Book Review: The Book Woman's Daughter, by Kim Michele Richardson

If you enjoyed The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, then you definitely want to pick up The Book Woman's Daughter. If you are unfamiliar, you should click and go read my review of the first book.

The Book Woman's Daughter continues the story of the packhorse librarians of Kentucky in the 1950s. As the title indicates, this story is about Cussy's daughter, Honey. 

At the beginning of the book, Cussy and her husband are being arrested and taken to jail for miscegenation. The authorities are going to try to take Honey and put her in a workhouse for orphans. So, of course, she runs.

The story involves many old characters and several new ones. I didn't feel Daughter was quite as tense as the original book, but in the end, it ramps up quite nicely.

I highly recommend both books. This book, although a sequel, has been marketed as being a stand-alone, but I would not recommend reading The Book Woman's Daughter unless you have read the original. There is just too much back story in the first book that immediately attaches you to the characters in the sequel.

Published by Sourcebooks Landmark, May 3, 2022
eARC obtained from Edelweiss+
352 pages

Rating: 4.5/5

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Book Review: The Steep and Thorny Way by Cat Winters @catwinters

Cat Winters has solidified her place on my "must read" list with The Steep and Thorny Way. Billed as a reimagining of Hamlet, the story kept me enthralled.

It's the1920s and Hanalee is out to avenge the death of her father. When the kid who went to prison for hitting Hanalee's father with his car is released, Hanalee comes after him with a pistol. He convinces Hanalee that he's not the murderer. That he was framed. That Hanalee's new stepfather, the doctor, is the real killer.

Hanalee begins to investigate, including a couple of visits with the ghost of her father. Turns out, the story is much more complicated. Hanalee's father is black and her mother is white. The Ku Klux Klan has a strong presence in 1920s Oregon and they do not accept Hanalee or any other person of color.

I don't want to say too much about what happens. The tension mounts, as Hanalee begins to understand the truth about her father's death, and she finds herself in great danger because of it.

Winters writes characters that you can't help but sympathize with. It's easy to think the worst of people, but in some cases that's not the truth. And, of course, sometimes those we trust turn out to be the worst! The Steep and Thorny Way is a multilayered story that I couldn't put down. I wasn't really sure about what happened until it was revealed.

I will recommend this to my students along with Winters' other novels, In the Shadow of Blackbirds, The Cure for Dreaming, and The Uninvited. I gave them all 5/5 ratings.

Published by Amulet, March 8, 2016
eARC obtained from NetGalley
352 pages

Rating: 5/5

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Book Review: The Cove by Ron Rash

The Cove is a beautifully atmospheric story set during World War One that involves complex characters and emotions.

Laurel lives with her brother, Hank, in an isolated cove in the Appalachian valley. Their parents are recently dead, and Hank has returned from the war, minus one hand.

It's a hard life, made even harder because the people think the cove is cursed and that Laurel is a witch. A secretive man appears who is mute, and ends up staying to help Hank with the farm. He's also taken a shine to Laurel.

The man's secrets are slowly revealed. We know right away that he has escaped from prison, but there's more to it.

Not much happens in The Cove. It's a somewhat simple story of love and secrets. But the way it is written keeps you in the story. The norms of a society at war and the difficulties of digging a well are just couple examples of explorations in The Cove that make the story rich in atmosphere.

I do have another complaint, though. I'm confused by the last sentence of the book. Does that change everything? Am I getting that right?

I decided to read The Cove because of Rash's other book, Serena, that was weirdly awesome. The Cove just didn't have the same tone, so I can't say I liked it as much, but it was still a very positive reading experience.

Published by Ecco, 2012
eBook, purchased
272 pages

Rating: 3.5/5

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Book Review: Lies We Tell Ourselves by Robin Talley @robin_talley

Lies We Tell Ourselves is a heart wrenching story about school desegregation in Virginia -- with an added complication.

Heart wrenching is a very accurate description. Nine students will attend the fictitious Jefferson High School after winning a suit filed by the NAACP. Now, we've all seen famous pictures from the 60s when this phenomenon was occurring. But those pictures are from the first day. This book recounts the day after day relentless persecution suffered by these teens. Spit wads, taunts of "nigger," shoving and pushing in and out of school, and many other occurrences were common, everyday experiences. It never got better. There was virtually no support or assistance from the faculty or administration. These kids weren't welcome at extracurricular events. And the prom was cancelled because parents didn't want their white kids at the same dance as blacks which just adds to the hatred.

Sarah is our main character, and she is forced to work on a school project with two white girls, Linda and Judy. They meet in a secret back room where Judy works, so no one knows.  Linda's father is the editor of the newspaper and one of the most vocal supporters of segregation. Linda is also afraid of him -- he's a moody and sometimes violent father.

Lies We Tell Ourselves is told from both Linda's and Sarah's perspectives. Their feelings for each other begin at hatred, and eventually turn into friendship and more. Both are confused about their feelings.

We get to know several characters, and that makes the story become real. There are side stories -- Sarah & Linda both sing. Sarah's sister is also attending Jefferson, and Sarah feels like she must do everything to protect her. Linda is dating a much older guy and plans to get married as soon as she graduates. This is a book about the 1960s in general, as well as desegregation.

There is violence against the teens who attend the white school. Some of them don't survive the environment and end up quitting.

Lies We Tell Ourselves speaks to the reader about strength and perseverance and standing up for what you believe. It strongly addresses how easy it is for teens to believe whatever their parents have taught them and how difficult those beliefs are to change.

I almost felt like the lesbian issue was taking on too much. It was dealt with realistically, but the controversy is already so complicated it was almost overwhelming. Sarah is a devout Christian, and prays fervently for God to help her stop these feelings. This issue does make Lies We Tell Ourselves stand out from the crowd, though.

There's a lot here to discuss. Lies We Tell Ourselves is a difficult book to read, but necessary. We still live with prejudices today -- whether about race or other topics, and this book will do a lot to get the conversation started.

Lies We Tell Ourselves is one of those "everyone needs to read this" books. And then everyone needs to discuss it.

Published by Harlequin Teen, September 30, 2014
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
384 pages

Rating: 4.5/5

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