The Internet Can Transform You into a Celebrity

April May is conflicted. She has a job where she can use her artistic degree and talents, but she still can’t afford a decent apartment in New York City and works long hours. On her way home in the early morning, she comes on a gigantic sculpture. She’s intrigued by the intricate design of the transformer. In fact, she’s so excited she calls Hank, her best friend to make a U-Tube video.

The next morning, April awakens to Internet fame, but it’s not all delightful. The sculptures, which she calls Carl, are showing up all over the world. Now people are terrified and April finds herself in the position of defending the invaders.

The plot in this book is good. We have the aliens invading our space, but are they bad or good. However, in the first half of the book, the emphasis is on April and her response to fame. Social media can be a wonderful way to stay in touch with friends and explore on line relationships, but it can turn ugly, as April discovered.

The plot moves swiftly and in the opening chapters exploring

interesting concepts with fame. We may want it, but it can bring more problems than it’s worth. Besides, it can change people in not good ways. This is one takeaway from how April handles things.

I enjoyed the book. It’s readable and contains insights on finding the first aliens as well as how social media shapes people and events.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.

An Iconic Hotel, Talented Women, and McCarthyism

Hazel Ripley was supposed to be an actress following in the footsteps of her famous family, but she’s never achieved better than understudy status. To try to improve her chance to shine, she joins a USO troop in Italy during WWII. There she meets Maxine Mead, a talented actress. Hazel also finds her calling, writing radio scripts for Maxine to read.

In the fifties, Hazel and Maxine come together again in the famous Chelsea Hotel. The gorgeous Victorian hotel has been famed for creative artists who lived there. Hazel has now written a play and Maxine is to star in it. Their hopes are high, but this is a volatile time in the entertainment industry. McCarthyism is sweeping the country and the girls are caught up in it.

For me, the best part of the book was the excellent descriptions of the Chelsea Hotel. I could see the art, the furnishings, and best of all the out of the way spaces and passages that are unique to the hotel. The author has done an excellent job of folding her substantial research into the story.

The history of the McCarthy era and the House Un-American Activities Committee was fascinating and gave a good background for the plot which centered around love, trust, freedom, and wartime memories affecting the main characters.

This is a good historical novel that well creates the era and showcases the famous Chelsea Hotel.

I received the book for this review from Net Galley.

Can the Librarian Save a Troubled Small Town?

Dove Pond, a small Southern town, is dying. The inhabitants want to save it, but no one knows what to do. Sara Dove, the librarian has always believed she’ll save the town. Her books told. Sara has a unique gift. Books talk to her. They’re her special companions and help her get the right books to each library patron.

When Grace Wheeler and her small family come to town, Sara thinks she may have found someone who can make the town come alive. Grace, however, is not at all interested in saving the town. She’s there for a short time before she goes back to her high pressure job in the city. She’s there to mourn the death of her sister, give her sister’s child some stability, and take care of Mama G, the foster mother who helper her gain self-confidence and is slipping into dementia.

This is a charming book focusing on family, friendship and small town values. The main character, Grace, is will drawn and Sara is an excellent foil for her. The plot is engrossing. I particularly liked the focus on books. It was a deft touch to bring the town and characters to life.

I highly recommend this book if you enjoy small town stories and likable

characters.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.

A Team Building Exercise Turns Nasty

The life of Wall Street bankers is luxurious, but cutthroat. The job is so demanding that you must be on the top of your game, or suffer the consequences. When four top level executives are called to a meeting in an isolated building, they know they must comply.

At the building they crowd into the elevator. It ascends part way, stops, and the lights go out. This is supposed to be a team building exercise. They must work together to solve the problem and get out, but it isn’t that simple.

The story is told from the point of view of the characters in the elevator and alternatively by Sara Hall. Sara was a finance graduate who worked for a time with the four. She wasn’t welcomed in the group where all members were secretive about their personal lives. Sara finds the long hours grueling and consuming. Now Sara’s past history intersects with the four trapped in the elevator.

The characters in this book are not likable. The four in the elevator are obsessed with perks and money. Their conversation revolves around investment banking. If you’re not interested in corporate greed, it can become tedious.

The plot moves back and forth between Sara’s review of the past and the tension in the elevator. This relieves some of the boredom. However, it also means that there are few twists, and you know early where this is heading. If you want a thriller that revolves around a specific corporate culture, you may enjoy this one.

I received this book from St. Martin’s Press for this review.

Jesus in the Old Testament

Although people think of Jesus in the New Testament, he is also found in the books of Isiah, Psalms and the Song of Solomon. He can also be found in our lives in some surprising ways. The book uses both of these sources to craft a readable Bible study.

The book is divided into three sections: The Books of Moses, The Psalms, and the Prophets. Each section has several chapters. Each chapter is divided into a discussion by the author which includes insights from the Bible as well as personal stories from her life and others. After the discussion the author provides five days of Bible study and questions. These can be used either as individual study, or in a group setting. In addition there a notes for a facilitator, if used in a group setting, and videos that can be accessed on her website.

The book is aimed primarily at women, but the author doesn’t discount that some men may use the book. Indeed some of her stories are about men finding Jesus. I found that book very readable. The questions and Bible study take up a major portion of the text, but it’s well worth the effort to use them for a deeper look into the ideas the author is exploring.

I received this book from Waterbrook Multnomah for this review.

A Chilling Murder Haunts a Young Woman’s Life

On Thanksgiving morning, Dixie Wheeler’s father killed her brothers and mother with an ax before slitting his own throat. Seated in her highchair, Dixie witnessed the whole thing, but at twenty-seven she still can’t remember exactly what happened. Her life has been haunted by the killings even as an adult she can’t quite believe her father could have done such a thing.

In spite of her mental health issues, Dixie is finally in a stable relationship with Garrett. They’ve been living together and now plan for permanence and want to buy a house. Although she knows she shouldn’t, Dixie can’t help visiting one of the houses for sale. It’s the house where her family was murdered. Against Garrett’s wishes, Dixie moves into the house and furnishes it with all the furniture stored by her aunt and uncle from the time of the murders.

Once she moves in, strange things begin to happen. Are the ghosts of her family trying to contact her, or is she losing her mind? The longer she lives in the house the more she wonders if her father was the murderer. Now she needs to revive the old case to find out.

The plot is a clever twist on the murder of an entire family. However, be prepared for plenty of blood from the prologue until the end. I didn’t mind it, but it is rather violent. Dixie is a character it’s sometimes hard to understand. She has a wry wit that is amusing, but at times her mental state seems out of control.

I was disappointed in the police investigation from the original murders. It seemed so riddled with errors as to be unbelievable. It’s also fairly easy to guess what happened, because there are so few living characters. Still it’s an engrossing read.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.

A Twisted Psychological Tale of Obsession

Carolyn Stark is about to have it all. She has the Manhattan apartment, great cars, a handsome husband, money and now her crowing achievement, a palatial beach house. She’s planned the housewarming party as much to showcase her fledgling decorator business as the house itself, but things are going wrong. Her husband, Jason, is lying to her. He doesn’t really want to attend the party and shows up with a surprise Russian mistress which leads to a very public fight.

Then there’s Aidan. Carolyn first spotted him on the beach watching the house. At first she was afraid he was casing the area. Then he shows up as a bartender at the housewarming party. He witnesses the fight between Carolyn and Jason. When Carolyn uses him for a night of revenge, she thinks it’s over, but Aidan has other obsessive ideas. One of them is using the other, but which one.

This is a psychological thriller with plenty of twists. It seems obvious what is happening between the lovers, but is it really. The narrative moves at fast pace with twists and turns almost leaving the reader breathless. There is always the nagging suspicion that Carolyn, the narrator, is not telling the whole truth.

If you enjoy psychological thrillers, this is a good one. It will keep you enthralled from the first page. The book keeps you guessing until the author pulls everything together for a surprising ending.

I received this book from St. Martin’s Press for this review.

A Child’s First Banking Experience

Even for adults, it sometimes seems like the bank eats your money. This is a small boy’s first experience with the banking community. He sees the ATM as a monster that eats his money. He plans how to get the money back until his mother explains how the system works.

The book is beautifully illustrated. Children will love the bright pictures and understand the concern the small boy has with where his money has gone. It’s suitable for a read-aloud either with parents or with a school group. It’s often hard for children to understand how money is cared for. I think this book does a good job with it.

I do have a reservation. I think suggesting to children that getting an ATM card is the next step in depositing their money is not a good idea for many families. I understand that it gives closure to the boy’s concerns, but it may detract from the usefulness of the book.

I received this book from PR by the Book for this review.

The Duke and the Almost Suffragette

Annabelle has been used by her brother as an unpaid nursemaid and household help. She’s frantic to escape and would do anything to be able to take her place in the first cohort of female students at Oxford where she has earned a place. When she arrives she learns that part of her entrance means that she will have to support the suffragette movement by getting a prominent man to champion their cause.

She draws the Duke of Montgomery. He’s in charge of Britain’s politics and a great favorite with Queen Victoria. His problem is that having rejuvenated his estates, he needs to marry a wife of his class and preferably a wealthy one. Annabelle meets him and immediately they feel the tug of attraction. However, the problem is that she’s a Vicar’s daughter and he needs someone of his station. This leads to much discussion and soul searching.

This is a delightful book if you enjoy historical romance. The characters are enmeshed in a real historical struggle, getting the vote for women. I particularly enjoy books where the background is real.

The plot, although familiar to readers of historical romance, is upgraded from the banal by the underlying historical problem. I enjoyed the characters and their pithy dialog in trying to come to grips with their attraction and their political situation.

This is a first novel. I enjoyed it and am looking forward to the next installment.

I received this book from First to Read for this review.

The Coming Synthesis: Human Intelligence and Artificial Intelligence

Humans do some things very well, creativity is a particularly human ability. Artificial Intelligence using computer based technology is much more proficient at handling large data sets. The thesis of this book is that combining the two can produce a breakthrough in problem solving and invention. Machine learning, the current focus of AI research, is important, but it isn’t the whole picture. Add in humans and capabilities are enhanced beyond what each type of intelligence can do alone.

The author does an excellent job reviewing the status of AI research. It’s a chapter worth reading. The chapter on the psychology of how humans learn and solve problems is equally well done. These chapters form the basis of the rest of the book with presents a way forward in combing these two forms of intelligence.

The book is very readable. Technical material is presented with illustrations to make the points easily accessible to the lay reader. I enjoyed the ending chapters where Bates presents ideas for hybrid solutions where human and artificial intelligence are combined. I highly recommend this book. It will give you something to think about.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.

Good Advice for Coping with a Blended Family

With high rates of divorce and remarriage, more and more children are living in blended families. All families have challenges, but blended families have some unique to parenting non-biological children. The Burbidge’s are well qualified to discuss blended families having parented their ten children for fourteen years.

The book is written in a readable style with excellent principles, illustrations from their family and humorous incidents. It was a fun book to read. I felt like I got to know the Burbridge’s delightful family.

Having a blended family myself, I found their principles excellent. The one I found most important is commitment. When opting to start a blended family you must be serious about sticking with it. Children need stability. They shouldn’t have to wonder whether this family will last or break up like the last one.

Another critical underlying principle is basing your family on kindness. People need not agree with each other all the time, but everyone, particularly the parents, must be open to listening to another’s point of view. It takes patience and self-control, but the results are worth it.

I encourage anyone embarking on the adventure of a blended family to read this book. It’s also a good book for teachers to help them understand blended families. In fact, the principles are so important it is a book any family can profit from reading.

I received this book from PR by the Book for this review.

Family Secrets Shadow the Lives of Three Generations of Women

With the death of Frank Collier’s father, he takes on the responsibility for management of the family’s steel company in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. Frank’s extended trips leave Joanna alone with the two children. This situation is putting strain on their marriage, so Joanna agrees to move to the estate owned by Frank’s family.

The house is already occupied by Frank’s mother, Susannah, and his grandmother. Although the women are friendly, Joanna feels increasingly out of place. The mansion reeks of tragedy. Although Joanna thought the move would bring her closer to Frank, she finds that her loneliness is driving them further apart.

If you enjoy books with haunting mansions, family secrets, and romance, this is a well done book. The opening is a little hard to get through. Many characters are introduced all with both nicknames and given names which are used throughout the text. However, the characters are compelling. The stories of Joanna and Susannah are told in the time periods of the 1920’s and the 1960’s. I found Susannah’s story more dramatic, but Joanna’s story of trying repair her marriage is also interesting.

The background is mostly about the family, but we get glimpses of the steel industry particularly in the 1820. The ending is the part that makes the book. It’s surprising and thoroughly satisfying.

I received this book from St. Martin’s Press for this review.

A Down on His Luck Attorney’s Life Spirals into Chaos

Kevin Moore is standing behind the counter making sandwiches in a down-at-the-heel sandwich shop, Substitution. Once an attorney on the way up, he’s separated from his wife, on probation from a cocaine possession charge, and practically broke. His trouble only get worse when a mysterious man comes into the sandwich shop and tries to convince him to take part in a complicated medical malpractice insurance scheme. The man disappears and leaves Kevin with new set of legal troubles.

This is a fast paced legal thriller. Kevin is a character you can’t help rooting for, particularly when he rescues a stray puppy. The plot is twisty and the ending satisfying, but unexpected. I did find the text had a bit too much criminal law explanation, but it didn’t slow the pace too badly

.

If you enjoy legal thrillers, this is a good one. It’s unusual in having the attorney in such criminal jeopardy, but the story works well.

I received this book from First to Read for this review.

Romance and Adventure with a Christian Background at a Pony Express Station

Jacqueline (Jack) Rivers is mourning the death of her father. He ran a pony express station in Carson Sink. With her father’s death, she’s afraid she’ll lose her home if someone else comes to manage the station, so she’s trying to convince the owners to allow her to continue. The station is also a stopover for the stagecoach.

The stagecoach arrives with two visitors, Elijah Johnson who is searching for his partner’s lost daughter, and Mr. Crowell who is trying to locate forged Indian bonds for the government. Jack and Elijah feel an immediate interest in the other. Crowell enlists them both in his search for the forged bonds creating an adventure for Elijah that he didn’t expect.

This is the ninth book in the Daughters of the Mayflower series. I found this one of the most interesting from the plot standpoint. There is the mystery of the missing daughter, the forged bonds, and the excitement of catching the conman responsible for the forgeries. The book is heavily laced with Christian background. Some readers may find it too heavy, but I thought it fit the time period and characters well.

Jack is a strong female character. She feels bereft without her father, but is sure she can take on his responsibilities. Elijah is likable. He has a strong sense of loyalty to his partner and strives to do the right thing

in all circumstances.

Each book in the Mayflower Bride series is a standalone story. If you enjoy historical Christian fiction, you may enjoy this book.

I received this book from Barbour Books for this review.