Book Review: Where the Light Enters, by Sara Donati

I had some difficulty sinking into Where the Light Enters, but once I did, I was hooked.

It is 1884 and Dr. Sophie Savard is trying to rebuild her life after the death of her husband from tuberculosis. She returns to New York, a wealthy woman, and with the help of her cousin, Anna, who is also a physician, she begins to bring her dreams to fruition.

It is difficult being a woman and a physician in the 1800s. But Sophie is also mixed race, and her dark skin closes a lot of doors. Because of her husband's wealth, their marriage was scandalous, and Sophie wants to keep a low profile and mourn in peace.

There is a lot going on, plot-wise, and I won't tell you all of it. Anna has two "adopted" orphans taken away from her because of religious reasons. Anna's husband, Jack, is a police detective. There is an old case where young, pregnant women were deliberately given botched abortions which resulted in their deaths. This case remains unsolved. Now a couple of new cases of missing persons have been discovered, and another death of a woman under mysterious circumstances. Anna and Sophie are consulted for their medical expertise. There are intermittent, seemingly unrelated, newspaper articles about scandals and crimes throughout the story.

There are many other characters, Aunt Quinlan, Elise (a medical student staying with her), the Lees (housekeepers), and Jack's partner, Oscar, to name a few that complete Where the Light Enters. I thought the depiction of life for women physicians might have made it look a bit too easy. Even though they were dismissed by many, to me they seemed to be more accepted than I would have believed. Money helps, I'm sure. And the stories about disturbing medical procedures, the conditions of orphanages, and depictions of the homeless were, no doubt, startlingly accurate.

Be warned: The first thing in the books is an extensive, four-page list of characters that is quite daunting. Followed by a family tree and a map! I almost put the book down right then. But my approach to these books is to just dig right in. If that list is really necessary, I'll end up putting the book down. In this case, it wasn't needed, so don't fret.

I had a hard time determining where the story was going. What is the main plotline? Is it the police investigations? Is it the orphans that are now staying with a relative of Anna? Is it Sophie's plans to use her house and finances to help other young women become doctors? And what do all those news articles mean? I persevered, and eventually, I could feel a rhythm to the tale. And it truly is about all of the above, but I guess mostly about the police investigations.

At the end of the book, the author's note states: "The newspaper articles tucked into various corners are all composites of actual accounts...You may wonder what those women have to do with the Savards, Quinlans, Verhoevans, and Mezzanottes; eventually, you will find out." Then she talks about the notes written for the previous novel in the series. This was the first indication that this was the second book in a series! I had seen "by the author of The Gilded Hour" when reading about Where the Light Enters, but not once does it indicate anywhere that this book is part of the same series! Now I need to go back and read The Gilded Hour. 

The characterizations are what makes Where the Light Enters and what makes me long for more stories. If you are a fan of historical fiction you should let Sophie and Anna and Jack (and everyone else) into your heart too.

Published by Berkley, September 10, 2019
eARC obtained from NetGalley
672 pages

Rating: 4/5

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Book Review: The Hive by Barry Lyga, Morgan Baden

I loved Lyga's I Hunt Killers series, so I couldn't pass up The Hive. I had a few issues, but for the most part The Hive was entertaining, and I think teens will love it even more than I did.

Cassie is having a hard time since her father died. She and her mother have had to move, and Cassie is entering a new school. Her father was a famous internet hacker, and taught Cassie almost everything he knew about coding, but since his death, Cassie has lost her passion for coding and hasn't done any.

Social Media is now governed by The Hive, a new justice system developed by the government to stop online bullying. Cassie believes in The Hive and its ability to mete out justice according to approvals (or disapprovals) by society. According to how many disapprovals a post gets, the person responsible is assigned a level (1 through 5) and assigned a punishment. Hundreds (or thousands) of people can meet this person and help decide an appropriate punishment. Should they have to wear a sign all day? Should they have to disrobe and be naked for a day? These are some of the minor punishments -- it gets worse as the level rises.

When Cassie, trying to fit in at her new school, is goaded to post a funny (but tasteless) comment about the president's new grandchild, no one could predict what happens. Suddenly Cassie is on the run and trying to find a place to hide in order to save her life.

I thought The Hive took a while to get going, but once Cassie is on the run, it gets very exciting and the pace moves quickly. It is very far-fetched, but as my eyes rolled, I was swiftly swiping pages to see what was going to happen next. So, for the teen audience, The Hive will be a good one.

I think the authors were trying to send a message about the dangers of social media, but I'm not sure it comes through very strong because of the improbable plot. But still, it is compelling.

Recommend this to your techie teens.

Published by Kids Can, September 3, 2019
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
416 pages

Rating: 4/5

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Audiobook review: Becoming, by Michelle Obama

I adored Becoming by Michelle Obama. Whether you are a fan or not, it is a fascinating portrayal of an unusual life.

For some reason, I'm always interested in stories of what it is like to be president and live in The White House. I got some additional information from Becoming.

Michelle Obama's life began on the south side of Chicago, with a loving family who encouraged her to be the best she could be. Being black and from the south side didn't offer as many opportunities as other people had. But she was driven to excel from a young age. And, of course, we all know how this story ends.

I really enjoyed hearing about her childhood and how she met and fell in love with Barack.  As I read her description of him, I realized that this man was destined to be president--whether he knew it or not. I loved hearing about having children and trying to raise them as she was raised. Throughout much of the book, we hear how she dealt with her fairly deep hatred of politics and how she never wanted Barack to be president. But, of course, in the end, she was devoted to him and had to help him reach for his dreams.

The stories about The White House and how their lives changed with all the protections they had to endure and their limited ability to move freely in society were my favorite parts. I enjoyed hearing about her struggles to become the First Lady she wanted to be and how her initiatives were accomplished. I guess if I have one criticism of the narrative, it would be that, especially towards the end, she talks too much about Barack's presidency and statistics and details about what he accomplished and how. I just wanted more stories about life in The White House. But it is a small niggle that really didn't change my opinion of the book.

Michelle narrates the audiobook, which made it even better. We all know her voice, and it was soothing and easy to listen to. I did not speed this one up, as I often do. I wanted to hear her tell her story as she intended.

I'm sure Becoming will appeal more to those with similar political beliefs, but I still think this book can be recommended to anyone who is interested in any sort of political or rags-to-riches stories. Becoming is such a positive, hopeful book that I think we all can take something from it.

Published by Crown, 2018, Random House Audio
Audiobook obtained from the library (after a very long wait!)
448 pages

Rating: 5/5

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Book Review: The Long Call, by Ann Cleeves

I enjoyed The Long Call. It isn't one of my favorites, but worth the time.  I thought I had read something by Cleeves before, but looking back now I don't think so.

The Long Call is the beginning of a new series about Detective Matthew Venn called The Two Rivers Series. The series takes place in North Devon, somewhere in the UK where two rivers meet.

A body is found on the beach. A man has been stabbed to death. As Matthew and his team get to work interviewing and investigating, we learn about Matthew's past. His estrangement from a  strict evangelical community, which has also caused an estrangement from his parents. His father has just passed away, so Matthew is dealing with his grief. And this investigation will include his old pastor as well as his mother. Matthew is also married to Jonathan and they live near the beach where the body was found. Jonathan manages the Woodyard, a sort of community center that includes programming for disabled people as well as other programs. The Woodyard also becomes part of the investigation.

So Matthew's life gets deeply involved in the case, as he struggles with personal issues and tries to keep a separation between those issues and his case. There are many characters who play a part, and I had a bit of trouble remembering who everyone was. The Long Call is a police procedural that doesn't contain any nifty Sherlock Holmes deductions, but we get a straight-forward unfolding of the case as the police do.

I didn't have a clue who the "bad guy" was until it was revealed, which is always a positive. The officers are effective at their jobs, and we get a glimpse of their personal lives as well. I enjoyed seeing what made them tick.

I didn't get bored; the plot moved at an acceptable pace. I wanted to figure out what happened and enjoyed the revelations as they kept my attention. An interesting case with interesting characters which I recommend.

Published by Minotaur, September 3, 2019
eARC obtained from NetGalley
382 pages

Rating: 4/5

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Audiobook Review: The Nest, by Cynthia D'Aprix Sweeney

The Nest, while beautifully written, was overly descriptive and just not the book for me.

The Nest is the story of four siblings who are expecting to come into their parents' substantial inheritance (which they refer to as The Nest) when the youngest of the four becomes 40 years old. When the time comes, they discover that their lawyer has given all the money to Leo, one of the siblings, to pay legal fees. The opening scene of the book is Leo leaving a wedding reception with a very young waitress in his very fast car. He's drunk, and as she's performing a sex act, they have an accident. She loses her foot and Leo is in hot water.  So the amount of The Nest is severely reduced, and Leo's siblings want him to pay it back.

The other three siblings are understandably shocked and also in deep trouble. At least two of them are. Jack is in hock for he and his partner's summer house that they've wanted for so long. Jack's partner has no idea the house has been mortgaged again. Jack will lose the house if he doesn't get the money.

Melody has twin girls that are planning on going to very exclusive private schools. How can she take that away from them? But she and her husband won't be able to afford it if they don't get The Nest. Bea is the other sibling, who has problems other than financial.

We learn literally everything about these siblings and their families. Their pasts, their lovers, their business dealings, their thoughts and feelings. And then we learn details of all the side characters. And there are a lot of them. The author goes on huge tangents. It all makes for a very detailed story in which not much happens. I did find myself chuckling and enjoying all of the literary devices that Sweeney uses. It goes on and on, and there isn't a huge payoff at the end, although I felt satisfied. I guess the bottom line is that this isn't my kind of book.

I get most of my audiobooks through the library, and most of them have a waitlist. So I listened to The Nest in three different segments because there was no waitlist for it. So when I finished a book and was waiting for the next one to become available, I would listen to some more of The Nest.

This turned out to be a good way for me to experience the book. I am also much more patient with audiobooks and don't mind so much that they are slow and meandering. Because The Nest certainly was. It also helps that the narrator, Mia Barron, was good. But she was slow too, so I had to listen at 1.5 speed.

I've read that The Nest is soon to be a motion picture, although I couldn't find anything on the IMDB. If you enjoy books just for the literary style and interesting characters, then I would highly recommend The Nest.

Published by Ecco, 2016
Audiobook obtained from the library
368 pages

Rating: 3.5/5

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Book Review: Things You Save in a Fire, by Katherine Center @katherinecenter

Once again, Things You Save in a Fire is not my usual fare.  I'm not sure why I chose to download it, but I really enjoyed this sweet story.

Cassie Hanwell is tough. She's been that way since she's had to deal with some tough situations in her short life. One being her mother leaving her dad for another man on Cassie's 16th birthday! And Cassie has never forgiven her mother.

But Cassie has found her niche. She's a firefighter -- a great firefighter, and as the story opens, she is being honored in Austin, Texas for her heroism. That ceremony will change her life.

I don't want to give too much away, but the ceremony disaster, as well as the fact that her estranged mother has asked Cassie to live with her for one year, has Cassie moving across the country to work for a fire department in a small town near Boston. Her mother has gone blind in one eye and needs Cassie to help out until she gets used to her new situation. Cassie wants nothing to do with her mother and has no intention of forgiving her or becoming close. Cassie has been warned that her new Captain will be difficult. He's one of those firefighters, along with his entire crew, who doesn't think women can be firefighters. Cassie has a lot to prove.

And it does prove difficult. But Cassie, being the tough girl she is, is up to the task. Sort of. Things, of course, don't go as expected, not just in her job, but in every other way.

I really enjoyed the pacing of Things You Save in a Fire. I thought the setup and drama of Cassie's new situation kept my interest and moved quickly. The romance is delightful and had me giggling more than once. The build-up of tension and danger at the end was perfect.

I loved the characters and wanted them to get their happily ever after. And for the most part they did -- after a lot of drama! All in all, Things You Save in a Fire was an easy, light-hearted (for the most part) book that drew me in and left me feeling warm and fuzzy. And, this one could have great appeal for teens too. A perfect little gem if you need a bit of fluff after all those dark fantasies, mysteries, wars, and sci-fi stories you've been reading lately (like me.)

Published by St. Martin's, August 13, 2019
eARC obtained from NetGalley
320 pages

Rating: 4.5/5

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Book Review: The Oysterville Sewing Circle by Susan Wiggs @susanwiggs

Contemporary dramas aren't my usual fare, but I enjoy them on occasion. Susan Wiggs is familiar to me, and The Oysterville Sewing Circle did not disappoint. I was drawn to this one because I love to sew, so anything with "sewing" in the title catches my attention.

Caroline is returning to her hometown, Oysterville, on the Pacific coast of Washington. She hasn't been here lately because she's been working so hard to become a successful clothing designer in New York. Well, things fall apart for Caroline in a couple of different ways.

First of all, just as she is about to achieve some success with her own designs, the designer she works for steals them from her. She has no recourse in this cutthroat business--it is her word against his.

Then, one of Caroline's best friend, Angelique, who is a successful model, dies of a drug overdose in Caroline's apartment. Caroline had suspected she was being abused by a man, but didn't push her on it. And Caroline had no idea Angelique was using drugs. Angelique has two small children--and Caroline is now their guardian.

So she comes home with these children in tow to the loving home of her parents, where she has several siblings. And they all work at her parent's very successful restaurant. Caroline has no interest in the restaurant, but she has no idea how she is going to support two children. Her entrance is also complicated by Will, a childhood best friend who married Caroline's best friend. She's always had feelings for Will that she has kept buried. And now she must face him and his wife once again.

Because of Caroline's guilt over Angelique's death, and her discovery that the abuse of women is much more prevalent than she ever imagined, Caroline wants to try to help these victims in some way. Thus, The Oysterville Sewing Circle is born.

The Oysterville Sewing Circle is a multi-layered romance/drama that easily drew me in. The romance isn't too sappy, although a bit predictable. Caroline's growing relationship with these small children is an interesting development. Her struggle to find a way to create a successful business and find some independence is compelling. And the realistic portrayal of several characters facing abuse is heartbreaking.

It all works well together, and make for a fascinating read. I would recommend The Oysterville Sewing Circle to anyone interested in contemporary drama/romance. Susan Wiggs will remain on my preferred author list.

Published by William Morrow, August 13, 2019
ARC won from a Goodreads contest, and eARC obtained from NetGalley
305 pages

Rating: 4/5

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Book Review: The Turn of the Key by Ruth Ware @RuthWareWriter

I enjoyed The Turn of the Key so much, it was almost "unputdownable." That hasn't happened to me for a while.

Rowan can't believe her good fortune. She's landed a great paying job at a gorgeous house in the Scottish Highlands, away from all the hustle of the city, nannying for three small children. She's been warned that previous nannies didn't last very long, but that doesn't stop her.

It is a difficult situation, given that their mother and father leave on a trip pretty much as soon as Rowan gets there.  The children take a while to warm up to her and give her some problems, but nothing she hasn't dealt with before.

What is even more difficult are the strange occurrences around the house. The footsteps she hears above her room at night, even though she's on the top floor. A locked door that she didn't lock. A disappearing key. And the difficulties of the high-tech system for monitoring and controlling everything in the house doesn't help either.

Ware keeps you guessing, throwing out plausible red herrings over and over again. Who wants Rowan out of the picture? It's not what you think. At least it isn't what I thought! I was totally blindsided by several twists.  And that just added to the enjoyment.

If I have one complaint it is that I didn't think the technique of the whole story being told through letters written to a lawyer was necessary. It did make for a unique wrap up at the end, I guess, so no biggie.

I enjoyed The Death of Mrs. Westaway, also by Ware, a lot. But The Turn of the Key was even better. Highly recommended to thriller fans.

Published by Gallery/Scout, August 6, 2019
eARC obtained from Edelweiss
352 pages

Rating: 5/5

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