The Good Divide

 Book 31 of my 2021 Reading Challenge

The Good Divide

by Kali VanBaale

Summary (via the book jacket)

published 2016

In the lush countryside of Wisconsin, Jean Krenshaw is the ideal 1960s dairy farm wife. She cooks, sews, raises children, and plans an annual July 4th party for friends and neighbors. But when her brother-in-law Tommy, who lives next door, marries leery newcomer Liz, Jean is forced to confront a ten-year-old family secret involving the unresolved death of a young woman.

With stark and swift prose, The Good Divide explores one woman's tortured inner world, and the painful choices that have divided her life, both past and present, forever.

First Impressions/Judging a Book by Its Cover

I'm sure I added this book to my 'to-read' list because of the author.  She's a local author who came to speak to our book club when we read "The Space Between".  It must've been before I was on Goodreads because I don't have a rating for it but I remember liking it.

As for this book, I'm surprised because it's a thin book with large text (although it's a pleasant surprise because not everything has to be a mammoth).  Based on the description I can already picture the setting.  A 1960s Midwestern farm wife can easily become a stereotype in the wrong hands but as a fellow Iowan, I think she'll be able to do more than "country=hick".  I'm looking forward to reading it.

My Opinion

4 stars

It began with a strong start and continued to hold my interest through the entire book.  I was so uncomfortable and squirmy because everything felt so real. This easily could have been a 'read in one sitting' book if I'd had the time.

Looking at my first impressions, I was correct that Jean was definitely not written as a farmwife stereotype.  I had no idea where the book was going but was definitely down for the ride. 

The Last Word

 Book 30 of my 2021 Reading Challenge

The Last Word

by Lisa Lutz

Summary

book 6 of The Spellmans series

published 2013

Isabel Spellman is used to being followed, extorted, and questioned—all occupational hazards of working at her family’s firm, Spellman Investigations. Her little sister, Rae, once tailed Izzy for weeks on end to discover the identity of her boyfriend. Her mother, Olivia, once blackmailed Izzy with photographic evidence of Prom Night 1994. It seemed that the Spellmans would lay off after Izzy was fired for breaching client confidentiality, but then Izzy avenged her dismissal by staging a hostile takeover of the company. She should have known better than to think she could put such shenanigans behind her.
In The Last Word, Izzy’s troubles are just beginning. After her hostile takeover of Spellman Investigations, Izzy’s parents simply go on strike. Her sister, Rae, comes back into the family business with questionable motivations. Her other employees seem to be coping with anxiety disorders, and she has no idea how to pay the bills. However, her worst threat comes from someone who is no relation. Within months of assuming control of the business, Izzy is accused of embezzling from a former client, the ridiculously wealthy Mr. Slayter, who happens to have Alzheimer’s, which Izzy and he are diligently trying to keep under wraps. Not only is Slayter’s business and reputation on the line, but if Izzy gets indicted for embezzlement, she’ll lose everything—her business, her license, and her family’s livelihood. Is this the end of Izzy Spellman, PI? The answer makes The Last Word, hands down, the most thrilling book in this bestselling, award-nominated series.

First Impressions/Judging a Book by Its Cover

This is a re-read so I don't have a first impression.  I gave it 4 stars on Goodreads the first time I read it.

The cover is darker and starker than previous books; this definitely leans more into the 'mystery' aspect with the chalk outline of a body and the title formatted like crime scene tape.

My Opinion

3 stars

As mentioned above, I previously read this book and gave it 4 stars.  I'm rating my re-read 3 stars.  Nobody is interacting with each other so it's not as fun.  Even when they fought in the past they were still communicating and I missed the banter when it was the silent treatment.  It also seemed bleaker when not a single thing was under control - every family member, every case, the finances, etc. 

The ending was good though.  Although I would read more if she wrote them, this was definitely written as a final sendoff.

REVIEW FROM ORIGINAL READING (July 2013)

I rarely read books the minute they come out, but Lisa Lutz is one of the few authors I make the effort to a) keep track of exactly when their new books will be released and b) put my name on the reserve list at the library so I can have it right away.
The relationship between the Spellmans is why I love the series so much, and this book was no exception. It was a slower start than the others (the beginning focused more on the cases since the tension resulted in fewer family conversations), but the writing was fresh and I still liked it a lot.
I look forward to future books by the author.
I always recommend reading series in order; the first book in this series is "The Spellman Files".

I Will Remember You

 Book 29 of my 2021 Reading Challenge

I Will Remember You

by Lisa Cardiff

Summary (via Goodreads)

published 2021

After her life crumbles, young widow Emma Clayton escapes Atlanta to create a new life on the estate gifted to her by her deceased husband's mother. In this estate filled with history and secrets, she hopes to come to terms with her grief and learn how to pick up the pieces of her life. 

But instead doing the soul searching she desires, she finds her mind torn between the haunting images of the world of Elizabeth, a young woman who lived there during the Civil War, and her unwanted fascination with the estate's caretaker, a brilliant yet reclusive artist, Caleb Anderson. 

Each time Emma is transported into the past, she becomes more confused as to why she keeps returning to Elizabeth’s life. She finds an unexpected confidant in Caleb, and for reasons she doesn’t understand, he’s hellbent on helping her navigate of the implausible. 

With her life hovering between the past a she doesn’t understand and an uncertain future, she realizes the only way forward is to embrace the impossible. 

First Impressions/Judging a Book by Its Cover

I chose this book from NetGalley (full disclaimer below).  It was categorized as historical fiction and romance; historical fiction is my favorite genre and adding romance could make it a lighter read.   The cover art is light and airy, not quite a "bodice ripper" but definitely a romance feel.  The description was interesting even if it's not reinventing the wheel (it appears to cover two different women living in the same place in different time periods).  

My Opinion

4 stars

**I received an electronic copy of this book via NetGalley and would like to thank the author and/or publisher for the opportunity to read and honestly review it.**

Looking at my first impression, I actually think it did reinvent the wheel a little bit.  Instead of alternating viewpoints between two women as I expected, there was a supernatural aspect when Emma began having visions of Elizabeth's life.  Channeling isn't exactly the right word and I can't say more because of spoilers but my point is that the book stays in one timeline and the stories from the past are given in an unexpected way.

The pages passed quickly.  Other than the supernatural/paranormal stuff, everything else happens organically.  It's mentioned that the house hasn't been lived in and the mother saved everything which would explain certain objects remaining.  The conversations that move the plot along, such as when Emma ran into Lainey, happen naturally.  It was also nice that there was no subplot of anger about the inheritance or between the widow and the in-laws...there was no unnecessary drama or secret keeping.

The ending was good too with just the right amount of sappiness.  I sighed with a warm feeling without rolling my eyes.

I'm not using "fluff" as a bad word here when I say this was just a fluffy, quick read.  I would definitely read this author again.

Women in Science

 Book 28 of my 2021 Reading Challenge

Women in Science: 50 Fearless Pioneers Who Changed the World

by Rachel Ignotofsky 

Summary (via Goodreads)

published 2016

Women in Science highlights the contributions of fifty notable women to the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) from the ancient to the modern world. Full of striking, singular art, this collection also contains infographics about relevant topics such as lab equipment, rates of women currently working in STEM fields, and an illustrated scientific glossary. 

The women profiled include well-known figures like primatologist Jane Goodall, as well as lesser-known pioneers such as Katherine Johnson, the African-American physicist and mathematician who calculated the trajectory of the 1969 Apollo 11 mission to the moon. 

First Impressions/Judging a Book by Its Cover

This juvenile non-fiction definitely has the cover art to appeal to its demographic.  It's been on my 'to-read' list since 2017 so I can't say for sure where I saw it but I'm guessing it caught my eye at a bookstore or book festival and I added it to look for at a later date.

I checked it out from the library now because my 14 year-old daughter was talking to me about a quiz they'd taken at school about notable figures for Women's History Month.  It was a team effort so she was able to tell me how surprised she was about either a) women she knew about that others didn't or b) women she'd never heard of that others had.  I haven't decided if I'm going to read this with her or give it to her after I'm done but either way, I know this will generate more conversation.  

I'm not sure how many of these women I will know but factoring in the STEM aspect, I'm guessing it may not be many.  

My Opinion

3 stars

Looking at my first impressions, I was correct that I would learn about many women -- I kept track and I'd only heard of 8 of the women profiled.  I also learned a new term, "aquanaut", when reading about Sylvia Earle

Great concept but a little lacking on the execution.  The illustrations are great and enhance the text, especially for a juvenile non-fiction book.  However, the author's efforts to keep each profile to two pages (one for a large illustration of the woman and one for the text with lots of little notes and illustrations surrounding the margins of both pages) muddied the waters a little bit. I wasn't sure where to start -- the main text followed by the notes or circle around the text to read all the notes first -- because the margins were filled with completely new information, not even bullet points or highlights of the main text.  

I think either editing the biographies to remain comfortably in 2 pages/woman or changing the setup (maybe the large illustration and sidenotes on one page and the text and smaller illustrations on the other page), or just having a longer book incorporating the notes into the main text, could make a huge difference in the accessibility for young readers.

I will pass this along to my 14 year old because she will enjoy it; the hesitations I mentioned above apply to the younger side of the "juvenile non-fiction" crowd.

A Few Quotes from the Book

"As long as humanity has asked questions about our world, men and women have looked to the stars, under rocks, and through microscopes to find the answers. Although both men and women have the same thirst for knowledge, women have not always been given the same opportunities to explore the answers."

"Women make up half of our population, and we simply cannot afford to ignore that brain power - the progress of humankind depends on our continual search for knowledge."

The Forgotten Room

 Book 27 of my 2021 Reading Challenge

The Forgotten Room

by Karen White, Beatriz Williams, and Lauren Willig

Summary (via the book jacket)

published 2016

1945: When critically wounded Captain Cooper Ravenel is brought to a private hospital on Manhattan's Upper East Side, young Dr. Kate Schuyler discovers a complex mystery that connects three generations of women in her family to a single extraordinary room in a Gilded Age mansion.

Who is the woman in Captain Ravenel's miniature portrait who looks so much like Kate? And why is she wearing the ruby pendant handed down to Kate by her mother? In their pursuit of answers, they find themselves drawn into the turbulent stories of Olive Van Alan, driven in the Gilded Age from riches to rags, who hires out as a servant in the very house her father designed, and Lucy Young, who in the Jazz Age came from Brooklyn to Manhattan seeking the father she had never known. But are Kate and Cooper ready for the secrets that will be revealed in the Forgotten Room?

First Impressions/Judging a Book by Its Cover

This book has been on my 'to-read' list since January 2016.  I'm not sure why I added it back then but I'm reading it currently because of random selection; to avoid only reading new additions, I choose a random page of my 'to-read' list and if my library owns the book, I get it.  That has been a good way to continue my random reading during curbside (no browsing) service.

The cover looks sumptuous, like this is going to be a sweeping, regal (even if not necessarily about royalty) story.  

My Opinion

2 stars

Looking at my impressions before reading it, I would agree this was a sweeping story with an aristocratic undertone covering multiple generations.  Unfortunately, it wasn't the read for me.  

2 star ratings are books that I personally didn't enjoy but objectively, there are redeeming qualities and I could understand why a different reader may like it.  

Positive: The main characters were well fleshed-out and the authors did a good job of continuing the story as they alternated between the characters and timelines.  

Negative: I just couldn't suspend all of my disbelief at the coincidences needed to move along the story.  I can get behind a little bit, such as everyone meeting in the way they do, but when it seemed to develop into every plot point I felt too stretched.  The house has been renovated multiple times yet artifacts are still there?  The characters couldn't talk to each other about misunderstandings (not just the romantic relationships but also parent/child and siblings) yet left letters/physical evidence so future characters could unravel it all? 

So I think someone could become absorbed in the characters and ignore the coincidences.  Maybe that someone could've even been me at a different point.  But on this day at this time, this just wasn't the book for me.

She Kills Me

 Book 26 of my 2021 Reading Challenge

She Kills Me: The True Stories of History's Deadliest Women

by Jennifer Wright

Summary (via Goodreads)

published 2021

A powerful collection of stories about women who murdered—for revenge, for love, and even for pleasure—rife with historical details that will have any true crime junkie on the edge of their seat.

In every tragic story, men are expected to be the killers. There are countless studies and works of art made about male violence. However, when women are featured in stories about murder, they are rarely portrayed as predators. They’re the prey. This common dynamic is one of the reasons that women are so enthralled by female murderers. They do the things that women aren’t supposed to do and live the lives that women aren’t supposed to want: lives that are impulsive and angry and messy and inconvenient. Maybe we feel bad about loving them, but we eat it up just the same. 

Residing squarely in the middle of a Venn diagram of feminism and true crime, She Kills Me tells the story of 40 women who murdered out of necessity, fear, revenge, and even for pleasure.

First Impressions/Judging a Book by Its Cover

I chose this book from NetGalley (full disclaimer below) because of the title and cover art.  Looking at the description, this book has a lot of potential for me to enjoy it.  It's true crime with an unusual slant (women who kill) and covering so many different women makes it likely there will be crimes I haven't heard of.

My Opinion

4 stars

**I received an electronic copy of this book via NetGalley and would like to thank the author and/or publisher for the opportunity to read and honestly review it**

Looking at my first impression, I was correct in my assumptions.  What you expect going into the read is the minimum of what you'll get; there were many unusual extras that enhanced my reading as well.

The book really leaned into the point that women can be just as evil as men.  Historically, women were able to get away with murder because men underestimated their mental capacities and physical strength or they assumed they must have had a good reason to commit the act (but it wasn't all roses since they could be accused of witchcraft or sent to an asylum because their husband didn't like them).  Now we realize women can be just as conniving as men.  To quote the author, "Yeah, that's right, women can be horrible people, too."  Yay feminism!

The book was divided into sections: psychos, poisoners, family, black widows, scorned, mercenaries, royalty, warriors, and avengers.  There were also summaries at the end of each section with extra information about the topic, such as how to spot a psychopath, the timeline of women's independence, and quotations from men throughout history about women in power (spoiler alert: they've never liked it).  

There were trigger warnings at the beginning of each story so you could skip ones involving children, sexual assault, etc. if you wanted to.  Each story ended with the citations of the author's research (instead of one big chunk at the end like usual) so if you wanted to know more about a specific case you could find the information easily and immediately.  

I wavered between 3 and 4 stars but rounded up because of the extra details mentioned above that I haven't seen before.  Even if everything stayed pretty short and superficial in terms of content, it was well-researched and the majority of the information was new to me.  It was entertaining  and funny without mocking or being disrespectful.

Quote from the Book

Note: I read an ARC so this quote may be altered in the final version

" "The world would be so much gentler if it was run by women." - A Man Who Never Read a History Book "

Tender

 Book 25 of my 2021 Reading Challenge

Tender

by Belinda McKeon

Summary (via the book jacket)

published 2015

From almost the moment they meet, Catherine and James become as close as two friends can be. Witty, talented and charming, James is unlike anyone Catherine has encountered before, and she finds herself hungry to explore with him all Dublin in the '90s has to offer - even as James struggles to find his place in it. 

First Impressions/Judging a Book by Its Cover

This was the book in the second month of the "books and chocolate" subscription boxes I received as a gift for Christmas.  The box also included a bookmark, Montezuma's butterscotch milk chocolate, Speculoos Belgian biscuits, and Luxury hot chocolate.

I haven't heard of the book before.  The description peaks my interest but is also vague enough that I feel like I'm going in pretty blind -- is it going to be a quiet book about relationships?  Is it going to be a thriller about obsession?  As a note to myself to check back in after I've read it...it looks like it has the potential to be unsettling and I wonder if that assumption is true.

The book has a shiny, almost glossy-photo feel to it.  The photo/cover art is good quality and adds to the uncertainty of what I'm going to read because it could be interpreted many different ways.

My Opinion

3 stars

As I look over my notes, the number of times I wrote "uh oh..." or "oh no..." really indicates how I felt reading it.  It was like a slow-moving car crash where it felt inevitable that something bad was going to happen yet I couldn't look away.  The characters were grounded in reality and I understood why they were behaving the way they were even though I didn't like it.  Their trajectory made sense but it was also so wrong.  I think it was the mother in me - I remember being in college and feeling like every moment was THE MOST important but I just wanted to hug them and tell them to take a breath and calm down. 

The book felt damp and overcast.  The author did a good job conveying the mental state of the characters.  The longer chapter/sections created spurts of writing and disjointed singular thoughts that felt murky and slippery, like the point was just out of grasp for the character but obvious to an outsider (both characters other than Catherine and James and us the readers).

The 3 star rating is primarily for the ending.  After the tenseness and short, terse emotions of the book, the wrap-up dragged for me.  Even though I appreciated knowing where the characters ended up, it felt long and the conversations were a little too "on the nose" for all the subtlety and evasiveness the relationships had been based on earlier.

Looking at my first impression and checking back in, it was unsettling but not for the reasons I thought.  It's definitely not a thriller but there are psychological twists.  It's also funny I noticed the photo feel of the book because photography factored heavily into the book.

Widowish

 Book 24 of my 2021 Reading Challenge

Widowish

by Melissa Gould

Summary (via Goodreads)

published 2021

When Melissa Gould's husband, Joel, was unexpectedly hospitalized, she could not imagine how her life was about to change. Overwhelmed as his condition tragically worsened, she had to believe that while Joel’s loss was permanent, so was their love.
Left to raise their young daughter on her own, and to act as if she could resume life without her beloved husband by her side, Melissa found that she didn’t fit the typical idea of widowhood or meet the expectations of mourning. She didn’t look like a widow or act like a widow, but she felt like one. Melissa was widowish.
Melissa’s personal journey through grief and beyond includes unlikely inspiration from an evangelical preacher, the calming presence of some Real Housewives, and the unexpected attention of a charismatic musician.
A modern take on loss, Widowish illuminates the twists of fate that break our world, the determination that keeps us moving forward, and the surprises in life we never see coming.

First Impressions/Judging a Book by Its Cover

I chose this book from the options in the Amazon First Reads monthly freebies.  When I'm picking books blindly I tend to gravitate toward memoirs/biographies and that was the case here. 

I deliberately don't look for extra information beforehand and only go off of what the book provides so as an electronic copy with a brief description, I don't have much of an impression.  I'm sure it will be sad so it's strange to say I'm looking forward to reading this but it has the potential to be a life story I'll be drawn into and I want to hear it.

My Opinion

3 stars

Well...shit.  Remember how I said above that I didn't have any idea what it was about? Turns out her husband, who had MS, died unexpectedly after contracting a virus.  As I read this we are a year into the pandemic where we've worked so hard to protect my mom, who has MS, from Covid.  So I definitely took a moment to decide if this was going to be too much to continue reading.  I decided to continue reading it and it wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be but it definitely hit me more because of those connections.

I can tell the author has a history of writing.  She was very open about what helped her while also making good points about how grief is personal -- what she found beneficial was not necessarily the same as her daughter but she recognized that and gave her space to heal in her own way.

Quote from the Book

 "We were coming up on Joel's third week in the hospital. Almost twenty-one days. They say it takes twenty-one days to start or break a habit.

  The habit that seemed to be taking shape was a life without Joel.

   I cried myself to sleep in the same clothes I had been wearing all day."

Trail of the Spellmans

Book 23 of my 2021 Reading Challenge

Trail of the Spellmans

by Lisa Lutz

Summary (via the book jacket)

book 5 of The Spellmans series

published 2012

For the first time in Spellman history, Isabel Spellman, PI, might be the most normal member of her family. Mom has taken on an outrageous assortment of extracurricular activities - with no apparent motive. Dad has a secret. Izzy's brother and sister are at war - for no apparent reason. And her niece keeps saying "banana" even though she hates bananas.

That's not to say that Izzy isn't without her own troubles. Her boyfriend, Henry Stone, keeps wanting "to talk", a prospect Isabel evades by going out with her new drinking buddy, none other than Gertrude Stone, Henry's mother.

Things aren't any simpler on the business side of Spellman Investigations. First, Rae is hired to follow a girl, only to fake the surveillance reports. Then a math professor hires Izzy to watch his immaculate apartment while he unravels like a bad formula. And as the questions pile up, Izzy won't stop hunting for the answers - even when they threaten to shatter both the business and the family. 

First Impressions/Judging a Book by Its Cover

I don't have a first impression of this book because it's a re-read.  I gave it 5 stars on Goodreads the first time I read it.

I don't reread things often but I decided to revisit this series to see if it continues to hold up because it's my default recommendation if someone asks me what to read and I don't know what their tastes are.

My Opinion

4 stars

As mentioned above, I gave this book 5 stars the first time I read it (I will include my original review from 2012 below).  This time I gave it 4 stars.  The 2 year jump from the last book to this one was a great idea.  Since the last book had so many relationship changes and updates, it was nice to have the time jump to establish those dynamics and put the characters in a different stage of their lives (for example, going from pregnancy to raising a toddler) to keep it fresh.  I liked the cases a lot in this one and I hope to see some of the fringe characters again.

REVIEW FROM ORIGINAL READING (April 2012):

Love this series, and this book didn't disappoint. Torn between wanting to read it quickly because I enjoyed it so much and wanting to read it slowly because I knew I would be sad when it was over. Highly recommend! I'm a purist who will always recommend reading series in order, so start with The Spellman Files if you haven't read it yet.

Quote from the Book

"I know what you're thinking. Surely all three cases will become ensnared and converge at the end. But don't get ahead of yourself. That kind of shit only happens in detective novels. How about you quit guessing and let the story unfold as it may? Even I don't know how all the pieces will fall."

Interference

 Book 22 of my 2021 Reading Challenge

Interference

by Brad Parks

Summary (via Goodreads)

published 2020

Quantum physicist Matt Bronik is suffering from strange, violent seizures that medical science seems powerless to explain—much to the consternation of his wife, Brigid.

Matt doesn’t think these fits could be related to his research, which he has always described as benign and esoteric. That, it turns out, is not quite true: Matt has been prodding the mysteries of the quantum universe, with terrible repercussions for his health. And perhaps even for humanity as a whole.

Then, in the midst of another seizure, Matt disappears. When foul play is feared, there is no shortage of suspects. Matt’s research had gained the attention of Chinese competitors, an unscrupulous billionaire, and the Department of Defense, among others.

With Matt’s life in clear danger, Brigid sets out to find him. Will Matt be killed before she reaches him, or could the physics that endangered him actually be used to save his life?

First Impressions/Judging a Book by Its Cover

I picked this book out from the options in the Amazon First Reads monthly freebies.  The description sounded interesting and I have found that reading mysteries/thrillers on an e-reader makes me less tempted to flip ahead and spoil the ending.

Since it's an e-version I only have the cover to judge from the book itself.  The cover art conveys the genre well and the contrasting colors would've caught my eye if I'd seen it on a shelf.

My Opinion

5 stars

This was a thriller that kept me guessing but also moved the story along with excellent pacing.  Reading it on an e-reader definitely changed the experience because it's easier not to "accidentally" flip a few pages ahead and skim a little relief.  I also continually checked the "percentage complete" because I wanted to know when the answers would begin.

Although there were some perfect timing/straining reality moments, the majority of the book was grounded in reality.  I think it helps that quantum physics is such a mysterious topic for most so anything mentioned with the research/virus seemed at least plausible.  The author really played the long game with some of the bread crumbs dropped throughout the book.  I can't give examples without spoiling but it reminded me of the movie "Signs" - there were seemingly inconsequential things being emphasized that didn't make sense until the end.  These things really helped keep things realistic as well; nobody magically appeared with the exact set of skills needed for the moment. 

On a personal note, both the length of time it took Matt to make the potential connection between his health and his work and the fact that his wife knew nothing about it may seem outlandish to someone who isn't married to a scientist.  My husband is an engineer, lovingly called "Robot" in my phone, and I can completely picture the incredulity of the conversation where she realizes he was doing something so major and didn't think it was worth mentioning.