A scary homage to Shirley Jackson with a decidedly Mexican gothic twist. Beatriz makes the only choice open to her after her father is called a traitor and killed and her mother turns her back when Beatriz decides to marry a handsome widower. She yearns for a home and hopes that moving to a country estate away from memories of the war will help her start fresh. The people in the village don't trust her, Rodolfo's sister clearly doesn't want her there, the other landowners look down at her darker shade of skin and worst of all - the house has made it clear that she is not welcome. Chills, hallucinations and voices in the night quickly add up to a nightmare existence for Beatriz. A young priest (who also happens to secretly be the local witch) seems to be one of the few who believe her and will try to help. When exorcisms fail and Beatriz hears some ugly rumors about her husband that now seem true she takes matters into her own hands. A haunted house, the second wife who is considered less than the first and mad added to the rich Mexican culture makes this a one night read with all the lights on. Fans of Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Shirley Jackson will be pleasantly goose bumped. 4 stars
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This is about change that happens to all women over a certain age. We are told to dread it but these women embrace it and their new found knowledge and power. For the women of Mattauk Long Island the change means an awakening of the senses, a fierceness and the freedom to say or do exactly what needs to be done. Jo operates a successful gym for women, Nessa is a widower with an age old gift and Harriet is divorced and rumored to be not only an incredible gardener but also a witch. These three take on a serial killer targeting young women and won't stop until justice is served no matter how many good ole boys get in their way. This is an adrenaline filled , white magic, kick butt, feminist take on correcting the evil we see and giving a voice to the voiceless. Empowering, smart and highly entertaining this is delicious revenge served up warrior women style. Feel the heat rising and your power growing! This is another example of books coming out with tough middle aged heroines who don't take a backseat to anyone and don't need to be taken care of. 4 1/2 stars
In an alternate version of 1950's America a sudden and shocking event took place that everyone tried to pretend didn't happen and forbid it to happen again. Thousands of women couldn't contain their voice any longer - their eyes turned gold, their bodies transformed and their wings took them to the skies as dragons. Some say the Feminist Movement began that day but we don't talk about it. Families were torn apart, marriages dissolved, laundry was left unfolded and children left to wonder what happened. Alex as a young child had been abandoned by her mother so when her aunt who had been her solid ground and raised her took to the skies it was too much. She was left motherless again with a baby sister (really her cousin) and after her father left them for another family , became an adult overnight. Beatrice is her stars and moon and with the help of a fierce librarian and a few others Alex manages to make it. This story could have been about dragons or revolutionaries the message is clear- be who you are meant to be whether it is as a woman, man or dragon and love who you are meant to love and most of all accept others in their choices. Kelly Barnhill has a delightful way of weaving a colorful story with a strong message into her fable. This first book for adults is as warm and clever as her middle grade novels and may entice a few readers to find their wings. 4 1/2 stars
A dystopian what if that deals with an Indian man who comes up with a computer and social order which treats every person in the world as a shareholder and everything you do raises or lowers those shares. There is a board that heads up the new world order and an algorithm that decides the value or payment of your actions. For a while King Rao and his wife revel in their new kingdom and are busy creating new products but then they split and King Rao disappears. He lives away from the mainland off Seattle on a small island with his daughter Athena who has never known anyone else and has been given all of her father's memories to teach her. Athena loves her dad and is happy on the island until she has questions he can't answer. She leaves and joins a group known as the Exes who have fled the system and live on Bainbridge Island where they live unhampered by the rules and algorithm of the Coconut. Athena knows her father's version of what happened and now she will see a different side of the same truth and come full circle. The writing style and new social order reminded me of STATION ELEVEN. The idea of biotechnology and an algorithm deciding everything seemed very close to real life and there were enough characters that may or may not remind you of some tech pioneers. Other themes that play a big role is the importance of family and that we humans have ignored climate changes for so long that we are past the point of fixing anything. There is much to think about in this book and I think it will appeal to tech supporters and luddites alike for different reasons. 4 stars
I had some downloading issues which may have affected how I felt about this book.
Marisa and Jake are in love and want to have a baby. They begin fertility treatments and need money so they take in a lodger. Kate, the lodger, then agrees to be their surrogate. She is alway there and once pregnant is even closer to them especially Jake which doesn't sit well with Marisa. Should Marisa worry when it looks like things are going out of control or are over active hormones adding to the situation? The first part of the book is seen through Marisa's eyes with the last half seen through Kate's eyes. There is a twisty end for all you thrill seekers which makes it a great addition to the unreliable twisted thriller category. Fans of B.A. Paris, Lucy Foley, Lisa Jewell will all be happy. 3 1/2 stars Piggybacking on THE BOOK WOMAN OF TROUBLESOME CREEK this is a continued story of the courageous rural librarians of Kentucky. It is 1953 and not much has changed in the backroads and hollers of Kentucky. There still are the abuses and hatred of those who are different - the blue skinned , the women who must now work alongside men in the mines or those women who take what some consider jobs away from hard working men. Honey is sent to live with an elderly woman when her parents are sent to prison for their interracial marriage. Honey works hard and is self sufficient yet even when she takes on the job her mother once held with the pack horse Liberians the law still sees her as a candidate for the children's home. As Honey makes friends with a young woman who has taken the fire tower lookout position and strengthens the bond between the back country families and the book women, she still has a long road ahead of her to stay free. A terrific historical look at a section of the country that has been underwritten in history books and a heartwarming story of the tough and courageous people of rural Kentucky who take care of their own in good times and bad. Anyone who enjoyed the first book will love the continuing story but it is not necessary to read the first book to enjoy this fully. 4 stars
I love reading a story where the author is an expert and introduces you to a new world in addition to delivering a tight thriller. Amy McCulloch sends shivers up our spine with this high stakes climb to the summit of Manaslu under threat of man made and nature created terrors. Cecily Wong is a journalist who really needs a big break which she thinks she will have when she is hand picked to accompany premier mountaineer Charles McViegh to the top of Manaslu. She is not as skilled as the others there and has gambled all her money and career on making it to the top scoring that big interview. Her target is extreme, her chances of survival are not great given her past climbs and there might be a killer with her on the mountain. A high altitude thriller that leaves you oxygen deprived and feeling breathless until the last page. Think of Agatha Christie's AND THEN THERE WERE NONE" meets a doomed expedition to one of Nepal's highest peaks and your life is held in the hands of your climbing partners. 4 stars
There is something delightfully cozy about curling up with a book by Emily Henry. Her characters remind us of our flawed but good hearted attempts at doing the right thing and striving to be the best at our profession and not always getting it right. This one is no exception. Nora is a literary agent in NYC who is at the top of her game- her phone is always on, she is always there for her clients and her little sister. The only drawback is her cursed love life and her exes who choose the less ambitious, less workaholic versions of her. Her well intentioned sister Libby forces the two of them on a vacation to the charming setting of Nora's top client. There she runs into the one person she is hoping to avoid - Charlie, who is an equally ambitious and talented editor but they continually butt heads. When they are forced to work together on a project sparks fly and they both see life a bit differently. A familycentric story filled with witty repartee that leaves you with a contented happy sigh - this is a book lovers slice of homemade apple pie. 4 warm sunshine stars
This is true crime based on the murder of two female hikers in 1996 while hiking the Shenandoah Trail. The author as a female journalist offers a unique perspective diving deep into the lives of the victims and their relationship as much as she focuses on the lack of attention their murders got and the feeble investigation that followed. Because Julie and Lollie were in a relationship it was deemed a murder/suicide and drawn away from the public spotlight. Most hikers were not even made aware that a murder had taken place. When the park service, local police and FBI investigated they tidied it up with a suspect who was already in jail for assaulting women. Kathryn Miles presents a detailed look at why this suspect doesn't fit and the case against him was later dismissed. She portrays these two women not as faceless victims but as daughters, lovers, free spirited and adventurous nature lovers whose lives were viciously taken away. It is true crime well researched and brings light to a case that has until now remained ignored. For those readers of true crime, podcast listeners and documentary watchers as well as armchair detectives. 3 1/2 stars
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