The Widow of the South by Robert Hicks

 

This one took me a while to get into, and to finish.  A very slow read, almost a dream-like state.  But once I realized this novel is based on a true story, a real house, and a woman who grieved for those who had no one, this book began to come alive.  (Check out the author's note at the end.)

Carrie McGavock is the wife of a Tennessee farmer whose house becomes requisitioned as a hospital after the Battle of Franklin, a massacre of the Civil War in 1824.  Thousands were killed, and hundreds died in the days that followed.  Carrie's story - including her own previous tragedies - is so unusual that she became famous as the Widow of the South - she who mothered and cared for and buried, and then reburied, so many boys, for whom she continued to wear her favorite Black attire her entire life.  She recorded all their names and maintained a cemetery on her property to honor those boys. Hicks throws in a romance and includes the real person Mariah, a black woman who was given to Carrie as a slave when they were children and who is in fact Carrie's best and long serving friend, even after emancipation. As a history buff and a Southerner, this story really took me in.  Another very different angle from which to study a time in our nation's history that we overlook.  What happens AFTER the big events in the history books?  How do people carry on?  How much does life in a small Tennessee town change after they have seen and witnessed what war can bring, what war can DO to a man?  Or, to a woman?

Stick with it - the story has a great full circle at the end. Robert Hicks has done meticulous research and himself works with the Carnton House where these event occurred.  I, like him, hope Carrie's letters from and to the families of those killed do surface one day.  Fascinating.

The City We Became by N.K. Jemisin

WOW.

THIS is a love letter to New York City. 

In her acknowledgements, the author writes that this "is my homage to the city. Hope I got it right."

Damn straight, she did.

Now, I have been to the city several times but in no way am I a New Yorker. I like New York for a weekend, but I don't understand New York. Jemisin, however, she got it going ON for NYC. I am sure there are so many references and tongue in cheek lines that I missed about the personality of New York and all of the boroughs. A real New Yorker will get it, and maybe disagree with some of the stereotypes she irresistably uses here to portray her characters, but give her grace.

What Jemisin has accomplished here is a multi-layered universe; a world we recognize and can't comprehend; and a loyalty/determination/protectiveness that bring all involved to the brink - of what, they cannot even fathom.

Ok, enough mumbo jumbo. This is the story of survival, of teamwork, of Trust and the suspension of belief. New York has been born, in the form of a young graffiti artist. He does not believe or understand what is happening to him, even with his older, wiser guide to teach him how to be "born." And of course, danger lurks. The Enemy wants to crush NYC and all nearby. How can one boy stop her?

Oh, but New York is so much more than one. The boroughs come into awareness and struggle to save themselves and New York. Each is very different and somewhat representative of the borough where they live - a Native American gay woman who runs an Art Gallery in the Bronx, tough as sheeee-yit and with some of the best one liners and put downs, as you'd expect. Brooklyn is a councilwoman with a wild past. Queens is an immigrant who is the hope of her family. Manhattan has forgotten his name. And isn't there a fifth borough?

Meh.

Oh yeah, Staten Island. Whatever.

I loved everything about this novel.  The premise, the characters, the characterization, the super snappy dialogue, the descriptions of driving in New York, of living in New York, and mostly, of LOVING New York.  

Maybe we needed a story where we work together against a common enemy right now.  Maybe we needed to be reminded that we are better together.  Maybe this is just so good because there is SO much to talk about (Aislyn and her mom, Aislyn and her Dad, Bronca and Veneta's relationship, Manny's memories, Brooklyn's fight song, dancing, Hong Kong, white fronds and other white things, finding your inner power, the Use of Capitalization, and what the hell is Manhattan's name anyway??).

Even if you think this "genre" is not for you, I encourage you to give this one a go.  The Prologue is very confusing but made SO much more sense when I went back and reread it after I finished.  Chapter One will have you hooked.  Enjoy the ride.

Welcome to the party, indeed.  (a great last line.......!)

Oh, and PS, this is the first in a trilogy, so don't think it ALL ended pretty.......

Beach Read by Emily Henry

 

Ok, this was super fun.  I don't normally read romances, but this one piqued my interest.  Predictable as all good romances should be, but with a twist.  First of all, Henry really got inside our macho male's mind, and made him - could it be - vulnerable!!  His back story was a pleasant surprise, to me and to our heroine.  Nice!

Banter is perfect here, I love some good dialogue and physical comedy and awkward "what do I do with my hands" types of moments and this author writes them SO well.  Here we have the story of two writers with writer's block living next door to each other who knew each other in passing in college.  They are both stuck, so they agree to switch genres because "yours is easier than mine!"  A new show me yours, indeed, wink wink.  I was a little disappointed in the lack, I thought, of research/field trips they did with each other to show the other how it is done, so to speak.  But sparks are gonna fly and Everett and January (yes, another book with a character named January!!) make for a really fun, light Beach Read.

See what I did there?  I was even at the beach when I read it!  Thanks to Anne Bogel for the recommendation, and if you haven't checked out The Modern Mrs. Darcy podcast or website, you should.  This one is a bit steamy too, so don't leave it out for your kids.

The Ickabog by JK Rowling

 

What a fun read!!

This is definitely a fairy tale, and is written as such.  Simple language, very readaloudable, complete with the moral of the story.  Do you believe in the Ickabog, that swamp monster that will eat errant children?  In a perfect kingdom called Cornucopia where every parish has its own specialty, the pampered and pompous but really deep down good hearted King reigns and believes everything he is told, two evil advisors plot to gain more power, and two children end up saving the world.  But of course!  How they get there is full of fun and quips and Oh Please Tim Burton make a movie out of this!!!  Fun even for kids to read even with the prison scenes (wrongfully imprisoned!), and there are a few deaths mentioned, this chapter book/novel was a one-dayer for me (granted, I was at the beach) and was a great break from a lot of the more intense, serious reading this year.  Thank you as always, JKR, for bringing back the fun.

I also loved the backstory here - how she originally made up this story for her kids years ago; how she published it for free on the HP website to give kids something to read during lockdown; and ESPECIALLY how she had an art contest and put the winners of that contest's art INTO THE BOOK!  That's right, this book comes with pictures, drawn by kids, for kids, relating to different scenes in the book.

What's not to love?????

The Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix Harrow

 

FIRST OF ALL, what a cover!!!!  Six Stars for Cover Art!!!!

And, I loved this book.  Gorgeous writing, a truly original concept and so well set up.  We meet a young girl living in a mansion awaiting her travelling father's return while under the tutelage of his wealthy employer.  Life is boring, but fine.  January longs to travel with her father but he always refuses to let her come.  What is he really doing?  Then little gifts begin to show up in a special box she discovers in the attic, including, finally, a very special book, and she thinks her benefactor is helping her find adventure.  And find it she does!!!  Along with danger and her very own story, and her very own direction and maybe even purpose.  When she begins to wonder what really happened to her mother, she and two friends try to find out after she is forced to leave her home.  A fabulous fantasy read, you must have an open mind to other worlds and peoples, a little bit of magic, evil and possibility - and miracles.  Her journey away from and toward the most important things, and those she meets and travel with, were fascinating to me.  I could not put this one down.  I will make haste to grab Harrow's next book (not a sequel) because I just liked her style so much.  A very good read!

The Silent Sister by Diane Chamberlain

 

Three stars means I liked it, right?

This was a pretty good book.  Not super great, but enjoyable.  Kinda complicated, somewhat predictable, but some surprises towards the end.  Lots of characters to keep up with and a somewhat far fetched premise that slowly unfolds (discerning readers will figure it out quicker than I did probably!).  Riley goes home to NC after the death of her father to clear out his house, only to be hit with new and disturbing information about her family that was kept from her - and from her older brother as well - which will change her whole idea of who her family was and especially what really happened to their older sister Lisa, who died when Riley was two.  She finds out her dad had a girlfriend after the death of her mother, and that girlfriend swoops in with speed and a sense of entitlement that immediately puts Riley on edge.  As she delves further into the secrets her parents kept, she becomes more confused and upset.  Cue the switch of perspective halfway through the novel and we hear another side of the story, and all hell breaks loose and prison is threatened and a murder is mentioned and then BOOM everything sorta kinda sorts out - sorta.  I did not like how things ended with her brother, that was definitely not satisfactorily resolved for me, and where Riley ends up seems WAY far fetched.  Yes, I purposefully used that phrase again.

Still, this kept my attention and was a good mystery.  I have heard a lot about this author so thought I would try her out.  I would read another one; I see in some reviews that this is not her best effort.  I think there was enough good writing here that I would read another of her books.  So, there's that.  But I would not be rushing to push this one into other people's hands.  It was fine.  ;-)

The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune

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Let's start off by saying this fantasy book will not be for everyone - but it should be.  There is some debate about whether it is a children's story or written for adults.  Well, I'm an adult.  Usually.  Ha.

As I was reading, I wasn't sure I was going to like this one. The cover drew me in though - omgosh so gorgeous.  And there was a Department in Charge of Magical Youth (accio, HP).  And a sad, bumbling, lonely, downtrodden caseworker named Linus.  And a mysterious island of dangerous, magical kids (mostly)!

So, what's not to love?

Not much, honestly.  This story is magical in itself.  The prose is very much as if directed towards kids, and is told very much in almost a fairy tale like manner.  I was totally sucked in and quickly.  Linus' life is miserable and oh so rainy, but it is all he knows to do (and his neighbor is hilarious, poor Linus).  He is good at his job and doesn't get involved with the schools he investigates.   At the school where Linus is secretly sent by his evil boss to investigate whether the Department should continue funding it or cut its losses due to dangerous behavior, the kids are different even within Linus' experience - and maybe not even human.  But - bear with it because you WILL grow to love these crazy different characters, and maybe even build up some empathy which this world could really use!!!  This truly is a feel good story and I loved it.

The author self describes as "queer," and has vowed to bring positive representation of his community into literature.  Mr. Klune, all is well, and all is well.  Well done, that is.  This is a delightful book complete with a love story that is super sweet and has the reader pulling for a definition of family that is nothing but Right.   In full disclosure there is a passing reference to the fact that one character did not sleep in his own bed one night, but it is all very wink-wink.  And positive.  Can he save this school, even with the dangers faced by the nearby residents from these misunderstood magical children, one of whom may be the spawn of Lucifer?  Can the headmaster keep his own secret or will he lose everything by being who he really is??  I can totally see this being made into a super fun movie with Seussian colors and exaggerated facial expressions and special effects, with the office being grays and browns and the island popping like Oz.  Christmas 2021 will be filled with Chaunceys and Theodores and Talias and Sals and Phees and of course, Lucys.  

We can only hope.