Book Review: A Good Day for Chardonnay, by Darynda Jones

I finished A Good Day for Chardonnay a few weeks ago and just realized I never wrote anything about it. Not because I didn't enjoy it. I chose something light to read because I was going on vacation, and never read any of it! (Should have known there would be no time for reading with the grandkids around.)

Sunshine is a police chief in a small town in New Mexico. You would think it would be quiet and peaceful, but no. There's a big bar fight. Sunny's daughter thinks she has discovered the identity of an old serial killer. And Sunny's unsolved abduction when she was a teen is coming back to haunt her. Levi Ravinder has always been a suspect for that, but Sunny is so attracted to him, she doesn't think that's possible.

While the subject matter might sound tense, A Good Day for Chardonnay is really light with touches of humor and some steamy romance. The side characters add a lot to the light atmosphere.

A Good Day for Chardonnay is the second book in the Sunny series, and I probably missed some backstory, but I didn't really notice that. This isn't my usual type of book, but it was a nice entertaining diversion for a change.

Published by St. Martin's Press, 2021
Copy obtained from Edelweiss+
416 pages

Rating: 4/5

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Audio Book Review: The Diamond Eye, by Kate Quinn

 After thoroughly enjoying The Rose Code, I couldn't pass up the opportunity to listen to The Diamond Eye. I was not disappointed.

Quinn has the ability to take a little-known aspect of WWII and make it so compelling. In The Diamond Eye, she tells the story of a Russian woman sniper, Mila Pavlichenko, who is a real-life historical figure. 

I enjoyed the first part of The Diamond Eye the most. The part where Mila is learning to shoot, joining the Russian army, and killing over 300 German Nazis. Later, Mila becomes a propaganda tool for Russia, traveling to the United States and meeting President Roosavelt and becoming friends with Eleanor. The story involves a plot to kill the president, which Mila becomes involved in. While this adds much tension to the story, I found it a bit far-fetched (although very entertaining.)

So I really enjoyed the entire book, but I guess I thought there was more truth to the first part. However, when I read the end piece where Quinn describes where she got her information (a lot from Mila's memoir, Lady Death,) I realized that there is a lot of truth, even in the last part of the novel.

The audio version of The Diamond Eye is excellent. The reader, Saskia Maarleveld, has an accent, but it is very easy to understand and adds to the story. The voices are distinct, but not overly done. 

If you enjoyed The Rose Code, you shouldn't miss The Diamond Eye. If you are at all interested in WWII fiction, both of these books are must reads. Quinn is a master storyteller, and I intend to keep her on my list of favorite authors.

Published by William Morrow, March 29, 2022, HarperAudio
Audiobook obtained from the library
448 pages

Rating: 5/5

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DNF Thoughts: Harlem Shuffle, by Colson Whitehead

Do you ever push through a book because you think you are supposed to like it? That was my experience with Harlem Shuffle.

Harlem Shuffle is entertainingly written and easy to read. Part of the problem is that I started this book a year ago and read about half of it and quit. I decided it was a "right book, wrong time" issue. I really wanted to know what happened to Carney. I recently returned from a relaxing camping trip, where I decided I could easily power through the remainder of the book. Nope. After reading another 10%, I called it quits for good.

For one thing, it had been too long and I no longer remembered why I wanted to know what happened to Carney. I've been looking for an adjective to describe the wonderful prose, and I've come up with "meandering." No matter how good the writing, I just couldn't stand the pace. The minute details of every situation and character. The backstories, etc.

I really liked Nickel Boys. That's why I was supposed to like Harlem Shuffle. But this just wasn't the book for me.

Published by Doubleday, September 2021
eARC obtained from NetGalley
188/336  pages

Rating: DNF

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Audiobook Review: Blood Sugar, by Sascha Rothchild

I found the premise of Blood Sugar to be interesting and unique.

Ruby has killed three people, beginning when she was just five years old. We begin the story when she is being interrogated by a police detective about the fact that she, in her 30-some years, has been present at the tragic deaths of four different people.

In fact, she was more than present. As the interrogation goes on, we go back in time and hear Ruby's side of the story. All the people she killed deserved it. Ruby isn't a psychopath. She is a therapist with a successful practice. And she is happily married. But when her diabetic husband dies in his sleep, the detective begins to look at Ruby. So now she must defend herself, against the police and public opinion, from the one death for which she wasn't responsible.

Ruby is such an interesting character and I loved the way the story was told. She's really a murderer you can get behind and root for! I really enjoyed the book but felt the ending fizzled a bit. It wasn't very dramatic or surprising; although it was satisfying.

Allyson Ryan is the narrator and if I'm totally honest, she wasn't my favorite. She has this high-pitched lilting voice that I found a bit annoying at times. But not enough to quit, and it probably wouldn't stop me from listening to another book she narrates.

All-in-all, I recommend Blood Sugar if you are interested in a different kind of serial killer. There's no blood or gore, and it is interesting to be found rooting for her to get away with her crimes.

Published by G.P. Putnam's Sons, April 19, 2022, Penguin Audio
Audiobook obtained from libro.fm
336 pages

Rating: 4/5

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Book Review: The It Girl, by Ruth Ware

It took me forever (over a month) to get through The It Girl, but I really enjoyed how it ended.

I'm not sure if I didn't feel like reading because I wasn't engaged in the book, or if I wasn't engaged in the book because I didn't feel like reading. I have read almost all of Ware's books and enjoyed them, but The It Girl just seemed to drag on quite slowly for much of the story.

Hannah and April are roommates at Pelham, one of the Oxford University colleges. April has money, beauty, and friends. One of them is Will, with whom April quickly begins a romantic relationship. But Hannah can hardly breathe around Will, she has such a crush. 

By the end of their Freshman year, April is dead. She was murdered in their room, and Hannah discovers the body.

Ten years later, Hannah and Will are happily married and expecting their only child. They haven't kept in touch with their other college friends, mostly because the memories are too difficult. Hannah was instrumental in having the murderer brought to justice and is happy that part of her life is over. But, when the murderer dies in prison, the publicity begins again. And this time, new facts are brought up that make Hannah think the wrong person was convicted. She feels so guilty she can't stop trying to find the truth.

The chapters jump from "Before" to "After" for much of the book. So I guess there is a lot of background and buildup. But I just didn't get very much tension or anticipation until the "Before" parts quit--I think at about 70% through the book. After that--wow!

I didn't figure out who the guilty person was, which is always a bonus. There is a small group of characters, so it was pretty easy to keep track. The writing was easy. I just didn't get that jolt--the need to keep reading--until way late in the book.

Like I said, maybe it was just me. I do recommend The It Girl, although I would recommend other Ware books first.

Published by Gallery/Scout, July 12, 2022
eARC obtained from Edelweiss+
432 pages

Rating: 4/5

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Book Review: There There by Tommy Orange

There There is an okay book. It is interesting that I read There There shortly after I read Disappearing Earth. Because I had many of the same feelings about both books.

I'm not usually a fan of short stories. And books that have multiple narrators, jumping from one perspective to another that tell just a small piece of a seemingly unrelated story just seem like short stories. I did feel like Orange did a better job of ramping up the tension and showing relationships though.

We are told multiple stories by different Native Americans, and they end up culminating at a powwow at the Oakland Coliseum. We learn early on that some of these characters want to rob the powwow, and guns are involved.

I had a bit of trouble keeping the characters straight, as we jump back and forth among them, but not too bad. I understand the creativity of the way the story is told, and the writing is excellent, but just not my thing. As far as the Native American experience, I guess I got some of that. But I've read plenty of books about life with drugs, alcoholism, poverty, and lack of parental figures that didn't involve Native Americans, so it didn't seem that unique.

The part that I really don't understand is why there couldn't have been one more chapter that finished the story. I think that authors want you to decide for yourself. But, you know what? I'm not a writer. The author is the storyteller, so tell the story! I don't understand why an author would think it would make the book worse if they finished the story and let the reader know what they, the author, thought happened to these characters!! (Stepping off my soapbox now.)

Using multiple narrators for the audio version was very effective. They all did a great job. I had actually decided I wasn't going to finish listening. I was only going to listen until my next audiobook came in (for which I have waited months.) But, not only did it not come through, it got canceled for some reason. Ugh. Well, that's another story, and I'm glad I finished There There. It got better as the book went on.

Published by Knopf, 2018, Random House Audio
Audiobook obtained from the library
304 pages

Rating: 3.5/5

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Book Review: Cold, Cold Bones, by Kathy Reichs

Cold, Cold Bones is a Temperance Brennan Novel--the 21st one! And, as such, it is a familiar trope. But that is not a bad thing--not at all.

If you've read any of Reichs' novels, you will certainly enjoy Cold, Cold Bones. This case is related to several others Tempe has investigated, so having read some of them makes it interesting, although not necessary. Tempe's daughter is back. And Ryan makes an appearance.

I don't really have much more to say about Cold, Cold Bones, except Reichs is a master of drawing you in, leading you down several plausible paths, building up the tension, and then almost breaking you apart at the end.

If you haven't read any of the series, I highly recommend you start. I would begin with an earlier one, but you don't have to. I haven't read all of them, but I think I've read most. I always look forward to Tempe's adventures. If you've watched the TV series, Bones, it is based on this character. But, it isn't the same at all. Read the books.

Published by Scribner, July 5, 2022
eARC obtained from Edelweiss+ & NetGalley
352 pages

Rating: 4/5

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Book Review: Disappearing Earth by Julia Phillips

I realize Disappearing Earth has won multiple honors and gained a lot of praise throughout the bookish world. But this was just not the book for me.

At the beginning of the novel, set in the Kamchatka peninsula at the northeastern edge of Russia, two young sisters are kidnapped as they are walking home. This happens in August, and each chapter is set during the following month. To me, Disappearing Earth read like a book of short stories where the characters in each are tangentially related to other characters, and somehow connected to the disappearance of the sisters.

It didn't seem like we get any closer to finding the girls. There is no build up of tension. It's just storytelling. And Phillips is a great storyteller. The descriptions of setting and characters are colorful and vivid. As I look through others' reviews I see words like "thrilling," "engrossing," "addictive," and "mesmerizing." And I wonder, what did I miss? The last few chapters are satisfying, and we do get a resolution to the case of the missing girls. (This book was so weird, I sincerely worried that Phillips would leave us hanging.) But I don't understand the purpose of most of the chapters in the middle.

So don't take my word for it; I seem to be in the minority. Read other reviews and decide for yourself. I just had to be honest. And I freely admit I shy away from books described as "literary fiction," although I didn't see that description of Disappearing Earth.

The narrator, Ilyana Kadushin, did a great job. I really only finished this book because I was listening to the audio version. If it were in print, I definitely would not have finished.

Published by Knopf, 2019, audio by Random House
Audiobook obtained from libro.fm
272 pages

Rating: 2/5

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Book Review: I Must Betray You, by Ruta Sepetys

Sepetys usually writes about little-known aspects of war or politics, and I Must Betray You is no exception.

It's hard to read. The political situation in Romania in the 1970s and 1980s was so horrific -- and pretty much hidden from the rest of the world. Nicolae Ceaușescu was a Communist dictator that ran the most isolated and oppressive nation in the world. People always stood in line for very little food. Coats were worn inside since little heat was available. Students were required to attend school six days a week. But the biggest issue was the fear.  People were afraid of each other. There was no place to talk, no one to trust. Not even within families.

Christian Florescu is a seventeen-year-old high school student who has been turned in to the secret police for supposed illegal activities, and they bribe him to become an informer. He's trying to navigate his teen years with the usual romantic endeavors. He wants to become a writer, but that seems impossible at this time.

The story starts in October of 1989, and if you know history (which I looked up), Ceaușescu is executed in December of 1989. Christian becomes involved in the resistance and is put in grave danger.

I Must Betray You is compulsively readable. The chapters are short and because of the conditions, the tension is constant. As usual, there are detailed notes at the end and an extensive bibliography. This was an eye-opening book for me, and teens, as well as adults, should consider I Must Betray You. 

Published by Philomel, February 1, 2022
Copy obtained from the library
336 pages

Rating: 5/5

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