darned good read – powerfulwomenreaders

FINALLY GETTING AROUND TO THE REVIEW OF THIS WONDERFUL BOOK: By N.K. Jemisin

N.K. Jemisin is my favorite Sci-Fi/Sci-Fantasy novelist. I was introduced to her writings by a fellow blogger, S. Higsbee, of Brainfluff, in her review of Jemisin’s Broken Earth Series many years ago. Reading Jemisin’s trilogy was one of my best reading experiences ever. Starting The Great Cities Series this past year with The City We Became, was one of my greatest pleasures to date. (I reviewed this novel on PWR earlier–use the search bar.)

The Avatars of New York who finally found each other and came together in the first book, The City We Became, are ready to take on The Woman in White and her minions. They “join together with the other Great Cities of the World to take her down and protect their world from complete destruction.”

The action, the plot the twists and turns keep the reader turning the pages and staying up well past bedtime. Twists and turns occur as the solutions found become temporary and even create other situations to solve. It is a battle between good and evil which is fought out in the most creative of ways. What reader would have dreamt that spoken verse could be used as a weapon? The women characters/boroughs/avatars of New York have stronger roles than ever, and their love-hate relationships with each other are beautifully drawn.

Usually, I recommend novels as stand alone even when in a series, but on this one, it is necessary to read the first book to enjoy the second. I promise you will like it too. Both books are darned good reads.

CHRISTMAS SHOPPING SUGGESTIONS

DO YOU HAVE A TEEN OR A PRECOCIOUS JUNIOR HIGH READER ON YOUR SHOPPING LIST?

If so, may I suggest a superb sci-fi series from blogging friend S.J. Higbee? The Manitore Series is one this adult found fascinating on many levels. It can be read on many levels: as a retelling of the Cinderella story (with monster), as a psychological allegory, as an exciting adventure, or as a darned good read to tackle over Christmas vacation.

BOOK ONE

The First book introduces us to an amazing character, well-drawn, intriguing and very complex.

BOOK TWO

Unlike many second books in a series, this one is even better than the first.

BOOK THREE

Talk about excitement, this final book in the Trilogy has it all.

Available from Amazon, and perhaps on Kindle, this is the perfect gift for your perfect kid!

THE FOUR WINDS by Kristin Hannah: A Review

A story of The Great Depression and the Dustbowl, set in Texas in 1921, The Four Winds was recommended by my friend Teddy at the Tuesday Readers Book Club at my local library. We all enjoyed reading it. Winds tells the story of Elsa Wolcott and Rae Martinelli, two crazy kids who have a night of passion and Elsa, pregnant, is turned out of her home, taking refuge with Rafe’s parents. Experiencing “marriage to a man she barely knows,” Elsa finds she can earn the affection and acceptance from Rafe’s parents she never could find offered by her own family. By 1934, Elsa’s world has become topsy turvey.

Drought, dust storms and crop failure hit the farm and family Rafe has left earlier, and Elsa and her children set out for California and a better life. The novel becomes the depression version of the American Dream as seen through Elsa’s eyes. Perseverance, resiliency and determination, she never dreamed she had, leads Elsa on a quest as her character changes from a cringing, weak-spirited, unloved woman to a dynamic, activist who sacrifices everything for her passion.

This “rich, sweeping novel,” a typical Hanna read, is definitely a darned good read. I highly recommend it.

RAE

CLEANING OUT OLD NOTES AND FILES, I FOUND…

…Notes on a short story collection I read in 2022 but never reviewed on PWR, so if you will indulge me, this one is too good to miss.

Oates is special to me because years and years ago, I heard her read from one of her books at the University of Houston. Never mind that it was probably her most boring book a non-fiction tome titled On Boxing, a history of and musings about the sport, in which I had no interest. Even her delivery was quiet and not particularly personable, but she was a famous author, and when I looked into her novels and short stories, I found out what a versatile, wonderful author she is. Over the years, I have read many books by Oates and now have to list her as one of my “favorites.”

This collection is about dark and deep themes, expressed in a lovely way; themes like suicide, abortion and vaguely disturbing feelings and thoughts . These things are handled in a way only Oates could. A longer story, almost a novella, is included about a young magazine writer who is given the opportunity to interview Robert Frost in his declining years. It is highly imaginative and written in a way that could cause some readers to believe it actually happened that way. Oates has a masterpiece here; it is suspenseful as it deals with women’s “place,” male chauvinism, authors’ egos, and independent young women who are “ahead of their time” in their thinking. I enjoyed it immensely, and would recommend this book on the basis of that story alone. I’ll bet Oates had fun writing it!

SATURDAY MORNINGS FOR KIDS

Just as Saturday mornings were reserved for kids’ cartoons on 50s and 60s TV programming, PWR reserves Saturday Mornings for reviews of kids’ books. Today’s recommendation was previously used for a First Line Fridays’ post.

Thanks” Reading Is My Superpower” host for loaning the image.

Today’s book is the awaited sequel to…

…by my favorite children’s author…

As noted in the “Friday Firstliners”post, The Other Side of the River begins minutes after The Barefoot Dreams of Petra Luna leaves off. Barefoot Dreams ended with a cliffhanger, and now that River is coming out September 2nd, we can finally exhale.

Usually the sequel to a novel disappoints me, but this sequel is every bit as warm and suspenseful and adventurous as the original novel about the Mexican Revolution.

Petra Luna is a tween, but her responsibilities are those of an adult. Set in San Antonio, this historical novel, based on the stories of Alda Dobbs’ great grandmother, have been researched extensively to confirm the tales her grandmother spun of her early life. As an immigrant in the United States, she is the primary provider for her grandmother, her sister, and her baby brother. Dedicated to her promise to keep the family together after the death of her mother and the Federalies’ conscription of her father, Petra faces new adventures in her new home. Tricked by unscrupulous people and aided by others, Petra works hard and never forgets her dream of learning to read and write. As she meets the Chili Queens, the kindly nuns of the convent and other indigenous characters to the Mexican-flavored society of San Antonio, she manages to keep her family afloat and to search for news of her father.

The story is one that kept this reader turning pages, and although I was skeptical of whether this sequel could incorporate the adventures (or misadventures) of Barefoot Dreams, I was rewarded with breathtaking, edge-of-your-seat scenes that kept me up late because I was rooting so hard for Petra, and couldn’t wait until morning to see how the book “came out.”

It is definitely a darned good read for kids and adults alike. Even younger kids could enjoy Petra’s story when read to, and the novel has something for everyone. I highly recommend it.

NEVER HAVE I EVER by Joshilyn Jackson: A Review

Rarely do I read books described as “thrillers.” Either they don’t deliver or the thrill part is so good that it makes me anxious. Never Have I Ever falls into the latter category. This 2019 novel kept me on the edge of my chair and turning pages late into the night.

The story begins with a book club meeting (definitely a plus), and a strange woman who comes to the door wanting to join the group. This new-to-the-neighborhood woman, Roux, is as exotic as her name, especially to the mundane every-day housewives and mothers gathered at Amy’s house for book club. Time magazine calls this a novel with “dramatic reveals about [each] woman’s complex histories.” As the story progresses we meet up with blackmail. family secrets, relationships, second marriages, and step parenting issues.

It is a story of two women, both complex, compelling characters. Amy, the protagonist, the “good guy,” or is she? and Roux, the antagonist, the “bad guy, is she ever! plot against each other as they play out a dangerous game started that fateful night at the book club meeting.

Who knew what lurked in Roux’s past? Who knew the dark secret Amy was hiding? The women of the book club, although secondary characters are well-developed and integral to the progression of the twists and turns of the plot. And the ending–oh the ending –is both exciting and satisfactory.

This is a thriller I highly recommend. It was a “darned good read.”

One W Wednesday

Triple W Wednesdays is a meme where one tells WHAT you have finished, WHAT you are currently reading, and WHAT you will read next. I prefer to keep it simple, dealing only with one of the W’s, WHAT I have just finished.

I finished the following book I had checked out of my local library this past week.

An exciting YA read that builds suspense all the way to its excellent climax.

This 2021 publication was picked as a Pure Belpre Honor Book, and definitely earned that honor. Petra Pena, the twelve-year-old protagonist, only wanted one thing to become a Cuentista, a storyteller like her abuelita, her grandmother. As the narrative opens, Halley’s Comet is going to collide with earth. Petra, her mother, father and little brother, Javier, blast off on a spaceship headed for a new planet. The trip will take hundreds of years, so the family is put in a sleep-state, frozen until their arrival. The family keeps Petra’s bad eyesight a secret, and they are cleared to start the survival mission.

When “they,” an evil Corporation that has taken over the ship and trip, awaken Petra, her parents’ and brother’s sleeping pods are empty. The Corporation had intended to erase every sleeping person’s memories of earth from their minds, but with Petra, for some reason, it didn’t work. Petra fakes being brainwashed until she can solve the mystery of what became of her parents and brother. Secretly, she recounts stories of earth to her brainwashed roommates, and slowly their memories come back. They escape in a small spacepod/ship and land on the target planet. Higuera’s fast-paced, sci fi story has a very satisfying ending. It is a story of friendships, family loyalty, mystery , and adventure.I definitely would describe it as a darned good read.

This meme asks the blogger to choose a passage from a current read that will “tease” other readers into reading the book. What? no blog? Then leave your Tuesday Teaser in the comments below.

Today’s teaser comes from a book I have almost finished. The passage is on page 352. Tess (Miller the love-interest’s autistic daughter) has just forced the babysitter to break off Miller and Emma’s first date , asking Miller to come home; Tess has created a disaster (again!) When the couple arrive at Miller’s house the scene is described by Emma (protagonist):

“[Tess] was currently sliding around like a cheerful otter, completely soaked in corn oil…Miller paid [the babysitter] who was more than ready to leave and stink-eyeing Tess…” The sitter had been trying to make brownies

“…even without the spilled corn oil, the kitchen was a disaster…batter and beaters were dripping outside the sink…Flour and sugar had spilled on the counter, and every ingredient was unwrapped and spilled, including a stick of butter that looked like Tess had taken a bite out of. But the real mess was, of course, the floor. An entire half gallon of corn oil. According to [the babysitter] Tess had poured it on the cat to make him ‘pretty.’ There were smears of corn oil on the walls, on the floor.” When Miller handed paper towels to Tess, she said,

” ‘Thank you, Daddy.’ She smeared them in the puddles of oil and put them on her head. Miller sighed.”

Talk about a disastrous first date! Well, it gets worse, and ends up with Tess cutting herself, attacking Emma with a hand-held mixer whose beaters get entangled in her long hair, and a trip to the emergency room for stitches for Tess and a shaved haircut for Emma because the beaters are pulling her hair out by the roots, and the pain is unbearable. This book has it all: romance, women’s friendships, family secrets, conflict between generations, and more.

This book is turning out to be a DARNED GOOD READ!

PRESENT OVER PERFECT by Shauna Niequest: “Leaving Behind Frantic for a Simpler, More Soulful Way of Living”

This book includes a foreword by Brene Brown, and quite frankly, I am sure the author has read some of Brown’s books, for their philosophies are similar. This book encourages one to :”Live a life of meaning and connection instead of pushing for perfection.”

Niequist describes her journey and invites the reader to join her on it.

The author begins with these words, “A few years ago I found myself exhausted and isolated, my soul and body sick. I was tired of being tired, burned out, and busy.”

Ever been there? I have. Like the author, I have longed for “connection, meaning and depth,” only to settle for “busy.” Sometimes I have even chosen “busy” as a distraction to keep myself from thinking, from introspective thoughts and from searching deep within. Niequist explains a new way to live, incorporating grace, love, rest and play, which “changed everything.” Her challenge, first to herself, then to the reader is to find her “essential self.” She teaches us to embrace silence and stillness in her collection of essays. Her technique allows us “to be present in the middle of the mess and ordinariness of life.”

This author brought home the peace and gracefulness of her Lake Vacation home with her and has never lost it since. My favorite essays were “Learning to Play” and “The Spring of the Basketball Hoop.” Both describe the value of play, family, and friends. I would rate this 5 on a scale of 1-5 and would describe it as a “darned good read.”

RAE

THE RULES OF LOVE AND GRAMMAR by Mary Simses: A Review

If there is such a thing as a cozy romance novel, this is one.

In her 2016 publication, Simses has created a Grammar Nazi in her protagonist. Grace Hammond corrects poor grammar usage wherever she encounters it. As the story opens, Grace has lost her job, her boyfriend, her apartment, and is forced to return to her parents’ home in Connecticut. Tragedy took her older sister years ago, and her parents have never gotten over or spoke of it since. It is a romance, one I would christen a “cozy romance,” and three different love interests are present: Peter, a high school boyfriend, now a renowned filmmaker who has returned to town to shoot a movie; Sean, an actor who recently was proclaimed The Sexiest Man Alive, also in town; and Mitch, the bike guy. Cluny, her best friend and sidekick since elementary school rounds out the cast of supporting characters.

Each chapter features a rule of grammar, followed by an example sentence which often foreshadows what will happen in the chapter. Here is an example from the beginning of Chapter 19: “Collective nouns are singular and are typically paired with singular verbs. A film crewe often works very long hours.” In this pleasurable novel, Grace, the main character ” finds love and closure, and rediscovers herself. ” The book is a darned good read.