Such a month of great reading! It’s rare I have three 5-star ratings. Demon Copperhead, Hinds’ Feet on High Places, and Go as a River were so spectacular and so different. I found a couple of new authors to follow, but I was also disappointed by two of my favorite authors—William Kent Krueger and Daniel Silver. Don’t worry… I’m not counting them out! See if you can find something to add to your TBR list this month. Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver “The wonder is that you could start life with nothing, end with nothing, and lose so much in between.”—Barbara Kingsolver, Demon Copperhead. This is my third book by […]
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The Levee
William Kent Krueger‘s novella, The Levee, explores the cost of survival during the historic 1927 Mississippi Flood, one of the worst natural disasters in US history. At 80 miles wide, it submerged 27,000 square miles of land and displaced nearly 640,000 people across from Illinois to Louisiana. It is during this calamity that Krueger has set his novella. To save a family trapped by the rising water, four men in a rowboat battle the deluge: three are convicts coerced into service by the local prison; the fourth, their leader, is driven by concealed motives. When they arrive at Ballymore, an ancestral home protected by a towering, circular levee, not everyone […]
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The Golden Spoon
3.5 stars For six amateur bakers, competing in Bake Week is a dream come true. A former journalist, a pie aficionado, a math teacher, a bored millionaire, a retired nurse, and a building restorer are all vying for the coveted Golden Spoon. A big white tent is pitched at Grafton Manor, an aging Vermont estate to film the tenth season of the popular TV show. But for the show’s famous host, cookbook legend Betsy Martin, Bake Week is more than just a competition. Grafton Manor is her family’s home and legacy, and Bake Week is her life’s work. But as the competition heats up, minor acts of sabotage begin; sugar […]
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Go as a River
“Just as a single rainstorm can erode the banks and change the course of a river, so can a single circumstance of a girl’s life erase who she was before.” Shelley Read, Go as a River. At the tender age of twelve, Victoria Nash finds herself thrust into a world of loss and responsibility. Her mother, aunt, and cherished cousin tragically die in an auto accident, leaving Torie to shoulder the household duties for her father, angry brother, and an embittered war-wounded uncle confined to a wheelchair. They live on a flourishing peach farm nestled in the very real town of Iola, Colorado, near the serene Gunnison River. Torie’s existence […]
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The Order
Israeli Spy Chief Gabriel Allon is on vacation in Venice with his wife and two young children when his friend, the reform-minded Pope Paul VII, dies suddenly. The Holy Father’s private secretary, Archbishop Luigi Donati, suspects foul play and summons Allon to the Vatican. What follows is a hunt for truth and justice. The Swiss Guard who was standing watch outside the papal apartments the night of the pope’s death is missing. So, too, is the letter the Holy Father was writing during the final hours of his life. A letter addressed to Gabriel. As the cardinals gather for the papal conclave, Allon investigates the murder and uncovers a vast […]
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Radar Girls
“Seems like war has always been around, mostly because men are unable to come to agreement in other ways.”—Sara Ackerman, Radar Girls. Daisy Wilder is a 23-year-old ranch hand who supports her sick mother and loves horses and Hawaii’s natural beauty. However, when the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor shakes their world, she not only loses her beloved horse but also her job. Following the Pearl Harbor attack, Daisy joins Women’s Air Raid Defense. There, she learns to guide pilots in dark skies and track suspicious planes over the Pacific. Yet not everyone believes in the abilities of these women, despite the nation’s future hanging in the balance. With unwavering […]
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Miss Aldridge Regrets
In 1936 London, Lena Aldridge, a talented mixed-race singer and actress, dreams of performing on grand stages. Yet, her reality finds her stuck in the dimly lit confines of a shabby basement jazz club in Soho. Life takes a cruel turn as her beloved single father passes away, her married boyfriend walks out on her, and her best friend involves her in a murder. Just when it seems like all hope is lost, a mysterious stranger extends an irresistible offer: a starring role on Broadway and a luxurious voyage aboard the RMS Queen Mary. Lena jumps at the chance to skip town. So what if the offer is too good […]
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Our Missing Hearts
Our Missing Hearts, a 2022 Goodreads Choice Award Nominee for Best Fiction, didn’t quite hit the mark for me. I must admit, I’m not sure what led me to pick it up for review. Bird Gardner is a twelve-year-old boy who lives with his father on the tenth floor of a Harvard dorm apartment. The government made laws to preserve “American culture” after years of violence and economic instability. These laws permit book banning and relocating children of dissidents, particularly those of Asian origin. Bird’s mother, Margaret Miu, a Chinese American poet, left the family when he was nine, her work labeled as subversive. Margaret is now a target under […]
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Head Shot
Head Shot takes place in Washington, D.C. and follows detective Marko Zorn as he struggles to balance his moral code with breaking the rules. The story kicks off as Zorn, with his junior partner, Lucy, investigates the murder of a former flame. But just when things seem complicated enough, he is assigned an off-the-books mission: safeguarding Nina Voychek, the prime minister of Montenegro, during her official visit. Political enemies are planning her assassination, and he soon learns that he is also a target. After a few attempts on his life, he enlists some shady resources to hunt down whoever is after him and prevent an international tragedy on American soil. […]
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Hind’s Feet on High Places
“The Songs of Songs expresses the desire implanted in every human heart, to be reunited with God himself, and to know perfect and unbroken union with him. He has made us for himself, and our hearts can never know rest and perfect satisfaction until they find it in him.”—Hannah Hurnard, Hinds’ Feet on High Places. Over two million copies of Hinds’ Feet on High Places have been sold since Hannah Hurnard wrote it in 1955 following the death of her father. It takes its title from Habukkuk 3:19, “The Lord God is my strength, and he will make my feet like hinds’ feet, and he will make me to walk […]
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