The House on Biscayne Bay
by Chanel Cleeton
Gothic Mystery (1/2/2024)
The House on Biscayne Bay by Chanel Cleeton alternates between Anna in 1918 and Carmen in 1941 while they live in Marbrisa, the mansion on Biscayne Bay, Florida. Similar to a gothic novel, there is mystery, terror, and dark deeds, but set in a "haunted" mansion instead of a castle. Anna's husband, Robert, is accused of murdering both his wife and his lover and twenty-three years later, Asher, Carmen's brother-in-law, is accused of murdering his wife. All the murders occurred at Marbrisa with a mysterious gold snake necklace as the only cue linking them. I enjoyed this easy read book and was engaged in solving with mysteries with Anna, Carolina (Carmen's sister), and Carmen. The descriptions of building and then remodeling Marbrisa were as interesting as the mystery.
This Is Salvaged: Stories
by Vauhini Vara
Relationships (9/2/2023)
This Is Salvaged by Vauhini Vara is a collection of 10 short stories about the individual search for meaning and connection with other people. Ranging from a story of two teens phone solicitors, of a failed sister who is trying to be a loving aunt, of the remnants of a burned ark that are salvaged, of a step-mother trying to forge a relationship, of the unknowns, of hormonal women, of the sisters of a dying child, of a daughter's search for a relationship with an unknown father, to a story of dying. Each is a look into the inner thoughts of those having the experience. This would be an excellent book club choice because the layers and depths that could be explored.
The All-American: A Novel
by Joe Milan Jr.
Search for Identity (2/18/2023)
Bucky, a high-school football player, was born in Korea and only speaks English. His American stepmother filed paperwork for his citizenship, but the check bounced. After an altercation, he is accused of being an illegal immigrant, placed in a detention center, suffered in humane treatment, and sent to Korea. In Korea, he discovers his father has run up debts in Bucky's name that must be paid, he is or isn't a Korean citizen, and must complete military service. This book is the story of his feelings, experiences in Korea, resiliency, and search for identity.
At first, I had difficulty getting into the book because of football references, guns, violence, and maleness. But the story of this poor young man's search for identity and belonging was heartbreaking. Once into Bucky's misadventure, I couldn't put the book down. I wanted to read the twists and turns of his story and how he used the lessons from football to navigate his struggles. How many young people today are being sent to a country where they don't speak the language and have no friends or family all because of failed immigration policies or government ineptitude? What happens to them?
Moonrise Over New Jessup
by Jamila Minnicks
Moonrise Over New Jessup (12/15/2022)
New Jessup was an African American town in Alabama that resisted integration. There were no "whites only" signs; there were no "colored entrance" signs. In addition to fully developed characters, the love story narration, and opposing viewpoints of the civil rights movement, the book is beautifully written. "Cool morning air thick with a low autumn fog," "paper with my dried tears and defenses … went up in smoke," and "exhale to release the inside noise" are examples of imagery that fill the pages of this book. I found joy in the imagery and could see and feel and smell and hear as if I were there. Everyone who loves beautiful writing will enjoy this book.
The Mostly True Story of Tanner & Louise
by Colleen Oakley
Intergenerational Friendship (10/10/2022)
I loved The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise by Colleen Oakley!
According to Louise, 90 percent of a crime caper is the setup and the best ones contain misdirection and cleverness. Criminals only succeed if they are intelligent and have patience. This book is the perfect crime caper with intelligent and patient characters.
Tanner, age 21, needs a place to live and Louise's children don't think she is fit at 84 to live alone. In exchange for a room, Tanner drives Louise to her appointments and is just there. Each have their preconceived opinions of the other. Then, Louise receives a life-changing letter form George and Tanner sees a woman on a TV wanted poster that looks just like Louise. Is this the beginning of an adventure, or just the beginning of the setup? Among those added along the way are a good- looking man, an FBI agent, a priest, a mob criminal, and a bar tender each adding another layer to the cleverness of the caper.
On the surface this book is funny, tender, exciting, and clever. But there is a lot to unpack with each character and in each leg of the journey. I didn't want it to end.
The Lies I Tell: A Novel
by Julie Clark
The Good Con (4/12/2022)
Kat held Meg responsible for a violent attack in her past. Meg held Ron responsible for the insecurity of her childhood. Along the way Ron and other men were made to pay for their crimes against women. Kat, a reporter, investigated Meg's crimes. But were they crimes or justice? This book was about the perfect con, revenge, justice, complicated women, and motivation. And the collision between the two women. I was hooked from the beginning not only by the story and the story telling, but also by the development of these two into strong women.
On a Night of a Thousand Stars
by Andrea Yaryura Clark
On a Night of a Thousand Stars by Andrea Yaryura Clark (2/16/2022)
I enjoyed reading this book once I adjusted to the writing style. All of the conversations are written in short choppy sentences with repetitive simple sentence structures interrupting the flow of the story. "I know. My apologies. My class ran late." Despite this, the story was very compelling because of both the setting and the plot. The political climate of Argentina, past and present, informed was the third story in the book. In the present, Paloma senses that her parents, especially her father, are hiding something. This story follows Paloma's search for the truth parallel with the story of her parent's past during the military takeover of Argentina. Connecting the two is Paloma's relationship with Franco who is searching for his family that was made to disappear during the "Dirty War" when a military dictatorship hunted down all dissidents. I couldn't put the book down once I got caught up in the stories.
The Paris Bookseller
by Kerri Maher
The Paris Bookseller by Kerri Maher (11/7/2021)
The Paris Bookseller by Kerri Maher is a fictional account of the Shakespeare and Company bookstore and lending library (1919-1941) owned by Sylvia Beach that became the gathering spot for the artists residing in Paris between the World Wars – among them, James Joyce, Ernest Hemmingway, Ezra Pound, F. Scott Fitzgerald, and T.S. Elliot. The themes of the book include love, relationships, censorship, and art.
At the beginning of the book I was ambivalent about the writing. For example, the beauty of Adrienne asking "Did you find...your heart's desire?" compared with the crudeness of "made Sylvia sweat in her sheets." But I found that both the beauty and crudeness reflected the recurring themes of censorship and art.
Much of the book was about the relationships between Beach and James Joyce, between Beach and her love Adrienne, and between art and censorship. The lawyer in the United States defended Joyce's Ulysses in the courts on the basis that the book was so ugly it couldn't corrupt instead of the "grounds of truth and beauty." Ulysses was declared pornography and banned in the United States meaning Joyce couldn't find a publisher, so Sylvia became the publisher. "Censorship is not commensurate with democracy or art."
Similar to today, the politicians are attempting to ban Beloved in schools and to ban the teaching of Critical Race Theory, even though their interpretation is ignorant. Before WWII, "The rulers in America wanted to outlaw anything that offended its sense of decorum. Book, play, film, organization, activity, or person was in danger of being silenced. The very suppression created more of what they feared - more anarchism and Marxism and protests and unrest and it was books like Ulysses that sought to open minds rather than slam them shut."
I enjoyed the middle part of the book - the publication of Ulysses- more than the beginning or the ending. For further reading, Shakespeare and Company by Sylvia Beach is the autobiography that is parallel to The Paris Bookseller.
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