Mrs. Pival Sengupta is newly widowed, and finally free to do as she pleases. For her, that means a trip to America on her own to see what captivated her late son Rahi about this place, if in fact, he really is dead. Not being used to moving about on her own, she books herself on a tour of America with a guide and a companion. It's a voyage of discovery for all three travelers, and an entertaining and moving read. Leah Franqui's debut novel is America For Beginners (#768).
Satya Roy, the Bangladeshi guide who has never left New York City since he smuggled himself into the country is searching for his friend whom he betrayed by taking the guide job. Rebecca Elliot, an out-of-work actress hired sight unseen as a companion is stuck in a treadmill life of failed auditions and meaningless one-night stands. For her, civilization ends at the New York City border, but money is tight. Ronnie Munshi runs the tour company for wealthy Indians, promising luxury accommodations, authentic Indian cuisine and visits to all the top attractions, but under no circumstances should guides/companions admit they do not know the answers to their clients' questions, or that they are Bangladeshi. What could possibly go wrong?
It's a life-changing experience for them all, and for the reader as well. Recommended.
Tuesday, August 28, 2018
Monday, August 27, 2018
A Dictionary of Mutual Understanding
A friend recommended A Dictionary of Mutual Understanding (#767) by Jackie Copleton, and I'm glad she did. Amaterasu Takahashi was in Nagasaki on that fateful day in August when an atomic bomb was dropped on the city. She and her husband survived, but not her only daughter or her seven year old grandson, Hideo.
Trying to leave the past behind, the Takahashis moved to America. Now widowed, Amaterasu is surprised one evening by a knock on her door. Standing on the other side is a badly scarred man who claims to be her grandson. She cannot believe it, yet the stranger hands over a package which he says contains proof of his claim. As she looks over the contents on her own, decades of secrets come rushing back to Amaterasu, bringing back memories she wished to forget...
This is a powerful read, both in its indictment of the use of such potent weapons and their brutal aftermath, and the emotional damage inflicted in relationships gone wrong. Highly recommended.
Trying to leave the past behind, the Takahashis moved to America. Now widowed, Amaterasu is surprised one evening by a knock on her door. Standing on the other side is a badly scarred man who claims to be her grandson. She cannot believe it, yet the stranger hands over a package which he says contains proof of his claim. As she looks over the contents on her own, decades of secrets come rushing back to Amaterasu, bringing back memories she wished to forget...
This is a powerful read, both in its indictment of the use of such potent weapons and their brutal aftermath, and the emotional damage inflicted in relationships gone wrong. Highly recommended.
Wednesday, August 22, 2018
The Trade of Queens
The Trade of Queens (#766) is the sixth and concluding volume of Charles Stross's sci-fi series The Merchant Princes. Frankly, I thought the series ended with a whimper, not a bang, despite the proliferation of nuclear devices used.
Full of political maneuvering across several universes, and endless weapons specifications, I thought the story was remarkably free of action or resolutions. Miriam Beckstein, the eponymous queen of the title, barely makes an appearance here. The same is true of Brill and Olga, main characters in the previous stories. I felt I had invested a considerable amount of time in following their previous adventures. I would have liked having a few more of the various threads wrapped up in this last volume.
Disappointing, to say the least. Based on that, I can't recommend the series.
Full of political maneuvering across several universes, and endless weapons specifications, I thought the story was remarkably free of action or resolutions. Miriam Beckstein, the eponymous queen of the title, barely makes an appearance here. The same is true of Brill and Olga, main characters in the previous stories. I felt I had invested a considerable amount of time in following their previous adventures. I would have liked having a few more of the various threads wrapped up in this last volume.
Disappointing, to say the least. Based on that, I can't recommend the series.
Monday, August 20, 2018
Caught in Time
Murder seems to dog FBI Forensics Specialist Kendra Donovan's footsteps, even in Regency England. Caught In Time (#765), Julie McElwain's third entry in this time-travel mystery series strands Kendra and her nominal guardian, the Duke of Aldridge, in a small town near Manchester while en route to one of the Duke's smaller estates. Fog has interrupted their journey, but hasn't stopped a group of Luddites from smashing equipment at the local mill. The manager of the mill is found beaten to death in his office there. Kendra and the Duke offer their assistance investigating the murder. The locals are quick to blame the Luddites, but after viewing the crime scene, Kendra knows that they are not responsible. Other gruesome murders soon follow. Alec Morgan, the Duke's nephew and Sam Bell, Bow Street Runner are summoned to East Dingleford to aid in the investigation.
Kendra is slowly adjusting to life in the early nineteenth century, but she is still not reconciled to spending the rest of her life there. The constraints on her behavior weigh heavily on her when the local constable and doctor address all of their questions and concerns to the Duke instead of to her. This time she may be dealing with a perpetrator who is more like her than she would like to admit. Apparently their paths have crossed before... In the end, she is given two choices: join him or die.
Murders past and present play a big role in Caught In Time. Motivation is the key to solving the puzzles here. But equally important, how can justice be best served? Intriguing twists abound in this series.
Kendra is slowly adjusting to life in the early nineteenth century, but she is still not reconciled to spending the rest of her life there. The constraints on her behavior weigh heavily on her when the local constable and doctor address all of their questions and concerns to the Duke instead of to her. This time she may be dealing with a perpetrator who is more like her than she would like to admit. Apparently their paths have crossed before... In the end, she is given two choices: join him or die.
Murders past and present play a big role in Caught In Time. Motivation is the key to solving the puzzles here. But equally important, how can justice be best served? Intriguing twists abound in this series.
Tuesday, August 14, 2018
Pandora's Boy
Flavia Albia is roped into investigating the death of a fifteen year old girl in Pandora's Boy (#764). There are rumors of love potions and witchcraft, but the real reason Flavia has dug in her sandals on this case is that her new husband's ex-wife has just about dared her to find out the truth about the girl's unexpected death.
Clodia, according to family and witnesses, was a sweet-natured child, with a crush on an unsuitable youth. She was in good health; so could this be a case of unrequited love aided by a poisonous love potion? As Flavia digs deeper, the name of Pandora keeps cropping up as the source of both beauty products and less salubrious offerings for the women of the toney Aventine neighborhood. The friends who show up at the Volumnii's funeral feast for Clodia are no prizes themselves, and seem determined to close ranks against Flavia's investigation.
Meanwhile, Flavia has her own problems. Her new husband has done a bunk after his ex-wife's visit. He left everything behind, including his aedile's signet and wedding rings. Somehow, Flavia's not surprised when he turns up in the middle of her inquiries, with some helpful information of his own.
Lindsey Davis's Flavia Albia series is a worthy successor to her popular Marcus Didius Falco mystery series. In fact, the two are related because Flavia is Falco and Helena's adopted daughter from Britain. Humorous and clever, these novels are a joy to read if Ancient Rome is a place that appeals to you. Placing Min the Mountain Man in this novel was a personal challenge to Ms. Davis. It's a hoot what she did with him here. You could say it rises to new levels for her!
I'll be looking forward to the next installment in this series. As they say, the past is prologue...
Clodia, according to family and witnesses, was a sweet-natured child, with a crush on an unsuitable youth. She was in good health; so could this be a case of unrequited love aided by a poisonous love potion? As Flavia digs deeper, the name of Pandora keeps cropping up as the source of both beauty products and less salubrious offerings for the women of the toney Aventine neighborhood. The friends who show up at the Volumnii's funeral feast for Clodia are no prizes themselves, and seem determined to close ranks against Flavia's investigation.
Meanwhile, Flavia has her own problems. Her new husband has done a bunk after his ex-wife's visit. He left everything behind, including his aedile's signet and wedding rings. Somehow, Flavia's not surprised when he turns up in the middle of her inquiries, with some helpful information of his own.
Lindsey Davis's Flavia Albia series is a worthy successor to her popular Marcus Didius Falco mystery series. In fact, the two are related because Flavia is Falco and Helena's adopted daughter from Britain. Humorous and clever, these novels are a joy to read if Ancient Rome is a place that appeals to you. Placing Min the Mountain Man in this novel was a personal challenge to Ms. Davis. It's a hoot what she did with him here. You could say it rises to new levels for her!
I'll be looking forward to the next installment in this series. As they say, the past is prologue...
Thursday, August 9, 2018
The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock
What a strange, compelling and wondrous book The Mermaid and Mrs. Hancock (#763) is! Imogen Hermes Gowar's novel has been on the Best Sellers list in England since its debut, and after reading it practically non-stop myself, I can understand why.
Set in London in 1785, it follows the lives of Angelica Neal, a famous courtesan who must scrabble to support herself after the death of the Duke who had her in keeping for the past three years with alas, nothing of value to show for it. Jonah Hancock, on the other hand is an unimaginative widower and honest ship owner who is startled when one of his missing captains returns from the Far East with a most unexpected treasure: a mermaid. What is he to do with a mermaid, especially since it is tiny, ugly and dead?
When Mrs. Chappell, a noted bawd, hears of Mr. Hancock's new treasure, she sets in motion a scheme to make a tidy fortune for herself by duping Mr. Hancock out of his mermaid while being distracted by her former protégé, Mrs. Neal. Things do not go as she had planned; nothing ever seems to. And what of the mermaid? That's one of the most intriguing parts of this unusual story.
The characters here are fully formed and sympathetic. Imogen Hermes Gowar has done her homework to produce such an immersive background for her story. Highly original, and highly recommended.
Set in London in 1785, it follows the lives of Angelica Neal, a famous courtesan who must scrabble to support herself after the death of the Duke who had her in keeping for the past three years with alas, nothing of value to show for it. Jonah Hancock, on the other hand is an unimaginative widower and honest ship owner who is startled when one of his missing captains returns from the Far East with a most unexpected treasure: a mermaid. What is he to do with a mermaid, especially since it is tiny, ugly and dead?
When Mrs. Chappell, a noted bawd, hears of Mr. Hancock's new treasure, she sets in motion a scheme to make a tidy fortune for herself by duping Mr. Hancock out of his mermaid while being distracted by her former protégé, Mrs. Neal. Things do not go as she had planned; nothing ever seems to. And what of the mermaid? That's one of the most intriguing parts of this unusual story.
The characters here are fully formed and sympathetic. Imogen Hermes Gowar has done her homework to produce such an immersive background for her story. Highly original, and highly recommended.
Tuesday, August 7, 2018
Rocket Men
Robert Kurson's non-fiction account of the men and events who made the mission of Apollo 8 possible is as gripping as a best-selling thriller. The difference here is that everything Kurson recounts about the daring, sacrifices and bravery in making Apollo 8 happen to fulfill the goal set famously by John F. Kennedy is real.
Most Americans recognize the names Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins, but their epic landing on the moon's surface would never have been possible without the preliminary work done by Apollo 8's launch against seemingly impossible odds.
Kurson's book takes it one step further, though. He includes the astronauts' wives and families in the mix. Their courage and sacrifices had to measure up to that of their husbands' and fathers'. The emotional strength it took on the part of all personnel involved in the project either directly or indirectly was a contributing factor to the mission's success. Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders deserve their prominent place in the annals of space history. Read Rocket Men (#762) to learn why.
Most Americans recognize the names Armstrong, Aldrin and Collins, but their epic landing on the moon's surface would never have been possible without the preliminary work done by Apollo 8's launch against seemingly impossible odds.
Kurson's book takes it one step further, though. He includes the astronauts' wives and families in the mix. Their courage and sacrifices had to measure up to that of their husbands' and fathers'. The emotional strength it took on the part of all personnel involved in the project either directly or indirectly was a contributing factor to the mission's success. Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders deserve their prominent place in the annals of space history. Read Rocket Men (#762) to learn why.
Dear Mrs. Bird
I feel my time curled up reading A.J. Pearce's World War II novel Dear Mrs. Bird (#761) was time well spent. It put me in mind of one of my all time favorite movies - Mrs. Miniver - starring Greer Garson. Chin up, and keep the homes fires burning.
Plucky Emmeline Lake is keen to do her part to help the war effort, preferably by becoming a fearless Lady War Correspondent. After all, her roommate and best friend Bunty is doing her part working in the War Office. So when Emmy sees an ad in the paper for a job with the prestigious Evening Chronicle, she knows this is the job for her. In fact, she's so excited that she fails to notice when she appears for her interview that she's actually landed the position as assistant to the advice columnist for the Chronicle's sister publication The Woman's Friend.
Mrs. Henrietta Bird is an overwhelming personality who has been writing her advice column since before World War I. Times have changed, but she sees no reason why she should let down her standards. Emmy's job is to dispose of any letters from readers with even the slightest whiff of Unpleasantness (And yes, there is a list Mrs. Bird furnishes as a guide to what constitutes "Unpleasantness" and it's a long one!). But the more letters Emmy reads, the more she longs to reach out to these women and girls, until the day she rebels and sends a private answer back to a desperate reader signed Mrs. Bird...
Living with the privations and very real danger of London during the Blitz, Emmy, Bunty and the colorful cast of characters here still manage to hang onto their humanity and sense of humor. It's very easy to get wrapped up in the lives of these young woman and their friends and coworkers, until heartbreak and tragedy befall them. How they manage to cope and carry on makes for a very satisfying read. Just be sure to have tissues on hand - I guarantee if your heart is not made of stone, you'll need them!
In fact, the only thing I didn't like about Dear Mrs. Bird was the cover art. Frankly, I think it's downright ugly. If I hadn't already read a blurb about this book, I never would have picked it up based on its cover, and that would have been a crying shame.
Plucky Emmeline Lake is keen to do her part to help the war effort, preferably by becoming a fearless Lady War Correspondent. After all, her roommate and best friend Bunty is doing her part working in the War Office. So when Emmy sees an ad in the paper for a job with the prestigious Evening Chronicle, she knows this is the job for her. In fact, she's so excited that she fails to notice when she appears for her interview that she's actually landed the position as assistant to the advice columnist for the Chronicle's sister publication The Woman's Friend.
Mrs. Henrietta Bird is an overwhelming personality who has been writing her advice column since before World War I. Times have changed, but she sees no reason why she should let down her standards. Emmy's job is to dispose of any letters from readers with even the slightest whiff of Unpleasantness (And yes, there is a list Mrs. Bird furnishes as a guide to what constitutes "Unpleasantness" and it's a long one!). But the more letters Emmy reads, the more she longs to reach out to these women and girls, until the day she rebels and sends a private answer back to a desperate reader signed Mrs. Bird...
Living with the privations and very real danger of London during the Blitz, Emmy, Bunty and the colorful cast of characters here still manage to hang onto their humanity and sense of humor. It's very easy to get wrapped up in the lives of these young woman and their friends and coworkers, until heartbreak and tragedy befall them. How they manage to cope and carry on makes for a very satisfying read. Just be sure to have tissues on hand - I guarantee if your heart is not made of stone, you'll need them!
In fact, the only thing I didn't like about Dear Mrs. Bird was the cover art. Frankly, I think it's downright ugly. If I hadn't already read a blurb about this book, I never would have picked it up based on its cover, and that would have been a crying shame.
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