Review: An Unexpected Peril

An Unexpected Peril by Deanna Raybourn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 out of 5 stars - I'll tell you to read it, if you ask me

Veronica Speedwell is at it again! Another mystery to solve and another possible chance encounter with her estranged family.

Veronica and Stoker are asked to help set up a display of artifacts at the Curiosity Club for the late Alice Baker-Greene, a world renowned hiker who had recently fallen to her death while climbing in Alpenwald (a tiny, fake country between France and Germany). While unpacking crates, they come across a few clues that make them feel that the fall may not have been an accident.

Loved the twists and turns of the story, and, as always, I didn't see the solution to the mystery until it was upon me.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for this Advanced Reader Copy.

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Review: A Study in Scarlet Women

A Study in Scarlet Women by Sherry Thomas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 out of 5 stars - If you ask me, I'll tell you to read it

Charlotte Holmes is not like other women. She doesn't love fashion and only wish to be a wife and mother. She wants to be independent and not tied down and dependent on a man (any man).

When she finds herself on her own, with the help of a kindly older woman (actress), she is suddenly able to put her skills together as someone who is observant and able to recall the slightest details. She invents a brother, Sherlock, who is a private detective willing to help people with their problems (lost items, gift puzzles, or the like). "Sherlock" is unwell, so Charlotte acts as his emissary.

I read book #5 in the series and felt the need to go back and see how it all started. I can't wait to read more of the books in the series.

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Review: Shopgirl

Shopgirl by Steve Martin
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 out of 5 stars - If you ask me, I'll tell you to read it

This story is about a young lady, Mirabelle, who sells gloves at Neiman Marcus in Beverly Hills. She struggles with depression and, as such, relationships. She meets Jason at a laundromat and she meets Ray when she sells him some gloves. The rest of the story is about her relationship with the men, her mental health, her art, and her family.

I thought it was interesting how well Steve Martin was able to weave the feelings of depression so well into the story without making it feel sad and depressing.

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Review: The Ocean at the End of the Lane

The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 out of 5 stars - If you ask me, I'll tell you to read it

The Ocean at the End of the Lane is a grown up fairy tale of the dark variety. I really enjoyed listening to Neil Gaiman narrating his story.

A man returns to his hometown for a funeral and is lured to his old, childhood stomping grounds. He goes to the end of the lane he grew up on and has memories he can't quite understand or fully form.

Forty years earlier, it all started with a lack of money and the suicide of a boarder from their home. The boy is thrown into a crazy world of witches, fantasy, and monsters. He has some crazy experiences that are only memories in the moment. He doesn't remember them as he grows up.

I enjoyed seeing where the twists and turns of where the story would go next.

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Review: Faithful

Faithful by Alice Hoffman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 out of 5 stars - If you ask me, I'll tell you to read it.

Shelby Richmond's life changes in an instant after an incident at 17. She goes from being one of the most popular girls in school to someone who almost never speaks.

This story is one about love, seeing, and being seen. The end of the story reminded me of the quote, “To the world you may be one person; but to one person you may be the world.”

The narrator, Amber Tamblyn, was great. I hope she does more narrations in the future.

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Review: Things We Didn't Say

Things We Didn't Say by Amy Lynn Green
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 out of 5 stars - If you ask me, I'll tell you to read it.

This was a very interesting story about a (fictional) WWII POW camp in Minnesota. While the camp and town are fictional, the story is based in reality.

Johanna Berglund is a linguistics student at the University of Minnesota. She has a goal to leave her tiny hometown behind and eventually go study at Oxford, where she can translate the classics. Johanna is offered a job as a translator at the POW camp that is going into her hometown. The German prisoners will work on local farms helping with the crops. Johanna wants nothing to do with it, and turns down the job offer. When her anonymous scholarship donor changes the rules, she takes the job as the only way to keep her scholarship.

While I enjoyed the story, and I was interested in where it was going and how it would end, it was very tough to get lost in the story and want to read for long periods of time. The entire book is a series of letters between various people. This style made it easy to step away temporarily and not just get lost in the story line.

Thanks to Bethany House Publishers and NetGalley for this advanced readers copy.

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Review: Room-maid

Room-maid by Sariah Wilson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 out of 5 stars - If you ask me, I'll tell you to read it

I really enjoyed this story.

It's a great way to talk about being independent from a toxic family and how anyone can do it.

Madison Huntington grew up as the youngest child of an extremely wealthy family in Houston. When she chose to not follow through on the expectations her family laid out for her, she was cut off from her trust fund and any chance of "love" from her parents. Her family had spent her whole life pitting the children against each other to earn their parents love and affection.

When Madison takes a job as a teacher at a local school, she suddenly has to find an apartment, learn to drive, and buy a car. She ends up becoming a roommate to Tyler Roth who is in need of someone to help him clean and take care of his rescue dog Pigeon. Having never cleaned anything in her life, there are definitely some adventures as she learns the basics... like Dawn doesn't go in the dishwasher!

I enjoyed the interaction between Madison and Tyler.

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Review: Hope Rides Again

Hope Rides Again by Andrew Shaffer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 out of 5 stars - If you ask, I'll tell you to read it

This was a fun way to escape the world for a little bit. This book takes place before Joe Biden has decided to run for President in 2020. He visits Barack Obama in Chicago on his way home from a book signing tour. While stopping by a conference on economics, Joe meets a young man who is helping out. He also learns that Obama has misplaced his beloved Blackberry.

When searching for the Blackberry, Biden comes across a shooting scene where the young man has been shot. Biden decides this is a mystery he must solve, to follow through on something he'd told the young man (that if he were his father, he'd always be there for him).

As Obama and Biden romp around Chicago, we're introduced to brothels, speakeasies, the mob, gangs, and churches... A variety of characters and a variety of wrong turns later, they solve the mystery of where the Blackberry went AND who shot the young man.

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Review: Pumpkinheads

Pumpkinheads by Rainbow Rowell
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 out of 5 stars - If you ask me, I'll tell you to read it

I really enjoyed both the story and the artwork in this graphic novel.

It follows the last night of the last season for 2 high school friends working in a pumpkin patch. Throughout the story, Deja is encouraging Josiah to ask out his long term crush before they end their employment. There are many obstacles throughout the evening, including snack thieves, lost children, and a corn maze!

I recommend it to anyone who needs a good Halloween story geared toward YA or older.

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Review: How to Fail at Flirting

How to Fail at Flirting by Denise Williams
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

5 out of 5 stars - I'll tell you to read it without even asking!

I always enjoy reading books that reference my home state of Iowa, even if all it says is that the main character is from "a small town in Iowa".

This was a great way to throw some focus on a really tough subject, women who are abused. Women can be powerful in their professional lives and yet still be abused (mentally and physically) behind closed doors. This book shows the before, during, and after view from the perspective from someone who had lived through it.

I hope the author wasn't writing from a place of personal experience, but it was written in a way that allowed those who haven't gone through it to understand how it can happen to a strong, independent woman.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for this Advanced Reader's Copy.

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Review: The Lost Princess

The Lost Princess by Connie Glynn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 out of 5 stars - If you ask me, I'll tell you to read it (but read the rest of the series first)

In this 3rd book in the Rosewood Chronicles Series, Lottie and Ellie attend summer school in Japan while still attempting to figure out who is behind Leviathan.

They meet a variety of characters in the Japanese boarding school. They also appear to find themselves while there.

I enjoyed the story, but it was a cliffhanger... I can't wait until the next book in the series is released!

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Review: Like the Willow Tree: The Diary of Lydia Amelia Pierce: Portland, Maine, 1918

Like the Willow Tree: The Diary of Lydia Amelia Pierce: Portland, Maine, 1918 by Lois Lowry
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3 out of 5 stars - It was ok

I think I would have given it 4 stars, if the narrator had been a little different. You could tell she was reading in a child-like voice, to match the age of the character. That part was fine. I had issues with the singing, to be honest. It was louder than the rest, so I'd have to quickly turn it down. There were also times it wasn't quite sounding right... Just my $0.02.

The story was an interesting one. It told about the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918 and the story of how the Shakers took in orphans to raise them in the faith throughout history.

Lydia and her brother are orphaned when the Spanish Flu kills her parents and baby sister. When it is determined that her uncle and his family cannot take them in, Lydia and her brother are taken to the Shaker community and raised there. Lydia has to learn all sorts of new rules, customs, and religious beliefs.

I didn't know much about Shakers, and I loved this historical information shared at the end of the book. I also did a little extra research on my own, and I hope that someday I can visit Sabbathday Lake Shaker Village where this book was set.

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Review: Lu

Lu by Jason Reynolds
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 out of 5 stars - If you ask me, I'll tell you to read it (but read the other 3 first!)

I really enjoyed how this series wrapped up nicely. A story line from book 1 came full circle and was concluded in this book.

It's also a great way to explain about the drug problem in America in a way that younger people can grasp (to a point). A cautionary tale of why drugs are bad, and all that.

The narrator was great.

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Review: The First Time We Met

The First Time We Met by Jo Lovett
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 out of 5 stars - If you ask me, I'll tell you to read it.

This book was a great way to get away from the world for a little while. It's a story of missed connections, right place and wrong time.

When we first meet Izzy, she's working in a greasy spoon diner trying to make ends meet while she's pursuing her dream of being a speech therapist. She's serving breakfast one morning, when she meets "The One", Sam. The chat, they flirt, and he goes on his way. She runs after him to ask him out, only to learn that it's the morning of his wedding.

There are a few other connections between the 2 over the years, but it's never the right time for them to get together (for various reasons). Then, after years of not seeing him, Izzy gets an email asking for help with Sam's son's stutter. This reconnection is just what they both need at that point in their lives, and it's interesting to see how it all unfolds.

Thanks to Bookouture & NetGalley for this Advanced Reader's Copy.

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Review: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 out of 5 stars - If you ask me, I'll tell you to read it.

I listened to this book, and I really enjoyed the narrator.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is the story of Francie Nolan and her life growing up in Brooklyn in the early 1900s. The story spans from before entering school until she is starting college, describing the triumphs and struggles of her, her family, and the country.

When she was young, Francie's family was struggling to get by. Her father drank away a lot of his income and her mother worked as a cleaning woman to make up the difference. Francie and her brother collected rubbish to trade for pennies each week. Francie's mother realized that education was necessary for her children to rise above their beginnings.

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Review: Hope Never Dies

Hope Never Dies by Andrew Shaffer
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 out of 5 stars - If you ask me, I'll tell you to read it.

This was a fun, light-hearted, crazy romp of a mystery. Joe Biden is sitting around at home after the 2016 election, missing his friend Barack. Suddenly, Barack appears from nowhere and tells him his favorite Amtrak conductor is dead!

Amtrak Joe is on the case! With the help of Barack Obama and a Secret Service Agent, Joe is determined to find truth and justice in the death of his friend. The humor in this book made me laugh, but the mystery kept me on my toes!

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Review: Princess in Practice

Princess in Practice by Connie Glynn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 out of 5 stars - If you ask me, I'll tell you to read it.

I really enjoyed learning more about Lottie's family history in this second book in the series. We get to discover the history and provenance of her family crown, the one with the moon on top. We also get to learn a little about other historical princesses in the lands.

We also continue with the mystery that was brought forth in the first book. Who is Leviathan and what do they want? While we don't learn ALL the details, we do learn a little more.

I will definitely read the 3rd book in the series when it's available from the library!

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