“You Can’t Iron a Wrinkled Birthday Suit”

 

The title grabbed my attention. The first chapter promised a geriatric romp, in a small southern town, amongst three close friends and their pets. But, Phennah’s novel lost me when those pets started having conversations. Who knew cats could type? Huh? An alleged sexual assault of a minor was dropped in the middle of the novel. Why? The resolution of the court trial was disappointing. If there was a “glimmer” it was the three friends supporting one another, with a lot of pastries, as they tackled the difficulties of aging. I wish Phennah had developed the character, Irene, who owned a sex shop (she seemed interesting). Oh well, better luck choosing my next read.

“Roommaid”

Considering that our country has been tipped on its head since the election, why would I choose a book with a narcissistic, power hungry, vindictive antagonist? Well, I was hoping for a happily-ever-after. I was hoping for the triumph of good over evil. I was hoping love would transcend all the bad. I was hoping for a storyline that would put a smile on my face, tug at my heart, and restore my faith in good, honest people. Done, done, and done! 

“Opium and Absinthe”

 

New York. 1899. Wealth. Millionaire Row. Proper society. Enter Mathilda “Tillie” Pembroke. Intelligent, curious, socially inept. Patent medicines...opium, morphine, and heroine touted as non-addictive. Bran Stoker’s Dracula captured readers’ imagination. Murder with a list of suspects keeps Tillie busy while she fails to fight her addictions. I’m always on the lookout for a happily-ever-after ending, but…

Vampires, drugs, and money, this novel tied a bit of history with a great mystery!

“The Last of the Moon Girls”

I was in need of a feel good novel with a twist...and I found it in spades! A young woman trying to find herself with the help of her dead grandmother’s journals. Women with special gifts. A double murder. Life beyond the family farm. Romance. I wanted the murder solved as much as I wanted the protagonist, Lizzie, to fall in love with her neighbor. I wanted to hate the town who didn’t understand the women of Moon Girl Farm, just because they were different. I wanted Lizzie to find herself, reconcile with her mother, and live happily-ever-after. Having just finished the novel...I feel sooo much better now!

“Mexican Gothic”

OMG! OMG! OMG! This novel was like a car wreck, you want to look away, but you just can’t. Set in Mexico in the 1950s, it wasn’t what I was expecting, at all. It was dark, foreboding, creepy, EVIL. But, the characters…”would cling to hope. Hope that the world could be remade, kinder and sweeter.” (301) Hope that good would triumph over evil. NOT to be read alone, in a dark house, on a cold, foggy night...just sayin’.

“Passing Fancies”

 MURDER. Prohibition. Harlem. Writers. Poets. Society. Racism. Jim Crow. Deceit. Empathy. POWER. Those who wield power, are those that control the narrative. Power to keep the status quo...power to keep society “in line.” Power to justify the means to an end. Knowing one's proper place. “How easy to reduce others to convenient categories...but she seldom thought how neatly she too fit into a conventional box…” (111) How to gain independence and survive outside the box. 

Great follow-up novel to Relative Fortunes, however, the ending left me confused. But perhaps that is indicative of the times...post WWI, post suffrage, pre-civil rights. A confusing and dangerous time for sure.

“Mycroft Holmes”

Mycroft Holmes

By Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Anna Waterhouse

This book sparked my interest for two reasons: 1) I’m a fan of mysteries, 2) the author, Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle can write a mean mystery...Abdul-Jabbar is gifted writer as well. Mycroft Holmes, Sherlock’s older brother provided a new insight into the Holmes’ skills of keen observation and deduction. Set in the 1860s, in Trinidad, the story weaves social constraints, friendship, slavery, and love into a well executed mystery. With a smattering of history thrown in, the characters tossed me into the fray and left me mostly satisfied with the outcome. Abdul-Jabbar has written two more Holmes novels, they are definately going on my to read list.

“The Downstairs Girl”

I often fall into books. History often beckons me in...Stacey Lee is an author who blends history with fiction and showed me a world I knew little about. Atlanta, 1890. Chinese were the answer to filling the labor gap during Reconstruction. Who knew? Yet the word that jumped out at me, while reading Lee’s novel, was invisibility. How does one live a life of invisibility? How do you keep to the shadows? How do you blend into the background? How do you express yourself without being detected? How is it that society ignores your very existence? How do you challenge the prescribed norms? How do you find peace in your life? Happiness? Love?

“Relative Fortunes”

 

Relative Fortunes

By Marlowe Benn

New York. 1920s. Voting. Money. Greed. Rape. Abortion. Corruption. Family. Career. Marriage. Not wanting to have to marry to secure an income may have been part of Julia Kydd’s motivation for coming to New York. But, in the end, after solving a heartbreaking murder, she came to appreciate the role of the suffragist in society, as well as, realize freedoms she had gained due to their hard work. I think at times we take our independence for granted. The rights we have. Our ability, as women. to make our own way in the world on our terms. Marlowe Benn’s characters wove their way into my head and my heart. 

“Sword and Pen”

 

Sword and Pen

By Rachel Caine

Sword and Pen is the fifth and final installment of The Great Library series. I was excited to join my friends for one last adventure to save the Great Library of Alexandria. I could never decide if the book took place in the past or in the future...not that it really mattered. My love of books and reading brought me back to the characters. Thirst for knowledge. Sharing knowledge with the world. Working against corrupt power. War. What really held my interest was the juxtaposition between humans, the automatons, wizardry, and books. Friendships and family blend together. Loss and victory become bittersweet. Fighting to share knowledge with all mankind, not just those in power. 

“Golden Poppies”

Golden Poppies

Laila Ibrahim

Relationships are sometimes more complicated than we realize. Laila Ibrahim’s novel shows a family that consists of slavers and the enslaved in a post Civil War world. Their tangle of emotions, love, and devotion is at once amazing and confusing. How do we learn to navigate in a racist world, where some are thought to be less than others? If the characters didn’t discuss their ties to slavery, or fighting for liberty through women’s suffrage, you might think this a contemporary piece. “I desperately want to believe that the ugliness of the past is behind us. That we have moved past doubting that we can be one nation with liberties equally given.” (280) 

“Stamped From the Beginning”

Stamped from the Beginning

By Ibram X. Kendi

My thoughts on this book are complicated. But, as I read, I noted pieces that caught my attention, validated what I already knew, or challenged my thinking. Therefore, instead of a “typical” review, here are some of my abbreviated notes:

• “...minister to African souls and not challenge the enslavement of their bodies.” (33)

• Monogenesis = humans ONE species vs. Polygenesis = multiple origins of human species

• Christianity = more humble and better servants (74)

• Enlightenment = “reason, not religion should command human affairs.” (92)

• Benjamin Franklin - “racist ideas was essential to substantiating slavery.” (96)

• “...loudest yelps for liberty among the drivers of negroes…” (103)

• “Did (Thomas) Jefferson really believe Black people were smart in slavery and stupid in freedom?” (110)

• “...they only cared about Black capabilities to make them money.” (122)

• “New England’s industrial revolution...ran on the wheels of southern cotton.” (161)

• “It is only as they are free, educated, enlightened, that they become a nuisance.” (187)

• “When men oppress their fellowmen, the oppressor ever finds, in the character of the oppressed, a full justification for his oppression.” - Frederick Douglass (199)

• “Like any racist, he dismissed the evidence that undermined his theory, and hardened his theory with evidence that supported it.” -William Lloyd Garrison (229)

• “...should they be carefully civilized or rigidly segregated from whites?” -Jim Crow (268)

• “If White people were racist and discriminated against Blacks, then Black people were to blame…” (294)

• D.W. Griffith’s The Birth of a Nation = motion picture(s)...newest visual media by which to circulate racist ideas. (306)

• “The highest aim of human existence is...the conservation of race.” -Adolph Hitler (311)

• “I do not belong to the sobbing school of Negrohood who hold that nature somehow has given them a lowdown dirty deal and whose feelings are all about it.” -Zora Neale Hurston (347)

• “Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.” Martin Luther King, Jr. (374)

• Kerner Commission, 1968 “Our nation is moving towards two societies, one black, one white - separate and unequal.” (404)

• “Those who have the power to abolish racial discrimination have not done so...and they will never be persuaded or educated to do so as long as racism benefits them in some way.” (509)

I am at once saddened at the similarities in thought to today's “divide” amongst people in the United States.

Blame.

Finger pointing.

“Found” justification.

Hate.

“My Notorious Life”

My Notorious Life

Kate Manning

Kate Manning’s novel caught me off guard. As I read, knowing I would write this review, I couldn’t quite figure out what the book was saying to me. But, as I continued to read I realized what it was and it feels pertinent to women today; women should always have the right to make decisions about their bodies, the right to choose. The novel, set in the 1860s, laid the historical groundwork for what would 100 years later become the landmark Supreme Court decision, Roe v Wade. This is NOT a novel for those who do not believe women should be able to choose how they deal with their reproductive health. The ending was a bit of a let down, I wanted the main character to take a stand and fight for the rights of women. 

“The Wedding Date”

“The Wedding Date”

By Jasmine Guillory

Love at first site? Really? This first in a series by Jasmine Guillory was interesting, although I did think that the main characters jumped into bed too soon. I was even concerned that the storyline had peaked too soon...sexual tension broken.  With the story revolving around their sexual interludes (done tastefully), I was actually becoming bored with their bedroom antics. Biracial couple. Woman of color. White privilege. I did like the “dual narrative” where you got Alexa’s take on a situation, and then Drew’s perspective. Happily-ever-after rom-com. Not sure this series will be one I follow up on.

“Beach Read”

Beach Read

By Emily Henry

My faith in love and romance has been restored! Emily Henry’s novel is a rom-com with a twist. I thoroughly enjoyed the plot line that included two writers; one a romance novelist, the other a literary fiction writer. Add that the two studied at the same college competing for top-dog honors, ending as rivals, and you’ve got the perfect summer read. Getting inside the writers’ head, and witnessing their writing process was eye opening. Just enough sex and intrigue to keep the story moving. I will seek out this author in the future. Happily-Ever-After...Happy-For-Now. 

“The Women in Black”

The Women in Black

-Madeleine St. John

Five women working in an Australian department store, who have to wear black uniform frocks. Sounds intriguing, right? I thought so too...my enthusiasm was short lived. It felt like I walked into the middle of a movie and missed some of the backstory. The principal characters were connected by their jobs and little else. It wasn’t until I read some of the Book Club notes at the end that I learned the story was set in the 1950s. That helped, but not enough. St. John left too many loose ends for my taste...her novel needed an epilogue showing what happened to the characters. Pregnant? College? Marriage? Continentals? Ladies Cocktail Frocks? Arghhh, I so wanted to fall in love with this book.

“Killer Queen”

Killer Queen

Julie Mulhern

Spoiler alert: THEY HAD SEX! Oops, I’m getting ahead of myself. Julie Mulhern did not disappoint with installment #11 of the Country Club Murders. How is it that some books put you to sleep, and others keep you up all night tearing through the pages? I tried soooo hard to savor every word, every plot twist, and every conversation with Mr. Coffee. Even the introduction of a new character, Anarchy’s mother, didn’t slow me down. The romance between Ellison and Anarchy had been simmering for over ten-plus murders. I appreciated that Mulhern drew out all those toe curling kisses, and then left the intimate parts to our imagination. Whew...but then I was faced with the reality that I was done with Ellison, Anarchy, and the gang. Until? 

“Deacon King Kong”

Deacon King Kong

By James McBride

The inventive character names; Sportcoat, Pudgy Fingers, Hot Sausage, the Elephant, The Governor, Beanie, Lightbulb, Soup, Miss Four Pie, and Bum Bum, drew me in. James McBride’s storyline cruised through the Projects of Brooklyn and the Five Ends Baptist Church without a hitch. Well, almost. Drug dealers. Contract killers. Drunks. Italian mobsters. Cops on the take. King Kong (moonshine). Love lost. Spirituality. Understanding. Compassion. Redemption. And CHEESE!.

Unforgettable.

“The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek”

There are probably a million things I could say about this book. However, I’m not sure I will say them correctly...trip over my own words. But, here goes:

My mom suggested this book, claiming it was relevant to today...and she was right. Richardson’s novel left me emotionally drained. The storyline saddened me, but it also gave me hope. Cussy’s life highlighted our nation’s current struggle with equality, no matter the color of ones skin. 

“I had no right telling you how you should feel. No right claiming knowledge on things I could and will never feel. I’ve never known harm or exile because of my skin. Nor felt the lash of leather whips or angry tongues because of it!” (252) White privilege? Empathy? Walk in someone else’s shoes?

When my youngest son got married, his wife spoke about the repeal of anti-miscegenation laws - quoting Loving vs. Virginia, the landmark Supreme Court Case. As a parent and a human being I am grateful...for without it my son would be without his soulmate. 

Ok, time to cry....

Book Review: “Answer in the Negative” by Henrietta Hamilton

The premise of this book looked intriguing...after researching the author, Henrietta Hamilton, I was even more curious. Unfortunately, the storyline didn’t hold water for me. The author overused the word “stuff.” Two murders, too many suspects, and too many small details (that only made sense if you were very familiar with English culture). Being written in 1959, the main characters, Johnny and Sally Heldar, were a product of their times. Too many red herrings had me wanting to put the story aside. However, I persevered to the end, but that didn’t bring the clarity that I hoped for. 

Book Review: “All American Boys” by Jason Reynolds & Brendan Kiely

My daughter-in-law, @sahiti_k, mentioned this book in an Instagram post...and here I am. Reynolds and Kiely’s novel left me with these thoughts:

• White privilege

• Police brutality

• Call to action

• “...my shield was that I was white.” (179)

• Communities coming together to address larger issues

• Protest vs. Riot

• Die-in “...pantomiming his death to remind the world he was alive.” (312)

• “...trying to stare so hard at my own two feet so I wouldn’t have to look up and see what was really going on. And while I’d been doing that I’d been walking in the wrong direction.” (184)

• Where to start?

• How to help affect change?

• What if you don’t know enough to jump in?

• How do you educate yourself?

• Not saying anything, so you don’t say the wrong thing.

• Seeing the pain on both sides

Starting the conversation. Continuing the conversation.

Book Review: “Lethal Remedies” by M. Louisa Locke

Lethal Remedies

By M. Louisa Locke

Reading this most recent installment of M. Louisa Locke’s “Victorian San Francisco Mystery Series” is like revisiting an old friend. You know the characters, you know their personality quirks, and you know what kind of trouble they are likely to find themselves. Kinda like a warm hug. Kinda.

Women doctors in San Francisco in the 1880s faced their own set of challenges. “Regular” doctors vs. homeopathic doctors, poison, and A LOT of hand washing with carbolic soap set the stage for a great mystery. As always Locke shows women breaking into new roles, blazing a path, and sharing their knowledge with other women. These same women had few rights and could not even vote, yet they worked tirelessly for what they believed. Reading this in 2020 amidst the Covid-19 pandemic made me think; it was true then, and it is true today, “...medical professionals are bravely risking their lives...to save patients.” (author's notes)

Book Review: “Wickett’s Remedy” by Myla Goldberg

I was looking for hopeful...and the premise of the book looked intriguing. Myla Goldberg touched on the United States entrance into WWI, the arrival of bottled soda to Boston, and the Spanish Flu Epidemic of 1918. I’m not sure she did any of those themes justice. Too many voices, too many plot lines, no cohesive ending to tie it all together. Her attempt to use primary sources only “muddied the waters” with print that was so small (in the e-book version) that I had a hard time reading it. I was hopeful that the main character, Lydia, would be the hero of the day...sadly that didn’t happen. 

Book Review: “Lincoln in the Bardo“ by George Saunders

Lincoln in the Bardo

By George Saunders

Confusing. Interesting. Strange point of view. When my colleague, Vicki, suggested this book, this is not what I was expecting. George Saunders’ historical fiction is a “mind bender.” I wasn’t even sure I wanted to finish the book. However, after looking up the definition of bardo,I felt better equipped to continue. When Abraham Lincoln’s son, Willie, is laid to rest, Lincoln’s grief has him questioning his role as president of the United States. Empathy, that perhaps he didn't have, is clear to him after the loss of his son. In his mind the Civil War must reach a conclusion, unfortunately Lincoln “...must end suffering by causing more suffering…” (306) There is no logic to any of this. The characters interacting with one another in the bardo. These same characters interact with the living. Social constraints, for both blacks and whites, still exist in the bardo. Maybe I missed something...the format is odd - at times quoting from primary sources to historically move the storyline along - at other times it’s the characters in the bardo that move the plot forward. I was left wondering how it all fit together.

Book Review: "Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine" by Gail Honeyman

Eleanor Oliphant is completely fine

by Gail Honeyman 

Where to begin...when I started reading I was a little put-off by Eleanor Oliphant. I came to realize that her autistic qualities reminded me of tv’s “Big BangTheory” character, Sheldon Cooper. However, Gail Honeyman’s character is dealing with abuse, guilt, and loneliness. As Eleanor sorted out her life, I was left wondering; how many people do we encounter in our daily lives that we don’t really see? Since we don't know what goes on behind closed doors, why are we so quick to judge? How do we know when to reach out and when to leave things alone? What constitutes normal? On the flip side; how do we show friendship? What might those caring, loving relationships look like? Eleanor’s story tugged at my heartstrings. In the end, I was left with a sense of hope.

Review: “The Covid Catastrophe” by Jeff McMullen

"The Covid Catastrophe"

by Jeff McMullen

This short story had me glued to my seat. I wasn't sure how it was all going to end, so I sat reading on "pins and needles." I did find some of author Jeff McMullen's description of his daily routine, a bit fictionalized. (I believe he has been wearing the same robe everyday for four weeks.) However, the story did give a lot of insight into the life of a sixth grader stuck at home. Some of the underlying themes of family and boredom ring true with all of us affected by Covid-19. McMullen's openness about the struggles of setting up a schedule, doing school work, and then finding something to occupy his time, all the while not driving his parents crazy, is mesmerizing. Chapter Seven brought me to tears, and I appreciated his appeal to his readers "...it only starts with you and all the rest of us to stay home..." I hope McMullen continues to write about his time while sheltering-at-home. I'm a big fan.

Book Review: "The Dollhouse" by Fiona Davis

The Dollhouse
by Fiona Davis


Dual narrative. 1952 vs. 2016. Career women. Relationships. Barbizon Hotel for Women. Society. New York City. Fiona Davis takes a piece of New York history and expertly weaves two storylines into one. The two protagonists are both idealistic and naive. The 1952 mentality of what it meant to be a woman was challenged by Darby; and the 2016 thinking of Rose was more akin to Darby’s era. This book made me think about my own mother, who worked for a short time after high school before getting married and having children. As the story melded together both women struggled with their decisions about career and love. I suppose challenging societal norms is never easy (Darby) - nor is finding yourself chasing after something that handcuffs your future (Rose). Of course with all this rich history, I’m gonna have to read more about the Barbizon Hotel for Women...

Book Review: "Wind Chime Cafe" by Sophie Moss

Wind Chime Cafe
By Sophie Moss


I suppose there are always two sides to every event in our lives...oftentimes we only see one side of a story on the news. Tragedy always has two sides. Sophie Moss made me more aware of how we each handle tragic events differently. Some of us are fighters. Some of us relive the event in our nightmares. And some of us have to hang onto a broom and just keep moving. PTSD comes in all shapes and sizes. Moss’s characters were flawed, broken, fighters. I wasn’t even sure I liked the protagonist until I was half way through the book. The antagonist, on the other hand, was an ass from the “get-go.” I was glad that this story had the “happily-ever-after” ending I was hoping for. There are more books in this series...I might need to visit Heron Island again.

Book Reveiw: "The Book of Lost Saints"

"The Book of Lost Saints"
by Daniel Jose Older

This book was a gift from my son, Brian, for Christmas. Daniel Jose Older is one of his favorite authors. So I started reading, about Cuba and revolution, disappointment and courage. I can’t lie, I was confused, constantly looking up Spanish phrases on my phone, and yet I was filled with wonder. I pondered the idea of saints - their ordinary lives, their sins, their redemption...could we all be saints in our own right? The main characters, Marisol and Ramon, shared a world I only knew superficially (now my husband knows more than he ever wanted - sometimes you just have to share). Hatred, betrayal, death, and terror swirl around them pulling the reader along. Older weaves their lives together...bringing their ancestral baggage with them. Like my son, this is an author I would read again.