Dirtbag Queen by Andy Corren

February 17, 2025

Dirtbag Queen by Andy Corren

Corren's irreverant memoir of Renay, his outrageous Jewish redneck mother who raised six kids (sort of) by herself after she split from her husband, isn't like any other memoir you've read. Everyone in their town near Fort Bragg knew Renay, manager of the local bowling alley, gambler and party girl, collector of strippers, card players, bowlers, and other strays who needed a place to sleep for the night. While Renay may not have excelled at cooking, keeping house, or hanging onto money, she lived life to the fullest.

Outofshapeworthlessloser by Gracie Gold

February 12, 2025

Outofshapeworthlessloser by Gracie Gold

Ice skater and Olympic bronze medalist Gracie Gold details her triumphs and losses on the ice, her struggles with mental health and addiction, and her road to a healthy, fulfilling life. Many of the problems with being an elite athlete and the toxic culture surrounding the Olympics and national competitions have been detailed by others (e.g., struggles with weight and body image, the physical toil that long hours of daily hard training takes on the body, an unnatural childhood and adolescence that focuses only on training and competition, thoughtless coaches unconcerned by the overall health of the young people they coach, sexual predators who prey on young athletes, a governing and judging body that chooses to ignore or hide anything unpleasant). She details the way that being an elite athlete skews one's judgment: after winning a bronze medal in the team Olympic event, she threatens to throw it in the trash because she didn't get a gold medal. Honey, you may not have won a gold medal but there are THOUSANDS of athletes who didn't even get the chance.

Gracie had some terrible experiences but she also portrays herself as a victim betrayed by those around her, including her sister, who had the nerve to quit skating and make a life for herself, rather than remain available at all times to manage things during Gracie's next crisis.

Gracie Gold

After Happily Ever by Jennifer Safrey

February 10, 2025

After Happily Ever by Jennifer Safrey

For 30 years, the princesses Neve, Della and Bry have been married to the three Princes Charming. But after all that time, they are finding the princes to be not so charming anymore. Life in the kingdom of Foreverness has always been perfect (at least according to the old king and the princes and the men of the kingdom), but following the old king's death, things begin to change and the women of the kingdom decide they will no longer be silent about how they are treated.

What happens after "and they lived happily ever after" at the end of the fairy tale? Especially 30 years on, when the not-so-charming princes and their brides are heading into middle age? The princesses (better known to us as Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty) face some very modern problems: infidelity, fading looks, aging bodies, infertility, the need to be a people pleaser, spouses resistant to change especially in their wives, a new society where people want to step outside assigned gender roles by treated fairly. Plus, the princesses' own origin stories have been rewritten to cast the princes in the most favorable light - the whole awakened-with-a-kiss thing was a pile of nonsense. These are not those princesses that you find in Disney. Will appeal to readers who enjoy strong female characters and a retelling of fairy tales.

Many thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

These are not the princesses in the novel

The Voyage Home by Pat Barker

February 9, 2025

The Voyage Home by Pat Barker

The wind has finally shifted and the Greek army is sailing for home, along with the enslaved Trojan women who are their war prizes. Agamemnon arrives home with his concubine, the Trojan princess Cassandra, thinking his life is going back to the way it was before he left ten years earlier. But Agamemnon murdered his oldest daughter Iphigeneia, and his wife Clytemnestra has been planning her revenge for ten years.

The last book in Barker's trilogy about the women of Troy, victims of the Trojan War who are enslaved and awarded to the victors as war prizes. I loved the whole trilogy and while I liked Ritsa's character and story, it was disappointing that there was barely a mention of Briseis who narrated the first two books. Will appeal to readers who enjoyed Madeline Miller's Circe or Costanza Casati's Clytemnestra.

Depiction of a palace in Ancient Greece

Murder by Memory by Olivia Waite

February 9, 2025

Murder by Memory by Olivia Waite

Dorothy Gentleman, detective on the Fairweather, an interstellar cruise ship, wakes up in a body that doesn't belong to her. Normally finding oneself in a new body isn't that unusual on the ship, since that is one of the services offered: eternal reincarnations, at least until they reach their final destiny. But Dorothy's mind was supposed to be resting for a few years in the ship's library between incarnations, and she certainly didn't ask to be transferred into THIS body. The ship's AI appears to be on a drunken bender, so it's up to Dorothy to figure out on her own what is going on.

First book in a new noir sci-fi mystery series, although some readers feel it has a cozy setting, on an interstellar cruise ship on a millennia-long voyage to a new destination after leaving Old Earth. All of the passengers live out their lives, die, and are brought back to life in a new body. The science makes sense, like a magnetic storm erasing some of the files where a person's permanent memories are kept. Who doesn't love a cocktail drinking auntie who solves mysteries? Fun setting, fun characters, fun premise. There is even some P. G. Wodehouse-esque humor, with Dorothy's nephew having a boyfriend who strongly reminded me of Jeeves. Recommended for readers who enjoy Becky Chambers' quirky novels.

Many thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

Now THIS looks like a fun cruise ship!

The Twelve Saints of Christmas by Karen Baugh Menuhin

February 7, 2025

The Twelve Saints of Christmas by Karen Baugh Menuhin

Major Heathcliff Lennox and retired inspector Jonathan Swift are called to a country estate just outside Bath to investigate a suspicious death at what appears to be a retirement home for the very wealthy. But intrigue bubbles just below the surface and Lennox and Swift are soon faced with a second suspicious death.

Lennox and Swift return for their 12th investigation among the toffs, with their usual cast of supporting characters, including Greggs the butler and ladies' man, Lennox's spaniel Mr. Fogg, and his chubby cat Tubbs. Unfortunately Mr. Foggs and Tubbs make only brief appearances, as do Persi and Florence, wives of Lennox and Swift. I love a country house mystery, especially one set at the holidays, and this one is great fun like all of the books in the series. I recommend starting at the beginning of the series if you haven't read any of the earlier books.

Yes, there really are baths in Bath, England, although I'm not sure I'd want to go soak in them

Trust by Hernan Diaz

February 3, 2025

Trust by Hernan Diaz

A novel comprised of four shorter books: a novel called Bonds, about the life of a New York financier; the outline of a memoir/family history by a Wall Street investor who believes Bonds is a fictionalized account of him and his wife; a memoir by a woman hired to write the financier's autobiography but later decides to discover the truth about the couple; and a journal by the financier's wife. But what is true, and what isn't?

A complex novel that explores themes of family, wealth, ambition and deception in a non-traditional format. I really enjoyed the first three sections of the book, but I found the last section to be disappointing. Since that section was in the wife's voice, I was hoping for answers to the questions posed in the earlier sections, and while there were some revelations, I mostly found it unsatisfying. Love the cover art, a skyscraper under a bell jar. Five stars for the first 3/4 of the book, 2 stars for the final section. For readers of literary fiction, especially if you enjoyed books like Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell.

Panic on Wall Street in 1929, which figures in all sections of the novel

The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis

February 1, 2025

The Stolen Queen by Fiona Davis

Charlotte Cross is an assistant curator for the Egyptian Art department at the Metropolitan Museum. For 15 years, she has spent her days cleaning up after the head curator, heading off problems that he regularly creates (and enjoys doing). Now she believes she has discovered information that overturns his work. But getting the necessary proof requires her to return to Egypt, where she suffered a tragedy 40 years earlier.

Although I have enjoyed several of the author's other books (The Dollhouse, The Address), I didn't care for this one as much. Too much drama, everything like an overwrought soap opera. A lot of the things that happened were completely outlandish (like a waitress with no experience landing a job as assistant to a major designer for the social event of the year). I know I'm in the minority here, since so many readers have given it rave reviews. I hope Fiona Davis' next book is better.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC for review.

An example of an ancient Eqyptian collar piece like the one featured in the book

The Second Murderer by Denise Mina

January 31, 2025

The Second Murderer by Denise Mina

While ruminating on a recent case that seems too neat, private investigator Philip Marlowe is hired by a nasty millionaire to find (or maybe not find) his missing daughter.

So 1930s! So noir! So fun! This has all the hallmarks of traditional noir: a hard boiled detective who lives by his own code of honor, perpetually short of cash and down on his luck, a job he knows he shouldn't take, women that he should walk away from (or better yet, run), the gritty underbelly of the big city, plenty of wisecracks and slang. But most notably, without the misogyny found in noir mysteries of the Golden Age, probably because the author is female. Who doesn't love a good noir story? Even Jean-Luc Picard of Star Trek: the Next Generation fantasized about being a noir private eye. Scott Brick narrates the audiobook - I could listen to him read the phone book. Recommended for fans of noir mysteries.

The noir detective at his gritty best

The Dressmakers of Auschwitz by Lucy Adlington

January 25, 2025

The Dressmakers of Auschwitz by Lucy Adlington

An astounding story of a designer dressmaking salon run out of Auschwitz concentration camp, mostly staffed by Jewish women, patronized by the wives of high-ranking Nazis and SS officers. The Nazis were well aware of the importance of clothing to elevate or degrade people, and even in the middle of a war and clothing shortages, they and their families wanted to be well-dressed. (The Nazi culture was so bizarre, wanting to obliterate anyone who didn't fit their mold and keeping meticulous records about how they did it, yet using the talents of those same people when it suited them.) 

Sewing literally saved the dressmakers' lives, while at the same time allowing them to participate in sabotage in the camp. Many parts about the horrors of camp life and the way the inmates were treated were hard to read, but the stories of these smart, courageous women need to be told. The author had the privilege of interviewing the last surviving seamstress while researching this book. Stellar in-depth research. Recommended for readers interested in women's history and the Holocaust.

Berta Kohut and her sister Katka, two of the seamstresses of Auschwitz who survived the war

From Here to the Great Unknown by Lisa Marie Presley and Riley Keough

January 24, 2025

From Here to the Great Unknown by Lisa Marie Presley and Riley Keogh

A memoir of growing up Presley by the daughter and granddaughter of Elvis Presley. Like the children of many celebrities, Lisa Marie led a troubled life, expected to follow in her famous father's footsteps. The story shifts back and forth from Lisa Marie to her daughter Riley. At times, it was hard to remember who was talking, because both Lisa Marie and Riley refer to their mothers as "my mom" - it would have been clearer if Lisa Marie would have referred to her mother as Priscilla and Riley would have referred to her mother as Lisa Marie. 

Even though she was four when her parents divorced, and then nine when Elvis died, for all of her life, Lisa Marie worshipped the memory of Elvis. The media was frequently cruel to her, criticizing her singing career and also her problems with her weight. There are some really weird things too, like after her son committed suicide, Lisa Marie kept his body in a room at her home on ice for months. She died way too young, from a variety of causes including drug abuse and an unstable life. A look at a sad life that should have been so much more. If you are looking for a biography of Elvis, this isn't it.

Lisa Marie near the end of her life

Sandwich by Catherine Newman

January 24, 2025

Sandwich by Catherine Newman

Each summer for decades, Rachel and her family have been spending a week at the same vacation rental on Cape Cod. They do all the touristy things: swim in the ocean, picnic on the beach, eat at the town clam shack, shop for local seafood and sweets, visit the library book sale. But this year is different. Rachel is in the throes of menopause, her children are on the brink of real adulthood, and her parents are slowly slipping into old age. She feels as though she is balanced on the fulcrum of a seesaw, sandwiched between two generations that need her.

This is a book that addresses a topic that isn't often talked about, the generation that is sandwiched between their children and their aging parents, being pulled in both directions. I can understand the mixed reviews on the book; it's not for everyone. Not everyone will identify with the main characters or the storyline, and I agree with some reviewers that the main character Rachel (for some reason, the author makes a point of telling the reader that people call her Rocky, even though I think her husband is the only person who uses that nickname once in the book) is annoying. She was probably annoying before menopause (note: menopause isn't like that for everyone - a lot of us managed it with minimal discomfort and without ripping our clothes off in public or sharing with everyone - anyone who is suffering as bad as Rachel needs to see their doctor for some pharmaceutical assistance). Rachel is also not appreciative of what a lovely husband she has, instead she is furious with him because he can't read her mind (this irritated me, because it's one of those stereotypes about women that need to go away). But there is also a lot of humor, like when one of Rachel's friends says she saw an ad for a drug that will help a man last longer during sex, and the friend says who wants a guy to last longer, finish already, my library book isn't going to read itself. They do eat a lot of sandwiches, and who doesn't love a good sandwich! Themes are loss and change, and sensitive readers should be aware that there are discussions about miscarriage, abortion and sexuality. For readers who enjoy literary fiction.

A Cape Cod wharf

Me by Elton John

January 15, 2025

Me by Elton John

From his boyhood in a London suburb to being knighted by Queen Elizabeth II, Elton John (nee Reginald Dwight) has led a drama-filled life. His recent memoir talks about his meteoric rise to fame, his addiction problems, and his celebrity friends (and losing many of those friends to addiction, suicide and AIDS). 

He also talks about his personal life, finding lasting love, becoming a father, his philanthropic work, and the trauma of losing his hair. Recommended for music fans, especially 1970s/1980s rock.

Elton John in his 1970s glory