Cinder House by Freya Marske

Reviewed by Jeanne

Ella is quite the homebody—literally.  Murdered at sixteen, she is tethered to her house while her stepmother Patrice and her two unpleasant daughters still order Ella around.  Ella longs to escape, to experience life beyond the house but leaving the house seems to be impossible.  She contents herself with writing letters, hoping to find someone who knows enough about ghosts to help. Then she discovers a way to leave, but only for a short distance and only until midnight.  Even so, the chance to see people (even if they can’t see her, and even if it’s unpleasant when they walk through her) is intoxicating.  She loves attending the markets, the ballet, and the theatre. She even meets someone who can see and talk with her, even if it’s someone Ella is sure she can’t trust.

Then word comes that the King and Queen are holding a ball and inviting all the eligible women of the kingdom. Prince Jule will be there to dance and to choose a bride. Ella’s stepmother and her daughters are excited and planning elaborate dresses to wear.

And Ella decides she is going to the ball—no matter the price.

Yet another take on the Cinderella story was not going to be at the top of my reading list until I found out that she was a ghost.  The possibilities were intriguing and I’m happy to say that this novella went beyond my expectations.  It’s atmospheric, dark, a bit dangerous, and yet very satisfying.  I really admired the way the author kept so many of the features of the original while definitely making the story her own.

A memorable tale, well told.

Nevermore: Proof of Heaven, Let's Pretend This Never Happened, Blackout Book Club

 

Nevermore 3-31-26

Reported by Rita

 

Proof of Heaven: A Neurosurgeon's Journey into the Afterlife by Eben Alexander

A scientist's case for the afterlife... Thousands of people have had near-death experiences, but scientists have argued that they are impossible. Dr. Eben Alexander was one of those scientists. A highly trained neurosurgeon, Alexander knew that NDEs feel real, but are simply fantasies produced by brains under extreme stress. Then, Dr. Alexander's own brain was attacked by a rare illness. The part of the brain that controls thought and emotion--and in essence makes us human--shut down completely. For seven days he lay in a coma. Then, as his doctors considered stopping treatment, Alexander's eyes popped open. He had come back. Alexander's recovery is a medical miracle. But the real miracle of his story lies elsewhere. While his body lay in coma, Alexander journeyed beyond this world and encountered an angelic being who guided him into the deepest realms of super-physical existence. There he met, and spoke with, the Divine source of the universe itself. Alexander's story is not a fantasy. Before he underwent his journey, he could not reconcile his knowledge of neuroscience with any belief in heaven, God, or the soul. Today Alexander is a doctor who believes that true health can be achieved only when we realize that God and the soul are real and that death is not the end of personal existence but only a transition. This story would be remarkable no matter who it happened to.

I found this book to be interesting, entertaining, and enjoyable.       -BP     4 stars

 

Let's Pretend This Never Happened by Jenny Lawson

Internet star Jenny Lawson, aka The Bloggess, makes her literary debut. Jenny Lawson realized that the most mortifying moments of our lives--the ones we’d like to pretend never happened-- are in fact the ones that define us. Lawson takes readers on a hilarious journey recalling her bizarre upbringing in rural Texas, her devastatingly awkward high school years, and her relationship with her long-suffering husband, Victor. Chapters include: “Stanley the Magical, Talking Squirrel”; “A Series of Angry Post-It Notes to My Husband”; “And Then I Snuck a Dead Cuban Alligator on an Airplane.” Pictures with captions (no one would believe these things without proof) accompany the text.

I thought this was fun and funny, but there was too much profanity for me to finish the book.     -PP       3 stars

 

The Blackout Book Club by Amy Lynn Green

An impulsive promise to her brother before he goes off to the European Front puts Avis Montgomery in the unlikely position of head librarian in small-town Maine. Though she has never been much of a reader, when wartime needs threaten to close the library, she invents a book club to keep its doors open. The women she convinces to attend the first meeting couldn't be more different--a wealthy spinster determined to aid the war effort, an exhausted mother looking for a fresh start, and a determined young war worker.

It was fun and interesting. I really liked it.     -WJ     5 stars

 

Other Books Mentioned

 

When the Stars Go Dark by Paula McLain

Redline by Alex Smith

Hungry Ghosts by Jasper Becker

The World's Worst Assistant by Sona Movsesian

One for the Money by Janet Evanovich

Saving Sadie: How a Dog That No One Wanted Inspired the World by Joal Derse Dauer

6:40 to Montreal by Eva Jurczyk

Birdwatcher's Daily Companion: 365 Days of Advice, Insight, and Information for Enthusiastic Birders by Marcus H. Schneck, Marcus Schneck, Tom Warhol

Bird: The Definitive Visual Guide by Peter Frances

 

New Books

Rebel of the Regency by Ann Foster

American Struggle by Jon Meacham

How the World Ran Out of Everything by Peter S. Goodman

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.

Art of Murder by Elaine Viets

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

Helen Hawthorne has held a lot of dead end jobs in her time—it’s a long story, but involves an ex-husband who wanted alimony—but she’s settled into being a private eye. This time around, she was just touring a wonderful historic home when a woman in an art group dies suddenly.  It appears to be natural causes at first, but Helen one of the woman’s friends insists Annabelle must have been poisoned and hires Helen to investigate.  Helen goes undercover as an aspiring artist to try to discover who had motive, means, and opportunity. 

Meanwhile, Helen’s new husband Phil has a case of his own, involving a thief who targets upper floor condos and who may have murdered one of the residents.

Viets has done several series, but the Dead End Jobs series in one of my favorites. As Helen takes on new temporary positions, I learn about what it takes to be a salesperson, telemarketer, etc.  And yes, Viets really did work all of these odd jobs in real life, so she knows her subjects!

I also thoroughly enjoy the south Florida setting and the strong supporting cast who all live at an older apartment building with a spritely landlady.  I love mysteries, but I also like well-developed characters who change and grow as a series progresses.  I may have figured out whodunit before the end of the book, but the journey was a pleasure—helped along, I have to say, by Phil’s hare-brained scheme to catch a thief which had me giggling as I walked on the treadmill. The mix of interesting characters, well-considered plots, good locations, and a dollop of humor is just up my alley.

Sadly, this was the last in this series so I would advise starting with an earlier book. In order:

Shop Till You Drop

Murder Between the Covers

Dying to Call You

Killer Blonde

Just Murdered

Murder Unleashed

Murder with Reservations

Clubbed to Death

Killer Cuts

Half-Price Homicide

Pumped for Murder

Final Sail

Board Stiff

Catnapped!

Checked Out

The Art of Murder

Viets is the author of several different series, so be sure to check them out!

Nevermore: What We're Reading!

 The Nevermore Book Club is a free-form club, meaning that everyone reads books of their choice and then gives a brief report.  Here are some of the recent titles:

We the Women: The Hidden Heroes Who Shaped America by Norah O’Donnell

In the Fields of Fatherless Children by Pamela Steele

The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post by Allison Pataki

Broke-Ass Women's Club by Sharon Sala

Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron

The Jungle Book by Rudyard Kipling

An Actor & His Time by John Miller

The Secret Lives of Murderers' Wives by Elizabeth Arnott

 

NEW BOOKS MENTIONED

Picky: How American Children Became the Fussiest Eaters in History by Helen Zoe Veit

T'ai Chi for Dummies by Therese Iknoian

A Far-Flung Life by M. L. Stedman

A Crown of Stars by Shana Abe

A Short History of Ancient Rome by Pascal Hughes

 

Reviewed by Jeanne

Most people know bits and pieces of Roman history, some more accurate than others.  Hughes has assembled an interesting and entertaining book for those who want to hit the high spots, so to speak.  He follows a timeline of Roman history in short chapters, many less than twenty pages, to give readers facts and character sketches of most of the important names. 

This book is based on the popular “Short History” podcast.  Chapters tend to open with a brief fictionalized “you are there” scenario involving the chapter’s subject before launching into the fact-filled portion. Starting with the legendary founding of Rome by Romulus, the book continues through the coming of Attila the Hun, which is a lot of history to cover.  Needless to say, a lot of people and incidents are skipped in order to cover those parts of Roman history deemed most important: the assassination of Caesar, building of the Colosseum, Pompeii, Constantine, etc. but I have to say that the book does manage to include a wealth of information.

I was impressed with the general even-handedness of the treatment. For example, the popular image of the Emperor Nero is the man who fiddled while Rome burned.  The book does note that the claim that the Emperor was playing a lyre while the flames danced, but also mentions other accounts that has Nero providing food to the displaced populace.  Other historical figures are accorded the same reasonable doubt.

One of my favorite things is the graphic used in front of each chapter:  a Roman-style column with a timeline of events and an indication where along the timeline each chapter falls.  This includes some events that may not be fully covered in a particular chapter at a time, but will be described later as the repercussions become clear.  It’s an excellent way to keep track of some things.

This leads to my major gripe: the lack of an index.  Some figures show up only as part of a chapter on someone else, while other events are summarized later than they actually occurred.  I would love to have been able to go back and track some of these.

Overall, I do give the book high marks.  It’s very readable, despite having a lot of names and places thrown at the reader all at once, and the short, easily digestible chapters keep the pages turning.  If someone asked me for a good overview of the Roman Empire, this is the first book I’d suggest.

New Fiction in May

 

May

Andrews, Alexandra  The Fine Art of Lying

Armstrong, Kelley  An Ordinary Sort of Evil (Rip Through Time)

Barnes, S.A. Death’s Daughter

Brammer, Mikki  Good Joy, Bad Joy

Butcher, Jim  Out Law (Dresden Files)

Carr, Jack  The Fourth Option

Center, Katherine The Shippers

Comey, James Red Verdict

Connelly, Michael  Ironwood (Catalina)

Dinniman, Matt A Parade of Horribles (Dungeon Crawler Carl)

Penny, Louise & Mellissa Fung The Last Mandarin

Stuart, Douglas John of John

Dray, Stephanie  Founding Mother: A Novel of Abigail Adams

Finlay, Alex The Anniversary

Fortune, Carley  Our Perfect Storm

Frankel, Laurie  Enormous Wings

Gaylin, Alison  Robert B. Parker’s Booked (Sunny Randall)

Gilmore, Laurie The Daisy Chain Flower Shop

Haig, Matt The Midnight Train

Haines, Carolyn  Ode to the Bones

Harrod-Eagles, Cynthia  Deadly Force

Hume, Virginia Liberty Island

Jalaluddin, Uzma Moonlight Murder (Detective Aunty)

James, Eloisa The Last Lady B

Johnson, Craig  The Brothers McKay

Kawaguchi, Toshikazu Before I Knew I Loved You (Before the Coffee Gets Cold)

Kline, Christina Baker  The Foursome

Larsen, Ward Tom Clancy Rules of Engagement

Macomber, Debbie Rainy Day Meet Cute

McAllister, Gillian  Caller Unknown

McFadden, Freida  The Divorce

Parker, Sarah A. The Ballad of Falling Dragons

Patterson, James 26 Beauties (Women’s Murder Club)

Roberts, Nora Final Target

Sepetys, Ruta  A Fortune of Sand

Skeslien Charles, Janet  The Parisian Chapter

Stockett, Kathryn  The Calamity Club

Strout, Elizabeth  The Things We Never Say

Wells, Martha Platform Decay (Murderbot)