ear of the beholder

Serious Music by Percival Everett

Rating: 4.5 stars (out of 5)

Genre: historical fiction

Review: If you were first introduced to Percival Everett through James, as I was, you know that he uses code-switching as a narrative technique with devastating precision, and won't be disappointed to see him displaying his mastery in Serious Music, and with even more precision and dark humor.

Arthur Champion is a violin student at the Oberlin Conservatory in 1918 when he finds himself the target of a professor's racist agenda.  At the "suggestion" of the administration, he and a friend enlist in the army, where they soon find themselves a part of General Pershing's personal string quartet, which does nothing to prevent them from being gassed at the Battle of the Somme.  Throughout his travails, Arthur relies on music, playing it, composing it, and thinking about it, to keep him sane, but it isn't until he is asked to play the piano accompaniment to a showing of Birth of a Nation that he starts to realize the power of music to shape the experience of his listeners.

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.

listen to the mothers

Hollow Bones by Jodi Picoult

Rating: 4.25 stars (out of 5)

Genre: fiction

Review: If Jodi Picoult is the only author I would have trusted to write about the COVID-19 pandemic when we were still coming out of it (and she is), then I also trust her to write about the September 11 attacks with care and sensitivity (and she does).  But this book is about much more than September 11, and in some ways isn't actually about that day at all, although it provides a necessary backdrop for the story.  This book is really about motherhood, friendship, and postpartum psychosis, and perhaps, by putting all of that together, Picoult has taken on a bit too much.  If this were a book by anyone else, I would say that it was definitely too much.  So the book drags a bit in the middle and towards the end, and one character is perhaps dragged off the stage too abruptly, but this is still Picoult, if not at her finest.  You will learn something from this book (probably lots of things), find yourself thinking about something in a different light (probably lots of different lights), and have all the feels (probably at once).

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.

along for the journey

Long Island Girls by Gabrielle Korn

Rating: 3.5 stars (out of 5)

Genre: fiction

Review: It took me a while to figure out why Korn name-drops so many brands and bands and trends in this book, but I finally realized that it's because this book is very intentionally grounded in the times and places it portrays, spanning the 20 years from 2005 to 2025, and the country, from Long Island to California.  Frankly, as someone who's not into indie music and doesn't pay much attention to brands, it put a barrier between me and the story.  Once I figured out that the names were just signals to orient us in time, space, and socioeconomic status (and that there were other signals that a brand-oblivious person like me could use), and not meant to convey any superficiality on the part of the characters, I was able to get on board.  And once I was on board, I enjoyed joining Susan in her journey to discover who she's meant to be.

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.

2/3 worth it

The Last Page by Katie Holt

Rating: 3.75 stars (out of 5)

Genre: romance

Review: I was about 1/3 of the way through this book before I started to feel comfortable with the main characters.  Prior to that, it seemed like they were acting in ways to deliberately set up conflict, even though they were, ostensibly, on the same side.  I get that some tension needed to be established, but it felt excessively clunky to me.

Once Ella and Henry got over themselves a little bit and agreed to work together, the story smoothed out.  There was still plenty of narrative tension (will the bookstore survive? will Henry really go back to Tennessee?) but their actions and motivations made a lot more sense.  Getting to that point is well worth it, though, so the remainder of the book is a sweet love story, with some excellent secondary characters.

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.

meaningful, but not heavy

Extracurricular by Rachel Lynn Solomon

Rating: 4.5 stars (out 5)

Genre: romance

Review: At 26, Ramona Wilder is done with the spotlight.  A child star who transitioned to being a pop star at the urging of her manipulative mother/manager, she's had enough.  But what is she going to do with the rest of her life?  She'll go to college, she decides, to try to make up for some of the "normal" experiences she missed growing up.  From her first day on campus, Ramona and her psychology professor, recently divorced Nick Navarro, feel undeniably drawn to each other.  Solomon doesn't shy away from the many issues inherent in this scenario: the professor/student relationship, the age gap, and the sexualization of young stars, as seen in the way that Ramona struggles to figure out a way to relate to Nick in anything other than a sexual way.  This is a lot of weight to put on a romance novel, but Solomon is more than up to the task of exploring those issues and also giving us relatable characters and a believable love story.  You'll be rooting for Nick and Ramona's happy ever after all the way through.

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.

on repeat, but lovely

Love in Plane Sight by Lauren Connolly

Rating: 4.5 stars (out of 5)

Genre: romance

Review: Lauren Connolly knows how to write a romance that a reader can root for.  Watching Beth and George fall in love and overcome obstacles was absolutely lovely.  Though Beth's is slightly fuller, both have well-drawn backstories that make the road they're on together very real.

Unfortunately, I'm not sure that Connolly would agree that she's given us excellent backstories, because she feels the need to repeat Beth's several times.  We get it.  We understand why Beth accepts George's offer of free flying lessons but is afraid to act on her attraction to him.  We get that she's worried about money but doesn't want to cause her mother any stress.  We get it.  Let's move on.

I have to say, though, that my favorite parts of this book involve Beth's book club with her brother, especially the scene where she tries to win an argument by standing on his coffee table and shouting.  Except they really resolve their literary disputes over a deck of cards and shots of tequila.  It's absolutely marvelously written.

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.

short and sweet

A Coffee for Two by Renée Gendron

Rating: 3 stars (out of 5)

Genre: romance, novella

Review: In this first installment of Megan the Matchmaker's Brilliant Blind Dates, Megan sends reluctant coworker Arianna on a blind date at a local coffee shop.  When the coffee shop becomes the meeting place for a local improv history group, the two find themselves falling for each other as they lean in to the hilarity surrounding them.  Short, sweet, and funny, this novella is a lovely bite-sized romance.

FTC Disclaimer: I received this e-book from the author in exchange for this review.

why does it have to end?!

Business Casual by B.K. Borison

Rating: 4.5 stars (out of 5)

Genre: romance

Review: I am so glad that I discovered Lovelight Farms and the town of Inglewild, and I hope that Borison changes her mind and writes more stories about other characters in the small town.  Borison's characters grow and change over the four books, but remain true to themselves, even when the focus has moved on to another couple.  My only complaint about this last installment is that Nova and Charlie's story is a bit too similar to Luka and Stella's story, but, again, it's Borison's characterizations that make this story a success.  Even if Nova and Charlie's path is similar to Luka and Stella's, they are very different characters, and that makes all the difference.  Borison has given us another warm and fuzzy (and steamy) love story.  You probably won't want to have to leave Inglewild either.

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.

in the eye of the beholder

Barely Even Friends by Mae Bennett

Rating: 3.5 stars (out of 5)

Genre: romance

Review: Ok, we've discussed before that plot is not usually the primary element of a romance novel.  But the plot does have to hang together a little bit, or at least a little bit more than it does here.  Bennett certainly leans into her Beauty and the Beast homage, which I support, but I think if I hadn't read the publisher's blurb (and seen the Disney movie more times than I like to think about), I might have been more than a little bit confused about the set-up and the characters' motivations.  Still, it's an enjoyable read, with all the feelings and the Happily Ever After one expects.

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.

let your sun shine

The Paradise Problem by Christina Lauren

Genre: romance

Rating: 5 stars (out of 5)

Review: Rom-com heroines tend to be a spunky, sassy bunch, but even among her compatriots Anna Green stands out.  She's self-aware, determined to be true to herself, and totally unimpressed with the opulence with which she finds herself surrounded.  Not only is she one of the few willing to speak truth to power, but she's determined to save her partner from his family.  This being a romance novel, it spoils nothing to say that she succeeds quite nicely.  Going along for the journey is a real treat.

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.

if i could turn back time

Cassandra in Reverse by Holly Smale

Genre: fiction

Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)

Genre: An interesting take on the time travel/live your life again trope, with Cassandra discovering the ability to rewind parts of her life to do again.  Cassandra is a great character, and I immediately sympathized with her and rooted for her.  But, I had a couple of issues with this book:

1. The title is misleading.  Cassandra is not actually living her life in reverse.  Rather, she has the ability to turn back time and relive certain parts of her life.  Cassandra Rewinds might have been a better choice.
2. Are we seriously expected to believe that no-one in Cassandra's life understood that she's on the autism spectrum?  It's books like this that make me wish I were an editor.  If I'd seen the manuscript, I would have suggested some seriously reworking of this point.  To be clear, I'm not objecting to Cassandra being on the autism spectrum, but rather that a major piece of the plot seems to hinge on neither she nor anyone in her life recognizing it.  I would have advised making it part of the plot from the beginning, rather than a mystery that has to be solved for Cassandra's life to make sense.

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.

good on its own

The Circus Train by Amita Parikh

Genre: historical fiction

Rating: 3.5 stars (out of 5)

Review: This book has been hailed as a cross between The Night Circus and Water for Elephants, but I have to say, aside from all being about circuses, they don't have that much in common.  The Circus Train has much to offer, but I can't say it's in the same league as either of the two books to which it is compared.

Considering this book on its own merits, though, is much more flattering.  Beginning before WWII, Parikh weaves a story of a circus that might or might include actual magic, and the illusionist (Theo) and his daughter (Lena), who had polio as a baby and now uses a wheelchair.  There's a lot of build-up and character establishing, but tensions build as WWII heats up, and the story really gets going when things explode between Theo and the circus owner.  Theo and his protégé (Alexandre) are sent to Theresienstadt and forced to perform for the Nazi guards in their guests.  Meanwhile, Lena, believing both to be dead, makes her way to England in the hopes of finding her former governess, at which point the real question becomes, will Lena and her father and Alexandre ever be reunited?

Parikh draws her characters well, and her protagonists will all be found sympathetic and writing brings the setting vividly to life.  And yet, I still felt let-down by the marketing hype.

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.

a fitting end

Somebody's Fool by Richard Russo

Genre: fiction

Rating: 4.5 stars (out of 5)

Review: Donald "Sully" Sullivan may have died in the 2nd book of the North Bath trilogy, but he proves that he was always larger than life by remaining the driving force in the lives of those he left behind.  However, his death does allow several characters who were on the sidelines before to take center stage, including: Sully's loyal sidekick, Rub; the chief of police, Doug Raymer; Sully's longtime paramour, Ruth, and her daughter and granddaughter; and especially Sully's son, Peter.  Russo writes his characters with warmth, bringing to life their struggles and successes as they navigate a changing world and ultimately find hope as they learn to rely on and help each other.

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.

stand still

Beyond That, the Sea by Laura Spence-Ash

Genre: historical fiction

Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)

Review: Children who were sent to the British countryside during the Blitz were able to come when it seemed like the nightly airstrikes were over.  Children who were sent to America may have had to stay for the duration of the war.  Some were lucky, like Beatrix, who became a true part of the Gregory family for the five years she lived with them.  This section of the book is engaging and heartwarming.

Unfortunately, once Bea leaves the Gregory family, though, the narrative falters.  Instead of being continuous, the story leaps through the next 30 years, landing only in 1951, 1960-1965, and, in an Epilogue, 1977.  Although this satisfies a reader's desire to find out what happen's next in the life of a good character (which Bea is), the jumping around causes us to lose our connection with Bea.

Still, Spence-Ash's writing is solid and the foundation that is set up in the first part of the book is strong enough to carry us through to a satisfying, if not altogether unexpected ending.

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.

stick to the fictional

Up With the Sun by Thomas Mallon

Rating: 3 stars (out of 5)

Genre: historical fiction

Review: Mallon, author of such previous gems as Bandbox and Dewey Defeats Truman, seems to be confusing writing with name-dropping lately.  In his loosely connected Republican Apologist trilogy, the names are members of the Nixon, Reagan, and Bush 43 administrations.  Here, the names are from show business in the 1950s-1970s.  And while I appreciate that one of the names he drops is that of my own cousin, The Last of the Red Hot Mamas, Sophie Tucker, I know that most people these days have never heard of her, nor of many of the other players who come and go through this book.

The story centers around the life and murder of Dick Kallman, a never-star of stage and screen, who most people have also never heard of, and, harsh as it sounds to say this, probably won't care much about.  Mallon portrays him as a shallow, callow, unethical, and more to the point for the main character of a novel, uninteresting.

The more interesting character is the purely fictional Matt Liannetto, who knew Dick sporadically through his acting career, and who was one of the last people to see him alive.  Through him, we see the both the law and the order aspect of bringing Dick's killers to justice, which is somewhat compelling, in a macabre way.  Matt himself is just a more interesting character, and I wish Mallon had just written a book about him, and made Dick Kallman a footnote to his story.

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.

viven las niñas

The Night Travelers by Armando Lucas Correa

Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)

Genre: historical fiction

Review: Usually, when I put a book down and pick it up and put it down and pick it up, it means that I'm struggling to get through it.  That was not the case here.  Rather, it meant that I wanted to sit with each few chapters before moving on.  The book somewhat lends itself to this approach, as each chapter is a vignette in a character's life, before jumping several months or years in time.  Most often, we jump forward, but in the first section, the narrative jumps both forward and back to tell the story of a romance and its consequences.  Time moves non-linearly in the last section as well, but in that case, it serves to dish up a few big reveals, and so makes sense.  I couldn't quite figure out the reasoning behind the jumping around in the first section.

This is a compelling story, exploring the bond between mothers and daughters, the sacrifices a mother might make to save her daughter, and a daughter coming to understand those sacrifices as an adult.  Though the writing is uneven in some places, overall the story flows from mother to daughter, from one year to the next, connecting generations through time and space.

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.

the price of freedom

In the Upper Countryby Kai Thomas

Rating: 3 stars (out of 5)

Genre: historical fiction

Review: One doesn't really enjoy a book like this, dark as it is, but one can say that it's incredibly evocative.  Thomas brings to life the free black people in Canada, and their constant fear of slave catchers coming across the border.  The story centers around Lensinda, a young black journalist tasked with collecting their stories, and Cash, an escaped slave who kills one of the bounty hunters sent to recapture her.

Cash won't reveal her full story unless Lensinda swaps stories of her own.  As the two share stories of slave life and free life, with some mythology mixed in, Lensinda slowly learns that perhaps the answer to why Cash chose to kill the bounty hunter (and it was a choice) isn't the most important thing about Cash's life.  Both tales jump around in time, and can be somewhat hard to follow as there are few textual clues to mark the shifts in time, making this a challenging book to read on an already challenging subject.  For those with the foritude to track the story, though, it's a worthwhile addition to genre.

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this review. 

the right way out

The Book of Essie by Meghan MacLean Weir

Rating: 4 stars (out of 5)

Genre: fiction

Review: Essie's preacher father is the head of both his megachurch and his family, but it's Essie's mother who really runs the show.  Literally.  Essie's family stars in "Six for Hicks" a popular reality tv show focusing on their family and ministry.  Essie's life has always come with cameras and production assistants.  But her life isn't what millions of viewers might assume, and when a pregnancy test comes back positive, it's time for Essie to put in motion the plan she's been hatching for years to get herself out of the spotlight.

Essie is a great character.  She's both determined and vulnerable, strong and nervous.  She narrates her own story with a clear and convincing voice.  Roarke, whose help she needs to get out, is also a great character, and his voice helps to make Essie's story fuller and more believable.  On the other hand, Liberty Bell, the reporter to whom Essie entrusts her story, could have been the main character of her own book, but cramming her story into Essie's doesn't quite work, and she reads as more of a plot device than a fully-fleshed out character.  Her presence is necessary, helping to illuminate parts of Essie's story that she couldn't give us on her own, but a simpler character, with less of a backstory might actually have served the novel as a whole better.

Still, with Essie's voice as the driving force of the narrative, this book is a success.  I was rooting for Essie, and then for Essie and Roarke together, and was fully invested in their search to find the "right" path in a challenging situation.

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.

#mashup

The Reading List by Sara Nisha Adams

Rating: 3 stars (out of 5)

Genre: fiction

Review: If you put A Man Called Ove, The Authenticity Project, and any book that purports to tell you about the books you must read before you die into a quantum accelerator and spun them until they became a single book, The Reading List is what you would get.  Except I would definitely recommend just reading the individual books instead.

I can't fault Adams for her book list, as it includes some of my favorites, and I do appreciate how the characters used what they found in the books to improve their own lives and relationships.  But the pace of the book is too slow for the premise, and some of the text-to-life connections to the books seemed a bit forced.

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for my review.

better a shed than a library

This Time Tomorrow by Emma Straub

Rating: 3.5 stars (out of 5)

Genre: fiction

Review: Approaching her 40th birthday, Alice is devoted to her father, who raised her alone after he mother left.  Alice finds watching her father waste away in the hospital to be unbearable.  So when she discovers a portal that allows her to relive the day of her 16th birthday, she is determined figure out how to change his life so that he doesn't get sick.  What she discovers as she lives though many iterations of the day is that perhaps quality is a lot more important than quantity.

Fans of The Midnight Library will appreciate this more realistic (in terms of human emotions, not in terms of time travel) exploration of choices and consequences and what it means to be happy.

FTC Disclaimer: I received this book from the publisher in exchange for this review.