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2024 Reads and Reviews - Anything Goes
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Chronicle of a Death Foretold
Gabriel García Márquez
4/5 stars
This is the story of a young woman, Angela Vicario who married but than was returned to her family because her new husband thought that she slept with another man. Her brothers want to kill the new husband for her dishonor. 27 years later, a man returns to look into the incident. Who is to blame? 1981
How Moon Fuentez Fell In Love With the Universe – Raquel Vasquez Gilliland – 3***
This is a pretty typical enemies-to-friends-to-lovers scenario. It’s also a YA coming-of-age book that deals with bullying, body-image, and self-confidence. The up-and-down, on-and-off romance drove me a little crazy, but it’s part of the package for this genre. At least Gilliland had the couple get to know each other over several months before they acted on their attraction.
LINK to my full review
The Children’s Blizzard – Melanie Benjamin – 3***
Benjamin is known for writing novelized “biographies” of historical figures (usually women) who have been under-represented (or completely ignored) by history. This time, she turns her attention of an historical event, the blizzard of 1888 that caught residents of the great plains completely unawares, and invents the characters to populate the story. She focused on two sisters, both schoolteachers, who took different approaches which resulted in dramatically different outcomes. Unfortunately for Benjamin, I had previously read David Laskin’s nonfiction account of the same blizzard, and this work fell short of that excellent read.
LINK to my full review
Sharks in the Time of Saviors, by Kawai Strong Washburn3 stars
An unusual read tracing the fortunes of 4 members of the same family. One of the children had a numinous, mystical encounter with sharks as a toddler, after being conceived on the night his parents saw something else numinous and mystical in the hills above town, and ever since he has been singled out as terribly special. The other 2 kids need to find ways to success in his shadow, as the parents completely fail to notice. I found the writing style disconcerting as we leaped from one point of view to another but the story was compelling. Kept me turning the pages! But not nearly enough about the sharks in here.
Ripley Under Ground – Patricia Highsmith – 3***
This is book two in the series, featuring psychopath Tom Ripley. Highsmith was a talented writer, and she could craft a chilling psychological thriller. In the first Ripley book we met a charming, somewhat socially inept, closeted gay young man with ambition. But THIS Ripley is a drudge. Still, lies and killing come naturally to him. As the bodies pile up and investigators get closer to the truth, Ripley’s ability to charm his way out of things is taxed to the max. By the end, he seems to be completely unraveling, The ending is a bit of a cliffhanger. But I suspect Highsmith just ran out of steam and decided to stop.
LINK to my full review
Mod
Random Acts of Medicine: The Hidden Forces That Sway Doctors, Impact Patients, and Shape Our Health
Anupam B. Jena
4/5 stars
The title pretty much explains it all. It was a fascinating look at healthcare and poses questions that the researchers worked on. One chapter focused on who is a better doctor, a seasoned veteran doctor or someone who just graduated. Is it ever a good time to have a heart attack? Another chapter was why kids with summer birthdays are more likely to get the flu.
The Good Guy – Dean Koontz – 4****
Tim is an average guy having a beer when he’s mistaken for a hit man, and given an envelope with cash, a photo and an address. Minutes later the real hit man shows up and mistakes Tim for the man who is hiring him to commit the murder. Then things get really complicated. This thriller just grabbed me. I could not figure out why this woman was targeted, and why the killer was so relentless in his pursuit. Several of the close calls stretch credulity, but Koontz kept me turning pages to see what would happen next.
LINK to my full review
A Natural History of Dragons – Marie Brennan – 4****
Subtitle: A Memoir by Lady Trent. This was a wonderful romp of an adventure. Isabella is a wonderful heroine. She’s intelligent, tenacious, curious, and determined. I was completely engaged from beginning to end. I’ll definitely continue with the series.
LINK to my full review
No Exit – Taylor Adams – 3.5***
A taut psychological thriller featuring a college art student, a kidnapped child, and four strangers all trapped at a rest stop during a blizzard in the Colorado Rockies. Darby is a courageous, if naïve, young woman. She never stops thinking of ways to save herself, the child, and the innocent people in the shelter. She certainly got one thing right – the criminal is NOT really smart, just determined and callous. The question is whether Darby can last the night, and that kept me turning pages long past my bedtime.
LINK to my full review
The Song of Achilles – Madeline Miller – 4****
Miller turns her remarkable talent to Greek mythology in this retelling of events leading up to and including the Trojan War. The novel is narrated by Petroclus, a young prince who has been exiled to the court of King Peleus, where he meets Achilles. Of course, I knew the basic storyline of the Trojan War going into the book, but Miller makes this such an intimate tale that I felt I was first hearing this story. There are two young men learning about life, honor, duty, and love. I was initially taken aback by Miller’s choice to have Petroclus narrate the tale, but I quickly came to love his point of view.
LINK to my full review
Mod
The Elementals
Michael McDowell
4/5 stars
This is a haunted house story revolving around the McCray and Savage families. Matriarch Marian Savage has died and the family has escaped to their summer homes for respite. There are three homes but only two are livable. The third home is sinking and is uninhabitable. The family members are scared of the third home and rarely enter it until this summer when unexplained things are happening to the home and the family members. Horror Novels
Julie wrote: "The Elementals
Michael McDowell
4/5 stars
This is a haunted house story revolving around the McCray and Savage families. Matriarch Mar..."
I LOVE THIS ONE SO MUCH!
What Happened To This Child ?: The Golden Murder Case by John A. DeFrancisco3 stars
This is defense counsel's account of a much-discussed murder case from the late 1980s. It's a combination of a very interesting, sensitive case with a lot of high emotion in play -- the victim was a 14-month-old toddler -- and a strangely podding discussion of every single move the attorneys made and why. It was educational regarding the many, many finicking calculations made in the course of a trial...but I'm not sure I needed to know that much about it. It did crack me up when after discussing every possible facet of why or why not to pick juror #4 the author said "it's not much more than going on instinct." Then why did you just talk about all the pros and cons for 4 pages? This very tense case has a satisfying denouement followed by a bombshell ending.
Mod
The Edge of the Shadows
Elizabeth George
This is the third book in the Whidbey Island Saga. Becca is still hiding out from her stepfather on the island. However, now someone is setting fires! Who is it? There are a couple of suspects. There is one more book left in the series!
Britt-Marie Was Here – Fredrick Backman – 3.5***
I thought this was a lovely little fairy tale. The scenarios were somewhat improbable, and Britt-Marie didn’t always behave the way I would have expected her to, but just as the residents of Borg grew on her, Britt-Marie grew on me. I found her insistence on structure exasperating at times, but I also loved how determined she was. While she kept her emotions in check, she still showed tenderness and genuine caring.
LINK to my full review
Trunk Music – Michael Connelly – 3***
Book number 5 in the Harry Bosch series finds the detective back on the job after a previous suspension. This is a typical Harry Bosch detective mystery. Lots of twists and turns. Lots of Harry battling against the police force bureaucrats that are the bane of his existence. It’s fast-paced and kept me guessing until pretty close to the end.
LINK to my full review
Strange Brew – Kathy Hogan Trochek – 3***
This is book six in the Callahan Garrity Mystery series, featuring former cop Callaghan and her mother, Edna, who run “House Mouse” maid service in Atlanta. I like this series. I like Callahan, who does have some reason to investigate and is at least skilled at it. She’s frequently helped by the House Mouse crew of eccentric ladies. There are plenty of twists and turns to keep even the best amateur sleuth guessing, and I didn’t figure out the perpetrator much before Callahan did. I’ll keep reading this series.
LINK to my full review
The Daughters of Yalta – Catherine Grace Katz – 4****
Subtitle: The Churchills, Roosevelts, and Harrimans: A Story of Love and War. I found this “behind-the-scenes” history fascinating. I had heard of Sarah and Anna, but knew nothing of Kathleen. These young women – beautiful, wealthy and vivacious – were treated by the press as “society” stories. But they were far more than just photo opportunities. Each was highly intelligent and quite accomplished. They not only witnessed history but helped to craft the world’s future.
LINK to my full review
Blake Shelton: Happy Anywhere by Carol Cash Large3 stars
This is not really a biography of Blake Shelton. It is more a memoir about the author, who is a good friend of Blake's and has spent a lot of time with him, including running his fan club. The book blurb says she gives 'a fascinating look into Blake's personal life', but his relationship with his first wife and with Miranda Lambert is a paragraph or two each and his relationship with his third wife, Gwen Stefani, is about two or three paragraphs. However, she tells us about each television show, concert, fan club party and award show he has been on and goes on quite a bit about each song and where it placed on the charts. There is a lot of 'look who I've met' here. I think Blake fans will enjoy this book but if you are looking for an in-depth bio I would look elsewhere.
Mod
Schindler’s List
Thomas Keneally
4/5 stars
This is the fictionalized version based on the real-true life story of Oskar Schindler which was later made into a film. Schindler during WWII helped a number of the Jewish population escape from the death camps in Czechoslovakia. Lengthy but interesting!
The Merry Adventures of Robin Hood – Howard Pyle – 3***
A friend loaned me her copy of the “Great Illustrated Classics” edition, adapted by Deborah Kestel. It’s a fast, fun adventure with lots of fighting, competition, disguises, and more than a few near misses. Most of the characters I remember are here, including Friar Tuck, Little John and the Sheriff of Nottingham. But Maid Marion is mentioned only once. I imagine the middle-school audience would enjoy this legend of adventure and derring-do. I wanted more depth to the story, though I doubt I’ll try to go back and read the original.
LINK to my full review
A Corner Of the Universe – Ann M Martin – 4****
This is a wonderful book written for middle-school-aged children. Set in about 1960, it focuses on Hattie Owens and her family, and the summer her Uncle Adam came home. There are some serious issues dealt with in this novel, but Martin handles them deftly, honestly and with compassion. Hattie is a bright girl, curious and resourceful. As Hattie pieces together the truth about her uncle she comes to understand that it is better to “lift the corners” and peek at what is hidden rather than try to forget about what is unpleasant or uncomfortable. She learns, too, that being different does not make you a lesser person.
LINK to my full review
Black Powder War – Naomi Novik – 4****
Book number three in the marvelous series featuring Captain Will Laurence and his dragon, Temeraire. Following their exploits in China (book two), they’ve received special orders to escort three precious dragon eggs purchased from the Ottoman Empire from Istanbul back to England. I love this series and this episode has more of the aerial “dog fights” that first entranced me in book one. Temeraire is a marvel; intelligent, fluent in multiple languages, an astute observer and a skilled warrior. He is also devoted to Will and their relationship is an important part of the series.
LINK to my full review
Mod
The Edge of the Light Whidbey Island Saga, #4
Elizabeth George
4/5 stars
This is the final book in the Whidbey Island Saga. I enjoyed the series but I was disappointed in the ending. Becca/Hannah who was sent to Whidbey Island to stay with her mother's friend because she and her mother were on the run from her mother's husband Jeff Corrie. There was scant information about Jeff and her mother in this book. I would have liked to see what happened to them. Though everything seemed to work out for Becca/Hannah and she had a good support system regardless that she had not reunited with her mother.
Dial A for Aunties – Jesse Q Sutanto – 3***
This was really ridiculously implausible, but still quite fun to read! The aunties steal the show at every opportunity, but I mostly liked the relationship between Meddy and her Ma. I’m glad I finally got to this book which so many of my book-loving friends have enjoyed. It was the perfect escapist light read during this time in my life.
LINK to my full review
Mod
Believe Me: A Memoir of Love, Death, and Jazz Chickens
Eddie Izzard
4/5 stars
This is the autobiography of Eddie Izzard, comedian and entertainer who was born in Yemen but also lived in Wales, Northern Ireland and England. Raised by his dad after his mother died which greatly affected him. He has come out as genderfluid. He is also involved in politics. Very interesting!
You, Again – Kate Goldbeck – 2.5**
This is a retelling of the very popular (and brilliant) film, When Harry Met Sally. Ari is a wannabe stand-up comic, making do while she waits for her big break. Josh is a chef from a wealthy family who definitely does NOT want to follow in his father’s footsteps and take over the famous deli he runs. I really disliked these two characters. Ari, in particular, is a hot mess, while Josh is kinda full of himself. Well, you’ve seen the movie, so you know what’s coming. Do yourself a favor. Skip the book and re-watch the movie.
LINK to my full review
Mod
The Burnt House
Faye Kellerman
4/5 stars
Decker and his wife Rina get involved in a mystery of a woman airplane employee who was supposed to be on a flight that crashes. Her body is not identified and Peter Decker gets the assignment to track down Roseanne when her stepfather insists that she was killed by her abusive husband. Great read!
Ramón and Julieta – Alana Quintana Albertson – 3***
This is a retelling of Shakespeare’s most famous couple, set in San Diego’s thriving Mexican-American community. Ramón Montez is the scion of a family fast-food empire. Julieta Campos is a celebrity chef who is determined to save her sea-to-table taqueria from closing. Of course, these star-crossed lovers will find a way to join forces despite the bad blood between their families. It was a fast, fun read that made me hungry for Mexican food.
LINK to my full review
Tiger Honor – Yoon Ha Lee – 3***
This is a fast-paced space opera adventure tale. Lee has built a fantasy world that includes various shape-shifters, interplanetary travel, military jargon, and various magical elements. It’s the kind of book my nephew would have loved when he was about 10-12 years old. I haven’t read the first book in the series, so was a little lost in terms of the world-building. Still, it held my attention and I was intrigued enough that I’ll probably read more from this author.
LINK to my full review
Shakey: Neil Young's Biography by Jimmy McDonough3 stars
I think this would have been much better if it was about half the size. At 700+ pages it was very rambling at times and after a while I passed over the personal interviews as they were almost stream of consciousness and rambling most of the time. I was disappointed that not much time was spent on his years with CSNY. Neil did not come across as being a very nice person, although I will say he seemed to be exceptional at parenting his disabled child. This book took me almost 4 months to get through, as I kept putting it aside and then decided to power through it and be done with it. The book was published in 2002, so I did a search to find out what has happened to him in the last 20 years and found out he was divorced from his long-time wife, she died from cancer two years after their divorce and he is currently married to actress Daryl Hannah.
True story about a schizophrenic son who killed his mother and written by his brother. This is not so much about the crime as it is about about how the author handles the mental illness of his brother and the death of his mother. I didn't really start to get into this story until close to the end, but then wanted to start over at the beginning.
Off Season – Anne Rivers Siddons – 3***
Lilly Constable, reeling from the sudden death of her husband, decides to go to her family’s Maine cottage to regroup and reflect on her marriage to the love of her life, Cam McCall. I thought this would be a book about her marriage, but at least half of it was about Lily’s first love, at the tender age of eleven. Siddons kept me turning pages, but it was far from memorable.
LINK to my full review
Mod
Ham on Rye
Charles Bukowski
4/5 stars
"In what is widely hailed as the best of his many novels, Charles Bukowski details the long, lonely years of his own hardscrabble youth in the raw voice of alter ego Henry Chinaski. From a harrowingly cheerless childhood in Germany through acne-riddled high school years and his adolescent discoveries of alcohol, women, and the Los Angeles Public Library's collection of D. H. Lawrence, "Ham on Rye" offers a crude, brutal, and savagely funny portrait of an outcast's coming-of-age during the desperate days of the Great Depression." From the Good Reads Book Synopsis
1982
I enjoyed this book.
Mod
Not Your China Doll: The Wild and Shimmering Life of Anna May Wong
Katie Gee Salisbury
4/5 stars
This was a wonderfully interesting story about the American Asian actress Anna May Wong. She grew up in America, lived in Los Angeles and worked in her family's laundry business where she was discovered. She starred in the Douglas Fairbanks' film Thief of Bagdad and that started her career. Well written!
The Letter Writer – Dan Fesperman – 4****
When a body is found floating in the Hudson, newly arrive detective sergeant Woodrow Cain accepts the help of an odd duck - Danzinger looks like a “crackpot” but he is clearly educated and has means. The question is whether he is helping Cain solve a murder, or ensnaring him in a clever espionage plot. A great historical thriller!
LINK to my full review
The Garden of Evening Mists – Tan Twan Eng – 5*****
What a marvelous book! Poetic writing. Complex characters. Atmospheric descriptions. Eng brought right into this world. I felt the peace and serenity of the garden, and the terror of guerilla attacks. I could smell the jungle, feel the humid heat, hear the rain.
LINK to my full review
Dash & Lily’s Book of Dares – Rachel Cohn and David Levithan – 4****
This is a delightful young adult meet-cute rom-com featuring an implausible quest and two extraordinarily bright teenagers, set in the fabulous city of New York during the Christmas season. It’s charming and clever and the two main characters are very likeable. And I loved the literary references.
LINK to my full review
All the Ways We Said Goodbye – Beatriz Willliams, Lauren Willig and Karen White – 3***
Three women are linked by the legend of the talisman of Courcelles, across half a century: 1914, 1942, and 1964. The central setting is France. I figured out the big “secrets” as soon as they were introduced. It held my attention, but I’m getting tired of the World War II scenario and the various tropes used.
LINK to my full review
Mod
What Have We Here?: Portraits of a Life
Billy Dee Williams
4/5 stars
This is the autobiography of Billy Dee Williams. He has lead a pretty interesting life as an actor. He talks about his family and his movie roles. I enjoyed reading it.
City of the Beasts – Isabel Allende – 3***
Allende has crafted a very engaging, fantastical adventure story, with a fair amount of information provided regarding environmental conservation. A couple of the adult characters were rather cartoonish, but the young people really shone, and I loved the way that the native indigenous tribes were portrayed.
LINK to my full review
Mod
Astor: The Rise and Fall of an American Fortune
Anderson Cooper
4/5 stars
This is the wonderfully written book on the Astor Family including John Jacob Astor, the founder of the family who settled in New York in 1783, then came the story of John Jacob Aster IV, who perished on the Titanic and their reign finally ended in 2009. A great read!
The Body: A Guide for Occupants, by Bill Bryson5 stars, plus one to grow on
Absolutely do not miss reading this book. It's packed with interesting, often bizarre facts, unanswered questions and many, many imponderables. The title is pretty much wrong. It is about the human body, but it's mostly a guide to the many areas science knows nothing about. Scientists may not even have asked yet. This book is quotable, fascinating and entertaining but also kind of maddening. I learned, but I also got a glimpse of how much more out there is still hidden from us.
Mod
5 stars, plus one to grow on
Absolutely do not miss reading this book. It's packed with interesting, often bizarre facts, unanswered..."
I loved that book and I love Bryson and I love topics he researches!
A Spy In the House – Y S Lee – 3***
This is the first in a series featuring Mary Quinn (nee Lang), a Chinese-English young woman who has been recruited into The Agency – an all-female organization providing discreet investigations. Mary is intelligent, inquisitive, observant and compassionate. She is also self-possessed, resilient and quite capable of getting herself out of a jam, though Victorian gentlemen are prone to coming to her rescue regardless of her own abilities. I look forward to reading more books in this series, and more from this author.
LINK to my full review
Mod
Evidence
Jonathan Kellerman
4/5 stars
Alex Delaware is back and his friend Milo Sturgis are on a case where a couple was found dead in a home under construction. The young woman could not be identified but the man who was found Desmond Backer who was an architect. Also in this story is another woman, Helg Gemein who was his former boss. Who killed the two victims?
Mod
The Summer of Katya
Trevanian
4/5 stars
"In the quiet Basque countryside in 1914, Jean-Marc Montjean, a handsome young doctor, moves to the small French village of Salies to assist the village physician. It's there that he meets the seductive, beautiful Katya Treville. Jean-Marc is bewitched, driven to know everything about her. But as he and her family become friendly, he realizes they are haunted by an old, dark secret.
When Jean-Marc learns that the Trevilles are planning to leave the village forever, he insists on a final meeting with Katya. That meeting and the events that follow turn what was an idyllic romance into an unending nightmare. And when Katya’s secret is revealed, the chilling climax will stay with the reader long after the last page is turned." 1983
Synopsis from Good Reads
I enjoyed this book - Very interesting!
The House In the Cerulean Sea – T J Klune – 3***
Linus Baker is summoned by Extremely Upper Management and given a highly classified assignment: go to an orphanage on a remote island and evaluate the six dangerous magical children living there. This is a modern fairy tale for adults with a message of tolerance, kindness, courage and forgiveness. The sentiment is charming and Klune gives us a wonderful fairy-tale ending. But the story fell flat for me. I felt I was “missing the magic” that so many of my friends experienced.
LINK to my full review
Mod
Speak
Laurie Halse Anderson
4/5 stars
Melinda is a freshman in high school and is now a pariah in her school. Turns out she called the cops and the kids at the unchaperoned party who are not too happy with her. What caused her to do it and how she is shunned at school will shock her school mates when the truth comes out. Banned Book
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Feelings: A Story in Seasons – Manjit Thapp – 4****
What a lovely and remarkable graphic novel! Thapp explores one young woman’s feelings over the course of a year, from the highs of a sunny summer day to the doldrums of a gray winter. The artwork is beautiful and evocative. The text is spare and poetic.
LINK to my full review