JulieLill's 2017 Reading Challenge

Going to challenge myself by doing a pyramid reading challenge!

#1 Author Challenge - Read a Charles Dicken's Book
1)Hard Times Charles Dickens 3/5 stars Finished 7/20/2017

#2 Horror Challenge Read 2 horror books
1)Universal Harvester John Darnielle 3.5/5 stars Finished 5/20/2017
2)Only the Dead Know Burbank: A Novel by Bradford Tatum 3/5 stars Finished 6/5/2017

#3 Children's Fiction Read 3 books
1) Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer by Kelly Jones 3/5 stars 1/2/2017
2) The Adventurous Journey of a Mouse to the Moon by Torben Kuhlmann 3/5 stars 1/5/2017
3) The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom by Christopher Healy 3/5 stars 2/23/2017
Done

#4 Young Adult Read 4 books
1) The Boys Who Challenged Hitler: Knud Pedersen and the Churchill Club by Phillip M. Hoose 4.5/5 stars 1/5/2017
2) Counting by 7s by Holly Goldberg Sloan 4/5 stars 1/16/2017
3)The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge 4/5 stars 2/18/2017
4) The Night Gardener by Jonathan Auxier 5/5 stars 5/9/2017

#5 Crime Read 5 books
1)Charlatan: America's Most Dangerous Huckster, the Man Who Pursued Him, and the Age of Flimflam Pope Brock 5/5 stars Finished 4/25/2017
2)The Beautiful Cigar Girl: Mary Rogers, Edgar Allan Poe, and the Invention of Murder by Daniel Stashower 3.5/5 stars Finished 5/6/2017
3)Abandoned Prayers by Gregg Olsen 4/5 stars Finished 9/7/2017
4)Celine by Peter Heller 5/5 stars Finished 9/24/2017
5) Practice to Deceive by Ann Rule 3.5/5 stars Finished 10/3/2017

#6 Romance Read 6 books
1) Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell 4.5/5 stars Finished 5/15/2017
2) Nine Coaches Waiting by Mary Stewart 4/5 stars Finished 6/12/2017
3) Morning Glory by LaVyrle Spencer 3.5/5 stars Finished 8/16/2017
4)The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever by Julia Quinn 4/5 stars Finished 8/29/2017
5) Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie 5/5 stars Finished 9/9/2017
6)The Little Paris Bookshop by Nina George 4/5 stars Finished 9/28/2017

#7 Science Fiction Read 7 books
1) Ready Player One by Ernest Cline 4/5 stars 1/24/2017
2)The Lemoncholy Life of Annie Aster by Scott Wilbanks 3.5/5 stars 2/4/2017
3) The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North 4/5 stars 7/12/2017
4) Mr. Adam by Pat Frank 3/5 stars 7/28/2017
5)Redshirts by John Scalzi 3/5 stars 9/18/2017
6)Six Wakes by Mur Lafferty 4/5 stars 10/7/2017
7)All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders 2.5/5 stars 10/17/2017

#8 New Authors for Me Read 8 books
1) Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt 4/5 stars 2/2/2017
2) Artichoke Tales by Megan Kelso 2/5 stars 3/4/2017
3) The Bookman's Tale by Ronald Blythe 4/5/ stars 3/15/2017
4) Gast by Carol Swain 3.5/5 stars 3/30/2017
5)Desperate Characters by Paula Fox 3/5 stars 7/31/2017
6) First Comes Love: A Novel by Emily Giffin 3.5/5 stars 10/10/2017
7)Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Okay by Gail Honeyman 4/5 stars Finished 11/9/2017
8) Rabbit Cake by Annie Hartnett 4/5 stars Finished 11/28/2017

#9 Mysteries Read 9 books
1) Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd by Alan Bradley 3/5 stars 2/10/2017
2)Tricky TwentyTwo by Janet Evanovich 3/5 stars 3/30/2017
3)Ten Dead Comedians: A Murder Mystery by Fred Van Lente 3/5 stars Finished 8/12/2017
4) 12.21 by Dustin Thomason 3/5 stars Finished 8/21/2017
5) The Longings of Wayward Girls by Karen Brown 3/5 stars Finished 8/24/2017
6)Endless Night by Agatha Christie 3.5/5 stars Finished 8/27/2017
7)Why Shoot a Butler? by Georgette Heyer 4/5 stars Finished 9/2/2017
8)This Sweet Sickness by Patricia Highsmith 4.5/5 stars Finished 9/5/2017
9) Follow You Home by Mark Edwards 5/5 stars Finished 9/13/2017

#10 Autobiographies and Biographies Read 10 books
1) Not Just Batman’s Butler: The Autobiography of Alan Napier by Alan Napier with James Bigwood 3/5 stars 1/17/2017
2)I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou 5/5 stars 3/19/2017
3)Will Not Attend: Lively Stories of Detachment and Isolation by Adam Resnick 4/5 stars 3/20/2017
4)Maude by Donna Mabry 3.5/5 stars 3/25/2017
5)On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker by A'Lelia Perry Bundles 4/5 stars 4/10/2017
6)Max Perkins: Editor of Genius A. Scott Berg 5/5 stars 4/18/2017
7) Something New: Tales from a Makeshift Bride Lucy Knisley 4/5 stars 5/12/2017
8) Even This I Get to Experience by Norman Lear 4/5 stars 5/27/2017
9)The Shoebox Bible by Alan Bradley 4/5 stars 7/24/2017
10)Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography by Laura Ingalls Wilder Edited by Pamela Smith Hill 2.5/5 stars Finished 12/1/2017

#11 Fiction Read 11 books
1)O Pioneers by Willa Cather 4/5 stars 3/2/2017
2)The Hundred-Year House by Rebecca Makkai 3.5/5 stars 3/3/2017
3) The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins 4/5 stars 4/4/2017
4)A Manual for Cleaning Women: Selected Stories Lucia Berlin 5/5 stars 4/22/2017
5)The Middlesteins by Jami Attenberg 4/5 stars 7/1/2017
6) So Big by Edna Ferber 4/5 stars - 7/6/2017
7) The Book of Speculation by Erika Swyler 3/5 stars 8/8/2017
8) Bellman & Black by Diane Setterfield 3.5/5 stars-11/16/2017
9) The Bone Clocks by David Mitchell 2.5/5 stars 11/21/2017
10) The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy by
Rachel Joyce 4/5 stars 11/25/2017
11) A Touch of Stardust byKate Alcott 3/5 stars 12/4/2017

#12 Non-Fiction Read 12 books
1) Born Bright: A Young Girl's Journey from Nothing to Something in America by C. Nicole Mason 3.5/5 stars 2/21/2017
2) The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu: And Their Race to Save the World’s Most Precious Manuscripts by Joshua Hammer 4/5 stars 3/8/2017
3) Light Bulb Baking: A History of the Easy-Bake Oven by Todd Coopee 3/5 stars 6/3/2017
4)Princesses Behaving Badly: Real Stories from History—without the Fairy-Tale Endings
Linda Rodríguez McRobbie 5/5 stars 6/21/2017
5)The Mother Tongue by Bill Bryson 4.5/5 stars 6/24/2017
6) Seinfeldia: How a Show About Nothing Changed Everything Jennifer Keishin Armstrong 4/5 stars 6/28/2017
7) The Day The World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland by Jim Defede 4/5 stars 10/19/2017
8)The Pride of the Yankees: Lou Gehrig, Gary Cooper, and the Making of a Classic by Richard Sandomir 3.5/5 stars 10/23/2017
9) Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania Erik Larson 5/5 stars 10/29/2017
10) Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race by Margot Lee Shetterly 4/5 stars 10/30/2017
11) Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers by Mary Roach 3.5/5 stars 11/4/2017
12) When Books Went to War: The Stories that Helped Us Win World War II byMolly Guptill Manning 4/5 stars 11/12/2017

Unusual Chickens for the Exceptional Poultry Farmer
by Kelly Jones
3/5 stars
Sweet book about a young girl who is uprooted when her father loses his job and they move to her mother's deceased father's farm. As they adjust to life in a new town, she finds one of her grandfather's chickens. This motivates her to start learning more about them when she discovers that her other grandfather's chickens have been stolen. She gets some help learning about the chickens and ends up making friends while recovering her grandfather's chickens. Told through letters.
Childrens Fiction #1

>14 JulieLill: I like the sound of this book!

The Boys Who Challenged Hitler: Knud Pedersen and the Churchill Club
Phillip M. Hoose
4.5/5 stars
This actually is a YA book and fairly short but nevertheless a fascinating story of a group of Danish teenagers that refused to accept Nazi occupation during WWII while most of the adults accepted the occupation and went along with it. Most of the books that I have read on WWII did not discuss Denmark so I found this very interesting.

Armstrong: The Adventurous Journey of a Mouse to the Moon
by Torben Kuhlmann
3/5 stars
This is a children's book about a mouse who builds a space ship to travel to the moon. I was extremely impressed with the beautiful art work but the story was just okay for me

Counting by 7s
Holly Goldberg Sloan
4/5 stars
Willow Chance is a unusually smart girl who is interested in plants and medical syndromes but not so much in making friends. This all changes when tragedy befalls her and she has to rely on the few friends she has to help her get through it. Funny and smart read-not just for teenagers. Young Adult/Teen

Not Just Batman’s Butler: The Autobiography of Alan Napier
by Alan Napier with James Bigwood
3/5 stars
Alan Napier is probably best known as Alfred, the butler in Batman, the TV series but he had a very fascinating life and career outside of Batman. Born and raised in England, he was related to the Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain on his mother's side. He attended the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art and then spent his whole life acting on the stage, in movies and on TV. The book discusses his life, family and working in the entertainment field.

Originally written by Napier, James Bigwood took over finishing the book and adding comments to the sections written by Napier. At times this was hard to put down especially when the book discussed his family and growing up in England but the discussion of his roles was a little overwhelming since most of his career he had small roles and a lot of them. But overall I enjoyed this book and I learned a lot about him.

Ready Player One by
Ernest Cline
4/5 stars
Set in 2044, the world is a dark and horrible place to live in for most people. People rarely go out now but live, go to school and work on the internet and in OASIS, a virtual world. When a challenge is announced that someone will win millions of dollars in a game set up by the now deceased creator of OASIS, James Halliday, the world goes berserk in trying to find the prize. The book follows Wade Watts and a few of his online friends as they take up the challenge to be the first to find the prize.
This was a fast read and hard to put down. If you lived through the 1980s and love video games you will appreciate this book. Looking forward to seeing Spielberg's film version.

>19 JulieLill: - This was one of my favorite audio books a couple years ago.

>20 Olivermagnus: This has been on my reading list for quite awhile and I was surprised I liked it so much.

Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt
4/5 stars
This is a coming of age story of fourteen year old June Elbus in 1987. Her favorite person in the whole world was her Uncle Finn, a well-known painter and he too was in love with her. After his death from AIDs, the whole family falls apart. June and her sister Greta are fighting. Her parents are working too much and she has no real friends at school. Toby who was Finn's partner was persona non grata in regards to the family. But one day Toby sends her a gift and she agrees to see him though she is supposed to hate him. They begin a covert friendship but someone else knows about it. This was beautifully written and the angst of lost and heartache was palpable.

The Lemoncholy Life of Annie Aster by Scott Wilbanks
3.5/5 stars
Lemoncholy means to make the best of a bad situation and that is the philosophy of Annie Aster. In this story we find Elsbeth Grundy living in Kansas in the year 1895. One day she wakes up and finds that in her far backyard stands a home in her wheat field. She writes a letter to the occupant of the home and leaves it in her mailbox and thus begins a correspondence with Annie, a young woman living in a home in San Francisco in the 21th century that faces Elsbeth's home. But this is not a coincidence and they have more in common then they both know. You have to be able to suspend disbelief in this far- fetched but exciting tale of the two women who are destined to change their futures.

Changed up my challenge a bit. I realized I did not have a section for fiction only so I made autobiographies and biographies into one level.

Thrice the Brinded Cat Hath Mew'd by Alan Bradley
3/5 stars
Flavia de Luce has returned to her home in England only to find her father in the hospital and herself embroiled in a another mystery over the death of a woodcarver in his home where she was sent to deliver a message. While I enjoy Flavia's ability to solve crimes, I despair to see the continued hatred of her sisters towards her and the way Bradley handled her father's illness. Will there be no love or sympathy in her family for Flavia?

>25 JulieLill: - I completely agree. I loved the first few books of this series but now Bradley seems to hate Flavia. My heart broke with each of the last two books. I can't believe Esmeralda's sacrifice. Who will love Flavia now?

>26 Olivermagnus: I'm glad I'm not the only one who feels that way.

The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge
4/5 stars
Faith Sunderly's life has been upturned. Her father, a minister, naturalist and geologist has died after uprooting his family to Australia due to a scandal. The villagers think he killed himself but Faith knows something is wrong and decides to investigate her father's death in a time period where girls were to stay at home and mind their place. Hard to put down! YA Award winning book.
YA

Born Bright: A Young Girl's Journey from Nothing to Something in America
by C. Nicole Mason
3.5/5 stars
This is the true story of C. Nicole Mason who as an African American experienced life in poverty in Los Angeles, California during the 60s and 70s. She discusses what it was like to live in poverty, going to schools who did not encourage the academic growth of her race, struggling with moving from home to home and when she was determined to go to college, not knowing how to go through the ropes of applying for college since no one in her family or neighborhood went to college. She was able to beat the odds and got into Howard University and has made a success of her life. Very eye opening!
Non-fiction

The Hero's Guide to Saving Your Kingdom #1
by Christopher Healy
3/5 stars
This is a fun children's book about the unsung heroes of fairy tales, the princes, who are often unnamed or just go by Prince Charming. The bards of the area have all been kidnapped and the princes gather together to rescue them while fighting witches, dragons and more. This is the first in a series of books about the League of Princes. Loved the illustrations.
Childrens

O Pioneers by Willa Cather
4/5 stars
Cather follows the lives of Alexandra Bergson, an immigrant, her family and friends who live in Nebraska working the land as farmers and dealing with the ups and downs of pioneer life, some succeeding, some not. Beautifully written and compelling. Love Cather's writing. Cather lived for a time in Nebraska and you can tell by her writing how it influenced her.
Fiction

The Hundred-Year House
by Rebecca Makkai
3.5/5 stars
Set in Illinois at the Laurelfield estate, the author takes us through the history and drama of the happenings at the estate including housing an art colony, a suicide and a mystery. Told backwards, the author slowly unravels the fascinating story of the lives that inhabited the mansion.
I wish I had more time because this book deserves a re-read because I think more would be revealed with a re-read. Fiction

Artichoke Tales by Megan Kelso
2/5 stars
This graphic novel about opposing clans whose heads are artichoke like came highly recommended but I really had a hard time following the story lines plus everyone looked alike so it was hard to tell them apart. Adult content not for kids. New Authors to Me - Graphic Novel

The Bad-Ass Librarians of Timbuktu: And Their Race to Save the World’s Most Precious Manuscripts by Joshua Hammer
4/5 stars
This is the story of Abdel Kader Haidara, a historical archivist from Timbuktu and his fellow patriots who saved the centuries old, rare manuscripts of Mali twice. Abdel's initial project was to find and store books from his countrymen and build libraries to showcase them in the 1980's. Unfortunately, he would have to do it a second time when Al Qaeda came to Mali and attempted to destroy their books and heritage. I found this a fast and amazing story which also covers the takeover of Mali by Al Qaeda. Hard to put down. Non-Fiction

The Bookman’s Tale
Charlie Lovett
4/5 stars
Peter Byerly is a mess. After the death of his beloved wife, he moves to England to mourn his wife and to continue in his job collecting and restoring rare books. Upon finding a painting inside a old book that looked like his wife, he tries to find out who painted the picture and who the woman in the picture was which lead him further into the mystery of who really wrote the plays that are attributed to Shakespeare. Not perfect but I had a hard time putting this down. Authors New to Me

I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
Maya Angelou
5/5 stars
This is the first autobiography of Maya Angelou in which she tells the story of her life from birth to young adulthood and the birth of her son Guy in the early 40's. I was blown away with her writing and her recollection of a severe and difficult life growing up in America as an African American child and young woman. She is an amazing writer and I am looking forward to reading more of her books. Autobiography

Will Not Attend: Lively Stories of Detachment and Isolation by Adam Resnick
4/5 stars
Comedy writer Adam Resnick, who has written for David Letterman and Saturday Night Live, now writes about his life in a series of essays that are fabulously funny and yet disturbing. I could not help but laugh through these stories and some hit very close to home. Recommended to those not afraid of dark humor. Autobiography

Maude by Donna Mabry
3.5/5 stars

This is the story of Maude, a woman born in the late 1800s and written by her granddaughter. The reader is taken on a nonstop journey that was Maude's life-from losing her parents early and then her first husband, marrying her second husband because of the social mores at the time and dealing with the major events in her life time from WWI, the flu epidemic, the depression and WWII. Life was hard for Maude but she kept her spirits up and kept going. A fast read and a very interesting look back at a woman's life in the 1900s. Biography

Gast by Carol Swain
3.5/5 stars
In this graphic novel, a young girl moves into a farm community in Wales and begins to explore the area taking her notebook with her to document her discoveries. When she learns about a neighbor who has died, she goes to his farm and looks for clues about him and the life he lead which helps her to learn more about herself. Authors New to Me

Tricky TwentyTwo by Janet Evanovich
3/5 stars
Stephanie, Grandma Mazur, Lulu, Ranger, and Joe are back for another nutty adventure involving a frat and the plague. Loved the first book in the series but after 22 it is starting to get a little old and sections of the book are just repetitive explanations of the characters. However, there is some movement in Stephanie and Joe's relationship in this book. Mystery

The Girl on the Train
Paula Hawkins
4/5 stars
In a drunken state, Rachel observes something from her window on the train that she takes everyday to view the life that once was hers. Shaken from the event, she seeks to find out what happened, not knowing that she is endangering herself. This was told through the eyes of the three women involved in the story. I had a very hard time putting this down! Fiction

>40 JulieLill: I'm glad to hear that you liked it. It's in my TBR pile. I've heard mixed reviews, but I often agree with your reviews so this gives me hope.

>40 JulieLill: >41 Darth-Heather: I read it and I liked it better than Gone Girl.

>40 JulieLill: - I read them both as soon as they came out so I wasn't burdened with any high expectations. I enjoyed them both at the time, but now I hate the phrase "the next Gone Girl" or "the next Girl on the Train". I read a lot of Scandi fiction and hate "the next Girl with the Dragon Tattoo" as well.

>43 Olivermagnus: or authors who are the next Dan Brown!

>40 JulieLill: This book was so popular that I knew it would be made into a movie and I hate reading the book before I see the movie. The book is almost better than the film and if I read it first, I am almost always disappointed in the movie but if I read it after I see the movie, the book enhances what I saw on the screen. Yes, I know that sounds weird but that is the way I am.

I think that statement about being the next... could backfire especially if you are not wild about the book or author.

>45 JulieLill: but when a book is so popular, they bank on the fact that a majority will read the next gone Girl or The Girl on the Train.

>46 EadieB: I agree.

On Her Own Ground: The Life and Times of Madam C.J. Walker
A'Lelia Perry Bundles
4/5 stars
This is fascinating in depth look at the life of the ambitious Madam C.J. Walker, who rose from slave to entrepreneur and philanthropist amid the historical events of the late 1800's and the early 1900's. Bundles who was related to Madam Walker and is a writer and news producer writes of the struggles and triumphs of Madam Walker as she hawks her hair products and employs poor women across the country to demonstrate her products and to help themselves out of poverty. Biography

>36 JulieLill: I read this one a couple of years ago while on a business trip, and I thought it was fantastic. She is such a poet with words.

>49 threadnsong: I want to read more of her!

Max Perkins: Editor of Genius
A. Scott Berg
5/5 stars
This is the biography of Max Perkins, editor for Scribner's who worked with Scott Fitzgerald, Ernest Hemingway, Thomas Wolfe, Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings and many more authors in editing their classics. Berg does a wonderful job in writing this amazing tale of Perkin's life and his close relationships with some of the most influential writers of that time period. I had seen the movie based on this book and wanted to learn more and I was not disappointed. Highly recommended - I did not want this book to end! Biography

A Manual for Cleaning Women: Selected Stories
Lucia Berlin
5/5 stars
This is a compilation of short stories written by Lucia Berlin over the years. Berlin uses her experiences to frame her stories about living in hard times and hard places, working through addiction and the prejudices of others. If you are looking for some feel good stories, pick another book but if you are looking for great writing by an amazing author you are in the right place. Fiction-Short Stories

Charlatan: America's Most Dangerous Huckster, the Man Who Pursued Him, and the Age of Flimflam
Pope Brock
5/5 stars
In this fascinating and outrageous story set in the early 20th century, Pope Brock covers the true life story of Dr. John R. Brinkley, famous doctor, would be politician, businessman and radio innovator who is not all that he seems to be when in fact he is a fake and charlatan taking advantage of his patients and convincing them he could renew their sexual vigor. But instead of healing patients he causes pain and death while being pursued by Morris Fishbein, physician and editor of the Journal of the American Medical Association, who is determined to see Brinkley be punished and removed from harming further patients. One of the best non-fiction books I have ever read. Crime/Non-fiction

The Beautiful Cigar Girl: Mary Rogers, Edgar Allan Poe, and the Invention of Murder
by Daniel Stashower
3.5/5 stars
In 1841, Mary Rogers, a beautiful, young woman who worked in a cigar shop is found dead after being missing for 3 days. Her death incites the newspapers to analyze the crime in a morbid fashion for months and is the main story in the city with hundreds of articles and theories brought forward about her death. Even Edgar Allan Poe becomes involved in the case and writes a story with similarities to Mary Rogers’s death in order to prove who killed her. Enthralling! Crime/Non-fiction

The Night Gardener
By Jonathan Auxier
5/5 stars
This wonderful young adults story revolves around Molly and Kip who are traveling through England after escaping the potato famine of Ireland in the mid 1800's. They have become separated from their parents and are looking for jobs to support themselves. On their travels they come to a manor where they are taken in as servants. They soon discover that they were hired because no one else would take a job there. The longer they stay there they notice something is not quite right with the family who are all becoming ill and they encounter a mysterious stranger who comes at night to take care of the tree growing into the house. I had a hard time putting this down and would love to see this made into a film. YA

Something New: Tales from a Makeshift Bride
Lucy Knisley
4/5 stars
Lucy Knisley, graphic novelist, writes and draws about her engagement and marriage to her on and off boyfriend John. Told through pictures and words, we follow the ups and downs of their relationship and the planning of an unorthodox and unique wedding in modern day. This is another delightful graphic novel for Knisley who has done several travelogues, a web comic series and her wonderful graphic memoir Relish- My Life in the Kitchen. Looking forward to her next project! Autobiography

Eleanor & Park by Rainbow Rowell
4.5/5 stars
Teenagers, Eleanor and Park meet on the bus one day when Eleanor is forced to sit with Park. Both are very uncomfortable but slowly their relationship develops as their background stories unfold and Eleanor finally finds some she can trust and maybe love but will her stepfather break them up. . . Loved it! Romance/YA

Universal Harvester
John Darnielle
3.5/5 stars
A man finds that the VHS tapes at the store where he works at are being altered and his boss becomes obsessed with the tape mystery. A woman leaves her husband and child and they look for her unceasingly. A brother and sister find a car filled with ancient video tapes and try to find who left them there. These are the stories that interconnect in Darnielle's book set in rural Iowa. While this book is considered to be part of the horror genre, you won't find this book to be a true horror tale but there is an uneasiness to these tales that are hard to shake especially when there are no clear conclusions to the mysteries. Horror

Even This I Get to Experience
Norman Lear
4/5 stars
Norman Lear, TV/film producer writes about his life and shows how even growing up in the poorest of circumstances that sometimes life gets better with hard work, ambition and talent. Not happy to just get rich, he has not left his life go by without impacting others by becoming a philanthropist and getting involved in political causes. Autobiography

Light Bulb Baking: A History of the Easy-Bake Oven by Todd Coopee
3/5 stars
This is a short history of the Easy-Bake Oven, a toy for young girls to learn how to bake. If you ever had one, this is a must read. Non-fiction

Only the Dead Know Burbank: A Novel
by Bradford Tatum
3/5 stars
Maddy and her mother have a secret. During the Spanish flu epidemic in the earlier 1900s, her mother conjures up an evil spirit and saves them from death but submits them to everlasting life. Maddy and her mom are then separated and Maddy survives WWI working in film in Europe and then eventually ending up in Hollywood post war with a friend. She finds her niche in making horror films but since she doesn't age she realizes she will have to move on again and again. . . . This book had its highlights and I enjoyed how the author used the novel to show Maddy’s influence in horror films and the use of real horror actors as characters in the book but I just didn't find this very scary.
Horror

Nine Coaches Waiting
Mary Stewart
4/5 stars
Having been a big fan of her Merlin series, I was very excited to read Nine Coaches Waiting. This suspenseful romance involves Linda, a young woman brought to France to be a nanny for Phillipe, a young boy who has lost his parents and is living temporarily with his relatives while his guardian is away. Linda bonds with Phillipe but not all is well at the estate and Phillipe has had a couple of unusual accidents. Amidst these events, Raoul, Phillipe's uncle comes to the estate and an attraction between him and Linda begins but Linda becomes wary of the family and takes off with Phillipe fearing for his life. The story has aged a little but I enjoyed it. Romance

>63 JulieLill: I haven't read the Merlin ones yet, but am looking forward to them. I've enjoyed few of her romantic-suspense ones, and like her writing style.

>63 JulieLill: >64 Darth-Heather: I still want to read the Merlin books too and do have copies of them.

Princesses Behaving Badly: Real Stories from History—without the Fairy-Tale Endings
Linda Rodríguez McRobbie
5/5 stars
McRobbie tells the fascinating and factual tales of real life princesses who are far from the fairy tale princesses we all grew up with as children. Many of these women had miserable lives and some caused a lot of misery. The author also deals with the inbreeding of the royals causing their children to be born with genetic defects and there is a section on the dollar princesses who were not royalty but were rich and married into royalty. Non-fiction

The Mother Tongue by Bill Bryson
4.5/5 stars
Bill Bryson is an enjoyable writer and I was not disappointed in this book originally released in 1990. You would think that a book on the English language would be as dry as toast but I found it fascinating and Bryson's writing made it a joy to read. I especially got a kick out of the chapter on Word Play and there were sections that just made me laugh out loud. The section on Names was also quite interesting and dealt with meanings of words that are not the same in different countries like when Standard Oil was thinking about to changing its name to Enco till they learned the enco meant stalled car in Japan. Highly recommended! I wonder if he has ever thought about updating the book and discuss what changes have happened since the original. Non-fiction

Seinfeldia: How a Show About Nothing Changed Everything
Jennifer Keishin Armstrong
4/5 stars
Armstrong discusses the phenomenon of the continued fan obsession of the Seinfeld show despite having ended in 1998 and its influence on American culture till this very day. The book is definitely geared to Seinfeld fans and from a few reviews that I read of this book, it covers some material already covered in other books on the show of which there are quite a few. I have not read any of the other books but I found this book very interesting and it has inspired me to re-watch the series again. Non-Fiction

The Middlesteins
by Jami Attenberg
4/5 stars
Set in Chicago and the nearby suburbs, we find a Jewish family that is falling apart. When Edie, an accountant and her husband, Richard Middlestein, a pharmacist, separate the children are appalled and it affects the lives of all including their grandchildren and friends. This was a fascinating, quick read for me and I love the ending which is probably one of the most realistic endings I have read in a while. Fiction

So Big by Edna Ferber
4/5 stars
Edna Ferber's So Big though written in 1924 is still a wonderful and relate-able read to modern readers. It follows the story of Selina Peake DeJong, who after losing her father has to make over her life while coping with a change of fortune. She ends up in a farm community teaching their children and falling in love with a young farmer and supporting the artistic talents of a young neighbor. Despite hard times she puts her whole life into her family's farm and raising her son who is her pride and joy but who will make choices he eventually will regret. Fiction

The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August
Claire North
4/5 stars
Lead character, Harry August is born a kalachakra which is a person who lives multiple but not infinite lives. When he dies, his life is reset and he is reborn to live his life again. Harry does not have a boring life and has encountered a similar kalachakra, Vincent Rankis who is bent on making a quantum mirror which could have devastating results for the Earth. Harry spends each of his lives tracking Vincent down in hopes of preventing a possible catastrophe that could be caused by Rankis with the only means possible of destroying him. Not a perfect book but very intriguing and thought provoking! Science Fiction

Hard Times
Charles Dickens
3/5 stars
The setting is the industrial age in England where money, machinery and materialism off sets relationships, love and respect of all humans. Mr. Thomas Gradgrind is a teacher and has taught his children and his students, the importance of hard work, facts and reality. This leads his daughter into an unfortunate loveless marriage and a son who becomes addicted to gaming. Things come to a head when a man who works at the local factory is eschewed for speaking his mind, forced to leave his job and accused of stealing.
I had a little difficulty with some of the language but there were references in the index for some of the vocabulary and sayings but otherwise I enjoyed the book. Charles Dicken's Book

The Shoebox Bible
Alan Bradley
4/5 stars
Alan Bradley writes so beautifully and tenderly of his life in Canada with his mother and sisters after his father leaves the family and they struggle day to day to live. The shoebox bible refers to a box kept by his mother of bible verses that Bradley as a young child discovers. After reading this, I am pretty sure that he used his sisters as models for Flavia's sisters in his Flavia de Luce mystery series. I rarely re-read books but this is one I definitely would. Autobiography

Mr. Adam
by Pat Frank
3/5 stars
In this science fiction satire written in 1946, we find Mr. Adam as the only man left in the world with the ability to sire children after a atomic plant explosion. He is whisked away to Washington to assist in impregnating women but the politicians leave him disgusted and he does the only thing he can think of to prevent him from being the only fertile man around. I think this story has held up pretty well and while not a perfect novel, I found it pretty entertaining. Science Fiction

Desperate Characters
Paula Fox
3/5 stars
I have never read Paula Fox and when she passed away recently, I heard good things about her writing and had decided to add her to my reading list. In this book, Fox writes about a couple who are undergoing many changes in their lives but when a stray cat scratches Sophie, this act seems to exacerbate all their problems and causes Sophie to re-evaluate her life and her marriage. Fox does a wonderful job building up the tension in and between her and her husband. It is so palpable it makes the reader uncomfortably share their despair. New Authors for Me

The Book of Speculation by Erika Swyler
3/5 stars
Simon Watson, a librarian and his sister Enola have seen plenty of tragedy. Having lost both parents, one by drowning, they now live separate lives. After he loses his job, Simon receives an unusual book in the mail about a traveling circus that includes a story about a mermaid who drowned. Who sent him this book and why? Does this have anything to do with his mother's tragedy? Interesting read!
Fiction

Morning Glory
LaVyrle Spencer
3.5/5 stars
It is the late 1930's and Elly Dinsmore, a recent widow and mother of two with one on the way, was desperate. She could not take care of her family and her home by herself so she advertised for a husband. Will Parker, a drifter, who served time in prison and could not find a steady job was also desperate till he sees her ad as his last chance to redeem himself. The two try to make a go of it though many obstacles keep getting in their way. I am not much of a romance reader but I really enjoyed this sweet novel about love and redemption. Romance

12.21
Dustin Thomason
3/5 stars
December 12th, 2012 is well known for doomsayers and in this mystery thriller about the possibilities of the end of the world, a man comes to the ER in California, dying due to sleep deprivation from an unknown cause. Dr. Stanton, who investigates infectious diseases is called in to see this patient. In the meantime, Chel, a young Mayan researcher has received a rare, illegal codex from a Mayan ruin. As their paths collide, Chel and Dr. Stanton have to race to find the cure before the deaths of millions of people. Enjoyable read though you may need to suspend some disbelief while reading this story. Mystery

The Longings of Wayward Girls
Karen Brown
3/5 stars
In the early 2000's, Sadie, a young mother who after facing a miscarriage, reflects on her life and the choices she made in the past and the present day when she gets involved with a man from her youth. His return brings back the horror of a summer in the 70's when a girl went missing and reveals the extent of their culpability. There is a feeling of dread through out this story. Mystery

Endless Night
Agatha Christie
3.5/5 stars
A young heiress, Ellie meets a young man, Michael who is chauffeuring her through Europe. They fall very much in love and marry. After their marriage, Michael finds out a piece of property called Gypsy's Acre is up for sale and convinces his wife to buy it even though there is a curse on the property. Another wonderful read from the great Christie. I sped through this in a weekend because I just could not put it down. Mystery

The Secret Diaries of Miss Miranda Cheever
Julia Quinn
4/5 stars
Miss Miranda Cheever has an unhappy home life with a father who spends little time with her. To compensate she spends most of her time with her best friend, Olivia Bevelstoke. When Olivia's brother the Viscount Turner returns home after his horrible wife died, he runs into Miranda, who is quite lovely as a grownup. Turner and Miranda become attracted to each other but of course they have to go through quite a lot of grief before we learn their fate. I found this to be a fast read and enjoyed the romance between the two characters. If you like the romance genre, you will probably appreciate this book. Romance

Why Shoot a Butler?
By Georgette Heyer
4/5 stars
This classic mystery novel by the prolific author Georgette Heyer still stands up today. Barrister Frank Amberley is on his way to a wedding when he becomes lost due to the directions his cousin gave him. He happens upon a car with a dead man in it and a young girl standing beside it. Believing the girl had nothing to do with the murder; he drives to the police station to report it and so begins his part in a murder mystery which revolves around an inheritance. I found this thoroughly enjoyable though the ending is a little dated.
Mystery

This Sweet Sickness
Patricia Highsmith
4.5/5 stars
Part of my challenge this year was to read more mysteries and as luck would have it, our library had a mystery display and on it were books by Patricia Highsmith, the talented writer of Stranger On a Train and The Talented Mr. Ripley. I had seen both movies so I was interested in something of hers that I wasn't familiar with and I found this 1960 book of hers that sounded so intriguing and I wasn't disappointed. The story centers around a young man, David Kelsey who is a talented scientist, however he is obsessed with a young woman he dated a few years ago. She, unfortunately, married another man but remained friendly with him. To console himself, he buys a home and lives the life he would have liked to live with her as his wife on the weekends. He returns to his job on the weekdays while living in a boarding home during that time. He also continues to contact his ex and when her husband finds out he confronts David and which sets in motion events that overwhelm David's fragile state. Mystery

Abandoned Prayers
Gregg Olsen
4/5 stars
This is the unbelievable and horribly true story of the life of Eli Stutzman, an Amish man whose wife died in mysterious circumstances in 1977 and then years later in 1985; his son was also found dead. Many believed Eli killed them and this is the story of their deaths and Eli's wild and unconventional life. Unfortunately, this ends before we find out what happened to Eli at the end of his life but there are a couple of web pages that discuss what happened to him after the book ended. Crime

Bet Me
Jennifer Crusie
5/5 stars
Minerva and her boyfriend, David have recently broken up. At an outing she overhears a conversation between her ex and Calvin Morrisey making a bet that he couldn't get her to go to dinner with him. She decides to play along and they start to fall in love but there are complications along the way. I don't read a lot of romances but I thoroughly enjoyed this funny, sweet book. This would make a wonderful rom com film. Romance

Follow You Home
Mark Edwards
5/5 stars
Daniel and Laura are traveling through Europe on the trip of a lifetime. As they travel on a train going through Romania, they are convinced by a fellow traveler that they have just met to take an empty sleep compartment to rest. When they awaken all of their money and ids are gone. A conductor finds them in the compartment and throws them off the train with Alina, another passenger who was defending them. As they wander through the countryside trying to get to a town, they encounter a home deep in the countryside. When they enter the home, they discover something horribly wrong going on in the house. Two of them escape only to have to relive the horror of what happened to them when they return home.

This book has had mixed reviews, it seems people either loved it or hated it but I could not put this book down. Would love to see it as a film. Mystery

>88 Andrew-theQM: I was one who loved it! ❤️ I would also recommend the DI Patrick Lennon series he wrote with Louise Voss, although Unfortunately up to date there are only 2 in the series. Loved those books. The first one is From the Cradle.

>89 Carol420: I also loved it.

Redshirts
John Scalzi
3/5 stars
This science fiction novel tells the story of a "real" star ship crew whose lives are being affected by the lives of a crew on a fictional science fiction TV show. When Ensign Dahl is assigned to a new ship, he notices that when there is a call for ensigns to engage the enemy, the rest of his crew members in the department scatter. As he investigates, he realizes his ship has a higher than usual death rate among the ensigns and he is determined to find the answer. What he finds out is unbelievable and he and his crew members decide to try to change the future and hope to decrease the chances of them getting killed. I liked this story but at the end it shifts perspective a couple of times and frankly I got a little confused and bored at times at the ending. Science Fiction

Celine
Peter Heller
5/5 stars
Celine is a private detective and a senior citizen, who comes from a aristocratic family. She is also married to Pete, who helps her with her cases. Her latest assignment is to find out what happened to a young woman's father, who was a world famous photographer and died under mysterious conditions. As we learn more about the case, we also learn more about Celine's fascinating life and the reason she is in this profession including Celine's own personal secret. This is a stand-alone mystery but I fell in love with the characters and did not want this to end. I'm hoping the author writes a follow-up book to Celine but I will definitely read more of his books. Crime

The Little Paris Bookshop
Nina George
4/5 stars
Monsieur Perdu runs a bookstore on a boat in France but he likes to think he is more of a "literary apothecary" - prescribing books to cure his patrons' ills. However, his patrons are not the only ones who need to be healed. When Perdu is asked to help a woman who is moving into his building, he is overcome with an over powering emotion for the woman which sets him and a young author to take the book boat on a trip to help the two of them work out their problems and learn to forgive things in the past and themselves. IMO, I thought this could have been edited a little more but I loved the characters and the story line. Romance

Practice to Deceive
Ann Rule
3.5/5 stars
This is the true crime story about the murder of Washington state resident James Stackhouse. Stackhouse was murdered in 2003 during the Christmas holidays outside his home and this is the story of the investigation and the eventual murder trial. Rule writes in detail about the murder and the multiple possible characters involved in the crime which took several years to solve and go to trial. Though the book is complete in regards to the trial, there was (is) still a lingering question about the motive of the defendants and a possibility that another person was involved in the murder. Hard to put down.

*This was my first Ann Rule book and it has gotten mixed reviews -mostly from people who love her books. I look forward to reading more of her because if this was her worse book, the others must be really good. Crime

Six Wakes
Mur Lafferty
4/5 stars
This science fiction novel is set in a time where humans no longer live but survive as clones with their memories still intact and than transferred to new clones when there old clones are damaged or worn. The story is set on the ship Dormir, where it is traveling to a new Earth like planet where the clones will set up a new civilization. Unfortunately, something has happened on the ship and all the clones have been killed. Maria Arena is the first clone awaken but is still shaky and getting used to her new body as she awakens the rest of the crew and they realize the enormity of what has happened and try to find out who wanted them all dead. I found this fascinating and hard to put down. Science Fiction

>96 Andrew-theQM: This one sounds good.

>73 JulieLill: If you get a chance, now that you've finished the book version of Hard Times, you might be interested in listening to the audio version. It brings the accents to life in a way that the written dialects can't. Although the lisp of the circus owner is still a challenge no matter written or spoken!

>98 JulieLill: Thanks for the suggestion!

>100 EadieB: Reported for spam

>101 Andrew-theQM: Seems to be happening increasingly!

>102 EadieB: Crazy people who probably don't even read!

>101 Andrew-theQM: I must have missed the spam. It takes all kinds!

First Comes Love: A Novel
By Emily Giffin
3.5/5 stars
Two sisters, whose lives were changed dramatically years before when their brother died, now find themselves at crossroads in their lives. Meredith, a lawyer is unhappy with her life, her husband and her job. Josie, a teacher, is also unhappy with her life and is looking to have a baby with or without a husband or partner. Unfortunately, Josie has a secret about her brother's death and revealing that could cause a further fissure in her and her sister's relationship. I enjoyed this novel and I raced through it to find out what was going to happen to the sisters and their relationship. New Authors For Me

All the Birds in the Sky
by Charlie Jane Anders
2.5/5 stars
In this fantasy/science fiction novel, Patricia who is a witch and Laurence, a engineer disagree about what is happening to the world as disaster after disaster is occurring on the planet. As the world falls apart, the two friends/lovers who met as unhappy children, try to save the world in different ways until they discover that will never work.
I had a hard time with this novel. It did not quite live up to my expectations though I did not hate her writing (and I loved certain sections) but the plot was quite convoluted and at times I had a hard time following it and all the characters. Science Fiction

The Day The World Came to Town: 9/11 in Gander, Newfoundland
by Jim Defede
4/5 stars
This is the true story of the passengers of the 38 jetliners that were forced to land in Gander, Newfoundland on 9/11 when the US air space was closed and all planes were diverted away from the US. Defede tells an inspiring story of a community that opened their arms to all the passengers (including the animals on the planes) that could not return home.
Though I distinctly remember 9/11 and that horrible day, I had never heard of the community of Gander, who truly countered the horribleness of that disaster. This is definitely a wonderful read and is an inspiration to others.
Non-Fiction

The Pride of the Yankees: Lou Gehrig, Gary Cooper, and the Making of a Classic
Richard Sandomir
3.5/5 stars
When I was young, I fell in love with black and white films, mostly James Cagney films and The Thin Man series which led me into other films from the 30's and 40's including The Pride of the Yankees. When I found this book, I was excited to read about the making of the film. Who didn't cry at the end of this film when Gehrig/Cooper says his memorable line - "I consider myself the luckiest man on the face of the earth." Sandomir does a nice job relating what is known about Gehrig and his death- unfortunately there is a lot of gaps in the story. No complete footage of the famous line was ever found if even recorded. There are even gaps in the story of the making of the film but still it was an interesting book about Gehrig, his relationships with his wife and mother and the making of the film and Sam Goldwyn’s involvement in getting the film produced. Definitely a book for film fans. I have ordered the film from the library since I haven't seen it in years and I think that it needs to be seen if you read the book or are contemplating reading the book. Non-fiction

Dead Wake: The Last Crossing of the Lusitania
Erik Larson
5/5 stars
Larsen is one of my favorite non-fiction authors and he does not disappoint in this book about the sinking of the ocean liner, Lusitania during WWI.
In 1915, WWI was raging in Europe but the United States still had not become involved. Submarines had evolved and now were roaming the oceans aiming at non-military and military watercraft. The Lusitania was on its way to Liverpool filled with non-military men, women and children and though there were warnings about submarines, many passengers were not concerned or did not know about the warnings and thought that their ship would have an escort during the most dangerous part of the trip.
Larsen does a wonderful job describing the time period, the passengers and the crews aboard the submarine and the ocean liner. He also discusses the games Churchill was possibly playing. Was he using the situation to get the US to enter the war? And what was President Wilson’s reluctance to enter the war and who was distracting him from his job. Non-Fiction

Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Mathematicians Who Helped Win the Space Race
Margot Lee Shetterly
4/5 stars
This is the wonderful untold true story of the 4 African-American women mathematicians who broke barriers by working as human computers at Langley Memorial Aeronautical Laboratory in Hampton, Virginia. Starting with a shortage of staff to help during WWII at the lab, these smart, college educated women proved that they were reliable and as smart as the other women and men at Langley. Shetterly discusses the time period and the racial tensions going on in that era, all in the context around what was going on at Langley with the building and designing of aircraft for WWII and including their part in the space race. This book really fleshes out the story of these women and the lengths they and their families had to go to work in those industries and the sacrifices that they had to make to have a better life. A true inspiration to all women.
Non-Fiction

Stiff: The Curious Lives of Human Cadavers
Mary Roach
3.5/5 stars
Author Mary Roach does love to push the bar with her book subjects and I loved her book Gulp which is all about the alimentary canal. In this book, she still is probing an unusual subject, cadavers. She writes all about the physical process of death, what happens to a person’s body after death, funeral customs, donating a body and other topics. I found this very interesting and she is quite funny and informative. This book is not for everyone but if you like unusual subjects this might appeal to you. Non-Fiction

Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine
by Gail Honeyman
4/5 stars
Eleanor has fallen in love and he is the one for her. The only problem is that they have not met yet. She has seen his singing act and it has struck a chord within her. She knows that she needs to improve herself before she can approach him and in this single act of falling for him changes her whole life. However, there is a horrible secret from her past that keeps interfering with her going forward in her new life and she has to face up to those past events.
I really enjoyed this book and really was rooting for Eleanor who had everything against her and still manages to prevail with the help of a few friends and her own will to improve. New Authors For Me

>112 Andrew-theQM: I'm aiming to get to this one this month.

When Books Went to War: The Stories that Helped Us Win World War II
Molly Guptill Manning
4/5 stars
Who would think a book about the distribution of books to WWII soldiers would be interesting? I certainly didn’t but then I read a review and thought I would give this book a try.

During WWI, there was a book distribution program for the troops but when that war ended the governing body of the program was not disbanded but funding for it ended. When Hitler encouraged the burning of books, librarians were up in arms over the desecration of books and took up the gathering of books to send to the troops and from there it grew until the government and publishers took it over. It certainly was a life saver to the men and women fighting the horror of war and over 141 million books were distributed to soldiers.

Manning does a wonderful job in portraying a possibly boring subject into a real page turner and I even found several books to include on my never ending reading list.
Non-Fiction

Bellman & Black
Diane Setterfield
3.5/5 stars
Bellman, a young ambitious man, has had a hard life but soon finds himself in a good place with a family and a good job. However, life has different plans for him and the deaths of all but one of his family members occur. That night after they were buried, he meets a Mr. Black and strikes a bargain with him. Bellman than throws himself into his new venture but does not encounter Mr. Black till years later when he realizes he has made a huge mistake. This was definitely a page turner for me and also provoked a lot of thought. Fiction

The Bone Clocks
David Mitchell
2.5/5 stars
This dark, epic story of Mitchell’s surrounds a young English girl, Holly Sykes, who has run away after learning her boyfriend has cheated on her. She returns when she finds out her brother, Jacko has disappeared but not before encountering a mysterious character named Marinus who is a horologist (beings who are reincarnated) and who she will encounter off and on throughout the book in different time periods. I loved the first chapter and loved the main character, Holly but after that first chapter I just got mired in all the characters (most of them very despicable and unlikable) and the different story lines, wondering when this was all going to end and in the end was just disappointed with the outcome of the story line and the book. However, I have not given up on Mitchell. Cloud Atlas is one of my favorite books and I look forward to reading more of him. Fiction

The Love Song of Miss Queenie Hennessy
Rachel Joyce
4/5 stars
This is the heart warming sequel to The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and in it the author focuses on the character, Queenie. Queenie is at the end of her life in a nursing home. When she finds out her former co-worker, Harold Fry is taking a pilgrimage to see her, she reminisces and writes about their friendship and her awkward relationship with his son, David. Harold's trip has also charmed the other nursing home residents and changed life for them too as they look forward to his visit.
I read Joyce's first book in the series, The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry and enjoyed it but you can read either book on its own and in any order, IMO. Fiction

>117 Andrew-theQM: Loved both these books.

Rabbit Cake
Annie Hartnett
4/5 stars
Elvis, a young girl and her sister Lizzie live an unusual life with weird but wonderful parents. However, one night when her father drinks too much, he is unaware that his wife, who walks in her sleep, got up and left the house only to drown while trying to swim in the lake. The house is thrown in chaos as they deal with her death. To make matters worse, Lizzie starts to sleep walk. But there are some bright spots with Elvis, who starts volunteering at the zoo and Lizzie, who is trying to make a world record by making the most rabbit cakes ever made. Enjoyable and heart warming. New Author and New Authors For Me

Pioneer Girl: The Annotated Autobiography
Laura Ingalls Wilder Edited by Pamela Smith Hill
2.5/5 stars
This is the annotated version of Laura Wilder's autobiography. I was excited to read it and I love it when there is extra material to flesh out a book but this book just dragged for me. The annotations were excessive, pulled you away from the story and were sometimes much longer than the actual written selection. I do think this book is historically valuable and if you are Wilder fanatic or scholar, you will probably love it, but for the average reader you might just want to skip it. Autobiography

A Touch of Stardust
Kate Alcott
3/5 stars
Julie Crawford has come to Hollywood from Fort Wayne, Indiana, trying to follow in the footsteps of Carole Lombard, also from the same town but wanting to be a writer instead of an actress. She gets a job as a publicist for MGM and actually falls into being Lombard’s assistant. While she is at the studio, she is attracted to a fellow worker, who happens to work with David Selznick and all this is going on while the film, Gone With the Wind is being filmed.

This was a fast read and interesting but I found the story line somewhat contrived. I don’t think someone who just got to Hollywood would rise so fast in such a short time and be so successful. Fiction

I'm done-hooray!

The Wicked Boy: The Mystery of a Victorian Child Murderer
Kate Summerscale
5/5 stars
This is the true crime story of Robert Coombes, who at the age of 13 in 1895 killed his mother in England while his father who was a sailor at sea. Robert and his brother Nattie (12) then went about their lives and eventually Robert convinces John Fox, a friend of the family to come and live with them. Fox does not suspect anything while in the house. When the boy’s Aunt finds out they are alone, she comes to the house and finds the mother dead. The two boys and Fox are arrested for the murder. As the trial proceeds, Fox and Nattie are found not guilty of the crime and Robert goes to an asylum instead of jail for the crime, eventually being released to live an eventful and exemplary life. So why did he kill his mother? I had a hard time putting this down. Summerscale does a great job discussing the time period, facts of the crime, the lives of the boys and the aftermath of the trial. True Crime

Frankenstein
by Mary Shelley
3.5/5 stars
This is the story about Dr. Frankenstein, who as a young man is intrigued with science and the origin of life. He goes away from home to study and has devoted his time in creating a new life. However, when he sees what he has created, he is shocked and repelled by his creation. In turn his creation is mortified by Dr. Frankenstein's reaction to him and thus plans to seek revenge on the doctor.

I have never read this before but have seen several film adaptations and a TV mini-series based on the book so I was curious to read it. Mary Shelley's book is still very readable to this day and is an interesting horror story about the results of scientific experimentation. While movies and TV portray the creature as a horrible monster, Shelley brings out the human in the monster while emphasizing caution in experimentation. Horror