Books 2020

NON-FICTION

Irena's Children**** by Tilar J. Mazzeo This Polish Catholic woman was instrumental in saving about 2500 Jewish children from the Warsaw Ghetto during WW2. It's a moving and remarkable story. Those who extended themselves to do sneaky things under the noses of the Nazi soldiers risked more than their lives. Torture was common, and through the torture of another person, the  next victim could be you. Irena was part of a network of officials, physicians, religious figures, neighbors and others who stepped up to transport or hide the children.

     It's puzzling to me that she was heavily criticized at times for allowing these children to be given a Christian name and trained in Catholic doctrine, thus violating their Jewish-ness. But no Catholic was  risking their lives to save children for the purpose of gaining converts. They were attempting to save Jewish children's lives. If a Nazi asked a child their name and it was Lev Abrahmson, their life would be forfeit. If they answered, Stanislaw Wojecki, the German would lose interest and walk on.

The Last Stone***1/2 by Mark Bowden: As a cub reporter in the Baltimore area, Bowden covered the story of two sisters who vanished in the 1980s from a shopping mall. In the late 20-teens he went back to that story and produced this book. A lot of it is directly taken from transcripts of interviews of a man who had become the prime suspect in the disappearance. Ordinarily I wouldn't appreciate that, but the interviews show slow, painful progress towards getting a confession from the suspect. It's rather intriguing. There is eventually a degree of resolution for the family.

The Children of Willesden Lane*** by Mona Golabek: Author's mother Lisa was part of the kinder-transport that took children out of the threatening situation in pre-World War 2 Central Europe. Lisa was sent to England and eventually found a stable situation that allowed her to enhance her piano skills. It was a tough time, even in England, but she thrived and was eventually reunited w/ her siblings. It's a good story. Written at young adult level.

The Return of Marco Polo's World*** by Robert Kaplan: I did not expect this to be a compilation of articles from the past, and from various sources, so it was somewhat jarring until I figured that out. I had the audio version so perhaps the layout of the book was explained and I distractedly missed it.

 Kaplan is way more intelligent and analytical than I am, yet I still got plenty out of this book. He talks about cultural and political tensions, takes from other scholarly works that shed light on the current world order and the future, and so on. I wish this had been written as a fresh book drawing on past study, experience and analysis, but at least he does throw in comments from time to time about the older information.

Invisible Women***1/2 by Caroline Perez: Unfortunately the author was the narrator for this book. It isn't as much her voice that bugs, just her manner. I feel like I'm backed up against the wall w/ her faces inches from mine as she shoves information down my throat. A sort of audio force-feed. At times the book sounds like a mediocre high school social studies research paper where a student (me, for example) states an idea, then quotes a myriad of statistics to back it up. Rinse, repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.

On the plus side, the information is important and valuable. She addresses topics that had me nodding my head, such as smart-phone size being too large for many women's hands, inadequate pockets in women's clothing, work hours being designed around men's needs and schedules, assertive women being considered bitchy when a male would be considered a valuable asset, and so on.

I'll never forget going into the DMV after getting married, and though I had chosen to take my husband's surname, I intended my pre-marriage surname to become my middle name, and would use the initial B in many cases. The guy at the DMV said I would have to put the B in quotes, as in "B." It was not really my name, you see, it was sort of a nickname, he said. I was at first stunned; I mean, how dare he try to tell me what my name was! I prevailed after insisting and re-insisting, but sheesh. The author of Invisible Women would get a kick out of my story.

Smoke Gets In Your Eyes***1/2 by Caitlin Doughty: Author is a mortician. She describes some of the common processes in the funeral industry which I find interesting and revolting, and would, in the end, rather not know. The outstanding value of this book is her disdain for some long-standing American traditions at funerals. We have been so brainwashed by the industry that we commonly spend far more money than is needed for a nice burial. Consumers are sometimes told that embalming is necessary for the good of public health, and that it makes the deceased look more natural at a viewing. Doughty says the public health thing is completely false, and that perhaps it's unreasonable to expect the deceased to look as they did in life. And so on.

Her writing is regularly irreverent, too much so. She throws in a few objectionable words. Perhaps she think if her book is "edgy" it will sell more copies. That said, she's really on to something and that something is badly needed changes in the funeral industry. When  my dad died he was on hospice but in a hospital. The nurse happened to walk in minutes after his death and said he would call the funeral home. We said no. We were not ready. We spent the next hour or more talking, laughing, crying at the side of his bed, and when we were ready, asked the nurse to call the mortuary. They arrived and announced they would take care of everything and that we could leave. We said no. We were all intent on walking dad down to the hearse. He was zipped into a body bag on a gurney, and all 4 of his children rode the freight elevator down to the hearse. We departed once he was in the hearse and the door was shut. 4 days later when he was buried it was raining buckets, so it was assumed by the funeral people that they would take dad from the church up to the cemetery for committal without anyone coming along. Our immediate family and some cousins went up to St. Nicholas Cemetery in the storm, and the grave workers were confused when we didn't leave after the brief graveside service. We told them to go ahead and bury dad, and as the first shovel-full of soil landed on the coffin, I gasped! Dad's surname on the coffin's nameplate was misspelled! We quickly conferred and decided to go forward with the burial.

I have not even mentioned the situation with deciding on services for dad's funeral and burial. My step-mom was very much steeped in the heavy traditions of this small town, and felt that there had better be a good "show" for dad. She didn't want people talking behind her back about a cheap casket and so on. We really didn't care, as she was paying for it, but if it had been up to us, a plain wooden casket would have been perfect for him, as he always enjoyed building simple furniture. Her rationale was that because dad liked working with wood, that a $4000 cherry casket was just the thing. So, the social pressure in a town where everyone knew her and knew him, won out. The expensive impersonal package is so not what I want for myself or my family.

Volume Control***** by David Owen: This exploration of the science of human hearing is fascinating. Even more interesting are the solutions to hearing problems presented by the author. He gets specific enough to be extremely helpful. I didn't know that there were alternatives to hearing aids out there. This is a must read for anyone who is struggling with hearing loss, or has family members who are, which is pretty much everyone sooner or later. We have a family member who insists their hearing aids are working just fine, but they can't hear, and thus are isolated from much of what goes on around them. It's tragic and unnecessary.

Last Witnesses**** by Svetlana Alexievich: a collection of remembrances by Belorussian people who were children during World War II. It's rather riveting in a horrible way to hear that they saw their parents shot, or a sibling disappeared, or they themselves were transported to work in a factory or forced into the military at a very young age. Not easy to read, but an important chronicle of war by those who lived through it in their youth. If those who take their countries to war could read stuff like this, they would think twice.

The Suspicions of Mr. Whicher***3/4 by Kate Summerscales:  John Whicher was a skilled detective in mid-19th century London, in an era when that occupation was emerging from the ranks of ordinary police work. He was loaned to another jurisdiction to work on the Kent case. Saville Kent was a 3-year-old boy who was taken from his bed and savagely murdered. Local police could make no headway, partly because they refused to interview or even suspect anyone in the well-off family as the possible murderer.  High-class folks were above reproach. The family home could not be violated, and suspicion could not fall upon these pillars of society, so to speak. Whicher believed in none of that, and the story goes from there.

Chasing the Moon***** by Robert Stone and Alan Andres. What a story! The author carefully builds the chronicle of the first moon landing (July 20, 1969) by going back in time to when ordinary schoolboys were dreaming of what could be beyond our vision up in space. Being just old enough to be conscious of the 1959 through 1960s space race, it's a thrilling read. I still get tears in my eyes reading about some of the space-related tragedies as well as the magnificent triumphs the US achieved. This book is the basis for a three-part documentary by the same name. In the summer of 2019 there was another fantastic production called Apollo 11.

Fall and Rise: The story of 9/11****1/2 by Mitchell Zukoff: This is the best book I've read about 9/11. Some of these details are new to me. Zuckoff's method of telling the story is for the reader to experience it through the eyes, actions and thoughts of those who personally suffered through it.

The King and Queen of Malibu**** by David Randall: The wealthy Rindge family bought Malibu Rancho in 1892 and though they were residents of Los Angeles where Frederick Rindge's businesses were focused, they used the rugged and wild ranch as sort of a retreat. After Frederick's death his wife Rhoda continued his business dealings, and tried to protect the ranch from incursion by developers and the curious. The legalities involved in warding off settlers and trespassers is rather interesting. Rhoda actually paid a crew to build and rebuild a railroad along the beach, which was regularly ruined by ocean storms. This warded off attempts by railroad companies to build there, because the law said two railroads could not be built on the same right of way. Eventually Rhoda lost her battle to keep Malibu private, and in the course of her efforts some of her children became estranged to her. Malibu is still very rugged and is subject to fire and flood on a regular rotation. What was the railroad route is now PCH.

Lost in Shangri-La***1/2 by Mitchell Zukoff: During WW 2 a group of American military who were based in New Guinea wanted to see the place called Shangri-La. They had heard rumors of its isolation, beauty, primitive culture, etc., so one day about 20 of them got on a plane to do a flyover of the area. The plane went down, and the rest of the book details the ordeal of the survivors. An amazing story, I could hardly put it down.

The Templars***1/2 by Dan Jones: All you really wanted to know about the Knights Templars. I love this subject because I love anything to do with Medieval Europe. My struggle is to keep track of many people doing many things in many places at many times. It's not you, it's me. I did love the book.

Inheritance***1/2 by Dani Shapiro: I liked most everything about this book. The author was shocked at the results of her Ancestry DNA test that showed she was not biologically related to her father. As an Orthodox Jew, this was unconscionable. She works through her shock by reaching back into her memory, and recalling an offhand comment by her long-deceased mother, about going to a fertility clinic in order to have a baby. She locates the bio-father and eventually they meet and then stay on good terms.

This story has happened again and again in the 21st century. People find out their origins aren't what they had always believed, they work through the shock, and most come to some sort of resolution. Of course, along the way they are angry and disillusioned, as was Shapiro. The story is fascinating. The negative (to me) is that the book is so so verbose, pensive.

Putin Country**** by Anne Garrles: Survival, tension, struggle, corruption, optimism all rolled up into one story from one area of Russia. Personal interviews of people from all walks of life beam in on why Putin has such support, or, why citizens go about their business without concerning themselves too much about the thug-ocracy they live in. I learned why many Russians appear to not be concerned about the evils of Putin--life is about survival of the individual and those they care about, and for many, nothing outside their circle matters. Physicians, Mafia dudes, activists for varied causes are somehow surviving in a strange world of lack--lack of common sense, lack of supplies, lack of caring, lack of law and morals, etc. Read the book if understanding modern Russia is important to you.

The Splendid and the Vile**** by Erik Larson: Churchill, his family, and his supporting "cast" during the pre-war time and up through the first year of WW2. I like that the author used a very specific period of time to tell everything about Churchill and those around him during that period. Some of it is very personal. Churchill, like most other greats in history had his flaws, yet forged ahead to do great things. One thing that's hard to take when reading about Britain's upper crust, is their skewed view of what is difficult and inconvenient. While bombs were falling and killing England's working class, the elite were able to seclude themselves on country estates. They weren't drastically boorish about it, but occasionally an attitude of false privation crept in to their comments.

The Home That Was Our Country**** by Alia Malik: Recommended by my daughter who lived in Syria for a year in 2005. The ethnic Syrian author weaves her family history in Damascus into the history of the country, and into the current situation with its perils and tragedy. She risked her life to travel to Syria, and I'm glad that she has the skills, language, and connections needed to shed light on the catastrophe called Syria. I spent a month there in 2005, and returned in 2007. What different times it was. I was impressed and touched by the curiosity, kindness and attentiveness of the Syrians, yet sensed a guarded front in these people who were living in a precariously balanced world of wanting to be "good neighbors" to the world, while not daring to overstep the bounds laid out by the ruthless dictator who had eyes everywhere. The only negative pertaining to the book is that the author read it herself, and is not as articulate as should / could be.

Midnight at Chernobyl***** by Adam Higginbotham:  Relatively easy to follow saga of the Chernobyl nuclear disaster in 1986 Ukraine. This isn't the first book I've read about the preventable disaster and it's dreadful aftermath, and it's the best one so far. The Soviet system was guilty of shoddy construction practices, sub-standard training of its workers, and dire punishment of those who didn't measure up. For this last reason, of those who knew that the vital nuclear facility was sub-par (to say the least), none spoke up. Even when it was known that something terrible had gone wrong, those in the know did their best to minimize it to their higher-ups. There was no system in place to put the reactor fire out, no system to contain the radiation, and no system of disposal for the radioactive material, and the medical care was woefully unprepared to treat victims of high doses of radiation.

Every disaster breeds heroes, and Chernobyl has those who I expect to be first in line at the Pearly Gates. Some stayed at their posts, others volunteered for the cleanup under the most hazardous conditions possible, and plenty of individuals paid with their lives.

Wait Til Next Year***** by Doris Kearns Goodwin: The author is a native Brooklyn-ite. The story focuses on her growing years intertwined with the saga of the Brooklyn Dodgers major league baseball team. Being a native Brooklyn-ite myself (who did not grow up there), I was intrigued reading about the childhood I could have had, if my parents had not picked up and moved 2700 miles away before my first birthday. Doris narrates the story, and I love how she is very matter-of-fact about life in the 40s and 50s. Her skill as an author is amazing. Without spoiling the story, I'll just say she held back some important information until near the end of the book, and when I read that part, it was as if putting the last piece of an intricate puzzle in its place. Loved it.

The Brothers***1/2 by Masha Gessen: The brothers in this book are Tamerlane and Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, aka The Boston Bombers. The Tsarnaev family has Chechen roots. Their ancestors were displaced during the Stalin era, and the bombers' parents couldn't seem to stay put and eventually ended up in the US. The book is less about the bombing than about the family and the two brothers, and how they became so alienated that they would make and set off bombs. It's a tragic story; their world didn't have to end this way.

Hell and Other Destinations****1/2 by Madeleine Albright: Narrated by the author, a tireless public servant, Albright describes her experiences in many theatres of service. She's amusing, she's amazingly brilliant, she has noted facets of society that have been changed for the better by her contributions. She's a no-bull type of person and though I don't subscribe to her politics, she gives sensible observations and analysis. Albright narrates the book, which is ideal.

The Sleepwalkers**** by Christopher Clark: The processes, personalities, incidents and events that led up to World War One. Reading this book I was struck by just how still-19th-century the prevailing thought was in the first 16 years of the 1900s. Frankly, many leaders--both military and civilian--thought it was time for another war, or that discord could be solved by going to war. I can picture the bearded, mustached men in charge stiffly presenting themselves in heavily decorated woolen uniforms with sabers at their sides, and woman clad in the finery of gathered, layered skirts and giant hats with even giant-er ostrich plumes fanning out as they glided down the streets or dismounted from open carriages. 

It is strange that a sort of backwater part of the world became the epicenter of a conflict that launched the most horrendous war of the modern era. Empires were swept away 1914-1918 in what seemed a cataclysmic moment, but curiously, by the turn of the century they were already being dismantled figuratively as well as realistically, piece by piece. Despite the fact that the old world was still extant among the aristocracy, the working class/ proletariat had already moved on, and nationalistic fervor was rampant among ethnic groups, particularly the Serbs of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

I have trouble keeping huge numbers of fine details about historic events straight in my mind, and sure enough, it happened reading this book. No reflection on the book. I learned a ton, and bonus: two years ago I stood on the spot where the assassin Gavrip Princip shot the Archduke and his wife, Sophie.

The Gatekeepers**** by Chris Whipple: Loved this book. The gatekeepers referred to are the White House Chiefs of Staff who are political appointees made by each president. They're the ones who manage the president's lives, attempt to keep the president on task, and also keep him from doing something rash or veering into dangerous territory. It's an all-consuming 24 / 7 job, thus few Chiefs last more than a couple of years. The book begins with the Nixon years and end with Trump in 2018. The author's political bias creeps in at times, but I don't hold that against the book. I loved the historical review of events I remember well, and learned plenty of details that I didn't previously know about those events. Many of the Chiefs of Staff are names well known such as Dick Cheney, Donald Rumsfeld, Rahm Emanuel, Leon Panetta, and James Baker.

Pilgrimage to Eternity****1/2 by Timothy Egan: Author makes a journey from Canterbury to Rome. He describes places and people, and engages in thought about the Catholic Church and religion in general. He is a disaffected Catholic himself. He explores questions, relates experiences and observations, and ponders the role of religion in society. I found this book fascinating and will listen to it again. Loved this experience and highly recommend.

Presidential Misconduct**** by James E. Banner: At the time of Richard Nixon's impending impeachment in 1974, several historians were asked by the House Judiciary Committee to look into the matter of previous presidential misconduct, in order to lend a perspective of where Nixon fit into the trend. The result was a collection of essays on each president that was never published. Recently the set was added to, to bring it up to date, and the result is this book. I did not read through the entire thing, but each chapter covers one president and thus stands alone. Interesting that earlier presidents were rarely directly involved in controversy and scandal; that seemed to be the purview of their compatriots. What was helpful to me were the later chapters detailing the presidents serving during my lifetime. Some of the negatives of their administrations were lost on me while they were happening. Reading the chapters of these presidents helped me "get" what actually was going on in the 70s-80s-90s. 

The 15:17 to Paris*** by Anthony Sadler, Alex Skarlatos, Spencer Stone and Jeffrey Stern: The act of valor by the three young Americans is to be deeply admired. They did something that we all wish we had the guts, ability, and know-how to do. The three assessed the situation in seconds, reacted immediately, and didn't let up until the terrorist was subdued. Oh, and they saved the life of one of the victims by plugging his artery with their fingers. The book follows the lives of the three, and gives us exacting details that we don't really need to know, plus they make the story dull as rocks at times. I realize the authors needed to flesh out the book, yet the guys were young enough to not have a lot to say about their lives. I think Spencer Stone's progress in life was the most interesting, and since the Paris event Skarlatos has run for office in southern Oregon. Sadler is now a college grad. The story jumps around so I sometimes wasn't sure what time period was being discussed. It gets 3 stars. These guys are inspiring, their actions were great, the followup was exciting. But the book clunks along at times.

Spies In the Family****1/2 by Eva Dillon: The author's father was involved in secret government operations during the Cold War and was the point of contact for a Russian spy who had no interest in defecting, but wanted to try to "right" the Soviet Union. Eva's childhood was enriched by her father's line of work, though she and her siblings had no idea of the truth of it. She manages to contact many people who knew him or worked with her father to flesh out his employment and experiences. Fascinating and well done!

The Great Influenza**** [second reading] by John M. Barry: Very detailed jump into the development of modern medicine leading up to the Spanish influenza of 1918-1919. I wish I had asked more about this period of both my grandmothers. Baba, 22 at the time, talked about having the flu for three weeks and wishing she was dead, it was that bad. The only person who would get near enough to help was her Italian neighbor--I wish I knew her name. Baba said her baby George died of diphtheria during this time. Cemeteries had stacks and stacks of coffins waiting for burial, with few healthy enough to dig graves. A few years ago I viewed baby George's death record online. Cause of death was influenza. He may have had diphtheria, and then succumbed to the flu. My other grandma never mentioned the pandemic. She lived in Brooklyn NY at the time, and I have found zero people on that side of the family who succumbed to the disease.

The Desert and the Sea***3/4 by Michael Scott Moore: Moore, a journalist, was captured by Somali pirates. He was held on land and then on the sea for over two years, treated badly at times, and saw others treated horribly. The pirates' ransom demands on his family for 20 million dollars was absurdly out of reach for his mother, who was his only close relative. Moore discusses his terrors and fears, his daily activities, even his diet while a captive.  He describes the attitude and frustrations of those who took up pirating as an occupation. Certainly tragic that some feel they have no other choice. Captivating story. 

The Fire and the Darkness***3/4 by Sinclair McKay: It took time to get into this book about the 1945 bombing of Dresden Germany. But when I did, it became so alive. The author develops the story by discussing military strategies and bombs and bombing policies. Then he turns to first-hand accounts--pre-bombing--of residents who lived in Dresden. What a horrible feeling though, to know what is going to come down on their heads. A common feeling was that because Dresden was a national treasure, it would never be bombed, and then it suffered the worst possible firestorm, killing so many and destroying the gems that made the city a precious jewel. The first-hand accounts post-bombing are so awful.

The Rules of Contagion**** by Adam Kucharski: An explanation of how things spread. Disease, financial trends, rumors, fads, etc. all follow a pattern of dissemination. I wish I could have paid closer attention to the narrative; for some reason I had a ton of interruptions while listening to this audiobook. The terms are mostly new to me so I missed a few along the way. That said, the book is timely and fascinating.

The Man From the Train***1/2: A homey, down-to-earth exploration of a series of serial killings in the first 20 years of the 20th century. An unusual book, the authors write as if having a conversation with the reader. I actually like their style given that the murders occurred more than 100 years ago. If they were more current the laid-back remarks would seem flippant or even sacraligous. 

Twilight of Democracy by Anne Applebaum: short work on the downward slide of Democracy in Europe and in the US.  Enlightening, food for thought.

FICTION

(I listened to more fiction this year than usual. I had time on my hands during the quarantine, enough to do some extra projects that allowed for more audio books, and fiction seemed appealing during that time)

The Beekeeper of Aleppo*** by Christy Lefteri: Slow moving, somewhat dull. It was hard for me to tell sometimes where the characters were, as the story jumped around from Syria to Greece to England. Also, sometimes there were segments that turned out to be dreams, such as when N saw Mohamud, and I was all excited that Mohamud had returned, but it was not real; no more spoilers on that theme. Also, the story includes details that were way too personal for me. Several times N describes his wife's body w/ her wrinkles, c-section scar etc., and then several times refers to other peoples' anatomy, and some woman's leaky breasts, over and over. Enough already. The only reason I give it three stars is because it does bring out the trauma of a refugee's flight.

Stormy Weather***3/4 by Paulette Jiles: An impoverished family finds ways to survive in Dust Bowl Texas. The challenges of employment, weather, health, and hope could bury them, yet they eventually rise to the top. The characters are pretty well developed and the writer skillfully brings in the landscape as a powerful influencer. The story is clean, it is riveting.

The Magpie Murders**** by Anthony Horowitz: I loved this mystery within a mystery! Author has skillfully woven fictional characters from two related stories. The second one at first sounded like non-fiction until I realized that it was also a scenario made up by the author. A story about dying detective who steps in to solve 2 murders in a small English village (which is a common setting used by some of the best mystery writers is inter-twined with the story about the editor of the first story.
The second one took a little long to resolve but still, this is a satisfying, mysterious story.

The Little Shop of Found Things**** by Paula Brackston: Am not a fan of weird fantasy time-travel type stuff but I loved this story. A young woman who runs an antique shop w/ her ailing mother is attracted to old things. They "sing" to her. She acquires a chatelaine that sucks her back in time to help an 18th century servant girl who has been unjustly accused of theft by her wealthy employers, for which she could be hung. The main character, Xanthe, has cunning, grit, wisdom, and a way about her that convinces people to trust her. The main thing that kept me going after I found out the story involved time travel, was that I too, am attracted to old items, old houses, etc., and can feel the story behind them, or in the case of a dwelling, will research its history. Good tale.

The Word is Murder*** by Anthony Horowitz****: The author writes himself into this story about a widow who was murdered just hours after she visited a local funeral home to arrange her own funeral. Another death follows, and signs seem to point to the motive being revenge for an accident that had occurred 10 years earlier. I don't know for sure how much of the author's personal experiences in the book are truly real. He talks about meeting with Stephen Spiellberg and Peter Jackson to consult about a film based on his work. It's a pretty good story though. I did not see the end coming. This is the first in a series involving a taciturn "detective" named Daniel Hawthorne.

The Sentence is Death*** by Anthony Horowitz: Hawthorne #2, and Horowitz takes his place as his sidekick. A celebrity lawyer is murdered. His many enemies are all suspects.

Russian Roulette***1/2 by Anthony Horowitz: The first in the Alex Rider series. A 14-year-old Russian boy living in a remote factory village loses both his parents in a disaster at the plant. He becomes the only survivor in the town, travels to Moscow, gets mixed up w/ ne'er do wells in Moscow, and ends up with a group who wants him to become a contract killer. I've said enough. It's pretty good fiction.

The House of Silk*** by Anthony Horowitz: Sherlock Holmes goes on the trail of wealthy English men who seem not to be leveling with him about their activities. Anything else said would be spoiling it. Good mystery but not great and not my favorite Sherlock.

The Gown*** by Jennifer Robson: This book was recommended to me and had I known it was fiction I probably would not have checked it out. It's a fine enough story about the embroiderers who worked on Queen Elizabeth's wedding gown in the late 1940s. There are mysteries in their lives which are explored, and are intriguing. A slightly better than average novel, but I think a non-fiction version would be fascinating.

Secrets Of the Chocolate House***1/2 by Paula Brackston: Second in the series beginning w/ The Little Shop of Found Things. Xanthe takes another trip 400 years back in time, called by a chocolate pot. She meets other time travelers, one of whose motives are nefarious. The plot is as good as the first book, but after everything seems resolve the novel drags on somewhat, mostly about Xanthe's mother and the village mechanic who is in love with her. It was too long. I know the author is setting up situations for the third novel, but still, it dragged.

The Witches Daughter*** by Paula Brackston: Not particularly intriguing, just entertaining. A witch time travels, hoping to avoid her nemesis who always seems to catch up with her. In the story the witch lives in our current times, and meets a young woman who is intrigued with her skills and aura. And she begins to groom this girl to become a witch.

Roll of Thunder Hear My Cry**** by Mildred Taylor, Newberry Medal winner: Black family in Depression-era Mississippi face challenges of racism. Children in the family walk to school while white children are bussed. Whites try to force Black farmers to sell their land. Consequences for bucking the system are huge. The Black teacher is fired, some Blacks are nearly lynched. Excellent story that won't be forgotten.

Lamp Black, Wolf Grey* by Paula Brackston: Trashy, creepy, slimy. I finished it just because the setting and parallel story from the past was interesting. Couple moves from London to Wales for Laura's benefit as an artist. One very weird neighbor, Rees, keeps hanging around, inviting himself in, touching her, even pawing her. A normal, real woman (at least in 2020) would eject him from the house immediately, bar him from returning, call the cops, something!! But she puts up w/ it, he seduces her, she regrets it, etc. He still puts his hands on her and she does nothing. It gets worse. The parallel story is that a servant to the 17th century lord of the manor (of the house Laura is living in) is in love w/ someone, but the lord tries to force her to love him. The parallel is weak and is not ever resolved.

Wolf Hall*** by Hilary Mantel: I'm familiar with the period of history covered by the book--a decade during the reign of King Henry VIII. The focus of the story is Thomas Cromwell, a proponent of the Reformation and chief minister to King Henry. A good TV series by the same name aired a few years back. Though I recommend the book, it is quite long and I found myself impatient for it to end. There was a time when I read a ton of historical fiction, but now I prefer non-fiction, so I don't plan to read the other books in this series. 

News of the World****1/2 by Paulette Jiles: Loved this story. An elderly widower in post-Civil War lawless Texas takes on the task of transporting a 10-year old girl back to her family hundreds of miles through wild country. She was taken captive 4 years previous by Kiowas, then released. Adventures happened along the journey, and the real story is about how the girl changed the man, and gave him a purpose and hope. Like her book Stormy Weather, Giles brings the landscape in as a character in the story. She is specific enough in naming locations that even though the book is fiction, I looked on the map to follow the journey.

American Dirt***** by Jeanine Cummins: Must read! Not a pleasant topic, that of people from countries south of the US making arduous journeys to escape poverty and danger. We should become more familiar with the plight of people caught in horrible circumstances. Contrary to popular propaganda, not everyone breaking into the US is a criminal/ drug dealer/ rapist. Figuratively, through an accident of birth Americans enjoy fruits and flowers in a majestic landscape, while others further south suffer weed-choked lives in dens of vipers. The story follows a woman and her son who on a moment's notice had to flee their Mexican villa and the only life they had known. Along the way north they are joined by stragglers fleeing their own demons.  

Simon the Fiddler****1/2 by Paulette Jiles: Texas at the end of the Civil War was the lawless wild west, vast and unsettled, and run under martial law. A talented fiddler, Simon bands together with three others to form a performing group for the purpose of earning a living, but also to fulfill his dream of buying land on which to settle with a local young Irish woman working as a governess.  In Giles's writing I can feel the layout and shape of the land on which her stories are woven. The characters are three-dimensional.