The Hallmarked Man by Robert Galbraith

 

Just a quick note on this one - this is the 8th in the Cormoran Strike series and I loved every second of it.  The detectives are working on several cases at once (wish I had taken notes to keep all the names straight, actually!), but focused on identifying a mutilated body found in the vault of a silver shop specializing in Masonic silver pieces. And trying NOT to focus on their feelings for each other, as they have been doing through most of this series, so nothing new there.  Well, except for the ending!!  If you thought #7 was a cliff hanger, just you wait!!

I really enjoy this series.  The writing is sharp and witty, the cases always go in several circles that wind up in places you never see coming, and the characters are well fleshed out, different, and have their own side plots.  I have not yet watched the TV show, called Strike, but might trick my husband into watching it now that White Collar is off Netflix.  Ugh.

And, yes, I know who the author really is and I think she is an amazing story teller.  The end.

The Velveteen Daughter by Laurel Davis Huber

 

What a FIND of a story!!!  My book club was lucky enough to have Ms. Huber come to our meeting to discuss her book, and she was just as fascinating as the book she published through She Writes Press eight years ago.  This is important because she decided not to go with a big name publishing house, but picked one that gave her more autonomy, and more money for the work she put into this book!  Bravo!

So, historical fiction?  Fictionalized History?  Fictional Biography?  Yes, that was what the author called it.  This is the story of Pamela Bianco.  Ever heard of her?  None of us had and what a travesty that was.  Now we know.  Not only was Pamela a brilliant artist, child prodigy and a mother herself, but her own mother was Margery Williams Bianco.  An author of children's books.  Most famously, as you have probably already gathered from the title, she wrote The Velveteen Rabbit.

And the way Huber weaves the themes from TVR into Pamela's life is amazing.  The chapters are short (on purpose), they also weave in and out of timelines (so pay attention!), and they alternate between Pamela and Margery.  We learn about the dynamic between Pamela and her father, between the two women, and how Pamela obsessed over her childhood love.  Pamela's bouts with depression and her time at Four Winds for treatment of same are also a part of her life.  The famous people they associated with and were related to add glamor to the story, set in 1920's and beyond NYC.  And we learn about her art, her paintings and drawings and pressings.  We learn about the books SHE published and illustrated.  And we learn about a mother's love, a father's pride, an artist's mind, and life in the early 20th century.  An amazing amount of research went into this novel.  Huber said it took her 10 years to finish it and there were several iterations!  Be sure to read the author's notes at the end.  Good thing for us is, she is working on another story.  We offered to be her focus group readers!!

Highly recommend ordering this through your local bookstore, or mine (Park Road Books and Troubadour Booksellers).