A Child in the Forest by Winifred Foley

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

Winifred Foley, called Poll, was born in 1914 to a miner and his wife, the fourth of eight children. They lived in the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, a small, hardscrabble but close-knit community. Foley tells the story with deep affection and love, but doesn’t shy away from some of the hard realities of life.  The children are often hungry, though the parents provide as best they can. Some of her fondest memories seem to revolve around unexpected food treats, such as an extra slice of bread with butter.

While her mam is practical but loving, it’s her dad who brings a love of reading and a sense of fun.  Mam keeps the family on course, but even she can be counted on to occasionally splurge on a sweet while on a shopping trip.   

The story is told with both the wonder and acceptance of a child.  The family doesn’t have a lot of material goods, but they make do with help from neighbors, most of whom are in the same straits.  The children do attend school, but only until they are old enough to work. For girls, that means when they turn fourteen, they will be going away to work as servants in more affluent and often urban households.

The book actually came about as a result of a request on the BBC for memoirs of working class people.  Foley sent in her manuscript, which was turned into a radio serial starting in 1973.  The book followed in 1974, beautifully illustrated by Tricia Newell. I have to admit, it was the illustrations that caught my eye; they capture the beauty of the natural world and give the book a sweeter feel. The artwork is enchanting.

One thing I loved is that in the latter part of the book when Poll goes into service, she's never cowed by her employers.  She is eager and a hard worker, but she will stand up for herself if need be. At one point, she changes jobs in part because her new employer will allow her to come in by the front door instead of always having to go to the servants' entrance. 

While the word “authentic” gets tossed about a lot these days, I really can’t think of a better word to describe this book.  I think that all comes down to Foley herself, who gave us such an honest account. The characters are vividly portrayed; so much so that I found myself wanting to know what happened to them after the book ends.

Fortunately, Foley went on to write several more books, including some novels.  She passed away in 2009, leaving behind quite a literary legacy for her readers.

Nevermore: Two Old Women and Middlesex

 

Reported by Rita

Two Old Women: An Alaskan Legend of Betrayal, Courage and Survival by Velma Wallis

Based on an Athabascan Indian legend passed along for many generations from mothers to daughters of the upper Yukon River Valley in Alaska, this is the suspenseful, shocking, ultimately inspirational tale of two old women abandoned by their tribe during a brutal winter famine.

An uplifting story. I really liked it. - AH 5 stars

 

Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides

The astonishing tale of a gene that passes down through three generations of a Greek-American family and flowers in the body of a teenage girl. In the spring of 1974, Calliope Stephanides, a student at a girls' school in Grosse Pointe, finds herself drawn to a chain-smoking, strawberry blond classmate with a gift for acting. The passion that furtively develops between them--along with Callie's failure to develop--leads Callie to suspect that she is not like other girls. In fact, she is not really a girl at all. The explanation for this shocking state of affairs takes us out of suburbia- back before the Detroit race riots of 1967, before the rise of the Motor City and Prohibition, to 1922, when the Turks sacked Smyrna and Callie's grandparents fled for their lives. Back to a tiny village in Asia Minor where two lovers, and one rare genetic mutation, set in motion the metamorphosis that will turn Callie into a being both mythical and perfectly a hermaphrodite. Spanning eight decades--and one unusually awkward adolescence- Jeffrey Eugenides's long-awaited second novel is a grand, utterly original fable of crossed bloodlines, the intricacies of gender, and the deep, untidy promptings of desire.

The writing is really good. It is interesting and full of teenage angst. I recommend it. - MH 5 stars

 

Other Books Mentioned:

Nobody's Girl: A Memoir of Surviving Abuse and Fighting for Justice by Virginia Roberts Giuffre

Mark Twain by Ron Chernow

Civil War Infantry Tactics: Training, Combat, and Small-Unit Effectiveness by Earl J. Hess

The Truth about the Devlins by Lisa Scottoline

 

 

New Books:

Corn From A Jar by Daniel S. Pierce

The Healing Hippo of Hinode Park by Michiko Aoyama

Dinner at the Night Library by Hika Harada

New February Fiction!

 

Adams, Taylor  Her Last Breath

Armstrong, Kelley  First Sign of Danger (Haven’s Rock)

Beaton, M.C.  Death of a Groom (Hamish)

Berry, Steve  The Devil’s Bible (Cotton Malone)

Box, C.J.  The Crossroads (Joe Pickett)

Burke, James Lee The Hadacol Boogie (Dave Robicheaux)

Coulter, Catherine The Heir of Whitestone

Farnsworth, Christopher Robert B. Parker’s Big Shot (Jesse Stone)

Fawcett, Heather  Agnes Aubert’s Mystical Cat Shelter

French, Nicci  What Happened That Night (Maud O’Connor)

Greaney, Mark  The Hard Line  (Gray Man)

Goodman, Allegra  This Is Not About Us

Hurwitz, Gregg Antihero (Orphan X)

Johnson, Sadeqa  Keeper of Lost Children

Kellerman, Jonathan  Jigsaw (Alex Delaware)

Kubica, Mary  It’s Not Her

Lawson, Mike The Asset (Joe DeMarco)

Marshall, Kate Alice The Girls Before

McAllister, Gillian  Caller Unknown

Nesbo, Jo  Wolf Hour

O’Connor, Carlene  Murder at an Irish Session (Irish Village Mystery)

Page, Libby  This Book Made Me Think of You

Paris, B.A.  When I Kill You

Parks, Brad  The Flack

Patterson, James  Cross and Sampson

Phillips, Susan Elizabeth  And the Crowd Went Wild (Chicago Stars)

Quindlen, Anna  More Than Enough

Quinn, Kate  The Astral Library

Robb, J.D.  Stolen in Death

Rollins, James  Trust No One

Sanderson, Brandon  Isles of the Emberdark (Cosmere)

Shimeno, Nagi  Messenger Cat Café

Sundin, Sarah  Mists Over the Channel Islands: A Novel of World War II

Thor, Brad  Cold Zero

Ward, J.R.  Crown of War and Shadow

Woods, Evie  The Violin Maker’s Secret

Zhang, Jenny Tinghui  Superfan

Cryptid Sea Monsters: A Field Guide by Kelly Milner Halls, Illus. by Rick Spears

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

Most people are familiar with Nessie, the famed creature said to haunt Scotland’s Loch Ness, but how about Bessie?  That’s the name given to an alleged lake monster in Lake Erie.  People claim to have seen it frolicking in reports dating back to the late 1700s, though descriptions vary.  Is does it have arms?  Fins? Red eyes? Is it black, copper, spotted, or silver? Yes.   The name came after a contest was held in the 1980s to name the monster, and the winning name (inspired by a nearby nuclear plant) was South Bay Besse, which was quickly transformed into Bessie.

Names ending is “sie” seem to be almost par for the course for lake monsters.  There’s Chessie the Chesapeake Bay creature, Cressie of Newfoundland, and Issie, a Japanese lake monster who, according to legend, was once a beautiful white horse who became a sea monster after her foal was stolen. 

All these creatures and many more can be discovered in the pages of Cryptid Sea Monsters, a delightfully illustrated book with brief entries on many. . . uh, animals? The book employs a rating system of one to four starts, with one star meaning probably not real and four stars meaning “proven real.”

Good news, they rate the Loch Ness Monster as real.

It also gives you a pretty good idea of how seriously to regard this book.

Most of the ratings have the creatures at three or four stars, with Merfolk getting a rare one star rating.

While the book is good fun, and the authors admit people may disagree with their ratings, I admit I didn’t care for the fact that they included at least one genuinely real creature in the book:  the Oarfish, which is a very rare creature usually seen only when they are sick, dying, or dead.  It’s a long eel-like fish which may have given rise in part to legends of sea serpents. It’s not a cryptid, a creature for which there is no physical proof of existence.  At least they gave it four stars.

So if mysterious and possibly imaginary animals are your thing, by all means pick up a copy of Cryptid Sea Monsters.

Nevermore: Daughters of Yalta, Last Ferry Out, A Marriage at Sea

 

Nevermore 12-16-25

Reported by Rita

 

The Daughters Of Yalta: The Churchills, Roosevelts, and Harrimans: A Story of Love and War by Catherine Grace Katz

The untold story of the three intelligent and glamorous young women who accompanied their famous fathers to the Yalta Conference in February 1945, and of the conference’s fateful reverberations in the waning days of World War II. Tensions during the Yalta Conference in February 1945 threatened to tear apart the wartime alliance among Franklin Roosevelt, Winston Churchill, and Joseph Stalin just as victory was close at hand. Catherine Grace Katz uncovers the dramatic story of the three young women who were chosen by their fathers to travel with them to Yalta, each bound by fierce family loyalty, political savvy, and intertwined romances that powerfully colored these crucial days.

This was an easy read and I found it very interesting.   - WJ      5 stars

 

 

The Last Ferry Out by  Andrea Bartz

On a trip to the tropical paradise where her fiancée died, a young woman begins to suspect the death was no accident—and the killer’s still on the island. As her quest for the truth unearths dark secrets, shady pasts, and a web of lies, Abby grows more determined than ever to find out what happened to the love of her life. And the deeper she gets in the close-knit expat community, the more she suspects one of them is Eszter's killer—and will do anything to keep the truth buried. But will she discover who it is before she becomes the island’s next victim?

It was slow to start but got really good toward the end. It had a good surprising ending.     - GP       4 stars

 

A Marriage at Sea: A True Story of Love, Obsession, and Shipwreck by Sophie Elmhirst

The electrifying true story of a young couple shipwrecked at a mind-blowing tale of obsession, survival, and partnership stretched to its limits. Maurice and Maralyn make an odd couple. He’s a loner, awkward and obsessive; she’s charismatic and ambitious. But they share a horror of wasting their lives. And they dream – as we all dream – of running away from it all. What if they quit their jobs, sold their house, bought a boat, and sailed away? Most of us begin and end with the daydream. But Maurice began to study nautical navigation. Maralyn made detailed lists of provisions. And in June 1972, they set sail. For nearly a year all went well, until deep in the Pacific, a breaching whale knocked a hole in their boat and it sank beneath the waves. What ensues is a jaw-dropping fight to survive in the wild ocean, with little hope of rescue. Alone together for months in a tiny rubber raft, starving and exhausted, Maurice and Maralyn have to find not only ways to stay alive but ways to get along, as their inner demons emerge and their marriage is put to the greatest of tests. Although they could run away from the world, they can’t run away from themselves.

The writing is wonderful. I loved it.       - AH      5 stars

 

Other Books Mentioned

A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens

The Listeners by Maggie Stiefvater

Bruno, Chief of Police (Bruno, Chief of Police, #1) by Martin Walker

Bringing Home Animals: Religious Ideology and Mode of Production of the Mistassini Cree Hunters by Adrian Tanner

Where Are They Buried?: How Did They Die? Fitting Ends and Final Resting Places of the Famous, Infamous, and Noteworthy by Tod Benoit

The Cat’s Eye Charm: A Witch Cats of Cambridge Mystery by Clea Simon

Reviewed by Jeanne

 

Becca’s life seems a bit fraught right now.  Business has been slow at Charm and Cherish the magic shop where she works, and the owner is making noises about turning the place into a (sigh) craft shop.  Becca doesn’t seem to be making much progress in honing her own magical skills, which truth to tell seem to be pretty much non-existent. Well, except for that pillow she conjured, but that was a long time ago.  Even the coven seems to be slowly falling by the wayside.

So it seems like a good omen when Trina comes into the shop wanting to hire Becca in her other capacity as a witch detective. Maybe all Becca needs is a good focus, a challenge, to help her bring out her powers.  The cause is certainly a worthy one: Trina is desperate to find her beloved cat, Mr. Butters.  He was an indoor cat, but has gone missing.  Can Becca do a spell or something to bring him home?

Becca may not be able to wield a lot of magic but she still has help nearby.  Unbeknownst to her, her three cats do have some supernatural abilities.  That pillow Becca thinks she conjured?  That was luxury-loving Harriet who fancied a new bed.  Siamese Laurel can subtly influence human behaviors (usually to Laurel’s benefit) and sweet devoted Clara can become invisible. Clara adores Becca and often follows her to make sure she’s safe, but Clara is careful to remain unseen so Becca has no idea.

What seems like a relatively straightforward request soon turns out to be more complicated and more dangerous than Becca expected, involving kidnapping and a stolen gem.  Even worse, it’s becoming difficult for Becca to know who to trust.

This is the fifth book in the Witch Cats of Cambridge series, but it can be read as a standalone.  I have to say this is probably my favorite entry in the series. I loved seeing the magical cats’ world expand with the addition of a kitten who may be much wiser than they realize.  Kitten is an absolute peach-toed charmer even if she does have a penchant for knocking things off shelves. There’s also Mr. Butters, who has some surprises of his own.  All this makes for some delightful feline world-building.  On the human side of things, the mysterious Elizabeth takes on a somewhat bigger role.  And even though we’re told not to judge-- I adore the cover!

Cats, magic, gems—what’s not to love?

Read 'Em Before You See 'Em! Some books into film

 

The Dog Stars by Peter Heller is set in a world where a pandemic has all but wiped out humanity.  The story revolves around Hig, an outdoorsman and pilot, his dog, and an armed ex-Marine neighbor. Directed by Ridley Scott, the movie stars Jacob Elrodi and Josh Brolin.

The Odyssey by Homer is a classic tale of Odysseus, trying to return to his home and kingdom after the Trojan War.  There are obstacles aplenty along the way, not to mention turmoil in the kingdom.  Christopher Nolan’s star-filled cast includes Matt Damon, Zendaya, Robert Pattinson, Tom Holland, and Anne Hathaway.

Verity by Colleen Hoover has a young woman being hired to work as a ghostwriter for a famous author who has been injured in an accident, but she soon discovers some notes the author has made that may reveal a very disturbing past. Anne Hathaway, Dakota Johnson, and Josh Hartnett star in the movie, due out in October.

Three Bags Full by Leonie Swann (movie The Sheep Detectives) is one that sounds just a bit too oddball for some.  The main characters are a herd of sheep—yes, you read that correctly—who adore their shepherd, George, who reads mysteries to them.  When the sheep find George dead, they decide they are going to find his murderer.  Since they are, well, sheep, they are at a distinct disadvantage, but will see it through.  The movie features a number of big name actors, including Hugh Jackman as George and Emma Thompson, with sheep voices provided by Sir Patrick Stewart and Bryan Cranston.

The Book of Magic by Alice Hoffman is the sequel to the much beloved book and film Practical Magic. The Owens family has been cursed in love for centuries: falling in love is a death sentence for the one they love. Sally Owens’ two children have been shielded from learning about the family curse—until now. The Owens women come together in a last ditch effort to break the curse once and for all. Practical Magic 2 reunite, Sandra Bullock and Nicole Kidman and is scheduled for release in September.

In Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell, a young woman named Agnes falls in love with a poor tutor.  Agnes senses that the tutor has greatness within him and encourages him to follow his dreams, even if this means he has to leave for London. This rendition of Shakespeare’s family and life won great acclaim as a book and now is picking up awards as a film.