White Mulberry

White Mulberry was just published a few days ago on December 1, 2024. It is an Asian fiction story similar to Pachinko. It was inspired by the life of the author’s North Korean grandmother who was living in Japan in the 1930s and in Japan occupied Korea during WW11.

The publisher's summary:

Inspired by the life of Easton’s grandmother, White Mulberry is a rich, deeply moving portrait of a young Korean woman in 1930s Japan who is torn between two worlds and must reclaim her true identity to provide a future for her family.

1928, Japan-occupied Korea. Eleven-year-old Miyoung has dreams too big for her tiny farming village near Pyongyang: to become a teacher, to avoid an arranged marriage, to write her own future. When she is offered the chance to live with her older sister in Japan and continue her education, she is elated, even though it means leaving her sick mother—and her very name—behind.

In Kyoto, anti-Korean sentiment is rising every day, and Miyoung quickly realizes she must pass as Japanese if she expects to survive. Her Japanese name, Miyoko, helps her find a new calling as a nurse, but as the years go by, she fears that her true self is slipping away. She seeks solace in a Korean church group and, within it, finds something she never expected: a romance with an activist that reignites her sense of purpose and gives her a cherished son.

As war looms on a new front and Miyoung feels the constraints of her adopted home tighten, she is faced with a choice that will change her life—and the lives of those she loves—forever.

White Mulberry is a heartwarming novel about two sisters who were separated by Korean traditions for women as well as the war in the Pacific. Miyoung and Bohbeh enjoyed growing up together and were close. When a stranger arrives in their village, he stays overnight in the family’s boarding house. During that first evening the stranger tells the girls' mother that Bohbeh would make a good wife for his brother who lives in Kyoto, Japan. I was shocked when mom agreed to let her daughter leave home with a stranger and forced her into marriage. I expected that there was no brother and that Bohbeh would be assaulted by this stranger. However, that was untrue.

Miyoung is the protagonist in this story. She was the youngest in the family and wanted to be educated. Tradition dictated that she marry after finishing primary school at 11. Miyoung became betrothed to a boy with pockmarked skin who she disliked. She got lucky when her parents finally agreed to let her travel to Kyoto and live with her sister while she attended middle school and high school. Miyoung was scared to travel the two days to get to Kyoto but Bohbeh helped her adjust to her surroundings. It's amazing that Miyoung excelled in school because she didn't know the Japanese language. The setup for the rest of the story is now complete. 

The setting is essential to the story. There is a huge contrast between the rural Korean village the family lived in and Kyoto. You cannot help but see how these communities impacted the lives of the sisters. Miyoung loved the simplicity of life in her village where she often climbed a mulberry tree. Both experienced discrimination, Miyoung particularly. They accepted their so-called inferiority to the Japanese, fearing retaliation. I couldn't understand why they acquiessed but then again I have never lived in an occupied country. I felt the fear they experienced in my own soul. 

White Mulberry is a wonderful family saga. If you enjoy these types of stories you simply must read this book. 5 out of 5 stars.

Redbone

Redbone is a full length graphic novel that was created with cooperation from the Vegas family, authors Christian Staebler and Sonia Paoloni. Pat and Lolly Vazquez started the Redbone rock n' roll group after playing their music for years on the Sunset Strip in Los Angeles and on the radio. In their beginning, politics made them change their surname to Vegas. It was the only way to get gigs. The book is part biography and part research journalism and tells a the story not only of the group but also about the history of Native Americans.

The publisher's summary:

Experience the riveting, powerful story of the Native American civil rights movement and the resulting struggle for identity told through the high-flying career of West Coast rock 'n' roll pioneers Redbone.

You've heard the hit song "Come and Get Your Love" in the movie Guardians of the Galaxy, but the story of the band behind it is one of cultural, political, and social importance.

Brothers Pat and Lolly Vegas were talented Native American rock musicians that took the 1960s Sunset Strip by storm. They influenced The Doors and jammed with Jimmy Hendrix before he was "Jimi," and the idea of a band made up of all Native Americans soon followed. Determined to control their creative vision and maintain their cultural identity, they eventually signed a deal with Epic Records in 1969. But as the American Indian Movement gained momentum the band took a stand, choosing pride in their ancestry over continued commercial reward.

Redbone was officially formed in 1967. Their first album was a double album. They went on a national tour as well as playing concerts in Europe. When the song "We Were Wounded at Wounded Knee" was recorded it was banned in the U. S. While it was popular in Europe the American powers that be thought it would encourage civil disobedience and there already was alot of unrest over the Vietnam War. At their last concert in 1974 they were told that if they sang the song, the concert promoter would pull the tour. Well, they sang it and the promoter, true to his word, ended the tour. This was also the end of the group's career. 

At least half of the book tells the history of Native Americans, especially the past 100 years. The authors delve into the U.S.'s attempts to assimilate them by sending Indian children to western schools. Many of these schools were boarding schools so the kids were separated from their families and culture. English only was required at the schools. If a student spoke their Native language they were severely punished. This assimilation attempt was news to me. I have never heard about it before and, yes, I was shocked.

The book ends with an interview of Pat Vegas by the authors. A bibliography and discography follow. 

The Baku Inheritance

I am thankful to Book Sirens for sending me a free copy of The Baku Inheritance in exchange for an honest review.  It is the first book in the City of Winds Series by Anne M. Kennedy and it takes place in the 1890s Baku, Azerbaijan. Anne M Kennedy is a writer of historical mystery thrillers set in Baku, Azerbaijan. The City of Winds is a series of five novels that span the years 1890 – 1920.

The publisher's summary:  

The shadowy world of nineteenth century Baku, Azerbaijan, is the backdrop to this thrilling tale of oil spies, treachery and a mysterious Faberge egg. Two characters: Anton - bereaved and bankrupt, and Klara - suspicious and secretive. Forced to tolerate each other in a deadly game, both must come to terms with what they are hiding from.

Anton knew something was wrong the moment he stepped ashore…

1890: The ancient city of Baku on the outermost edge of the Russian Empire.

Anton Sabroski has come home. But the once-beautiful mansion on the shores of the Caspian Sea is silent and dark, a decaying relic in a bustling city. Upstairs, his father lies dying, his oil empire in ruins, his friends gone, his only bequests to his son a jewelled Faberge egg containing a coded message and the care of Klara, a mysterious, hostile girl.

Unable to accept that his father was responsible for the loss of his family’s fortunes, Anton begins to investigate. But Baku is a city of many faces.

The story is a historical mystery that moves slowly. The time period is during the first oil boom at the turn of the last century in an oil town along the Caspian Sea. The novel captures the essence of Baku with it's details on architecture, traditional foods and customs. The oil business in Baku was thoroughly described as were the wealthy international oil barons who held sway. During this time period Azerbaijan was a part of the Russian Empire.

It seemed that every other page had someone smoking a shisha pipe. I had to look this up and Wikipedia states that Shisha is the Arabic name for a type of pipe for burning tobacco, in which smoke passes through a container of water before it is breathed in. Many people think that drawing tobacco smoke through water makes shisha less harmful than cigarettes, but that's not true. In a shisha session (which usually lasts 20-80 minutes), a shisha smoker can inhale the same amount of smoke as a cigarette smoker consuming over 100 cigarettes. I was expecting the pipe to be used for smoking opium but I was wrong.

The plot was intriguing but I felt that there was something off in its execution. I was expecting it to be a historical thriller but it's not, which is not the author’s fault. The book is a historical mystery. Despite my genre rumblings I felt that the pace was slow. I read the book in one sitting but cannot say I was riveted while I read it's pages. Given that the mystery to be solved was how Anton lost his inheritance and not the usual murder, I was not too engaged in the plot reveal. 

3 out of 5 stars.

The Infinity Particle

In this gorgeous graphic novel by Wendy Xu, a young inventor falls for a lifelike AI robot and confronts questions of freedom and autonomy.

The publisher's summary:

Clementine Chang moves from Earth to Mars for a new start and is lucky enough to land her dream job with Dr. Marcella Lin, an Artificial Intelligence pioneer. On her first day of work, Clem meets Dr. Lin’s assistant, a humanoid AI named Kye. Clem is no stranger to robots—she built herself a cute moth-shaped companion named SENA. Still, there’s something about Kye that feels almost too human.

When Clem and Kye begin to collaborate, their chemistry sets off sparks. The only downside? Dr. Lin is enraged by Kye’s growing independence and won’t allow him more freedom. Plus, their relationship throws into question everything Clem thought she knew about AI. After all, if Kye is sentient enough to have feelings, shouldn’t he be able to control his own actions? Where is the line between AI and human? As her past and Kye’s future weigh down on her, Clem becomes determined to help him break free—even if it means risking everything she came to Mars for.

The plot premise is timely. We are just beginning to discuss the challenges AI poses as well as how it can be used to improve life on Earth. In this story, the author had secondary characters that were Asian, Muslim, disabled, African and white. She covered most of the protected classes! There was only one male character and he is the AI created robot that Clem fell in love with. All the inventors were women.

Clem had disagreements with Kye's creator Marcella concerning whether robots are their own people who should be treated with respect and allowed to have their own thoughts and interests. Marcella I was not happy about the romance between Clem and Kye. I  loved that one strip showed a character walking down a staircase and another person in a wheelchair using an adjacent ramp. None of the characters suffered any discrimination on Mars but they did talk about the challenges of life on Earth.

The art in this book is breathtaking and really pops in its minimal blue color palette. The pace was nice and fast but I expected that the plot would be more sci-fi with discussion on creating AI creatures. However, it was predominantly a romance story. That part was a disappointment to me. 

The novel was entertaining and a relaxing read. I am rating it 3 out of 5 stars.

2025 Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge

The Carol's Notebook blog will once again be hosting the Cloak and Dagger Reading Challenge again. 

Challenge Rules:

• You can read any book that is from the mystery/suspense/thriller/crime/true crime genres. Any sub-genres are welcome as long as they incorporate one of these genres.
• You don’t need a blog to participate but you do need a place to post your reviews to link up. (blog, Goodreads, Instagram, etc.)
• Make a goal post and link it back here with your goal for this challenge.
• Books need to be at least 100 pages long. Please no short stories.
• Crossovers with other challenges are fine.
• The Challenge will run from Jan. 1st to Dec. 31st. (Sign up ends March 15.)

We still have our facebook group so if you haven’t joined we would love for you to! Here’s the group’s link: https://www.facebook.com/groups/350512171977943/. It’s a closed group so just ask to join and we’ll let you in.

There will be a monthly link-up so we can see what everyone’s reading – and probably add some to our own tbr lists. At the halfway mark and at the end we will have a giveaway for those participating.

We’ll continue to use the hashtag #CloakDaggerChal.

Levels:

5-15 books – Amateur sleuth

16-25 books – Detective

26-35 books – Inspector (my personal challenge)

36 – 55 books – Special agent

56+ books – Sherlock Holmes

To join, add a link to your sign-up post or Goodreads shelf here.

Death at a Scottish Christmas

Death at a Scottish Christmas is the 3rd book in the Scottish Isle Mysteries by Lucy Connelly. I have read the first book An American in Scotland which I adored. I selected this book because it meets the requirements for the Calendar of Crime Reading Challenge. It also counts for the New Release Reading Challenge and the Cruisin' Through the Cozies Reading Challenge. It's always nice when a book counts for more than one challenge!

The publisher's summary: 

Sea Isle, Scotland, is magical during the holiday season, and Dr. Emilia McRoy can’t wait to enjoy everything her village has to offer. But when the lead singer of a famous band is murdered in the village, just as they were about to launch a world tour, her holiday instantly comes to a halt. 

As the band’s future hangs in the balance, Emilia discovers that the victim was working on new music that has since disappeared. Were these new lyrics worth killing for? And if so, who is the culprit? It seems more than one person wanted this music star dead. Shockingly, beloved constable Ewan Campbell becomes the prime suspect in the investigation, putting a damper on the town’s festivities.

With an ever-growing list of suspects, Emilia will need all the help she can get to figure out who is framing poor Ewan. Between a secret Santa that wants her dead, stalkers, and killer holiday celebrations, Emilia must see the devil in the details and discover the truth before it’s too late.

When I read the first book in the series I had some difficulty with the Scottish slang terminology. Now I not only understand it but look forward to reading it. The series has become a favorite. The quirky characters are adorable. The banter between Emilia and Ewen is hysterical and I love how they feed off of each other. It's amazing how the townspeople have organized for their needs during the long winters when supplies cannot be delivered to this remote island. Instead of worrying about the situation they got organized but you can tell they are a happy group of people who can slough off the cares of the world.

With Emilia serving as both physician and coroner, the reader sees a viewpoint different from most cozies when she has to investigate a death. Ewen serves as mayor and constable and is the wealthiest person on the island. He has a grumpy persona but makes sure that all of the villagers have everything they need. Of course, this means that he knows everyone's business. 

The howdunit was fascinating. When the band leader's corpse was discovered it was determined that he died from air entering his brain which caused an embolism to form and then burst. How did the air get in the brain? A corkscrew was used to puncture his head. The puncture wound was described as small and I just couldn't picture it as being small. The author was creative in dreaming up this method of killing though. Also, the mystery surrounding the lost notebook with musical scores was entertaining. Resolving this issue was just as gripping as determining the identity of the killer.

I loved this new installment of the series and recommend it to cozy fans. 5 out of 5 stars.

Neptune

Neptune is a graphic novel with a theme of revenge and redemption. It was published in September 2024. The main character is Corey Harrison who has just been released from prison after serving 17 years for a violent crime. Now, Corey is seeking the truth surrounding the recent and mysterious death of his brother, only to discover a vast darkness surrounding his legacy. Corey's friends tell him there are job openings at Neptune and that he should apply. He is hired to work as a supervisor in a chicken factory, the same position that his brother held. On his first day Corey sees alot of young people working under him who work long hours and don't get paid much. They are human trafficking victims. His boss tells him that using traffickees was his brother’s idea. It made the business a success. 

There was a tremendous amount of foul language so I wouldn't recommend the book for children. The characters came from a rough part of town and their dialogue reflected this. It was depressing to read how people live like this. I know that there are lots of folks who have no choice but to live this lifestyle and I am not criticizing them. I just didn't like reading about it. That said, the author presented a realistic portrait about ex-offenders and their difficulty with obtaining employment and adjusting to life outside prison.

3 out of 5 stars.