The Sheep Detectives, aka Three Bags Full

There's a new movie in theaters entitled "The Sheep Detectives," based on the book Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann.  I went to see it this weekend and found it delightful. I may or may not have teared up.  The movie varies quite a bit from the book as far as the plot goes, but the heart of it is the same: a flock of sheep dedicated to finding out what happened to George.  The book, however, has some darker aspects than does the movie, which is aimed at being family friendly. That said, the movie doesn't shy away from some difficult topics. 

While some of the sheep underwent name changes, I was very happy to find that Mopple remained and had a large part to play in the movie.  

The movie's setting is England, not Ireland. Also, the book read to the sheep at the end of the movie is very different in the book.  

The following is my original brief review from 2011, to which I will add that the sequel is now available in English. And yes, DorothyL is still going strong. 

 I belong to DorothyL, a mystery listserv where folks discuss, among other things, mystery novels.  Recently some have read Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann, a sheep mystery.  I'm not kidding.  The sheep try to solve the mystery.  Of course, they don't quite understand the mystery--they're sheep, after all, and therein lies the delight.  Their shepherd has met with foul play and they really aren't sure what will become of them.  He was a rather nice shepherd who read aloud to the sheep, which is why they had some grasp of human doings.  One sheep, the cleverest, was Miss Maple and while there was an explanation of how she got her name (involving syrup) I am fairly sure the resemblance to Miss Marple was not unintentional.  My favorite sheep was Mopple the Whale, who was very large and while he was not terribly bright, he never forgot anything.  He reminded me of someone.  I can't think who.

Mopple, er, Melon waiting for a story.  Or a snack.  Preferably both.

 The book is clever and very well written.  Even more astonishingly, this sheepish story set in the hills of Ireland was written by a German. True, she was studying English literature at the time, but still it's pretty amazing.  She's done a sequel in which the sheep get to travel to France.  Alas, it hasn't been translated into English yet.

The Fox Wife by Yangsze Choo

 

Reviewed by Christy

            In Chinese mythology, the fox spirit can take many forms and, depending on the story, can be benevolent or malevolent. In Yangsze Choo's The Fox Wife, Snow is a fox who looks like a young woman, and who is on a mission of revenge. Bao is a private investigator in his sixties, hunting down whoever is responsible for a young woman found frozen to death. As their points of view alternate, their stories slowly start to converge.      

            This isn't my usual type of reading but the cover would catch my eye every time I came across it. I picked it up on a whim, and I'm glad I did! I really enjoyed Snow's chapters – her quiet frustration with silly humans and her wry humor. I struggled more with Bao's chapters mostly because procedural detective stories are not generally my thing. But Bao is a sweet man who is hard to dislike, and he grew on me even more as their stories came together.

            Choo occasionally leaves little footnotes throughout to explain some of the mythology. As she clarifies in her notes at the end of the book, footnotes and reactions in the margins are a Chinese literary tradition. She wanted to fill the book with such annotations but was afraid of alienating her readers, so she used them sparingly (personally, I loved them).

            If I had to give a critique, the book is often very slow with not much happening. It can also be a little repetitive with the clandestine meetings and whispers between the same characters. Even so, there is still something engaging about the story and specifically the character of Snow. There's also a few minor reveals that keep things interesting.  And I enjoyed learning about the fox folklore!

What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

The Hatori Community House is a place where people can do many different things, such as attend a class on computers or learn to play Go.  It also has a handy library and an even handier librarian in Sayuri Komachi.  She is a large lady, very white, and her book recommendations are always on point—even if some of the choices may seem a bit odd. Her hobby is felting animals and objects and she always gives one of these to her patron as a bonus gift.

As with several Japanese books I’ve read recently, the novel is a series of stories with something in common. There are five stories, each featuring a different character who is at some sort of cross road.  He or she is unhappy or bored with life and wants to make a change.  They end up at the library where they are given what they ask for and a little extra.

Each story is a little gem, and each has something to say about books, readers, the power of story, and yes, libraries.  I admit I wasn’t quite on board at first, in part because of some cultural differences but one of the pleasures of books is seeing different viewpoints. For example, the librarian is a very large, very pale woman, something that each character notes in some way: she’s a polar bear, the Michelin man, a ball of rice. She’s also a bit otherworldly, like an oracle, though one patron thinks of Kwan Yin, the goddess of mercy.  Some readers found that off-putting, but I saw it as more a way of conveying an otherness about her.

All the stories make the character reassess what they want out of life, which can lead to some reader introspection. Sometimes we become fixated on one outcome and don’t allow that circumstances change and perhaps some of our goals should as well.

Most of all, there are so many wonderful quotes about books!  I am going to buy my own copy and a highlighter to note passages* like this one:  “Readers make their own personal connections to words, irrespective of the writer’s intentions, and each reader gains something unique.”

I could go off on a whole spiel about that, but I’ll refrain except to say that books and readers are as alchemy that creates unique experiences.  No two people read a book the exact same way.

 

*Sarah Addison Allen gave me permission to do this in her wonderful book Other Birds.

We All Want Impossible Things by Catherine Newman

Reviewed by Kristin

Ash and Edi have been best friends for 42 years. From feeding the nursery school class Venus flytrap together, to marriages and children, they have been there for each other. Now, Edi has advanced ovarian cancer, and Ash will do anything to help. Anything. The idea of life without Edi is unimaginable.

When the Sloan Kettering doctors say that there is nothing else to do, Edi’s husband Jude starts calling hospices in New York City, only to find that there are waiting lists. What? Do they not understand the immediate need for care in a a hospice situation?

Ash lives in a little town in western Massachusetts where the Graceful Shepherd Hospice does have space for a patient. It’s a crazy idea and Jude is heartbroken at the idea of having his wife so far away, but there are few options. Edi and Jude have a young son who has already been upset by seeing his mother deteriorating. Edi wants Dash to remember her as her whole self, not the shell she is becoming.

Ash’s goal is to be with Edi, to enjoy their time together, and to be there for the ugly parts too. Bodily fluids, brain fog, and weakness must be taken into account, and Ash is there for her friend. While being strong in front of Edi, Ash is also being torn apart by the pain of losing her best friend. She engages in some outrageous bed-hopping behavior. Even if her 17-year-old daughter Belle doesn’t understand, (and unfortunately happens to catch Mom in some of those particular beds) everyone has different coping mechanisms.

This cleverly writen story of two best friends and all their family living in the liminal space of anticipatory grief is told with much love and humor. Ash and Edi find joy, even as they know their time together is coming to an end. The characters are well developed, though Edi’s life story is told more through Ash as she goes through their memories together. Strong family connections hold them all together, even as they face an enormous loss.

This is Catherine Newman’s first adult book. Another novel entitled Sandwich is being published in June 2024.

This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub

 

Reviewed by Kristin

 

Alice is pretty much satisfied with her life. She works in admissions at the private school she herself attended. She has her own affordable apartment in New York. She has romantic prospects, but is deciding that she may be better off unattached. She is still close with her childhood best friend, even if Sam is married and seemingly eternally pregnant. Her father Leonard is aging though, and currently in the hospital in a coma.

 

On the eve of her 40th birthday, Alice finds herself in the exact right place at the exact right time to find out what might have been.

 

Yes, Emma Straub has taken the familiar trope of discovering all the what-ifs, if only one could travel back in time and live life differently. But this author takes an atypical angle, and does it very well.

 

Alice finds herself back in her childhood home on the morning of her 16th birthday. Leonard is there, looking much younger than Alice remembers he was. It's not some lost boyfriend who Alice is most motivated to bring into her 40 year old life; it's the healthy version of her father who she misses.

 

I won't go into too much detail to avoid spoilers. I will say only that the characters resonated in a way that most don't, and the reason may be because the author was going through losing her own father, horror author Peter Straub, while she was writing this novel. In the acknowledgements, she talks about her father encouraging her to write a fictionalized version of her own story. I can imagine that writing about time travel to an earlier time to be with a missing family member must have been at once wrenching and cathartic.

 

I'm now off to find even more Emma Straub books. This Time Tomorrow may have been the first I have read, but it won't be the last.

2024 Radio Bristol Book Club

 

Have you caught the Radio Bristol Book Club?  Each month the Birthplace of Country Music and the Bristol Public Library come together to discuss a book which reflects Appalachian culture, music, heritage, or history. The show airs the 4th Thursday of every month at 12 p.m.  You can listen online or over the radio; archives of past programs are available online.  Check it out at Radio Bristol Book Club!

On December 28, at noon you can hear the discussion of Grandma Gatewood’s Walk: The Inspiring Story of the Woman Who Saved the Appalachian Trail by Ben Montgomery.

Want a sneak peek at next year’s line up so you can read ahead?  Here’s the schedule:

January 25, 2024
A Place Called District 12: Appalachian Geography and Music in the Hunger Games by Thomas W. Paradis

February 22, 2024
Bittersweet in the Hollow by Kate Pearsall

March 28, 2024
Tales from the Moonshine Trade by Kathy Shearer

April 25, 2024
Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver

May 23, 2024
Linthead Stomp: The Creation of Country Music in the Piedmont South by Patrick Huber

June 27, 2024
Burning Bright by Ron Rash

July 25, 2024
Black Country Music: Listening for Revolutions by Francesca T. Royster

August 22, 2024
Stories I Ain’t Told Nobody Yet by Jo Carson

September 26, 2024
Missing May by Cynthia Rylant

October 24, 2024
The Third Rainbow Girl: The Long Life of a Double Murder in Appalachia by Emma Copley Eisenberg

November 21, 2024
Even as We Breathe by Annette Saunooke Clapsaddle

December 19, 2024
Coal Miner’s Daughter by Loretta Lynn

The Night of the Hunter by Davis Grubb

 

Reviewed by Christy

            I saw the 1955 Robert Mitchum film The Night of the Hunter many years ago. I loved it so much that I immediately bought the DVD as well as the 1953 novel it was based on. I put it on my bookshelf, and there it sat year after year, collecting dust. Recently, however, one of the podcasts I listen to just so happened to do an episode on the movie. Unspooled originally started as a podcast where the two co-hosts would watch every movie on the American Film Institute's top 100 films, and discuss whether it deserved to be there. Now that they've finished the list, they've moved on to other movies: classics, blockbusters, foreign films, underappreciated gems, etc. I love hearing behind-the-scenes tidbits about the movies, and I always come away with a new understanding on how the movie could be perceived (whether I agree with that perception or not, it's still fun).

            The episode was the push I needed to finally pick up the book, and I’m so glad I did. It kind of took me by surprise how much I ended up loving it. It was very slow and methodical, and I’ll admit early on I struggled to return to it. However, when it picked up the pace it started to read like a modern-day page-turner. Having seen the movie, I knew what happened, and I still found myself holding my breath at certain parts.

            It’s the Great Depression, and Ben is desperate for money. He robs a bank, and is arrested shortly after. Before the “blue men” take him away, he hides the money and makes his young son John promise to never, ever tell anyone where it is. Not even his mother. Ben’s cellmate knows about the money, however, and he will do anything to get it.

            Grubb’s prose is beautiful and touching when you least expect it. I found myself re-reading sentences throughout just because they were so lovely. My favorite section of the book is the last fourth, when a new character is introduced: Rachel Cooper. Rachel’s story-within-the-story is sudden (and heartbreaking) but she is written with such tenderness and depth, that it doesn’t feel particularly jarring to jump into her life with so little of the book left. I loved her immediately.

            I’m very excited to re-visit the movie but I’m so glad I finally read the book. The ending is much more warm and hopeful which, to be honest, I definitely needed after the bleakness of the novel.

Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan

 

Reviewed by Kristin

As a former actor and an audiobook narrator, Sewanee Chester has hit her stride. She began in romance as many narrators do, using the pseudonym Sarah Westholme. She moved into mainstream fiction under her own name and built a solid career. She is even in the running for a few awards. It may not have been her original aspiration, but it’s a good job and Sewanee has connections throughout the industry.

The flexibility of recording her work on her own schedule allows Sewanee to spend time with her precious grandmother “Blah Blah”. Even the employees at Blah’s assisted living facility call her by the name long ago bestowed upon her by her granddaughter. Blah is living the high life with other former movie stars and hopefuls. Sewanee loves being able to drop in for happy hour and cherishes every moment she can spend with her beloved Blah in such a supportive atmosphere.

When Sewanee meets a charming Irishman in a bar just as her longtime bestie Adaku is called away for a high stakes Hollywood meeting, she decides to live a little. Never mind the happily ever afters promised by those long ago romance novels she once narrated; one drink, one meal, one night is enough.

Sewanee finds herself drawn back into the world of romance novel narration when famed romance author June French passes away and leaves a challenge for Sewanee (or Sarah Westholme, that is) and Brock McNight to dually narrate her last book. Sarah and Brock can do their own chapters in the solitude of their respective studios, never meeting or even knowing each other’s real names. Brock has the deep sexy voice to really rev the engines of all his female readers, and he keeps his true identity a secret. How could Sewanee resist?

The somewhat predictable romantic tension between Sewanee/Sarah and Brock is there—but done well—as they begin to get to know one other via emails and then texts and then voice messages.

I listen to many audiobooks while driving, and I have to say that listening to a novel about narrating audiobooks was a lot of fun. Julia Whelan is actually an award-winning narrator of over 500 titles, and (obviously) she reads her own works as well. She has much insight into the world of publishing audiobooks and that makes this particular book very enjoyable.

Sewanee is such a likeable character, as well as many others in her world. Blah Blah is an absolute delight, as well as having the potential to break a reader’s heart as she begins to have trouble with her memory failing. I can still hear her calling out, “Dollface!” as Sewanee walks in the door (on good days, at least.)

Whelan has written one other novel so far: My Oxford Year. It’s available on Tennessee READS and also from other libraries in our consortium.

The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

The book opens with a friendly fan letter to Hannah, an Australian author, from Leo, a would-be writer who lives in Boston.  The two have apparently been corresponding for some time, and he hopes to visit her in a few months.

The next section introduces Freddie—short for Winifred—a young Australian author who has a fellowship that allows her to come to Boston to write her novel.  She’s in the Reading Room of the Boston Public Library, sitting at a table with three strangers, when they all hear a woman scream.  Security swoops in, and after a check, assures everyone that it was a false alarm.  The three strangers, bonded by the shared experience, exchange names and begin talking. It turns out they are all writers of one sort or another. Things take a darker turn when, some hours later, Freddie hears on the news that the body of a woman has been found at the library.

This is followed by a letter from Leo, excitedly discussing the chapter of Hannah’s new book set in Boston and offering her his insights and insider information about the city that she can use in her novel.

It sounds very confusing but it isn’t, really.  I have been telling people that it’s like having a picture of a woman looking at a picture of a woman looking at a picture. It’s well written, keeping the reader involved in both storylines, and there are some wonderful twists and turns as the stories go along. While at first I found it a bit distracting to be pulled out of Hannah’s novel into a different reality, I admire the way the author shows you some of the tricks of her trade, all the while having another card up her sleeve.

There’s a good sense of place and well defined characters along with the fine writing. It’s almost as if the reader is getting a peek behind the scenes at how an author works along with a very intriguing storyline. One reviewer compared it to the unpeeling the layers of an onion, and I would agree. The book is very well paced, enticing the reader to keep those pages turning to see how the plots will be resolved.  

Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt

 

Reviewed by Kristin

Marcellus the giant Pacific Octopus begins his narrative with “Day 1,299 of My Captivity…” setting the tone for his perception of the state of affairs at the Sowell Bay Aquarium on Puget Sound. Marcellus was captured as a juvenile, and he has learned that his kind only live 3-5 years (1095-1460 days), so he assumes that he has maybe 160 days left, give or take. He is, after all, a very intelligent and methodical creature. Marcellus likes to stretch his limits, but he is very aware of “The Consequences” of poking his tentacles into forbidden areas.

Tova Sullivan recently lost her husband, and began working at the aquarium as a night cleaner just to fill the hours. Tova takes great pride in her work, eschewing the industrial cleaners for her homemade vinegar and lemon oil mixture. Thousands of little hands and feet dirty the glass and the floors of the aquarium every week, and Tova wipes away every trace of dirt, even in little seen corners and behind statues. She may be over seventy and tiny, but Tova would rather die than to do less than her best.

Cameron Cassmore has been told all his life that he’s a screw up. Sure, he keeps getting fired from jobs, but it’s really not fair that his boss got that mad when he was only ten minutes late. His Aunt Jeanne has his back, but it seems like nobody else in the world does. When he has a chance to finally find his father, a man he assumed just didn’t exist for the last thirty years, he has to take a leap.

These three unlikely characters connect in ways I did not expect. Tova is friendly to all the aquarium creatures, saying “Hello, dears!” to the eels and the sharks, but it is Marcellus who actually understands her, though of course she doesn’t fully comprehend. Cameron drives into Sowell Bay in a decrepit camper he bought along the way and stumbles into a part time job at the aquarium. Marcellus, Tova, and Cameron may differ wildly from each other in age and life experiences, but their stories are interwoven as they come to appreciate, and even heal, one another.

The audiobook narrators (Marin Ireland and Michael Urie) added a beautiful layer to the story. This is Shelby Van Pelt’s debut novel, and I certainly look forward to more from this promising author.   

Improbable Magic for Cynical Witches by Kate Scelsa

Note:  There is not have a Nevermore report for today, but we do have a review from the wonderful Ambrea, reader extraordinaire!

Reviewed by Ambrea 

Despite living in Salem—yes, that Salem—for years, Eleanor doesn’t remotely believe in witchcraft.  She doesn’t much believe in luck, either, not after being publicly humiliated and ostracized by her former friends and classmates.  Admittedly, she’s spent the past year in a fog, dealing with her mother’s medical diagnosis, while simultaneously fighting her growing apathy and her recurring anxiety.  But after a handwritten guide to tarot shows up at the souvenir shop where she works, Eleanor’s life takes an unexpected turn. 

It isn’t long before she meets Pix, a real-life witch, and the rest of her coven.  Although the jury is still out when it comes to magic and witchcraft, Eleanor still finds herself drawn to Pix and her friends.  Even as Eleanor grapples with her complicated past with Salem and her mother’s deteriorating health, she slowly finds herself believing that maybe—just maybe—magic might be closer than she expects.

Improbable Magic for Cynical Witches by Kate Scelsa is romantic coming-of-age story about making peace with the past and overcoming trauma.  It is not, sadly, a fantasy novel.  I picked up this particular book expecting something fanciful, expecting some actual magic.  If not the overt sorcery and fantastical elements of The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sangu Mandanna, then perhaps the more subtle magical realism that imbues the every day with a little extra sparkle, like in Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen.  Instead, I discovered this book is heavy on the realism—and less so on the magic.  (I’m willing to admit I was a smidge disappointed when I realized this.) 

Despite this initial setback, however, I did actually enjoy reading Improbable Magic for Cynical Witches.  First and foremost, I liked the arrangement of Scelsa’s novel.  Each chapter is preceded by a page from the mysterious tarot guide Eleanor receives in the mail, which provides a cheeky overview of the Major Arcana in a tarot deck.  These chapters foreshadow in a very big way, providing unexpected insight into Eleanor and her personal journey, as well as providing a unique structure to the novel.

Likewise, I also enjoyed hearing Eleanor tell her story in her own words.  She’s an excellent narrator:  she has snark, she has snap, she has bite.  She is a teenager struggling to cope with the loss of her best friend and worrying about her mother’s fairly recent medical diagnosis and fighting to keep her head above water when her anxiety wants nothing more than to pull her under.  She tells her story with so much emotion, giving her journey both nuance and depth, that I couldn’t help being drawn into her narrative time and time again.

Truthfully, I liked following Eleanor’s progress as she admits her failures and narrates her subsequent successes.  Her growth, her path to healing her wounds and overcoming her trauma, is a painful process—one might even say excruciating—but it feels like such a triumph when we reach the end of the story with her.  She grows as a person, she learns.  She isn’t merely a static character; instead, she comes to accept her failures and forgive herself for them.  She allows other people into her narrow world—more importantly, she allows herself to fall in love again—and she begins to open her eyes to new possibilities.  It’s so heartening to see Eleanor go from an anxious, shutdown, angsty teenager to a young woman open to change, open to new ways of thinking.

Overall, Improbable Magic for Cynical Witches may not be the fantasy novel I was expected, but it is an enchanting novel about growth, forgiveness, friendship, and newfound love.

 

Big Trouble on Sullivan’s Island by Susan M. Boyer

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

Hadley Cooper is a private investigator with a complicated background. While riding her bike on Sullivan’s Island, she sees a dog chase a seagull into the surf where it is caught by a rip tide.  The dog’s owner starts to rush in after him, but Hadley stops her and goes in using a surfboard she found. Eugenia Ladson, the dog’s grateful owner, insists on taking Hadley to her house to clean up and dry off. When she learns that Hadley is a PI, she hires her to investigate Everette Ladson, her estranged husband, whom she suspects is cheating on her.

Hadley accepts, having had previous experience in these sorts of cases.  She observes her suspect, formulates a plan, and starts her surveillance.  Before she can get concrete evidence, a murder stops her plans. One of the investigating officers is Hadley’s ex, Cash, who is generally one of the “good guys”—but this time Hadley is sure he has arrested the wrong person.

Anyone who has looked at my reviews know I read a lot of cozy mysteries so I’m well acquainted with the formula. As a first in series book, there is going to be a lot of set-up going on—introducing characters, locations, and situations that are going to play out over the long haul. Boyer does this very well, weaving them into the story in a way that keeps the plot going and the reader interested instead of bogging down.

The mystery was well-plotted and intriguing, and Boyer does a good job with setting, but the book’s real strength is in the characters. Hadley had a very close relationship with her mother, Vivienne, who passed away from cancer when Hadley was 17. Before she died, she revealed the identity of Hadley’s father—the wealthy Swinson who apparently did nothing to help Vivienne during her illness, so Hadley is not inclined to cut him any slack. She does love his son, her half-brother; she and J.T. actually have birthdays just a couple of days apart. Hadley also a number of friends and mentors in her life. Boyer has a talent for creating memorable characters, and I had no trouble keeping track of everyone.  I also found the book emotionally satisfying, and the touches of humor were just right.

One feature I enjoyed is that occasionally the reader hears directly from Mrs. Josephine Huger who is an eyewitness to some events and who relates them in a breathless, gossipy fashion that really brings the scenes to life.

I also liked that we learn a bit about PI tricks of the trade, so to speak.  Hadley is a professional; she comes prepared to do surveillance, both old school with changes of outfits, and with up-to-date technology. 

There were a couple of times early in the book where I thought things were a little off and just chalked it up to a cozy’s wish fulfilment.  However, I have to say that as the story went on, some of my questions were answered. Others became unimportant as I become more invested in the characters.  By the end, I was not only totally on board, but I’m ready for the next book to see what my new best friends have been up to.

Note:  According to Susan Boyer’s blog on Goodreads, this is the first book in her “un-series” by which she means that the books are about a group of characters. Each book can be read as a standalone and will focus on a different character, mostly women of different ages. 

Full disclosure:  I received an Advance Reader Copy of the book with no stipulation of a review, favorable or otherwise.

Now Is Not the Time to Panic by Kevin Wilson

 

Reviewed by Kristin

In the summer of 1996, two teenagers in Coalfield, Tennessee created something that turned their small town upside down, and made waves of paranoia ripple throughout the nation. It all started with an unknown but vaguely familiar phrase:

The edge is a shantytown filled with gold seekers. We are fugitives, and the law is skinny with hunger for us.

Frankie is filling her summer trying to write a novel featuring a villainous teen girl who is much cleverer than her police chief father or her girl detective sister. Take that, Nancy Drew. Frankie meets Zeke at the public pool and finds herself strangely drawn to this boy from Memphis visiting his grandmother for the summer. Zeke is an artist, a fellow creative type alongside Frankie.

Zeke challenges Frankie to write something—anything—and he will create illustrations. Frankie takes a deep breath, and writes, “The edge is a shantytown filled with gold seekers. We are fugitives, and the law is skinny with hunger for us.” The phrase comes from somewhere deep inside, and Frankie instantly believes it is the best thing she has ever written.

Thanks to Frankie’s older triplet brothers stealing a Xerox machine last year (and promptly jamming it making photocopies of their butts, then abandoning it in the garage), she and Zeke make 120 copies of the poster and hang them all over the town. It’s just a lark, and they hope to create a little buzz and make people talk about it. Nothing ever happens in Coalfield.

People do talk about the poster and quickly become obsessed by it. Some are certain it is the work of Satan worshippers, or kidnappers, or homicidal maniacs. People are sure that it must a lyric from an obscure band, or something that they just can’t put their finger on. Copycats abound, and people do many foolish things in the name of being fugitives.

That one little phrase, that one little poster, changed the lives of many.

Kevin Wilson has a talent for writing real page-turners. I could not stop reading, and I did not want to stop, (except for the dread of running out of pages). Wilson can build characters quickly and keep readers engaged in his plots. I also read Nothing to See Here, (reviewed by Jeanne) and absolutely loved it. Wilson’s characters are quirky, but somehow totally believable even when they do strange things, like burst into flames. So yes, his writing is a little fantastical at time, but oh so enjoyable.

A Very Typical Family by Sierra Godfrey

 

Reviewed by Kristin

Natalie Walker is carrying a lot of guilt from the last time that she saw her family. Fifteen years ago, her older siblings Jake and Lynn threw a wild, drug-filled party in their historic Santa Cruz home. Someone died, and Natalie was the one who called the police. Jake and Lynn ended up in prison for contributing to their friend’s death. Natalie left for college in Boston, and her mother did not encourage her to come home for visits.

Now Natalie has built her own life on the other side of the country. She works for an architectural firm researching historic houses, and quietly sketching. She has a best friend/roommate, is dating her friend’s brother who is also her co-worker, and is hoping for a big promotion at work.

On the same day that her boyfriend ends up getting the job she wanted, she also finds out that her mother died over two months ago. She, Jake, and Lynn are set to inherit their family home, as long as they all show up at the house in California in short order to fulfill the terms of the will.

Now that might be a little awkward.

Lynn, now working at a mortuary in New York City, arrives at the house with teenage son Kit in tow. (Surprise, Natalie, you have a nephew!) Lynn is not thrilled to see Natalie, but she agrees to all of them staying at the house as they look for their brother. Jake, Natalie discovers, worked hard through his stint in prison and now has a doctoral degree in ornithology, and has a research lab at the local college. His name is on the door, but Jake is nowhere to be found. His colleagues guard his privacy, although they understand Natalie’s desire to find her brother.

This is a debut novel from an author with more journalistic and technical writing experience than fiction. In some places this shows, as the pacing is a little rough. Natalie drives all the way from Boston to Santa Cruz, even though her employer expects her to have all the business of her mother’s death wrapped up within a couple of weeks. (Spoiler alert: she does not.) She finds her sister and nephew at the family home, moons around her brother’s hot colleague, wanders out to the beach to see if Jake is out surfing, and more, all without a sense of urgency. There is a deadline on their inheritance, and Natalie and Lynn’s actions do not seem to be hurried. Of course, Natalie and Lynn do have a lot going on in their personal lives, so I did have to give them some leniency here.

Penguin the cat wanders in and out of sight, warming my heart as I can tell that the author and the character are fellow cat lovers. He is a good traveler all the way across the country, and adapts to his new, if temporary, abode well enough. Natalie worries about him when he makes himself scarce for a few days. (Spoiler alert #2: The cat is fine. Animal lovers need not despair nor avoid this book.)

No huge plot twists or unreliable narrators here. The characters are very likeable, even cranky sister Lynn. Jake is unseen for most of the book, but eventually readers get a chance to understand his motivations for removing himself from the situation. All in all the storylines are tied up convincingly, even if a bit too pat for real life. The antagonists play their parts, stir up some tension, and are dealt with in the manner that they deserve. Very typical family? Maybe. But possibly one that could benefit from some therapy.

Small Change: The Secret Life of Penny Burford by J. Belinda Yandell

Reviewed by Janna

 

Penny Burnford grew up as the daughter of a minister in a very generous household.  The book takes us back to her childhood and the connection she has with another child in particular.  As an adult, she becomes a housewife who simply found small ways to help others.  She recognized that small change literally can add up to big change.

 

 

I came across this book just browsing at the library and was curious about the title, so I checked it out to read.  This is a tale about doing small things in a great way.  I don’t want to spoil the story for those who may want to read it but the twists and turns make it quite interesting. I’m glad I found and read this book.

Janna is a volunteer book reviewer.  This is the first review she has done for us, and we look forward to seeing more of her picks. Thank you, Janna!

The Magic of Lemon Drop Pie by Rachel Linden

 

Reviewed by Kristin

Lolly Blanchard has lived a life of responsibility. After her mother died ten years ago, she gave up her vision of creating her own restaurant in Brighton, a place she loved since she studied abroad in England. Lolly also gave up Rory Shaw, the man she has loved since she was a teenager, as their paths diverged. Lolly stayed home to help her father Marty run the Eatery, their family diner on the west side of Seattle, and also to take care of her teenage sister Daphne. Lolly has done what she promised her mother she would do—keep their family together—but she certainly has collected many regrets along the way.

Lolly rises early every morning to make six lemon meringue pies for the diner. The Danish comfort food diner was started by her maternal grandparents half a century ago, even if it is looking a bit shabby these days. Mostly a family concern, Marty is the head chef and Great-Aunt Gert is often seen balancing plates of meatballs and potatoes with a pot of coffee in her other hand. Lolly is the one keeping the financial side afloat, not to mention those pies.

At the ripe old age of almost 33, as Lolly looks back at what might have been, Aunt Gert gives her a very strange gift: three lemon drops with magical properties. Each lemon drop will give her a chance to live one day in an alternate timeline, in a life that might have been. What if Lolly had opened her dream restaurant overseas? What if her mother had lived? What if she had chosen to follow her heart?

Lolly is not sure if Aunt Gert has lost her marbles or if the lemon drops really are magic. She decides to give it a try to see what path her life might have taken, if only…

This novel is so full of family and of the strings that tie us all together. The phrase “follow your bliss” comes up an unusual number of times, but I think that’s just Aunt Gert encouraging Lolly to discover what she has been missing, and also how to live her best life, regrets not withstanding. Aunt Gert is a most entertaining character and I wish the author had chosen to dive a little deeper into her past. At age 80, she certainly has led a most interesting life as a professor emeritus of religion and mythology, traveling the world and retaining her most unique fashion sense even as she now tromps through the diner in her orthopedic shoes.

All the way through I kept guessing what might happen, and while I was partially correct, the storyline still managed to surprise me pleasantly. I was so invested in the characters that the people Lolly lost, and her hopes for what might be actually brought me to tears a few times. The writing is highly engaging, and I can’t recommend this book highly enough.

Malibu Rising by Taylor Jenkins Reid

Reviewed by Kristin

Nina Riva has taken care of her younger siblings for years. Their father is actor Mick Riva, still turning heads after decades on the screen. Mick has always been full of big promises but short on follow throughs. His wife June did what she could when Mick abandoned her with four children, but Nina was truly the one making sure everyone got to school and had something to eat.

Now a world famous model and surfer, Nina has been the only true parent of Jay, Hud, and Kit. She is the one who cared for her siblings, forged their permission slips, and helped them grow up into successful adults. Jay is a professional surfer winning competitions around the world. The quiet one—Hud—is an amazing photographer, following his brother and becoming known. Kit is the baby of the family, also a surfer, and is working hard on figuring out exactly who she is and what she wants to do with her life.

The main action of Malibu Rising takes place in the 24 hours following 7:00 am, August 27, 1983. The famous Riva party is that night, and all characters come together in this time period with varying motivations and agendas. This annual end of summer bash has grown over the years from more humble beginnings to this star studded gathering where the famous are rubbing shoulders (or doing lines of coke) with working class locals. There are no official invitations. If you know where the party is, you are invited.

Flashbacks take the reader backwards from 1983 to 1956 and many points in between. The tension remains high as the history of various characters is revealed, all while leading inexorably forward to a fiery conclusion.

Reid is brilliant in drawing dozens of little plot lines going all directions, and then pulling them taut. The author has created this world of the 1970s and 1980s in a way that made me think she was older, but I checked—she is only 38. Her other novels usually have some characters in common, but just as a tiny strand to connect her landscapes. Mick Riva played a large part here, but he was just a small part as the third husband in The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo. Mick also made a brief showing in Daisy Jones & The Six. A few musicians from Daisy even make their way to Nina’s party, giving just a hint of the great fictional world Reid has created.

This book kept me wanting more, and it’s good to know that Reid is still creating and developing tangential characters, and that we might even see a few old favorites in passing in her future works. Tennis pro Carrie Soto comes up in the first few pages of Malibu, as the “other woman” Nina’s husband has taken up with. Carrie Soto is Back is Reid’s newest book, and I’m on the waiting list.

Psycho by Robert Bloch

Reviewed by Jeanne

Legend has it that before the movie’s premiere, Alfred Hitchcock went around buying up copies of Robert Bloch’s book so that movie goers would be properly shocked.  He felt that if they knew what was going to happen, they wouldn’t enjoy the movie.  Turning it around, I wondered if I would enjoy the book after having seen the movie.

The quick answer is that I did.  And even though I knew how it ended, I was still turning pages in a hurry to see how it played out in the book.

I’m sure there are still a few people who haven’t read the book or seen the movie, so to recap briefly the story begins with a young woman who impulsively steals money from her employer and in the course of her escape ends up at the Bates Motel, a run-down establishment off the beaten path.  She’s checked in by Norman Bates, son of the owner.

She doesn’t check out again.

The story is told from several viewpoints, starting with that of Mary (Marion in the movie), a woman who has spent her life waiting, waiting, waiting.  Time is ticking by, and she watches her chance for happiness, for a home and family of her own, rapidly disappearing.  When a large sum of money all but falls into her lap, she sees it as the solution to her problems.

We also see the story unfold from Norman Bates’ point of view, and by extension his mother’s because Norman is acutely attuned to what Mother thinks. 

That’s where the power of the story lay for me. Understanding the thought processes behind the actions was fascinating and gave the tale more depth than the movie. This is heightened because the whole book really poses the question, how well do we really know other people?  Not just our neighbors, but even our families? It brings to mind all those reports in the wake of a crime, any crime from embezzlement to murder, when the people interviewed say, “Oh, but she was such a nice girl!” or “He wouldn’t hurt a fly!”

I will admit that I had some trepidation about reading the book because I am not a blood and gore person, and I had heard that the book was more violent than the movie.  In a way it was, but like the movie the actual violence is hinted at, not graphically depicted. I was relieved at how discreet it was, even though there is no doubt as to what has taken place.  Bloch leaves that to the reader’s imagination.

The book was written in 1959, so there are a few places where it can seem a bit dated but overall it remains fresh and powerful.

Yinka, Where is Your Huzband? By Lizzie Damilola Blackburn

 

Reviewed by Christy

            Yinka is an Oxford-educated woman with a good job and good friends. She is also extremely close with her family. By most measures, she is well rounded and successful. But her Nigerian mother and aunties are still waiting for thirty-something Yinka to settle down and start a family. They won’t be satisfied until she finds a huzband, even going so far as to pray over her singledom at her younger sister’s baby shower. Much to Yinka’s mortification.

            Yinka, Where is Your Huzband? is the story of Yinka coming into her own, despite her family’s expectations and some major bumps along the way. I found Yinka to be charming and relatable. She is messy and frequently unsure of herself, and I think most people on Earth can relate to that at some point in their lives. However, this was probably only a three and half star read for me. The pacing drags quite a bit in the middle, which was a struggle. I also found Yinka’s cousins and friends to be overly harsh on her. (The elder women in the family I can understand because they are a different generation but I found her contemporaries to be almost as inflexible.) There’s a moment when Yinka stands up to a snippy cousin which I thought was honestly deserved but her friends felt it was deeply unwarranted and chastised her for it. The text treats them as correct in this thinking.

            However, the last third or so really bumped up the rating for me. Yinka struggles with some serious self-loathing (it doesn’t escape her that so many eligible black men end up with light-skinned black women. One suitor even tells her to her face he doesn’t like dark-skinned women). It gets very heavy but I think it’s important for naïve, white readers like myself to understand what black women go through. But there is also a lot of joy to be found in this book. Yinka’s budding confidence is super fun to witness, and it gives the vibe of old school rom-coms (without that much rom.) Yinka’s growth throughout the book is very satisfying, and I wouldn’t mind seeing a movie adaptation sometime in the future. Despite its shortcomings, there is a lot of good here, and I’m glad I read it.