Virtual Mount TBR Challenge 2022 discussion

I'm back and here's to another year!

Lynn wrote: "I'm back and here's to another year!"

Good luck with the 2022 climb!

Today’s post is on Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass by Mariko Tamaki and Steve Pugh (Illustrations). It is 196 pages long and is published by DC Ink. The cover has Harley on it with a bat. The intended reader is someone who likes DC comics, their characters, and re-imagining of their origins. There is no foul language, no sex, and mild violence in this graphic novel. The story is told from third person close of Harley. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Harleen is a tough, outspoken, rebellious kid who lives in a ramshackle apartment above a karaoke cabaret owned by a drag queen named MAMA. Ever since Harleen's parents split, MAMA has been her only family. When the cabaret becomes the next victim in the wave of gentrification that's taking over the neighborhood, Harleen gets mad.

When Harleen decides to turn her anger into action, she is faced with two choices: join Ivy, who's campaigning to make the neighborhood a better place to live, or join The Joker, who plans to take down Gotham one corporation at a time.

Harley Quinn: Breaking Glass is at once a tale of the classic Harley readers know and love, and a heartfelt story about the choices teenagers make and how they can define--or destroy--their lives. This is the first title in DC's new line of original graphic novels for middle grade and young adult readers.


Review- This is a pretty good but not great re-imagining of Harley and her origins. Harley’s mother is working on a cruise so Harley has been sent to live with her grandmother. But her grandmother is dead, so Harley improvises and she stays with her grandmother’s landlord. She goes to Gotham high and gets involved with others and the community problems. My main issue with this comic is that it changes how smart Harley is. She is not dumb but she not as smart as she should be. That is my only problem with this comic, the art is good, the characters are interesting and fun, and the overall plot is interesting. I would recommend this comic.


I give this graphic novel a Three out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

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Today’s post is on Raven by Kami Garcia (Goodreads Author) and Gabriel Picolo (Illustrator). The cover has raven in profile on it. It is the first in the Teen Titans series. It is 192 pages long and is published by DC Ink. The intended reader is someone who likes DC superheroes. There is mild foul language, no sex, and mild violence in this graphic novel. The story is told from third person close of Raven. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- When a tragic accident takes the life of 17-year-old Raven Roth's foster mom--and Raven's memory--she moves to New Orleans to recover and finish her senior year of high school.

Starting over isn't easy. Raven remembers everyday stuff like how to solve math equations and make pasta, but she can't remember her favorite song or who she was before the accident. And when impossible things start happening, Raven begins to think it might even be better not to know who she was before.

But as she grows closer to her new friends, her foster sister, Max, and Tommy Torres, a guy who accepts her for who she is now, Raven has to decide if she's ready to face what's buried in the past...and the darkness building inside her.


Review- A fast paced and interesting retelling of Raven’s origins. The story starts with a car accident and Raven is the only survivor but she doesn’t remember anything from her past. So she moves to New Orleans to live with her mother’s sister and her cousin. Raven is troubled by dreams and hearing voices but her cousin helps her understand that she can hear other people’s thoughts and how to control that. There is a little love story and a revelation of the big bad at the end. Of course there is more going on than just Raven and this is the start of the Teen Titan series, so we see some players that will come back in later volumes. I liked this volume and I look forward to reading more from this imprint.


I give this graphic novel a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this graphic novel from my local library.

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Today’s post is on The Lost Village by Camilla Sten. It is 340 pages long and is published by Minotaur Books. The cover is a house standing alone with fog around it. It is a stand alone horror novel. The intended reader is someone who likes horror, thrillers, and mystery novels. There is some foul language, no sex, and some violence in this novel. The story is told from the first person perspective of Alice the main character. There Be Spoilers Ahead.


From the dust jacket- Documentary filmmaker Alice Lindstedt has been obsessed with the vanishing residents of the old mining town, dubbed “The Lost Village,” since she was a little girl. In 1959, her grandmother’s entire family disappeared in this mysterious tragedy, and ever since, the unanswered questions surrounding the only two people who were left—a woman stoned to death in the town center and an abandoned newborn—have plagued her. She’s gathered a small crew of friends in the remote village to make a film about what really happened.

But there will be no turning back.

Not long after they’ve set up camp, mysterious things begin to happen. Equipment is destroyed. People go missing. As doubt breeds fear and their very minds begin to crack, one thing becomes startlingly clear to Alice:

They are not alone.

They’re looking for the truth…

But what if it finds them first?


Review- A wonderful and atmospheric horror novel. Sixty years ago every man, woman, and child in Silverjarn went missing with the expectation of a baby and a murdered woman. Alice’s grandmother was from the village and had moved to Stockholm before everything changed. Alice and her friend Tone want to understand what happened there and they are going to make a documentary about it. But when they get to Silverjarn, strange things start to happen. Sten is a great writer, she knows how to build a tense story with interesting characters. There is one big red herring and I did not go with it but it was a good subplot. What really happened in Silverjarn was horrible and I was very glad that the murder of the one woman was not in too much detail because it was horrible. The resolve of the mystery was good and I was impressed by the whole plot. I would recommend this novel, and I really enjoyed this novel and I look forward to reading more by Sten.


I give this novel a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this novel from my local library.

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Today’s nonfiction post is on A Place for Everything: The Curious History of Alphabetical Order by Judith Flanders. It is 352 pages long and is published by Basic Books. The cover is the alphabet done in an illuminated style. There is some mild foul language, no sex, and no violence in this book. The intended reader is someone who likes history and language arts. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- A Place for Everything is the first-ever history of alphabetization, from the Library of Alexandria to Wikipedia. The story of alphabetical order has been shaped by some of history's most compelling characters, such as industrious and enthusiastic early adopter Samuel Pepys and dedicated alphabet champion Denis Diderot. But though even George Washington was a proponent, many others stuck to older forms of classification -- Yale listed its students by their family's social status until 1886. And yet, while the order of the alphabet now rules -- libraries, phone books, reference books, even the order of entry for the teams at the Olympic Games -- it has remained curiously invisible.
With abundant inquisitiveness and wry humor, historian Judith Flanders traces the triumph of alphabetical order and offers a compendium of Western knowledge, from A to Z.

Review- An in depth and long reaching look into not just the use of alphabetical order but of many different things that we take for granted now. Flanders is a good historian, a good writer, and she can make big topics into something that will interest anyone and this book is no different. Flanders starts at the earliest written works and then moves into the present day. She discusses original ways that information was sorted by hierarchy from god all the way down to minerals. She gives the reasons for why alphabetical order was not the natural thing that we think it to be now but she shows how it became that natural order to us in the modern day. I have read other works from Flanders so I went into this book with high expectations and she wrote to them. I would recommend this book if you like the idea of the topic.

I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

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Today’s Nonfiction post is The Woman Who Stole Vermeer: The True Story of Rose Dugdale and the Russborough House Art Heist by Anthony M. Amore. It is 272 pages long and is published by Pegasus Crime. The cover is a picture of the stolen Vermeer and Dugdale. The intended reader is someone who likes true crime, art history, and memoirs. There is some mild foul language, no sex, and mild voilence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.
From the back of the book- The extraordinary life and crimes of heiress-turned-revolutionary Rose Dugdale, who in 1974 became the only woman to pull off a major art heist.
In the world of crime, there exists an unusual commonality between those who steal art and those who repeatedly kill: they are almost exclusively male. But, as with all things, there is always an outlier—someone who bucks the trend, defying the reliable profiles and leaving investigators and researchers scratching their heads. In the history of major art heists, that outlier is Rose Dugdale.
Dugdale’s life is singularly notorious. Born into extreme wealth, she abandoned her life as an Oxford-trained PhD and heiress to join the cause of Irish Republicanism. While on the surface she appears to be the British version of Patricia Hearst, she is anything but.
Dugdale ran head-first towards the action, spearheading the first aerial terrorist attack in British history and pulling off the biggest art theft of her time. In 1974, she led a gang into the opulent Russborough House in Ireland and made off with millions in prized paintings, including works by Goya, Gainsborough, and Rubens, as well as Lady Writing a Letter with her Maid by the mysterious master Johannes Vermeer. Dugdale thus became—to this day—the only woman to pull off a major art heist. And as Anthony Amore explores in The Woman Who Stole Vermeer, it’s likely that this was not her only such heist.
The Woman Who Stole Vermeer is Rose Dugdale’s story, from her idyllic upbringing in Devonshire and her presentation to Elizabeth II as a debutante to her university years and her eventual radical lifestyle. Her life of crime and activism is at turns unbelievable and awe-inspiring, and sure to engross readers.

Review- A great memoir of the only woman who planned and pulled off a major art heist. Amore is a good writer and researcher, he does more in this book than just telling the reader about Dugdale or the heist. He breaks out the world that Dugdale grew up in, he explains the political climate that was around her as a child and young adult, and how all these things influenced her. Amore takes the reader from Dugdale’s childhood on a farm in the British countryside to after her heist and jail time. Along the way we learn about Vermeer, the IRA, and the general political scene of post World War 2 Britain. Dugdale is an interesting figure, if difficult to understand and she defies the world by refusing to get into a particular box. I enjoyed this book and I would recommend it.

I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

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Today’s post is on Teen Titans: Beast Boy by Kami Garcia and Gabriel Picolo (Illustrator). It is 208 pages long and is published by DC Ink. The cover has Gar on it starting to transform. The intended reader is someone who likes DC Comics and their characters. There is no foul language, no sex, and mild voilence in this graphic novel. The story is told from third person close of Gar. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Garfield Logan has spent his entire life being overlooked. Even in a small town like Eden, Georgia, the 17-year-old with green streaks in his hair can’t find a way to stand out–and the clock is ticking. Senior year is almost over. If Gar doesn’t find a way to impress the Chosen Ones–the social elite at Bull Creek High School–he will never know what it’s like to matter. Gar’s best friends, Stella and Tank, don’t understand why he cares what other people think. They miss their funny, pizza-loving, video game-obsessed best friend.
Then Gar accepts a wild dare out of the blue. It impresses the Chosen Ones and his social status soars. But other things are changing, too. Gar grows six inches overnight. His voice drops and, suddenly, he’s stronger and faster. He’s finally getting everything he wanted, but his newfound popularity comes at a price. Gar has to work harder to impress his new friends. The dares keep getting bigger and the stakes keep getting higher.
When Gar realizes the extent of his physical changes, he has to dig deep and face the truth about himself–and the people who truly matter–before his life spirals out of control.

Review- Another good introduction to a DC character. Garfield Logan is feeling stuck in his life. He is short, he can’t get any muscle, and all the girls ignore him. So one day he does any research on these pills his parents give him and learns that all his problems could be known side effects. When he stops taking them, Gar changes in ways more than one. I really had a good time with Gar, he is likable, I get where he is coming from, and I am interested in where he is going. I like that the stories of the other novels are starting to intertwine now and I want to know what is really going on. I look forward to the next one.

I give this graphic novel a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this graphic novel from my local library.

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Today’s Nonfiction post is on History is Delicious by Joshua Lurie and Laura Foy (Illustrator). It is 80 pages long and is published by Honest History. The cover is an illustration of different foods from around the world. There is no foul language, no sex, and no violence's in this book. The intended reader is someone who wants to know more about food history at a basic level or has children who are curious about world foods. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- A delicious children’s book by Honest History uncovering the history of cuisine and culture from around the globe.
From well-known cultures to those just being rediscovered, History Is Delicious explores the history of different dishes, cultural traditions, and even a few great recipes. What does Ethiopian cuisine look and taste like? Find out for yourself with each beautifully illustrated page that makes learning about food fun. Discover the role cuisine plays in the fabric of unique cultures from around the world and enjoy some great tasting food along the way. Featured sections include History of European Cuisine, Dining "Do's and Don'ts," Dumplings of the World, Recipes from Around the World, and so much more.

Review- A great food about food history for young readers with some fun recipes to try out. Lurie takes the reader all around the world and through the history of food. He uses straight forward language, not too simple or too complex, to guide the reader and inform them. Foy’s illustrations are very cute but good reflections of the real foods and ingredients used to create the foods. The recipes are simple enough for a child to do with some help from a parent and are tasty projects to help tie the book’s topic to real world applications. I would recommend this book and I had a good time reading it.

I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

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Today’s post is on At Any Cost: A Father's Betrayal, a Wife's Murder, and a Ten-Year War for Justice by Rebecca Rosenberg and Selim Algar. It is 304 pages long and is published by St. Martin’s Press. The cover is gray with a tall apartment building on it. The intended reader is someone who is interested in true crime. There is some foul language, some sex, and some violence in this manga. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- At Any Cost unravels the twisted story of Rod Covlin, whose unrepentant greed drove him to an unspeakable act of murder and betrayal that rocked New York City.
Wealthy, beautiful, and brilliant, Shele Danishefsky had fulfillment at her fingertips. Having conquered Wall Street, she was eager to build a family with her much younger husband, promising Ivy League graduate Rod Covlin. But when his hidden vices surfaced, marital harmony gave way to a merciless divorce. Rod had long depended on Shele's income to fund his tastes for high stakes backgammon and infidelity—and she finally vowed to sever him from her will. In late December 2009, Shele made an appointment with her lawyer to block him from her millions. She would never make it to that meeting.
Two days later, on New Year’s Eve, Shele was found dead in the bathtub of her Upper West Side apartment. Police ruled it an accident, and Shele’s deeply Orthodox Jewish family quickly buried her without an autopsy on religious grounds. Rod had a clear path to his ex-wife's fortune, but suspicions about her death lingered. As the two families warred over custody of Shele’s children—and their inheritance—Rod concocted a series of increasingly demented schemes, even plotting to kill his own parents, to secure the treasure. And as investigators closed in, Rod committed a final, desperate act to frame his own daughter for her mother’s death.
Journalists Rebecca Rosenberg and Selim Algar reconstruct the ten years that passed between the day Shele was found dead and the day her killer faced justice in this riveting account of how one man’s irrepressible greed devolved into obsession, manipulation, and murder.

Review- This is a very tragic story about a family that is torn apart by greed and murder. Shele Danishefsky was trying to leave her husband when she died under mysterious conditions. For the next ten years her family fights to find answers and get justice for her. Rosenberg and Algar do intense research into this case and do their best to recreate what happened so long ago. I do think that they made up their minds as they were writing the book but I did find the evidence as presented to be convincing. I found this story to be very heartbreaking for many reasons from Shele’s family losing her so young to her children never knowing their mother or her family, as their father kept the children from that half of their family. In the end it is difficult to say whether justice was served but I personally think that it was.

I give this volume a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

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Today’s nonfiction post is on The Saint Makers: Inside the Catholic Church and How a War Hero Inspired a Journey of Faith by Joe Drape. It is 256 pages long and is published by Hachette Books. The cover is a picture of the bible and a rosary. There is no foul language, no sex, and mild violence in this book. The intended reader is someone who is interested in biographies and how saints are made. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Part biography of a wartime adventurer, part detective story, and part faith journey, this intriguing book from a New York Times journalist and bestselling author takes us inside the modern-day making of a saint.
The Saint Makers chronicles the unlikely alliance between Father Hotze and Dr. Andrea Ambrosi, a country priest and a cosmopolitan Italian canon lawyer, as the two piece together the life of a long dead Korean War hero and military chaplain and fashion it into a case for eternal divinity. Joe Drape offers a front row seat to the Catholic Church's saint-making machinery—which, in many ways, has changed little in two thousand years-and examines how, or if, faith and science can co-exist.
This rich and unique narrative leads from the plains of Kansas to the opulent halls of the Vatican, through brutal Korean War prison camps, and into the stories of two individuals, Avery Gerleman and Chase Kear, whose lives were threatened by illness and injury and whose family and friends prayed to Father Kapaun, sparking miraculous recoveries in the heart of America. Gerleman is now a nurse, and Kear works as a mechanic in the aerospace industry. Both remain devoted to Father Kapaun, whose opportunity for sainthood relies in their belief and medical charts. At a time when the church has faced severe scandal and damage, and the world is at the mercy of a pandemic, this is an uplifting story about a priest who continues to an example of goodness and faith.
Ultimately, The Saint Makers is the story of a journey of faith—for two priests separated by seventy years, for the two young athletes who were miraculously brought back to life with (or without) the intercession of the divine, as well as for readers—and the author—trying to understand and accept what makes a person truly worthy of the Congregation of Saints in the eyes of the Catholic Church.

Review- An interesting and moving account of a man’s life and what his legacy is. Father Kapaun was a man of faith from a very young age and when he became an army chaplain, he found his calling. He died doing the Korean war, the men he served starting to pray to him for guidance and influence. Then some miracles happened when people prayed to Father Kapaun, so the Vatican started investigating to see if they had a new saint on their hands. This was an interesting look into the life of a brave man of faith and how new saints are made by the Vatican. The writing style is engaging, the story is interesting and Father Kapaun was a moving figure. I learned about how saints are made, how Father Kapaun is being considered for sainthood, and why it takes so long for a saint to be recognized. An interesting book if you want to know more about how saints are made or to learn about a moving man of faith.

I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

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Today’s nonfiction post is on Teen Titans: Beast Boy loves Raven by Kami Garcia and Gabriel Picolo. It is 208 pages long and is published by DC Ink. As it is the third in the DC Ink series you need to have read the first two volumes to understand the story. The cover is a picture of Gar and Raven on it. There is no foul language, no sex, and mild violence in this book. The intended reader is someone who likes DC characters and their origins. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- It seems like years, but it’s only been a few days since Raven Roth recovered her memories, trapped her demon father, Trigon, into her amulet, and had her heart broken for the first time. But she doesn’t have time to think about the past…she has to focus on finding a way to get rid of Trigon for good.
Garfield Logan still can’t believe he has powers that allow him to change into different animals, but the price of knowing that his parents kept this secret hidden from him just feels too high. And what’s more, his difficulty controlling these abilities could have unexpected consequences.
Both are seeking answers from the one person who seems to have them all figured out: Slade Wilson.
When their paths converge in Nashville, Raven and Gar can’t help but feel a connection, despite the secrets they both try to hide. It will take a great amount of trust and courage to overcome the wounds of their pasts. But can they find acceptance for the darkest part of themselves? Or maybe even love?

Review- Continuing the adventures from the previous books Gar and Raven are off to meet a mystery man, Slade, who says that he can help them with their problems. They meet by chance and spend some time together and being teenagers, they get crushes quickly. Then the plot comes back and they are kidnapped by the bad guys who want their powers for themselves and the ‘greater good’. Plus we meet Damien Wayne and he is a spicy boy and I like him. I am very curious about what the overall plot is and I have to wait until next year before the next volume comes out for more story. I do like this series and I want to read more but man that wait is going to kill me.

I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

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Today’s nonfiction post is on The Case of the Murderous Dr. Cream: The Hunt for a Victorian Era Serial Killer by Dean Jobb. It is 432 pages long and is published by Algonquin Books. The cover is a picture of Cream. The intended reader is someone who likes true crime and history. There is some mild foul language, discussion of sex, and mild violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- “When a doctor does go wrong he is the first of criminals,” Sherlock Holmes observed during one of his most baffling investigations. “He has nerve and he has knowledge.”
In the span of fifteen years, Dr. Thomas Neill Cream poisoned at least ten people in the United States, Britain, and Canada, a death toll with almost no precedents. Structured around Cream’s London murder trial in 1892, when he was finally brought to justice, The Case of the Murderous Dr. Cream exposes the blind trust given to medical practitioners, as well as the flawed detection methods, bungled investigations, corrupt officials, and stifling morality of Victorian society that allowed Cream to prey on vulnerable and desperate women, many of whom had turned to him for medical help.
Dean Jobb vividly re-creates this largely forgotten historical account against the backdrop of the birth of modern policing and newly adopted forensic methods, though most police departments still scoffed at using science to solve crimes. But then most police departments could hardly imagine that serial killers existed—the term was unknown at the time. As the Chicago Tribune wrote then, Cream’s crimes marked the emergence of a new breed of killer, one who operated without motive or remorse, who “murdered simply for the sake of murder.”

Review- A very well written historical true crime with lots of notes and details about a forgotten serial killer. Jobb is a good researcher and I had one of his books before I had high expectations for this book. The story is told from different times from Cream’s present in London on trail back to his childhood and his first murders. Jobb does a good job balancing the narrative so the reader is never lost. The writing style is very good, engaging, and gives the reader a very strong sense of place and time. This book also has some history of policing and forensics by following a detective sent to find out about Cream in Canada and the United States. I would recommend this book.

I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

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Today’s post is on Road of Bones by Christopher Golden. It is 228 pages long and is published by St. Martin’s Press. The cover is an illustration of a road that turns into a skull. The intended reader is someone who likes horror novels. There is foul language, no sex, and violence in this novel. The story is told from third person close of the main characters, moving as the story needs. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- Kolyma Highway, otherwise known as the Road of Bones, is a 1200 mile stretch of Siberian road where winter temperatures can drop as low as sixty degrees below zero. Under Stalin, at least eighty Soviet gulags were built along the route to supply the USSR with a readily available workforce, and over time hundreds of thousands of prisoners died in the midst of their labors. Their bodies were buried where they fell, plowed under the permafrost, underneath the road.

Felix Teigland, or "Teig," is a documentary producer, and when he learns about the Road of Bones, he realizes he's stumbled upon untapped potential. Accompanied by his camera operator, Teig hires a local Yakut guide to take them to Oymyakon, the coldest settlement on Earth. Teig is fascinated by the culture along the Road of Bones, and encounters strange characters on the way to the Oymyakon, but when the team arrives, they find the village mysteriously abandoned apart from a mysterious 9-year-old girl. Then, chaos ensues.

A malignant, animistic shaman and the forest spirits he commands pursues them as they flee the abandoned town and barrel across miles of deserted permafrost. As the chase continues along this road paved with the suffering of angry ghosts, what form will the echoes of their anguish take? Teig and the others will have to find the answers if they want to survive the Road of Bones

Review- A fun winter themed horror novel. Teig wants to recover his career as a filmmaker and with a friend, he goes to Siberia to make a demo for a reality TV series. But after they arrive in the town to film, they realize that something has gone terribly wrong. Golden gives the reader an interesting and chilly thriller with strong roots in mythology. The real pull of the story is the mystery of what happened in the village. The characters are okay, the writing is good, but the setting is just great. You really feel the extreme cold and the insolation of the characters as they try to survive the horrors that are hunting them. If you want a fun, quick, horror read then you should try this one out.

I give this novel a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this novel from my local library.

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Today’s post is on All the Feels by Olivia Dade. It is 393 pages long and is published by Avon books. The cover is an illustration of the two main characters. It is the second in her Spoiler Alert series, you do not need to have read the first book to understand the story. There is foul language, sex and sexuality, and very mild violence in this novel. The story is told from third person close of the two main characters, moving as the story needs. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Alexander Woodroe has it all. Charm. Sex appeal. Wealth. Fame. A starring role as Cupid on TV’s biggest show, God of the Gates. But the showrunners have wrecked his character, he’s dogged by old demons, and his post-show future remains uncertain. When all that reckless emotion explodes into a bar fight, the tabloids and public agree: his star is falling.

Enter Lauren Clegg, the former ER therapist hired to keep him in line. Compared to her previous work, watching over handsome but impulsive Alex shouldn’t be especially difficult. But the more time they spend together, the harder it gets to keep her professional remove and her heart intact, especially when she discovers the reasons behind his recklessness…not to mention his Cupid fanfiction habit.

When another scandal lands Alex in major hot water and costs Lauren her job, she’ll have to choose between protecting him and offering him what he really wants—her. But he’s determined to keep his improbably short, impossibly stubborn, and extremely endearing minder in his life any way he can. And on a road trip up the California coast together, he intends to show her exactly what a falling star will do to catch the woman he loves: anything at all.

Review- A cute fun romance modern romance story with a strong fandom flavor. Alex has a talent for getting into trouble and to keep him out of it, he is given someone to watch over him, Lauren. Lauren is burned out from working in the ER for over a dozen years and needs to make a major change in her life. Together they find someone to care about and who cares about them in return. This is a sweet romance about two people who are at crossroads in their lives and careers. Together they move forward in their lives, becoming friends then lovers. Of course there is drama around Alex being a big sexy star and Lauren not being stick thin but I liked both of them. If you are looking for a fun modern romance, I would recommend this novel.

I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

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Today’s nonfiction post is on There She Was: The Secret History of Miss America by Amy Argetsinger. It is 356 pages long and is published by One Signal Publishers. The cover is a vintage picture of Miss America. There is mild foul language, no sex, and no violence in this novel. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- The sash. The tears. The glittering crown. And of course, that soaring song. For all of its pomp and kitsch, the Miss America pageant is indelibly written into the American story of the past century. From its giddy origins as a summer’s-end tourist draw in Prohibition-era Atlantic City, it blossomed into a televised extravaganza that drew tens of millions of viewers in its heyday and was once considered the highest honor that a young woman could achieve.

For two years, Washington Post reporter and editor Amy Argetsinger visited pageants and interviewed former winners and contestants to unveil the hidden world of this iconic institution. There She Was spotlights how the pageant survived decades of social and cultural change, collided with a women’s liberation movement that sought to abolish it, and redefined itself alongside evolving ideas about feminism.

For its superstars—Phyllis George, Vanessa Williams, Gretchen Carlson—and for those who never became household names, Miss America was a platform for women to exercise their ambitions and learn brutal lessons about the culture of fame. Spirited and revelatory, There She Was charts the evolution of the American woman, from the Miss America catapulted into advocacy after she was exposed as a survivor of domestic violence to the one who used her crown to launch a congressional campaign; from a 1930s winner who ran away on the night of her crowning to a present-day rock guitarist carving out her place in this world. Argetsinger dissects the scandals and financial turmoil that have repeatedly threatened to kill the pageant—and highlights the unexpected sisterhood of Miss Americas fighting to keep it alive.

Review- An interesting and informative look into Miss America from the 1950’s and beyond. Argetsinger gets personal interviews with past Miss America’s and the people who helped them get to the crown. She takes the reader from small local pageants and the girls who compete in them. The reader gets an insider look into the nuts and bolts that make Miss America and into its current troubles. The writing style is very engaging, with each chapter following a different Miss America or hopeful, going from the past to the current present. Afgetsinger enjoys her topic and that makes this book even more engaging to read. I had a very enjoyable time reading this book.

I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

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Todays’ post is on Poison Ivy: Thorns by Kody Keplinger and Sara Kipin. It is 208 pages long and is published by DC Comics. The cover is a close up of Ivy with tears running down her face. The intended reader is someone who is interested in re-telling classic DC villains. There is mild foul language, mild sexuality, and mild violence in this graphic novel. The story is told from third person close of Ivy. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book -There's something unusual about Pamela Isley—the girl who hides her bright red hair. The girl who won't let anyone inside to see what's lurking behind the curtains. The girl who goes to extreme lengths to care for a few plants. Pamela Isley doesn't trust other people, especially men. They always want something from her. Something she's not willing to give.

When cute goth girl Alice Oh comes into Pamela's life after an accident at the local park, she makes her feel like pulling back the curtains and letting the sunshine in. But there are dark secrets deep within the Isley house. Secrets Pamela's father has warned must remain hidden. Secrets that could turn deadly and destroy the one person who ever cared about Pamela, or as her mom preferred to call her ... Ivy.

Will Pamela open herself up to the possibilities of love, or will she forever be transformed by the thorny vines of revenge?

Review- A great re-imaging of Poison Ivy and her origins story. Pamela, Ivy, is very isolated by her father and she is trying to find her way as a young woman and a scientist. When a classmate has to stay with her, Pamela learns to start expressing herself and what she wants from the world. There are some heavy subjects in this graphic novel like child abuse and sexual harassment. But they are important to the story, not just there to be shocking, but to show the reader what Ivy has to overcome to become her true self. The art is good but I would have liked a more styled style for Ivy but it is good and the coloring fits the characters. I would like to see more of this Ivy and what she is going to do next now that she is free from her father and hometown. I would recommend this graphic novel.

I give this a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this from my local library.

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Today’s post is on Sex Cult Nun: Breaking Away from the Children of God, a Wild, Radical Religious Cult by Faith Jones. It is 384 pages and is published by William Marrow. The cover is blue with a fish hook and the symbol for female on it. The intended reader is someone who is interested in memoirs, cults, and survival stories. There is mild foul language, lots of sex and sexuality, and some violence in this memoir. There Be Spoilers.

From the dust jacket- Educated meets The Vow in this story of liberation and self-empowerment—an inspiring and crazier-than-fiction memoir of growing up in and breaking free from the Children of God, an oppressive, extremist religious cult.

Faith Jones was raised to be part of an elite army preparing for the End Times. Growing up on an isolated farm in Macau, she prayed for hours every day and read letters of prophecy written by her grandfather, the founder of the Children of God. Tens of thousands of members strong, the cult followers looked to Faith’s grandfather as their guiding light. As such, Faith was celebrated as special and then punished doubly to remind her that she was not.

Over decades, the Children of God grew into an international organization that became notorious for its alarming sex practices and allegations of abuse and exploitation. But with indomitable grit, Faith survived, creating a world of her own—pilfering books and teaching herself high school curriculum. Finally, at age twenty-three, thirsting for knowledge and freedom, she broke away, leaving behind everything she knew to forge her own path in America.

A complicated family story mixed with a hauntingly intimate coming-of-age narrative, Faith Jones’ extraordinary memoir reflects our societal norms of oppression and abuse while providing a unique lens to explore spiritual manipulation and our rights in our bodies. Honest, eye-opening, uplifting, and intensely affecting, Sex Cult Nun brings to life a hidden world that’s hypnotically alien yet unexpectedly relatable.

Review- An interesting, at times horrifying, story of one young woman’s life and escape from the cult she was born in. Faith Jones was a second generation child of the Children of God with its founder as her grandfather. She was raised believing that the end of the world was coming soon and she needed to help save as many ‘sheep’ as she could. One of the ways ‘sheep’ could be saved was by flirty fishing, where female members of the sect would have sex with men to then preach to them about God’s love. Jones was raised to think that all women should be free with sex with all men who asked or demanded in too many cases. At times this book is very hard to read, as Jones talks about being molested at a young age and those acts being good and godly. The reader follows her from her earliest memories to coming into her own and free from the cult. If you think that you can stomach the darker parts of Jones’ story, then I would recommend this book.

I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

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Today’s post is on Crooked House by Agatha Christie. It is 236 pages and is published by William Marrow. The cover is red with a house and a light coming from a window. The intended reader is someone who is interested in classic mystery stories. There is no foul language, no sex, and no violence in this novel. The story is told from first person close of the main character Charles. There Be Spoilers.

From the dust jacket- In the sprawling, half-timbered mansion in the affluent suburb of Swinly Dean, Aristide Leonides lies dead from barbiturate poisoning. An accident? Not likely. In fact, suspicion has already fallen on his luscious widow, a cunning beauty fifty years his junior, set to inherit a sizeable fortune, and rumored to be carrying on with a strapping young tutor comfortably ensconced in the family estate. But criminologist Charles Hayward is casting his own doubts on the innocence of the entire Leonides brood. He knows them intimately. And he's certain that in a crooked house such as Three Gables, no one's on the level...

Review- A wonderful mystery from the queen of the genre. Charles wants to get married to long -time girlfriend but the sudden death of her grandfather puts everything to a halt. His girlfriend, Sophia, wants to know what happened to her grandfather before she will get married and asks Charles to come down and help. There are many twists in this mystery from how was the grandfather murdered to why the final murder happens. The characters are interesting and very dramatic from silent wives to fainting mothers and all that money, just about everything you could want from a mystery. This was one of Christie’s favorite works, personally, and I agree with her that it is a masterpiece.

I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

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Today’s nonfiction post is on The Gallery of Miracles and Madness: Insanity, Modernism, and Hitler's War on Art by Charlie English. It is 336 pages long and is published by Random House. The cover is done in an art deco style font and setting. There is mild foul language, discussions of sex and sexuality, and mild violence in this book. The intended reader is someone who wants to learn more about Germany pre and during World War 2. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- As a veteran of the First World War, and an expert in art history and medicine, Hans Prinzhorn was uniquely placed to explore the connection between art and madness. The work he collected--ranging from expressive paintings to life-size rag dolls and fragile sculptures made from chewed bread--contained a raw, emotional power, and the book he published about the material inspired a new generation of modern artists, Max Ernst, Andre Breton, and Salvador Dali among them. By the mid-1930s, however, Prinzhorn's collection had begun to attract the attention of a far more sinister group.
Modernism was in full swing when Adolf Hitler arrived in Vienna in 1907, hoping to forge a career as a painter. Rejected from art school, this troubled young man became convinced that modern art was degrading the Aryan soul, and once he had risen to power he ordered that modern works be seized and publicly shamed in "degenerate art" exhibitions, which became wildly popular. But this culture war was a mere curtain-raiser for Hitler's next campaign, against allegedly "degenerate" humans, and Prinzhorn's artist-patients were caught up in both. By 1941, the Nazis had murdered 70,000 psychiatric patients in killing centers that would serve as prototypes for the death camps of the Final Solution. Dozens of Prinzhorn artists were among the victims.
The Gallery of Miracles and Madness is a spellbinding, emotionally resonant tale of this complex and troubling history that uncovers Hitler's wars on modern art and the mentally ill and how they paved the way for the Holocaust. Charlie English tells an eerie story of genius, madness, and dehumanization that offers readers a fresh perspective on the brutal ideology of the Nazi regime.

Review- This was a fascinating read about the art of the mentally ill and how it influenced Hitler’s ideas about art and purity. The book starts out with Dr. Hans Prinzhorn and his studies with psychiatric patients. He observed that their art was very similar to the art of modern artists. Prinzhorn made it his life’s work to study and display their art. When Hitler came to power, he was disgusted with modern art and he too saw the similarities between the two. To him it was a sign of degeneracy of both art and the human race. The book moves through the war and what happened to the patients and their art. At times very moving and at times hard to read, I would recommend this book for those who are looking for a new way to study World War 2.

I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

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Today’s post is on Written in Stone by Ellery Adams. It is 294 pages long and is published by Berkely Prime Crime. The cover has Olivia’s dog on it sniffing around some food. It is the fourth in Adams’ Books by the Bay series, so you need to have read the first three to understand the characters. There is mild foul language, mild sex and sexuality, and mild violence in this book. The intended reader is someone who likes cozy mysteries series with characters that grow. The story is third person close of the main character, Olivia. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- When Munin Cooper, known as the Witch of Oyster Bay, warns Olivia Limoges that death is coming, neither of them realize that it is the older woman herself who will soon be found dead. And Olivia’s instincts tell her that something—or someone—more sinister than a mystical force is at play…
Olivia has a lot on her plate preparing for the Coastal Carolina Food Festival. When she hears the news of Munin’s untimely death, however, finding the murderer takes priority. The witch left behind a memory jug full of keepsakes that Olivia knows must point to the killer—but she’s got to figure out what they mean. With handsome Police Chief Rawlings by her side, Olivia starts to identify some of the jug’s mysterious contents—and finds its secrets are much darker than she suspected. Now Olivia must enlist the help of the Bayside Book Writers to solve the puzzle behind the piece of pottery and put an end to a vengeful killer before any more damage can be done…

Review- Another great volume in this series. Olivia gets pulled into a mystery from an old woman who knew her mother and is warned that death is coming. There is more than just murder in this volume, history is coming back to haunt the present and innocent are going to pay for the crimes of the past. The best thing about this series is the characters, they grow and change from novel to novel. It is very natural and the reader is on the journey with them but it is so nice to have a mystery series with a stable cast that grows and changes with events of the stories. I look forward to reading the next volume.

I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

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Today’s nonfiction post is on She Come By It Natural: Dolly Parton and the Women Who Lived Her Songs by Sarah Smarsh. It is 187 pages long and is published by Scribner. The cover is a black and white picture of Dolly Parton with her guitar. There is no foul language, no sex, and no violence in this book. The intended reader is someone who is interested in Dolly Parton, her life, and her music. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Growing up amid Kansas wheat fields and airplane factories, Sarah Smarsh witnessed firsthand the particular vulnerabilities—and strengths—of women in working poverty. Meanwhile, country songs by female artists played in the background, telling powerful stories about life, men, hard times, and surviving. In her family, she writes, “country music was foremost a language among women. It’s how we talked to each other in a place where feelings aren’t discussed.” And no one provided that language better than Dolly Parton.

Smarsh challenged a typically male vision of the rural working class with her first book, Heartland, starring the bold, hard-luck women who raised her. Now, in She Come By It Natural, originally published in a four-part series for The Journal of Roots Music, No Depression, Smarsh explores the overlooked contributions to social progress by such women—including those averse to the term “feminism”—as exemplified by Dolly Parton’s life and art.

Far beyond the recently resurrected “Jolene” or quintessential “9 to 5,” Parton’s songs for decades have validated women who go unheard: the poor woman, the pregnant teenager, the struggling mother disparaged as “trailer trash.” Parton’s broader career—from singing on the front porch of her family’s cabin in the Great Smoky Mountains to achieving stardom in Nashville and Hollywood, from “girl singer” managed by powerful men to leader of a self-made business and philanthropy empire—offers a springboard to examining the intersections of gender, class, and culture.

Infused with Smarsh’s trademark insight, intelligence, and humanity, She Come By It Natural is a sympathetic tribute to the icon Dolly Parton and—call it whatever you like—the organic feminism she embodies.

Review- An interesting series of essays about how Dolly Parton is seen by the people that she writes about in her songs, the poor and rural working. Smarsh grew up working poor and she watched her mother and grandmother listen and live the songs that Parton writes. Smarsh interviews many people, those around Parton herself, Smarsh’s friends, and music industry experts about Patron, her influence, and her business sense. Smarsh has a deep respect and love for Parton and that is reflected in these essays. The book is broken up into different sections about different times in Parton’s life and in the world around her. From when she was the ‘girl singer’ on the Porter Wagoner Show to being the boss and owning her own music label. It is an inspiring journey, about an inspiring and kind woman. We could stand to be a little more like Dolly.

I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

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Today’s nonfiction post is on The Man Who Hated Women: Sex, Censorship, and Civil Liberties in the Gilded Age by Amy Sohn. It is 386 pages long and is published by Farrar, Straus and Giroux. The cover is extracted out newspaper clipping with two of the women that Comstock jailed. There is some foul language, very mild sexuality, and mild violence in this book. The intended reader is someone who is interested in American history, women’s rights, and where they meet. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book-Author Amy Sohn presents a narrative history of Anthony Comstock, anti-vice activist and U.S. Postal Inspector, and the remarkable women who opposed his war on women's rights at the turn of the twentieth century.
Anthony Comstock, special agent to the Post Office, was one of the most important men in the lives of nineteenth-century women. His eponymous law, passed in 1873, penalized the mailing of contraception and obscenity with harsh sentences and steep fines; his name was soon equated with repression and prudery.
Between 1873 and the ratification of the nineteenth amendment in 1920, eight remarkable women were tried under the Comstock Law. These "sex radicals" supported contraception, sexual education, gender equality, and a woman's right to sexual pleasure. They took on Comstock in explicit, bold, personal writing, seeking to redefine work, family, sex, and love for a new era.
The Man Who Hated Women tells the overlooked story of their valiant attempts to fight Comstock in court and the press. They were publishers, editors, and doctors, including the first woman presidential candidate, Victoria C. Woodhull; the birth control activist Margaret Sanger; and the anarchist Emma Goldman. In their willingness to go against a monomaniac who viewed reproductive rights as a threat to the American family, they paved the way for modern-day feminism. Risking imprisonment and death, they redefined contraceptive access as a human civil liberty.

Review- An interesting and well written biography of Anthony Comstock and the people he fought with. Sohn takes the reader from the beginning of Comstock's life and his childhood influences that made him into the man who saw the human body as a vile, sinful thing that must be hidden or destroyed. The reader also spends time with the people who Comstock saw as the bringers of filth and evil to young minds. From Free Lovers to nurses and other medical professionals, they all fought against the ignorance that Comstock believed was the root of a woman’s purity and the only way to be a good mother, and motherhood is the only goal that a woman should have. He was a dangerous man to all women and he did his best to make that all women were trapped by marriage and childbirth. Sohn does a wonderful job bringing this piece of women’s history to a modern reader and this is a timely book. I recommend this book for everyone to read.

I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

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Today’s post is on The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler. It is 231 pages long and is published by Vintage Crime The cover is blue with Marlowe’s jaw in frame. There is mild foul language, mild sexuality, and mild violence in this book. The intended reader is someone who likes classic noir novels. The story is told from first person close following the main character. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Down these mean streets a man must go who is not himself mean, who is neither tarnished nor afraid....He is the hero; he is everything. He must be a complete man and a common man and yet an unusual man.
This is the Code of the Private Eye as defined by Raymond Chandler in his 1944 essay 'The Simple Act of Murder.' Such a man was Philip Marlowe, private eye, an educated, heroic, streetwise, rugged individualist and the hero of Chandler's first novel, The Big Sleep. This work established Chandler as the master of the 'hard-boiled' detective novel, and his articulate and literary style of writing won him a large audience, which ranged from the man in the street to the most sophisticated intellectual.

Review- This novel is the definitive noir novel and Chandler is a brilliant writer. Everything about this book is amazing; from characters, the setting, the dialog, and the plot. It starts as a simple blackmail job, Marlowe is hired to discover who the blackmailer is and deal with him. Then everything just explodes from there. The dames, the gangsters, the missing husband, and everything in between. It sounds like it would be too much or over the top but it’s not. Everything about this novel is just perfect. I had a wonderful time listening to this novel and I am so looking forward to the next one.

I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

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Today’s post is on Rescuing Da Vinci by Robert M. Edsel. It is 302 pages long and is published by Laurel Publishing, LLC. The cover is a picture of some monument men with a Da Vinci. There is no foul language, no sexuality, and no violence in this book. The intended reader is someone who is interested in world war 2 history and art. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Tells the story of Monuments Men who during and following World War II, served behind enemy lines and joined frontline military units to ensure the preservation, protection, and restitution of the world's greatest artistic and cultural treasures. This book includes their heroics and exploits in rescuing and safeguarding the world's great artworks.

Review- This is a great book about lesser known world war 2 history. As Europe was being freed, the Allies learned that the Nazis were stealing art and taking it back to Berlin for Hitler. So concerned museums, artists, and others involved in art formed a group to protect and find the stolen art. They were called the Monuments Men. This book is a pictorial history of the work that those men did. Each chapter started with a little explanation about where in the war the reader is and what the monuments men were trying to find and safe. This was a great book and the full page pictures really help the reader understand what the monuments men and why they worked so hard to safe the art.

I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

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Today's post is on The Monuments Men: Allied Heroes, Nazi Thieves, And The Greatest Treasure Hunt in History by Robert M. Edsel. It is 473 pages long including notes and is published by Center Street. The cover is a picture of the monuments men with some of the rescued art. There is mild foul language, no sex, and some discussion of violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- At the same time Adolf Hitler was attempting to take over the western world, his armies were methodically seeking and hoarding the finest art treasures in Europe. The Fuehrer had begun cataloguing the art he planned to collect as well as the art he would destroy: "degenerate" works he despised.
In a race against time, behind enemy lines, often unarmed, a special force of American and British museum directors, curators, art historians, and others, called the Monuments Men, risked their lives scouring Europe to prevent the destruction of thousands of years of culture.
Focusing on the eleven-month period between D-Day and V-E Day, this fascinating account follows six Monuments Men and their impossible mission to save the world's great art from the Nazis.

Review- An excellent history book about the men and women who saved the art that was stolen from every where the Nazis went. The art world discovered what was going on before the rest of the world did by the sale of many privately owned masterpieces. This book follows the men who did this work from the beginning of their departments' creation to when the last one went home. It is a fascinating journey from America into the heart of Germany. The reader learns about the men, their lives, and about the art that was taken. Only the best was taken and the art's importance to western civilization is discussed. I recommend this book for both people interesting in art history and World War 2 history.

I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

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