A researcher looks for answers to complete her thesis about the life of Annie Oakley and the motives behind her push to arm women. Ruth enlists the help of a computer-savvy high schooler to help her determine if a journal is that of Annie Oakley and her correspondence with a therapist. The journal refers to "the wolves" and it is Ruth's thought that she was abused physically or emotionally as a young girl. Soon Ruth is having out of body experiences that bring up a lot of emotional baggage and connect to what Annie was going through. The story of the trauma that Annie Oakley suffered is a very interesting part of the story and one that I wish had been developed further. Ruth's story and that of another young guy muddies the water a bit. In the end, it is more a book about human fragility and abuse than a historical puzzle. 3 stars
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While their family story will make you cringe, you will be drawn in from the first page. Seven children abused and chained up locked away from the world until Girl A escapes. Fast forward and Alex's (Girl A) mom has died in prison making Alex her executor which includes a bit of money and the house they all tried so hard to leave behind. She must contact her siblings to get permission to use the house to do some good. As difficult as it was growing up there, coming back may just break them. It is the kind of story that is difficult to read but fascinating to see their scars and how they have dealt with things since getting out. Avoidance, addiction and even trying to make a profit retelling their nightmare story won't completely block the memories or dull the pain. This is ROOM on steroids told so truthfully and beautifully it hurts. A stunning debut from an author I will be looking forward to hearing more from. 4 stars A beautiful story that blends Native American myths with a family trying to keep it together and heal. The death of Maria and Ernest's son shattered their world and even now after 15 years the pain and grieving are still with them. Their other son ran away and is dealing with addiction and depression, their daughter has relationship issues and is also lost and Ernest is under the grips of Alzheimer's. When Maria and Ernest agree to take in a foster boy they have no idea the memories that will surface and how much this boy is similar to the son they lost. It is as if a ray of light has come into the room as Ernest's disease does a turnaround and Maria feels more joy every day. Throughout the book, there are references to the Cherokee's Trail of Tears and many of the myths that have been shared through the generations. There is a hypnotic spiritual feeling to the writing even when dealing with grief and pain. Fans of Willy Vlautin, THE ONLY GOOD INDIANS, and WINTER COUNT will find much to enjoy here. 4 stars Finlay is out of money, out of patience, and about to be out of a job. Her soon-to-be ex-husband controls her finances and the key to their kid's hearts plus her editor will drop her if she doesn't come up with the new romance novel she was already paid the advance for. A chance meeting lands her $50K if she will get rid of a bad guy husband. As luck would have it (or bad luck) she gets rid of the guy and now Finlay is a gun for hire. This screwball comedy will have you in stitches and firmly rooting for the big glasses, wig scarf-wearing Finlay, and her babysitter accomplice. If you enjoyed reading about the madcap adventures of Stephanie Plum or Bernadette then this is the book you have been waiting for. 4 fun stars Warning- after reading this book you will feel differently when you reach for the cheapest holiday decor or cute ceramic knickknack. A Chinese man whose only "crime" was following the outlawed religion of Falun Gong is sent to a "reeducation camp" run by the Chinese government. There his life is much worse than any prison in the states. He sleeps head to feet with other prisoners in horrific unsanitary conditions and is made to work exhausting hours assembling electrical parts, holiday decor, stuffing goose feathers into clothing, and much more. If they do not keep up with the unrealistic schedules they are beaten, force-fed, and beaten again. In a heroic act that could have ended his life and others, he begins to write s.o.s notes and hiding them in the goods they are creating for the United States. This is the story of what happened when a woman in Oregon found one of those notes and tried to help. This amazing story of courage and an unspeakable horror is difficult to read and even more horrific is that it is still going on in many parts of the world. Anyone who is interested in world relations, manufacturing, and the economy or civil rights will get much out of this book. 4 illuminating stars
It is unusual for a famous news correspondent to not get attention in NYC but that is what happened every time Martha went to the dog park. After losing her older bull terrier she worried that the dog who was left was grieving and needed to find Minnie a buddy. She found that and gained a close friend for herself in the process. This is a sweet memoir love story centering around a love of NYC, bull terriers, and human connection. Yes, there is dog grief, and people grief but you also have a fantastic story of companionship with people and dogs. It is both uplifting and bittersweet and one that even non-dog owners will appreciate. 4 stars
As a fan of SLEEPING GIANTS I expected Neuvel's next book to be similar but this one takes her to another level. This book is a mash up of ancient aliens and a race to be the first nation to build rockets to travel up into space. But, as humans we have almost always looked to conquer a new frontier by weaponizing the technology, this is also about war, weapons and power. It is a race between American, German and Soviet scientists to design rocket technology and an old as time secret group of people who are manipulating things to go their way. Sarah and her daughter Mia are part of the Kibsu an ancient race who have an interesting way of furthering their line. They still need a man to have a child but all female babies take all of their genetic material from the mom. They are highly intelligent, very strong , vicious when cornered and we think they have been put on this Earth to guide humans to build rockets. If only it were that simple but there is an equally ancient and vicious group called "the trackers" who are out to search and destroy all the Kibsu. This makes the story move at a very fast pace covering so many genres - historically regarding the war and efforts to steal scientists, fantasy with the ancient Kibsu and their foe and the mother/daughter relationship over time. 4 stars
A family flees a war-torn Afghanistan to the magical land of opportunity - Australia only to find their dreams and promised land might not be all they thought. Their horrific boat journey takes its toll on them and the others they travel with and when they finally reach Australia they are put in a refugee camp. Conditions are awful and while they try to find work the odds of being allowed to stay are stacked against them. Firuzeh and her brother Nour do their best to help teach their parents English and help them however they can but it is a daily battle. The kids keep their sanity by inventing elaborate fairy tales like the ones their parents told them but it is not enough. Sadly, most Australians do not want them to stay and even the little help they do receive is often misguided. The choppy sentence structure takes a bit of time to get used to but it does serve to make Firuzeh's voice feel more authentic. Any reader of international immigration issues will find this both heartbreaking and a call to action. 4 stars This book is set up as a prequel to the popular Tearling series but even if you haven't read THE QUEEN OF THE TEARLING you will have no problem enjoying this as a standalone. Erika Johansen does a fabulous job of world-building with well thought out characters. The Tearling is in trouble. Everyone is corrupt and the kingdom is being dragged down by politics. For those readers who love Patrick Rothfuss and George R.R. Martin, this book will not disappoint. 4 stars
Dual timelines of a woman in 1948 New York who finds a tiara minus a few jewels in her dead mother's things and searches for the link between the tiara and her mother's hidden past. Isobelle finds out that her mother once worked for the Romanovs as a nurse and was befriended by Olga who gave the tiara to her mother, Sophia. As Isobelle digs deeper she will find out more about her mother and the father she never knew. I was drawn in by Sophia's story in Russia and a bit less involved with Isobelle and her struggles in New York. As is the case with all of Rose's books there is much history, a bit of romance, and an intriguing story with strong female characters. Fans of everything Romanov and the Russian Revolution will enjoy this. 3 1/2 stars |
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