Six Months of Reading - 2020

I have read 74 books so far in 2020.  45 of them were read since the coronavirus shutdown began on March 13, 2020.  My book challenge statistics are as follows:

Graphic Novel and Comics Challenge - 12 required for the challenge, 14 have been read

Cloak and Dagger Challenge:  16-25 required for the challenge; 18 have been read

Historical Fiction Challenge, 15 required for the challenge, 31 have been read

Library Love Challenge, 24 required for the challenge; 0 read due to shutdown of public library

What's in a Name Challenge, 6 books required for the challenge, 6 have been read

Christian Reading Challenge, 13 books required for the challenge, 2 have been read
Creativity Reading Challenge, no set number of books required, 3 have been read
Finish the Series Challenge, 1 book required for the challenge; 0 have been read

I have completed 5 of my challenges.  However, I am going to pick another reading level for both the Historical Fiction Challenge and the Cloak and Dagger Challenge and continue reading.  I am also going to continue to read comics.  I have already selected some books for my Kindle  that include Viking Sagas and fiction from several Middle East countries to add variety to my historical fiction reading.  A few of my favorite comic writers have books coming out later in the year.

Opium and Absinthe

Lydia Kang's Opium and Absinthe is a worthy entry in the historical mystery genre. It is an occult mystery because the presumed killer is a vampire. Not much is written into the plot about vampires other than that the presumed perp happens to be one of them. There is none of the usual astrology, alchemy, magic or spiritualism that a reader would normally find in an occult novel. The story is a straight murder mystery that centers on solving the crime.  There are two amateur sleuths that work together in this novel. Tillie Pembroke is an heiress who longs to be taken seriously instead of having to marry and host parties. As she tells Ian Metzger, her thirst for knowledge would not be met by going to college, an impossibility anyway in nineteenth-century New York. Metzger is a poor Jewish immigrant who sells newspapers for a living. When Ian sells Tillie a newspaper that covers the death of her sister Lucy, they both feel an attraction and begin to meet secretly.

Tillie Pembroke is the youngest girl in the Pembroke family. Her older sister Lucy has always gotten all of the attention. Lucy's engagement to James Cutter, which will unite two prominent American families, only increases her family's interest in her. While the Pembrokes have money, Cutter, a descendant of the illustrious Astor family, is cash poor. However, Cutter will give the Pembrokes the pedigree they have always sought. When Lucy is found dead with bite marks on her neck and an empty bottle of absinthe nearby, the Pembrokes are devastated but their thirst for acceptance into the upper echelons of society drives them to not show their feelings. Behaving in society is more dear than grief. Tillie is different, though. She cannot stop asking questions about her sister as well as about the status of the police investigation into her death. A random introduction to Ian Metzger while on an outing proves to be fortuitous. Tillie only hears the details about her sister's death from Ian while he is selling his newspapers because he shouts out loud the headlines. She buys one but a note written by Ian on the front page gives Tillie his contact information. She is intrigued by him as he seems to be the only person interested in solving her sister's murder. Tillie and Ian are able to write to each other even though the Pembrokes forbid it. Tillie uses her maid and the family's new security guard to mail letters for her and escape from her home after midnight in order to meet Ian. Together they discuss how Lucy may have been murdered and do research to try to solve her murder.

Tillie's introduction as a sleuth was quite natural. She has an interest in figuring out how and why her sister died. Ian tells her she would make a great journalist and would like her to help him in writing articles for his newspaper, the World. They come from completely different backgrounds but Tillie and Ian are a great crimesolving couple. Their differences actually help them think better. With many twists and turns to solve before they can find answers to their questions, the two of them work together to determine who killed Lucy.

5 out of 5 stars!

Singapore Sapphire

I loved Alison Stuart's Singapore Sapphire. It is the first book in a historical mystery series featuring amateur sleuth Harriet Gordon. Harriet teams up with Inspector Robert Curran of the Straits Settlement Police Force's Detective Unit to solve crimes on Singapore's island. Harriet's personal story is tragic. Her husband and son died of typhoid fever in India where her husband was stationed. Her return to England did not go smoothly. Harriet became involved in the suffragette movement and was jailed for several months. With her move to Singapore in 1910 to work beside her brother, Rev. Julian Edwards, at the religious school he runs, Harriet finds a place where she can use her smarts and still be a member in good standing of her elite place in society.

Harriet cannot be paid for her work at St. Thomas Church of England Prep School for Boys because she is a woman. In order to earn some money, Harriet places an ad in the local paper offering her services as a typist. Sir Oswald Newbold sees the ad and quickly contacts Harriet. With just one day of work for Sir Oswald completed, Harriet returns to his home to pick up her typewriter. What she finds is unsettling. Sir Oswald is dead with an antique knife stuck in his body. Inspector Curran arrives at the scene after being notified by Harriet's wallah, Aziz, that a crime has been committed at Sir Oswald's home. Soon thereafter a second person is found dead. Curran thinks the two crimes are connected but has no evidence to prove his theory.

The partnership between Harriet and Curran seemed realistic for the time period. Harriet's "sleuthing" consisted of asking Curran pointed questions about the crime that gave him insight on where the investigation should go. Her sleuthing may change form in future books in the series but for now, Harriet is able to help in the investigation in a way that maintains the traditional role of women in the early twentieth-century. Given Harriet's suffragette leanings, I would expect that she challenges society by taking a more active role in the future. For now, the reader has a first rate mystery to enjoy and savor.

Wicked Things

Wicked Things 1 and 2 is the story of  teen sleuth Charlotte Grote. It was written by John Allison of Giant Days fame. Part 3 will be published on July 22, 2020 and I can't wait. This is a humorous comic where the tables are turned on Grote as the child detective becomes the suspect in a homicide.

The story opens with Grote planning to leave home for college.  While going through her belongings Grote discovers that she was nominated in National Solver Magazine for Teen Detective of the Year for ages 16 through 18. After traveling to London's Savoy Hotel where the festivities are being held, Grote attends a party for the nominees. There she is invited to a private dinner with her toughest competitor, Kendo Miyamoto, whom she is enamored with. However, after entering his room Grote finds his dead body.  She is assumed to be the killer because she was the person who found him.

I chuckled at the artwork that detailed the physical attributes all women try to hide, ie, wide hips, stomach rolls, and big thighs. It made me think that a woman did the illustration of the book.  However, I was wrong. Max Sarin is the penciller and Whitney Cogar is the colorist. Sarin has previously worked with the author on Giant Days.

Wicked Things is the perfect murder mystery book but written in graphic novel format. It has all of the elements of a classic mystery and with its colorful drawings the book makes a fun, fast read. I highly recommend it. 5 out of 5 stars.

Book of the Month: June

My best book for the month of June 2020 is The Giant by Laura Morelli. Here, the lives of childhood friends Michelangelo and fresco painter Jacopo Torni come together in the creation of some pieces of art that have been well renowned over the past five centuries.  Morelli writes in detail about the lavish sites and sounds of Renaissance Florence. The artistry and architecture of the city are deliciously described by an author with a PhD in art history. I am sure her background was helpful to her in writing this fabulous novel.

Catherine's War

Catherine's War is a survival story told in graphic novel format.  Taking place at the Sevres Children's Home outside of Paris, the main character, Rachel Cohen, discovers a passion for photography. She has not heard from her parents in months and does not worry about Hitler's war. With her camera she captures in image everything she loves. When the German Army closes in on Paris, Rachel has to change her name and go into hiding. As Catherine Colin, Rachel has to say goodbye to all of her friends and leave Sevres for safety elsewhere. With her camera, though, she bears witness to her own journey, including the countless people who helped her and other hidden children during WWII. The story is based upon the author's mother who was a hidden child during the war.

I loved this book. While the subject matter is sobering, it is light reading because the story is told through the eyes of a child. Children have a way of just being children during tough times. The seriousness of the times, though, is reflected in dialogue among the adult characters. I enjoyed reading about Catherine's self education on how to take a great photograph. The reader learns about photographic methods in the fun, easy style of a graphic novel. Having read a few photography books in my day, I can honestly say that Catherine's War would have been a better introduction to the craft than the some of the beginner books that I read.

The history of the hidden children during WWII is not well known. This book is my first introduction to their story and I am glad that I read the book. This is an important part of history that every person should know about but when read in a graphic novel format it is easy to understand.

5 out of 5 stars.

Cub

Cub is a humorous graphic memoir about growing up in the 1970s.  One of the reasons that I loved this book is that I too came of age in the 1970s and had the same experiences that our heroine Cindy had.  It was a walk down memory lane.

The publisher's summary:

"Twelve-year-old Cindy has just dipped a toe into seventh grade drama - with its complicated friendships, bullies and cute boys - when she earns an internship as a cub reporter at a local newspaper in the early 1970s. A rare, young female reporter takes Cindy under her wing, and Cindy soon learns not only how to write a lede, but also how to respectfully question authority, how to assert herself in a world run by men, and - as the Watergate scandal unfolds, how brave reporting and writing can topple a corrupt world leader. Searching for her own scoops, Cindy doesn't always get it right, on paper or in real life. Whether she's writing features about ghost hunter's, falling off her bike and into her first crush, or navigating shifting friendships, Cindy grows wiser and more confident through every awkward and hilarious mistake."

I also was a cub reporter in the early 1970s. I wrote a weekly column for 3 years on high school activities for the Hammond Times newspaper. Reading about Cindy's joy over getting the job and her pursuit of stories to tell was enjoyable. She had a reporter for a mentor while I did not. Her journalism class experiences mirrored my own and I began to miss my former classmates. We had a good time together. Watergate was the big news story of the day. Cindy was lucky to get involved in reporting that story.

Cindy was not popular in school and when her best friend left her for the clique of desirables she was devastated. I also had the same experience and the remembrance was sobering. My life story is so similar to Cindy's that it felt like I was reading my own biography. Similarities aside, this was a fun, quick read.

5 out of 5 stars.

Windows on the World

Windows on the World is a graphic novel that chronicles a son's search for his undocumented father who was working in the Twin Towers on 9/11. His father had a job as a dishwasher at the Windows on the World restaurant to support his family in Mexico. When his family does not hear from him within two weeks after the catastrophe, his son Fernando travels from Mazatlan, Mexico to New York City to look for him and bring him home. Fernando searches New York from the downtown area to Spanish Harlem neighborhood. Along the way, Fernando experiences a warm embrace from fellow immigrants and a cold shoulder from American citizens.

This book was based on the 2019 movie of the same title.  The plot moves fast as it shifts from Fernando's family life in Mexico to his illegal entry into the U. S. to begin his search for his father Balthazar. While this is a story that Americans should be used to hearing, it continues to grip our hearts 19 years later. I was unable to stop reading Fernando's story and wished that it continued on after the ending. It pulls at the heart strings when you read that he is told at a 9/11 rescue center that "if your father didn't officially work in the Towers, he can't officially be missing."  The reader can feel Fernando's disappointment and desperation. However, he knows what his mission is and does not let anything or anyone keep him from his search.

Windows on the World is a story that never get old. 5 out of 5 stars.

The Mountains Sing

The Mountain Sings by Nguyen Phan Que Mai is a historical novel of the Vietnam War. It is told as a family saga from the point of view of a North Vietnamese family. Tran Dieu Lan is taking care of her granddaughter Huong, nicknamed Guava, while all of her children are away from home fighting for the Viet Ming. The story alternates between Dieu Lan's life as a child and the 1970s when she cares for her granddaughter by switching from an honorable small paying job as a teacher to a well paying but dishonorable job as a trader of food and sundries. It carries a risk though. Dieu Lan could be executed if she was caught. The story covers 100 years of Vietnamese history and is brutally honest in its telling. This is the author's first novel to be published in English. It has not been published in Vietnam because of censorship issues.

The author's life story is just as impressive as that of her heroines. Born in North Vietnam in 1973 she moved to the South when she was 6 in order to reunite her family. She lived there as a street seller and rice farmer until she obtained a scholarship to a university in Australia. Her research for the book included interviews with many Vietnamese citizens as well as her own family. She heard about the Land Reform Act which caused wealthy landowners to lose their property to their workers and resulted in Dieu Lan losing her ancestral home in the novel. The title refers to Dieu Lan telling her granddaughter that the challenges faced by the Vietnamese people throughout history are as tall as the tallest mountains. Dieu Lan's explanation to Huong that the government's refusal to allow discussion of past wrongs and events mirrors the current government's censorship of her book. Dieu Lan explains that such discussions can bring about the rewriting of history.

I learned alot about Vietnam from this book and highly recommend it. 5 out of 5 stars!

Lavender Blue Murder

Lavender Blue Murder is the 21st Indigo Teashop Mystery by Laura Childs.  I have read every book in this series and while several of the past books in the series did not inspire me, this installment of the series was superb. In fact, it was better than anything I have read by her in about the past ten years.

Summary: 

Tea maven Theodosia Browning and her tea sommelier Drayton Conneley are guests at a bird hunt styled in the precise manner of an English shooting party which means elevenses, gun loaders, the drawing of pegs, fine looking bird dogs, and shooting costumes of tweed, herringbone and suede. As gunshots explode like a riff of Black Cat firecrackers, another shot sounds too close for comfort to Theodosia and Drayton. Intrigued but worried, Theodosia wanders into the neighbor's lavender field where she discovers their host, Reginald Doyle, bleeding to death.  His wife Meredith is beside herself with grief and begs Theodosia and Drayton to spend the night. Theodosia wakes up at 2 am to find smoke in her room and the house on fire. As the fire department screams in and the investigating sheriff returns, Meredith again pleads with Theodosia for help.

Review:

I devoured the book. The writing was tight and may have been her best novel to date.  I don't remember Childs ever writing an opening without excessive amounts of background information on her characters or the City of Charleston.  Lavender Blue Murder was more like a straight mystery novel than a cozy. There was more graphic descriptions of the murder scene than usual and since the murder occurred in a different county, the law enforcement characters were new.  I liked this anomaly as the Bert Tidwell detective character has been overdone and he has never grown as a character throughout the 21 books. Another character, Timothy Neville, is shown to be hanging out with his gay lover. Neville has not been identified as gay before.  Another change was having the genteel Theodosia and Drayton participate in a hunting party. While at first this seemed out of character, I liked the change of scenery for them. In prior murder scenes they are always standersby to the murder. Here, they are actively participating in the exercise that caused the murder.

I was pleasantly surprised by Lavender Blue Murder. 5 out of 5 stars.

The Giant

I have been patiently waiting for Laura Morelli to publish another book since The Painter's Apprentice came out. Last week The Giant was published. It takes place in the early 1500s Florence and is about the lives of struggling fresco painter Jacopo Torni and his childhood friend Michelangelo Buonarotti. They are competing to be awarded a commission to create a sculpture out of a huge block of marble that has been lying in the courtyard of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore for a generation.

The publisher's summary:

"As a colossal statue takes shape in Renaissance Florence, the lives of a master sculptor and a struggling painter become stunningly intertwined. Fresco painter Jacopo Torni longs to make his mark in the world. But while his peers enjoy prestigious commissions, his meager painting jobs are all earmarked to pay down gambling debts. When Jacopo hears of a competition to create Florence's greatest sculpture, he pins all his hopes on a collaboration with boyhood companion, Michelangelo Buonarroti. But will the frustrated artist ever emerge from the shadow of his singularly gifted friend? Based on a true story."

Renaissance Florence is my favorite type of historical novel. I don't think that I have ever read one that I did not like.  The Giant is no exception. Author Morelli has written a novel rich in the artistry and architecture of Florence. As an artist myself, I am drawn to arty books. Morelli's take on the story is more realistic than that of other authors whom I have read given her descriptions of the setting, including the clothing, food, artisan guilds, and politics of the era that drove which artist was going to be favored by whoever was in power at the time.  I am certain that the author's Ph.D in art history helped her create a plot about the creation of Michelangelo's David. A statement from the author shows how her thought process about the sculpture moved her to ask questions that she could only answer with an intricate plot. She was fascinated with how it was made and unveiled to the public. After coming across a historical reference to Florentine fresco painter Jacopo Torni, Morelli decided to tell the story through his eyes. Torni, also known as L'Indaco, assisted Michelangelo with painting the Sistine Chapel.

The story is told through compelling characters. Jacopo's long-suffering sister Lucia and younger brother Francesco are loyal to him no matter what he does to not deserve it. His gambling buddies' ways to entangle him in card games seems authentic to the methods used today by those who ensnare others in addictions. Jacopo himself is shown as someone who gambles his life savings away almost daily in an effort to prove to himself that he is not a worthy artist nor a worthy person.

I absolutely loved The Giant and relished each page as I read through it.  5 out of 5 stars!

Book of the Month - May

My favorite book of the month is Seven Days by Alex Lake. It is a gripping psychological thriller with a great plot. Character Maggie has seven days to save her son Max before he turns 3-years-old. Maggie is dreading his birthday because she knows that she will lose him. Her previous 2 sons were taken from her on their third birthday by her captor who has imprisoned her in a basement for the past 12 years. The novel has an eerie atmosphere and along with its sense of urgency I was unable to put the book down.  I read it in one sitting.

The Man She Married

The Man She Married is a psychological thriller that takes place in England in the present year. Our heroine Alice meets Dominic Gill at his law firm where she is there to discuss a catering function that she has been hired to present. After a three month courtship they marry and Dominic moves in to her home which she previously purchased with cash. However, Dom has been avoiding her requests to finally meet his family at the wedding. Alice is confused by his attempts to put off their meeting but her starry eyes quickly forget about it. Three years later Alice is shocked when a police officer knocks on her door to let her know that her husband has died in a car accident. When she goes to the morgue to identify Dom, his estranged brother Simon promptly tells the police that the man in the coffin is not his brother Dominic. Alice is reluctant to admit that her Dominic is not in the coffin but hires a private detective to look into his background.

I loved this book. The twists were spectacular and were revealed as both Alice and Dominic told the story from their different points of view. It lent an eerie feeling to the book. I don't know why Alice couldn't see through Dom's deceptions. She clearly did not want to know if there was a problem in her marriage because any other woman would have been suspicious of him from the start. For a woman who owns her own business you would expect that she would not be the type of girl to fall for all the lies. Some of these instances required too much suspension of belief to be believable but it was the author's method of setting up the ending. The pace was fast, helping Alice determine the truth about Dom fairly quickly after his death.

4 out of 5 stars.