The Ministry of Time by Kaliane Bradley

 

Reviewed by Kristin

In a near future London, a young woman accepts a civil service job without having a complete picture of what that job will entail. She soon learns she is to be a caretaker to someone from two centuries ago, as the ministry has recently worked out how to bring people centuries forward into the current day. The ministry is cautious, and only takes individuals who were about to die anyway. Wars, plagues, and civil unrests, those are all great times to pluck out someone whose disappearance shouldn’t make a ripple in the fabric of time.

The unnamed young woman narrates the story, only identified as a “bridge” working with one of the historical individuals—Commander Graham Gore of Sir John Franklin’s ill-fated Arctic expedition. The five individuals brought forward in time are known as “expats” and sometimes referred to by the year from which they were extracted.

Expat Graham came from 1847, and understandably has a very difficult time accepting some of the changes happening in the world. 9 million people living in London? Indoor plumbing? Women’s bare calves? The enfranchisement of the working class? Spotify? Unthinkable!

The other expats are a woman from 1665 (Plague of London), a lieutenant from 1645 (Battle of Naseby), an army captain from 1916 (Battle of the Somme), and a woman from 1793 (Parisian Reign of Terror). As might be imagined, these characters are highly entertaining as they get to know each other and the vagaries of the modern world.  The ministry is keeping an eye on them, but letting them live in the real world, not just keeping them locked up in a hospital ward.

But, can the ministry be trusted?

Alternately funny, tender, and just slightly spicy, this genre defying debut novel from Kaliane Bradley is a delight.

Nevermore: In the Lives of Puppets, Secret Appalachian Highlands, Paws of Firefighters

Reported by Rita

 

In the Lives of  Puppets by TJ Klune

When an unwitting act of betrayal leads to the capture of his android Gio, who once hunted humans, Victor Lawson and his assembled family must journey across an unforgiving and otherworldly country to the City of Electric Dreams to rescue Gio from decommission, or worse, reprogramming.

It's funny and enjoyable if you’re looking for a light read.    – WJ     4 stars

 

Secret Appalachian Highlands: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure by Robert Sorrell

The Appalachian Highlands, a rural region consisting of Northeast Tennessee and Southwest Virginia, is world-famous for its country music treasures, fast cars, early pioneer history, and breathtaking natural scenery. It is centered on the tri-cities of Bristol, Johnson City, and Kingsport, and is surrounded by smaller communities and rural wonderlands. Secret Appalachian Highlands: A Guide to the Weird, Wonderful, and Obscure digs deeper and uncovers some of the region’s lesser-known places, mysterious stories, and creative oddities. Each community in the Appalachian Highlands has its share of secret attractions, such as Jonesborough, Tennessee’s, pillory; dinosaur creations in Bluff City, Tennessee; and the wolves of Abingdon, Virginia. A few famous faces, including President Andrew Johnson, NASCAR great Dale Earnhardt Jr., and pop- culture icons Tennessee Ernie Ford and Hank Williams Sr. have all made their unique mark on the Appalachian Highlands. The region also features some of the nation’s most spectacular natural features, including one known as the “eighth wonder of    the world.” Local author Robert Sorrell will introduce you to the secret side of the Appalachian Highlands, a treasure trove of intriguing peculiarities and hidden history just waiting to be explored.

An excellent resource to own for planning outings.      –WJ     5 stars

 

Paws of Firefighters: The Dogs and Other Animals of New York Firehouses by Emmy Park

This series of pet bios and accompanying portraits tells the stories of the animals that serve on duty at New York's firehouses. In this book, Emmy Park has combined her love for dogs and cats and her passion for documenting the relationship between pets and their families in this unique journey with the firefighters who serve New Yorkers and the companions that serve them unconditionally. Meet beloved canines, felines, and even a pig of New York’s firehouses—in all five boroughs (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, and Staten Island) and Long Island.

This is a fabulous collection of photos of firehouse animals.     –NH     5 stars      

 

Other Books Mentioned

The Skeleton Key by Erin Kelly

The Consequence of Anna by Kate Birkin

Crow Talk: a Novel by Eileen Garvin

Hillbilly Elegy: A Memoir of a Family and Culture in Crisis by J. D. Vance

One of Ours by Willa Cather

Smoky Jack: The Adventures of a Dog and His Master on Mount Le Conte by Paul J. Adams

The Trouble I've Seen by Martha Gellhorn

Above the Waterfall: a Novel by Ron Rash

Thick as Thieves by Sandra Brown

Thereby Hangs a Tail: a Chet and Bernie Mystery by Spencer Quinn

In My Time of Dying: How I Came Face-To-Face With the Idea of an Afterlife  by Sebastian  Junger

How to Age Disgracefully by Clare Pooley

The Most Human: Reconciling with My Father, Leonard Nimoy by Adam Nimoy

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

While the title sounds a bit like a celebrity tell-all, this is no Mommy Dearest.  While Adam Nimoy does blame some of his problems on having a father who was an emotionally distant, hypercritical, and often absent alcoholic, the primary focus of the book is about how Adam faced up to his own addiction to pot.

He became addicted as a teenager but it wasn’t until he became an adult that Adam realized he needed to break his habit. Unhappily married with two young children, he enrolled in a program and began to try to put his life together. 

Getting sober didn’t immediately fix all his problems.  His marriage ended in divorce, and his children were angry and hurt, especially his daughter, Maddy.  His relationship with his father didn’t improve.  His mother suffers from depression and possibly hypochondria, visiting doctor after doctor in hopes of a terminal diagnosis.

That’s a lot of temptation to fall back into old habits, but Adam perseveres.  The reader learns a lot about the Twelve Steps and just what it means to make an amends. He also has the support he needs to realize what he needs to work on, including thinking twice before speaking, and to recognize that being an addict since his teens has stunted his emotional growth.  He’s very much a work in progress.

To his credit, he also refrains from celebrity name-dropping and downplays some of his entertainment connections.  He does reference his directing jobs and why those ceased (“It’s not the work, it’s the attitude”) while he was still using.

That’s not to say there are no personal aspects to the book. One important part is when Adam examines his father’s formative years as the child of Jewish immigrants who did not support Leonard’s acting ambitions either emotionally nor financially.  It does help him understand some things from his father’s perspective, even if Adam does have grievances of his own.

Mostly, it’s the story of a man trying to find his place in life and his search for someone to share it with.  It’s well told and interesting, though at times there is an emotional distance from the reader.  It does read more like AA Sharing in that he is only reporting his feelings and not anyone else’s with very few exceptions.   I liked learning about the recovery program, and hope to employ WAIT (Why Am I Talking?) in my own life because there are times I just need to shut up.

Like now.

The God of the Woods by Liz Moore

 

Reviewed by Christy

In August 1975, camp counselor Louise discovers one of her 13-year-old campers is missing. And not just any camper – Barbara Van Laar. Barbara is the daughter of the wealthy owners of the summer camp. Working class Louise knows her livelihood and her dreams of bettering her younger brother's future are at stake if Barbara is not located quickly. What follows is a sprawling drama centering the Van Laar family, its many employees, and the surrounding townspeople in their shadow.

          What I enjoyed most about this novel is that there is no one protagonist. Moore spends time with multiple characters (Tracy – Barbara's bunkmate, TJ – the camp director, Judy – a young detective, and many more). It also isn't a linear timeline, jumping from the 1960s to the 1950s to earlier in the summer of 1975. Moore keeps a handy timeline before each chapter with the current time in bold, which I found immensely helpful. I have recently discovered a love for expansive character studies, and Moore really executes this particular style well. I can't say the characters sounded terribly different from one another but that didn't bother me. The storytelling was too engaging for me to mind.

          There are many wealthy, terrible people in this novel who are deeply frustrating to read about but that's what makes the tragic aspects of the story so much more impactful. We know that there are rich people who will always get away with being rude, entitled, and so much worse long after we finish the final page. Moore's prose is simple but moving, and I found myself unable to shake the heaviness I felt while reading even after I put the book down. When I initially started reading, I was not expecting to be affected so much but I'm really glad I read it! I would rather a book make me sad than make me feel nothing at all.

        

     

Nevermore: Intrigue of Witches, Some Days There's Pie, In My Time of Dying

 

An Intrigue of Witches by Esme Addison

Thirty-year-old Black woman Sidney Taylor is a talented early American historian, working in fast-paced Washington DC, with her eyes on promotion. She's also currently persona non grata. Who knew that making an inconvenient historical discovery would see her stuck at her desk, shuffling paper? So when she receives an anonymous and very cryptic invitation to visit historic small-town Robbinsville, North Carolina, and hunt for a missing archaeological treasure - with a million-dollar payout at stake - it's one she can't refuse. Besides, her beloved grandmother lives in Robbinsville, and it's been too long since she's visited her. Soon, Sidney's on an exciting treasure hunt, following two-hundred-year-old clues that lead her ever closer to the artifact she's searching for. But what is the artifact? And why is Sidney starting to feel like she's at the heart of a terrifying conspiracy she doesn't understand? The answer blows Sidney's world apart, plunging her into a dark, glittering world of secret societies, ancient bloodlines, witches, and magic linked to an ages-old conspiracy that could destroy the very principles upon which America was founded.

I found this book very likable and entertaining.    –MH     4 stars

 

Some Days There's Pie by Catherine Landis

This humorous, affecting novel follows the adventures of Ruth, a woman who has run away from her life, with the help of Rose, an elderly, kindly reporter suffering from a terminal illness.

She’s a good writer, but I couldn’t get into the story.    – KM     3 stars

 

In My Time of Dying: How I Came Face-to-Face with the Idea of an Afterlife by Sebastian Junger

The New York Times best-selling author shares the story of how a near-death experience led him to question his own atheism and undertake a scientific and philosophical examination of mortality and what happens after we die.

It was thought-provoking and informative, but the medical terminology was sometimes too much.     – NH     4 stars

 

Other Books Mentioned

The Lost Bookshop by Evie Woods

Burning Bright: Stories by Ron Rash

Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

Sociopath: a Memoir by Patric Gagne

The Lego Story: How a Little Toy Sparked the World's Imagination by Jens Andersen

 

New Books

Crow Talk: a novel by Eileen Garvin

Challenger: a True Story of Heroism and Disaster on the Edge of Space by Adam Higginbotham

A.K.A. Lucy: the Dynamic and Determined Life of Lucille Ball by Sarah Royal

In the Hour of Crows by Dana Elmendorf

How to Land on Your Feet: Life Lessons from My Cat by Jamie Shelman

New in September!

 Here are some of the fiction titles we're looking forward to September!

Atkinson, Kate Death at the Sign of the Rook  (Jackson Brodie)

Bentley, Don  Capture or Kill (Mitch Rapp)

Bradley, Alan  What Time the Sexton’s Spade Doth Rust (Flavia de Luce)

Child, Lee  Safe Enough (Stories)

Dave, Laura  The Night We Lost Him

Deaver, Jeffery & Isabella Maldonado Fatal Intrusion (Sanchez & Heron)

Freeman, Brian Break Every Rule

Gilbert, Victoria  A Killer Clue (Hunter & Clewe)

Goldberg, Lee  Ashes Never Lie (Sharpe and Walker)

Haig, Matt  The Life Impossible

Jance, J.A.  Den of Iniquity (J.P. Beaumont)

Johansen, Iris On the Hunt (Kira Drake)

Jonasson, Ragnar   Death at the Sanatorium

Klune, T.J. Somewhere Beyond the Sea (Cerulean Chronicles)

Koontz, Dean  The Forest of Lost Souls

Locke, Attica  Guide Me Home (Highway 59)

Madden, Mike  Clive Cussler Ghost Soldier (Oregon Files)

Michaels, Fern  Santa’s Secret

Novak, Brenda The Banned Books Club

Novik, Naomi  Buried Deep and Other Stories

Osman, Richard  We Solve Murders

Patterson, James and Ellis, David  Lies He Told Me

Powers, Richard  Playground

Robb, J.D.  Passions in Death

Rooney, Sally  Intermezzo

Strout, Elizabeth  Tell Me Everything

Sutanto, Jesse Q.  You Will Never Be Me

Walker, Martin  A Grave in the Woods (Bruno, Chief of Police)