Glow by Megan Bryant

September 26, 2019 By Leave a Comment


Glow by Megan Bryant
Publisher: AW Teen
Genre: Historical, YA, Fiction
Length: Full Length (272 pgs)
Age Recommendation: 16+
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

Lydia is thrilled to join the working girls in the factory, where they paint luminous watch dials for the soldiers fighting in World War I. In the future, these girls will be known as the tragic Radium Girls: factory workers not only poisoned by the glowing paint, but who also had to fight against men who knew of the paint’s deadly effect. One hundred years later, Julie, whose life is on hold after high school, becomes intrigued by a series of mysterious antique paintings she finds in a thrift store. When she discovers their hidden-and increasingly nightmarish-glowing images, Julie is determined to learn more about them. As Julie’s obsession mounts, truths about the Radium Girls-and her own complicated relationships-are revealed. Can she uncover the secrets behind the paintings before she puts herself and everyone she loves at risk?

A special painting that changes when the lights go out and a girl with a complicated life. This book packs a punch.

The author has created a story that captivated me from the first page. The writing flowed well and I had to know what would happen next. I also got emotionally invested in Charlotte, Liza and Lydia. I liked them, even when I wanted to shout, don’t eat that paint!

The characters of Lydia, Liza and Charlotte were well-planned and made the most of the situation the Radium Girls went through–they tipped their brushes to paint watch dials with paint that glowed in the dark. They also painted their jewelry, painted their teeth and as a bi-product, ate the paint. I liked these characters and would’ve loved to have read more about them.

Julie, the modern day character, had her issues. Now, she’s a young adult who didn’t get the chance to go to college because she got her mother’s house out of foreclosure. So, yes, she’s got some issues. She’s a older teen, she’s the bread-winner in the family and she has some communication issues common with teens – she thinks everyone knows what she means and she knows everything. The author created the character in an interesting manner, but there were a few things that happened to her that seemed a bit cliche.

Still, I liked this book, and while I don’t read much YA, I recommend this one. Give it a try.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance, YA/Middle Grade/Children's Tagged With: , , , , , , , ,

The Wives of Los Alamos by TaraShea Nesbit

September 4, 2019 By Leave a Comment


The Wives of Los Alamos by TaraShea Nesbit
Publisher: Bloomsbury
Genre: Recent Historical Fiction
Length: Full Length (240 pgs)
Rating: 3.5 stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

They arrived in New Mexico ready for adventure, or at least resigned to it. But hope quickly turned to hardship as they were forced to adapt to a rugged military town where everything was a secret–including what their husbands were doing at the lab. Though they were strangers, they joined together–adapting to a landscape as fierce as it was absorbing, full of the banalities of everyday life and the drama of scientific discovery.

While the bomb was being invented, babies were born, friendships were forged, children grew up, and Los Alamos gradually transformed into a real community: one that was strained by the words they couldn’t say out loud or in letters, and by the freedom they didn’t have. But the end of the war would bring even bigger challenges, as the scientists and their families struggled with the burden of their contribution to the most destructive force in the history of mankind.

The Wives of Los Alamos is a testament to a remarkable group of real-life women and an exploration of a crucial, largely unconsidered aspect of one of the most monumental research projects in modern history.

Different and interesting.

I picked up this book because I’ve been on a historical binge. Okay, maybe it’s more recent historical, but still. This book fit right into what I wanted to read.

This book is listed as haunting. On some levels it is. I mean, to know these women were in a situation where they knew only about a third of what was going on and still going about their business…it’s crazy. I enjoyed reading about their struggles, hardships, thoughts and how even back then, women could be catty to each other when they had little else to do.

There is a certain rhythm to this book, though. It’s not written from any one person’s point of view. It’s an original, but if the reader expects to learn how these people lived from one person, then the reader is out of luck. I have to admit, it’s a little difficult. I could, yet I couldn’t, identify with the characters because there were so few named.

If you’re interested in reading a book about Los Alamos from a different point of view, then this might be the book for you.

Filed Under: Mainstream Fiction, Other, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

The Atomic City Girls by Janet Beard

August 13, 2019 By Leave a Comment


The Atomic City Girls by Janet Beard
Publisher: William Morrow
Genre: Recent Historical Fiction
Length: Full Length (363 pgs)
Heat Level: Sensual
Rating: 3.5 stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

In November 1944, eighteen-year-old June Walker boards an unmarked bus, destined for a city that doesn’t officially exist. Oak Ridge, Tennessee has sprung up in a matter of months—a town of trailers and segregated houses, 24-hour cafeterias, and constant security checks. There, June joins hundreds of other young girls operating massive machines whose purpose is never explained. They know they are helping to win the war, but must ask no questions and reveal nothing to outsiders.

The girls spend their evenings socializing and flirting with soldiers, scientists, and workmen at dances and movies, bowling alleys and canteens. June longs to know more about their top-secret assignment and begins an affair with Sam Cantor, the young Jewish physicist from New York who oversees the lab where she works and understands the end goal only too well, while her beautiful roommate Cici is on her own mission: to find a wealthy husband and escape her sharecropper roots. Across town, African-American construction worker Joe Brewer knows nothing of the government’s plans, only that his new job pays enough to make it worth leaving his family behind, at least for now. But a breach in security will intertwine his fate with June’s search for answers.

When the bombing of Hiroshima brings the truth about Oak Ridge into devastating focus, June must confront her ideals about loyalty, patriotism, and war itself.

A different look at the way things were in Oak Ridge.

I picked this book up because it’s on the list of books we’re considering reading for the local reading group. I’d read The Girls of Atomic City and enjoyed it, so I was looking forward to this take on Oak Ridge. I’m glad I picked up this book. Really. I have some quibbles with it, but it’s a quick read and an interesting point of view on life at Oak Ridge.

One of my quibbles is with the characters. I didn’t really root for any of them. I didn’t see any of them–save for a secondary one–as someone I’d like to have for a friend. I did get emotionally involved in the story, so that’s going for the book. I wanted to clunk a couple of the characters on the head. But the thing is, some of the characters were rather immature. I get they were young when they arrived at Oak Ridge, the naivete, and in some ways negativity, made me want to skip pages.

Still, this is an interesting take on what the people went through in Oak Ridge. Racial bias, loose-lips-sink-ships, being wary of everyone…it’s vividly told.

If you’re looking for a book that’s different and involves the work at Oak Ridge, then this might be the book for you.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , , , ,

Valencia and Valentine by Suzy Krause

June 17, 2019 By Leave a Comment


Valencia and Valentine by Suzy Krause
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Women’s Fiction, Fiction
Length: Full length (244 pages)
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 4.5 stars
Reviewed by Xeranthemum

For readers of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine, debut author Suzy Krause delivers a quirky, colorful story about love, loss, second chances, and what it means to truly live.

Valencia, a timid debt collector with crippling OCD, is afraid of many things, but the two that scare her most are flying and turning thirty-five. To confront those fears, Valencia’s therapist suggests that she fly somewhere—anywhere—before her upcoming birthday. And as Valencia begins a telephone romance with a man from New York, she suddenly has a destination in mind. There’s only one problem—he might not actually exist.

Mrs. Valentine is an eccentric old woman desperate for company, be it from neighbors, telemarketers, or even the funeral director (when you’re her age, you go to a lot of funerals). So she’s thrilled when the new cleaning girl provides a listening ear for her life’s story—a tale of storybook love and incredible adventures around the world with her husband before his mysterious and sudden disappearance.

The stories of Valencia and Mrs. Valentine may at first appear to have nothing in common…but then again, nothing in life is as straightforward as it seems.

I decided to read this story based on the blurb. It sounded interesting and I thought it might be fun. Well, Valencia and Valentine was absolutely interesting but fun wouldn’t be my word choice. It was a story that spoke to the heart in a way that was unconventional and surprising. There were so many times I expected Valencia and Mrs. Valentine to meet. In the end, they did, but not in any way I could have guessed or imagined or predicted.

There were times during reading where I wanted to skim or skip some paragraphs or pages because I didn’t think the plot was moving fast enough. My advice, slow down, take it in, and keep on keeping on. I ended up doing that because I discovered there was this intangible sense, a knowing that I was heading for a revelation that I couldn’t fathom but I wanted to get to. I needed every little clue to understand.

The author wrote in such a profound and effective manner about Valencia and how OCD affected her life, it made my heart ache. It gave me insight into those whose lives are dogged by the specter of revolving doubts, questions, panic attacks, worries and the ever-present ‘what-if?’ – if they did or didn’t do something, would it cause harm? Then there’s the guilt that comes from the imagining and then the questions, is it really imagination or is it real? I can’t visualize feeling that way all day, every day, yet the author clearly showed me though the heroine’s point of view just how challenging and hard a life can be when dealing with OCD. It was an eye-opener.

The reason I didn’t give this novel five stars was because I did get the feeling like I wanted to skim through parts, to hurry up and get to where the good stuff I believed should be. The kick of it is, I needed all those reminisces from Mrs. Valentine, I needed to read about Peter’s interaction with Valencia and how she tried to like him back – I needed to understand these two ladies which meant I needed to not rush things and let the author guide me to where she wanted me to go.

Because I eventually became so invested in their stories, when I came upon the scenes about the plane ride, I turned into a water faucet. It came upon me so suddenly – the knowledge of what I had been actually reading and what it meant and I cried and sniffled and used many tissues. My heart broke, and yet, there was a nostalgic love and gentleness, and a bittersweet happiness woven into the wrap-up. Even with that little bit of brightness, as I type this, I’m tearing up all over again. My heart was engaged at a much deeper depth than I believed it could be and I credit my emotional response to the care and expertise of Ms. Krause’s writing.

Valencia and Valentine is a difficult book to describe because anything I think to say doesn’t seem to do it justice. It’s not my usual type of book and yet, I feel better for having read it. In my own life, I want to be more like Grace. She was a great secondary character and a wonderful ally for Valencia to have. Readers who enjoy books with serious substance shared with love, character driven plots and protagonists who are brought to life before your very eyes, should definitely consider reading this novel.

Filed Under: Mainstream Fiction, Reviews, Romance Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

Songs to New York by Myrtle Brooks

June 25, 2018 By 1 Comment


Songs to New York by Myrtle Brooks
Publisher: Black Rose Writing
Genre: Fiction, Sci-Fi/Fantasy
Length: Short Story (131 pages)
Heat Level: Sweet
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Lavender

A benevolent woman of quiet mystery who smiles in welcome greeting each time one visits her; whose distinct perfume is remembered long after one’s departure:

Author Myrtle Brooks’ love affair with the Big Apple served in ten allegorical slices depicting everyday people experiencing miraculous events throughout the five boroughs. “The Sanctity of the Mails:” observed in Heaven via the Brooklyn Post Office. A Staten Island-raised engineer who escapes city living, only to find the city within himself. A mysterious floor in a Queens apartment building reachable through attainment alone.

Songs to New York crosses the threshold between impossible and occurrence: “Only in New York.”

Like the pearls of an exotic necklace, these stories each add a touch of beauty to the whole of which they are a part. There are several tales with the theme of life in New York, a wonderfully diverse place bustling with activity and flavored with its unique atmosphere. Reading these stories brings a reader right into this world. The author has excelled at painting a picture of the setting.

Though each story is different, they all feel so New York. If you don’t know what that is, you will after reading this special collection. Another thing the tales have in common is a sense of magic or otherworldliness touching upon the reality of daily living. It’s an interesting mix. There’s a slight supernatural tone weaving throughout the lives of these characters.

The stories are different from each other though, with a variety of characters and plotlines. Readers will find their favorites and their less-than-favorites among these pages. Most of the stories drew me in, but it really is a matter of personal taste. Each reader will be drawn more to some stories than others.

The first story, The Cyclist, is really charming. A writer and his cute cat have one heck of an adventure. Their story is told with poetic, eloquent writing. There are also down-to-earth scenes and deep ponderings of life. The writing is fresh and expressively creative.

Other stories include The Diamond, a sad tale but filled with hopeful anticipation. It’s about faith. The story entitled The Bar has more of those great descriptions of really life in New York, the neighborhoods, the people, the scenery…It’s philosophical and reflective.

Getting really creative concerning a point of view, we have the story The Earthworm. Faith is a theme, as is respect for life. In The Addressee, we read about an encounter with an angel. In The Request, a little girl gets a quick trip to heaven. We are treated to a child’s magical description. This story is about the meaning of honor.

In the last story, we are treated to the tale of a hard-working family and a nice teenager who is just trying to help his family and others. This story involves a mystery and is good for inspiring curiosity. There is a theme of morality and kindness.

Overall, these are quality stories and very creative. They leave a reader with many ponderings and a smile. It’s like talking to someone with an upbeat attitude who has some wild stories to tell. This is a recommended story collection.

Filed Under: Reviews, Romance, Science Fiction/Fantasy Tagged With: , , , , , , ,

The Good Liar by Catherine McKenzie

January 24, 2018 By Leave a Comment


The Good Liar by Catherine McKenzie
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Genre: Fiction, Mystery/Suspense, Contemporary
Length: Full Length (405 pgs)
Rating: 4.5 Stars
Reviewed by Stephanotis

Can you hide a secret with the whole world watching?

When an explosion rips apart a Chicago building, the lives of three women are forever altered.

A year later, Cecily is in mourning. She was supposed to be in the building that day. Instead, she stood on the street and witnessed it going down, with her husband and best friend inside. Kate, now living thousands of miles away, fled the disaster and is hoping that her past won’t catch up with her. And Franny, a young woman in search of her birth mother, watched the horror unfold on the morning news, knowing that the woman she was so desperate to reconnect with was in the building.

Now, despite the marks left by the tragedy, they all seem safe. But as its anniversary dominates the media, the memories of that terrifying morning become dangerous triggers. All these women are guarding important secrets. Just how far will they go to keep them?

The title of this book pulled me in. . . I had a feeling it would be suspenseful, and this one was.

One thing I’ll warn you about straight away is that its narration can be initially jarring. It’s a mix of first person, third person, and interview transcripts. It sort of threw me off at first but the more I read on, the more I understood why the author had chosen this format for the story.

All three women in this story are interesting characters. Cecily is the one you identify with the most because it’s through her first person narration the story begins and mainly continues. Did that make me like her more? I think so and as the story unfolds you realize she’s the real victim in the story but then the author makes you wonder… is she? I won’t give away the ending but let me just say it picked up tempo and intrigue as the tale unfolded. We get a clear picture of what secrets each women is hiding and how the three lives slowly mesh together.

I thought the dialogue was natural sounding and the pacing perfect. The last third of the story really flies by as all lives and backstories begin to merge. It’s also a story that gets you thinking about what you’d do if faced in similar circumstances. Is it ever a good idea to hide things from loved ones or to run away from things we’re not happy about?

It’s a fun read and if you like suspense and secrets in your stories then this is definitely one to check out.

Filed Under: Mainstream Fiction, Mystery/Suspense, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , ,

The Wake Up by Catherine Ryan Hyde

December 14, 2017 By Leave a Comment


The Wake Up by Catherine Ryan Hyde
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Genre: Contemporary Fiction
Length: Full Length (362 pgs)
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Stephanotis

Something has been asleep in forty-year-old cattle rancher Aiden Delacorte for a long time. It all comes back in a rush during a hunting trip, when he’s suddenly attuned to the animals around him, feeling their pain and fear as if it were his own. But the newfound sensitivity of Aiden’s “wake up” has its price. He can no longer sleepwalk through life, holding everyone at arm’s length. As he struggles to cope with a trait he’s buried since childhood, Aiden falls in love with Gwen, a single mother whose young son bears a burden of his own.

Sullen and broken from his experiences with an abusive father, Milo has turned to acting out in violent and rebellious ways. Aiden can feel the boy’s pain, as well as that of his victims. Now he and Milo must sift through their pasts to find empathy with the innocent as well as the guilty, to come to terms with their deepest fears, and to finally discover the compassionate heart of a family.

I’ve never read a Catherine Ryan Hyde book I didn’t thoroughly enjoy, and this one was no exception.

What I like most about this author’s stories is she lets you connect with the characters from page one, you feel for them, you cheer them on, and the lead character, Aiden, made me feel that way. The other characters are just as well created but it’s Aiden that you feel yourself empathizing with the most as he struggles with his new found ‘gift’, that of feeling others pain. Well, not just humans but animals too which isn’t a good thing for a man who’s a cattle rancher.

This story is a page turner and not just because of its plot but it you feel the essential emotional pull that makes you want to read more and read on to see how Aiden’s new life evolves. Another interesting character in this story is Milo, the young son of Aiden’s new love interest. Milo’s got his own issues, his own pain from the past and it’s all brought out beautifully when he and Aiden start to interact and gradually begin the healing process.

The dialogue is wonderful and the pacing spot on for a book of this length. I don’t think I’ve ever read any book by Ms. Hyde that hasn’t left me a bit teary eyed. You might not have experienced the same thing as the characters, but you, like Aiden in this story, can feel what they’re going through which for me is the trademark of a book that lives on in your heart.

This is a story I highly recommend for your winter reading list.

Filed Under: Mainstream Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman

October 4, 2017 By Leave a Comment


A Man Called Ove by Fredrik Backman
Publisher: Washington Square Press
Genre: Contemporary, Fiction
Length: Full Length (337 pgs)
Rating: 4 stars
Reviewed by Nymphaea

Meet Ove. He’s a curmudgeon—the kind of man who points at people he dislikes as if they were burglars caught outside his bedroom window. He has staunch principles, strict routines, and a short fuse. People call him “the bitter neighbor from hell.” But must Ove be bitter just because he doesn’t walk around with a smile plastered to his face all the time?

Behind the cranky exterior there is a story and a sadness. So when one November morning a chatty young couple with two chatty young daughters move in next door and accidentally flatten Ove’s mailbox, it is the lead-in to a comical and heartwarming tale of unkempt cats, unexpected friendship, and the ancient art of backing up a U-Haul. All of which will change one cranky old man and a local residents’ association to their very foundations.

An interesting book that wasn’t what I expected, but worth the read.

Initially, I wasn’t fond of this book. I’ll admit it. Ove got on my nerves. I am not the very factual, very direct kind of person that Ove is. I have grey areas. He doesn’t. Honestly, two-thirds of the way through the book, I still wasn’t converted. I didn’t see the point. I kept expecting something nasty to happen to ‘cat’, too. I should note that the book takes place in Sweden and there are references to Sweden. It adds to the story, absolutely, but should be pointed out.

But then about the two-thirds point, the book changed. Okay, maybe the book didn’t change, but my perception did. I got to see the man, Ove, become more than he was. I understood him better and quite honestly, I rooted for him. I liked his interactions with the neighbors and ‘cat’. There was a sweet man under that curmudgeon facade. I won’t give away the ending, but I did cry. I felt like I’d known Ove all along.

The secondary characters are great and while some are a tad irritating, they round out the story well. They needed to be there. Plus, they’re more than I thought and it was great to see them grow along with Ove.

If you want a book that might take some getting used to and some endurance to get through (you’ll be rewarded), then this might be the book for you. I’m glad I picked it up.

Filed Under: Other, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

In The Light of The Garden by Heather Burch

January 2, 2017 By Leave a Comment

light
In The Light of The Garden by Heather Burch
Publisher: Lake Union Publishing
Genre: Contemporary, Fiction
Length: Full Length (352 pgs)
Rating: 4 Stars
Reviewed by Stephanotis

In the Light of the Garden is a novel about unearthed family secrets, the enchantment of past loves, and the indelible power of forgiveness.

Inheriting her grandparents’ island estate on Florida’s Gulf coast is a special kind of homecoming for thirty-one-year-old Charity Baxter. Raised by a narcissistic single mother, Charity’s only sense of a loving home comes from childhood summers spent with Gramps and Grandma. But piercing her fondest memories is her sharpest grief—the death of her beloved grandmother, when Charity stopped believing in the magical healing power of the weeping willow that still casts a shadow on their property.

Now that Charity has returned, she’s full of longing and regret, until she befriends her neighbor Dalton Reynolds, who has come to Gaslamp Island carrying his own heartache. As other exiles arrive—a great uncle harboring secrets, a teenage runaway—Charity begins to reconsider what makes a family. When her own estranged mother shows up in crisis, Charity is challenged to search her heart for forgiveness. But forgiving herself may require a little magic from the last place she’d expect to find it.

Lately I’ve been discovering all these wonderful new to me authors, and Heather Burch is another one of them.

I really enjoyed reading this story. The main character Charity Baxter is someone who you both like and can relate to. She’s shaken by the death of her grandpa who along with her grandma played a huge part in her early life. The book starts almost at the point where she inherits her grandparent’s house and it’s there Ms. Burch does a wonderful job revealing bit by bit Charity’s childhood and her relationship with her estranged mother.

This story has everything, childhood dreams about fantasy and magic, the baggage we carry with us into adulthood, finding yourself, and stumbling upon a new love. And best of all, finding somewhere in your heart to forgive someone who hurt you in the past. I think Charity finds that it’s part of the process of growing up and it was great taking that journey with her as the story unfolded.

I also liked her love interest, Dalton, who’s got some hurt of his own. I felt like these two were made for one another.

If you love stories with a realistic setting, dialogue and theme, and a fan of books that focus on the meaning of family, I think you’ll enjoy this one.

Filed Under: Mainstream Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , ,

Olivier The Cat Who Saved Christmas by Sheila Norton

November 14, 2016 By 1 Comment

oliver
Olivier The Cat Who Saved Christmas by Sheila Norton
Publisher: Thomas Dunne Books
Genre: Contemporary fiction, Holiday
Length: Full Length (315 pgs)
Rating: 5 Stars
Reviewed by Stephanotis

A friend who brings light at the darkest of times…

Oliver the cat is a timid little thing, and rarely ventures from his home in the Foresters’ Arms.

Then his life changes dramatically when a fire breaks out in the pub kitchen and he is left homeless and afraid. But, with the kindness of the humans around him, he soon learns to trust again. And, in his own special way, he helps to heal those around him.

However, it isn’t until he meets a little girl in desperate need of a friend that he realises this village needs a Christmas miracle…

Who doesn’t love a story with a main character who’s an animal? In this story, it’s a ginger tabby named Oliver and he’s the narrator of the tale, too. As a cat owner, I was completely won over from page one and things only got better as the story progressed.

This story has something of everything, humor, some sadness, a wonderful setting that compliments the Christmas theme so well, and some down on their luck inhabitants whose lives are to be quickly transformed.

As all Christmas stories should be, this one is about finding joy and miracles when you least expect it. The sick child grows strong; the young couple without enough money to heat their home find dream jobs, and even kittens find perfect homes. All things are possible in this story but it’s not without the help of Oliver who seems to have a knack for being in the right place at the right time.

I loved the way Oliver interacted with his fellow cats and his frustration as he struggled to get humans to understand what he was showing them. I ended up reading this story in two sittings and I think it’s perfect for all ages, young and old. Also, the perfect book to read aloud on Christmas Eve or give as a gift.

Don’t miss this fun Christmas story that will have you believing in miracles.

Filed Under: Mainstream Fiction, Reviews Tagged With: , , , , , ,
« Previous Page
Next Page »