One Chapter

Valentine by Elizabeth Wetmore

4 stars Fiction Crime

She came up to that front door. She had no idea what was on the other side, but she felt that it had to be better than what she was facing out here. There were no other options. Whoever opened that door, she hoped that they would embrace her and lock out the monster that tried to claim her. Whose story would they believe? Whose side would they be on? Who would open this door?

Although this book was long, the story was captivating once I became involved. The story takes place in Texas. Odessa, Texas where I could feel the dry dirt inside my mouth as I read this story. It’s 1976 but it felt more like the 1960’s as the men felt it was their place to be at the top of the food chain. Women were expected to spend their days inside the home doing their “housework” and tending to their husband’s needs. Everyone had their roles, just follow along. Yet, as we read this powerful book, we see how the lives of those who live in Odessa challenge these expectations and the outcome.

The story begins rather quickly when Gloria finds her way onto Mary Rose’s porch. A victim of a brutal assault, Mary Rose tries to protect Gloria and the tension in the book quickly escalates as race and power become the central issue. What is right and wrong only matters if you’re the one in charge and everyone knows who is in charge in Odessa. There’s a handful of other females who get in on the action but in this town, it’s the males that run it, or at least that’s what they think.

I originally had a hard time reading this book as I didn’t like the formatting. The lack of punctuation inside the book kept throwing me off. I ended up picking up an audio of this book to listen to as I read along with my physical copy of the book, at the same time. This helped a great deal. I won a copy of this book from Goodreads Giveaway and Harper. 4 stars

Across the Desert by Dusti Bowling

5 stars Fiction Children’s / Middle School

Another fantastic book by Dusti Bowling! I love the way that Dusti can just take me there and I get absorbed into her books and I forget about everything else. When JoJo heads out into the desert, I couldn’t put the book down and before I knew it, I was reading the last page. She didn’t have to set out on this journey alone, yet she did, and I was the little birdie, flying along right there beside her.

My heart broke for twelve-year-old JoJo, as the only friend that she connected with was an individual that she followed online. JoJo followed Addie’s online adventures as she would glide over various regions in her ultralight plane. JoJo’s school and home life were not ideal, so she’d hop online and talk with Addie about her adventures. Both girls were facing family obstacles and just talking together, the girls could escape for just a while. One day as JoJo watches Addie take the ultralight plane out for a ride, Addie runs into trouble. With JoJo being Addie’s only online viewer and communication now cut off, JoJo knows she must do something. But what? With JoJo’s mom in her condition and JoJo being twelve, there’s only so many options to choose from.

My adrenaline was pumping as JoJo fought to find her friend. I wasn’t sure what obstacles she would come up against, but I knew Addie was lucky to have her on her side. A fantastic read! 5 stars

The Good Sister by Sally Hepworth

5 stars Fiction Suspense

Twin sisters, devoted to one another, hiding a big secret. The love and support that they had for one another was remarkable and as I read about their lives growing up, I understood why this had grown so deep. An event when the girls were 12, has their lips sealed but ties the girls even closer.

Growing up in a strict household, their mother expected perfection from them. She wanted her children to adore her and now, Fern is the only one who visits her mother in the care center. Why hasn’t Rose visited her mom in 16 years? These two girls were total opposites. Fern enjoys her job at the library. She’s the quiet twin who enjoys being alone and the simpler things in life. Rose on the other hand, is more outgoing and vocal. Rose has taken on the job of Fern’s protector, a role that she takes very seriously.

Fern meets a guy at the library who has taken an interest in her. She calls him Wally and like her, he’s quirky. I liked their relationship as it gets interesting, and I enjoyed their characters. Rose was married but I felt that she was more devoted to Fern than to her own husband, Fern discovers that Rose is having difficulties getting pregnant so without Rose’s knowledge, Fern decides she’s going to help her sister. How? Fern will get pregnant and give the baby to her sister. If only it were that easy, Fern. The novel speeds along as everything is moving now but what will happen to the girls and their relationship once the dust has all settled.

This was a page-turning, exciting book to read and I really enjoyed it. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Publishing Group for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest opinion. 5 stars

Radium Girls by Cy

4 stars Graphic Novel Nonfiction

This book really cruised along compared to its predecessor book. I really enjoyed Radium Girls by Kate Moore so when I saw this title at the library, I snagged it up. It’s an entertaining graphic novel which hits on the high notes of Kate Moore’s nonfiction story, but it leaves out many of the details that I feel are important to the story.

It’s a great start if you’re interested in knowing more about these amazing women and this important period of history and/or those readers who get squeamish reading disturbing text.

Radium Girls Cy touches on the events that bonded these women together and alternately changed their lives forever.

I wasn’t a fan of the color scheme of this book. As I read the story, the graphic colors created a softer, more soothing tone, than I thought the book’s content demanded.

Cy answered the color scheme question and a variety of other questions which were very interesting at the back of the book (which I highly suggest you read before or after reading this graphic novel). Cy’s uses a “limited color scheme” so she can push herself, “as far as I can.” You can see this, as she takes purple and radium green and she mixes those throughout the pages. The text glides you through the information and presents you with the basics and a few details of the full story. Told through text bubbles and illustrations, you don’t get blogged down with lots of words and endless narration. This is a great start to learning about the Radium Girls but don’t stop there if the story interests you, there is so much more information out there for you to know. 3.5 to 4 stars

Swim Team by Johnnie Christmas

5 stars Graphic Novel YA/Children’s

Resilience. If I were to describe Bree, this word should be at the top of her list. Life starts over as Bree moves with her father to Florida. Bree adores her dad and the time that she spends with him, but she knows Florida will change all that. New opportunities await her father, little does Bree know what opportunities await her. Florida, the state bursting with water, sunshine, sports, swimming, did I mention water? Negative thoughts begin rolling through Bree’s head before the move and intensify when Bree arrives at her new home. Bree likes her new housing complex, it’s the pool that catches her off guard.

Bree is excited to start a new middle school: new possibilities and the list of elective classes have got her pumped. She’s having a great morning as she runs into the girl from her apartment complex, Clara shows her around before leading Bree to the office to sign up for classes. Sorry. Sorry. Full. Full. Every elective that Bree wanted to take was full! Her only choice…..Swim 101. A huge problem considering Bree doesn’t know how to swim.

Bree handles this problem and all the other challenges that come her way, how I would expect a young teen to handle them. Avoidance, denial, hesitation, etc. but as Bree’s character grows so does the way that she handles the conflicts.

Bree tries to avoid the pool but when her homework ends up floating in it, Bree finds herself fighting against the terrorizing waters to free herself. She’s doomed, until Ms. Etta comes to her rescue.

This is a great book about overcoming obstacles and watching a character develop as they become responsible and mature.

This is a good clean book comprising of family, friends, and girlfriend relationships.

The graphics in this book do an excellent job completing the story. Detailed, colored framed boxes provide a good flow as Bree learns to accept Florida as her new home. The text is easy to read, and the story is broken into 8 (eight) chapters. 5 stars

The September House by Carissa Orlando

I’ve been waiting for this one. I didn’t know that The September House was going to take me on an incredible ride that would have me sitting on the edge of my seat. As I read the first couple pages, Carissa began explaining where my new fictional friends were setting up house, I knew that I had found the menacing book that I had been looking for. Surprising enough, Margaret and Hal had that same exact feeling when their eyes fell upon the listing for the 5-bedroom home on Hawthorn Street. They had finally found what they had been looking for! With their daughter off to college, the couple had finally stumbled upon their dream house, a permanent place that they could call their own and they weren’t going to let it slip away.

Their dream is not all roses as they soon discover that the house comes with a dark past. This older home has seen a few deaths within its quarters, yet this knowledge doesn’t stop the couple from pursuing their dreams.

Margaret and Hal love their new home and start to adjust to their new life. They even get the services of the previous housekeeper, Fredricka, to help them in their beautiful new home. It sounded as if the couple had finally fulfilled their dream until the mysterious events started to shake things up. It began in the master bedroom as a liquid began flowing out of the walls. You can just imagine their reaction as the blood oozes down their master bedroom walls. My reading interest spiked immediately as this new wrinkle came out of nowhere and now, I must know why and who is responsible. I loved the imaginary as the river of blood streamed down the bedroom walls, flowed into the hallway and poured itself down the staircase, until it rested on the first floor. Ah, what a sight! The house fills with screams and sounds of children running around as the days pass and Margaret and Hal try to make sense of what is happening to their dream house. Such a stressful time for Hal and Margaret. Hal can’t take any more of what the house is giving, and he wants them to walk away, leaving the house behind them. Margaret loves the house, and she refuses to leave. Hal is forced to move out by himself, telling his wife and the house, good-bye. Katherine, their daughter, comes to visit. She’s concerned that she hasn’t heard from her father and decides to search for him herself.

Meanwhile at the house, these strange happenings are intensifying, and the occurrences are becoming more frequent. Edie, their neighbor starts to give me the creeps as I’m not sure whether he’s a friendly neighbor or part of the strangeness that is taking place. Katherine attempts to get the house blessed and it would be too easy for that to work, but at least they tried. Katherine behavior started to bother me. I couldn’t get a good read on her which added to the drama of this book. The ending was fantastic, yet I was sad that I had read the last page. Oh, I can’t forget the birds! What a great touch to add those to the story. This was a great story with an intense, building storyline with interesting and entertaining relationships, add in some mystery, tension, and you have one exciting read. 5 stars

History Smashers: Plagues and Pandemics by Kate Messner

5 stars Middle School/Children’s Chapter History/Science

I love this series! I find the information inside these books interesting, fun, and entertaining. Even the smallest detail or fact, the author presents the information in such a way that makes it engaging and gives me the, “well, isn’t that interesting” feeling. I just wish my brain could absorb all this information so I could retrieve it later.

Using a variety of illustrations including comics, realistic photos, graphs and charts, the author presents a variety of material in this book. I think this helps the reader absorb everything that this book has to offer. The pages are splashed with a variety of different types of fonts, ranging in different sizes to grab the reader and pull them in. There is something in this book for everyone. This book was not geared for me (50+ years old), but I really enjoyed this book. I mean I really enjoy this whole series.

Do you know:

Where the image of the AMA/WHO arrived from? Do you know what an asclepeion is? Perhaps the cures of the past are not all that different than the ones used today.

The ancient Chinese people created their own immunization for smallpox? It didn’t involve getting a shot, but it sure helped them with this disease.

It was the discovery of germs that created a huge scientific breakthrough? Two diseases helped scientists discover what germs were.

How the March of Dimes got their name? This I found was very interesting.

From the earliest discoveries to what our world is facing now with Covid, this book covers it. There is quite a bit of information about Covid as this discovery and its path will shape our future and it’s fresh on everyone’s mind. This is an excellent book with lots of information and one to check out. Well, you should check out other books in this series also. 5 stars

Remember Us by Jacqueline Woodson

4.5 stars YA/ Middle School Historical Fiction

She was like no other. Sage’s eyes were open and she wanted a life that was different. Set in the 1970’s, life may have been simpler, but the issues were still the same: who am I and where am I going?

On Palmetto Street in Brooklyn, Sage knows that the fires are close-by. This is her neighborhood, these are her neighbors, and surrounding her are the businesses and houses that are supposed to protect them, yet she knows that fire will consume the wooden structures. A portion of her world could go up in smoke, just-like-that.

Sage spends a great deal of her time on the court; she would have it no other way. The basketball court is her second home. This court is just like home as she shoots from different spots on the ink and as she plays a pick-up game with the neighborhood kids. Sage realizes and so do the other kids, that Sage is the only girl on the court. The only girl who dreams of making it big, shooting hoops. Sage is first-pick when choosing teams and they know, that she’s one that will take it to the hoop and score for their team. It’s Sage’s female friends who question this choice, a doubt that throws a shadow on Sage.

It’s Freddy who gives her reassurance. He’s the light that Sage needs. A friendship that benefited them both, as they felt tossed around.

I enjoyed the way that Woodson used reflection to set the stage for this book. As Sage remembers the past, she reflects on that summer in the late 1970’s and we can see how it has impacted her life. It’s Woodson use of words, their spacing and the conversations that were spoken on the page that amazes me. Reading this book, you need to stop and appreciate the talent and skill an author has, as they ignite the reader without over-explaining the situation. 4.5 stars

Dust by Dusti Bowling

5 stars Middle School/Children’s Chapter

Every breath is precious. I imagined Avalyn’s parents wanted to place their daughter in a plastic bubble after they almost lost her following an asthma attack. They’ve researched and located a city in Arizona with calmer winds that they hope will help her breathe better. It’s a challenging and difficult life for a twelve-year-old girl to live. Having to constantly monitor the foods that she consumes and the places that she visits, for any type of dust, animal, or particle could just set off her immune system. Avalyn thought she was safe, until Adam moved into the area.

Adam was quiet, he was good at holding secrets. When Adam moves into the area, he disturbs Avalyn’s quiet new world. Adam was different but so was Avalyn. Two individuals so alike yet totally opposite.

Avalyn used words to cope. The word’s definition, its origin, and spelling are all important and knowing them calms Avalyn for this is something that she can control. While the world around her is unpredictable and weighs heavily upon her, words are her shield. Relying upon her extensive vocabulary, Avalyn finds refuge while her classmates taunted her about her medical condition. When Adam arrives, he becomes the new victim at school and they label him: Adam, the Dirt Boy. Avalyn is grateful that the attention is off her and she starts to notice something about Adam. As the days pass, Avalyn starts to get a feeling for how Adam copes, but realistically, it can’t be true. Avalyn’s medical condition worsens each day while watching Adam become more withdrawn and isolated. The city is getting dustier and dirtier as the days pass, how can this be?

I liked the relationships in the book as the characters felt realistic and honest, dealing with some credible issues. Avalyn didn’t like moving from city to city because of her illness. Each time was like starting over and with that, came a host of other issues. Avalyn was smart and she had created her own coping mechanism to deal with it. When Adam moved into the area, the attention was off her at school and Avalyn thought that was great. Avalyn realizes that perhaps there might be more to this boy Adam and the book shifts, and we see another side of these characters. Avalyn had a couple friends who she counted on but when she discovers that they are hanging out without her, she is crushed. These were her friends, basically her lifeline and now, they are having fun without her. Lots of real emotions and a wake-up call. Adam is there, alone. She just needs to take another step in Adam’s direction. A great book which addresses abuse, friendship, bullying, obstacles, feelings, and making your way in the world.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow by Gabrielle Zevin

5 stars Fiction

What a wonderful story. I felt there was so much going on within the story and there were many layers within it. The story began with a friendship, their circle becoming larger and extensive, yet the romance between them never made an appearance. This friendship had its ups and downs. They were business partners, they each had different goals, and I felt as if the drive and ambition between the two of them were at different levels. Had they been honest with one another from the beginning perhaps things might have been different.

I’m not a gamer. Put me in front of a video game in which I must make my way through a scenario moving left, right, up, and down and you will find me in a corner, stuck. Give me a video game in which the screen is stationary, or I can only move left and right, I might do okay and be able to finish the game. As I read this book, I was impressed with the talents of the characters and their ability to work through the stresses of the gaming world. Creating games, testing, and critiquing them, their time and commitment to the cause was motivating as they tried to find their place in the world, build relationships and inspire others in the process.

When Sadie first met Sam, I liked how carefree and innocent they were with each other. Their relationship was built upon that first meeting and even years later they still had that connection. Sam had his disability which he thought was bigger than it was, and I felt that Sadie was struggling to be heard and seen. Being a girl, Sadie felt that she was being overlooked in the gaming world which affected some of her actions and words. Then, there was Marx. He was a great character to add into the mix. Heck, all the characters were great. As the young duo becomes successful, they start to discover what success really is. They discover what success means to each of them.

I enjoyed this book immensely. I was worried about getting blogged down with the gaming portion of the book, but it was fine as the other aspects of the book were great and I learned about gaming along the way. I received a copy of this book from NetGalley and Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor for an honest opinion of the book. Thank you.