Wrap-Up of the 2022 New Release Reading Challenge

I agreed to read between 1 and 30 books for this challenge and finished the year with 48 books. There were only 5 that I didn't care for so this was a very successful challenge this year.

A Taste of Ginger by Mansi Shah

Nine Lives by Peter Swanson

The Cartographers by Peng Shepherd

Peach Blossom Spring by Melissa Fu

The Easter Bonnet Murder by Leslie Meier

Evil in Emerald by A. S. Stuart

Bitter Roots by Ellen Crosby

Black Ice by Brad Thor

Threads of Hope by Leslie Gould

Girl in Ice by Erica Ferencik

The Sugarcreek Surprise by Wanda Brunstetter

The Opus Dictum by Gary McAvoy

The New Girl by Ruth Heald

The Perfect Home by Kevin Lynch

Magnolia Palace by Fiona Davis

Honey Roasted by Cleo Coyle

Lock Up Honesty by Anna Castle

The Cleopatra Cipher by L. D. Goffigan

The Candid Life of Meena Dave by Namrata Patel

Booth by Karen Joy Fowler

Kingdom of Bones by James Rollins

Fear Thy Neighbor by Fern Michaels

Among the Innocent by Mary Alford

The Good Wife of Bath by Karen Brooks

The Fugitive Colours by Nancy Bilyeau

Kaikeyi by Vaishneva Patel

Beasts of a Little Land by Juhea Kim

My Wife is Missing by D. J. Palmer

One Girl Missing by Carla Kovack

Take Your Breath Away by Linwood Barclay

Her Perfect Life by Emily Shiner

The Omega Factor by Steve Berry

Portrait of an Unknown Woman by Daniel Silva

Rising Tiger by Brad Thor

The Spanish Daughter by Lorena Hughes

A Dark and Stormy Tea by Laura Childs

The Applecreek Announcement by Wanda Brunstetter

Revenge by Tom Bower

Not In It To Win It by Andy Stanley

William at 40 by Robert Jobson

The Butcher and the Wren by Alaina Urquhart

Starry Messenger by Neil deGrasse Tyson

The Nanny by Ruth Heard

A Billion Years by Mike Rinder

The Butcher and the Wren by Alaina Urquhart

The American Adventuress by C. W. Gortner

Dust Child by Nguyen Pham Que Mai

Granite Kingdom by Eric Pope

Favorite Book:  Nine Lives

2nd Favorite Book:  Peach Blossom Spring

Least Favorite Book:  A Taste of Ginger

I'm Still Alive

I'm Still Alive is a graphic memoir of author Roberto Saviano's life in police protective custody after writing an expose of the mafia in his native country Italy. Saviano grew up in Casal di Principe where the Camorra clans dominate society. Trained as a journalist, Saviano decided to expose the clans by writing a fiction book that was 100% based on fact.  The clans didn't take it well. His life was threatened on many occasions but ultimately he would have become more powerful if he was dead. His life, on the other hand, was stunted. He was unable to do ordinary chores for himself, such as grocery shopping, and longed for the freedom to be able to do simple things for himself. Eventually, Saviano had to leave Italy for his safety. His life, however, was not any different. He was still in protective custody as he has been since 2006.

While this comic has a serious topic, it is a fast read. I was hooked from the first page and read it in one sitting. At 130 pages that doesn't sound like much a feat, but some graphic memoirs I have read were so dull that reading them was a chore.  The illustrations by Asaf Hanuka helped to tell the story. Hanuka basically used black and white drawings with limited muted colors on each page. The comic strip panels gave the book a lighter feel.

I'm Still Alive is a fantastic comic on the realities of organized crime.  I am rating it 5 out of 5 stars.

Granite Kingdom

I received an advanced review copy Granite Kingdom through the Early Reviewer's Program at Librarything in exchange for an honest review. The book was published on November 29, 2022 and it is Eric Pope's debut novel.

The publisher's summary:

It is 1910, and the northern Vermont village Granite Junction is the nation's largest supplier of finished granite for construction. Newspaper reporter Dan Strickland, a stonecutter's son who hopes to find the right wife and climb the social ladder, finds himself caught between the village's two big granite producers, George Rutherford and Ernest Wheeler. Several fatal industrial accidents prompt Rutherford to ask Dan to look for anarchist saboteurs, while Bob Blackstone, Wheeler's right-hand man, bullies Dan for working for the paper that supports their competitor. Despite the prosperity at the top, almost everyone in the village struggles to attain economic security; some fear ending up at the poor farm. Although Dan triumphs in the end, it is not in the way he had imagined.

The story had a slow start. I had a hard time becoming interested in the novel and stopped and started several times before continuing with the story. As a whole, though, the book was a slow read. There was alot of description of the book's many characters with the exception of the characters in the newspaper business. The scenes with them were fast paced. Why the difference?  Perhaps because the author is a retired journalist. In addition, there was too much narrative. If the backstory was given via dialogue the book would have been faster paced.

The setting was interesting. I have never read about a community that worked in the granite industry and the setting helped to inform as well as entertain. The author certainly knows his subject well. It is a good thing when historical fiction readers get a setting different from the usual England, France and Italy, particularly when the setting is an industry. There is also a sense of history to the novel. During the celebration of the 45th anniversary to the end of the Civil War, celebrated in the 3 days before July 4, Dan interviews an old soldier about his experience fighting in the Battle of Gettysburg. The soldier discusses the movements of his regiment in a parlor "unchanged since Lincoln died." 

I liked the novel but have to say that the amount of narrative slowed down my reading.  I am rating it 3 out of 5 stars.

Dust Child

I received an advanced review copy of Dust Child from the Early Reviewer's Program at Librarything in exchange for an honest review. This historical novel will be published in March 2023 and it is a winner. The story is about a Vietnamese man who wants to emigrate to America. He has been mistreated his entire life because he is Amerasian, born to a Vietnamese mother and African American father. Tens of thousands of these children were born and they are called bụi đời (the dust of life). Dust Child is the author's second novel, following her 2020 novel The Mountains Sing.

The publisher's summary:  

In 1969, sisters Trang and Quỳnh, desperate to help their parents pay off debts, leave their rural village and become “bar girls” in Sài Gòn, drinking, flirting (and more) with American GIs in return for money. As the war moves closer to the city, the once-innocent Trang gets swept up in an irresistible romance with a young and charming American helicopter pilot. Decades later, an American veteran, Dan, returns to Việt Nam with his wife, Linda, hoping to find a way to heal from his PTSD and, unbeknownst to her, reckon with secrets from his past.  

At the same time, Phong—the son of a Black American soldier and a Vietnamese woman—embarks on a search to find both his parents and a way out of Việt Nam. Abandoned in front of an orphanage, Phong grew up being called “the dust of life,” “Black American imperialist,” and “child of the enemy,” and he dreams of a better life for himself and his family in the U.S. 

Past and present converge as these characters come together to confront decisions made during a time of war—decisions that force them to look deep within and find common ground across race, generation, culture, and language. Suspenseful, poetic, and perfect for readers of Min Jin Lee’s Pachinko or Yaa Gyasi’s Homegoing, Dust Child tells an unforgettable and immersive story of how those who inherited tragedy can redefine their destinies through love, hard-earned wisdom, compassion, courage, and joy. 

 

Dust Child is a poignant tale told from three alternating perspectives, Phong, Trang and Dan. The chapters alternate between each of  them which is both a blessing and a hindrance. While all three storylines are interesting, I found that as I became engaged in one I did not want to change to the next one. However, I doubt that the novel would have been as captivating without this literary device. It made me continue reading until the end. The characters have been chosen from among the Viet Cong, American soldiers, the ARVN (Army of the Republic of Vietnam) and the citizenry of Vietnam so there are even more perspectives for the reader to get to know. Reading about all of these perspectives was an educational experience for me.

I think most people view Vietnam as a poor country. In the beginning of the novel just about all of the characters were living in poverty. When Dan's storyline begins to be fleshed out, he sees it as an urban place. His impression is based on its paved roads and new businesses. However, I would still say that the setting was an impoverished nation. Poverty runs deep throughout the book for all of the characters whether in their past lives or their present. It is always in the back of their minds and shapes their decisions. It is a sad setting appropriate for the difficult lives that the Vietnamese must lead. You want to root for them though, hoping that they can overcome not only the physical but the emotional scars from the past.

5 out of 5 stars.

Alice Guy: First Lady of Film

Alice Guy is a real life person from the 19th century.  She was one of the pioneers in  filmmaking. Guy was also one of the first filmmakers to make a narrative fiction film, as well as the first woman to direct a film. From 1896 to 1906, she was probably the only female filmmaker in the world. This graphic biography covers her life from childhood to her death in 1969.

The publisher's summary:

In 1895 the Lumière brothers invented the cinematograph. Less than a year later, 23-year-old Alice Guy, the first female filmmaker in cinema history, made The Cabbage Fairy, a 60-second movie, for Léon Gaumont, and would go on to direct more than 300 films before 1922. Her life is a shadow history of early cinema, the chronicle of an art form coming into its own. A free and independent woman who rubbed shoulders with masters such as Georges Méliès and the Lumières, she was the first to define the professions of screenwriter and producer. She directed the first feminist satire, then the first sword-and-sandal epic, before crossing the Atlantic in 1907 to the United States and becoming the first woman to found her own production company. Guy died in 1969, excluded from the annals of film history. In 2011 Martin Scorsese honored this cinematic visionary, “forgotten by the industry she had helped create,” describing her as “a filmmaker of rare sensitivity, with a remarkable poetic eye and an extraordinary feel for locations.” The same can be said of Catel and Bocquet’s luminous account of her life.

This book is over 400 pages. The first and last 100 pages were engaging but I got a little bored in the middle. I must say, though, that the history of movie making is covered in detail. Readers more interested in movies than I will love this novel. Readers will see the progression of filmmaking here. When Guy and other filmmakers began, they made one reel films. Then 5 and 6 reel films became popular, but filmmakers didn't make much money from them, forcing many out of the industry. 

Guy created many firsts in cinema, defining the professions of screenwriter, director and producer.  Another first was her film A Fool and His Money which had an all African American cast. Guy died in 1969 and has been excluded from film history until recently. There are full biographies of her that have been written. It was interesting that she began her career as a secretary to a photographer who worked in chronophotography. Chronophotography is photographs affixed to a round disc. As viewers rotated the photographs movement was created. Then the cinematograph was invented and the rest of history. 

At the back of the book is an extensive section that includes a timeline of pivotal events in the invention of cinema, biographical notes of other filmmakers, and Guy's filmography bibliography. It is a great resource for those interested in movie history.

5 out of 5 stars.

The American Adventuress

The American Adventuress is a biography of Jennie Jerome Spencer-Churchill, the mother of Winston Churchill. This novel is Gortner's 7th. He writes historical fiction accounts of women and in the past has written about Catherine de Medici, Coco Chanel and Lucrezia Borgia. He holds an MFA in writing, specializing in Renaissance Studies, from the New College of California.  

The publisher's summary:

Daughter of New York financier Leonard Jerome, Jennie was born into wealth—and scandal. Upon her parents’ separation, her mother took Jennie and her sisters to Paris, where Mrs. Jerome was determined to marry her daughters into the most elite families. The glamorous city became their tumultuous finishing school until it fell to revolt. 

Fleeing to Queen Victoria’s England, Jennie soon caught the eye of aristocrat Randolph Spencer-Churchill, son of the Duke of Marlborough, one of Britain’s loftiest peers. It was love at first sight, their unconventional marriage driven by mutual ambition and the birth of two sons. Undeterred by premature widowhood or society’s rigid expectations, Jennie brashly carried on a lifelong intimate friendship with Edward, Prince of Wales—a notorious bon vivant—and had two later marriages to younger men. When her son Winston launched his brilliant political career, Jennie guided him to success, his most vocal and valuable supporter.

By turns scandalous, tragic, and exciting, Jennie Jerome lived an unconventional life full of defiance—one that enshrined her as an American adventuress.

The American Adventuress is a fantastic read.  Gortner did a great job of telling Jennie's story. I knew before reading the book that she married into the British aristocracy when she married Randolph Spencer-Churchill and that she was the mother of Winston Churchill. I did not know though that she was a playwright, entrepreneur, interior decorator, and publisher. I also was not aware of her affair with Edward, Prince of Wales who later was crowned King Edward VII. Jennie also married twice after Randolph died. Both of these husbands were half her age which was scandalous at the time. She was definately a woman ahead of her time. 

I enjoyed the New York City, Parisian and English settings. Jennie's childhood was in New York City where her parents attended and hosted banquets for the Guilded Age millionaires. When her mother separated from her father, they moved to Paris where Jennie met Randolph. Former Empress Eugenie became a friend of Jennie's mother so they were in the top social circles. After her marriage, Jennie and Randolph moved into Blenheim Palace where Randolph's family lived. I was surprised to read that it was cold and oppressive inside it's walls. That is not how I believed living in a castle is really like. The Palace did not appeal to me but Jennie and Randolph's London homes did. This is where they did their politicking and hosted many parties. Another fact that I learned was that Randolph's oldest brother Charles, the heir of the Dukedom of Marlborough, married an American himself, Consuelo Vanderbilt. 

I loved this historical biography and am rating it 5 out of 5 stars.

It Won't Always Be Like This

It Won't Always Be Like This is Malaka Gharib's second graphic memoir. The book follows last year's I Was Their American Dream. The storyline covers the author's relationship with her stepmother, which is mentioned in American Dream. 

The publisher's summary:

It’s hard enough to figure out boys, beauty, and being cool when you’re young, but even harder when you’re in a country where you don’t understand the language, culture, or social norms.
 
Nine-year-old Malaka Gharib arrives in Egypt for her annual summer vacation abroad and assumes it'll be just like every other vacation she's spent at her dad's place in Cairo. But her father shares news that changes everything: He has remarried. Over the next fifteen years, as she visits her father's growing family summer after summer, Malaka must reevaluate her place in his life. All that on top of maintaining her coolness!

Malaka doesn't feel like she fits in when she visits her dad--she sticks out in Egypt and doesn't look anything like her fair-haired half siblings. But she adapts. She learns that Nirvana isn't as cool as Nancy Ajram, that there's nothing better than a Fanta and a melon-mint hookah, and that her new stepmother, Hala, isn't so different from Malaka herself.

I enjoyed this coming of age story. It is a realistic portrayal of a child who grows up with divorced parents who are from different cultures. Malaka's mother is Filipino while her father is Egyptian. Her parents met while in the U. S. but when they divorced, Malaka's father moved back to Egypt. Malaka dresses like an American youth, which shocks her father's Egyptian neighbors. The Islamic faith is a big part of the story as Malaka's father and her new stepmother are Muslim. The story solely takes place in Egypt over several summers which Malaka always spent with her father. As she got older, Malaka's dress became an issue. She was expected by both her father and the Egyptians to dress modestly as she she came of age. On one occasion Malaka was groped by a group of boys because they thought she would be easy, given her dress style.

Gharib is a natural storyteller. It seemed like she was speaking to me face to face about her summers in Egypt. She knew what angles of her story would keep me reading and exactly how to write it out. Because the storyline actually happened to her, the writing flowed naturally.

A fantastic read!  5 out of 5 stars.

A Billion Years

Mike Rinder's autobiography details his life in the church of scientology. Mike was a child when his parents became scientologists which made him one too. He rose to the highest levels in the church before escaping from its grasp.

The publisher's summary:

Mike Rinder’s parents began taking him to their local Scientology center when he was five years old. After high school, he signed a billion-year contract and was admitted into Scientology’s elite inner circle, the Sea Organization. Brought to founder L. Ron Hubbard’s yacht and promised training in Hubbard’s most advanced techniques, Mike was instead put to work swabbing the decks.

Still, Rinder bought into the doctrine that his personal comfort was secondary to the higher purpose of Hubbard’s world-saving mission, swiftly rising through the ranks. In the 1980s, Rinder became Scientology’s international spokesperson and the head of its powerful Office of Special Affairs. He helped negotiate Scientology’s pivotal tax exemption from the IRS and engaged with the organization’s prominent celebrity members, including Tom Cruise, Lisa Marie Presley, and John Travolta.

Yet Rinder couldn’t shake a nagging feeling that something was amiss—Hubbard’s promises remained unfulfilled at his death, and his successor, David Miscavige, was a ruthless and vindictive man who did not hesitate to confine many top Scientologists, Mike among them, to a makeshift prison known as the Hole.

In 2007, at the age of fifty-two, Rinder finally escaped Scientology. Overnight, he became one of the organization’s biggest public enemies. He was followed, hacked, spied on, and tracked. But he refused to be intimidated and today helps people break free of Scientology.

In A Billion Years, the dark, dystopian truth about Scientology is revealed as never before. Rinder offers insights into the religion that only someone of his former high rank could provide and tells a harrowing but fulfilling story of personal resilience.

I thought the book was well written. It begins with a description of the author's childhood in Australia before entering scientology and it seemed idyllic compared to what came next. Once his parents became interested in founder L. Ron Hubbard's writings, the family traveled alot internationally so that the parents could get to courses that would take them up the scientology bridge. However, when Rinder was 17 he signed a billion year contract to work for the Sea Org and was busy 20 some hours a day, every day. I didn't understand why no one refused to work these hours. With no prior knowledge of working in the Sea Org entailed, it was a surprise to all of the Sea Org members. Why did they put up with it? I would have quit. Rinder learned many years later that if he had tried to leave, the church would have prevented it. Herein lies the truth that scientology is a cult. Cult leaders do not let their followers leave.  What follows next in the book is incident after incident of abuse that Rinder endured, mainly at the hands of the successor to L. Ron Hubbard: David Miscavige. Gradually Rinder began to see that he was not advancing scientology but rather Miscavige's personal desires. I am glad that Rinder was able to escape the church and start a normal life. 

This is an eye-opening read about the dangers of scientology.  It has been in the news alot lately because of the Danny Masterson rape trial in California. Masterson is a scientologist who is accused of raping 3 women who are former scientologists. The church's requirement that no member give up another to the civil authorities has played into the trial. 

5 out of 5 stars.

The Butcher and the Wren

The Butcher and the Wren is Alaina Urquhart's debut novel. Her day job as an autopsy technician certainly was helpful for her in writing this fantastic psychological thriller. I was completely engrossed in the book from the first chapter.

The publisher's summary:

"Something dark is lurking in the Louisiana bayou: a methodical killer with a penchant for medical experimentation is hard at work completing his most harrowing crime yet, taunting the authorities who desperately try to catch up.

But forensic pathologist Dr. Wren Muller is the best there is. Armed with an encyclopedic knowledge of historical crimes, and years of experience working in the Medical Examiner's office, she's never encountered a case she couldn't solve. Until now. Case after case is piling up in Wren's examination table and soon she is sucked into an all consuming cat and mouse chase with a brutal murderer getting more brazen by the day."

This is a fast paced plot driven story that takes place in Louisiana. Here there are plenty of good places to stash a dead body. They can be hidden in tall grass by the water's edge or next to exposed tree roots. The variety of these places provide different decomposition times which could confuse a medical examiner not as experienced as Dr. Muller.

The serial killer and Wren Muller characters are well developed. We read more about the serial killer's background than Muller, who is the protagonist. He has a data entry day job but also attends medical school at Tulane. Because of his busy schedule he can only "work" on weekends. He always leaves different calling cards when he dumps a body in order to confuse the police. I liked him as a character. Wren is the perfect sleuth. She has the educational background and employment experience to conduct forensic investigations and would be great as a series protagonist. There is a side to her personality that could make her character a little softer. She was a crime victim herself. I don't know if the author plans on this being a series but I hope so. 

Mystery lovers will definitely want to read this book. 5 out of 5 stars!

The Nanny

The Nanny is a fantastic psychological thriller by Ruth Heald. I have read every one of her books and they all are unputdownable. In The Nanny, there are many twists and turns but they particularly happen in short sequence beginning at the midway point in the book. 

The publisher's summary:  

"I clutched baby Chloe's blanket, tears streaming down my face as I remember the night she disappeared. I looked up at the apartment block I once called home. I knew I'd never be welcome here again. One mistake had ruined everything.

When I  accepted a job working as a nanny for David and Julie and their young children, I couldn't believe my luck. I bonded with the baby Chloe instantly and would have done anything for her. She had David's thick dark hair and smiling eyes. I fell in love with her and was excited about her future. But when a terrible mistake led to Chloe disappearing, I was instantly blamed. With no evidence, I was let go and I returned home to try and rebuild my life. 

Twenty years later and I am still haunted by what happened. I have a family of my own now and I've worked hard to be the best wife and mother I can be. But I've never forgotten the child who stole my heart. Then a young woman arrived on my doorstep and the past secret that I have kept from my family comes hurtling into my present. I try to tell myself that I am overreacting but the woman in front of me looks so much like David. Who is she and why is she here?"

I loved this book. It is plot driven with a super fast pace. Half of the story takes place in 1999 Thailand and half in London in the present day. There isn't much that the Thailand setting provides other than being known for its stiff criminal penalties. 

There are quite a few characters. Hayley is the main character and she is married to Lars with a young daughter named Alice. Hayley's mother lives with them also as she has early dementia and mom has a caregiver named Michelle. In 1999 Hayley had been traveling during her gap year with two girlfriends and they landed in Bangkok. Running short of money caused her to accept a job with British expats David and Julie MacFarlane as a nanny for their newborn infant Chloe and two of David's daughters from an earlier marriage. 

Hayley has alot of secrets that she has kept from her girlfriends, the MacFarlanes, her husband and mother. Trying to keep them all close to her heart gives the story tension that keeps the reader engaged. We don't know what the secrets are and I wasn't sure who was going to turn out to be the villain. While the story is told in alternating time periods, there is no alternating plot. 

The Nanny is sure to be a hit with mystery lovers. 5 out of 5 stars.

Ducks

Ducks is a graphic memoir by Kate Beaton. Inside the pages of this hardcover book we read about the two years of her life spent working in Canada's oilfields. When Kate graduated from college, she had a hefty student loan to repay. Knowing that she would never make enough money from working in her chosen field to pay it off, Kate took a job in Alberta's oil sands where she worked as a laborer and then in the crib shop where she handed out tools to workers. She took a few months off after the first year and paid off half her student loans. Kate then worked in a museum but couldn't make her minimum loan payments on that salary. She returned to the oil sands for another year. Her student loans were then paid off and she decided to work as a cartoonist. The rest, they say, is history.

I was impressed with her concern for paying off her student loan debt. Kate delayed beginning her career until the debt was paid. Many residents of the Cape Breton island that she grew up on traveled to the oil sands so they could support their families. I was astonished by the amount of sexual harassment that she had to endure while working there. It doesn't say much for Canadian men and I am surprised by the conduct because I have always heard that Canadians were more group oriented than individualistic. So why the Ducks title? During her second year hundreds of ducks died from getting caught in the sands. This received alot of media attention at the time.

The story itself is well written with an obvious beginning, middle and end. There were twists and turns during her employment which gave it a mystery flare. The drawings were done in black and white in comic book strip format. At over 400 pages it is a hefty book but is also a fast read. I am looking forward to reading more from this young cartoonist.

5 out of 5 stars.

Starry Messenger

Starry Messenger is Neil deGrasse Tyson's 18th book but the first one that I have read. I didn't know what to expect. I thought that maybe he would make a statement about Christianity being a false religion. This is not a problem for me. I know what his views are from regularly watching his Star Talk TV program. I also wondered whether the material would be over my head. 

I did not see any main point that Tyson was trying to communicate in this book. While there are chapter divisions, the reader sees him pontificating on various social issues with no connection between the material. In the Preface, Tyson states that societal ills could all be solved by people thinking as scientists. If we could just see earth as the Apollo astronauts did, our differences would disappear.  Scientists are the only objective people on the planet. Scientists do not have opinions, they just have facts.

As I was reading I kept looking for the reason that the book was written. I didn't find one. I did notice, however, that there were two ideas repeated in every chapter. First, he is concerned how visiting space aliens view humankind. I don't know why he is upset about this as there is no scientific proof that aliens exist. Remember, all scientists are objective and only deal with facts. Second, Christianity is the reason for all of the problems in the world. Tyson states that the God of the Bible demands competition among his earthlings which promotes racism, colonialism etc..., as well as the idea that Christians are superior to non-Christians. He cites at least one verse from Genesis in each chapter to prove his points. I have to say that he has a psychological complex about the Bible because he has written about it so much in this work. So what if he's an atheist. But when someone can't stop writing and talking about the Bible in this way, he has a personal problem separate from being an atheist.

The material was not over my head. This is not a scientific book. It is about society as a whole from caveman days to the present. With the two main ideas presented in each chapter being ideas that have not been proved by science, why are his "objective" "opinions"  being touted as truth? Also, I got the impression that he feels superior to us regular folks who are not scientists. Superiority runs deep in this work. Again, I had to wonder how he became superior to everyone else since God is the entity requiring superiority from his followers and Tyson is not a God follower.

The book was a disappointment. I expected a scientific book. What I got was unorganized ramblings regarding problems on earth. The writing itself was good but the content was lacking. I am rating it 3 out of 5 stars.

William at 40

My review of Tom Bower's Revenge was a popular read, for my blog at least. I decided to take on another royal family tome, Robert Jobson's William at 40 The Making of a Modern Monarch. I was expecting a few new revelations but, sadly, the only new facts that I am aware of were written in the Preface.  

The publisher's summary:

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge, is destined one day to be king. Determined to serve his country as his grandmother, the Queen has so selflessly done for seven decades, William is the epitome of a loving husband to Catherine, and a devoted father to their three children: George, Charlotte and Louis. In public, William appears calm, balanced and determined. He is passionate about safeguarding the environment and helping to protect species under threat of extinction. The Duke and his wife have also worked tirelessly to remove the stigma that continues to mark mental health problems. In private, however, those close to him say that William, while being a dedicated servant of the Crown can defy his calm, family-guy public demeanour. This is the definitive account – insightful and nuanced – of the life of the Duke of Cambridge as he approaches his milestone birthday. Jobson explores the complex character of the man who will one day reign as King William V. It is the story of the making of a king for our times. THE STORY OF THE MAKING OF A MONARCH FOR THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY.

 

If you have ever read any newspaper article about William, or a social media post, then you probably are familiar with the material in this biography. These posts seems to rehash his life in its entirety. There isn't anything new here other than the description of William's temper in the Preface. The book seemed to me to be a fluff piece. It begins with his birth and continues to the present day. I guess readers of a younger generation than mine might find something new here but I did not learn anything new about the future King William V. I also did not read anything to justify the subtitle "the making of a modern monarch." Jobson talks about William's listening skills and his use of modern technology as proof that his dynasty will be modern. Any fortysomething individual is going to use modern technology. I don't see that as a reason to call him a modern monarch. I was looking for other reasons for the use of the subtitle. I am not sure what I was looking for, but more than what I got.

3 out of 5 stars.

A Dark and Stormy Tea

 

A Dark and Stormy Tea is the 23rd Indigo Tea Shop Mystery featuring Theodosia Browning as an amateur sleuth. Book 24, Lemon Curd Killer, will be published in March 2023. I have read all of the books in the series and have been mostly pleased with the writing. Since the author writes two other cozy mystery series and publishes three books every year, I think that she sometimes doesn't put in the same effort that she used to.

The publisher's summary:

A possible serial killer on the loose sends tea maven Theodosia Browning into a whirlwind of investigation in this latest installment of the New York Times bestselling series.

It was a dark and stormy night, but that was the least of Theodosia Browning's troubles. As she approaches St. Philips Graveyard, Theodosia sees two figures locked in a strange embrace. Wiping rain from her eyes, Theodosia realizes she has just witnessed a brutal murder and sees a dark-hooded figure slip away into the fog.
 
In the throes of alerting police, Theodosia recognizes the victim—it is the daughter of her friend, Lois, who owns the Antiquarian Bookshop next door to her own Indigo Tea Shop.
 
Even though this appears to be the work of a serial killer who is stalking the back alleys of Charleston, Lois begs Theodosia for help. Against the advice of her boyfriend, Detective Pete Riley, and the sage words of Drayton, her tea sommelier, amateur-sleuth Theodosia launches her own shadow investigation. And quickly discovers that suspects abound with the dead girl’s boyfriend, nefarious real estate developer, private-security man, bumbling reporter, and her own neighbor who is writing a true-crime book and searching for a big ending.

I was delighted with the crisp writing in this installment of the series. It was quite suspenseful and there was some development of Theodosia's character. The murder occurred in the first chapter, which I always prefer so that the rest of the novel can be about the investigation of the case. Also, there seemed to be more discussion than usual between Theo and Drayton about what specialty afternoon tea events that they want to plan, such as Garden Party Tea, Jane Austen Tea, Great Gatsby Tea, Limon Tea, Primavera Tea, Butterfly Tea, and Bridal Party Tea. I love when Drayton recommends the decor that he would like to have for each of them as well as the types of tea that he would like to serve. It makes me wish that I could attend.

Theo has a new boyfriend in this novel so it will be interesting to see how that relationship develops. It would be nice to see Drayton's character experience a new development. He is the only character to never had any change in his life. While I think he is perfect, I wonder what changes could be made to his character without changing his identity. Baker Haley has had some development but not alot. With Drayton being more central to the series than Haley, I would like to see something happen with him.

All in all, this is a fantastic entry into the Indigo Tea Shop series.  5 out of 5 stars.

The Apple Creek Announcement

 

The Apple Creek Announcement is the third book in Wanda Brunstetter's Creektown Discoveries trilogy.  It is light reading and hit the spot for me as I was reading while recovering from a COVID-19 vaccine. Yes, vaccine. In this installment of the series piano teacher and artist, Andrea Wagner, has a fascination with painting the rural Amish landscapes around her home. She has made it to her thirties feeling like she has had a charmed life and finally has fallen in love with Brandon Prentice, a local veterinarian. But then she discovers she was adopted and all she thought she knew about herself has crumbled. She does not know why her adoptive parents kept the adoption a secret. Andrea becomes so fixated on finding her birth mother that she puts her wedding plans on hold and writes to the "Dear Caroline" column in the newspaper for romance advice. 

Why Apple Creek in the title? The story takes place in Apple Creek, Ohio where Andrea and her family reside. A nearby town, Walnut Creek, is where two additional characters, Orley and Lois Troyer, live and run an antique shop called Memory Keepers. The couple enjoys mentoring others and frequently pray for God to bring people into their lives that need help. In addition, Lois writes the "Dear Caroline" newspaper column. I loved these characters who led lives of simple pleasure. It takes me back to a time in my life that seemed easier. It probably wasn't, but today I look back on my life and see simplicity. Without the presence of modern conveniences, the characters' lifestyles helped them focus more on God and their faith. However they are still challenged by their circumstances. 

I also love that the story is clean romance. The subplot of Andrea's search for her birth mother added some drama that you don't normally see in Amish fiction. With a surprise twist at the end, the novel read more like a mystery than the typical Amish story. It was fantastic.

5 out of 5 stars.

Not In It To Win It

It's a rare occasion when I read any book about religion. The title of this one intrigued me and after seeing the author being interviewed on CNN I knew that this was going to be a great book to read.

The publisher's summary:  

Is it possible to disagree politically and love unconditionally? The reaction of evangelicals to political and cultural shifts in recent years revealed what they value most. Lurking beneath our Bible-laced rhetoric, faith claims, books, and sermons is a relentless drive to WIN!

But the church is not here to win. By every human measure, our Savior lost. On purpose. With a purpose. And we are his body. We are not in it to win anything. We are in it for something else entirely. That something else is what this book is about. 

You'll discover:

• How to take a stand the right way. You'll learn how to make your case with a posture of humility and understanding, rather than being fueled by the fear of losing something.
• How to view politics through the lens of faith. Learn curiously, listen intentionally, and love unconditionally.
• How the life of Jesus and his teaching applies to modern-day challenges in a fresh way. The "biblical" stand may not be what we've been taught.

Jesus never asked his followers to agree on everything. But he did call his followers to obey a new command: to love others in the same way he has loved us. Instead of asserting our rights or fighting for power, we need to begin asking ourselves: what does love require of me?

The first thing I noticed about the book is the writing style. Stanley writes casually, in the way he talks. This is not a criticism but an observation. For me, though, there was an adjustment to make. 

The message of the book is powerful. Alot of Christians are not going to like it because Stanley goes after every Christian who puts politics above faith. A few of the quotes that I loved include: 

"When a local church becomes pre-occupied with saving America at the expense of saving Americans, it has forsaken its mission."

"The church or church leader who publicly aligns with a political party has relinquished their ability to make disciples of half their own nation, much less all nations."

"Saving America is not the mission of the church."

"When I die, I won't go the Washington, DC.  Neither will you."

The above quotes give you a bite sized view of the content of the book.  It is thought provoking and required reading in my opinion. However, many Christians will be offended that the way they have conducted their lives is heavily criticized.

5 out of 5 stars.

The Spanish Daughter

A cacao plantation in Ecuador is the setting of this historical fiction novel by Lorena Hughes. The Spanish Daughter is Hughes' second novel, following The Sisters of Alameda Street. Sisters takes place in 1960s Ecuador while Spanish Daughter takes place in the 1920s. I love this new setting for historical fiction and hope that Hughes continues to write stories taking place there.

The publisher's summary:  

As a child in Spain, Puri always knew her passion for chocolate was inherited from her father. But it’s not until his death that she learns of something else she’s inherited—a cocoa estate in Vinces, Ecuador, a town nicknamed “París Chiquito.” Eager to claim her birthright and filled with hope for a new life after the devastation of World War I, she and her husband Cristóbal set out across the Atlantic Ocean. But it soon becomes clear someone is angered by Puri’s claim to the estate…
 
When a mercenary sent to murder her aboard the ship accidentally kills Cristóbal instead, Puri dons her husband’s clothes and assumes his identity, hoping to stay safe while she searches for the truth of her father’s legacy in Ecuador. Though freed from the rules that women are expected to follow, Puri confronts other challenges at the estate—newfound siblings, hidden affairs, and her father’s dark secrets. Then there are the dangers awakened by her attraction to an enigmatic man as she tries to learn the identity of an enemy who is still at large, threatening the future she is determined to claim.

I had a hard time not only becoming interested in this story but also maintaining interest. In addition, there were several flaws in the plot. The story starts out with Puri traveling to Ecuador because she has inherited part of her father’s cacao plantation. While sailing on a ship to South America Puri’s husband is killed. She soon realizes that she was supposed to be the intended victim. As a former chocolate store owner in Spain, I expected that she would continue her interest in selling chocolate in Ecuador. I would have liked this storyline. However, the story becomes a search for who signed or perhaps forged a blank check. Whoever signed the check is the one who wants her dead. Puri begins to imitate her dead husband, wearing his clothes, in order to more easily find out information about the plantation and who wants her dead. It's a crazy strategy that results in Puri not being eligible to inherit the plantation. However, she continues to disguise herself. 

None of this seemed plausible to me. Who would give up a cacao plantation? Puri should have stopped pretending to be her husband and forged a new life in Ecuador. Also, the fight on the ship that resulted in her husband's death was merely a short scene. It did not figure into the story much nor did the idea that she was supposed to be the victim. The writing was disjointed given the plotline faults.

Another problem is that the characters were not very interesting. Puri has two half sisters in Ecuador who could have played the role of villains. Unfortunately, they didn't. While the story alternated between the three women's viewpoints on events that occurred between 1907 and 1920, none of them had strong feelings about anything and I wondered why the alternating plot lines were present in the novel. The lack of suspenseful writing is another reason the book falls short. Very short.

2 out of 5 stars.

Revenge

I rarely read gossipy books about celebrities. A dislike for the Harkles, however, made me want to buy this book. Author Tom Bower shows in great detail the reasons for the war between Prince Harry, Meghan and the crown. This is the first book of Bower's that I have read. I was not even familiar with his name before and was surprised to discover that he has 25 titles to his credit. His typical subjects are the British royal family along with British celebrities and politicians. 

The publisher's summary:

The British Royal Family believed that the dizzy success of the Sussex wedding, watched and celebrated around the world, was the beginning of a new era for the Windsors. Yet, within one tumultuous year, the dream became a nightmare. In the aftermath of the infamous Megxit split and the Oprah Winfrey interview, the Royal Family's fate seems persistently threatened. 

The public remains puzzled. Meghan's success has alternatively won praise, bewildered and outraged. Confused by the Sussexes' slick publicity, few understand the real Meghan Markle. What lies ahead for Meghan? And what has happened to the family she married into? Can the Windsors restore their reputation? 

With extensive research, expert sourcing and interviews from insiders who have never spoken before, Tom Bower, Britain's leading investigative biographer, unpicks the tangled web of courtroom drama, courtier politics and thwarted childhood dreams to uncover an astonishing story of love, betrayal, secrets and revenge.

It was apparent from the first pages that Meghan Markle's current behavior is not anything new. She behaved the same way both before meeting Harry as well as during their courtship. I was surprised to read that her behavior is not due to any racism that she experienced or the royal family disliking her, which is the storyline that she has been putting out in the media. I was also surprised that Harry has always been just like her. They are the perfect couple. 

Bowers presents a ton of information about both their backgrounds and has shown many examples of their erratic behavior throughout their lives. In fact, the last 100 pages of the book are a list of references from where he obtained his information. Another surprise, yes a spoiler, is that Meghan's father Thomas Markle had quite a few conversations with Harry before the wedding. The Harkle's narrative is that Harry never met nor spoke with Thomas but that is not true. Bowers presents every text, email and phone call between them. Also, Harry was quite cruel to Thomas after his heart attack. The level of cruelty was yet another surprise. 

As I said above, Harry and Meghan are two of a kind. When destructive people get together it never ends well. I hate to see how their marriage turns out.

5 out of 5 stars.

Take Your Breath Away

Take Your Breath Away is Linwood Barclay's 21st crime thriller. Barclay has written a few short series but this book is a standalone novel. It was published on May 17, 2022.

The publisher's summary:

One weekend, while Andrew Mason was on a fishing trip, his wife, Brie, vanished without a trace. Most everyone assumed Andy had got away with murder—it’s always the husband, isn’t it?—but the police could never build a strong case against him. For a while, Andy hit rock bottom—he drank too much to numb the pain, was abandoned by all his friends save one, nearly lost his business, and became a pariah in the place he once called home.

Now, six years later, Andy has finally put his life back together. He sold the house he once shared with Brie and moved away. To tell the truth, he wasn’t sad to hear that the old place was razed and a new house built on the site. He’s settled down with a new partner, Jayne, and life is good.

But Andy’s peaceful world is about to shatter. One day, a woman shows up at his old address, screaming, “Where’s my house? What’s happened to my house?” And then, just as suddenly as she appeared, the woman—who bears a striking resemblance to Brie—is gone. The police are notified and old questions—and dark suspicions—resurface. 

Could Brie really be alive after all these years? If so, where has she been? It soon becomes clear that Andy’s future and the lives of those closest to him depend on discovering what the hell is going on. The trick will be whether he can stay alive long enough to unearth the answers. 

The book is billed as suspense. However, I think it is more realistic to call it a crime thriller. There was some suspense but it was not tightly written as you would normally see with a suspense novel. The characters were masterfully drawn. Their backgrounds are what created most of the suspense. With their backstories being slowly revealed the reader comes away with the thought that perhaps they could be motivated to kill. As far as whether Brie was or was not alive, the author was able to keep us guessing until the end.

4 out of 5 stars.

Portrait of an Unknown Woman

Portrait of an Unknown Woman is Dan Silva's 25th novel and his 22nd Gabrial Allon novel. He has also written one standalone novel and two books in his Michael Osborne series. At 448 pages, Portrait it is just 2 pages short of qualifying as a chunkster for the Chunkster Challenge.  The book was published on July 19, 2022.

The publisher's summary:

Legendary spy and art restorer Gabriel Allon has at long last severed ties with Israeli intelligence and settled quietly in Venice, the only place where he has ever truly known peace. His beautiful wife, Chiara, has taken over the day-to-day management of the Tiepolo Restoration Company, and their two young children are discreetly enrolled in a neighborhood scuola elementare. For his part, Gabriel spends his days wandering the streets and canals of the watery city, bidding farewell to the demons of his tragic, violent past.

But when the eccentric London art dealer Julian Isherwood asks Gabriel to investigate the circumstances surrounding the rediscovery and lucrative sale of a centuries-old painting, he is drawn into a deadly game of cat and mouse where nothing is as it seems.

Gabriel soon discovers that the work in question, a portrait of an unidentified woman attributed to Sir Anthony van Dyck, is almost certainly a fiendishly clever fake. To find the mysterious figure who painted it—and uncover a multibillion-dollar fraud at the pinnacle of the art world—Gabriel conceives one of the most elaborate deceptions of his career. If it is to succeed, he must become the very mirror image of the man he seeks: the greatest art forger the world has ever known.

Stylish, sophisticated, and ingeniously plotted, Portrait of an Unknown Woman is a wildly entertaining journey through the dark side of the art world—a place where unscrupulous dealers routinely deceive their customers and deep-pocketed investors treat great paintings as though they were just another asset class to be bought and sold at a profit. From its elegant opening to the shocking twists of its climax, the novel is a tour de force of storytelling and one of the finest pieces of heist fiction ever written. And it is still more proof that, when it comes to international intrigue and suspense, Daniel Silva has no equal.

I LOVED this novel! Daniel Silva has never written a book that wasn't fantastic and Portrait follows his successful ride. The plot is based upon the true stories of art forgers John Myatt, John Drewe, Guy Ribes and Wolfgang Beltracchi. John Myatt painted more than 250 forgeries that John Drewe sold through well established London art galleries. Ribes was able to paint approximately 1,000 Chagall and Picasso forgeries that his network sold. His German counterpart, Beltracchi, sold forgeries through all of the prominent auction houses. All four of these men have a matching character in Portrait. Most of their forgeries are still in circulation today.  

The novel was spell-binding. I read this chunky book in one sitting late one evening. I am apprehensive, though, about the retirement of Allon from the spy business. His work for the Office has catapulted the series into fame and I don't see how the series can continue much longer if he no longer works as a spy. In this installment of the series, Allon is resting after his retirement but will soon begin working as an art restorer for his wife Chiara who owns the Tiepelo Restoration Company. With Allon being sixtysomething years old and retired, where does this series go?  

5 out of 5 stars.