Murder Your Employer by Rupert Holmes

The latest in my New Title Tuesday, this was suggested to me by Amazon. We are on book number 12 of 18. 

You may not know the author's name, but you might've heard a song he wrote on the Oldies station: The Pina Colada Song.  Honestly, I had no idea that's who the author was when I bought the book, and didn't until a friend commented on my FB post.  It really has no bearing on the review or the book anyway, but interesting factoid.

This was a weird book.  It is set up like a journal with editorial comments.  The journal portion is from a former student and now staff member at McMasters Conservatory, a school dedicated to learning how to murder, er, DELETE, those who deserve it.  Think Scythe school.  The school location is never revealed, but it was VERY Hogwarts-like (a little too much in my opinion).  The editorial comments come from the Headmaster.  In addition to the journaling student, we learn about two other future Deletists.  It also felt very Harry Potter course bookish, like the original Fantastic Beasts or Quidditch Through the Ages.   

It was readable, but I saw the plot twist coming fairly early.  I also had trouble NOT picturing Hogwarts or the Dean as Dumbledore. The hardest part for me was the anachronisms: Holmes refers to people of my parents' or even grandparents' generation for references, and I had to Google them.  If I didn't know some, it's unlikely my kids will.  

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W. 

Hang the Moon by Jeannette Walls

I absolutely loved Walls' The Glass Castle.  I also love NASCAR, which of course has its roots in moonshine running.  When I read the summary on Amazon, I thought a book written by Walls set in the Appalachians of Virginia during the Prohibition era about a girl from a family of bootleg liquor runners would be awesome.  

It was..."readable".

I wish I liked it more, but, eh.  

Sallie Kincaid is the middle child of The Duke, a local big wig.  She's a free spirit, and her stepmother Jane has her banished to a maternal aunt (Faye) when her actions injure her young half-brother Eddie.  Upon her stepmother's death from the flu several years later, she returns to The Big House a young woman. 

It is like the Kincaids are cursed: one death after another.  Some from standard deadly illnesses, but most of accidents such as drowning, a suicide, and a few gun fights.

Sallie ends up running bootleg whiskey, as her older half-sister Mary turns the county dry.  The running scenes are the only real action in the book.

The rest of the novel is one revelation about the men of The Duke's family's philandering about the county.  Sallie seems in the dark about her father, grandfather, and great-grandfather's activities, and learns she has several more siblings/cousins/aunts/etc, of multiple races.  It became somewhat annoying and stereotypical of the region.  And also the "man who is secretly (but obvious to the reader) gay in a community that could never accept such" trope.

I wish there was a lot more action on the back roads of Appalachia running 'shine than "I have a(nother) sister!" *gasp* moments.        

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.  

   

Young and Damned and Fair by Gareth Russell

I did not read a new book last week over vacation for new #titletuesday.  Instead I reread Killers of the Flower Moon in preparation for the new Leo DiCaprio/Martin Scorsese film of the same name.  I am hoping our Criminal Justice cohort goes on a field trip to see it and invites me chaperone!

I actually read this the week before vacation, but totally forgot to publish the review.  I also totally forgot to share my CASL Board notes with the other LMSs.  Safe to say my brain was mush, and I definitely needed that vacation!

Anyway.

This is a biography of Catherine (more recently spelled with a K) Howard, the fifth wife of Henry the 8th.  

If you like musicals at all, you probably have at least heard the intro song to the Broadway and now touring Six.  The show features the six wives of Henry the 8th reimagined as pop princesses, each singing a song about their lives and reign, inspired by a real musician.  Katherine Howard's song is "All You Wanna Do", sung as Ariana Grande or Christina Augliera. 

Until now, most people have never heard of Katherine Howard.  Which really irks me because she's my very distant cousin.  Those who have heard of her just know she was beheaded from the rhyme divorced, beheaded, died, divorced, beheaded, survived. Her name likely was spelled with a C, but recently the K spelling gained favor, partly due to Six, partly to differentiate her from wife #1 Catherine of Aragon and wife #6 Catherine Parr.  

This traces Catherine's rise to Queen from her family's manipulations to get her at court, the sexual abuse at the hands of men around her, and her demise. It is not a happy ever after.

A reminder all opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.

A Killer's Wife by Victor Methos

If you're following my new #titletuesday posts on FB, you know I did not review Daisy Jones and the Six.  I actually had to put Daisy down as I found it was too similar to Opal & Nev.  The latter is the teacher and friend's book club selection for April; the former in June.  I felt they were too alike to read so close together, so Daisy is on hold. 

This novel is the club's choice for May, chosen by a friend of one of our Board of Education members.  It is a murder mystery thriller.  As such I don't want to spoil too much plot, but:

Eddie Cal is on death row for a series of gruesome murders.  His ex-wife Jessica is now a federal prosecutor, and their teenage daughter Tara is a math and artistic genius applying to graduate level university studies.  A copy cat has started imitating Eddie's crimes, and the FBI want Jessica to help, as she is the only person Eddie is willing to talk to.

I hated Eddie.  In addition to being a psychopath, he's just a jerk (I'd use stronger language in private conversation).  I wanted to punch him in the teeth.  I also wanted to smack Tara, as she's incredibly rude to her mother.  

Overall, it held my interest, although I saw the plot twist 1 coming pretty early.  Plot twist 2 was a bit more of a surprise.

This will be among the 18 books added to our collection as new titles donated by me, but it will be on hold until after our May meeting. 

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W. 

The Spite House by Johnny Compton

Continuing my plan to read a new book starting each Tuesday, this was recommended to me by Amazon.  I have a love hate relationship with Amazon.  I love how fast they send me books, I hate how much I spend there.

Anyway, this was sold to me as a haunted house/horror story.  It was. Very much so.

However, it was WAY WAY WAY too much like The Haunting of Hill House (the novel, the movie, the movie remake, and the Netflix series) with a dash of The/A Haunting in Connecticut (the TV episode and the movie--fun fact, my late Golden Savannah was from the real neighborhood where that supposedly took place).  Family in crisis meets haunted house in need of caretaker.    

A very quick read (it's quite a short book) that held my interest.  I guess I was hoping there would be something that didn't sound recycled, but alas.  If you've never read/watched the aforementioned titles, you will absolutely love it.  If you have though, it will not be as scary a read.

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W. 

Carrie Soto is Back by Taylor Jenkins Reid

First an apology on being late with my review.  Crazy times with NGSS, Union meeting, St. Patrick's Parade, etc.!

Alright, so...

I recently learned all of Taylor Jenkins Reid's books have "Easter Eggs"--references to her other books.  You can read about her world here: https://www.jenryland.com/the-fictional-world-of-taylor-jenkins-reid In this book, Carrie Soto has an affair with the son-in-law of one of Evelyn Hugo's ex-husbands, Mick Riva.  It's fascinating how she has concocted this world and although the books are not sequels/prequels, they are interconnected like the old daytime soap operas.  

I absolutely loved The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, and I had big expectations for this.  My feelings are mixed.  Carrie Soto was a phenomenal tennis player, winning a record Grand Slam titles.  Now, at 37, a new player, Nicki Chan, has tied her record.  Soto decides to come out of retirement, at what is considered a geriatric age in sports, to try to win back her statistic.  

We flash backwards to how Carrie got to this moment.  And these parts I really liked, as they give a true picture of how women, specifically WINNING women were treated in the sports media (and in some ways still are).  Because Carrie wasn't interested in being friends with competition or being jolly with the press, she is called names.  Because she exploits weakness in her opponents, there is one particular B word used often.  

Once we get back to the present, I kinda lost interest.  I played tennis in high school, so I know how the scoring works and the terminology, etc.  It just got boring, and I did have to skip some of the play by play.

I will not spoil the ending when Soto and Chan face each other in the final.

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.    

Lessons in Chemistry by Bonnie Garmus

Hello there!  March 6th already.  Mrs. Paredes sent out the tentative end of year event calendar to teachers for review. This year is flying by!

This is the next book in my Teachers and Friends Book Club.  Since there is a cooking element, we are having a cook-off hosted by Mrs. Tirollo in two weeks.  

I thought this was going to be laugh out loud funny.  I did smile big a couple times, but I did not find it hilarious.  So just know my particular brand of humor didn't match up to Amazon's description.  Instead, I found this to be quite a statement about women's history in America, the history of entertainment and women in the television industry, the role of women in the 50s and 60s, the lack of women in sciences (or at least being credited for their work, and the place of the mother in the American family.  

Elizabeth is a brilliant chemist seeking her PhD when she is assaulted by her advisor.  The police and university take his side, and she is thrown out of the program.  She ends up working in a lab, but never being viewed as "smart enough".  Still trying to work on her theories, she steals equipment from legendary chemist Calvin Evans.  They fall in love, but refuse to marry, causing a scandal when they live together.  They adopt a stray dog and name him Six Thirty.  Calvin and Six Thirty are hit by a car, and Calvin is killed.  Elizabeth learns she is pregnant and is terminated from her employment.  

Years later, barely scraping by, Elizabeth's daughter Madeline gets into trouble at school when Mad had her lunch stolen by classmate Amanda.  Amanda's father is a local television producer, and after having Elizabeth's dinner, realizes she'd be perfect for a cooking show to fill a new empty time slot.  Elizabeth takes her chemistry background and applies it to food, while preaching women's education and life beyond the kitchen.  She becomes an icon.  You can imagine how the (male) television execs react. 

I will say Six Thirty is the absolute best character, and his internal monologue is fascinating.  Every year he ages I was afraid we'd be reading about his passing, but he lives through the end of the book (a fact I had to share with Ms. Marcella, as I knew she'd have the same fear!).  So do not despair animal lovers.

I'll be adding this to our collection momentarily (I'm sitting in the library listening to the BOE meeting going on downstairs via YouTube while directing lost parents at Parent Visiting Night), and it will be on the Book Club hold shelf until after our meeting.

All opinions expressed on this blog are solely those of Mrs. W.