My grandparents had a travel trailer. I remember it with both sadness and joy. There was the time I sat on the table, breaking it, and severely gashinMy grandparents had a travel trailer. I remember it with both sadness and joy. There was the time I sat on the table, breaking it, and severely gashing my sister's leg. Then there was the time, on vacation, I was the star navigator, and guided my grandfather down a dead end street by mistake. There was nothing for him to do but back it out, not an easy feat, and he was P_SSED. Joy was brought by my pride in being in a travel trailer family, and having a place to play away from the adults.
The book brought smiles immediately.
The Shape - either bread loaf or ham. (our trailer was shaped like a ham).
The book contained MANY pictures and descriptions.
I did enjoy my walk down memory lane... but where were the pictures of my grandparents and their trailer(s). ...more
This book, The Reformatory, by Tananarive Due is spectacular historical fiction. The author reveals to the reader in her author’s note that although fThis book, The Reformatory, by Tananarive Due is spectacular historical fiction. The author reveals to the reader in her author’s note that although fiction, it is based on her true-life relative named Robert Stephens who died at the Dozier School for Boys in Marianna, Florida, in the 1930s. None of the (main) characters, even young Robert Stephens himself, depict the lives and histories of real people. Gracetown is fictitious. The Gracetown Boy’s Reformatory is fictional.
The character of Warden Fenton J. Haddock is also entirely fictitious. The author created Haddock as an amalgam of a system of violence in children’s incarceration—but the truth is that no one person can explain away the reported events at the Dozier School, or the Alabama Industrial School for Negro Children, or the Indigenous “schools” in Canada where so many children were buried. No one person can be blamed for our nation’s current nightmare of mass incarceration.
The author is on a mission to tell the story of Jim Crow Florida in 1950. She has done a fabulous job.
Now the story: Gloria Stephens, 16, and Robbie Stephens, 12, are virtually orphans. Their mother has died of cancer and their father, Robert Stephens Sr, has fled to Chicago, having been accused of raping a white woman. He leaves the children in the care of Miz Lottie. Miz Lottie is old and Gloria feels she can take care of Robbie in her own home. One day, she and Robbie are accosted by a white boy, Lyle McCormack. Lyle makes advances toward Gloria, and Robbie, trying to protect his sister, kicks Lyle in the knee. Lyle’s father owns the town and insists Robbie be punished. The judge ‘sentences’ Robbie to 6 months at the Reformatory.
As soon as Robbie gets there, we can tell he has special powers. A horrendous fire occurred at the reformatory in 1920 and killed twenty-five boys. Someone set fire to the shed in which they were locked and they could not get out. As Robbie walks in the vicinity of the fire, he can feel the heat of it.
“The June sun in Gracetown from noon until dusk was almost as legendary as the sun in July or August, but the wall of heat he passed through with Boone was packed more tightly, a baking oven. The air was too hot to breathe, stinging his nostrils and throat.”
And the ghosts (aka ‘haints’) of the twenty-five are, 30 years later, still haunting the reformatory grounds.
The book is divided into eight parts: McCormack Road, The Reformatory, The Funhouse, The Courthouse, Haint Catcher, Lower Spruce (where Miz Lottie lives), Boot Hill, and The Hunt.
Each section is written so well, that, you, the reader, just want to keep on reading. What will happen next, and who will we meet, and what will be revealed about each of these characters?
This is the 30th book I have read this year, and easily the best. And let me tell you, I have read some GOOD books.
There are SO many secrets held by SO many people. Eventually they all get revealed. But lets start at the beginning.
First we meet Kit McDeere, a disgrThere are SO many secrets held by SO many people. Eventually they all get revealed. But lets start at the beginning.
First we meet Kit McDeere, a disgraced caregiver accused of killing her mother because her mother overdosed on fentenyl. She was never accused of a crime, but her employer suspended her for six months anyway.
Finally she is reassigned. Told that her new patient is Lenora Hope, Kit is unable to refuse, even though she recognizes the name as that of a notorious local legend whose reputation has haunted Kit’s hometown for decades. The entire Hope family was murdered in October of 1929 except for ONE person (The Only One Left).
So she starts work at Hope's End (in an exclusive neighborhood called the Cliffs), caring for Lenora Hope, the survivor. She does bond with Lenora and assists her with typing her version of the happenings in 1929.
Other players
Mrs. Baker - the housekeeper, there on Murder Day Archie - chef for the household, there on Murder Day Mary - Lenora's previous caregiver, who had left suddenly one day Jessica - cleans the house Carter - groundskeeper Patrick - Kit's Father
Each of these characters contributes significantly to the twists and turns of the plot. And YES, this plot twists and turns and goes places you never saw coming (OK, at least I didn't see them coming).
Highly recommend to Mystery Lovers everywhere. TY Sharon O for bringing this book to my attention.
I listened to an abridged audio version of this book and am thankful to learn about what the two American divers learned. Very good and included an inI listened to an abridged audio version of this book and am thankful to learn about what the two American divers learned. Very good and included an interview by the author with the two divers: John Chatterton and Rich Kohler. Maybe I did not read the entire book but got the added benefit of this interview. I did get a copy of the book and the photos included are astounding.
A German U-Boat was found off the shores of New Jersey in 1991.
Kurson brings considerable journalistic experience to his debut book, which combines the derring-do of a great modern-day adventure story with a 60 year old mystery. In other words, it's a book that can be enjoyed by a much wider audience than diving buffs (just as 'Into Thin Air' isn't just for climbers).
In 1991 John Chatterton and Rich Kohler, two deep-sea wreck divers, found an unidentified German submarine lying at 230 feet off the coast of New Jersey. Their seven year task of identifying what they found took them to Germany and Washington and, of course, to the darkest corners of the submarine. If you want to know exactly what they found, you'll have to read the book - I'm not going to spoil it for you!
230 feet doesn't sound particularly deep - it's less than the length of a soccer field; but to put it into context, amateur divers typically dive to less than 100 feet; diving much deeper than this requires special equipment including special gas mixtures to reduce the risk of diving related issues (see sidebar).
So there you are at 230 feet, with a limited amount of air, and therefore time, ready to explore a wreck - and not a wreck of a nice big ship but a small claustrophobic WWII submarine. It's pitch dark, except for any illumination you carry with you, and you have very little room to maneuver. In addition, at any moment you could bump into a part of the fragile wreck and the whole thing could cave in on you.
I don't know about you, but I'm very comfortable reading about all this from the comfort of my armchair!
I haven't read much John Grisham, but I promise you this one will NOT be my last. Characters (even the bad guys) were captivating. I could not put theI haven't read much John Grisham, but I promise you this one will NOT be my last. Characters (even the bad guys) were captivating. I could not put the book down.
The book is about vice on the Mississippi Coast in the 60's, 70's, 80's. It is a classic example of good versus evil. Two young boys are fast friends as twelve year olds. But their friendship fractures as they grow up and go their separate ways. Keith Rudy is the son of Jesse Rudy, who became DA of Harrison County. Hugh Malco is the son of Lance Malco who owned clubs on the coast that trafficked in prostitution and gambling. The fathers were bitter enemies and their conflicts are what this story is about.
Early on the book mentions the Dixie Mafia.
The author's note states the following:
"In the middle of the last century, there were a few gangs of outlaws who moved around the South causing trouble. They bought and sold anything that was illegal, and they had a nasty penchant for violence. It was never clear if their activities were related. Someone, probably in law enforcement, tagged them as the “Dixie Mafia,” and the legend was born.
A few of these characters did indeed settle along the Gulf Coast around 1950, no doubt attracted by the casual attitude toward vice. Biloxi’s colorful history of its seafood industry and the immigrants who built it are accurately described. Everything else is pure fiction."
I would not have attempted this book except for the convincing review written by my friend Deacon Tom. TY Tom for pointing me to this riveting read.
This book was written in 1963 and still a powerful classic.
Sterling North is an 11 year-old boy who LOVES animals. He has MANY pets. This book is abouThis book was written in 1963 and still a powerful classic.
Sterling North is an 11 year-old boy who LOVES animals. He has MANY pets. This book is about finding a raccoon kit and caring for it. The book chronicles a year in this boy and his pet raccoon, Rascal's, life.
Sterling's mother died when he was 7 and his three older siblings are out of the home. His father is a loving father but one who trusts that nothing bad will happen to Sterling and 'just lets him be'. One thing that stands out Is that Dad is letting Sterling build a canoe in the living room. Now whose parent would let their child do that?
Also his Dad is away from home alot and frequently Sterling is left alone. Rascal more than fills the void in Sterling's life.
The relationship between Sterling and Rascal is more than special. I learned things about a raccoon that I did not know. They LOVE to eat, especially sweet things. One day, Sterling was drinking a strawberry pop (AKA soda) and gave a taste to Rascal. Next thing you know, Rascal is on his back, holding the bottle with 'hands' and feet and drinking away.
Some quotes:
"RASCAL had one virtue, rare in human beings, the capacity for gratitude. Feed him a favorite food, say a kind word, and he was your friend."
When Sterling brought Rascal to school:
“As you can see,” Miss Whalen began, “raccoons are curious.” Then she wrote on the blackboard: Raccoon—an Indian word meaning “he who scratches.”
“Does this raccoon remind you of any other animal?” Miss Whalen asked. “He looks like a little bear,” Bud Babcock said.
I was intrigued because Miss Whalen was telling us certain things that even I didn’t know about Rascal.
Such a GOOD book... elements of historical fiction AND fantasy. I was more than impressed.
From supersummary.com
The novel follows the lives of two draSuch a GOOD book... elements of historical fiction AND fantasy. I was more than impressed.
From supersummary.com
The novel follows the lives of two dramatically different magical beings dropped onto the streets of New York City in 1899.
The first is a golem, which is a ready-to-order woman made solely to be a wife. Made of clay, she is not truly human; she lacks free will, all of her actions decided by her master. Yehudah Schaalman created her for Otto Rotfeld, a terribly sad man desperate for affection.
The jinni’s most recent memory is from a thousand years ago, but a tinsmith, Arbeely, offers him a job because he is so impressed with the jinni’s skill in crafting tin.
Ironically, the jinni feels claustrophobic and trapped in the tin shop, since he can’t safely walk in the rainy streets of New York, and he has no memory or identity. He has to lie about his background to the neighbors who swing by the shop. To them, he is “Ahmad,” a young man who recently moved to America from Egypt.
Many other characters make this book a must-read.
I have never read a book like this one before and I highly recommend it.
Chris Whitaker’s We Begin at the End starts as a conventional small-town murder mystery with a conventional cast of possible suspects. Vincent King rChris Whitaker’s We Begin at the End starts as a conventional small-town murder mystery with a conventional cast of possible suspects. Vincent King returns from prison, where he served 30 years for killing his girlfriend's younger sister when he was just 15 in a hit-and-run accident. His return to the small California coastal town of Cape Haven triggers events that lead to multiple murders and a complicated story.
Main Characters
Vincent King, of course!!
Sherriff "Walk" Walker - Vincent's best friend
Star Radley - Older sister of Sissy, the girl who Vincent accidentally hit; she is Vincent's girlfriend; is fighting addictions
Duchess Day Radley - daughter of Star; she calls herself an 'outlaw'; she is badass; she loves her brother and takes care of him; takes care of Star too
Robin Radley - Duchess younger brother
Hal Radley - their grandfather, Star and Missy's father; lives in Montana
Dickie Dark - the villain
The strongest character is Duchess. Just 13 years old, in many ways she is an adult.
The main theme of the book centers on the dynamics of grief - the novel’s emotional core is the hit-and-run death of little Sissy Radley over 30 years in the past. The struggle to handle that death is common to all of the novel’s principal characters. It is an accident—no one really is to blame, yet everyone feels guilty.
Another theme is the caring of characters for each other. "Walk" has always cared about Vincent and goes out on a limb for him. Duchess cares for her mother and brother, enough to let them go.
There are also many secrets kept by the characters. Finding out what they are might surprise you.
No character in this book is flawless; even the villain has at least one trait that is admirable. Complex characters and great writing.
I found it hard to understand the book at first, but glad that I stuck with it.
At first, this book was an enigma to me. What was it really about: the wild animal preserve? the ghosts in the cemetary? the father who was dieing froAt first, this book was an enigma to me. What was it really about: the wild animal preserve? the ghosts in the cemetary? the father who was dieing from an unknown brain disease? the daughter who was trying to find her way after being admitted to but never attending medical school? the friend who was missing?
Ironically, when asked what the book was about, the answer came easily: a man who is halucinating, seeing the ghost of a poet he admired, and seeing animals: cats in his classroom, rats in a restaurant, bunnies in his kitchen, tio name a few.
Each section of the book is named after an animal and the stories are imaginative. Amidst all the goings-on, we hear the thoughts of the dead buried in the Everton cemetery.
Once I got my mind around what was going on, I really enjoyed the book. Creative and thought provoking. But, of course, the book WAS about all of these.
The Couple Next Door, Shari Lapena’s 2016 international best-seller, begins as a classic detective story. As the mystery deepens, the novel turns into a tense psychological study of a dysfunctional family, the calculating logic of emotional manipulation, the spiral of post-partum depression, and the corrupting power of greed.
******* The Summary and My Impression:
Anne and Marco Conti are raising their 6 month old daughter in a swank house bought for them by Anne's father. One night they are invited to a birthday party for their 40 year old neighbor, Graham Stillwell. They had hired a baby sitter, but she canceled at the last minute. Rather than cancel their plans with the Stillwells, they reluctantly agree to leave Cora at home and check on her every half hour. Then the unthinkable happens. After their midnight check, the baby has been kidnapped.
The tale unwinds from there: the problems of both the Contis and the Stillwells and the inevitable revelation of how and why the baby is gone.
This is my second book by Sarah Bird. This book was good... BUT... I liked the first book better.
This story, is based on a real life person, Cathy WilThis is my second book by Sarah Bird. This book was good... BUT... I liked the first book better.
This story, is based on a real life person, Cathy Williams, who successfully enlisted as a Buffalo Soldier right after the Civil War. How she passed the physical and maintained her secret identity is the stuff of this book.
I listened to the audio as I read this book. The narrator is Bahni Turpin, who has narrated quite a few books. I recently read and listened to three of the four Freedman/Johnson series written by Laila Ibrahim. Bahni narrated all of these. The first in the series is Yellow Crocus.
I want to share with you the blurb from Audible about this book which describes the story succinctly:
"From Sarah Bird comes the compelling, hidden story of Cathy Williams, a former slave and the first woman to ever serve in the US Army
“Here's the first thing you need to know about Miss Cathy Williams: I am the daughter of a daughter of a queen and my Mama never let me forget it."
Missouri, 1864 - Powerful, epic, and compelling, Daughter of a Daughter of a Queen shines light on a nearly forgotten figure in history. Cathy Williams was born and lived a slave - until the Union army comes and destroys the only world she’s known. Separated from her family, she makes the impossible decision - to fight in the army disguised as a man with the Buffalo Soldiers.
With courage and wit, Cathy must not only fight for her survival and freedom in the ultimate man’s world, but never give up on her mission to find her family, and the man she loves. Beautiful, strong, and impactful, Cathy’s story is one that illustrates the force of hidden history come to light, the strength of women, and the power of love."
4 stars
ATY Prompt: 2. A book by an author you read in 2022 (Sarah Bird)...more
Historical Fiction at its best: when I read about a historical event I had no idea occurred. And LEARN!!
The event covered in this book is the explosioHistorical Fiction at its best: when I read about a historical event I had no idea occurred. And LEARN!!
The event covered in this book is the explosion of the SB Pulaski on June 14, 1838. It was taking 37 crew and 150-160 passengers from Savannah to Baltimore Maryland. 58 of that number survived. Only four life boats, two of which were so dried out from the sun that they were useless. The other two carried 21 of the survivors to shore.
The rest of the survivors clung to large pieces of the wreckage until they were rescued, some being in the water up to four days.
Callahan expertly weaves this story with a present day narrative: Everly Winthrop is asked to curate an exhibit of recovered articles from the disaster.
I purchased the audible to listen along while reading and it was an excellent addition.
My only problem was keeping track of the myriad passengers on board and their relations to each other.
"Klara and the Sun is a dystopian science fiction novel published in March of 2021 by the British author Kazuo Ishiguro. Set somewhere in the United S"Klara and the Sun is a dystopian science fiction novel published in March of 2021 by the British author Kazuo Ishiguro. Set somewhere in the United States in the near future, the novel is narrated by Klara, an android designed to provide companionship for children. The story follows her experience as an “Artificial Friend” to a young, sick girl who has had her genetics altered for better academic performance. "
supersummary.com overview
The Characters
Klara - her name mean clarity! She is an unusually talented android, perceptive and observant of emotions. However she is naive and not always correct in her scientific assumptions. She was not programmed to be so. One of Klara's responsibilities is to watch Josie for signs of sickness and 'sound the alarm' when she noticed them.
Josie - kind, precocious and mature. Her altered genetics have made her sick. She loves Rick but he was not genetically altered. She tries to minimize her illness for those she loves: her mom, Rick, Klara and the Housekeeper.
Chrissy - complex character. Responsible for having Josie 'lifted' (genetically altered). Does love her daughter fiercely. Tends to her own needs as well. Has immense guilt over her decision to lift Josie.
Sal - Josie's deceased sister, older than Josie. Not clear what she died of but the death could have been caused by genetic alteration.
Rick - a neighbor; not genetically altered. Josie and Rick make a pact to be together always, despite their differences.
I am hoping this review can help the reader understand the book a little better and hopefully NO spoilers.
I almost quit on the book, but am glad I did not.
4 stars
ATY Prompt: 10. A book related to one of the Spice Girls' "personalities" (Scary) ...more
The heroine is named Pheby Delores Brown who is 17 and lives at the Bell Plantation. Her mother's name is Ruth and a well-regarded healer. They are both 'favored' by the plantation's owner, Master Jacob. Ruth has extracted a promise from Jacob Bell: that Pheby will be set free when she is 18. But fate intervenes and that promise is not fulfilled. Jacob's spiteful wife, Missus Delphina, steps in and sends her away. Her new home is in Richmond at the infamous slave jail known as the Devil's Half Acre.
I found out while reading a review published on NPR the following:
"Pheby Delores Brown is a fictional character, but she was inspired by a real-life figure, Mary Lumpkin, the enslaved concubine of Robert Lumpkin. He was a notorious white slave trader who owned and managed the aptly dubbed Devil's Half Acre — also a real place, part of a slave-trading post Lumpkin founded in 1840, a compound that included a guesthouse and barroom and an auction block. As Johnson writes in her author's note, the jail was an infamous holding pen and "breaking center" for more than 300,000 enslaved people from 1844 to 1865."
The Jailer in this book, Rubin Lapier, is a cruel man, but is entranced by Pheby, and takes her as his 'wife'. Together they have four daughters. Pheby's role as a loving mother defines her as an endearing protaganist.
This is a painful period in the history of our country. Pheby's experiences as outlined in this story bring that period to life.
A fantastically good book about three mothers, little known, who greatly influenced their famous sons.
Louise Little - mother of Malcolm X Alberta King A fantastically good book about three mothers, little known, who greatly influenced their famous sons.
Louise Little - mother of Malcolm X Alberta King - mother of Martin Luther King, Jr Berdis Baldwin - mother of James Baldwin
All were strong women, highly intelligent, and outlived their famous sons.
These quotes by each of their sons say quite a lot
I saw my mother’s face again, and felt, for the first time, how the stones of the road she had walked on must have bruised her feet. —JAMES BALDWIN
The mother is the first teacher of the child. The message she gives that child, that child gives to the world. —MALCOLM X
It is something like the mother giving birth to a child. While she is temporarily consoled by the fact that her pain is not just bare meaningless pain, she nevertheless experiences the pain. In spite of the fact that she realizes beneath her pain is the emergence of life in a radiant infant, she experiences the agony right on. —MARTIN LUTHER KING, JR.
Claire, an abused wife of a powerful man running for the Senate.
Eva, a woman without a family, who has become involvTwo women running for their lives.
Claire, an abused wife of a powerful man running for the Senate.
Eva, a woman without a family, who has become involved in illegal activities.
Both need to disappear and start a new existence.
From SuperSummary:
The Last Flight explores women’s desperate survival strategies when caught within the machinations of brutal and violent men. In adopting a narrative structure in which the point of view alternates chapter to chapter between the two women, the novel lays bare The Corrosive Effects of Secrets in relationships as well as the powerful lure of the chance to start over (and The Pretty Lie of Escape). Ultimately, the novel celebrates the resilience of women and The Power of Female Solidarity in a patriarchal culture still unwilling to see women as anything but commodities.
Isabel Wilkerson is a journalist. She was the first woman of African-American heritage to win the Pulitzer Prize in journalism. Her journalistic writiIsabel Wilkerson is a journalist. She was the first woman of African-American heritage to win the Pulitzer Prize in journalism. Her journalistic writing talents and attention to detail are evident throughout the book.
Others have researched and written about the caste system in America. Wilkerson mentions some of these in her book. But I had never heard this term applied to the United States. My eyes were open over and over again to the nature of inequality in the US, India and Nazi Germany. Did you know Nazi Germany got their ideas from the Jim Crow laws of the US. Appalling.
Wilkerson dispenses early with any notion that distance from the mistakes of the past absolves her readers of personal responsibility. Protestations of innocence may be factually accurate, but she considers them unhelpful. Using the metaphor of America as a building, she stresses ownership and occupancy over intention. To deny responsibility for America’s defining faults is impossible as long as one lives in it. Cultivating moral responsibility in her readers is one of her fundamental aims. And that is as it should be.
Key Figures named in this book:
ISABEL WILKERSON: Caste is not her first book about rcial inequality. She achieved wide recognition for her 2010 work, The Warmth of Other Suns: The Epic Story of America’s Great Migration. She has taught jounalism at many noteworthy universities (Princeton, for example). She has had a few encounters of her where people have harrassed her and assumed the worst. She shares these and other peoples' personal stories with us.
BHIMRAO AMBEDKAR: Indian social activist, whom Wilkerson calls “the Martin Luther King of India”.
W.E.B. DUBOIS: A Black scholar and activist, DuBois devoted his life to what he called the “race problem” in the United States.
ADOLF HITLER: Believed in the supremacy of the Aryan race.
BARACK OBAMA: As president, Obama faced sustained attacks on his legitimacy from political opponents, including accusations that he was not born in the United States and that his presidency was illegitimate.
DONALD TRUMP: For Wilkerson, Trump’s election victory was the result of many White Americans’ wish to maintain their primacy of caste, even at the expense of their own well-being.
Key Themes
THE INVISIBILITY OF POWER
PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL VIOLENCE AS KEY TO CASTE
LAW AS AN INSTRUMENT OF CASTE: Jim Crow Laws especially
THE ROLE OF CASTE IN THE 2016 ELECTION AND THE 2020 PANDEMIC
Please read this book. It will challenge you and educate you.
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