darned good reads – powerfulwomenreaders

READ AN E-BOOK DAY: Sunday, September 18th

I began reading an e-book on my Kindle during my Labor Day Readathon.

group people worker professionals labor day vector illustration

I chose one I had won in a blogger’s giveaway, Dead of Winter Break, a cozy mystery by Kelly Brakenhoff. In this second book in a series (which read just fine as a stand-alone) Cassandra Soto, an administrator at a Nebraska college has begun her second semester there after living in warm Hawaii. She has her first, unwelcome, taste of Nebraska winters. She and Murphy, an unwanted dog, live in a house that is damaged by a Nebraska storm. Sean Gill, one of the love interests involved in this story, is a neighbor’s son, visiting for the Holidays. Or is he? Is he there for some other reason, and does he get involved in the fixing of Cassandra’s house for some other reason than neighborliness? The head of Campus Police, Andy Summers, is another love interest who keeps Cassandra apprised of all campus matters, since she is in charge during the Holidays.

At the December commencement, attended by Cassandra and her sleuthing buddy, Cinda, they spot Dr. Nielson, who supposedly retired and moved to Florida. It turns out Nielson, who had supervised a student/faculty trip to China the past semester, has changed his mind about retiring and has returned to the small college town. Wondering how his return will affect her promotion and plans, Cassandra attempts to get in touch with him, but before she can do so, he is murdered.

Forced to live in the dorm with the International students and those who cannot go home for the Holidays, Cassandra becomes the “dorm mother” to the students who connect with Murphy in a way she has been unable to do thus far. The relationships between the students and between the students and Cassandra provide clues and suspects into Dr. Nielson’s demise.

There are a good number of twists and turns that keeps the reader turning pages–whoops! scrolling right. LOL that provide red herrings and many suspects in the affair.

It is a darned good read .

ACCORDION CRIMES by E. Annie Proulx: A Review

The Shipping News was one of my favorite books–ever. This novel, Accordion Crimes

by the same author was not as engaging but a darned good read in its own right. The metaphor or theme was pure genius: a small green accordion which was passed from owner to owner over the decades, and character sketches of its various owners.

Written in 1996, the novel has been called by critics, “a masterpiece of storytelling.” It begins in 1890s’ Sicily, where the accordion maker fashions the small, elegant accordion. He and his son immigrate to America with dreams of opening a music store. They come to live in New Orleans, and when the accordion maker is murdered, the green accordion falls into the hands of someone who carried it onward to Iowa, then to Texas.

The music of the accordion is the “last link to their pasts ” for Mexicans, Africans, Poles, Germans, Norwegians, Irish, Basques, and Franco Canadians, as the instrument moves from owner to owner, family to family. It “becomes their voice[s] for their fantasies, sorrows, and exuberance[s],” all of which Proulx shares with the reader. The novel introduces many, many characters, each a representative of their ethnicity as the accordion travels across the continent and back. There is a surprise ending, which brings the reader’s memory all the way back to a forgotten event/detail. This novel is a darned good read.

CHALLENGE UPDATE

ONE OF MY 2022 READING CHALLENGES WAS TO READ 22 NOVELS IN 2022

TODAY I updated my Reading Log and filled in titles on my 2022 challenges. To my delight, I discovered I had FINISHED the Novel Challenge to read 22 novels from January to December. Actually, to date I have read 26 novels.

Novels are one of my main passions. At one time in my life, I read ONLY novels.

Here they are in the order I read them:

Aristotle and Dante Dive into the Waters of the World by Benjamin Alire Saenz, the sequel to Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe/ Summer by Edith Wharton, which I also used for the “What’s in a Name reading challenge and could have used for the Classics Club / Rez Dogs by Joseph Bruchac, a novel in verse which I read for the Cybil’s judging/ The Awakening of Miss Prim by Natalia Sanmartin Fenollera, a lovely literary love story/ Interior China Town by Charles Yu, which was a book club selection for my Page Turners book club/ The Monk Downstairs by Tim Farrington, which taught me a great deal about Buddhism / The Van Gogh Cafe by Cynthia Rylant, a sweet, gentle story/ The Dependents by Katherine Dion, a contemporary novel/ The Paris Library, based on the brave people who kept the Paris Library open during the occupation of Germany in WWII, told in novel form/ Life and Other Inconveniences by Kristin Higgins, an author I have come to seek out/ The Firekeeper’s Daughter by Angeline Bully, a YA novel and a thriller/ Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh, also used for The Classics Club/ The City We Became by N.K. Jeminsin, my new favorite sci-fi novel and the first in a series I look forward to reading / Fan Girl by Rainbow Rowell, a book that taught me what fan fiction was/ French Braid by Anne Tyler, one of my favorite authors/ Welcome to the School by the Sea by Jenny Colgan, a YA novel about a British boarding school/ The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame, also used for The Classics Club and a Third Tuesday Book Club selection / The Children Act by Ian McEwan, first read then watched the film version/ Never Have I Ever by Joshilyn Jackson, a thriller that had me holding my breath/ At Least You Have Your Health by Madi Sinha, a women’s novel/ Lost for Words by Stephanie Butland, an audio Book about Books/ Lost Roses by Martha Hall Kelly, the prequel to Lilac Girls, which I read last year/ Book Lovers by Emily Henry, a novel about the publishing industry/ Accordion Crimes by Annie Proulx, the only disappointment on this list/ The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki, a novel narrated by a Book/ Arcadia by Lauren Groff about Hippies on a commune in the 70s.

Whew! That’s a lot of fine reading! What a good feeling to have one challenge finished for this year. Stay tuned to find out the total number of novels read in 2022.

This week we are asked to feature a nonfiction book that seems stranger than something from an author’s imagination.

A book that “almost didn’t seem real,” which was one of our book club selections, was Unbroken by Laura Hillenbrand.

How this could be nonfiction is unbelievable to me.

The hero of this story goes through such physical and mental torment and torture that it makes the reader’s jaw drop to know he survived. Overcoming obstacles always makes a good story, but such massive, real ones makes this book my choice for nonfiction that “almost doesn’t seem real.”

I’ve enjoyed Nonfiction November so far. Here’s hoping I’ll finish some of the nonfiction books on my TBR shelves.

OLIVE AGAIN by Elizabeth Strout: A review

This time, I took a page from my friend Carla’s book and listened to the audiobook on Hoopla.

I was unaware of this 2020 publication until my blogging friend Carla reviewed in on Carla Loves to Read. I had read Olive Kitteridge, Strout’s introduction to this character as a Third-Tuesday book club selection some time ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. In that novel, Olive was a middle-aged junior high math teacher, who reminded me of many math teachers during my time teaching in junior high. She is one of my favorite literary characters.

“Prickly, witty, resistant to change, yet ruthlessly honest and deeply empathetic”, in the sequel, Olive Kitteridge struggles to understand others and herself. If nothing else, she is resilient. Themes of aging, loss, loneliness, and love are what Olive is dealing with now that she is an old woman.Olive’s story is set in Cosby, Maine, and as often is the case with Strout, she deals with “ordinary moments in the lives of ordinary people.” I found the New England setting interesting, coming from Virginia and now living on the Texas Gulf Coast, and agree with one critic who says of Strout, She “startle[s] us, move[s], and inspire[s] us [with] moments of transcendent grace.” It is a well-written novel and a darned good read/listen.

CLASSICS CLUB SELECTION FOR AUGUST AND SEPTEMBER

I am reading a classic every other month for the rest of 2021. August/September is the current selection I drew from a fishbowl.

Donna Tartt’s novel is considered a modern classic according to the list I consulted.

This 1992 publication is by the author of a novel selected by my Third Tuesday book club, The Goldfinch, and is one I enjoyed a great deal this summer. it is “compelling, elegant, dramatic, and playful.” Tartt’s History tells the story of a group of college students who are “clever, eccentric, misfits,” which includes themes of obsession, corruption, and betrayal.” It is one of the most suspenseful books I have ever read, a psychological thriller that had me holding my breath at points in the narrative. Many literary allusions grace the novel’s pages, something that held great appeal for this lit major.

It is a mystery that is solved at the beginning, then it unfolds and reveals as the narrative moves along, a “different” type of murder mystery in this respect. Above all else, it is a page-turning, darned good read. I highly recommend it.

Reading can be a good distraction in a time of stress.

A FINE YA NOVEL WITH SOMETHING FOR ALL READERS

Between Two Skies by Joanne O’Sullivan, published in 2017 discusses “post-Katrina (Hurricane Katrina, which hit New Orleans around 2005) relocation and renewal.”

The story is told from Evangeline’s point of view and involves her sister, Mandy and the other members of her family. Mandy is dying to be crowned an Orange Queen in the popular Bayou Perdue parade. Evangeline is a queen of another parade (her first time at winning a title), but she is an unwilling Shrimp Queen.

Hurricane Katrina makes a direct hit on Bayou Perdue, wiping out the town. Fortunately, Evangeline and her family evacuate in time and stay with a relative. As the plot progresses, the family is split apart, some wanting to stay with the relative, others wanting to re-start their life in Bayou Perdue.

Bittersweet emotions emerge as the story revolves around teen romance and other teen issues: underage drinking, friendships and loyalties, betrayal, and “mean girls.” The author, through Evangeline, expresses a strong love of nature, the bayous of Louisiana and its wildlife. When Evangeline and her father are out on their boat, the reader can “see” the surrounding environment.

Full of “richly drawn characters,” this YA novel proves that “not even a hurricane can defeat the human heart.” It is a darned good read.

I have come to enjoy YA novels although I am a far cry from a YOUNG adult.

FIRST LINE FRIDAYS

Today’s Friday First Liner comes from Renee Rosen’s The Social Graces, which I requested through my local library. I read about it on a friend’s blog.

“PROLOGUE/Society/New York 1876

They call us the weaker sex. Something we find flattering and maddening in equal measure.”

I have read through the end of chapter one, and am intrigued by the family diagrams of the Astors and the Vanderbilts. This promises to be a darned good read.

Written first thing this rainy Friday morning…

THE BOOK CHARMER by Karen Hawkins: A Review

This 2019 publication is an “unforgettable story about a sleepy southern town, two fiercely independent women, and a truly magical friendship.” When I saw this “teaser,” I definitely wanted to read the book. Anything that is about the magic of books is right up my alley.

Sarah Dove is the librarian of Dove Pond, North Carolina’s public library, a member of the town’s founding family, The Doves, and the “charmer” mentioned in the title. Dove Pond “has seen better days,” in fact, is dying, and Sarah is looking for someone to save it. The books, who have “spoken” to her since childhood, tell her that savior has arrived.

Enter Grace Wheeler, a “displaced city girl.” Is she the savior that Dove Pond so desperately needs? Can Grace rescue Dove Pond? Does she even want to? Known to some as “The Dragon Lady,” Grace moves into town with her foster mother, “Mama G” and her niece, Daisy in tow, on the same block as Sarah, and right next door to Trav, an unlikely love interest. With this mix and the town’s resentment of Grace as city manager, fireworks are bound to happen!