
LINK to my full review
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Dark Matter
Blake Crouch
4/5 stars
Jason Dessen, physicist lives with his wife and son in the suburbs but one day everything goes wrong and he is kidnapped by unknown assailants. He awakes to find himself in a large cube in a laboratory not knowing where he is. He finds out that he had built a cube that allows the person in the cube to move between infinite worlds and infinite possibilities. Will he be able to get back to his original family or will he end up traveling through time forever? Very interesting!
Pied Piper –Nevil Shute – 4****
An elderly British man, John Howard, goes on holiday to France in April 1940, and must cut his visit short when Germany begins the invasion. He agrees to take two British children back to England with him, expecting a 2-day journey, but … This is a road trip and a suspense thriller with an undercurrent of family relationships and love. On the way he will encounter other refugee children, and of course, he takes them with him as well. Mr Howard is a marvelous character. Courage does not always involve fighting the enemy. Mr Howard and Nicole display the kind of quiet courage that comes from a deep conviction that what they are doing is correct, and a strong faith that somehow, they will prevail.
LINK to my full review
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Beyond Belief: My Secret Life Inside Scientology and My Harrowing Escape
Jenna Miscavige Hill
4/5 stars 10/22/2022
This is the fascinating true life story of Jenna Miscavige and her life in Scientology. She describes her and her family’s life and roles in Scientology, where life for children and adults are very different and highly structured from those on the outside. Children are harshly punished for disobeying and parents and children are separated at an early age and forced to work doing menial tasks. Definitely, a page turner.
Poirot Investigates – Agatha Christie – 3***
This was the first collection of short stories featuring the little Belgian and his “little grey cells” that Christie compiled. I love Poirot and I really appreciate the friendship and banter between him and Captain Hastings. The short stories do little to give the reader many of the clues which Poirot spends time thinking about, and rely heavily on his explanations to Hastings at the end of each episode outlining his “methodical thinking.” Even so, he is still among my favorite detectives, and I enjoyed these stories very much.
LINK to my full review
Witch: The True Story of Las Vegas' Most Notorious Female Killer, by Glenn Puit4 stars!
A good read! This one moved right along -- there were several bombshells tucked away in these pages -- and the story was not repetitive at all. The courtroom proceedings were described well without belaboring everything we already knew about the investigation from earlier chapters. There was not much from the mouth of the defendant, but I suspect she didn't have a lot to say to the author charting her downfall. That's a pity because her life was very interesting and unusual. Includes grody crime-scene photos and quite a few maddening, unanswered questions.
The Masterpiece – Fiona Davis – 3***
In this work of historical fiction, Davis turns her attention to another New York City landmark: Grand Central Terminal. I really wish Davis had focused more on the building’s historic past, the many reasons it achieved landmark status, and the fight to save it -or- on the feminist issue of unrecognized artists (or other contributors) due to gender bias. Trying to do both resulted in a work that didn’t fully explore either theme. It was a pretty fast read, and I kept turning pages, but I was left with a “Is that all?” feeling.
LINK to my full review
The Kindest Lie – Nancy Johnson – 3***
There’s a good premise here and some interesting family dynamics. Johnson captured my attention early and kept me turning pages. I wanted to know what would happen to these people and how their stories would play out, but I thought Johnson relied too much on the secrets and failed to make sense of the present. Ruth is supposed to be this brilliant scientist and yet she behaves just as impulsively as Midnight, the young white boy she befriends. This is Johnson’s debut novel, and I think a little more work (and editing) might have made this a very memorable work.
LINK to my full review
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April Morning
Howard Fast
4/5 stars
A fictionalized story of the Battle of Lexington fought on April 19, 1775 and the effects it had on Adam, a teen who along with his father fought in the battle. But only one of them comes home. Very moving!
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Notorious RBG: The Life and Times of Ruth Bader Ginsburg
Irin Carmon
3.5/5 star
This was quite an unusual book about RBG. It talks about her life with her husband who ended up more of a stay at home husband but still working and supporting his wife, her law career and her eventual rise to Supreme Court judge. It was also quite a fascinating look at the juggling the nominees go through before getting on the court.
Something Wicked This Way Comes – Ray Bradbury – 5*****
Bradbury was a master of suspense and sci-fi. Here he turns his imagination loose on every child’s dream – and nightmare. Who doesn’t love to be scared on a carnival ride? Like the best roller coaster, Bradbury S-L-O-W-L-Y drew me up the incline of suspense, dropped me into terror, and then evened out to let me catch my breath, only to realize there was another, steeper, incline ahead. When, finally, the ride was over I was giddy with relief … and wanted to “go again!”
LINK to my full review
The Last Thing He Told Me – Laura Dave – 3.5***
A book-club friend once said that she dislikes thrillers because she dislikes being manipulated. I am beginning to feel that way about thrillers, too. However … This is a fast-paced, intriguing book. There are several twists and turns that kept me turning pages long after I should have stopped to do other necessary things. Yes, there were some things that bothered me. A few threads that were left hanging. A few inconsistencies that an editor should have caught. As thrillers go, this is pretty good.
LINK to my full review
Mansfield Park – Jane Austen – 4****
Ah, but I love spending time with Austen. Fanny is perhaps the ideal heroine, and reportedly Austen’s own favorite among her heroines. She is intelligent and thoughtful, pretty and graceful, keeps her own counsel, is modest and principled, and still has a loving heart. There is a certain predictable pattern to Austen’s novels, and this one is no exception. Our heroine will remain true to herself, and love will triumph.
LINK to my full review
Book Concierge wrote: " Mansfield Park
– Jane Austen – 4****
..."
LIKE. The only JA I haven't yet read, it will be the highlight of 2023!
Mod
Old Sparky: The Electric Chair and the History of the Death Penalty
Anthony Galvin
5/5 stars
This is an interesting book about the history of the death penalty, the electric chair and the people who underwent execution. Written in 2015, I would love to see this book added to include any changes in the death penalty and its outcomes.
Life Among the Savages – Shirley Jackson – 3***
This collection of essays / vignettes is about Jackson and her family’s 1953 move to a small town in Vermont, where she and her husband settled into a large house and proceeded to fill it with children and books, a dog, two cats, and “literally thousands of socks.” I’ve read two of Jackson’s classic “horror” tales previously, so, I knew she was a talented writer. But I had no idea she had such a wicked sense of humor!
LINK to my full review
The Thirteen Problems – Agatha Christie – 3***
This is a collection of short stories. The Tuesday Murder Club is a group of friends, including Miss Jane Marple, who regularly meet and take turns relating an interesting murder case they are aware of, but without revealing the culprit. The club members try to guess who committed the crime. Of course, Miss Marple is always right.
LINK to my full review
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The Wolf Man
Kenny Abdo
3/5 stars
I thought this book was an adult book but it turns out that it is an easy reader book. But I did read it though I really wanted to read an adult book on The Wolf Man. This is one of a series of books on Hollywood Monsters for children. I will have to be more on alert when I order books. I am sure there is something out there about the wolfman and/or Lon Chaney on an adult level.
However, the most interesting part of the book was that the script of the movie was based on writer Curt Siodmark's Dresden experiences when the Nazi's took over. It did not come from German folklore.
The Lost, by Jack Ketchum3 stars
This was pretty OK. Ray Pye was not a bad match for his real-life counterpart, but Ray's exploits were far removed from Smitty's true story, and there were a few other issues too. The sentences were much too long and after the author moved Smitty's story 5 years into the future, around the time of the Manson murders he moved the hazards of prison life 10 years past that, into the early 1980s, and the slang used by the characters all the way up into the 1990s, so all of it was just subtly off. With that said, this was a grim, gripping, suspenseful story, with many horrifying moments. Worth your time.
Evan Help Us – Rhys Bowen – 3***
Book two in the Constable Evans series has Evan looking into two seemingly unrelated deaths. I like Constable Evans, but this one dragged a little. Still I enjoy spending time with the colorful residents of Llanfair.
LINK to my full review
Library Lovers
Books mentioned in this topic
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If It Bleeds (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Natasha Lance Rogoff (other topics)Paulette Jiles (other topics)
Paulette Jiles (other topics)
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Steve Luxenberg (other topics)
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The Devotion of Suspect X
Keigo Higashino
4/5 stars
Detective Kusanagi gets involved in a case of murder of a divorced man but has no clue who is involved. The man had a contentious relationship with his ex, Yasuko Hanaoka. He had been threatening her and he ended up dead. The wife goes to her neighbor, Ishigami who has feelings for her and he helps deal with the body. The detective has no answers and reaches out to his friend, physicist Dr. Manabu Yukawa, also known as “Detective Galileo” to help his solve this mystery. Very interesting !