Becky's Book Reviews

Tuesday, November 29, 2022

November Reflections

In November, I read fifty-four books.

Books reviewed at Becky's Book Reviews

140. Station Eternity. Mur Lafferty. 2022. [October] 457 pages. [Source: Library]

141. The Escape Artist: The Man Who Broke Out of Auschwitz To Warn the World. Jonathan Freedland. 2022. [October] 400 pages. [Source: Library]
142. Marmee. Sarah Miller. 2022. [October] 432 pages. [Source: Library]
143. Flying Fillies: The Sky's The Limit. Christy Hui. 2022. [July] 202 pages. [Source: Library]
144. The Girl in the Castle. James Patterson and Emily Raymond. 2022. [September] 368 pages. [Source: Library]
145. The Hidden Oracle (The Trials of Apollo #1) Rick Riordan. 2016. 384 pages. [Source: Library]

146. The Door of No Return. Kwame Alexander. 2022. 432 pages. [Source: Library]
147. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. Robert Louis Stevenson. 1886. 54 pages. [Source: Bought]

148. Making Bombs for Hitler. Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch. 2012/2017. 191 pages. [Source: Review copy]
149. Five Decembers. James Kestrel. 2022. 432 pages. [Source: Library]
150. The Twelve Topsy-Turvy, Very Messy Days of Christmas. James Patterson and Tad Safran. 2022. 288 pages. [Source: Library]
151. Murder at Mallowan Hall. Colleen Cambridge. 2021. 272 pages. [Source: Library]
152. The Picture Bride. Lee Geum-yi. Translated by An Seonjae. 2020/2022. 320 pages. [Source: Library]

153. Hanged! Mary Surratt and the Plot to Assassinate Abraham Lincoln. 2022. [November] 352 pages. [Source: Review copy]
154. Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris & Mrs. Harris Goes to New York. 1958/1959. Omnibus edition 2022. 320 pages. [Source: Library]

155. Emily of Deep Valley. Maud Hart Lovelace. 1950. 304 pages. [Source: Library]
156. The Dark Prophecy (The Trials of Apollo #2) Rick Riordan. 2017. 414 pages. [Source: Library]
157. Switchboard Soldiers. Jennifer Chiaverini. 2022. 464 pages. [Source: Library]
158. Great or Nothing. Joy McCullough, Caroline Tung Richmond, Tess Sharpe, and Jessica Spotswood. 2022. 400 pages. [Source: Review copy]

159. Winterkill. Marsha Forchuk Skrypuch. 2022. [September] 288 pages. [Source: Library]
160. A Holiday by Gaslight by Mimi Matthews. 2018. 175 pages. [Source: Bought]
161. Cinderella's Dress. Shonna Slayton. 2014. 320 pages. [Source: Library]
162. The Christmas Clash. Suzanne Park. 2022. 368 pages. [Source: Library]

163. Talk Santa to Me. Linda Urban. 2022. 280 pages. [Source: Library]

Books reviewed at Young Readers

177. The Not So Stinky Skunk (Lily to the Rescue #3) W. Bruce Cameron. 2020. 144 pages. [Source: Library]
178. Thanks for Nothing. Ryan T. Higgins. 2021. 32 pages. [Source: Library]
179. Farmhouse. Sophie Blackall. 2022. [September] 48 pages. [Source: Library]
180. Our Friend Hedgehog: The Story of Us. Lauren Castillo. 2020. 128 pages. [Source: Library]
181. Our Friend Hedgehog: A Place to Call Home. Lauren Castillo. 2022. [October 18] 80 pages. [Source: Library]
182. Hairy, Hairy Poodle. Marilyn Singer. Illustrated by Abigail Tompkins. 2022. [May] 32 pages. [Source: Library]
183. Click, Clack Rainy Day. Doreen Cronin. Illustrated by Betsy Lewin. 2022. [May] 32 pages. [Source: Library]
184. Esme's Birthday Conga Line. Lourdes Heuer. Illustrated by Marissa Valdez. 2022. [May] 76 pages. [Source: Library]
185. Away with Words! Wise and Witty Poems for Language Lovers. Mary Ann Hoberman. 2022. 64 pages. [Source: Library]
186. Under the Christmas Tree. Nikki Grimes. Illustrated by Kadir Nelson. 2002. 32 pages. [Source: Library]
187. The First Notes: The Story of Do, Re, Mi. Julie Andrews and Emma Walton Hamilton. Illustrated by Chiara Fedele. 2022. [November] 48 pages. [Source: Library]
188. The Good Guys Agency #1: Kind Like Fred. 2022. [July] 96 pages. [Source: Library]
189. Walter Had a Best Friend. Deborah Underwood. Illustrated by Sergia Ruzzier. 2022. [October 18] 40 pages. [Source: Library]
190. The Last Last-Day-Of-Summer. (Legendary Alston Boys #1) Lamar Giles. 2019. 304 pages. [Source: Library]
191. Autumnblings. Douglas Florian. 2003. 48 pages. [Source: Library]
192. Thanks a Million. Nikki Grimes. Illustrated by Cozbi A. Cabrera. 2006. 32 pages. [Source: Library]
193. Bravo, Bucket Head! Helen Lester. Illustrated by Lynn Munsinger. 2022. [September] 32 pages. [Source: Library]
194. Pete the Cat Plays Hide and Seek. James and Kimberly Dean. 2022. [September] 40 pages. [Source: Library]
195. Creepy Carrots! Aaron Reynolds. Illustrated by Peter Brown. 2012. 32 pages. [Source: Library]
196. Too Many Pigs and One Big Bad Wolf: A Counting Story. Davide Calì. Illustrated by Marianna Balducci. 2022. [September] 36 pages. [Source: Library]
197. The Wondrous Wonders by Camille Jourdy. 2019/2022. 160 pages. [Source: Library]
198. Loud Mouse: How A Little Mouse Found Her Big Voice. Cara Mentzel and Idina Menzel. Illustrated by Jaclyn Sinquett. 2022. [September] 48 pages. [Source: Library]
199. Busy Betty. Reese Witherspoon. Illustrated by Xindi Yan. 2022. [October 4] 40 pages. [Source: Library]
200. Green is for Christmas. Drew Daywalt. Illustrated by Oliver Jeffers. 2022. [October 18] 32 pages. [Source: Library]
201. If You Believe In Me. Rosemary Wells. 2022. 28 pages. [Source: Library]
202. Waffles and Pancake #2: Flight or Fright. Drew Brockington. 2022. 64 pages. [Source: Library]

Books reviewed at Operation Actually Read Bible

40. A Short Guide to Reading the Bible Better. George H. Guthrie. 2022. [November] 176 pages. [Source: Review copy]
41. A Model of Devotion (The Lumber Baron's Daughters #3) Mary Connealy. 2022. 299 pages. [Source: Review copy]

Bibles reviewed at Operation Actually Read Bible

17. Holman Rainbow Study Bible: NIV Edition. New, Improved User-Friendly Design. Purple Leathertouch Indexed. B&H. 1632 pages. [Source: Review copy]

18. Darby Bible. God. 1890. 2304 pages. [Source: Bought]

November Totals

November reads
# of books	54
# of pages	14061

2022 Totals

2022 Totals
# of books	423
# of pages	123,190

163. Talk Santa to Me

Talk Santa to Me. Linda Urban. 2022. 280 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: I was born in a stable. A deluxe model, indoor-outdoor stable, with a light-up roof star and grass-mat flooring (discontinued item). My mom had been carrying a three-foot shepherd from the stockroom when the first serious labor pain hit. I've always been impulsive, Mom says, and once I got the notion that I had outgrown my current quarters, boom. She knew I was moving out.

Premise/plot: Our heroine Francie (full name Frankincense) works at her family's Christmas-themed shop. Her grandfather was a GREAT Santa. Absolutely all kinds of amazing. He even started a Santa school to train others how to be Santa. But since he died, well, things aren't quite the same in the family or the family business. Francie's dad is doing his best to continue the legacy, but, his sister has her own ideas of how to maintain the business (and being loyal to tradition and the argument that's the way we've always done it fall on deaf ears). Francie impulsively jumps in during an emergency and finds herself taking on the job as Santa's Intern on a local cable broadcast. The video goes viral--at least locally--and soon Francie finds herself answering thousands of letters to Santa. It's all SO MUCH. But the family's business/reputation may just depend on her PR work as Santa's Intern.

Meanwhile, Francie is falling head over heels in love with Hector a classmate who just happens to work at the neighboring tree lot. As these two [relatively] shy teens get to know one another, a little Christmas magic happens.

My thoughts: I thought this one was the perfect blend of super-sweet and funny. I loved seeing all the letters to Santa. We get plenty of those letters and her responses. I enjoyed seeing all the Christmas-y elements included in this one. Plenty of scenes take place during the weeks leading up to Christmas. It felt--to me at least--properly Christmas-y. I loved that Francie deep down cared about her family and was processing her grief. It added a level of depth. All of them were experiencing grief differently and they weren't always incredibly kind and thoughtful with each other. But you do get the sense that they do care about one another. Even "mean" Aunt Carol wasn't a one-dimensional villain (like she'd likely be in a holiday movie). The romance wasn't perfectly perfect--but it was so sweet and light and good. I could see how someone wanting something steamier might find this one to be too "young." But to me, it was perfect.

The back story of Francie trying to redeem her "first kiss" experience was definitely a back story. I'm glad it wasn't the sole plot point. This one so easily could have gone down a couple super-predictable paths. a) She could have had a fake boyfriend whom she would end up actually falling in love with. b) She could have had an enemies-to-friends-to-lovers romance with the boy that gossiped about her way back when. I'm so glad we didn't get either of those stories.

I do think this would make a fun movie.

Quote:

Dear Santa’s Intern:
I hear you know Santa really well. Could you tell him not to bring me any pants this year? Two times already this year I asked for a paintball gun and two times I didn’t get one, but I did get pants. Pants are not a good gift. Except for one time during recess, I have been pretty good this year and I already said sorry and Henry said okay.
Your friend,
Logan

162. The Christmas Clash

The Christmas Clash. Suzanne Park. 2022. 368 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: The projectile pacifier grazed my left ear. "I'm so sorry, would you mind grabbing his binky off the floor? Little Timmy's got quite a temper when he's hungry." Important note: Timmy was not in fact very little. I suspected he was five, maybe six.

Premise/plot: Chloe Kwon, our heroine, works as a photographer at the Santa Land feature at her local mall [Riverwood]. Her parents have a restaurant in the mall as well. Peter Li, our hero, works at the virtual reality North Pole experience at the mall. His parents have a restaurant in the mall too. The Kwons hate the Lis; the Lis hate the Kwons. But Chloe and Peter have found out something shocking: they do not in fact hate each other. Rather, Chloe might just like-like Peter, and it's mutual. But this isn't solely a "forbidden" romance with warring families. Riverwood Mall is very likely to be demolished to make way for condos. It isn't just their seasonal side jobs at risk but their whole families livelihood. Can Peter and Chloe by working together form a resistance with other mall tenants and find a way to save the mall????

My thoughts: This would make a PERFECT holiday movie. Everything about this one screams out for a film adaptation. So good news if you like holiday movies, you'll fall for this novel as well. And perhaps it's nice to get it in book-form for a change.

Was it a perfect read? No. I'm not going to lie and say it was perfectly perfect in regards to storytelling, characterization, plotting, etc. But I could visualize much of this one. And it felt like a movie that I'd watch through beginning to end. It might sell better as a movie.

161. Cinderella's Dress

Cinderella's Dress. Shonna Slayton. 2014. 320 pages. [Source: Library]

First sentence: Nadzia tucked the cleaning rag into her apron in exchange for her feather duster.

Premise/plot: Except for the prologue which has a more "once upon a time" feel to it, Cinderella's Dress is set in the mid-to-late 1940s. (It opens in 1944, and, I believe, wraps up around 1947?) Kate Allen, our heroine, discovers that she may just be the next keeper for Cinderella's magical dresses. At the start of the novel, Kate is clueless. Cinderella a real person??? A real person with magical dresses??? She hadn't a thought to such things. Ridiculous, right? But when Elsie and her husband Adalbert show up in New York City during the Second World War with a trunk they've risked their lives smuggling out of war-torn Europe, well, she gives it some consideration. Elsie claims to be the current keeper. The trunk holds the dresses, THE DRESSES. But magic is a tricky, tricky thing. Meanwhile as Kate is processing all this possible magic that is somehow, someway connected to her family, her life unfolds in all its messiness. Her mother wants her to be a a) model b) actress c) model-actress. She has big plans for her daughter to make it big, big, big. Kate's goals, however, are to become a window dresser at a department store. To design the windows that make crowds oooh and aaah. The kind of window displays that draw customers in and keep them spending money. But she'll face some discrimination--because that is man's work, of course--and she's so very young, still a teenager.

Getting her hand on THOSE DRESSES may just be the break she needs in the window dressing business, but flashing her family's secrets may just lead to a life-and-death situation.

My thoughts: I liked this one okay. I did. I didn't hate it. I just felt Kate was a bit stupid at times. The plot depended on her being so stupid, so maybe it isn't solely her fault. But still. I liked elements of this one certainly. I found Elsie's story to be heartbreaking. Not that that was the focus of the story, it wasn't, but I couldn't help but feel saddened watching that back story unfold. Elsie and Adalbert are so in love, yet, her dementia is taking her away from him and everyone else as well.

Sunday, November 27, 2022

160. A Holiday by Gaslight

A Holiday by Gaslight by Mimi Matthews. 2018. 175 pages. [Source: Bought]

First sentence: An icy late November breeze rustled the bare branches of the trees along the Serpentine.

Premise/plot: Sophie Appersett has been following her parents' lead when it comes to "romance". They are hoping the [semi-arranged] match between Sophie and Mr. Edward Sharpe, London merchant will be just the thing. To be fair, they see Mr. Sharpe and see moneybags. Sophie, well, she is hoping to see more than that. But seeing the real deal, getting to know the real person, takes a bit of effort. Both Sophie and Edward, well, they're not the best at letting down their guards with one another and being real, true, genuine.

Sophie's father has spent all her dowry on getting their country home fitted for gaslight. And his plans may just extend beyond that...

He has been invited [along with his parents and a friend] to spend Christmas with them in the country...

My thoughts: It was playful and fun. It was sweet. It was clean--nothing to my recollection beyond a kiss or two. If holiday romances are your thing, then this one may just be all delight.

I definitely enjoyed this one. I have read Mimi Matthews in the past. This one didn't quite live up to my full-length-novel expectations. I think if my expectations had been lowered to begin with--it is more of a novella--it would have satisfied.