December, 2019

"The Girl in White Gloves" by Kerri Maher         

Determined to act on the stage, Grace leaves home for New York. Only able to find small rolls, she accepts jobs in the movies. Before long, she becomes a Hollywood star and is in high demand. However, when she meets Prince Rainier of Monaco, everything changes.

     This book was a bit slow to start. It seemed to take forever to build any momentum. At times, the story switches points of view from the young Grace, to an older Grace. The alternating story line either needed to be left out completely, or done with more frequency. Although Grace herself is an interesting historical character, this book was a bit blah.

"The Girls with No Names" by Serena Burdick         

Luella and Effie are young women coming into their own. Born into a rich and affluent family, they both chafe against the rules and restrictions of high society. After befriending a group of Gypsy's that are camping nearby, Luella disappears. Effie believes her parents have sent her to the House of Mercy, a workhouse for troubled girls. Determined to find her sister, Effie pays a poor local to turn her into the workhouse. Once inside, Effie realizes that she has made a horrible mistake.

     This book was a bit slow to start. However, it really picked up momentum once Luella disappeared. At times Effie came across as a bit younger than her age, but perhaps this was on purpose to enhance her innocence and the shock of the workhouse. Both Effie and Luella were extremely likeable and interesting. Overall, well worth picking up.

"Hidden Pearl" by J. E. Laufer         

When the Nazi's invade, Pearl and her family run for the woods. Immediately, one of Pearl's brothers is missing, and her grandmother dies. Although the remaining family finds a rudimentary shelter, they are freezing and starving. Two of the children set off to find work on a farm. A few weeks later, Pearl also finds work nearby. Weeks, months, and years pass, with Pearl hearing very little about her family.

     Although this book is listed as young adult, it felt more like a pre-teen or middle grade book. The book itself could have used more details or description of Pearl's life. The lack of details made this book feel less than real. Although this is not a book I would re-read, it is appropriate for a much younger audience.

"Lady Clementine" by Marie Benedict         

This book opens on the eve of Clementine's marriage to Winston and follows their life through the end of WWII. Understanding that a life with Winston demands loyalty, and that she take a back seat, Clementine does her best to cater to his needs and support his political career. At times the strain is too much, as she is forced to put her needs, and the needs of her children second to the charismatic, unstoppable force that is her husband.

     This was a pretty interesting read. Clementine was a very likeable character, and well rounded. At times Winston comes across as a bumbling, stubborn man with little common sense, which is at great contrast to his legacy. The passing of time was done particularly well, leaving the story with a nice flow. Overall, well worth picking up.

"All of Us" by A. F. Carter         

Carolyn Grand suffers from dissociative identity disorder. Inside her once abused and battered body live 6 individuals. Martha, the housewife, Victoria, the public persona, Eleni, the promiscuous, Kirk, a heterosexual male, Serena, the new age spiritual, and Tina, the keeper of memories. After Eleni propositions a cop, they find themselves in therapy. They immediately distrust the psychiatrist, who is a bit too forceful, and who takes pleasure in their discomfort. Then, their father, their primary abuser, is paroled.

     This book seemed to have very little plot. The story focused so much on describing the personalities that nothing ever seemed to happen. The psychiatrist, meant to be a dark character, was a bit bland. The situation with the father was resolved too quickly and too easily. Overall, this book was much ado about nothing.

"Voice of Rebellion: How Mozhdah Jamalzadah Brought Hope to Afghanistan" by Staley Roberta         

As a child, Mozhdah and her family escaped war torn Afghanistan and immigrated to Canada. As an adult, she traveled back to Afghanistan to host an Oprah style television show, which also featured music and dance.

     This book was a bit slow to start. It spent a lot of time on the families escape to Canada, but then skimmed over Mozhdah's teen and adult years. It felt like it was lacking details about her adult life. I would have liked to learn more about Mozhdah's fight for women's rights but those passages seemed very brief and lacked detail. Overall, 3 out of 5 stars.

"The Queen of Paris" by Pamela Binnings Ewen         

This book follows the life of fashion designer and perfumer Coco Chanel during the Nazi occupation of Paris. Living at the Ritz, where the German's have billeted their commander's, Coco feels at ease, and somewhat sympathetic with the occupiers. When she needs help, she has no problem using her German connections. Coco wants two primary things, the first, to find out where her nephew is and securing his release. Secondly, she wants total control of her perfume company. In exchange for these favors, Coco agrees to travel to Spain, where she is to spy for Germany. Not surprisingly, at the end of the war, Coco is worried that her fellow countrymen will attack her and persecute her as a collaborator.

     This book was so-so. Coco spent a lot of time thinking about the past. This slowed the pace of the book down and made it feel like it was dragging. If the author really wanted to show Coco's early years, it could have been done in a much more fluid manner. The book also really needed an epilogue. It would have been nice to find out what happened to Coco in the long run without resorting to google. Overall, not a book I would reread or recommend.

"The King's Questioner" by Nikki Katz         

Kalen works for the King as a mind reader. He has the ability to search a person's memories by touch. When the Prince falls into a coma, the king asks Kalen to search his mind for clues about what happened. While in the Prince's mind, Kalen uncovers a secret, one that even the Prince was unaware of. Long ago, a princess was born, but her abilities were blamed for her mother's death and as a newborn she was sent away. Once the Prince awakens, he remembers, and together, Kalen, the Prince, and Luna, a friend, journey to find the Princess.

     This was a well written and engaging young adult book. My biggest criticism is that I wish the author had gone into more detail about the world and the magic system. However, I don't think this really took away from the story. The book was fast paced and interesting, enough to hold my attention. Overall, 4 out of 5 stars.

"Cleopatra" by Stacy Schiff         

Cleopatra is perhaps one of the most famous women in history. She ruled an empire, was fabulously wealthy, and slept with the most famous Roman men of her time. However, history is written by the conquerors, and ultimately Cleopatra lost. Her story has been shifted, misinterpreted, and changed to suit those in power. In this book, the author attempts to separate fact from fiction, and unravel the truth behind Cleopatra.

     This book was well researched and presented. Like most non-fiction books, this book was slow and tedious at times however, it was able to hold my attention. The author did a good job of blending what was written about Cleopatra, and speculating about the truth. Overall, 4 out of 5 stars.

"Whiteout" by Adriana Anders         

As a summer worker, Angel is about to leave Antarctica and return to the mainland. However, when she misses her plane, she is left behind with murderer's, intent on stealing ice core samples from the station. Ford Cooper, a scientist, is also left behind. Coop finds Angel, and together they piece together what is happening, and make the decision to trek across the ice over 200 miles to the nearest station.

     This book was a complete bust. Although it was set in one of the most interesting places on earth, and had a fairly decent conspiracy theory plot, I quickly grew tired of the relationship between Angel and Coop. The two were attracted to one another yet determined not to like one another. Most of their scenes were spent describing each other in their heads. They acted like pre-teens who couldn't think of anything else but sex. Seriously, you are fleeing for your life across the Antarctic, and can't focus on anything but the other persons hair, sounds, looks, movement, etc. This completely killed the book for me.