(Image from Barnes & Noble)

After the Brooklyn restaurant where they both work goes under thanks to its greedy owner, 16-year-old waitress Hope Yancey and her aunt Addie, a short-order cook, are forced to find new jobs.  Not to mention a more affordable home.  A diner owner in Mulhoney, Wisconsin, has offered Addie a job managing his restaurant.  Although Hope doesn't relish moving to a small, backwards town in the middle of nowhere, she can't deny that she and her aunt could really use a new start.

It's not long before Hope is doing a whole lot more than delivering entrees at the Welcome Stairways Diner.  She's also dishing out advice to the waitstaff, helping a cancer patient run for mayor, fighting corruption in Mulhoney, and falling in love for the first time.  As things grow more and more complicated, Hope has to find the courage to believe in the promise of the name she gave herself because what Mulhoney really needs is a big ole helping of Hope.

Someone (Lark?) mentioned Hope Was Here, a Newbery Honor Book by Joan Bauer, as being one of the most positive books they'd ever read.  Ending 2018 on a happy note seemed like a good idea, so I checked the novel out of the library.  Although this is technically a YA novel, it's sweet and upbeat, reading more like a MG book.  The plot meanders around a bit, but overall, this is a solid story that's uplifting and hopeful.  It teaches some powerful lessons about blooming where you're planted and using your unique talents for good.  I didn't love Hope Was Here, but I did enjoy it.

(Readalikes:  Um, nothing is really coming to mind.  Suggestions?)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for mild violence

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

The Library Book by journalist Susan Orlean has gotten so much buzz this year that you probably already know exactly what it's about.  Just in case you've been living in a remote cave on the edge of civilization, here's the blurb from the back of the book:

Brimming with her signature wit, insight, compassion, and talent for deep research, The Library Book is Susan Orlean’s thrilling journey through the stacks that reveals how these beloved institutions provide much more than just books—and why they remain an essential part of the heart, mind, and soul of our country. It is also a master journalist’s reminder that, perhaps especially in the digital era, they are more necessary than ever. 

for language (1 F-bomb, plus milder expletives), violence, and references to sex and illegal drug use

To the FTC, with love:  I bought a copy of The Library Book from Barnes & Noble with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger.  Ha ha.

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

When her fiancé's private plane crashes in the Colorado Rockies, 31-year-old Allison Carpenter is left alone on a remote mountaintop.  With little food, no shelter, and no way to communicate with the outside world, she must figure out how to survive.  It's not just the elements that are plotting against her—she's harboring an explosive secret that powerful men would kill to keep under wraps.  

Maggie Carpenter hasn't seen or talked to her only child in two years.  When she receives the news that Allison is presumed dead after a plane crash, the widow is filled with sorrow and remorse.  Also a niggling hope.  Allison's remains have not been recovered.  Although everyone urges her to accept the fact that her daughter is dead, Maggie refuses to give up.  After finding some disturbing information about the life Allison's been leading in the years since Maggie saw her, Maggie starts digging into her daughter's secret past.  What she discovers convinces Maggie that her daughter's "death" was no accident.  

In a desperate race to save themselves and each other, both women will have to use all their strength and tenacity to get to the bottom of a disturbing conspiracy that its perpetrators will do anything to keep quiet.

Told from dual perspectives, Freefall by Jessica Barry (available January 8, 2019) is an adrenaline-fueled page turner that kept me riveted despite the novel's loosey-goosey construction.  The plot gets cliché and melodramatic while not making a lot of logical sense.  I saw its big twists coming from too far away.  Allison is difficult to relate to—her cash-centric decisions make little sense and leave her looking like a greedy, self-centered gold digger.  Although I did want to know how this novel ended, overall it didn't feel like a very satisfying read.  I wanted a tighter, more sensical plot; better developed characters; and some surprising twists to keep the story fresh.  Maybe next time.

(Readalikes:  Hm, I can't really think of anything.  You?)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for strong language, violence, blood/gore, sexual content, depictions of illegal drug use, and disturbing subject matter

To the FTC, with love:  I received an ARC of Freefall from the generous folks at HarperCollins.  Thank you!

(Image from Barnes & Noble)

Although Patience Murphy hardly feels qualified to call herself a midwife, she's been delivering babies in Hope River, West Virginia, ever since her mentor died two years ago.  With the Great Depression raging across the country, hitting Appalachia especially hard, Patience receives much thanks for her services, but little payment.  Still, she can't deny a woman in need.  As times worsen, with no money available for fuel or food, Patience fears she will slowly freeze or starve to death.  In the meantime, she helps as many new mothers as she can, assists her handsome neighbor with his veterinarian practice, and protects her black roommate, Bitsy, from hateful Klan members.  It's a difficult life Patience leads, but a satisfying one.  As long as she keeps her real identity hidden, it's also a relatively safe one ...

It's evident from The Midwife of Hope River, Patricia Harman's first novel, that she has plenty of experience with midwifery, but not a lot with fiction writing.  The tale Harman tells here is interesting and authentic, true; it's also slow, episodic, and plotless.  It reads more like a doctor's journal than a story with a defined beginning, middle, and end, which makes sense since Harman's previous two books are both memoirs.  I'm not saying I didn't enjoy The Midwife of Hope River—all in all, I did—it was just a very slow read for me.  Intriguing, but sluggish.  Considering how long it took me to get through the novel, I'm not sure I'll bother reading the book's sequels.  Harman's memoirs, though?  I'll definitely give them a chance because it's obvious from The Midwife of Hope River that the author has had some fascinating experiences delivering babies in poor, rural communities.  I definitely want to read more about that.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of the BBC television show Call the Midwife, which is based on the memoirs of Jennifer Worth)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language (a couple of F-bombs, plus milder expletives), violence, blood/gore, and mild sexual content

To the FTC, with love:  I bought a copy of The Midwife of Hope River from Barnes & Noble with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger.  Ha ha.