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Saturday, April 30, 2022
Newest "Beervaria" Cozy Not Quite As Charming As the Others
5:34 PM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
(Note: Although this review will not contain spoilers for The Cure for What Ales You, it may inadvertently spoil plot surprises from earlier Sloan Krause mysteries. As always, I recommend reading books in a series in order.)
Beer enthusiasts flock to charming Leavenworth, Washington, every year to enjoy the town's lively Maifest celebration. Craft brewers Sloan Krause and Garrett Strong are excited to debut their new line of drinks at the festival. They're looking forward to a fun, profitable weekend.
Sloan's plans are derailed when she spots a familiar face amongst all the tourists. Marianne is the woman who could hold all the answers to Sloan's many questions about her mysterious past. Sloan needs to talk to her, but Marianne seems to be avoiding her. Why? When a local housekeeper is murdered and Marianne becomes the police's prime suspect, the brewer is even more confused. Why is Marianne in town? Does she hold the answers Sloan has been seeking for so long?
When Marianne warns Sloan that her family is in danger, Sloan goes on high alert. To protect those she loves and figure out the mystery of her past, she must use her detective skills once more to find a killer. Marianne can't be the murderer—or can she?
It's always fun to drop in on Sloan and the gang in lovely Leavenworth. The characters in this series are warm and likable, the setting is vibrant and atmospheric, and the plots are engaging and enjoyable. While the newest installment (#5), The Cure For What Ales You, isn't my favorite, it's still an entertaining read. Unlike its predecessors, this novel focuses a lot on Sloan's mysterious past, which adds a little something new to the story. The plot gets a bit melodramatic and far-fetched (not an uncommon occurrence in a cozy), true, but there was enough substance in the novel to keep me turning pages. I enjoy Alexander's light, fun cozies, so I'll keep reading this series even if this particular installment didn't enchant me quite as much as the others.
(Readalikes: Reminds me of other books in the Sloan Krause series [Death On Tap; The Pint of No Return; Beyond a Reasonable Stout; and Without a Brew] as well as cozy series by Amanda Flower, Vivien Chien, Kylie Logan, etc.)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for brief, mild language (no F-bombs); violence; and mild sexual content (in the form of sexual harrassment)
To the FTC, with love: Another library fine find
Thursday, April 28, 2022
Despite Explosive Subject Matter, The Atomic City Girls is a Slow, Lackluster Slog
7:56 AM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
After her fiancé is killed in the war, 18-year-old June Walker is at loose ends. Wanting to do her bit to help her country, she joins her older sister in Oak Ridge, Tennessee, where a crowd of young women are descending to work at mysterious jobs they're not allowed to talk about. The bustling town—which has suddenly sprung up out of nowhere—is dominated by secrecy and security. Inside its borders, though, Oak Ridge is lively with people bustling in and out of factories, canteens, bowling alleys, movie theaters, and dance halls. June's job as an operator of a big, boring machine is mind-numbingly dull, but her life is more meaningful now than it's ever been. Even though she's not allowed to ask questions about what she's actually doing, she's convinced her role in Oak Ridge—not just as a worker but also as a morale booster for all the young men stationed there—is important.
Dr. Sam Cantor, a 30-year-old engineer from New York, is charmed by June's country girl naiveté. Sam is one of the few people in Oak Ridge who knows what The Manhattan Project is. As his frowned-upon relationship with the younger woman blooms, it becomes increasingly difficult to keep the secrets he's promised to protect from leakng out.
Cici Roberts, June's bombshell roommate, is disgusted by the growing closeness between June and Sam, even though she spends her every waking hour trying to snag a rich husband for herself. Desperate to pass as a sophisticated socialite instead of what she truly is, Cici will do anything to keep her own secrets hidden.
Joe Brewer knows that he and his fellow Negro workers are not treated the same as their white counterparts in Oak Ridge. Still, he needs his wages to send back to his wife and children in Alabama. That requires working hard and keeping his head down, keeping far away from the trouble that's brewing in the colored quarters.
When Hiroshima is bombed and the shocking truth about the true purpose of Oak Ridge is revealed, everyone in the secret city will be left to grapple with their own morality in the wake of the horrifying destruction they've helped to bring about. The lives of June, Sam, Cici, and Joe will be forever changed because of it.
I've never read anything about The Manhattan Project, so I thought The Atomic City Girls by Janet Beard would be an interesting read. And it is, at least in the sense that it gives readers an idea of what Oak Ridge, Tennessee, was and what living there must have been like. Enhanced with historical photographs from the the city's heyday, the book's setting definitely comes alive. Beyond that, though, it is...not exciting. The novel has no plot, which makes it an episodic slog that meanders here and there without really going anywhere. Although I like that the author uses different focus characters to show different aspects of life in Oak Ridge, the four Beard has created are either bland or downright unpalatable. June and Joe fall into the first category, with Sam and Cici in the other. June and Joe are both sympathetic and kind, but they're cardboard cutouts with no real personality or depth. Sam is a broody jerk who takes advantage of a vulnerable young woman for his own lustful desires. Cici is a self-centered snob who only cares about tricking a wealthy man into taking care of her. Ugh. I was rooting for June and Joe (even though neither felt at all real to me), but I despised both Sam and Cici. Beard's simplistic, lackluster prose does not help matters, combining with the novel's other problems to make it even less appealing. Considering all this, you may be asking, "So, why on earth did you keep reading The Atomic City Girls?" Honestly, I'm not sure. It fulfilled a few reading challenge prompts and it's a fast, mindless read. In the end, though, I found it almost wholly unsatisfying. It's boring, depressing, and just meh all around.
(Readalikes: I've heard that The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II by Denise Kiernan is a much better book on the same subject.)
Grade:
Tuesday, April 26, 2022
Top Ten Tuesday: Book-Covered Books, Part 2
1:00 AM
Today's Top Ten Tuesday prompt is easy and fun. Perfect! It's all about book covers with X on them—"X" can be a person, a place, a color, an animal, a particular font, a scene, whatever. I'm sure I won't be the only one who chooses books for my X. What can I say? It's one of my favorite things to see on a cover! I love this theme so much that I actually used it for a list back in January 2020. Luckily, there are lots of bookish covers out there, so I used ten different ones this time around.
Don't forget to click on over to That Artsy Reader Girl and give our hostess, Jana, some love. If you're in a list-making mood today, be sure to join in the TTT fun.
Top Ten Books With Books On the Cover
I haven't read most of these, I just enjoy their cover art. My reviews are linked to the titles of the two I have read.
1. The Woman in the Library by Sulari Gentill—I'm reading this mystery right now. It has a fun story-within-a-story format that I'm really digging.
3. Aria's Travelling Book Shop by Rebecca Raisin
4. The Library by Sarah Stewart
5. Prose and Cons by Amanda Flower
6. The Librarian by Christy Sloat
8. Murder in the First Edition by Lauren Elliot
9. The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
10. The Librarian of Crooked Lane by C.J. Archer
There you have it, ten bookish covers that I love. What do you think? Have you read any of these? Which cover is your favorite? I'd truly love to know. Leave me a comment on this post and I will gladly return the favor on your blog.
Happy TTT!
Thursday, April 21, 2022
Forgotten American Maritime Disaster Brought to Vivid, Moving Life in New Historical Novel
8:48 AM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
As a treat for their employees—many of whom were immigrants with little money for frivolities—Chicago's Western Electric Company planned an elaborate lake excursion to take place on July 24, 1915. Four passenger steamers were chartered to carry people down the Chicago River from Cicero, Illinois, to Michigan City, Indiana, where the company would provide an afternoon of food and fun. Invitees were bubbling over with excitement about the prospect of enjoying a day off picknicking with their families. The festival-like atmosphere soon turned to horror, however, when the overpacked S.S. Eastland began listing to port. In less than 15 minutes, the vessel rolled, trapping hundreds of people inside the doomed ship. Although the boat was still attached to the dock, resting in shallow water, and was equipped with plenty of lifeboats, 848 passengers and crew members died in the disaster.
Drawn by the Current, the final novel in Jocelyn Green's Windy City Saga trilogy, revolves around this forgotten tragedy. Our (fictional) heroine is Olive Pierce, a 29-year-old insurance agent, who is excited when she unexpectedly receives two tickets to attend the outing. She and her best friend, Claire Sterling, board the S.S. Eastland looking forward to a lovely day. When the boat rolls, chaos ensues, and it's only belatedly that Olive realizes Claire is not among the survivors. To assuage the grief and horror resulting from her experience on the Eastland, the insurance agent throws herself into her work, battling red tape to help those affected by the disaster. When she encounters resistance to her efforts, Olive enlists the help of a handsome newspaper photographer. As the two work together, secrets are revealed that could put everything Olive's working for at risk. Can she find justice for those who deserve it most? Will she ever be able to put her own nightmares behind her?
I've enjoyed all the books in the Windy City Saga, but Drawn By the Current is my favorite. Why? For starters, the story revolves around a historical event I had never heard of, which made the story extra interesting for me. Green brings all the emotions that surrounded the S.S. Eastland disaster to vivid life, capturing the excitement of the boarding passengers as well as the horror, fear, and sorrow that soon followed. It's easy to FEEL it all thanks to Green's skilled storytelling. Then there are the warm, sympathetic characters. Olive, especially, is an admirable heroine. She's compassionate, determined, selfless, and ambitious. Rooting for her and her friends is a no-brainer. Plot-wise, Drawn By the Current offers a compelling story that offers a little bit of everything—mystery, romance, action, and suspense. It kept me thoroughly engrossed throughout. Also, although this is a Christian novel, it never gets preachy or heavy-handed. The book deals with several tough issues, but it remains hopeful and uplifting throughout. All of these elements combined beautifully for me, making Drawn By the Current a gripping, moving read. Bonus: it's clean, faith-promoting, and well-written. What more could I want?
(Readalikes: Reminds me a lot of Surviving Savannah by Patti Callahan as well as the previous Windy City Saga books, Veiled in Smoke and Shadows of the White City)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for violence and scenes of peril
To the FTC, with love: I received an e-ARC of Drawn By the Current from the generous folks at Bethany House via those at NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!
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