The Swift and the Harrier by Minette Walters

 July 18, 2022

The Swift and the Harrier by Minette Walters

Jayne Swift trained as a physician but in 17th century England, women are not allowed to use the title of doctor.  When civil war breaks out, she strives to remain neutral and treat the injured on both sides.  Her resolve is complicated by a mysterious man named William Harrier - he seems to pop up everywhere.  Who is this man and what is his role?  Is he a spy?  Which side is he on?  It becomes increasingly difficult for Jayne to remain neutral with her father and younger brothers fighting for the Royalists, and her older brother fighting for the Parliamentarians.

This is a well-researched historical novel set in the 17th century at the time of the English Civil War.  I was drawn in for the first half of the book.  Unfortunately, the war scenes, political arguments, and medical treatments become repetitious as the book goes on.  Although the reader understands that Jayne is supposed to be progressive in her medical treatments, some of her practices are suspiciously 21st century.  

I am a fan of the author's previous crime novels which are excellent, but not so fond of her historical fiction.  Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an eARC.

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

Miss Benson's Beetle by Rachel Joyce

November 2, 2020

Miss Benson's Beetle by Rachel Joyce

(Yes, this is a title that I read in 2020.  I'm going to try to catch up the blog with the books that I've read in the past year and a half.  Before I had my hip done, it was too painful to sit at my laptop for any length of time, so the reviews didn't get done.  But I have the whole list of what I read - I'm obsessive/compulsive that way.)

In  post-World War II London, an unmarried middle-aged teacher decides to go search for a mythical beetle that has fascinated her since childhood.  She sets out for New Caledonia with a traveling companion who could not be more different from her, except that she too is at a crossroad in her life.  Although they have different reasons and goals, the two women must learn to trust and depend on each other, and an unlikely friendship develops.

This is a heartwarming historical novel in the same vein as the author's previous work The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry  It reminds the reader that the journey is often more important than the destination or the conclusion.

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

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

July 15, 2022

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

Hello - I've been missing in action for a while.  I retired, I had a hip replacement, my sweet rescue dog Asia went to the Rainbow Bridge, etc.  Life happened.  All along, I've been reading, so I'm planning to reactivate my reading blog so I can inflict my reading taste on even more people (I already share them on GoodReads and NetGalley).

Sam and Sadie were childhood friends who bonded over illness and a love of games.  After being estranged for many years, they meet again in college and decide to collaborate on a video game.  With their friend Marx, they design and create several popular games.  Over the course of two decades, they experience friendship, love, and loss.

I've read several of Zevin's books and I really enjoyed this one - so far, it's one of the best books that I've read this year. The main characters in this novel are young adults but it's not a YA book.  It's also about gaming but you don't have to play games to enjoy it or connect with the characters.  Even though I'm over 60, I play games online like many people do, so I understood the definitions about the different types of games and the abbreviations, although the terms are explained well enough for non-gamers to understand.  (While I don't care for shooter or racing games, I do enjoy world-building games and puzzles - there is something out there for everyone.)

I highly recommend this title to anyone who enjoys contemporary fiction, well-developed characters, and a good storyline.  

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

The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P. Djeli Clark

 October 31, 2020

The Haunting of Tram Car 015 by P. Djeli Clark

In a parallel Cairo in the early 20th century, magic has been unleashed on the world by the djinn.  Normally the magic is well-contained but it occasionally gets out of control.  When a city tram car starts displaying strange phenomena, the agents of the Department of Alchemy, Enchantments and Supernatural Entities are called in to investigate.

A quick steampunk read that features some of the same characters from the author's previous novella.  I look forward to more from her.

I hurt my back a couple of weeks ago and haven't been able to sit comfortably at the computer.  There's not much to do beside read, watch TV, and play on my tablet.  It's getting better and I'll start catching up with the blog.

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab

October 22, 2020

The Invisible Life of Addie LaRue by V. E. Schwab

Addie LaRue is a girl who always wanted more than life in her small French village offered.  Born in the late 17th century, in a moment of desperation, she makes a bargain with a dark god, gaining immortality but cursed by the god to be forgotten by everyone she knows or meets.  But all of that changes 300 years later, when she meets a young man in a bookstore and he remembers who she is.

This was an interesting take on the Faustian bargain with the devil, bartering one's soul for eternal life.  Characters throughout fiction have made such deals, including Faust and Dorian Gray.  Although at devastated at first at everything she has lost, Addie gradually learns what she has gained from her pact.  We experience history through her eyes, from Paris in the early 18th century through World War II, up to the present day. 

To be honest, I got a little bored and felt this could have been 50 or so pages shorter - the reader doesn't need to know every little facet of Addie's life as an immortal.  But fantasy enthusiasts will find it entertaining and fresh.

The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton

 October 17, 2020

The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton

Samuel Pipps is the most valuable agent employed by the Gentlemen 17 who run the United East India Company.  His cases are read by the public like the adventures of Sherlock Holmes.  But after successfully completing a mission in Batavia on the island of Java, he is suddenly arrested and imprisoned in a dungeon before being transported to Amsterdam to stand trial for an unknown offense.  His bodyguard and associate Arent Hayes is determined to not only find out what Sammy stands accused of, but also to discover and thwart the unknown force that is threatening to destroy the ship they are sailing on.

The second title by the author of The Seven and a Half Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle, this is another historical mystery but with less of a fantasy overtone than Turton's first book.  Almost all of the story takes place on an Indiaman, a type of 17th century sailing ship, and without a diagram of the ship, it was difficult to figure out exactly where the players were located at any given time.  It is a clever mystery although the ending felt rushed and therefore a little unsatisfactory.

Sailors were a superstitious lot in the 17^th century – they may still be, although my husband was in the Navy and while there were lots of bad habits, they didn’t seem to indulge in much superstition.  But it seems like just about everyone was extremely superstitious in the 17th century.  Superstition, religion, and social standing ruled everyone's lives.

I have an uncommon last name, and I was startled to find that it was used in this book – it was a little disconcerting every time I saw it in print. 

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

Sex with Presidents by Eleanor Herman

October 6, 2020

Sex with Presidents:  the Ins and Outs of Love and Lust in the White House by Eleanor Herman

Oh my.  The men that the American people have elected president, and those who have sought this high office.  It's surprising some of the men who have been sex magnets for women - who would have thought that women would be throwing themselves at chain-smoking 5-pack-a-day Lyndon Johnson?

Best presidential lover:  Bill Clinton.  He always tried to satisfy his (many) sexual partners and give them a good experience.

Worst presidential lovers:  it's a tie between Kennedy and Trump (there are a number of other parallels between the two).  One actress noted that her sexual encounter with JFK was "a memorable minute."

Full of trivia about a select collection of presidents and First Ladies, this is a light and entertaining read to get your mind off the pandemic.  Don't feel too sorry for some of those First Ladies:  most of them knew what they were getting when they married their husbands (some knew and schemed to marry them anyway), and some First Ladies gave as good as they got.

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