Clever Presentation of Math Concepts

 

Math sometimes seems arcane and unconnected to the real world, particularly to high school students struggling with algebra. This book attempts to make difficult concepts understandable through language and pictures rather than mathematical formulas. I found it a fascinating approach and easy to understand.

The book covers three major topics: topology, analysis, and algebra. I found the topology section best adapted to his approach. The algebra section got more complicated with more words than pictures. I particularly liked the section on science. Physicists use lots of math and sometimes it obscures their ideas for general readers. This book made a valiant effort to bring the math into the real world.

I recommend this book if you’re intrigued by math, but are afraid of being confronted by numbers and equations. I hope it draws more people into exploring math without fear and with an idea of how it relates to the real world.

I received this book from Dutton for this review.

An Irish Rags to Riches Story in the Victorian Era

 

Blackie O’Neill had a difficult childhood losing both parents and burying his sister. His luck began to change when he travels to Leeds to work for his Uncle Patrick. Blackie is a success becoming a designer and builder in his uncle’s company. He also has the good fortune to meet a kitchen maid, Emma Harte, who has big ideas of her own.

Emma Harte is the main character in A Woman of Substance and this is the prequel. I loved Blackie’s character as he grows from a teenager to a successful business man and friend of Emma. The problem is that the book isn’t just the story of Blackie and Emma. The book is filled with other characters who will become important in later books about Emma, but the sheer number makes it difficult to remember who they are. Frankly, I thought it distracted from Blackie’s story.

The book paints a picture of the class differences between the wealthy and poor and gives an excellent picture of Leeds at the end of the Victorian era. However, the story slows in the middle I felt the author was trying to do too many things in a single book. Still, it you’ve read The Woman of Substance, you’ll enjoy learning about the early years of Blackie and Emma.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.

A Real Life Cold War Spy Tale

 

The tale begins with a package received by the American Embassy in Bern, Switzerland. The cover letter asked that the enclosed package be forwarded to J. Edgar Hoover. The choice of Hoover at the FBI was deliberate. Agent Sniper, otherwise known as Lt. Col. Michal Goleniewski, being a Soviet agent, knew the CIA had been infiltrated by Russian agents. However, it took three years for Goleniewski to be actively recruited and then the CIA was the contact.

Goleniewski as head of the Polish espionage service spied on the Poles and sent the information back to Moscow. Although it isn’t explained in the book, he somehow became disenchanted with the communists and decided to sell his services to the US instead. Over the years, Goleniewski provided extremely useful information to the CIA, but eventually the Russians were aware of his activities and he had to escape to the American Embassy in Berlin with his mistress.

The first half of the book is the story of Goleniewski’s activities as a spy. It is well researched, well paced and very entertaining if you enjoy spy stories. The second half of the book is equally well researched, but much drier. It is the story of his increasingly troubled relations with the CIA. He eventually became mentally disturbed calling himself the heir to the Russian throne, Aleksei Romanoff.

Unlike James Bond stories, this one doesn’t have a happy ending, but it is a realistic, detailed picture of spy-craft during the cold war and a behind the scenes look at Washington politics in the espionage world. If you’re interested in the cold war and particularly espionage, this is well worth reading.

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

A Colorful Way to Explore the Zodiac

 

The twelve signs of the zodiac are featured in multiple pages for each sign. I like the fact that there are both pictures associated with each sign as well as sayings and descriptors of the personal characteristics that typify the sign.

Some of the pictures are quite intricate, but others are simple. The two types of pictures makes the coloring book suitable for all age groups. As the author says, don’t be afraid to color outside the lines.

Coloring can be both relaxing and creative. I don’t draw well, but I enjoy deciding which colors to use to enhance the drawing.

I received this book from Dutton for this review.

Excites Your Creativity

 

I love these coloring books. I can’t draw well, but colors are important to me. I love deciding how to enhance the drawings with colors of my choice. It stimulates your creativity. I particularly liked the section in this book where finished colored plates by readers were displayed. Some of them were truly wonderful and provided inspiration.

Some people have complained about the repetition of plates from other books. I thought it was a great idea. It gave me a chance to try new color schemes on the plates I’d already done.

I highly recommend this coloring book. It can be relaxing to fill in these wonderful pictures. It always makes me feel more creative and even spills over into other work.

I received this book from Dutton for this review.

Murder: A Medieval Monk, or a Live Murderer

 

St. Anne’s in Knaresborough, in Yorkshire, is an ancient church with a history of ghostly doings. A medieval monk seeking revenge is rumored to walk the church at night looking for victims. The Reverend Clare Wilcox is the latest victim. She was found bludgeoned to death in the church where she had gone to meet a parishioner.

DCI Oldroyd and Sargeant Andy Carter are assigned the case. Oldroyd finds it hard to believe that a ghost is killing people, but with no obvious murder weapon and parishioners convinced of the reality of the ghost, he has a difficult time. The case is personal for Oldroyd. Clare Wilcox was the protege of his sister Alison, also a cleric. The weather is no help. Knaresborough experiences a snow storm that has Oldroyd and Andy spending the night in the church complete with a visitation from the ghost.

This is another delightful glimpse of Yorkshire. I am always drawn into the story as much by the description of the area as the plot. Oldroyd is unperturbed by the unusual aspects of the case and works step by step to uncover the truth. I particularly like mysteries where the detective gathers information and finds clues rather than violence and chasing criminals.

The interactions between the main characters are well done. However, I did miss Stephanie, Oldroyds other assistant. She made only brief appearances. The plot moves well and keeps you guessing about the motives of the people in town and particularly about the method of murder. I recommend this one. It’s part of a series, but this book can be read as a standalone.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.

FDR’s Ambassadors Watched Hitler’s Rise to Power

 

Roosevelt’s Inauguration coincided with Hitler’s rise to power in Germany. Roosevelt was committed to getting the economy back on track and trying to stay out of the coming storm in Europe. Hoping that international trade would help the struggling economy he appointed ambassadors to Europe who would be his eyes and ears.

The four most influential ambassadors were William Bullitt first stationed in the Soviet Union and later in France. Breckinridge Long, a long time friend, was sent to Italy where he came to admire Mussolini. William Dodd, professor of history, was sent to Germany. He became appalled at what he saw happening in the country. The fourth ambassador was Joseph P. Kennedy to whom FDR owed political favors. Kennedy would settle for nothing less than and ambassadorship and was sent to England. His sympathies were on the side of Hitler which made his reporting to Roosevelt rather biased.

The book relies on the papers of the four ambassadors as well as documents from members of the administration. The four men saw the world through their own eyes which often resulted in biased reporting to Roosevelt. This is an insightful look at what was happening in Europe during Hitler’s rise to power and the lead up to WWII. I found the book fascinating. It was easy to read and caught me up in the drama of that time.

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

Watson and Holmes Meet in Egypt

 

It’s 1911. Watson is taking his wife Juliet to Cairo for treatment of her recent bout of tuberculosis. Watson is happy to support his wife, but her treatment regimen is very strict, and he’s hardly able to see her. He wanders around Cairo becoming bored until he goes into a bar and sees a fellow who he is sure is wearing his regimental tie. He can tell by the spot.

Of course, the man turns out to be Holmes in disguise. He’s on the trail of the Duke of Uxbridge. He came Egypt to search for a missing tomb. His mistress hasn’t heard from him and believes that the circumstances of his disappearance are suspicious. Holmes has been tasked with the investigation and now that Watson has appeared he is a welcome addition to the team.

It’s an interesting time in Cairo. Not only are numerous adventurers looking for hidden tombs, but the international situation comes into play. The British, French and the Egyptians themselves want to control the country, not to mention the importance of the Suez Canal. It’s ripe for a good Holmes adventure with overtones of international intrigue.

Nicholas Meyer does a good job recreating the Holmes era. This book is reminiscent of his first novel, the Seven Percent Solution. I am not a fan of many recreations of the Holmes Watson partnership, but this is a good one.

The story starts slowly with Watson’s travel to Egypt and getting Juliet settled, but it quickly picks up when Holmes comes on the scene. The pace accelerates to that of a thriller. The history is accurate and the glimpses of the Nile and Egyptian archaeology are well done. If you’re a fan of Sherlock, this is a good one.

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

A WWII Missing Pilot and a Jazz Age Mystery

 

At the end of WWII, Ellie Morgan is engaged and hoping to move up from the job as a secretary at the San Francisco Chronicle to become a journalist. Then she receives the news that her adored pilot father was shot down of the Adriatic Sea and may not be alive. Ellie is devastated. She keeps hoping her father will come home, but when his effects arrive a mystery surfaces.

In the pocket of his uniform jacket, Ellie finds a bundle of love letters, but the woman is not her mother and there is the possibility that a child is involved. Ellie’s mother is locked in her own world so Ellie goes to her aunt Iris and persuades her to go with her to New York to find out about this mysterious woman and her daughter.

Iris agrees to help her niece, but with trepidation. Her past will come out. She was a Zigfield showgirl and worse, she thinks she may have been involved in the murder of another showgirl.

This is an excellent historical novel. Ellie is a strong character. She’s at the cusp of doing things women before WWII only dreamed of, but she’s also tied to the patterns of behavior inculcated by her strict mother. Iris is also a good character. She obviously lived her life to the full and accepted the price at the end of her show career.

The historical content is accurate and based on an actual Jazz Age murder in 1920 in New York. Both time periods came to life in the narrative. If you enjoy historical fiction and a good mystery, this is a good choice.

I received this book from Dutton for this review.

A Tragic Love Affair at the end of the Gilded Age

 

Nora May French was a brilliant young poet. She yearned for recognition, but kept getting entangled with powerful men who wanted a lover more than a competitor. Carrie Sterling wanted a comfortable life as a wife. Her family was poor and her idea of a good match was someone with a stable bank account. She married George Sterling and from then on was caught up in his life which included alcohol and women.

George with Carrie’s help started the Carmel Writer’s Colony. This is where the trio met. George became infatuated with Nora and brought her to live with them in the area he was trying to people with poets and writers. This was a situation that was designed for tragedy when Nora took her own life dying in Carrie’s arms.

The author did a great deal of research to bring the story of these three people to life. She was particularly interested in Nora who was an acclaimed poet in her era, but was always overshadowed by the male poets and writers. Carrie was also a tragic figure looking for stability and being tied to a man who couldn’t give her the support she craved.

The book told a story about people I had never heard of and was interesting from that standpoint. However, I thought the author did too much invention when presenting the thoughts and feelings of the women. She wanted to make the point that women were beginning to have careers and be independent, but their lives and work were overshadowed by the men in their lives. It made the book somewhere between historical biography and historical fiction.

I received this book from Dutton for this review.

Mental Illness and Relationships in a World of Loneliness

 

In 2020, a year of loneliness, illness ,and lockdowns, Sabrina Behaim’s poems explore the month of July. Fighting the problems of mental illness, she has the additional burden of her mother’s diagnosis of an aortic aneurysm when she is far away and can only be reached by the phone. She also has the sorrow of the end of a relationship and the need to move past grief.

The poems are a testament to resilience. Even when things are dark, Sabrina finds delight in eating ice cream for dinner and singing loudly. It’s good to remember that in darkness there can be light and moments to remember.

I thought the poet did a good job making mental illness relate-able. We all face the same sort of problems and the loneliness of the lockdowns made it worse for everyone, but for someone struggling with mental illness it takes even more courage to find the bright spots.

The poems are formatted in different ways. Some are formatted in lines of different lengths to emphasize words and feelings, others are great blocks of text. I admit I prefer the ones that are formatted. Dense block of text are off-putting, but they do convey a message.

This is a book I think many of us can relate to after the trials of 2020. It’s good to have more freedom.

I received this book from Dutton for this review.

A Story of Tragedy and Recovery

 

On December 5^th, 2018, Drew Magary was having a great time. He’d just hosted a successful Deadspin Awards ceremony. He and his coworkers were headed for the Karoke bar to celebrate, but the night ended in near tragedy for Drew. He collapsed, hitting his head so hard on the cement floor he fractured his skull, but that wasn’t the only problem he had a massive brain hemorrhage.

To save his life the doctors put him in a drug induced coma for two weeks. When he woke he was alive, but he had to figure out who the new Drew was and learn to live with his disabilities. This is the story of the two years it took him to recover.

This is a very honest and at times heart-wrenching story. However, it is told with humor and self-deprecation that makes it enjoyable to read. It is also the story of his family and friends and how they supported him through his recovery. I was particularly impressed with his wife Sonia. Suddenly she had to cope with the children as well as a husband who suffered from mood swings and inexplicable rages, and she did it with grace and humanity. If I’m every faced with the problem I hope I do as well.

I received this book from Penguin Random House for this review.

Turmoil in Scotland in the early 18th Century

 

In 1707, Scotland was in turmoil. The country was joined in an uneasy union with England. It was a time of religious strife with Protestants and Catholics at war with each other. France was also a player planning to send the Stuart heir back to Scotland to reclaim his kingdom.

In an attempt to sooth the Scots, Queen Anne provided funds to compensate the Scots for their part in the disastrous Darien scheme. Lily Aitcheson has had a difficult life. Her early upbringing was a series of different family where abuse was often present. During this time, she met Jaime Graeme, her best friend. He was killed during the Darien scheme and now she is trying to claim his compensation. The problem is that she cannot prove she was married to Jaime.

Adam Williamson and his friend Gilroy have been assigned to question her about her marriage and determine whether she is entitled to the compensation. The story revolves around the questioning with flashbacks to the late 17^th century where we learn about Lily’s early life. Clearly, Adam is fascinated by Lily, but he also has his duty.

The story is primarily told by Adam so the book details his early life as well as Lily’s. I thought both characters were well developed. The author did a good job of showing the tension between them. The book is rather slow with lots of detail about the political situation, but there are twists that keep the story interesting. It’s hard to guess the ending.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.

A Story of Hope and Family

 

Fearing that he will die under going and operation, Menachem calls his three young daughters, Cibi, Magda and Livi, together. He makes them promise to always protect each other and stay together. During WWII, the sisters find this a hard promise to keep.

Cibi and Livi are sent to one of the worst Nazi concentration camps, Auschwitz. Magda remains at home with their mother until they were also sent away. At the camp they were luckily reunited. Sticking together helped them all to survive and after the war, the sisters helped each other to establish new lives in Israel.

This book tells a tragic story of Jewish families uprooted and sent to the inhuman concentration camps. The books gives horrifying details of the terrible conditions faced by the girls in the camp including losing loved ones to the gas chambers.

Although much of the book is sad, it is also a story of courage and hope. I found reading the book very upsetting. It’s hard to imagine that people were so callous treating other human beings to such horrific conditions.

I thought the author did an excellent job with a very difficult subject. She didn’t minimize the horror of the concentration camps, but she was able to give her characters strong emotional support and hope from being together. This is a book well worth reading and I did like the ending.

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

A Real Life Adventure Drama

 

In 1908, Monty Parker, a British nobleman, and ex-soldier, was asked to lead an expedition to search for the lost Ark of the Covenant. A Finnish scholar had found a secret code in the Bible that he believed revealed the resting place of the Ark.

At first Monty was unsure about getting involved, but after being dared by Ava Astor, he agreed and assembled a group of men, mostly other young British nobles looking for adventure, to go to the Holy Land and search for the Ark. The archaeological dig was located outside the walls of Jerusalem. The supposed cipher in the Book of Exekiel led them to search the tunnels under King Solomon’s temple including the Hezekiah Tunnel. Following the original clues they explored the tunnels and in the end excavated an extensive network.

I enjoyed the book. Monty Parker was a larger than life character who managed to keep the group together. If it reminds you of Raiders of the Lost Ark, don’t be surprised. The other characters were equally fascinating including, a psychic and a Franciscan friar.

The book is interesting, but sometimes disjointed bringing in extraneous characters and facts. However, the majority of the book was easy to follow. I did enjoy the historical insights and found the existence of the extensive cave network fascinating.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.

A Comprehensive Look at the Afghanistan War

 

For twenty years the US has suffered through a war in Afghanistan at the cost of trillions of dollars and the lives of more that 3000 young men. The story is told by David Loyn. He was there first as a reporter for the BBC and later as an adviser to the office of the Afghan President.

The story moves from the inciting incident of 9/11 through the difficult years when three different presidents were unable to satisfactorily end the conflict. It’s the story of the generals, Petraeus, McChrystal, Dunsfor and Allen, who in spite of their abilities were unable to satisfactorily resolve the conflict.

In the aftermath of Biden’s precipitate withdrawal from Afghanistan, this is a book worth reading. It not only cover the battles, but also the policy considerations including those of our allies. Loyn’s analysis is extensive and not limited to one view of the conflict. He illuminates decisions that were right, many that were wrong, and the consequences for the US and our allies. It is a book well worth reading.

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

A Murder in Pre-WWII Washington, DC

Elena Standish and her parents are visiting the maternal grandparents she has never met for their sixtieth wedding anniversary party. Elena is charmed by the lovely home and feels a growing affection for her grandmother, a woman of a different and more restricted generation. At the party, armed with her notebook and camera, she mingles and takes pictures of the guests. One of the guests, Lila Worth, seems like a person she could get to know and enjoy. She also meets James Allenby, a British Embassy employee. She is a bit reluctant to trust him although he know about her work for MI6.

Shortly after the President and Mrs Roosevelt arrive, a terrible tragedy takes place in the parking area. Lila is killed by being hit and run over by one of the cars. Elena is horrified. She is even more upset when her grandfather is arrested and charged with the murder. Now she has to trust Allenby as they set out to prove her grandfather innocent.

This is the third book in the series. Instead of an international setting the action takes place in Washington, DC. The setting was well done making you feel like you’re visiting the pre-war capital. The plot is interesting, but the pace is rather slow. I found the conversations about the crime very repetitious. However, the tension between Elena and Ellenby keeps the story moving.

Elena is growing as a character, feeling more in control of her abilities as a member of MI6. Although the action takes place in US, the author gives us glimpses of what’s happening in Britain, particularly Lucas, her grandfather, who I always enjoy.

This is a good continuation of the series. Well worth reading.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review. 

 

A Rather Ambitious Look at American History

 

I wanted to like this book. However, I felt that the author pushed his premise too hard not giving an even handed look at America’s past. It’s always easy to lay your preconceived ideas over the facts of history. Certainly, the founders made mistakes from where we sit today, but that’s hindsight. The author criticizes Madison for the compromises he had to make to get the constitution approved by the states. They were not all on the same page any more that all our states agree today.

The author’s treatment of present history is much more balanced, and people can make up their own minds because they can see history in action. I can’t agree with everything he says about the villainous military-industrial complex, but he makes some valid points.

When I comes to slavery, I think he did the early abolitionists a serious injustice. They cared a great deal about the plight of the slaves and the fact that there were people speaking out about the abuses of slavery made the changes during the Civil War possible.

I found the book interesting to read even though I couldn’t agree with many of his conclusions about the early days of America. The fact that we have a country at all rather than a group of states is due to the fact that the founders were able to make compromises. We may not like them in retrospect, but much of what goes on today is not wonderful and compromise is always necessary.

I received this book from Dutton for this review.

Should You Have Children?

 

This novel uses the lives of three generations of related women to explore the important idea of whether you should have children. Missy is the only female member of a band. At twenty-two she’s partying as hard as any of the men until she finds herself alone in a hotel room in Vancouver and pregnant.

Carola is Missy’s mother. She left the family when Missy was a child to live her own life of free love. She sees Missy’s picture on a music magazine. Being involved in a sex scandal at the ashram where she’s been living gives her an impetus to think about her daughter.

Ruth is the grandmother. When Missy crashes with her, she decides that it’s time for the women in the family to get to know and hopefully begin to understand each other.

The novel is divided into two parts: the first in 1997 when Missy and her mother meet after ten years. An obvious discussion arises about the desire to have children and what is owed to the children you bring into the world. The second half takes place in 2013. Now Missy wants to have a child, but she’s looking a her biological clock and worrying.

I found the characters in this book hard to connect with. Missy seemed too childish and brash. Carola is not a character I could sympathize with although I grew up in her generation. She didn’t seem that real. Ruth was more likable, but hers wasn’t the main story. I think the question posed by the novel is important, but the characters didn’t carry it for me.

I received this book from Ballantine Books for this review.

America’s Political Dysfunction

 

Our country is at a crisis point. Osnos dates the problem from September 11^th when the United States was shocked by being attacked by terrorists flying planes into our iconic buildings. The anger was real and hasn’t abated. It has led to political divisions where people have become less and less able to see the other person’s point of view.

To try to get an understanding of what was going on in the country and what people were thinking, Osnos centered on three locations he was familiar with, Creenwich, Connecticut, Clasksburg, West Virginia and Chicago, Illinois. These three areas cover a broad spectrum of American communities. Greenwich is the home of the very rich, Clarksburg shows rural poverty, and Chicago is the urban city filled with crime and poverty. Interviewing people in these locations Osnos was able to give a broad view of the emotions driving our political divide.

I found this a very important and interesting book. Clearly our country is in trouble. This can be seen in the way people are responding to the Covid crisis. There is little to no tolerance for the ideas of others. Vaccinated individuals are ready to kill the unvaccinated. It even carries over into whether scientific research showing divergent views can be tolerated. I found Osnos book very helpful in understanding where these viewpoints are coming from and how they affect the current climate.

I received this book from NetGalley for this review.

Belonging to a Strict Community

 

Leah and Yaakov are marrying in the orthodox Jewish community of Boro Park, a borough of Brooklyn. It’s a beautiful start for the novel celebrating the love between these two and the joy of being surrounded by friends and family. This book is the sequel to An Unorthodox Match where Leah, a California girl looking to immerse herself in her spirituality, meets Yaakov, a widower with five children.

Now that the couple is married the test of living in a strict religious community confronts them. Yaakov must leave his beloved Yeshiva and go to work as an accountant. Leah works from home and cares for the two youngest children and their seventeen-year-old daughter, Shaindele. Much as she wants to be part of the community, Leah is finding the restrictions difficult. The adjustment of the young couple is not helped when Shairdele, exploring boundaries, starts an inappropriate relationship.

This story is a beautiful love story, but it is also about becoming part of a constrictive community. The author doesn’t sugar coat the problems of people who have embraced the constraints of the community and resent outsiders. They are often not welcoming and are looking for things to criticize about someone like Leah who they consider an outsider.

Although the book is about an orthodox Jewish community many other restrictive religious communities share the same problems and attract the same type of people The author pulls you into the community so that you can feel the joys and problems faced by Leah and Yaakov. I recommend this book. It’s worth reading whether you are Jewish or not. However, I think it would be helpful to read the previous book first because it contains important parts of the backstory.

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

A Play and a Holocaust Survivor

 

As a child in a Warsaw orphanage, Jarvyk Smith was involved in the production of a play that was a protest against the approaching Nazis. He and his friend Misha managed to escape the train taking them to the camps. Now Misha has perished in a remote village in India where he was involved in producing the same play.

Although his life in New York is far from the horrors of WWII, Jarvyk can’t rise above his survivor’s guilt. Even his love affair with Lucy Gardener, a transplanted Southerner with whom he has started a romantic relationship, can’t keep him from going to India to recover Misha’s remains. However, once there he becomes enmeshed in taking Misha’s place in the play being produced in the troubled village.

When it appears he is gone for a long time, Lucy follows him with the purpose of bringing him back.

This is a lyrically written book with a difficult subject. Jarvyk is torn by guilt that he was one of the only ones who escaped the Nazis. This guilt keeps him from wholeheartedly embracing life even his love affair with Lucy.

The book is an interesting exploration of the relationship between art, politics and community. It’s played out against Jarvek’s fears from the past and of moving on to the future. Although I found the ending somewhat equivocal, it’s a good look at the fallout for survivors of WWII.

I received this book from Knopf for this review.

Post WWII Berlin

 

As teenagers, Millie Mosbach and her brother David escaped Germany just before the beginning of WWII. They left behind their Jewish parents and their younger sister, a fact that Millie years later feels guilt about. The brother and sister enjoyed an American adolescence Millie going to Bryn Mawr and David to boarding school. After graduation he enlisted in the Army.

The war is over and Millie and David are both back in Berlin. Millie had returned as part of the denazification program to root our hardcore Nazis in publishing. David’s job is to help displaced people find new lives. The siblings feel guilt wondering what happened to their parents. Millie is probably suffering from PTSD. She also has a problem with her boss Major Harry Sutton. To her he appears much too fair to the Germans.

The novel has wonderful descriptions of post war Germany. The author does a wonderful job bringing that difficult time to life. I enjoyed learning about the war, but I found that some of the flashbacks were rather disjointed. The transition from past to present was sometimes difficult to follow.

Millie is an excellent character. She has survivors guilt on top of PTSD wondering what happened to her parents and sister. I also liked Harry Sutton. He is a complex character trying to see both sides and have compassion for the German survivors. This, of course, brings him into conflict with Millie.

If you enjoy WWII novels, this is a different take on the end of the war.

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

The Human Relationship with the Stars

 

From the earliest times men have looked at the stars and wondered. In pre-history the stars were seen as gods. As the understanding of the cosmos increased, the stars were studied and gradually relegated to a physical part of the universe. This excellent book traces the human understanding of the sky through the science of each period.

While I thought I knew a reasonable amount about astronomy, I learned something new in each chapter. One of the big surprises was how the Polynesians navigated. Instead of plotting their course from Pacific island to island, they memorized a star route. It allowed them to travel great distances without the sophisticated instruments used by the Europeans.

The book isn’t restricted to cosmology as such. It also covers art and mythology in relation to humans trying to understand their place in the universe. The author did an excellent job of making this book, that contains a great deal of technical information, understandable by the general reader.

Probably the most important point the author makes is that through millennia we have separated ourselves from the stars, from the universe and from nature. This is a very undesirable outcome of our search for ever more technological solutions to our problems. If this book does nothing else, I hope it awakens us to what we are in danger of losing by studying our electronic screens instead of the night sky.

I received this book from Dutton for this review.

Difficulty of Being a Mixed Race Child in Japan Post WWII

 

Nori is eight-years-old when her mother leaves her with her aristocratic grandparents on their estate. She tries to be a good girl and act as her mother instructed her. In spite of the abuse including chemical baths to try to change the color of her skin, she is an obedient child.

Being the daughter of a married aristocrat and her black GI lover, Nori is an embarrassment to her grandparents. She is forced to live alone in the attic and has no tenderness until her half-brother, Akira, arrives at the estate. He is the heir and surprisingly, he and Nori become friends and very important to each other.

This is a novel with some very good parts and some that distracted from the overall book. The story line follows the problems of Nori being not only a mixed race child, but also illegitimate. The early parts of the book where Nori is constantly subjected to abuse were harg to read. In fact, I thought the abuse was rather overdone.

The story lightens when Akira arrives. He befriends Nori, gets her out of the attic and gives her a view of the outside world. It was a delightful picture of friendship. The difference between how the children get along and love each other is in direct contrast to the unyielding disapproval of the grandparents. They feel their whole way of life has been betrayed by having a child like Nori and their desire is to erase the stigma.

While I enjoyed parts of the book, I found the writing a bit simple. The characters could have been more well developed. The dialog often felt stilted. I thought the author was trying for a romantic look at the manners of a slice of civilization much the same way Jane Austen did for the Victorians, however, it wasn’t as effective.

I received this book from Penguin Random House for this review.

A High Profile Jewelry Theft in Cannes

Ania Thorne, a talented jewelry designer, has worked hard for the last five years to restore the reputation of her father’s company. She has planned a stunning collection centered around special designs for three movie stars that will be shown at the international film festival, but now the enterprise is threatened by the theft of the jewels.

Jerome Curtis is an insurance investigator. He arrives in Cannes to locate the stolen gems. He immediately sees that several things are unusual, like leaving the jewels in a separate room from Ania’s suite. Then at lunch Ania’s salad arrives with a surprise. One of the pieces is returned with a note.

The audacity of the theft and particularly the note lead Curtis to the assumption that the thief is none other than the fabled jewelry their, Leopold. Now the chase is on and he can’t ignore his increasing interest in Ania.

This book is reminiscent of a 1950’s movie. There’s glamour, priceless jewels, a notorious thief and a budding romance. The pace is fast much like a movie. The descriptions of the Carleton Hotel and the avenues of Paris combined with movie stars and jewels is an irresistible combination.

Ania’s character is perfect. She has trained herself to be an ice queen, showing no emotion, to keep her competitors from getting an emotional edge. I enjoyed seeing her transition to a warmer person as she helped Curtis chase the thief. Curtis was also an excellent character. He’s tough and smart and his rumpled appearance is the perfect foil to Ania’s icy perfection.

If you like romance with a gorgeous setting and a mystery, this is a good one.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.
 

Ocean Liners Presented Life Changing Opportunities for Women

 

Between the two world wars women were traveling alone some for pleasure, some for business and others to start a new life. Ocean liners with routes across the Atlantic from Europe to America and back, provided luxurious and also rather primitive accommodations for these women. Travel on land was somewhat restricted for women alone, so the ocean lines afforded a chance to be independent. Many women craved this, particularly those engaged in business.

In this anecdotal history we meet many women from socialites like Thelma Furness, long standing mistress to the Prince of Wales, to working women like the stewardesses and Virginia Drummond, a ship’s engineer during WWII. In third class there were many women looking to find a better life in America. This book concentrates on success stories, but many did not find what they were looking for.

The author also described in detail the liners, particularly the accommodations and salons. I found the descriptions fascinating. One liner, the Aquitania, was especially designed to appeal to women. The accommodations in third class were much more primitive with bunk beds and common facilities for bathing and personal hygiene.

The book is very well researched. With all the detail, the text could become heavy and boring. However, the author effectively uses anecdotes about the passengers not only to give a view of who was traveling, but to humanize the history.

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

A Ziegfeld Show Girl in the Roaring Twenties

 

Olive McCormick dreams of becoming a star in the Ziegfeld Follies. Her conservative family objects, but Olive follows her dream first to California then to New York and a meeting with Ziegfeld himself. As a member of the cast, Olive relishes the life. While the other girls consider the job as a step to marriage and family, Olive is totally focused on being a star until she meets Archie Carmichael. He perseveres, and finally, she agrees to marry him.

She likes the way he doesn’t seem bothered by her success and independence, but once they’re engaged he starts to change. Olive is young and self-centered. She makes numerous bad decisions and finds herself in more trouble than she dreamed possible.

The glamour and excitement of New York in the twenties is on full display. The author has done and excellent job inviting the reader into the Follies. It’s a lavish picture and historically accurate. I loved it.

Olive is an independent self-centered character. I found it hard to like her, but I respected her desire to succeed as she coped with numerous difficulties. Life wasn’t easy in the twenties for a woman trying to make it on her own. I thought the author illustrated the expectations for women in the era and highlighted their struggles well.

If you enjoy well done historical fiction with a good dollop of romance, you’ll enjoy this book.

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

Better that the Cookie Cutter Approach to College Applications

 

This book is a must read for anyone applying to college in the near future and for those parents and counselors helping them. The focus of the book is on being yourself. The author, who has experience in selecting college applicants, says colleges are not interested in seeing a stack of applications that can hardly be told apart. They’re interested in diversity and students who are doing things they care about. Her story in the opening pages illustrates this perfectly.

The book contains information on applying, stories of applicants, and questions for the reader to help decide who they really are and what they want. The author makes a good point that college is not the end of life; it’s the beginning. You get a better start if you’re at a place where you can pursue your real goals rather than trying to grab a place in a prestigious institution that doesn’t fit.

I highly recommend this book.

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

The Cabaret Scene in 1941 Paris

Clementine, a seventy-two-year-old American ex-pat, has found a home in Paris. In spite of the Nazi occupation she doesn’t want to leave. She left her old life as a con-man and thief behind when she settled in a Paris to run a small shop specializing in perfumes she mixes for the artists in the cabaret scene at the fringes of society.

Clem is asked by her friend Day Shabille, based on Josephine Baker, to help another cabaret singer, Zoe St. Angel. Zoe is hiding the fact that she’s Jewish. Her father, a perfumer, has been taken by the Nazis and a Nazi businessman is living in his house. She wants Clem to steal his perfume book so that no one discovers that she was the inspiration for one of his famous perfumes.

The descriptions of the Paris nightlife in the cabarets is wonderful. It’s very atmospheric and makes you see Paris during the Nazis occupation. I thought that was the best part of the book.

Clem is a fascinating character. She wears men's clothes in a time when it was dangerous to be a lesbian or indeed anyone who was outside the social mores of the era. I liked her. Her memories, which form much of the story, give an engrossing picture of the time in both France and America.

The pace of the book was a little slow if you like lots of action. Much of it consists of Clem’s memories and descriptions of Paris life in 1941.

I received this book from Doubleday Books for this review.
 

Three Outsider Moms at a Posh Private School

 

Parents want to give their tots the best possible start. In this Southern California community that means the Swan School. However, three moms are not the average sophisticated parents the school caters to. They meet at the Welcome Breakfast and quickly bond. Each has secrets that they fear will be exposed. Andrea is running from her East Coast life, Lauren has a postpartum depression that her husband wants her to hide, and Ronnie is hiding from a man who could ruin her life.

The women get notes in their children’s backpacks warning that they’re not wanted in the school. They decide that they need to meet with the school’s director, Piper. When they arrive at her office, she’s been brutally attacked. The three women are also knocked out making at least one of them the prime suspect. Now they must solve the mystery

I found the characters in this book difficult to like. Of course, they all want the best for their children, but their own egos and manipulative strategies made them seem most interested in themselves. As they strive for acceptance, as well as self-acceptance. they come across as mostly deceitful.

I thought the first part of the book was interesting. The setting in a posh school that I couldn’t imagine ever sending my children to was well done. However, after the attack and the subsequent quest to prove their innocence, the story became more diffuse. I’m used to reading mysteries and this wasn’t a hunt to solve a complex crime.. It seemed more like a voyage of personal discovery by rather unlikable women.

I received this book from Dutton/Plume for this review.

Strategies for Detecting Bullshit

 

Detecting bullshit is an important strategy for our time. Facebook, Twitter, major media, and television personalities all engage in some form of bullshit as do jewelers, car salesmen, and diet gurus. Arguments from authority are one way of persuading people to your point of view whether the authorities are correct or slanted.

The book is divided into two parts. The first part is anecdotal stories illustrating bullshit by personalities such as Deepak Chopra, Donald Trump, and others. It is very important when so much information is floating around to have a way to do critical thinking to separate what’s real from what’s being hyped.

The second half of the book, and in my view the most interesting, presents strategies and checklists for detecting bullshit. While not a prefect solution, it does give you a place to start and encourages you to sharpen your faculties to get a better handle on the truth. I particularly liked his suggestion of asking questions that require evidence based replies. Bullshitters make things sound wonderful, but they slide over what their pronouncements are really based on.

I recommend this book if you want to develop or bush up your skills in critical thinking for getting closer to the truth.

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

Gentle Stories of Love and Romance

 

I have been a fan of Rosamunde Pilcher since I was a teen. Her books were always engaging with beautiful settings and attractive characters. This collection of fifteen short stories is the same. However, the stories are based in a different era and may not resonate with modern readers.

The women in the stories are engaged in some form of relationship or are single and looking for a relationship. Different types of love are described from the wife who tries to rekindle the romance in her marriage to a young woman realizing she’s along and then finding romance. The stories primarily involve a romantic couple. This works well for the era in which they are set. Whether right of wrong, at that time women were encouraged to look for a relationship with a man. Marriage was a goal and being single was often viewed as failure.

If you have read Roemunde Pilcher, before these stories are a wonderful find. The settings, as usual in her work, are breathtaking. You want to drop everything and go there. However, the characters, as I pointed out, are somewhat dated. Still, you can love the stories for a glimpse of a different time.

I received this book from Net Galley for this review.

Lessons for Achieving Success

 

Published in 1928, Napoleon Hill’s The Law of Success has been widely read and his principles followed by many people. The book contains fifteen lessons on such topics as self-confidence, enthusiasm, and imagination. While the book was published many years ago these topics are still relevant. The lessons are designed to make you think about how you approach your desires and how you present yourself.

This book is very detailed. Each lesson is rather long and considering that it was written many years ago it can be more difficult to read than current self-help books. However, the content is excellent. I think the fact that the it takes some work to read the book is good. It makes you think about what you’re reading. I particularly like that the lessons are process rather than outcome oriented. Process is what gets you to where you want to be. It can be hard work, but it is what brings the outcome of success.

The best way to use this book is to read each lesson and decide how you can use the material to fit into your plan for success.

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

A Lasting, but Not Perfect Marriage

 

Peter and Jackie were high school sweethearts. Everyone thought they were destined to marry, but Peter was having second thoughts. He planned to end it until he was involved in an incident that changed the course of his life and their relationship. Although they later marry and have been married for more than thirty years, Peter has kept his secret until he finally tells Jackie.

As the story opens Peter and Jackie are in their seventies. He has just published his first novel which is a reason to celebrate, but Jackie has just had a cancer diagnosis and the prognosis isn’t good.

This is a story of choices and living with the results. Peter and Jackie didn’t have the perfect marriage, but they stayed together and now they’re facing an ending. The story moves back a forth between their past and the present decisions they have to make.

Peter is the primary narrator, and I have to admit I didn’t like him. I thought he was too self-centered. I had trouble warming up to Jackie also. She seemed depressed and remote, but perhaps that was intentional as a result of her diagnosis. The book starts slowly, but it picks up in the middle as we get to know the characters better and the crisis points become obvious.

I thought the author did a good job delving into the lives to two people who made a choice to be together and stuck it out even if they might not have been the right people for each other.

I received this book from Gallery Books for this review.

A Fictionalized Account of an Assassination Attempt in 1910 London

 

William Melville, Head of Special Branch, is tasked with keeping the royal family safe as well as catching anarchists and other criminals in London. William worked his way up to his position from his early years as a baker in Ireland. He has become not only the protector of the royal family but also their friend and confident.

Queen Victoria’s death is the signal for all the crowned heads of Europe to gather for her funeral. Among these is Kaiser Wilhelm II, Victoria’s favorite grandson. As the royals gather, Melville gets wind of an assassination plot. It is unclear who the intended victim is, but Melville suspects it may be the Kaiser. However, he also needs to stay aware of the danger to other royals, including the new king, Edward VII.

To keep the threat of assassination from becoming public knowledge Melville must work alone, but he enlists the help of a member of the German retinue, Gustav Steinhauer. He is very similar in temperament to Melville and the two men work together well to protect their monarchs.

I enjoyed this book particularly that it is based on actual historical events. Melville and Steinhauer are well drawn. The team works swiftly to identify the assassin and foil the plot. Although set in 1910, it’s an exciting spy thriller. The book also gives us a good picture of the era in Europe when the old order of royalty was being replaced. I thought the author did an excellent job with the historical background.

I received this book from Knopf Doubleday Publishing Group.

Maggie Reunites with Her Ex to Solve a Murder in Los Angeles

 

It’s 1943. The war isn’t over, but in the US, they’re starting to see the possibility of victory in both Europe and Asia. Maggie is in Los Angeles at the request of her ex, John Sterling. John is in Hollywood working for Walt Disney helping to create war propaganda. Since his break with Maggie he’s become engaged, but tragically his fiance was found dead floating in the hotel pool where she was staying. John is convinced it was murder and he’s asked Maggie to investigate.

The setting in this the tenth book in the Maggie Hope series, is quite different from war-torn Europe. Everything is bright and sunny in California, but under the shiny exterior lurks the same evil Maggie faced in Europe. There’s glamour like Coconut Grove, but there’s also hatred and segregation, Nazis and the KKK. The author does an excellent showing the contrast between the surface and the darkness underneath.

I thought this was an excellent addition to the Maggie Hope story. Maggie is a terrific heroine. She’s brave, clever, and a caring person who wants to help her friends. I was delighted to see John back in Maggie’s life. I wasn’t happy when he took Disney’s offer to work in Hollywood. Sara is back also and working in the movies. A new character that added a great deal to the complexity of the story was Henri, a jazz musician.

If you’re a fan of Maggie Hope, this is a must read. If not, it’s a good time to get acquainted.

I received this book from Random House for this review.