The Chilbury Ladies Choir by Jennifer Ryan

Amy  

historical fiction

The Chilbury Ladies Choir by Jennifer Ryan is a charming story set in the early period of WWII England.  It's unusual in that it is set in wartime yet has a generally positive mood.  Chilbury, which isn’t a city in the real world, seems to have been spared the worst of the war during the six months of 1940 in which this novel takes place.  The city and its inhabitants are definitely not unscathed, but the viewpoints of the five or six ladies from whom the story is told are generally upbeat, forward-looking, and hopeful.  I would say they are sometimes also naïve and in denial.  But they do seem to appreciate their precarious position and reality.

The novel is very reminiscent of The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society which is also set in England at the time of the War and told via letters from various characters.  Chilbury’s story is told via a combination of letters, diary entries, and public notices.  I thought it was well done and engaging.  The characters were wonderful.  And I particularly love the way the choir participation filled the women’s hearts with hope, love, and dreams.  The choir brought them together with a common goal and a new family and gave them a way to express their grief and sorrow.  As a chorus member myself, I know the importance, joy, and fulfillment of being part of a chorus. So, this aspect of the story really spoke to me.  I enjoyed the author’s language about the music. 

The Nest by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney

Amy 


contemporary fiction

This family drama is the story of four adult children who have been expecting to inherit a large sum of money, affectionately called The Nest, upon the youngest’s 40th birthday. Each child has been living their life with some expectation of the windfall they will be receiving. As the book begins, close to the time when they’ll receive the money, most of the money is suddenly spent based on a quick decision by their inadequate mother.

Despite the flawed characters (some more than others) and the family’s dysfunctions, I enjoyed the storyline that shifted points of view frequently to keep it interesting and provided the right settings for all the angles of the story. As the story progressed, I looked forward to learning more about each family member as well as some secondary characters and I couldn’t help but wonder how things would turn out for each one.

I might have enjoyed it even more than I did if I wasn’t listening to the audiobook. The narrator had a snarky voice that added a more sinister attitude to some of the characters than I think the author, Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney, intended. Her accents and different voices weren’t great but her voice was clear and human. I will concede that she did a great job voicing the young adults in the story. So, I give her a B.

A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline

Amy 

historical fiction

A Piece of the World was my favorite prize from attending the ALA Midwinter Convention. It was the only Advance Readers Copy I brought home that was already on my To Read list. I loved Christina Baker Kline’s Orphan Train and had been awaiting her latest release.

The mood of this novel is mostly melancholy. Inspired and imagined from the Andrew Wyeth painting Christina’s World, the novel is Christina Olson’s life story. She is born with some sort of degenerative disease which is never diagnosed in the novel. Her symptoms worsen as she ages. However, Christina never lets her ailments stop her from doing what she wants and she is amazingly accomplished in the daily activities of farm life, not to mention her academic aptitude.

I was drawn to Christina’s character, quickly caring about her. I was very interested to know what would happen. Growing up in a fairly sheltered manner in a small town on a farm that required all family members put in a great deal of work, she was not prepared for a surprise encounter. Neither was she given many choices about how to live her life. And her medical condition further limited her freedom. She did enjoy many aspects of life and was fortunate to have some special people in her corner. But, it’s a sad tale for the most part. Not so sad that I didn’t enjoy it, though. I thought the shifting between different time frames was effective for this story.

This novel is not as great as Orphan Train but I liked it and look forward to Kline’s future novels. 

Cookbook Reviews

As I've said before, I love cookbooks but don't have the space for them in my kitchen. Therefore, I am a serial cookbook borrower- from the library or friends, it doesn't matter- I read them, write out the recipes that look good to me and send the book back for someone else to enjoy. Here are the latest additions to my non-collection. 

 -Lynnie

 

 

The Ultimate Slow Cooker Book by Better Homes & Gardens

A decent collection of slow cooker recipes with a great deal of variety. Some of the recipes barely count as slow cooker meals, & like many slow cooker recipes there's a heavy reliance on canned soups & other pre-made, purchased ingredients, but I still managed to find about a dozen recipes that I would like to make. I find that most slow cooker cookbooks are generally similar with a standard set of dishes but this one did have some ideas that were unique in my opinion. 






 



Alton Brown: EVERYDAYCOOK 

I adore Alton Brown. He is, in fact, on the list of people I'd like to have a martini with (especially if he wants to make the appetizers!). His recipes are always solid & this collection is no exception. Some of these are recipes he's already shared- online or on tv- but there are also plenty of new ideas to explore. He does use some less-than-common ingredients but nothing that seems like it will be too hard to get my hands on. I can't wait to try some of his ideas. 

Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz

Amy  

young adult

In Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe, Ari is a Mexican American teen living in El Paso, TX -- 15 years old at the beginning of the novel and 17 at the end of the novel. It's a coming-of-age story for the younger YA crowd which typically would not interest me overly much.  However, this audiobook is narrated by Lin-Manuel Miranda which was my deciding factor.

The novel was well written by Benjamin Alire Saenz, contained many interesting characters, some unusual family dynamics, some intriguing plot movements, and the story was realistic. The story is written from Ari’s point of view. And yet, even though the reader is in Ari’s head, Ari’s upbringing has unexpectedly caused him to not question himself too deeply. So, the reader gets ideas along with Ari. But I find it interesting that Ari even confused me enough to accept his unintentionally misguided reality. Neither Ari nor the reader get any real answers to questions until the end.

It was charming, heartwarming, and kept me interested enough to hear it all the way through. I really enjoyed the ending. This story might have tied things up a little too neatly at the end, but I’m not one to let that sort of thing bother me. I also enjoyed getting another cultural perspective.  And, Lin-Manuel gets an A+ for his excellent narration.  He's a natural story-teller.

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency (No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency #1) by Alexander McCall Smith

        Amy   


mystery

The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency is truly a love-letter to Africa—specifically Botswana. The best thing about the novel is the glimpse into life in another culture. The contemporary African way of life is perfect for Precious Ramotswe where, with her clever and practical mind, she thrives. The novel could almost be a series of short stories and novellas about Mma Ramotswe—her life as a child, her father, her friends, and the mysteries she solves after opening her detective agency. You could likely enjoy each chapter separately from the whole. And yet, it all comes together to give the full picture and does so in charming language and vivid scenery by Alexander McCall Smith.

I’ve wanted to read this novel because it is so beloved. I enjoyed it. However, the pacing is slower than I prefer. I do not anticipate reading any others in the series but I’m glad I read this one.

The novel is very funny at times. I think I laughed out loud more frequently than with any other novels I’ve read recently. One excerpt from the novel illustrates the differences in culture between my home and Mma Ramotswe’s:
“Buy one of these Mma,” said the woman. “Very good blouses. They never run. Look, this one I’m wearing has been washed ten, twenty times, and hasn’t run. Look.”
“You wouldn’t have my size,” said Mma Ramotswe. “I need a very big blouse.”
The trader checked her rack and then looked at Mma Ramotswe again. “You’re right,” she said. “You are too big for these blouses. Far too big.”
Mma Ramotswe smiled. “But they are nice blouses, Mma, and I hope you sell them to some nice small person.”

The narrator of the audiobook, Lisette Lecat, was amazing! She sounds like a native British speaker (while voicing the narrator) but effortlessly slides into African and Indian accents for the various characters and can speak in a very low range for the men’s voices. Truly, it was a delight to hear this book in her voice. I give her an A+.

The stories were enjoyable and charming. And I liked Mma Ramotswe’s thoughts and tactics. I think I would like to know her in real life.

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Amy     
Lynnie  


fantasy

A new job falls into Shadow's lap as he is released from jail.  Due to the fact that he literally has nothing else to do, he accepts it and the story ensues among and between the American Gods. 

Amy's Review

Bottom line: I didn’t like the characters. And, for much of the novel, the reader really has no idea what is actually going on. Instead of like many of his other novels which have sinister, wonderful magic and truly interesting characters, this one had dark, con-man, B-list magic with mostly unlikeable characters. The “gods” never really seemed to be god-like or worthy of any sort of respect or adoration. Instead, they belonged in a mafia squad and were viewed by this reader as pathetic, power-hungry losers.

Sure, Neil Gaiman’s amazing creativity was evident. But, I don’t think he succeeded in building a believable magical world like he did in his fantastic novels like Neverwhere, The Graveyard Book, and The Ocean at the End of the Lane. This one was more along the lines of Anansi Boys (which is the sequel to American Gods but I did not realize that when I read Anansi Boys over 7 years ago) which I did not love either.

So, sorry, but this one was a bit of a chore to get through. The ending was interesting and held my attention but it was too little too late.

Lynnie read this one very long ago and does not have a recent review to add here.