Annette's Book Spot: Illinois

Showing posts with label Illinois. Show all posts

Monday, June 22, 2020

Book Review: Mrs. Lincoln's Sisters by Jennifer Chiaverini

I enjoyed Mrs. Lincoln's Sisters, an account of Mary Todd Lincoln's later years. It was a perfect companion to Courting Mr. Lincoln, which I read last year.

Elizabeth, Mary's oldest sister, has been informed that Mary has been institutionalized because she has attempted suicide. Her witnessing the assassination of her husband and then the death of her son just a few short years later has taken its toll. Elizabeth and most of Mary's other siblings have been estranged from Mary for years, but Elizabeth wants to help. But Mary won't answer any letters from any of her siblings. They are assured by Mary's oldest and only remaining son that she is being well taken care of.

We get varying perspectives, and therefore opinions, of what they should do about Mary from other siblings, Francis, Emilie, and Ann. They agree they must overcome their differences to help, but they don't agree on what is best.

As the current story is told, we get flashbacks all the way to Mary's childhood, the death of her mother, her education, the courtship, her political life, the Civil War, and of course, the assassination.

All in all, we get a detailed picture of Mary's life. But is she insane? Did she need to be institutionalized?

As I mentioned, Courting Mr. Lincoln did a great job of describing a mostly missing piece of the history of Abraham Lincoln, and Mrs. Lincoln's Sisters did overlap in that area a bit. But I have become somewhat enamored with the Lincolns, and really enjoyed these perspectives. What a fascinating and tragic life Mary Todd Lincoln had.

If you are interested in this piece of history, I highly recommend Chiaverini's account of Mrs. Lincoln's Sisters.

Published by William Morrow, June 2, 2020
eARC obtained from NetGalley
352 pages

Rating: 4/5

Tuesday, April 16, 2019

Book Review: Courting Mr. Lincoln by Louis Bayard

Courting Mr. Lincoln by Louis Bayard book cover and review

Courting Mr. Lincoln is the fictionalized account of the story of two very important people in Abraham Lincoln's early life - Joshua Speed and Mary Todd.

Mr. Speed is the man that Lincoln ended up boarding with - literally sleeping in the same bed with - when he arrived in Springfield. Speed was a shop owner, and they lived above the shop. They became very close, and Speed had a great deal to do with turning Lincoln into a proper gentleman that would be accepted by society, given his backwoods upbringing.

Mary Todd comes to Springfield to find a husband. Really. She was one of many siblings, and her older sister, who lived with her husband in Springfield, was sending for her sisters one at a time to find them suitable matches in Springfield. Mary proved a difficult case. She was introduced to Speed and Lincoln but never dreamed of a relationship. Well, if one was possible, it was certainly to be with Speed, and not the awkward Lincoln.

The story is told in alternating points-of-view between Mary and Speed. Living in Illinois, I found the history of Springfield to be particularly interesting. The romance between Lincoln and Mary was very tumultuous. At first, it was secret since Mary knew her sister would not approve, and then after they became engaged and everyone knew, they broke it off. Which meant that Mary was "used goods" and destined to be a spinster. All very dramatic.

The story flows easily, even though sometimes we get the same events told by the two different narrators, it worked well and I never lost interest. The relationship between Speed and Lincoln was particularly interesting. Speed had a hard time accepting that Lincoln was getting married -- they had both made a pact that they never would.

The narrative ends shortly after Lincoln becomes President, and really it skips from their marriage to the beginning of the presidency, which was almost twenty years. So this is the story of the "Courting" and not much else. We do get a glimpse of the end of Mary's life, back in her sister's home in Springfield, as well as a sentence or two about what happened to each of the other main characters.

All in all, a very interesting story and I really enjoyed it. However, I am profoundly disappointed that there isn't an author's note at the end explaining the variances from the truth. This seems to be required in a fictional account of a true story. Hopefully, this will be included in the final copy, because it almost made me not want to recommend Courting Mr. Lincoln. You will need to do some research, if you are like me, and need to know! Especially about the event that brought Lincoln and Mary back together after their engagement was over. Is that really what happened?

Courting Mr. Lincoln is marketed as an adult book, but I think teens who are interested in an entertaining historical romance will enjoy this one too.

Published by Algonquin, April 23, 2019
eARC obtained from NetGalley
352 pages

Rating: 4/5

Tuesday, February 6, 2018

Book Review: Love, Hate & Other Filters by Samira Ahmed

I don't remember what I read that prompted me to order Love, Hate & Other Filters through interlibrary loan. But it arrived, and I read it--and really enjoyed it.

Maya was born in the United States and has Indian parents. She dreams of going to film school in New York, but her parents have other ideas. Ideas about her finding a suitable Indian boy and attending a local college. But she's been hanging out with Phil, who she's known since they were in grade school. An act of terrorism hundreds of miles away changes all of Maya's hopes and dreams.

Maya's struggles are real and authentic. She is dealing with parents having difficulty letting her go, with the added issue of her becoming Americanized and losing her Indian culture. She's dealing with the attention she's getting from Phil, even though he supposedly has a girlfriend. And she's dealing with an act of terrorism that, because of her heritage, causes her to suddenly be besieged by students at her school.

The reader gets insight into the terrorist through small vignettes between chapters throughout the book. This is a nice technique and works well to dole out the information. Maya is a sympathetic character that I wanted to see happy. Her supportive aunt gives an alternative idea of an Indian woman succeeding in the United States, which also worked well to demonstrate the turmoil of these poor Indian parents. The plot moves quickly, and the book is easy to read.

I do have a small nitpick. I really don't see schools being locked down for a terrorist attack hundreds of miles away. Not a biggy, but seemed odd. An added bonus is that this takes place in Illinois, which is where I'm located, so this will definitely appeal to my students. Actually, that might be why this ended up on my list. Students of Indian heritage will be able to relate, and others will enjoy learning about Maya's situation and seeing it through their own eyes. I'll be purchasing a copy for my library.

Published by Soho Teen, January 16, 2018
Copy obtained from the library
281 pages

Rating: 4/5

Thursday, August 13, 2015

Book Review: The Uninvited by Cat Winters @catwinters

The Uninvited by Cat Winters book cover and review

I love the way Cat Winters takes an historical time period and immerses her readers in it. The Uninvited is no exception, portraying the influenza epidemic of 1918 in a unique and compelling way.

Ivy has finally recovered from the flu, but her world is still falling apart. There's also the war to consider, and the anti-German sentiment is pervasive in her small Illinois town. She also must live with the curse of the women in her family -- she occasionally sees the ghosts of her loved ones. And without fail, these visions are a prelude to the death of another of her loved ones. Ivy has a vision of her dead grandmother, then finds out her father and brother have brutally murdered a German shopkeeper in retaliation for her brother's death in the war.

Ivy can't take being at home anymore, so she goes and finds lodging in town. But she also feels compelled to visit the brother of the German man who was killed, and try to make up for what her family has done.

She's always been a recluse but now gets involved in rescuing people from the flu, listening to jazz, and building a relationship with the German man.

A couple of things worth mentioning. The Uninvited takes place in Illinois, where I'm from. Several references are made to Collinsville, where a German was murdered during this time just because he was German. I live about ten miles from Collinsville and knew nothing about this true story.

Secondly, this is an adult novel. I didn't realize this, since Winters' other novels have been young adult. At least I thought so. There's nothing explicit in the novel, but there are definitely adult themes, and I would only recommend this to mature teens who have enjoyed her previous stories.

The ending was a surprise. I didn't see that coming. But I liked it and thought it worked well. Given that historical fiction is my favorite genre, I thoroughly enjoyed The Uninvited and highly recommend it.

Published by William Morrow, August 11, 2015
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
368 pages

Rating: 5/5

Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Book Review: Bone Gap, by Laura Ruby

I was surprised by the weird paranormal aspect of Bone Gap. I was enjoying an engaging contemporary story with what I thought was an unreliable narrator. Maybe that's what it is? I have mixed feelings.

Bone Gap is narrated mostly by Finn, who is unusual. Bone Gap is a very small town in Illinois and everyone knows everybody. Finn and his older brother were abandoned by their mother, and now live alone and take care of each other.

Roza is another main narrator. She lived with Finn and his brother for a while in a small apartment in their house. They found her in their barn one morning, beaten and abused. Roza never explained where she came from. They nursed her back to health, and she cooked for them and took care of their garden. Finn's brother was smitten.

Roza disappears, and Finn tries to tell everyone that he saw a man take her away -- that she was kidnapped, but Finn can't describe the man, and everyone thinks Roza left of her own free will.

Finn is feeling guilty because no one will look for Roza. There are many other aspects of the story. Someone leaves a beautiful horse in Finn's barn. Finn becomes romantically involved with a local teen girl, who is also somewhat of a misfit. The next door neighbor is also unusual and keeps his chickens in his house.

At first I thought that maybe Finn has Aspergers, because he never looks people in the eye, but that's not what it is. I thought both Roza and/or Finn may be unreliable narrators, because as Roza talks about where she is being held, it doesn't really make sense. Or else she was drugged. Turns out there is a paranormal aspect, along with a bizarre medical condition that explains those things....or does it? I'm just not sure how I feel about the resolution.

I had difficulty with all the flash backs and flash forwards. It was hard to tell what time we were in -- Roza goes way back into her past, and jumps around to the present, and then to a more recent past. Somewhat randomly, without warning. Finn does the same thing. I needed better transitions, or indicators of a change in time.

The writing was great. The story swept me along and I became involved with these characters. I just felt a bit jarred by the whole premise of the unexpected ending. Bone Gap is easy to read and may be a good book for book clubs to discuss. I'm just unsettled.

Published by Balzer + Bray, March 3, 2015
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
368 pages

Rating: 3/5

Sunday, February 17, 2013

2014 Reader's Choice Award Nominees Announced

In Illinois, our reader's choice award for teens is called The Abraham Lincoln Illinois High School Book Award and it is sponsored by the Illinois School Library Media Association, of which I am a proud board member. I did also sit on the committee to select books for the Lincoln list in years past, so this award is near and dear to my heart.

The list for 2014 was announced Friday, and I'm very exited about it. I think it's a great list! I have no idea which book will win. Here are the nominees:

What do you think? I've read all but three of these. I'm not sure which one I would vote for at this point.

Voting is open for the 2013 Abe Lincoln High School Book Award. I'll let you know which one wins next month. Here's a link to the 2013 Nominees. (Also a great list!)

Monday, October 29, 2012

Book Review: Flutter, by Gina Linko @GinaLinko

Flutter is absorbing and contains some surprises, but I got frustrated with the main characters, and in particular, the romance.

Emery has always had seizures. They are getting worse, and now her father insists that she stay in a hospital because the seizures are slowly killing her. But, these aren't just ordinary seizures. Emery time travels to different places from the past or the future every time she seizes. She may see people she knows during her travels, but not always. She seems to go and see "the boy" a lot. She doesn't know who this little boy is, but he's trying to tell her something.

The worst part is that her father and his team of doctors don't believe Emery.

Emery just wants to be a normal teen and Gia, her best friend, is happy to sneak her out of the hospital to attend a party. But as her seizures get worse, Emery knows she must figure out what the messages in her travels mean so perhaps she can save herself. Gia turns out to be a great friend, and probably my favorite character.

Emery sneaks away to a town in the upper peninsula of Michigan because she's heard about this place in her time travels. It's a very small town and she begins to ask questions and do some research about things she has seen. She also meets Ash, who becomes her protector. He sleeps outside her cabin in a tent in the freezing cold to make sure she is safe. But Ash has secrets too.

I found Emery's life "on the lam" a bit too easy. She had plenty of money, she finds this cabin that she can walk to everything easily, the townspeople all love her and help her, and there's always a bus to take her where she needs to go. The cabin is cold and rustic -- and she needs to keep a fire going in the winter in the UP, but she never complains or laments her difficult situation. And, she always has plenty of clothes to dress appropriately to the events she gets invited to.

I also didn't like the love/hate relationship between Ash and Emery. There was a lot of talking and then storming off and disappearing for a couple of days. Only to fall into each other's arms after. There was just too much tension and back and forth. I didn't think the relationship developed realistically. Ash, with all his mysteries, was also accepted into this community without question. Once again, a little too convenient.

It sounds like I didn't enjoy Flutter, but I really did! The premise is enticing -- it's different -- and Linko's writing is well done. The pacing is great. It's hard to put down. You might think you can guess the secrets, and some of them you will, but I think you will still be surprised by the way several things turn out. I certainly wasn't expecting the ending -- but I think it's appropriate.

Besides everything being a little too easy, and the romance being frustrating, I think Flutter has great appeal to teen readers, with its exciting pace and twists and turns.

Published by Random House, October 23, 2012
eARC obtained from NetGalley
352 pages

Rating: 3.5/5

Thursday, May 17, 2012

Book Review: Unbreak My Heart, by Melissa Walker @melissacwalker

Unbreak My Heart was just the book I needed. A sweet contemporary with interesting characters and a special setting.

Clem is spending the summer with her family sailing the rivers of the central United States. She's perfectly fine with this, since she has lost all her friends.

It isn't clear what exactly happened to cause the rift at the beginning of the story, but it has something to do with Clem's best friend, and her best friend's boyfriend. Clem is depressed, guilty, and is really hard on herself. She doesn't believe that she deserves friends.

Clem's sister is a cutie. She's ten years old, and smart. She knows there's something wrong with her sister but doesn't know how to help. She has supportive parents (yea!), but they get frustrated with Clem also. The heart of Unbreak My Heart is watching Clem work through her predicament and come out stronger on the other side.

Along comes James, who is also spending the summer sailing with his father. They taking the same route as Clem's family, so these two meet up repeatedly over the summer and a relationship develops. It isn't quite clear what is going to happen between these two, since James is brining along some baggage too. (Although he's so SWEET!) The focus of this story is watching Clem work through her problems and come out stronger on the other side.

The relationships are interesting; the sailing life is a unique and well-described setting. This is a pretty short book and the pace makes it easy to keep turning pages. The complications are slowly revealed, and the emotions associated with them ring true.

I loved the Illinois setting (for part of Unbreak My Heart) and I'm familiar with the places they mentioned which is an added bonus. And...the scene with the "George Washington" hair...my kids used to do that all the time except they called it "Martha Washington" hair. Blast from the past!

I can give this book to a bazillion teen girls. They will love Unbreak My Heart for so many reasons. If you like a sweet teen contemporary romance, you must read Unbreak My Heart.

Published by Bloomsbury Childrens, May 22, 2012
eARC obtained from NetGalley
240 pages (Qualifies for my Books You Can Read in a Day Challenge!)

Rating: 4.5/5