Review: The Hunger

The Hunger by Alma Katsu
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I love a good Donner Party tale, and this was pretty awesome! She's a natural historical fiction writer and I loved reading about all the drama that could have really happened on the trail. There is a bit of a supernatural thing happening, but I actually thought it fit perfectly with the creepiness of some of the people in the wagon train. So many of the people who went west were crooked or evil or fake do-gooders.

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Review: The Eighth Sister

The Eighth Sister by Robert Dugoni
My rating: 0 of 5 stars

Perfect if you love Russian spy novels!

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Review: All the Crooked Saints

All the Crooked Saints by Maggie Stiefvater
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

I'm usually a huge fan of magical realism but this YA novel was just swimming in it and I wasn't up to it. DNF at page 97.

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Review: The Editor

The Editor by Steven Rowley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this listen more than I thought I would, thanks to the excellent narration. I really am not obsessed with the Kennedys, so that part of this novel didn't attract me.

David Smale finally "makes it" when his book is purchased by Doubleday. And who is his editor? Jackie Kennedy Onassis. He's ecstatic, even when Jackie pushes him to talk to his family more to change the ending of his (darn autobiographical) novel. It does seem like the two have a good author-publisher relationship. The respect is there and she really does get a better book out of him. Or I guess she does, since, this, too, is a novel and not a true story.

The narrator reminded me of Tim Federle's narration of his own YA books (that's a good thing) and he created very distinct voices for all the characters. Funny, sad, and full of tender family/gay relationship moments.

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Review: Death at Whitewater Church

Death at Whitewater Church by Andrea Carter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Great debut mystery set in Donegal. A local solicitor is helping expect a property for sale and she finds bones in the crypt of an deconsecrated church. The bones aren't in a tomb either--so whose are they and why are they there? Thought to be those of a man who disappeared six years, the body turns out to be someone else entirely. Loved the atmosphere of Inishowen--I want to visit it someday. It's the county northwest of Northern Ireland! So it makes sense that the Troubles have a bit to play in this novel, too.

Things wrapped up a bit too easily at the end--I really don't like mysteries where the criminal tells all at the end of the novel. But I'll give the author (and editor) another shot and see if the next book is a bit messier and realistic.

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Review: Death at Whitewater Church

Death at Whitewater Church by Andrea Carter
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Great debut mystery set in Donegal. A local solicitor is helping expect a property for sale and finds bones. Thought to be those of a man who disappeared six years, the body turns out to be someone else entirely. Loved the atmosphere of Inishowen--I want to visit it someday. It's the county northwest of Northern Ireland! So it makes sense that the Troubles have a bit to play in this novel, too.

Things wrapped up a bit too easily at the end--I really don't like mysteries where the criminal tells all at the end of the novel. But I'll give the author (and editor) another shot and see if the next book is a bit messier.

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Review: Travellin' Shoes

Travellin' Shoes by V.M. Burns
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I thoroughly enjoyed this first novel in a series that takes place in St. Joseph, Indiana. RJ Franklin is a police detective, and his latest case hits close to home. Mama B, the woman who practically raised him after his own mother died, has a murdered choir director, and RJ has to solve the case. Money has been disappearing from the church, too, and trail of changed names, marital affairs, and more make the case even more convoluted. If you love mysteries or crime novels, try this one!

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Review: Good Riddance

Good Riddance by Elinor Lipman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

You will not like this main character, but it's an entertaining listen! Daphne inherits an annotated yearbook from her recently deceased mother, puts it in recycling in her NYC apartment building, and all hell breaks loose. A woman with one documentary under her belt swears that this yearbook tells a story that Americans need to hear. Intrigued at first, Daphne accompanies the woman to her mother's reunion in small town New Hampshire, but things just don't work out. Daphne is difficult to like--she's in a state of arrested development with her whole life, and tries really hard to not work or try hard at anything. But, like most romantic comedies, things turn out all right, and Daphne grows up a bit.
Fast, simple, entertaining read.

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Review: Roses of May

Roses of May by Dot Hutchison
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Definitely read Book 1 first, The Butterfly Garden. Even after reading it awhile ago, I was a bit lost with this one--I couldn't figure out if the serial killer from Book 1 was somehow related to the killings happening in Book 2? Eventually I figured it out.

This author has a unique voice--almost casual. It works perfectly from the POV of Priya, a teenager whose sister has been murdered. Years after Chavi's death, Priya is receiving flowers from either a mentally ill admirer or the serial killer who killed her sister. The flowers Priya receives match the ones found on the bodies of the dead women--yuck.

The relationship between the FBI investigators and the victims of these crimes seems a bit off to me--I doubt if these relationships are maintained in the way they are in the book? I understand that trauma affects relationships oddly, but I did wonder about the texts/emails the agents exchanged with the young victims in these novels. There's nothing creepy about them, trust me, but it just seems like the agents wouldn't let themselves get close.

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Review: The Smoke Thieves

The Smoke Thieves by Sally Green
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed this YA fantasy romp, even though there were too many narrators. The story came together at the end and, of course, leads into a sequel. But I liked the medieval-ish world, where the dying breaths of demons create a magical smoke that acts as a high to humans and cures all ills. I want to know more. Lots of cuss words and graphic violence in this, so it's more for the high school audience.

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Review: Becoming

Becoming by Michelle Obama
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Dang....I see why this is still a bestseller. She is one heck of a writer, storyteller, and crafter of words. It's a long audiobook, but my mind didn't wander much at all, and that's amazing for me! Loved hearing about how she grew up, met her husband, and left lawyering. I feel like much of the book is about balancing motherhood and being a professional mother, and I really connected with it. She's just so freaking smart and has so much hope. To hear her talk about Trump at the end of the book made my heart hurt. So strange how we went from smart to stupid in our First Family--I'm worried what will happen in the next election if the Democrats don't find a fresh, competent candidate like Barack. Old school doesn't work anymore.

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Review: The Downstairs Girl

The Downstairs Girl by Stacey Lee
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Reviewed from ARC received from publisher. To be published August 2019.
I do love reading a historical fiction title about a period/place that is new to me--this novel covers Atlanta during the Gilded Age from the perspective of a Chinese-American teenage girl. I had never thought about how Chinese men would come to be in the South during that time period, so I found those historical tidbits fascinating. Jo and Old Gin sneakily live in the basement of a house in Atlanta, working in horse barns, in shops, and, eventually, as a lady's maid. But the basement is below a newspaper's office, and Jo becomes an anonymous writer for a "Dear Abby" type of advise column that stirs up controversy. There were a few plot details that were a bit too convenient for me and a bit too out there--some unmentionables that probably wouldn't have made it into a newspaper column, outcome of a horse race, etc. But I know that sometimes modern readers want to see some of their thoughts and ideas brought into a historical novel, which seems to have been done here. It's a fast read, and readers will be cheering for Jo to find her place in the world. Also, if the hardback cover is anything like the ARC, it will be BEAUTIFUL.

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