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Living in a funeral home can be just as morbid as it sounds, but for the Bright family it represents a new beginning, a chance at a better life.  Thomas and Pauline make the move to Philadelphia, miles away from their previous home, to provide a stable future for their three girls: Maggie, Willa, and Evelyn.  While Thomas learns the mortuary business from his Uncle Fred, Pauline becomes adept at doing the deceased's hair and makeup.  Although the girls are told to stay away from the business end of the home, 12-year-old Maggie is especially intrigued by her father's new job.  She doesn't care if it's not a suitable interest for a young girl, she's fascinated by what goes on in the funeral home.

The Brights haven't been in town long before the mortuary starts filling up with bodies ravaged by the effects of a vicious sickness that is sweeping through the city.  As the Spanish Flu crisis quickly becomes a pandemic, all of the Brights must pitch in to care for its victims.  Even as their own family members fall prey to the illness, they soldier on.  With conditions worsening all around them, Maggie and her mother even venture out into the frigid streets to administer to the homebound.  It's on one of these missions that Maggie makes the snap decision to rescue an orphaned infant.  Little Alex soon becomes the Brights' motivation to go on, their reason to hope for better days.

As the veil between life and death grows continually thinner, the Brights will discover what's most important and the lengths they will go to to protect the ones they love.

I've become a big fan of Susan Meissner's dual timeline novels that connect historical events with contemporary stories.  Naturally, then, I was thrilled to receive an early copy of her newest book, As Bright As Heaven.  I find pandemics like the 1918 Spanish Flu one fascinating, so I couldn't wait to dive in.  Although the story feels very episodic, with no real plot to drive it, it's still a sweeping and compelling novel.  It tells an achingly sad story that, despite its hopeful turn, remains sad.  I'm trying to figure out why I didn't love As Bright As Heaven as much as Meissner's other books.  I liked it, just didn't adore it like I wanted to.  Maybe I would have fanciedd a dual timeline version better?  I'm not sure, but in the end, I didn't enjoy this one quite as much as I wanted to.  Bummer.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of A Death-Struck Year by Makiia Lucier; Like the Willow Tree by Lois Lowry; and Fever 1793 by Laurie Halse Anderson)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for brief, mild language (no F-bombs), violence, and disturbing subject matter

To the FTC, with love:  I received an ARC of As Bright As Heaven from the generous folks at Berkley (a division of Penguin Random House).  Thank you!

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Leia Birch Briggs loves herself a superhero.  Literally.  One drunken night after a book-signing, the comic book author and illustrator finds herself in bed with Batman.  After the (very uncharacteristic) one-night stand, Leia's left with a little surprise—one that's going to make a big impression on her very proper Southern family.  

Before she's had a chance to break her own news, Leia finds out that her beloved grandmother is suffering from a severe case of dementia.  "Birchie" has been out of it for some time, a fact her best friend has been charged with keeping under wraps.  After a scandalous faux pas at a public event, it becomes impossible to hush up Birchie's declining health.  Although Leia is furious at Miss Wattie for her subterfuge, Leia nevertheless hightails it to Birchville, Alabama, to straighten the old ladies out.  Along the way, she picks up her 13-year-old niece, Lavender, who's dealing with her own family crisis.

As if Leia doesn't have enough to deal with, she makes another shocking discovery—a trunk full of bones in her grandmother's attic.  While she sorts through Birchie's house, tries to drum up the courage to announce she's pregnant with a bi-racial baby, and attempts to break through some killer writer's block, Leia also has to solve an old family mystery.  Through it all, she'll learn some surprising truths about herself, her family, and her future.

Although I've heard great things about Joshilyn Jackson, this is the first time I've picked up one of her books.  And you know what?  It won't be the last.  I adored The Almost Sisters, a warm, quirky novel about the ups, downs, and all-arounds of being part of a family.  Although the plot summary makes The Almost Sisters sound like an easy, breezy beach read, it actually has a lot more depth than that.  Hitting as it does on issues like racism, privilege, and the devastating effects of dementia, it's a sad and thought-provoking tale at times.  It's also funny, compelling, and touching.  Even though I saw its big reveal coming from a mile away, I loved this novel and will definitely be looking for more gems from the talented Ms. Jackson.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me of books by Karen White and of The Wedding Tree by Robin Wells)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for language (a dozen or so F-bombs, plus milder expletives), sexual content, and violence

To the FTC, with love:  Another library fine find

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I read a few exceptional novels in 2017, but the one that stands out most is The Disappearances by Emily Bain Murphy.  Why?  Lots of reasons: it's original, it's absorbing, it's intelligent, it's well written, it's just ... magical in a lot of ways.  It's also really hard to describe, so you know what?  I'm not even going to try.  I'll just hit you with the back cover blurb:

What if the ordinary things in life suddenly…disappeared?
 
Aila Quinn’s mother, Juliet, has always been a mystery: vibrant yet guarded, she keeps her secrets beyond Aila’s reach. When Juliet dies, Aila and her younger brother Miles are sent to live in Sterling, a rural town far from home—and the place where Juliet grew up.

Sterling is a place with mysteries of its own. A place where the experiences that weave life together—scents of flowers and food, reflections from mirrors and lakes, even the ability to dream—vanish every seven years.

No one knows what caused these “Disappearances,” or what will slip away next. But Sterling always suspected that Juliet Quinn was somehow responsible—and Aila must bear the brunt of their blame while she follows the chain of literary clues her mother left behind. 

As the next Disappearance nears, Aila begins to unravel the dual mystery of why the Disappearances happen and who her mother truly was. One thing is clear: Sterling isn’t going to hold on to anyone's secrets for long before it starts giving them up.

  

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for violence and brief, mild language (no F-bombs)

To the FTC, with love:  I bought a copy of The Disappearances from Amazon with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger.  Ha ha.

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Hanneke Bakker is a girl who finds things.  Even in an Amsterdam occupied by Nazis and plagued by war-time shortages, she manages to procure cigarettes, tea, extra meat, perfume, etc. for her grateful customers.  War-profiteering be darned, Hanneke must do something to support her parents.  Even with a job that requires taking risks, she's careful.  So, when Mrs. Janssen asks Hanneke to find a missing Jewish girl, she refuses.  At first.  Soon, though, she feels compelled to locate Mirjam Roodveldt, a 15-year-old who disappeared from the secret room where Mrs. Janssen has been hiding her.  

Asking delicate questions in occupied Amsterdam can only lead to trouble and it's not long before Hanneke finds herself attracting the wrong kind of attention.  When an old friend manipulates her into helping the resistance, she sees it as a means to an end.  With the right contacts, she'll be able to find Mirjam faster and reassure a frantic Mrs. Janssen.  The more involved Hanneke gets with the resistance, however, the more dangerous her situation becomes.  Desperate to find answers, she's taking increased risks, risks that could get her—and everyone she loves—killed.  Can she figure out what happened to Mirjam?  Or will Hanneke be the next young woman to vanish without a trace?

Girl in the Blue Coat, a YA novel by journalist Monica Hesse, tells a tense, compelling story set against the always-exciting backdrop of World War II.  Hanneke makes for an intriguing narrator—she's brave and compassionate but also haunted by past mistakes.  Her loyalty makes her both admirable and vulnerable.  The mystery she's chasing remains twisty, leading to a revelation I didn't see coming.  With an engrossing plot, appealing characters, and an intriguing mystery at its core, Girl in the Blue Coat is a must-read for anyone who enjoys a gripping, suspenseful historical novel.  I enjoyed it immensely.

(Readalikes:  Reminds me a little of Sarah's Key by Tatiana de Rosnay)

Grade:

If this were a movie, it would be rated:

for brief, mild language (no F-bombs) and violence

To the FTC, with love:  I borrowed a copy of Girl in the Blue Coat from my daughter's school library as part of my volunteer work for the school's reading program.