62. In the Red

62. In the Red. Christopher Swiedler. 2020. [March] 288 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: By Friday afternoon, after a week of careful thought, Michael Prasad had come up with just one theory for how he might make it to Monday morning without getting grounded for the rest of his life.

Premise/plot: In the Red is a middle grade science fiction novel set on Mars. Michael, the hero, has been forbidden to try (again) for his basic certification--being certified to go out on the surface of Mars in an environmental suit. Most pass by the age of ten--he's twelve. But he's experienced panic attacks in the past on test day--that were not pretty. Michael feels certain he's a big disappointment to his dad. If he can just get over his panic attacks then he could visit his father at work on the station. So many things he could do...if only his body didn't betray him.

Lilith, Michael's best, best, best friend, is so supportive of him. For better or worse--after another failed attempt--she suggests the two of them SNEAK out and go to the surface. What could go wrong????

If nothing went wrong, In the Red would be a short story that few would find super-compelling. Instead it is action packed and filled with danger. Action packed yet still character driven. Despite the jacket copy telling readers a LOT of what to expect, I recommend reading it knowing as little as possible.

My thoughts: I loved, loved, loved, LOVED, LOVED this one. If you like survivor stories, science fiction, coming of age, characters with depth that are relatable, adventure, action...this one has it all. It's so well paced too. I loved the narrator, Michael. I loved his relationships with his best friend, Lilith, and with his brother. (Though we see very little of Peter.)  

It is premise-driven, action-driven, and character-driven. It's hard to be all three--to excel at all three. It is easy to *try* not so easy to succeed. This is an excellent book.

ETA: I first read In the Red in July 2021, I reread it in August 2026. It was just as awesome as I remembered. It was SO good. Highly recommend.

Quotes:

"Well, whatever you do, don't give up, okay?" Peter said. "Don't let anyone convince you that you're some kind of freak."
"I am a freak," Michael mumbled.
"No," Peter said firmly. "You're not. I don't care how many panic attacks you have."
"Mom and Dad don't see it that way."
"Mom and Dad just want to protect you, because that's their job," Peter said. "But part of growing up is deciding when you don't need protection anymore."

© 2026 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

45. The Other Bennet Sister

45. The Other Bennet Sister. Janice Hadlow. 2020. 463 pages. [Source: Review copy] [adult fiction, historical fiction, historical romance, Austen adaptation, 5 stars]

First sentence: It is a sad fact of life that if a young woman is unlucky enough to come into the world without expectations, she had better do all she can to ensure she is born beautiful. To be poor and handsome is misfortune enough; but to be penniless and plain is a hard fate indeed.

Premise/plot: The Other Bennet Sister is a spin-off of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice. The first bit of the book is a prequel. Readers meet Mary Bennet as a young girl. Before Mary overheard her mother talking about her unfortunate looks, her ugly plainness, she was content and happy enough to hang out with her older sisters, Jane and Elizabeth. The more self-conscious she becomes of everyone thinking she is 'different' (and really this is more her parents fault--her father ignores EVERYONE except Lizzy and her mother has no use for her at all), the more distance is created between her and her sisters. She soon finds herself seeking ONLY the companionship of books. Books--religious texts included--become her refuge. She seeks religion and philosophy and other more nonfiction-y books. Perhaps if she'd read novels she'd have still 'fit in' with her sisters.

The second bit of the novel is the first part of Pride and Prejudice seen through the eyes of Mary Bennet. Not the whole novel, mind you, but the part Mary witnessed at the start. Mary is also friends with Charlotte Lucas which does make sense. Here we see Mr. Collins through her eyes. And the DISASTROUS party where Mary is humiliated.

The third bit of the novel is by far the largest part. Readers see what happens next--a  year or two after the conclusion of Pride and Prejudice. We see what happens after the death of her father, Mr. Bennet, and how she tries and tries to find a place to settle. This was the coming of age bit of the novel. Will Mary Bennet find her happily ever after????

My thoughts: I loved, loved, loved this one!!!! It was SO good. I loved her character throughout. Mary Bennet has always been misunderstood. And I loved seeing these familiar characters THROUGH her eyes. A reminder that there's more than one side to any story.


© 2026 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

42. The Midnight Library

42. The Midnight Library. Matt Haig. 2020. 288 pages. [Source: Library] [adult fiction, adult science fiction, fantasy]

Premise/plot: The Midnight Library is a premise-driven, slow-moving, reflective novel. Nora Seed, our protagonist, hates her life. The book opens with a countdown until an attempt of the self-destructive sort. She's lost her job. She's lost her side job. Her cat has died. Her brother barely speaks with her. Nothing is going right. Nothing has gone right. Perhaps nothing has ever gone right. Her list of regrets is long, so long that it could in fact fill a library.

When Nora finds herself between life and death she enters the Midnight Library. A slightly more pleasant place to be than the Twilight Zone. Nora will have all the opportunities--infinite opportunities--to see how her life would have turned out if she'd made different choices. Big choices. Small choices. All the choices. Infinite parallel lives to step in and out of. But will any feel like home? Will living her other lives make her want to live?

My thoughts: The book was enjoyably thought-provoking in some ways. I liked the premise. I didn't love, love, love it. But I liked the concept. This is similar and dissimilar to It's a Wonderful Life. The book opens in the same rock-bottom place. BUT there are many, many paths to explore and not just the one if she'd never been born. It is not about how her life has impacted others. I mean in a vague way perhaps maybe if you squint and tilt your head. Nora has to learn to live life you just have to keep on keeping on, and don't think too much, don't navel-gaze, don't look for more meaning than there is, don't waste time thinking about the past or the future, just live life in the day. I don't even know if that was the message??? Honestly the messages were messy. And that was a bit of the point as well, perhaps. That life is messy, messy, messy. And it will never be anything but messy. Don't think that you're missing out on the "good life" because your life is a mess and you are a mess????

© 2026 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

45. The Inheritance Games

 

45. The Inheritance Games. Jennifer Lynn Barnes. 2020. 386 pages. [Source: Library] [YA Fiction, YA Romance, YA Mystery]

First sentence: When I was a kid, my mom constantly invented games. The Quiet Game. The Who Can Make Their Cookie Last Longer? Game. A perennial favorite, The Marshmallow Game involved eating marshmallows while wearing puffy Goodwill Jackets indoors, to avoid turning on the heat. 

Premise/plot: Avery Grambs comes into....an inheritance in Jennifer Lynn Barnes' The Inheritance Games. She has inherited an extremely large estate seemingly from a total stranger. His family was not entirely neglected, each one receives a nominal amount--at least relatively speaking. But one of the conditions is that she is to live on the estate a full year before collecting on the inheritance so to speak...and she'll be living WITH those she's 'disinherited.' There are four Hawthorne brothers....and each one will have his own way for 'handling' Avery. Some more 'hands on' than others....since two have a flirty situation-ship going on. There's puzzles, games, and riddles, etc. And Avery's life is in danger several times at least.... Who can she trust with her life? Who can she trust with her heart?

My thoughts: I kept turning pages because I--for better or worse--got caught up in the love triangle. Grayson and Jameson are the two brothers involved. It also greatly helped that the chapters are so short. Each one is just three to four pages. The pacing is excellent. It always feels right to read "just one more chapter." 

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

2. We Are Wolves

2.  We Are Wolves. Katrina Nannestad. 2020. 320 pages. [Source: Library] [historical fiction, mg historical fiction, world at war, 4 stars]

First sentence: 'Hitler is a toad!'

Premise/plot: We Are Wolves is set in Germany [or is it East Prussia????] during the last year[s] of the second world war. Liesl Wolf is the oldest child and her mother makes her promise to take care of her younger brother, Otto, and younger sister, Mia, no matter what. No matter the cost, they must, must, must stay together. While she yearns for the war to be over, at what cost to the German people will it be over. The end of the war may just bring ever increasing danger. 

Most of the novel is Liesl relatively "on her own" taking care of her siblings--no matter the cost. There are other children--some German, some not--also living a "wild" life as they are trying to survive day by day. It is a dangerous landscape--dangers from soldiers, dangers from other children, dangers from the elements or human sickness and disease. 

My thoughts: We Are Wolves is an almost for me. I'll clarify: it is an almost love for me. I have read previous books by the author that I loved more. The book was compelling enough. It kept me turning pages. I was invested in the characters and the story. I do think in some ways that the book doesn't do full justice to the "Wolfskinder." The author wrote that she wanted to keep it kid-friendly and on the lighter side so she didn't deep dive into the darker horrors and terrors of [young] children left to tend to themselves with very few resources [if any] in a harsh environment on every level. I get that. I do. But at times the rosiness kept it from fully feeling authentic. The tied-with-a-bow ending felt a little too good to be true. Though, of course, I was hoping that everything would work out.

 

© 2025 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

39. The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes. Suzanne Collins. 2020. [May] 439 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Coriolanus released the fistful of cabbage into the pot of boiling water and swore that one day it would never pass his lips again.

ETA: I just reread The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes after watching the movie adaptation--twice. The movie (obviously) resonated with me. It helped in the reread that I knew exactly what was coming in regards to the end. Though to be fair the end is ambiguous both in the book and film. There are definitely differences between the book and film. I highlighted--digitally--some scenes that were different. One thing that stands out, for example, is that Sejanus asks Coriolanus to TRADE tributes. Lucy Snow definitely comes across more as a possession, an asset, an object than a love interest. There are a million and one red flags...not only in his relationship with Lucy Snow but also with his non-friend-friend Sejanus. There are MORE characters in the book than there are in the film. 

My original review:

Premise/plot: The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes is a prequel (of sorts) to Suzanne Collins' The Hunger Games. The protagonist (he is not a hero) is a young (very young) Coriolanus Snow. He comes from a previously wealthy (high class) family that has fallen (hard and fast) on hard times. His only hope of a better life--a more prosperous future--is a scholarship to university. And that may be completely out of his control. Twenty-four students will become mentors to the twenty-four tributes coming to the Capital for this year's Hunger Games. (It's the TENTH hunger games.) The victor's mentor will receive a scholarship. The Hunger Games are still relatively new. Those viewing (and participating) still remember the hard, bitter, horrifying, traumatic times of actual war. Capital's economy certainly hasn't recovered from the actual war. (There is nothing lavish and luxurious as readers (and viewers) may remember from the original trilogy of books.) The Hunger Games are still in their infancy, still being shaped and formed by master minds. (People like Dr. Gaul...and her students...)

Coriolanus's tribute is from district twelve. Her name is Lucy Gray Baird. She's a singer with charisma, a bit of star quality. She has a little something special that makes her stand out from others. He sees this as her greatest strength. Perhaps the two of them can manipulate things along--here and there--and with a little luck she may win it all. Hooray for his bright future....

But things don't always go according to plan...even when they seem to... It seems there's always someone watching just a smidge cleverer.

Readers also meet his classmates. In particular Sejanus Plinth who is essentially "new money." His family has the funds but they are new to Capital. Sejanus still thinks of himself as belonging to District 2 and being one of the people. Which makes things super tricky when he has to participate (as a mentor) in the Hunger Games. He feels one with the tributes--whether they see him as one of them or not. He cannot accept that these tributes are animals, monsters, incapable of thought and feeling. There is no "us" and "them."

Throughout the book, Coriolanus struggles with his ambitions and his conscience. You might think of the old imagery of an angel on one side and a devil on the other. 

My thoughts: I don't feel like my time has been completely wasted. It hasn't. I just wish the book had been shorter. I really don't understand *why* the part after the conclusion of the Hunger Games had to go on so long. The first half of the novel was compelling enough. It was interesting to see the great contrast between these primitive earlier Hunger Games and the later Games which are depicted in the trilogy. Worlds of difference between Capital then and now, between the Games then and now. I liked how Coriolanus and Sejanus both--in their own ways--disapproved of how the tributes were being treated. There are moments when Snow comes across as well--human.

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I almost wish that Lucy Gray had lost in the games OR been murdered by the powers that be soon after. I really HATED how that story resolved. I think Snow could still have turned all dark side and evil as a result of someone else killing Lucy (the supposed love of his life). Their scenes together reminded me of the DARK and DEPRESSING scenes of Oliver Twist. (The murder of Nancy).

 

© 2024 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

192. Zanna's Gift

Zanna's Gift. Orson Scott Card. 2020. [November] Originally published in 2004? 250 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: There are many ways to lose a child, and none of them is merciful. But like all unbearable things it can be borne, and in the weeks before Christmas 1938, the Pullmans were learning how.

Premise/plot: Zanna's Gift is a LOVELY Christmas novel. Zanna, the youngest of the Pullman family, has a special way to memorialize her older brother, Ernest, after his unexpected death at fifteen.

The best way to read Zanna's Gift is without knowing a thing about it. I promise you. I'm doing you a favor by NOT summarizing the plot and sharing what Zanna's GIFT was and how it was a gift that kept giving and giving. 

My thoughts: LOVE. I loved this one absolutely and completely from start to finish. It was one of those perfectly perfect EXPERIENCES. It feels like more than just a book, a story, a fictional work. THESE CHARACTERS ARE REAL. How it hasn't been adapted into a movie if it was truly published originally in 2004 is beyond me. It would make an excellent movie. 

I would recommend this one to people who aren't necessarily readers. Of course I recommend it to readers who read anything and everything. But for those who are reluctant to pick up books, please consider reading this wonderful amazing book. 

If you LOVE Christmas, this is an absolute must. I could easily see it becoming a book that you feel you HAVE to read each and every year.

 ETA: I've read this one three times? four times? I love this book so much.

 

 

© 2023 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

145. Code Name Bananas

Code Name Bananas. David Walliams. 2020/2023. 384 pages. [Source: Library] [J Historical Fiction; MG Historical Fiction]

First sentence: Life. Love. Laughter. The world had been plunged into a war of unimaginable horror, so these three things were more important than ever.

Premise/plot: Eric, an orphan, considers Gertrude, a gorilla in the London Zoo, his best friend. His uncle, Sid, a zoo keeper, works at the zoo. Eric loves to hang out at the zoo even when he's not supposed to be there. Like at night during air raids. Gertrude's life becomes endangered--other zoo keepers and the powers that be--think it best she be put down before she can escape (if, for example, bombs should damage the structure and integrity of the cage. After all, you wouldn't want a wild and dangerous gorilla running loose in the zoo or the streets. Sid and Eric, of course, disagree...but can they find a way to save her life?

My thoughts: What didn't I like about this one? After all, I generally love historical fiction, especially historical fiction set during the second world war. This one could have been animal fantasy--based on the cover--but it wasn't. (Which is fine. A book doesn't have to deliver on what's promised in the cover.) So what didn't I like???? Well. Imagine that it was written, directed, and stars the Three Stooges. Instead of anything substantive and potentially heart-warming, you've got three-hundred plus pages of slapstick and screwball so-called "comedy." Which again, could be fine. I have nothing against humor--in general. But if "bottom burps" aren't your cup of tea, well, you may be disappointed. Just when you think the book can't get any worse--as far as intelligence goes--it keeps sinking and sinking and sinking. Again, some people enjoy ridiculous, absurd, over-the-top, slightly-crude fiction. This one was not for me.

 

© 2023 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

90. The Choice

The Choice. Gillian McAllister. 2020/2017. 368 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: It starts with a selfie. He is a random; we are not even sure of his name. We are always meeting them whenever we go out. Laura says it's because I look friendly. I think it's because I am always daydreaming, making up lives for people as I stare at them, and they think I'm inviting them over to chat.

Premise/plot: Joanna Oliva has a choice to make--a big one. She's been followed home from the bar--or she thinks she has. Someone is in pursuit, she can hear his steady footsteps, getting closer, closer. What happens next is quick, fast, and life-changing. He falls--she pushes? Should she flee the scene? stay and help? Report the crime? Or try to cover it up? The novel alternates between her choice(s). One set of chapters is the 'reveal'--what happens when she reports the accident. The other set of chapters is the 'conceal'--what happens when she flees the scene and does not tell anyone about the accident. The facts do differ in the two stories--a bit. Because her choice will have consequences on the guy in question...

The book is told in first person narrative. The readers get to know Joanna's friends and family through both choices...

My thoughts: It is compelling without a doubt. I had to keep reading to figure out which choice--if either--was better or better for her. I don't know that the ending was ultimately satisfying to me. (The two choices lead to the exact same ending as the two Joanna's merge, if you will). But if you are looking for a book that's hard to put down to read in a single weekend, or perhaps even a single sitting, this one may satisfy. It is set in the UK. It's format is unique, I think.

 

© 2023 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

33. Gold Rush Girl

Gold Rush Girl. Avi. 2020. 306 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Have you ever been struck by lightning? I have. I write not of the sparkling that bolts from the sky, but of gold, the yellow metal buried in the earth and the shatter-wit world of those who seek it. That world turned me topsy-turvy, so that I did things I never dreamed I would or could do.

Premise/plot: Victoria 'Tory' Blaisdell leaves her Rhode Island home with her father and younger brother, Jacob, to go to California to find gold. The book chronicles their many adventures and misadventures. Tory did not want to be left behind with her mother in the care of a bossy aunt. But she didn't quite count on how rough, dangerous, and appalling the situation would be when they arrived. The dad soon leaves to go to the diggings leaving fourteen-year-old, Tory, in charge of Jacob. She has to be his caretaker yet also the one who earns enough money day by day by day to survive. Tory soon learns that she can do just about anything she sets her mind to, but, it is easier to dress as a boy if you want to find work. She makes a few friends--including Sam and Thad--but as the months go by....the family faces the unthinkable.... one day she returns home to discover that Jacob is completely missing. Can she find her brother????

My thoughts: It was a quick read. It was well-paced and packed with adventure, danger, and mystery. I loved Tory's narrative. I loved that she was brave and spunky. She was inspired by Jane Eyre to "take hold" of her own destiny. She was a positive person who tried to hold onto hope despite her circumstances. She wasn't one to let life just happen to her.

© 2023 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

9. Moonflower Murders

Moonflower Murders. (Susan Ryeland #2) Anthony Horowitz. 2020. 608 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: The Polydorus is a charming family-run hotel, located a short walk away from the lively town of Agios Nikolaos, one hour from Heraklion. Rooms cleaned daily, all with Wi-Fi and air con, some with sea views. Coffee and home-cooked meals served on our lovely terraces. Visit our website or find us on booking.com. You have no idea how long it took me to write that.

Premise/plot: Moonflower Murders is the sequel to Magpie Murders. Susan Ryeland (editor/amateur detective) is now living on Crete running a small hotel with her boyfriend Andreas. Two of their guests have arrived with a proposition for Susan. Their daughter, Cecily, has gone missing. Before Cecily disappeared, she'd called her parents saying that reading Atticus Pund Takes The Cake has changed her mind about who murdered their own guest so many years before. Stefan Codrescu may have been convicted of the crime and may be in prison, but, he's innocent. The proof is hidden within Alan Conway's mystery novel.

The Trehernes are offering to pay Susan to investigate both crimes. Perhaps as Alan's editor she can spot what Cecily spotted in the text. And she did have success in solving who murdered Alan, after all. Susan takes the case for two reasons--she's TIRED and worn down from running the hotel and misses her old life, and the MONEY will prove useful whether she stays or goes. 

As she begins detecting the two cases--surely Cecily disappeared because she knew too much--Susan tries to sort out where she belongs and what she really wants.

About three-quarters through this one, Alan Conway's novel ATTICUS PUND TAKES THE CAKE is embedded. 

My thoughts: What a wearisome novel this was!!! The pacing was all over the place--and obviously not in a good way. I didn't mind Alan Conway's novel kicking off the first book. The fact that the missing end chapters was the literal conflict (or one of them) in the "main" story helped me stay engaged. It was a fun, premise-driven novel. I didn't love, love, love it. But it always kept me reading. 

Moonflower Murders doesn't have a great premise working on its behalf. Susan is retired. She is no longer an editor; she is no longer in the book business. If Susan had been less bored or less in need of money, chances are she'd not left the island or her boyfriend to play detective. 

My biggest issue with this one, however, is that almost all the characters are so unlikable and in some cases so disgusting. It's hard to spend HUNDREDS of pages (felt like thousands of pages) with characters that you despise/dislike. My neutral feelings for Susan and Andreas weren't enough to really rescue this one. 

I don't know that this one needs a trigger warning exactly. But so much of the unfolding mystery surrounds adult men (aged 50+) engaging with very young barely-legal (and perhaps not legal) young teen male prostitutes. And it gets descriptive/graphic. Okay, that may not be fair. I don't think it's meant to be graphic in a romantic/sensual way. But it's a LOT to process. 

I wrestled with whether to keep reading this one or to abandon it. It was just so wearisome.

 

© 2023 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

7. Today, Tonight, Tomorrow

Today Tonight Tomorrow. Rachel Lynn Solomon. 2020. 364 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: The text jolts me from sleep a minute before my 5:55 alarm, three quick pulses to let me know my least favorite person is already awake. Neil McNair--"McNightmare" in my phone--is annoyingly punctual. It's one of his only good traits. We've been text-taunting since we were sophomores, after a series of morning threats made both of us late for homeroom. 

Premise/plot: Rowan Roth and Neil McNair are fierce (and feisty) competitors (and classmates). Only one can be valedictorian, both desperately want it. Today Tonight Tomorrow is the story of their last day of high school. (Or perhaps their last weekend before graduation on Sunday.) They'll spend much of this day together...

The jacket copy reads, "Today, she hates him. Tonight, she puts up with him. Tomorrow...maybe she's already fallen for him." The premise is 100% predictable. Competitive classmates turned love interests. 

My thoughts: I enjoyed this one mostly. I think Rowan and Neil make a cute-and-compatible couple, for the most part. I think they are capable of bringing out the best in each other. Granted, they haven't always been thoughtful or kind. This is definitely a YA romance. It would make a fun rom-com as well. 

One of Rowan's big things is her obsession with romance novels and her desire to write (and publish) romance novels herself. So much of the text of Today Tonight Tomorrow is a defense of--an argument for--romance novels. She asserts that romance novels are essentially feminist and empowering. In a world where women are objectified so often, so blatantly there are romance novels where women are never objectified. I'm not sure I completely buy her argument. [Though you could argue that they are more balanced perhaps--men are objectified too.] Perhaps it's an author by author, book by book, series by series, publisher by publisher, decade by decade thing. I can certainly think of plenty of examples of UNhealthy relationships--abusive, manipulative, etc--depicted in romance novels. There were decades were it was okay--more than okay--for the "hero" of a romance novel to VIOLENTLY assault the heroine of the novel only to have her swooning over him and falling head over heels in love with him a few encounters later. I've certainly encountered romance books where women are objectified. Though perhaps the romance novel was calling out objectifying behavior without condoning it. For examples, books where heroines are saved by heroes from dangerous situations. Rowan, however, seems to have grown up reading different kinds of romance novels--or perhaps she has a blind spot or two. She loves how reading romance novels makes her super-comfortable and honest with all the sex-talk and sex itself. 

I should have been suspicious of all this romance novel talk to see where this one would eventually end up. So much of the novel is on the "light" side. Not clean exactly. But more on the sweet-and-flirty side and not the steamy side. But. By the end of the day my giddy-making, sweet rom-com had turned graphic--very. 

Again, I'll mention for the millionth time that I know I am completely in the minority. So don't let this dissuade you from reading the book itself. For those looking for a sex-positive YA rom-com with well-developed characters...then this one may prove a great fit.

 

© 2023 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

152. The Picture Bride

The Picture Bride. Lee Geum-yi. Translated by An Seonjae. 2020/2022. 320 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: "Miss Willow," The Pusan Ajimae said, "You'll be eighteen next year, won't you? What about going to Powa and getting married?" At that, the eyes of Willow and her mother, Mrs. Yun, grew large. 

Premise/plot: Willow, our heroine, and two others--who become through the years as dear as sisters--travel to Hawaii as picture brides in 1918. These Korean brides will have A LOT of adjustments to make. Not that life was super-easy-going and perfect at home in their Korean village, but, they were sold a fairy tale--literally. A fairy tale it wasn't. Not the land. Not the opportunities. Not the husbands. This is Willow's story--for the most part--but it is also a story of how she tried again [and again] to find a community that would truly be supportive. It is a story of the struggle of a wife and mother. Definitely not a fairy tale with a happily ever after ending.

My thoughts: I found this one so compelling--for the most part. I enjoyed Willow's perspective. I thought the characters, the setting, the story were all well done. I did not personally love the ending. I'll try to explain. I felt it was disjointed. The jump in time of eighteen or so years was just rough. In the last chapter, the characters all suddenly have American-ized names. So you don't know really what is going on and who-is-who. Also there are so many more names to keep track of since the family has apparently expanded. Still, so much is NOT known of that gap in time. And the narrator has changed from Willow to Pearl [her daughter]. It just felt out of sorts. This is just my own feelings about the ending, of course.

 

© 2022 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

83. A Talent to Deceive

A Talent to Deceive: The Search for the Real Killer of the Lindbergh Baby. William Norris. 2020. 384 pages. [Source: Review copy]

First sentence: On the night of March 1, 1932, a small child was taken from his bedroom in a lonely house near Hopewell, New Jersey. A ransom note was discovered, and a demand of $50,000 paid by the distraught parents. But the little boy never came home. His body was later found some two miles away, decomposed almost beyond recognition.

A Talent To Deceive is true crime nonfiction. It highlights the injustice and absolute absurdity of the investigation, trial, and appeal process. The crime being that of the kidnapping of the Lindbergh baby. From day one it was a total disaster--if the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth is what guides you. 

The presentation itself was a bit messy here and there. It perhaps could have been better organized. But even with its tiny 'flaws' it remains fascinating. (At least to me). So, in no particular order, the book is about: a) how the author became interested in the case b) the bare basic essentials of the crime c) background information on the Morrow and Lindbergh families d) the million mistakes made in every stage of this case e) potential suspects f) red herring suspects g) the trial itself h) the appeal process. 

The book essentially argues that the man arrested, charged, convicted, and sentenced to die--Bruno Richard Hauptmann--was innocent. At the very, very least innocent of kidnapping the Lindbergh baby, and innocent of murdering the toddler. Perhaps, he was guilty of coming into possession of *some* of the $50,000 ransom. In other words, he was found to have some of the ransom in his home. And he did spend some of it. (That's how they knew to search his home.) 

The book makes a case for his innocence. And it's a convincing argument, in my opinion. But Norris doesn't just make a case for Hauptmann's innocence, he argues that at the very, very, very least Charles and Anne Lindbergh KNEW the identity of the kidnapper and covered it up. Perhaps their suspicions were later confirmed, but from day one there are strong reasons to believe that they were covering up, interfering, mangling the investigation. The author does not argue that Lindbergh is guilty of the crime himself. (Though he does mention that some do.) He makes a case for a member of the Morrow family to be the kidnapper. Was his argument 100% convincing???? I'm not sure I'd go that far. While Norris convinced me that Hauptmann was innocent...and that EVERYONE involved in the case was a liar-liar-liar-liar pants. Or completely incompetent. Or completely immoral and unethical. OR easily bribed. I'm not as equally convinced that Dwight Morrow Jr. was the kidnapper/murderer. I definitely think that he should have been on the list of suspects, perhaps, but I'm not convinced he's the one and only most likely candidate.

The book was fascinating. But it was also intense in that it made me ANGRY. This trial was just appalling and absurd. There were a million reasons why the case was handled WRONG. And it cost this man his life.

© 2022 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

66. The Radium Girls

The Radium Girls: The Scary But True Story of the Poison That Made People Glow in the Dark. (Young Readers' Edition). 2020. [July] 352 pages. [Source: Review copy]
 

First sentence: The scientist had forgotten all about the radium. It was tucked within his waistcoat pocket, enclosed in a slim glass tube in such a small quantity that he could not feel its weight. He had a lecture to give in London, England, and the vial of radium stayed within that shadowy pocket throughout his journey across the sea. 

Premise/plot: The Radium Girls is nonfiction; it is a narrative account of the 'radium girls'--the women employed as dial painters whose exposure to radium (radium-based paint to be exact) proved costly and deadly. It is an account of the long, long, long, long BATTLE (yes, battle) for justice to be done.

There were several plants--or factories if you prefer--that employed women as dial painters. This is narrative focuses on three of them; readers are introduced to dozens of women; I wouldn't be surprised if it tells the story of three to four dozen women at least.

The story begins in 1917 in New Jersey and concludes (well, mainly concludes) in Illinois circa 1938.

My thoughts: I read the adult version of The Radium Girls (2017) last spring. I absolutely loved it. I had initially picked it up because of the new movie of the same title. After rewatching the movie a few months ago, I wanted to read the young readers' edition. (I had review copies of both the adult and young readers version.) I will only add that reading the book is a thousand times better than watching the movie. And I loved the movie--I did. But it's like three percent of the story. It is such a fracture of the story that could be told. So I highly recommend either edition. (There's about a hundred page difference.)

The Radium Girls was a POWERFUL read that resonated with me from start to finish. I am so thankful that I finally got around to reading it. If you've been meaning to read it too but have been putting it off, then I encourage you to give it a chance.

I loved that it was a PERSONAL read. The women aren't mere numbers or statistics. Their lives AND their deaths had meaning; and as I believe it is mentioned either in the movie or the book their bones still are speaking to us. Even those whose voices were never "heard" in life--due to injustice and indifference--can be heard now and for the next thousand plus years. The narrative's greatest strength is that it focuses on the personal, the intimate, the real.

The read was both FASCINATING and DEVASTATING. It is hard to imagine today that no one wouldn't know that radium was DANGEROUS and to be radioactive is a BAD, BAD thing. But so much of the book focuses on this struggle between those that put MONEY, MONEY, MONEY first and foremost and those that valued HUMAN LIVES and HUMAN DIGNITY over profit, wealth, fame.

I was shocked--should I have been shocked???--at the out and out LYING and CORRUPTION. The doctors that were being paid/employed by the factories could run all their tests, do their examinations, and then say YES, YOU ARE 100% HEALTHY. NO PROBLEMS. All the while, your teeth are falling out, your face is swollen, you can hardly stand up straight, you're losing weight. Sounds like the perfect state of health, right?! In other words a lot of GASLIGHTING going on. But that isn't being fair. Not all doctors said the women were in 100% health--the best state of health they could ever be in. Some were for team misdiagnosis. Like let's diagnose you with SYPHILIS. Because that will make you quiet for sure--if you believe it. Who wants to be known to be dying from that!

But I was also encouraged by those that stood up to the big guys--the giants--and faced near impossible odds. It wasn't easy for the lawyers to take on, take up, this GIGANTIC mess of a case.

I was surprised by the resilience and attitude of some of the women. Some relied on GOD and turned to prayer and other spiritual disciplines for support, comfort, peace. Others relied more on FAMILY and FRIENDS for comfort, support, guidance. While the book mentions a few women's nerves or state of mind seemed to be negatively effected by the diagnosis, I was surprised it wasn't more. It couldn't be *easy* on one's mental health to be diagnosed with a FATAL DISEASE with NO CURE and little proven treatment. The strength and courage it would take to face each and every day is not to be discounted. We're talking tremendous physical pain with no hope of relief. Not really. Every day would be a choice--to despair or to cling to hope.

It's impossible to read this novel and not turn introspective. WHY DO I COMPLAIN SO MUCH?

© 2022 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

5. The Captive Kingdom

The Captive Kingdom. (Ascendance #4) Jennifer A. Nielsen. 2020. [October] 374 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: One may ask, how is the great King Jaron described by those who know him?

The Shadow Throne has an incredible tied-up-in-a-bow ending that is giddy making. So what does The Captive Kingdom add to the series???

The Captive Kingdom takes place in that 'missing year' before the super-happy ending in The Shadow Throne. It rewinds the story to let readers know that things didn't suddenly become super-easy and ultra-convenient for the characters all of a sudden. They had to WORK (even more than we thought) for their happily ever after.

In case you haven't just read the first three books essentially back to back to back... King Jaron is on the throne, but it hasn't been easy for him to stay on the throne and keep his kingdom safe. It's involved risking his life again and again and again and again. Also a lot of breaking bones and "really big boo-boos." Imogen and Jaron are together--at last!--and things seem to be falling in place.

But an unexpected attack at sea--by an enemy long discounted by nearly everyone--brings their happily ever after to a halt. Once more there's DANGER, DANGER, more DANGER. And an uncovering of secrets.

I will say that the PLOT TWIST in this one was unexpected. I did NOT see it coming. There were no clues from the other books (and I've read them recently enough to remember.) But I don't have a problem with this NEW twist--even if it is an add-on.

This one still features the characters I've come to know and love. I don't know that I *need* this book in the series. I have yet to read the newest new book in the series. Perhaps I'll come to the conclusion that three books was enough for me. Maybe I won't. It's unfair to judge decisively at this point what I'll ultimately decide...

 

© 2022 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

151. All He Knew

All He Knew. Helen Frost. 2020. [August] 272 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Henry comes here on a Greyhound bus.
Slow, along the bumpy road, his mother
in the seat beside him, sitting straight
and tall, her nostrils pinched, her words
held deep inside. She understands by now
that Henry cannot hear them.

Premise/plot: All He Knew is Helen Frost's newest verse novel. It is inspired by her own family history. (Though the book is fictional.) Henry, our hero, has been deaf since an illness when he was a toddler. He is able to talk--though he often chooses NOT to talk--but he is unable to hear. The novel chronicles his time at a home for the "feeble-minded." Henry is NOT "feeble-minded" but he's been deemed "unteachable" by the powers that be. His family hands him over to an institution. 

All He Knew is set in the late 1930s and early 1940s. Most of the novel is set at the institution--Riverview. Over half the novel is told through Henry's perspective. (He's very observant and kind despite being treated cruelly for years.) But part of the novel is told through the perspective of Victor a new attendant who is a conscientious objector to the war. As the war progresses, more and more attendants are replaced. The residents--including Billy and his friends--are treated with more respect, dignity, and care.

Will Henry--who still thinks of his family and his home--ever get to leave Riverview?

My thoughts: I would give this one a million stars (out of five). It was an incredibly compelling read. I loved, loved, loved Henry. I loved his sister, Molly. I loved Victor. I loved the smidgen of a hint that a romance may, may, may develop between the two--when the time is right. I thought the characterization was excellent and the poetry well crafted.

I would definitely recommend this one.

 

© 2021 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

139. The Red Horse

The Red Horse. (Billy Boyle #15) James R. Benn. 2020. 336 pages. [Source: Bought]

First sentence: Something was wrong. The wind bit at the back of my neck, and I hunched my shoulders as gray clouds scudded across the sky, outpacing me as I trudged along the gravel path. I stuffed my hands into my pockets, thankful for the warmth. Thankful I could hide the tremor in my right hand. Because they were watching. I couldn't let them see how bad it had gotten.

Premise/plot: So because the book is part of a LONG series and I am just not clever enough to summarize it keeping it spoiler free for all previous books, I'll just say Billy Boyle is an American soldier who specializes in solving murder cases for the Allies. Before becoming a soldier, he was a police detective--just getting started, but part of the police force. This fifteenth book takes place in 1944. 

My thoughts:  I consider the discover of the Billy Boyle historical mysteries series to be one of my all time happiest discoveries. But. The books HAVE to be read in order. They just have to. Yes, the mysteries--the cases, usually murder cases--are contained. But there is an unfolding story that carries over all the books. I think it would be confusing to read them out of order.

I can't believe the series is up to fifteen books!!! I never want the series to end. Not really.

The Red Horse was INTENSE and interesting. Plenty of murders to solve and plenty of history to explore. I found the author's note fascinating. Don't skip it. I know it might be tempting to think the book is over. But don't miss out on finding out what was true and what was fiction with the story.

 

© 2021 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

133. A Christmas Waltz

A Christmas Waltz. Josi S. Kilpack. 2020. [November] 130 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: The dark-haired man with the red satin waistcoat began walking toward her from the other side of the ballroom.

Premise/plot: Marta, our heroine, comes to look forward to waltzing with David every year at her family's Yuletide Ball. Their first waltz occurs when she's newly 'out' and just sixteen. She's yet to experience the season in London, and this first dance fills her with all the feels. The two seem to have a connection. Emphasis on seem. For while the dance is oh-so-wonderful, that's all it remains--a memory of a dance. When given opportunities through the years to take the relationship further, deeper, he passes. Content, at least temporarily, to keep it just a nice, cozy memory to pull out now and then. Every single Christmas, these two waltzes. Years pass. Circumstances change. Yet one thing never changes. No matter where they find themselves in their lives, they make their way to each other on the dance floor every Christmas.

My thoughts: A Christmas Waltz is a bittersweet historical novella. On the one hand, it is sweet how these two find joy and comfort in each other's company year after year. A few minutes together each year to share one's private thoughts and dreams. 

On the other hand, because Marta is almost romanticizing and idealizing this relationship with David, she's making her life more bitter the rest of the year. Because her husband doesn't stand a chance against this perfect, idealized, dreamy, swoony connection. Granted, from what Marta tells David about her husband, he doesn't care...at all. He doesn't care if his wife is happy or unhappy. He is not physically present--all that often--and emotionally there's no connection at all. Still there are plenty of romance novels out there where wives and husbands fall in love with each other after the fact, putting aside previous loves and daydreams, working through misunderstandings, finding common ground and building a future together despite not having all the feels when they say I do.  

The book definitely reminded me of Storybook Love:

We've got a storybook love and that's all and that's all
A fantasy world where we love one another
A storybook love and that's all and that's all
A boy and a girl who hardly know each other
But I feel you lookin at me
And in your eyes it's plain to see
One day soon we both will be much more than friends
But until then
It's a storybook love
And that's all and that's all
A fantasy world where we love one another
A storybook love and that's all and that's all
A boy and a girl who hardly know each other
But I already know
How much I'm gonna love you so
I feel it inside me even though it hasn't happened yet
So all we get
Is a storybook love and that's all and that's all
A fantasy world where we love one another
A storybook world and that's all and that's all
A boy and a girl who hardly know each other

© 2021 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

103. William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Clueless

William Shakespeare's Taming of the Clueless. Ian Doescher. 2020. [April] 192 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence:
Jane: Cher--handsome, clever, rich--who had a home
Most comfortable, a happy disposition,
Seem'd to unite, wherever she did roam,
The blessings of existence's condition.

Premise/plot: Ian Doescher has adapted the movie Clueless for his Pop Shakespeare series. It is adaptation of an adaption. In the afterword, he noted that he read Emma and watched Clueless before beginning his work. He also noted that he thinks that the plot of Clueless comes closest to something William Shakespeare would have written--in comparison with the other titles he's written/adapted.

So if you've seen the movie Clueless, you know the premise and plot of this one. Balthasar appears throughout singing the movie's soundtrack!

Behold, beyond the window,
'neath the sky,
The rushing carriages do pass thee by,
Whilst I do sit, to loneliness resign'd,
And ponder wherefore questions fill
my mind.
'Tis Friday night! I feel the soothing
heat
And search this filthy city for a beat--
Downtown, the young ones go,
hey nonny non,
Downtown, the young ones grow,
hey nonny hey!
We are the children of America,
The children we of new America.

and

Where didst thou go? Where didst thou go?
Mine emptiness doth grow.
Where didst thou go? Where didst thou go?
I'm lost, and fain would know.

You can expect to find all the most memorable, iconic lines from the movie...

DIONNE: Didst see? Thou pass'd a sign that bid thee stop--
'Twas large and red, octagonally shap'd--
Yet thou drove on like thou wert being chas'd.
CHER: A pause complete I register'd therein.


TRAVIS
—Unexpected!
No speech prepar’d I for this honor.
These few words, though, I’d gladly utter:
The tardy life’s the work of many—
My tardiness by many people
Created was. Yea, I am grateful
Unto my parents, ne’er rides giving,
The drivers of the L. A. buses
Who took a chance upon an unknown.
Last—not the least—the wonderful crew
At old McDonalds Inn, that spendeth
Their hours at cooking Egg McMuffins,
Sans which I never might be tardy.


CHER
Full well I know th’exhaustion of thy heart.
Still, though, I’ll warrant sport shall do us good—
Of late my body feels most heiferlike,
All weight and hips and udders ev’rywhere,
Like I had stomachs four that I must fill.
Today I had two bowls of Special K,
Three pieces of delightful turkey bacon,
A full hand’s worth of popp’d corn most delicious,
Five peanut butter M and Ms—

CHER
Though I’d not be a traitor to my age,
No turncoat to my generation bold—
I do confess confusion and dismay.
The way lads dress is nothing short of odd,
As if they fell, like apples, from their beds,
Adorn’d themselves in poorly fitting pants—
More like broad bags than pantaloons, in troth—
Then cover greasy hair with filthy caps,
Which they wear backward and proclaim it style.
In public they appear array’d as such,
And should we women swoon to see them so?
Nay, I think not, and never shall be sway’d!
To search for lads in high school is a quest
As useless as the hunt for meaning in
The dramas of the actor Pauly Shore—
The nation’s jester: a most dull fool he,
And none but libertines delight in him.

CHER
Eureka, I have fall’n in love with Josh!
Josh, he whom I have known since I was small,
Who tickles me and jabs me when nearby,
Who gives me cause to smile when I am sad,
Whose presence is a comfort in itself,
Who help’d me learn to drive my carriage well,
Whom I do dearly love to torment so,
Who, all these years, hath been a friend to me—
By heaven, it is he I love, none other!
Completely, totally, and majorly
My heart doth move toward him utterly!

My thoughts: I thought this was a super-fun read. It was fun, silly, enjoyable. A great way to spend a weekend. 

 

 

© 2021 Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews