If the Shoe Fits (Meant to Be #1) by Julie Murphy (2021)

 

Written with permission from Disney, If the Shoe Fits is the retelling of the classic Cinderella story with a modern-day twist.  Cindy is not the perfectly proportioned princess we all remember from the Disney movies but is a plus-size girl with a stepmother (Erica) and stepsisters (Anna and Drew) who are a bit shallow but have Cindy’s best interests at heart.

After graduating design school in New York with a degree in shoe design Cindy returns to her stepmother’s house in California until she finds employment in her chosen field.  Cindy agrees to be temporary employed by her stepmother as nanny to her two half siblings.  Erica is the executive producer of America’s favorite reality show, Before Midnight, a fictional version of The Bachelor. On the flight home, Cindy feels an instant connection with her handsome seatmate and spends her time flirting with him, imagining she’ll never see her Prince Charming again after they land. But this is a fairy tale where dreams come true right?

When Erica needs a last-minute replacement to fill a slot on Before Midnight, Cindy volunteers, hoping the media attention might help jump-start her fashion career. As the first plus-sized contestant in the history of the show, Cindy expects her show tenure will be short. That is until the eligible bachelor on the show turns out to be none other than Prince Charming from the plane, the heir to a fashion empire. Cindy is now all in.

Soon Cindy is encountering backstabbing contestants and a show wardrobe that doesn’t include her size. Cindy faces each challenge with spunk and courage and becomes an instant inspiration for other women that look like her. Princesses everywhere will love her!

A great beginning for a series that promises to entertain. I can’t wait for the next one!

4.18 stars on Goodreads, 4.5 on Amazon

Sisters in Arms by Kaia Alderson (2021)

 

I LOVE reading historical fiction. More times than not I learn new things, in addition to enjoying a good story. Sisters in Arms has both covered. It is the story of the 6888^th Central Postal Directory Battalion (known as the Six Triple Eight), the only all-Black female battalion deployed overseas during World War II.

The story beings in 1942 with the formation of the U.S. Women’s Army Auxiliary Corps (soon to become the Women's Army Corps or WAC). Forty black women were allowed to enter the first WAAC officer candidate class. This is when we meet our heroines Grace Steele and Eliza Jones, two women who could not be more different but grew to respect one another.

This well-written, engaging novel follows Grace and Eliza from the WAAC application process, through basic training until their discharge at the end of the war. It is a story about dreams, friendship, courage against all odds, and the prejudices the women faced from white officers, enlisted men, and the general population. Unfortunately, some things have not changed. Some of the supporting characters actually existed and others are fictionalized but based on actual people.

I would recommend this to any history buff.

3.7 stars on Goodreads, 4.3 on Amazon

For more info on the WAC and the Six Triple Eight Battalion, check out https://history.army.mil/brochures/wac/wac.htm and https://history.army.mil/html/topics/afam/6888thPBn/index.html

The Forest of Vanishing Stars by Kristin Harmel (2021)

 I know what you’re going to say - yet another book about World War II. Inspired by incredible true stories of survival against the odds, The Forest of Vanishing Stars is a thoroughly researched fictional accounting of a group of Jews hiding from the Nazis in the forests of Poland.

Yona is just two years old (1922) when Jerusza takes her from her wealthy German parents’ home and raises her in the forest, teaching her everything she will need to know to keep herself alive while avoiding civilization. When Jerusza passes away in 1941, Yona is totally alone until she comes across a small group of fleeing Jews. Yona, who knows nothing of the outside world or even how to interact with other people, knows she possesses the knowledge to keep the group alive. It is through her interactions with the group that Yona learns to open her heart to others.

When Yona is betrayed by one of the group members and escapes into a German-occupied village, her past and present come together in a shocking collision that could change all their lives.

The author’s previous book, The Book of Lost Names (see review on this blog), is also available on the library shelves.

4.36 stars on Goodreads, 4.7 on Amazon

The Last Thing He Told Me by Laura Dave (2021)

 

Reese Witherspoon Book Club Selection.

Being develop as a series starring Julia Roberts on Apple TV+.

Hannah, a skilled wood turner and furniture designer and has been married to Owen, for a little over a year. Owen works for a software tech company and has a 16-year-old daughter, Bailey, who wants nothing to do with Hannah after having her father to herself for most of her life. The three live on a houseboat in Sausalito, CA.

The story begins with Owen’s disappearance. Before running, Owen manages to get a note to Hannah with only two words – “Protect Her”. Hannah knows without a doubt that the “her” Owen refers to is Bailey. As Hannah tries to figure out what happened to Owen, his boss is arrested by the FBI for fraud.

When a U.S. Marshall from Austin, TX appears offering to put Hannah and Bailey into Witness Protection, Hannah is even more confused. Hannah refuses to upset Bailey life like that and determines to figure out why Owen disappeared.

Hannah and Bailey set out to discover the truth, together. But as they start putting together the pieces of Owen’s past, they soon realize they are also building a new future, together. Their budding relationship is the crux of the story.

The book is well-written and the characters are well developed. Hannah narrates events in present tense but there are lots of flashbacks of her relationship with Owen. The book is definitely more a mystery that a suspense thriller.

There have been lots of books written about a husband or wife who don’t really know who they married and struggle to find the truth. Dern takes the genre somewhere it hasn’t been before, at least to my knowledge. I never saw the ending coming and that alone is a good reason to read The Last Thing He Told Me.

The Final Twist (Colter Shaw #3) by Jeffery Deaver (2021)

 

The Final Twist takes place in San Francisco and begins just hours after the events of The Goodbye Man (Colter Shaw #2). Colt (“Colt”) Shaw, the son of a survivalist family, is an expert tracker and makes his living as a "reward seeker." He is a restless soul who travels the country in his Winnebago helping the police solve cases and private citizens locate missing persons.

Colt discovers a hidden letter left for him by his deceased father, Ash.  In it Ash asks Colt to carry on his mission to bring down the corrupt BlackBridge Corporate by finding the evidence hidden by the murdered would be whistleblower, Amos Gahl. When Colt’s estranged brother Russell turns up and helps Colt out of a difficult situation, they learn a family with the initials SP is going to be terminated in 24 hours. The brothers now have two missions, and one is a race against time.

The book is full of twists and reversals as the answers to the BlackBridge mystery steadily fall into place.

Deaver is meticulous in his references to the history of the San Francisco area.  The book also provides a great deal of background information on the main characters all of which have a direct bearing on the people they have become.

Character from earlier books reappear and there are references to cases worked in the earlier novels. Although not necessary to read the books in order, the background story of Colt’s family builds from book to book. The Final Twist is the first Deaver book I have read.

Deaver is also the author of the Lincoln Rhyme series.  The first book of the series, The Bone Collector, was the basis of the movie starring Denzel Washington and Angelina Jolie and the short-lived NBC series Lincoln Rhyme: Hunt for the Bone Collector. The next Lincoln Rhyme’s book, A Perfect Plan, is due out in September.

4.09 stars on Goodreads, 4.5 on Amazon

Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens (2018)

 

Reese’s Book Club
#1 New York Times Bestseller

Where the Crawdads Sing takes place between the 1950 and 1969 in Barkley Cove, North Carolina. The book begins with two events that seem unrelated, but over the course of the novel intertwine. The portion of the story that takes place in the 50s is that of a young girl named Kya living in the marsh, the latter events revolve around the murder of local football celebrity Chase Andrews.

Kya’s lives on the outskirts of town in the marshland, which unfortunately comes with many preconceived notions from the town’s people. Throughout the novel the reader sees the prejudice the town holds towards those of the marsh. The people of the Barkley Cove assume Kya is uneducated based on her only having attended one day of school. However, Kya has learned the ways of the land by surviving when her family abandons her.  She was also able to make a lifelong friend Tate who decides to help Kya learn how to read and write. During their teenage years the two of them fall in love; however Tate leaves Kya to go off to college, to study the marsh, and breaks her heart.    As the story progresses, they reconnect and Kya becomes a published academic on the marsh.

During the time of Tate leaving for college, Kya gets involved with Chase Andrews. Chase and Kya also develop a relationship; however it’s not what Kya hopes for. Instead, Chase turns out to be an arrogant character that simply sees Kya as the dumb marsh girl, and assumes that he can use her however he wants. Kya eventually discovers that Chase is intending to marry another girl so she cuts off ties with him. However, when Chase turns up dead the people that were aware of their connection automatically assume it was Kya’s doing, including the local law enforcement. This escalates into them bringing charges against Kya based on questionable evidence at best, spurred on by the town’s bias of the marsh. To learn how the court case unfolds and the stories of Kya, Tate, Chase and the rest of Barkley Cove you will have to check out Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens.

I personally enjoyed this book, and found it to be a quick read with well written characters. While I will admit at times the character of Kya may be a bit hard to believe in the sense of realism, I found it easy to dismiss based on the likeability of the story. Originally I simply read this book for the Historical Fiction book club I host at the library without many expectations. When I picked the book I simply based it off of knowing it was a popular book with book clubs and was making its rounds through the library system. After having read it I can understand its popularity and would also recommend it.  If this book or historical fiction interests you, I invite you to check out the library’s Historical Fiction Book Club. We currently meet every third Saturday of the month at noon on Zoom where we discuss books such as this one.

4.46 stars on Goodreads, 4.8 on Amazon

The Lady Has A Past (Burning Cove #5) by Amanda Quick (2021)

 

Lyra Brazier, born and raised to be a wealthy, socialite, is desperate to do something worthwhile once it becomes clear she will not be allowed to follow her father as CEO of the family’s shipping business. Lyra has a brain and she wants to use it.  After moving to Burning Cove, California, she talks her way into becoming an Investigative Apprentice at Kirk Investigations, run by Raina Kirk.

When Raina disappears at a health spa during Lyra’s first week on the job, Lyra is determined to find her. Raina’s mob-connected lover insists Lyra have a partner and brings in Simon Cage, a mild-mannered book antiquarian who isn’t quite what he appears to be.

Simon and Lyra sign into the health spa as wealthy newlyweds, Mr. and Mrs. Cage. Simon soon learns that while Lyra is inexperienced, her gut instincts and the ability to get people to talk more than makes up for it.  Simon, who lacks the social graces of Lyra has the unique gift of being able to sense energy from inanimate objects. Between the two of them, they possess all the skills necessary to learn the truth and solve the case before one of them gets killed.

Several of the characters have been featured in the other four Burning Cove books so if you have read them you will be revisiting old friends.  If like me you haven’t read any, you won’t even know it until the last part of the book. Each book can stand on its own.

4.34 stars on Goodreads, 4.7 on Amazon

This book is not available at EPL. Ask any of the reference librarians to get it for you from an area library.

Six Weeks to Live by Catherine McKenzie (2021)

 

A familiar tale with a brand-new twist.  Forty-eight-year-old Jennifer Barnes, mother of triplets and grandmother to twins, never expected the news she receives at a routine doctor’s appointment. Jennifer has a terminal brain tumor and only six weeks to live. She also learns that blood tests from the previous year showed a high concentration of lead, but Jennifer is positive she was never told.  Who wants her dead bad enough to deliberately poison her?

The prime suspect is her husband Jake, who asked for a divorce two earlier, a divorce Jennifer is not willing to grant. Jennifer’s three daughters can’t believe their father is responsible for the poisoning and their doubts lead Jennifer to question what she knows is true. Someone wants her dead and she wants to know who.

McKenzie does a great job developing her characters, with chapters devoted to Jennifer and each of the girls. All four women are flawed so be prepared not be real fond of any of them.

What would you do if told you had only six weeks to live?

This book is not available at EPL. Ask any of the reference librarians to get it for you from an area library. 

The Good Nurse: A True Story of Medicine, Madness, and Murder by Charles Graeber (2013) 364.152 G

 

The Good Nurse: A True Story of Medicine, Madness, and Murder by Charles Graeber (2013) 364.152 G

Over his 16-year period, nurse Charles Cullen is believed to have killed over 400 hospital patients. His nursing career began at a burn ward where Charles worked hard, was always available, and was likable enough. As Charles moved between various hospitals and states he would immediately start patients. Sadly, it was not a case of mercy killings; most of the victims were not that ill.

During Charles’ career, hospital personnel had their suspicions about the deaths, but no one wanted to bring unwanted attention to their hospitals. The murders seemed innocent enough; people had heart attacks and sugar imbalance issues all the time. Death in a hospital was not that unusual. Finally, an admin officer took it into her own hands to start an investigation. Once she began looking into the issue, other hospitals began to question the sudden deaths that had happened there while Charles was employed. Others wondered how the hospital’s leadership could have just looked the other way.

Soon Charles became a suspect, but no evidence could be found. It took one brave nurse who had once been Charles’ friend to uncover the truth. She began to wear a wire and tape phone conversations with Charles in hopes he would finally confess to these crimes. Charles is finally arrested but only convicted of 29 of the 40 deaths to which he confessed.

This book is both sad and disturbing. How was this killer able to kill for so long? I hated this story and loved it all the same.

3.81 stars on Goodreads, 4.5 on Amazon

Rust and Stardust by T. Greenwood (2014)

 

This novel is based on actual events. In the late 1940’s a young girl who is desperate to be in the cool girl click is given an initiation challenge. Florence (Sally) Horner is tasked to steal an item before being permitted to join the click. As she gathers her courage to do the deed, a man is watching her. When Sally slips the stolen notebook into her coat this man approaches her. His name is Frank, and he tells Sally he is an FBI agent and has witnessed the thief. Frank agrees to look the other way if Sally agrees to check in with him and keep it a secret. Sally readily agrees.

The next day Frank shows up again and tells Sally she must go to Atlantic City with him to face a judge but she must not tell her mother. Sally tells her mother she has been invited to go on vacation with her friend and her family. Sally’s mother is leery but relived that Sally has a friend and agrees to let her go. After several weeks Sally’s mom is getting worried even though Sally is regularly communicating. As the truth slowly comes out all seems lost.

It turns out Frank is a recently released convict who had been convicted of kidnapping and child molestation. As the police rush to Atlantic City to stop Frank he and Sally have fled to Baltimore. There they stay with a friend who believes Sally is Frank’s daughter. Strangely enough Frank still allows Sally to send home messages to tell her mother she is safe. It is while they are in Baltimore that Sally learns Frank is not an FBI agent; instead, he leads Sally to believe he is her long-lost father.

As the police again close in on them, the couple flee to Texas. While living in Texas, Sally confides in a friend that she has been kidnapped and sexually abused by Frank. Suddenly they are on the move again, this time to California. It is here that Sally is finally able to escape the almost 2-year ordeal.

I would like to be able to say things get better for Sally once she is home but that is not the case. Sally is no longer the 11-year-old she was when she left home; she is now 13 and grown far beyond her chronological age. Sadly, what happened to her over that two-year period does not compare to how her story ends.

I strongly recommend this book but please take the time to read the book before searching Google for information on Sally Horner.

4.13 stars on Goodreads, 4.3 on Amazon

We Thought We Knew You: A Terrifying True Story of Secrets, Betrayal, Deception, and Murder by M. William Phelps (2020)

 

Mary Yoder is a loving wife, mother, grandmother, sister doctor and friend. One minute she is living her best life and the next she contracts a mysterious illness which lands her in the hospital where she suddenly dies. Mary’s family, overwhelmed with grief, insists on an autopsy. The results leave them all confused and reeling. Mary had no enemies and was loved by all. Who could poison her? No one can believe Mary would take her own life.

The investigation focuses on Mary’s husband; the spouse always being the first suspect. When that proves to be a dead end, family members begin to lose faith. Then anonymous evidence pointing to the son Adam begins turning up but that seems to perfect. Why would Adam have cooperated so fully from the very beginning? The police then begin to look at Adam’s girlfriend Katie. But why would Katie want to kill someone who had been like another mother to her? The reason will astound you.

This book drove me crazy trying to figure out why people try so hard to hurt others and why hurting someone innocent would make anyone feel better.

4.12 stars on Goodreads, 4.6 on Amazon

Non-Fiction, True Crime

This book is not available at EPL. Ask any of the reference librarians to get it for you from an area library.

Doctor Dealer: A Doctor High on Greed, A Biker Gang High on Opioids, and the Woman Who Paid the Ultimate Price by George Anastasia and Ralph Cipriano (2020) 364.1523 A

 

This book is about endocrinologist James Kaufman, who couldn’t be satisfied with the extraordinary life he led. He had a thriving practice, the perfect house, the best cars, and an amazingly beautiful wife, April. It was the kind of life most people only dream of having.

On a warm spring morning James is at work when he gets a sudden feeling that something is wrong with his wife. James calls the handyman who is scheduled to come to the house that morning and asks him to check on April. Moments later James receives a return call - the handyman has found April dead in the bedroom. James rushes home and when the police arrive, he appears to be a grieving husband. Yet looks can be deceiving and it is soon evident that something else is happening here. April’s daughter from a previous marriage instantly suspects her stepfather is responsible for her mother’s death. Only there is no concrete evidence. It will take a few years for the truth to come out.

That perfect husband and life were lies. James was later linked to embezzlement, biker gangs, and a drug ring which would lead to the truth of what really happened to April. While some justice will be served eventually, the real culprit would take his own life. This story tells how the truth does come out and shows just how far James went to keep his wealth and secrets away from his wife.

I found this book interesting and informative.

3.34 stars on Goodreads, 4.3 on Amazon

Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen (1993) BIO K

 

This is the memoir of Susanna Kaysen. In the 1960’s Susanna is admitted into a psychiatric hospital with the diagnosis of borderline personality disorder after attempting to commit suicide by overdose. A psychiatrist Susanna had never seen before has suggested she needs a rest. What was supposed to be a couple of weeks turns out to be a 2-year stay. In her book Susanna discusses how she is treated and what the keepers/staff and other patients are like. She also addresses how all of them were able to help her cope with her depression.

I enjoyed reading about the struggles and successes that an emotionally unstable person deals with in their life. I think that many people struggle with emotional disorders and need a pat on the back. This book is that pat.

3.90 stars on Goodreads, 4.6 on Amazon