October, 2017

"Code Girls" by Liza Mundy  

During WWII, over ten thousand women were recruited by the Army and Navy to serve as code breakers. These women were sworn to secrecy and placed in unique and important positions. Through their efforts, codes were broken, intelligence was uncovered and the war was shortened.          

Although I found the women's stories interesting, I thought this book could have used some careful editing. It was extremely repetitive. It felt as if each chapter reiterated the same information, causing the book to seem slow and tedious. I liked how the author followed certain girls, and came back to their stories. Overall, not a bad book, but not something I would re-read.

"The Lido Girls" by Allie Burns         

When Natalie loses her job teaching athletics at a private girls school she travels with her best friend Delphi to a seaside resort. She finds a job at the lido, working in the office and organizing events. As she settles into her position, Natalie and Delphi grow apart, each seeming to want different things out of life.         

I thought this was a well written and engaging book. I enjoyed the characters and their relationships with one another. I did get a bit frustrated with Natalie's desire to help everyone, even when that person didn't want her help. I would definitely read another book by this author.

"Admissions" by Henry Marsh         

Marsh has spent his career as a neurosurgeon in England. After retirement, he worked pro bono in Ukraine and Nepal. This was a fascinating and well written book. Marsh has a unique voice, one that made it hard to put his book down. I loved his insights into life and his point of view. Overall, highly recommended. 

"Sketches of a Black Cat: Story of a night flying WWII Pilot and Artist" by Ron Miner   

After Ron's father, Howard, passed away, Ron found a treasure trove of pictures, journals and letters. This book takes those writings to create a detailed picture of Howard's time in the Navy as a Black Cat pilot. I enjoyed this book. Howard was quite a character, his stories and adventures were a fascinating look into the life of a WWII pilot. Overall, well worth reading.

"Artemis" by Andy Weir         

On the moon's only city, Jazz gets by from smuggling and delivering items to wealthy citizens. When she is offered more money than she can make in a lifetime to sabotage a company, she jumps at the chance. When she is caught, she finds herself in the midst of a conspiracy, where the stakes mean life and death for herself and the city itself. This was an well written and dynamic story. The characters and plot were creative and interesting. I look forward to reading the next book by Andy Weir.

"Unregistered" by M. Lynch         

Bristol is an unregistered, the second child in a society that only allows one child per family. This means that he will not be assigned to a career and will not be assigned a wife. He will only be allowed to work in the most menial job and has no rights. Bristol finds passion through painting. At night, in secret, he paints murals throughout town. When a young boy is arrested for his paintings, Bristol struggles with his place in society and what happens to those that will not conform.         

This was a quick read, one that will appeal to young adults. I felt as if the background was well developed but some of the characters were not well flushed out. I plan on reading the next book in the series and look forward to more from this author.

"The Stolen Marriage" by Diane Chamberlain         

Tess's fiance travels out of state to work with polio victims. While he is away, Tess has a drunken one night stand with Henry Kraft. When she finds out she is pregnant, she is wracked with guilt and unsure of what to do. Traveling to Hickory, North Carolina, she asks the guy for money to run away and raise her child in a new town. Instead, he proposes marriage. Unsure of what to do, she accepts his proposal. Both the community of Hickory and Henry's family are scandalized and make life hard for Tess. When a polio epidemic strikes, a hospital is build and Tess battles her new family to work as a nurse in its wards.

     This was an interesting and dynamic book. The beginning was very dramatic and quickly hooked me. Tess and the other characters were well developed and interesting to read about. Overall, well worth picking up. I look forward to reading more from this author.

"The Salt Line" by Holly Goddard Jones

Outside of the safe zone, killer ticks are waiting to bite, infest and infect anyone they come in contact with. However, those brave enough, and rich enough, can hire an Adventure Company to lead them outside of the wall into the wilderness beyond. A diverse group, including a pop star, his girlfriend, tech billionaire, and mobster's wife have signed up for the adventure. However, once they are beyond the wall, they are kidnapped and held hostage by a group living on the outside.         

This book had a bit of a slow beginning as it tried to introduce a plethora of characters before the adventure could begin. However, despite this criticism, it was an interesting world. The idea of disease infested killer ticks makes me shudder, which is part of why this book was so effective. I look forward to reading more.