The Last Days of Lilah Goodluck by Kylie Scott

 Lynnie

contemporary romance

I really wanted to like this book. Kylie Scott's The Last Days of Lilah Goodluck has a cute premise and is initially entertaining, and then, sadly, the book just gets... boring. When Lilah Goodluck saves the Good Witch Willow, Lilah is given five predictions about her future as a reward. When the predictions begin to come true in rapid succession, Lilah must confront prediction number five: that she will die next Sunday.

I initially liked both main characters, but soon grew very tired of Lilah needing to talk everything to death and Alistair never wanting to talk at all. They would be cute and supportive for a few pages and then things would get weird and awkward and controlling.

My favorite parts of the book were when they were around other people -Alistair's mother, the Lady Helena, Lilah's parents, Alistair's friends... The dialogue was zingy and entertaining when it wasn't just the two of them. That tells you all you need to know about them as a fictional couple, I think.

Also, rarely have I read a book and thought, "this would be better without these sex scenes," but here we are. There were a few times that things were described that I don't think are physically possible and I would stare at the page thinking that, no matter how flexible you may be, bodies don't bend that way. The sex scenes generally made me laugh out loud or cringe at their awkwardness, which is not great (& surprising as I see that Scott generally writes steamy fiction).

It was easy to figure out how Lilah's upcoming death would be dealt with, so that did not surprise me at all. This is a quick and easy read if you're looking for something that doesn't require much from you.

The Women by Kristin Hannah

Amy   

historical fiction

Franky was raised in a wealthy family with a long military history. All of the men in her family served their country (unless, as was the case with her father, they were physically unable). When her brother decides to volunteer to serve in Vietnam in 1966, Franky also decides that she’d like to use her new nursing degree to serve American soldiers in Vietnam.

Franky wasn’t satisfied with the limited expectations for women and naively got in over her head when trying to do what she felt was the right thing. Yet, despite the new difficulties facing her, she rose to the occasion. In fact, she thrived in the awful, despicable conditions in Vietnam. She made a difference saving lives and found friendships dearer than any others she’d known before.

Then, I found myself only halfway through the novel at about the time it felt like it could end. Knowing the title of the novel was The Women, I figured there was more to come in which Franky and her female friends would need to stand together and support each other. Oh no. I then knew Kristin Hannah would break my heart as she has in two other novels. I kept reading with great dread. But this was an outstanding novel.

I thought I knew enough about Vietnam but realized, as I was reading this novel, that my knowledge only touched the surface.  I was born the year this novel begins so all of my Vietnam impressions came from hearing adults talk about it and seeing a few Vietnam movies and a musical (which were heartbreaking). I can recall very little that was actually in my history books in the 1980s about the realities of Vietnam. But The Women felt so real and I feel like I have gained so much knowledge about the realities in Vietnam. The United States really failed its soldiers with that war. When the female nurses returned to the U.S., they were not even acknowledged or given consideration, let alone support and resources. Franky seemed to have PTSD yet she kept encountering people promising her that there were no women in Vietnam, including a VA doctor and a Vietnam soldier! Even the hospitals in the States did not count her 2 years of Vietnam operating room experience as actual experience and made her start over with making phone calls and washing bedpans.  I was infuriated on her behalf throughout much of the third quarter of the novel. And she was relatively lucky in that her family had money and she had two good friends she could lean on. How many other Vietnam nurses fell into despair and destruction upon their return to the States? The vets were really treated horribly.

And then, the last quarter of the novel was devastating. Of course, I knew (and hoped) the plot twists were coming due to foreshadowing. But I couldn’t put it down. The way substance abuse was described was visceral. Hannah’s writing was fantastic.  In her novels, she transports the reader to interesting places and times, gives us characters of such depth that we see things clearly through their eyes, and presents captivating challenges for those characters.  I thought about the characters all day, wondering how they were doing and what would happen with their lives. A quote from the book perfectly captures my experience reading this book: “fear and joy in equal measure”.

The narrator, Julia Whelan, did her usual fantastic job. I always appreciate her large vocal repertoire including male voices. She did an awesome job with accents. I’ll give her an A+.  

When the World Tips Over by Jandy Nelson

 

Lynnie

contemporary young adult, magical realism

 

I enjoyed Jandy Nelson's I'll Give You The Sun several years ago, so I was excited to read something new from her. When the World Tips Over is the story of the Fall family - not just the current Fall siblings, Dizzy, Miles and Wynton, but also the Fall family through multiple generations and how trauma and decisions can leave echoes through time. Family secrets and dysfunction, secrets, misunderstandings and love are all at the heart of this novel.

I admit I had a difficult time getting started on this book because I wasn't particularly interested in viewing the world through 12-year-old Dizzy's perspective. Dizzy is immature for her age and the beginning felt unnecessarily cruel. Fortunately things turned around quickly and within a few chapters I was fully invested in the Fall siblings and curious about what could possibly tie them to Cassidy and others in the book.

Nelson is a beautiful writer and truly paints a picture with her words. I do think that sometimes she gets a little too lyrical with her prose, but it fit better with some characters in this novel than others. I also found some of the family ties confusing and while I realize that was intentional, thank goodness for the family tree at the end of the book because I had lost the thread of who was who by then. A family tree earlier in the novel would be very helpful. (To be fair, I think there WAS one, but I'll be darned if I can find it by "leafing" through the digital version).

The story is told through multiple narrators and points of view as well as notes, letters, diary entries, transcripts and other correspondence. I thought the variety of story-telling techniques was interesting and really worked when a different perspective helped move the story along.

Once again, Nelson has a fascinating, inclusive cast of characters. The LGBTQ+ characters are no doubt going to get this book on the radar of our modern-day book banning brigade and that would be a shame because I think the portrayal in this book of all the realities and differences among the characters was beautifully written; no matter how you identify yourself, you are likely to find a character to relate to.

This book does have a slow pace, which I can tell by how long it took me to read it. The slow pacing does not mean it's boring, by any stretch, but it did allow me to feel like I spent plenty of time getting to know the characters so that I could truly enjoy the book's ending.

Thank you to the Penguin Group, Dial Books, NetGalley and Jandy Nelson for the advanced reader copy. This book will be published on September 24, 2024

 

 

One Dark Window and Two Twisted Crowns (The Shepherd King #1 and #2) by Rachel Gillig

Amy  

fantasy, young adult

Elspeth has a secret. She has a literal monster living within her. She caught “the infection” as a 9-year old and has been hiding that fact for the past 11 years as well as the fact that she has magical abilities and strengths that would cause her to be imprisoned or killed if discovered. When she is finally discovered, she is forced to forge an alliance with those whom she has most feared.

One Dark Window is set in a kingdom where special Providence Cards give their possessors magical powers. But those who survive “the infection” inherit unpredictable natural magical powers without needing to use the cards. For that reason, the Infected are feared and punished by the King. Elspeth’s particular magic allows her to see the magic of those cards, making her powerful. Of course, the reader is rooting for her and her newly-forged partners to succeed in their goal of collecting all twelve Providence Cards so that those who’ve suffered “the fever” can be cured, ending the tyranny against them.

Told from Elspeth’s point of view, this atmospheric novel had a slow and uncertain start for me. Thankfully, eventually, most of my ongoing problems with the story up to that point (holes and unbelievably convenient situations) were explained to my satisfaction. The characters, the alliances, the rifts, the dangers, the characters’ goals, and the romance were fun. Was the novel perfect? Definitely not. But I can’t wait to read Rachel Gillig's second book in the duology because I have to know what happens next!

I am of two minds about the audiobook narrator, Lisa Cordileone. Right off the bat, she gave me the impression that she was trying to sound mysterious and magical when I wished she had just read the story without the atmospheric attempt because her “magical” voice didn’t sound authentic. Also, my least favorite thing, by far, was the way she pronounced the word “hearth” as hurth. And this word appears in this novel about a million times! I shouldn’t hold regional pronunciation differences against her but this pronunciation is definitely uncommon according to the internet. It bugged me every time and took me out of the story. Every. Time. She also had a wimpy male voice for the hunky Ravyn which was disappointing, given that she did seem to have a decent vocal repertoire for many of the other characters. But male voices are not her forte. However, despite all those knocks against her, she is a really excellent voice actor! So, I can’t be too vicious with my grade.  I’ll give her a B for this book. I have a feeling I’d like her better with a different sort of novel. 

Amy  

fantasy

Perhaps it’s because I was dealing with medical issues and was on a medicine regimen, but Two Twisted Crowns seemed to never end. It was long-winded and often predictable. I enjoyed the new romance featured in this novel but all the other stuff was just melodrama with hurdle after hurdle.  The secrets revealed, the rules of magic, the struggles, and the sacrifices didn’t reach my heart. I powered through to the end because I had already invested so much time in it by the time I realized it was becoming a chore. But both listening to the audiobook and reading on Kindle could not bring me any more quickly to the end of the story as I desired. Sadly, that is never a good sign.

United we Drink (Harper Celebrate) and Second Generation (Jeremy Salamon)

I was lucky enough to read two advanced reader copies of upcoming cookbooks. Since both publish on September 17, I am adding them to one blog post together. Hope you enjoy the review as much as I enjoyed the books! -Lynnie 

 

United We Drink

I didn't really know what to think of United We Drink when I downloaded it, but I have to say that I was very impressed. It's a fun idea to gather a collection of beverages based on each of our presidents - even if some of them seemed to be a stretch to represent the particular president - and I enjoyed learning a quick fact about the presidents and imagining what they might have thought of this endeavor. The photos in the book are beautiful and I definitely marked a few others to try based on the photos alone!


I made a few drinks from this book just based on ingredients I have at home & each was fantastic. Particularly favorites are the Second-in-Command Spritz (why didn't it ever occur to me to add brandy to prosecco, it's delicious!) and the Grand Old Partini, which for our purposes we are just going to call the Partini (sorry, not sorry).

This would be a fun addition to anyone's bar.

Thanks to Harper Celebrate and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. This book publishes on September 17, 2024 

Second Generation

I loved everything about this cookbook by Jeremy Salamon. Second Generation is exactly what the subtitle says - a collection of traditional Hungarian and Jewish dishes updated for today's ingredients and time limitations.

There are so many delicious recipes in this book, and I have bookmarked more than a dozen that I would like to try. I have been dreaming about the image of the Pogácsa in the pages - the ingredients are on my next shopping list.

Salamon's stories bring the recipes to life and I enjoyed learning about his traditions and his family through their dinner table. Salamon also lists substitutions when appropriate and shares beautiful photos of the food that made my stomach growl. I can't wait to start trying some of these dishes. 

 

Thanks to William Morrow and NetGalley for the advanced reader copy. This book publishes on September 17, 2024

The Briar Club by Kate Quinn

Amy  


historical fiction

Murder has been committed at the Briarwood boarding house in 1954. The Briar Club, named for the weekly dinner party of the residents, introduces readers to everyone living in the house, one section at a time, over the prior four years. The landlady and the residents are all women of various ages and backgrounds who are on their own. The “man of the house” is the landlady’s son. The house, a speaking character itself, acts as the narrator of the murder investigation. Who was killed? Who did it?

This novel was different from Kate Quinn’s other novels I’ve read. The Briar Club had a whimsical element --the house talking to the reader. And this is the first of Quinn’s novels that didn’t take place during WWII. Granted, most of these characters survived the war and one, in particular, had a significant personal WWII history. But, still, this one felt different. I liked it! As with her other novels, the main characters are strong women, there is an emphasis on female friendships and found family, and the settings and characters jumped off the page. All the Briarwood House residents had difficulties--many unique to the 1950s. The story covered their backgrounds, struggles, and growth in addition to their potential for wanting someone dead or being the victim. The importance of making personal connections in a difficult world was a takeaway.

Foodies will love the characters’ recipes included in the book. I thought the way Quinn included them in the novel was very organic and authentic. Personally, I loved the section about art and learning about the effort to popularize contemporary artists in the US after WWII.

The narrator, Saskia Maarleveld has narrated all of Quinn’s audiobooks I’ve heard. She’s a fantastic voice actor with a multitude of voices and is a specialist with accents. She did an incredible job as usual. However, most interesting to me was the interview with Quinn and Maarleveld at the end of the audiobook. I was shocked to hear that Maarleveld’s natural speaking voice sounds nothing like her narrations! In fact, knowing this, I do wish she’d change the voice she gives to generic omniscient narrators. Her “narrator voice”, when she’s not reading as one of the characters, tends to make things seem troubled or foreboding, somehow….even when she is just relaying ambivalent factual information. I’ve tried to analyze this so I can describe it. I believe I get this impression because she exhales the rest of her breath with the last syllable of phrases and her voice register drops a bit. And when she does this with every sentence, it sounds formal and foreboding. Now that I’ve heard her real voice, I’d prefer she use that for her “narrator voice”!  I’m tempted to give her an A for holding out on us with her real voice but I fear I’m being too nitpicky so I’ll give her an A+ for an otherwise outstanding job.

The Library of Borrowed Hearts by Lucy Gilmore

Lynnie

contemporary fiction

 

In The Library of Borrowed Hearts, Chloe works at the library, is guardian over her three younger siblings and spends most of her time trying to make ends meet for her family without making her curmudgeon of a neighbor any angrier than he already is. When Chloe finds an old, banned book while cleaning out the library's basement, she plans to sell it online to help her family's precarious financial situation. However, she soon discovers that there is more to this book than meets the eye and soon, that grumpy old neighbor is interested in buying the book, leading Chloe on a scavenger hunt to find more like it.

I read Lucy Gilmore's novel, The Lonely Hearts Book Club last year and while there are certainly some similarities between the two books (a young librarian befriends a grumpy old man), the meat of the stories are certainly different. Set in two timelines - present day and 1960 - a cast of characters whose lives are interwoven in interesting ways help bring the two storylines together. As is usually the case, I liked the present day storyline best and found myself thinking that the 1960 storyline simply went on too long.

Regardless, the cast of characters in this novel is marvelous. I particularly enjoyed Chloe's meddlesome siblings who were filled with heart, drama, and mischief and were completely lovable. Chloe, her potential love interest Zach, best friend Pepper and of course, grumpy neighbor Jasper are all entertaining and interesting. I enjoyed the hunt for the older books and the new information that came with them. I generally did not like 1960s Catherine, but I understood her point in the story and that her actions were the result of her time.

I was not surprised by the "reveal" part of the story, nor do I think anyone who has read enough light romance will either. Every character is put on the page for a reason, it's just a matter of finding the connection. Knowing what was coming didn't ruin my enjoyment in any way though. Also, any book that uses the word "marginalia" is likely a winner in my opinion. Lucy Gilmore doesn't just use the word in The Library of Borrowed Hearts, she bases major plot points on the marginalia.

I read the book and listened to the audiobook at the same time, which is becoming a real habit for me. I particularly enjoyed the second half of the audiobook when more narrators joined in. Read by Leanne Woodward, Aven Shore, Joe Jameson and Bob Ball, all did an excellent job & I give the ensemble an A. However, I ADORED whomever read Noodle's chapters and think that, in general, all the male-dominant chapters (Noodle, Zach and Jasper) had stronger narration than the female-dominant chapters.

If you enjoyed The Lonely Hearts Book Club or are looking for a fun, light read, you'll enjoy spending time in The Library of Borrowed Hearts.