When the Wind Blows - By Ma Shelley

 When the Wind Blows by Ma Shelley.

Let me start by saying, this book was a 5 star read for me. The writing was beautiful and fluid, the storyline had me flying through it, and I really cared for the characters. I'm surprised it was not picked up by a larger publisher, and marketed better. I think the current cover doesn't really give the story any justice. I'd love to see it remarketed and republished and it's image changed. When I read the book I felt like I was in a fairytale, or in a fable. The magic of this book is Ma Shelley's love of nature, and how beautifully she writes her nature scenes.

The book has two storylines that converge together so beautifully and tragically. The main POV being from Tad, a tiny frog. Yes, I said a frog and he was utterly charming. (Just ask Raindrop). The second POV was of the human family living in the bayou, with their Ma and Pop living on a house built literally above the swamp. The family is one of few that live this close to the bayou, and are looked down on by the town folk. 

The biggest part of the book's charm, for me, were the tiny animals that come together to make it through the storm, each learning trust, cooperation, and the meaningfulness of each other's existence. Little Tad and his clan lived not far from the family in the story, and the frog would watch the "two-leggers" and ponder them. Sometimes those same two-leggers saw Tad and swore he was following him. Something about the nature observing the human while the human observed (or in some ways were oblivious to) the wildlife around them just tickled my soul. 

I told the author that Tad's storyline was so adorable that it could be a separate middle grade story on it's own! However, when the hurricane hits, and the levy breaks, and that sweet family - the Bugaloo's (the most country name I can imagine LOL) lives become endangered, and help comes in the most unexpected places. 

I believe this story is set in the path of Hurricane Katrina, and I will think on some more questions I have and send them to the author, to highlight her in an interview.

Do not let this cover deceive you, this is a LOVELY story with so much heart, faith, love, and unexpected poignancy, please read - especially if you love a story that loves nature!!

The Wife Upstairs by Rachel Hawkins - Jane Eyre July 2021

 

I loved this book!!!! I saved it for my Jane-Eyre-July-2021 - a month where I take time to read adaptations or retellings of my beloved classic - Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. Whenever I see a remake, I ask for a copy, borrow, or buy. In this case I was lucky enough to be sent the Advanced Reader Copy from St. Martin's Press.  It was my very first Jane Eyre inspired read of this month, and wow, did it deliver! 

This is the first book (honestly) that I've read in which all of the characters are beyond unlikeable, more like - despicable! From rich and spoiled housewives, to conniving roommates, to a handsome-but-suspect widower, to frienemies, to one plain-little sticky-fingered dog-walking Jane.

I loved the modern take on this book. I loved the references to the classic with the similar names (and/or surnames), loved  "Reader, I....."  I won't tell you, it's too good. I laughed out loud when I read it. 

This story wound up being profusely different than Jane Eyre in many ways, but I loved all of the allusions to the original story. I loved the multiple perspectives. I loved the deviance, the sneakiness, and the reprehensible, yet intriguing characters. Not one was really trustworthy or decent, not really even Jane.

 I loved the ending. I didn't see that twist coming, and it was so satisifying. I flew through the bulk of the book today, but started it on the 4th of July, which ironically, is a date / scene mentioned in the book. Gotta love it when that happens! This book was really so much fun, so addictive, so immersive, even if you are not a fan of Jane Eyre. Seriously, give it a read for a quick, fun, and clever summer thriller!

Victoria's War by Catherine A. Hamilton

Narrated by: Emily Behr

Artwork by: Jennifer Yoswa

Victoria, a young 18 year-old Polish Catholic woman is looking forward to going off to college. Her bags are packed, but the Nazis invade Poland, destroying her plans for the future, instead putting her to work as a slave in a sewing factory. When she and her friend Sylvia decide to go to a secret resistance movement, they are caught and shipped out of Poland to be slaves in Germany. On the way, stuffed into box cars we meet the formidable (and lovable) Mrs. Kosa. She takes Victoria under her wing and instills in her courage. She does this throughout the story, making her an unforgettable character for me.

In this story, we also meet Etta, a young German artist, who is deaf and mute. In her opening scene we are with her and her hideous mother, at a hospital to endure forced sterilization under the Furher’s command. Her mother, unconceivably, agrees to this and being the good Nazi that she is, helps restrain her resistant daughter. Etta is being forced to endure this under Nazi law that all disabled people be sterilized, in the much popular eugenics program of that country. She protests much to her mother’s horror because as most young women, she dreams of having a family one day. This storyline intertwines with that of Victoria as Etta’s family “buys” Victoria to be a slave to their bakery business and family.

As the story progresses, we hear of tremendous atrocities, such as forced prostitution, forced labor, starvation rations, dislocation from one’s family and country, and other brutalities. It never ceases to amaze me how cruel humans can be to one another, but when that cruelty is state-sanctioned, it is a living nightmare.

Although this story was fictional, it did make me think about the lesser known stories of the populations who were also controlled and destroyed by the Nazi party such as the ethnic Poles, the Catholics (particularly priests and nuns), the disabled, any woman, and even their own citizens. This story was sad, but also hopeful, as it showed how such things as small gestures of kindness can be the best way to be subversive to those in power, and of great help to those in need.

Many thanks to Netgalley, ListenUp Audiobooks, and the author for making this audiobook available pre-publication for review!

No Offense by Meg Cabot

 

No Offense, pub date just last week, is by well-known author of "The Princess Diaries" - Meg Cabot, so when my contacts at William Morrow Publishing asked if I would like a copy for review, I was very excited! I'm so happy to report that I still feel that excited having just finished No Offense today!

This 5 star rom-com is set on an island in Key West, where a spunky new children's librarian (Molly Montgomery) meets handsome divorcee and single dad Sheriff John Hartwell. In addition to the small town fun of this story, Molly's library is the scene of a crime, and so she sets out to find answers and help catch the perpetrators, much to the annoyance and chagrin of the hot Sheriff ( I mentioned he was hot right???). 

As the mystery progresses, Molly keeps managing to be in the midst of it, making independent decisions despite what the Sheriff thought of them. I couldn't quite make out if it was just feminism or stubbornness, but she and the Sheriff frequently don't see eye to eye, and this makes for a rocky start, even as they are inexplicably drawn to one another. 

Little ditty about the picture - Molly mentions Nancy Drew in conversation, I thought it would be only appropriate to snap a shot of this book next to my first collector's set of Nancy Drew volumes 1-4. To the left is an adorable card that my granddaughter picked out for my recent birthday and those two cardboard girls are supposedly she and I - swinging on swings together (as we've done) so cute huh?

This book had just enough tension, side-plots, and action to keep it a page turner, and an endearing one at that. I have these fun characters in my head and heart now, and would love to see more of them. When I posted about this book online, a friend asked if it was part of a series, to which i automatically said no -- only because it is definitely reading like a stand-alone and (shame on me) I automatically said no, only to find out that YES it is part of a series of stand-alone yet same setting/same characters series called, "The Little Bridge Island series." I stand corrected, and gladly so, because this means I get more of that adorable island's cast of characters, and perhaps little highlights of Molly and Sheriff in them as well. I am very keen now to read her book "No Judgements" which I'm hoping is another in this island setting.

If you enjoy rom-com and easy breezy, sexy, smart, sassy, island setting stories, definitely check this out!! I highly recommend it for a relaxing happy read!!!

The Lost and Found Bookshop by Susan Wiggs

Guys, I just adored this book. First of all, the setting of a bookshop is just so cosy to me, and has always been a low-key daydream of mine (to own a bookshop). I loved that the protagonist falls (almost literally) into her mother's shoes and by doing so learns to come to terms with all of the things she never appreciated or understood about her mother and their life while growing up. To see her open up her heart and mind was really amazing and I loved that all of the characters in this story (for the most part) had such integrity. I enjoyed the relationship between Natalie (main character) and her grandfather so much. I feel like I personally related to Natalie's loss because of my own life and there were a few really precious moments and nostalgic moments that made me tear up. I also could appreciate her "Grandy's" dementia as I dealt with that with my own mother. This book's overall feel was just cosy and romantic. Oh, and I love that books literally saved the day. Just a lovely book that puts you in that bookshop setting and man, you just don't want to leave it. Like, ever.

The City We Became - by N.K.Jemisin

I just finished this story last night. This was a 4 star read for me. I enjoyed it. I really wanted it to "wow" me but it somehow missed that mark. I think there's several reasons for this. One is the ending, I wanted a bit more of a cliff-hanger, and the other is the world building.

The world building in this book is deliberately slow and what I liked about it is also what I didn't like about it -- I was a bit confused in the beginning, seeing things happening to my main character who I had no time to really get to know -- and being as confused as the character was disorienting. However, I would much rather "learn" as the characters do, rather than be "told" what's happening. It made for a slow start, however, whenever your discovery is the character's discovery time-frame it causes something magical. It bonds you more to that character.

 My concerns for this trilogy was that this first book did not end on enough of a cliff hanger. I'm not entirely sure that I need to read the 2nd book, however, due to the slow world building in this one, the next one will most likely not be as confusing. One thing is for sure - I will enjoy finding out how Staten Island turns out - will she evolve or be destroyed? Will NYC survive? Or will the multiverse survive instead? Which is the moral conclusion?

This story definitely finds ways to explore some heavy questions like - if our world lives - is it moral if it destroys countless others? Is it morally wrong for the Woman in White to try to save those multiverses, even if it means destroying ours?

The things I enjoyed the most about this story are the discovery and development of the "boroughs" - each with its own strengths and biases. I enjoyed the diversity in the book with excellent representation, although for once, the antagonist is not just white, but envelops everything in white "feathers" which controls people, or "influences" them to be racist against people of color. The symbolism of the "white" feathers was not lost on me. The racism of Staten Island and the portrayal of the only white woman in the story as a moronic racist was disappointing, but on the flip side, it was great to see that the city was being saved by a variety of people of color. White (the color as well as the skin) is definitely not "right" in this book, but I'm okay with it; I get it. My favorite character in the story was Bronca, the Bronx borough. Her reactions and commentary on things cracked me up and I loved that she represented an older woman. Older people are always shoved aside in literature, so it was great to see her character as an older native american woman.

I'm hoping it's sequel, now that The City we Became has laid the foundation, will deliver the wow factor I'm looking for. I'll be counting on it!

Hidden Valley Road - Inside the Mind of an American Family by Robert Kolker

Hidden Valley Road - as the photo above implies - I listened to this on audio rather than traditionally reading it. I find that non-fiction on audio is so much more engaging, and this one was no exception to that rule. I really enjoyed hearing about the scientific treatment history of schizophrenia in America from about the 50s to today, as well as the parts about the family history itself.

In the Galvin family, of Colorado Springs, Colorado, 6 of the 10 boys in the family developed schizophrenia, the other 4 boys and 2 girls did not. When the boys first started showing signs of outrageous behavior and psychotic breaks, this must've been really difficult for their mother. After all, we're talking about the 50s-70s here where most ill-behaved children were believed to have just "not been parented well." The huge debate of "nature-vs-nurture" has been around the 1870s but for inability to prove the nature aspects (things like genes, DNA), it was just so easy to point the finger at the nurturer (usually the mother, but whomever was the principle care-giver) or to some traumatic incident in childhood. Thus, as a mother in high society, such as the Galvins were, the need to present this "perfect family" or to avoid scorn and the spurn of distrust, their mother - Mimi - had a hard way to go. She did attempt to get help for her sons, but perhaps where she went wrong was in the way she made excuses for their behavior, the way she coddled and gave them all of her strength, leaving little (so the others claim) for the healthy children. Several of the children claimed abuse of various kinds from the affected boys such as physical and sexual abuse. To think that this was overlooked or missed as a parent must be devastating. I wouldn't have wanted to be in ANY of their shoes - not the boys so unlucky to have developed schizophrenia, nor the parents, nor the healthy children. I really think this book probably only hits the edge of the full gamut of the nightmare it must've been to be in this family.

All this aside, the most interesting thing was how many of the children developed this in one family. The research that came from studying this family (and others with multiple members positive for schizophrenia) is amazing. Eventually they were able to pinpoint certain DNA/genes that can cause the development of the disease. They studied the brain via MRIs and other technology to confirm that the brains of those with schizophrenia look different than those of a brain without the disease. It also, much like autism it is not necessarily obviously present at birth - and develops over time, albeit autism much earlier in life - with schizo usually developing in late teens or early 20s.

In the realm of genetic research, I believe they did find the genes that can develop into schizophrenia, but the fact is, it doesn't necessarily mean it will develop. But why? An interesting spin on nature vs nurture is the discoveries/assumptions made about a chemical substance called Choline. Choline is one of the substances found in cigarettes. One researcher, upon noting that schizophrenia patients craved constant cigarettes, found proof that the choline in the cigarettes produced a calming sensation and that is why for those patients, they heavily used them. The researcher then tried to tie that to diet, to see if choline consumption in diet could affect the fetus's chances of later developing schizophrenia, however, the only way to do this was via a clinical trial that will last for at least another 20 years. They took patients who had the genes of schizophrenia, and when they became pregnant, had them take supplements that increased choline, then will study those children over the next decade or so to see if they develop schizophrenia or not. Will the patients with the placebo (rather than the choline) be at greater risk of developing schizophrenia? Will choline in utero be the answer to eradicating this brain disease? It's just fascinating to think in less than 50 years, this may be the key to ending Schizophrenia and perhaps other brain-related diseases.

If we think on mental illness as a brain disease, it takes so much more of the stigma from it. One cannot help from which genes one comes from, and these types of ailments are just a combination of genes - it's really a luck of the draw genetically. What if we could eradicate all brain disease related mental health issues from us as we eradicated polio? Just from something as "simple" as our nutritional supplements? It's amazing to think of how complex our bodies and brains are.

As for the audiobook, I'll give the narrator a 4.5 - I enjoyed listening and he was engaging in the telling of the story.

As for the story itself, I do have some criticisms - such as - I felt like the story did not have to be 13 hours long. I would've rather it have been about 8 hours long, because that is where i found myself starting to wish it was just over. Personal problem perhaps. LOL.

I also am a bit confused about why only ONE of the sibling's children were discussed. Perhaps the others did not want to be involved in the project, but it would've been interesting to get some statistics on how many of the brothers with the disease have children that developed it? Did any of the children without the disease manage to have children with the disease? In addition to following the children of Choline through a clinical study, it would be great to see Mimi's descendents also participate in a study for a few more generations to see how many of 12 children produced children with the disease as well? This piece of the puzzle for me is missing.

The ending, focusing on Lindsey's family (one of the two sisters), was really not needed unless we were going to look at everyone's children for context. I disagreed with Lindsey's assumption that since she was able to get her son (anxiety) expensive help, that this is why he "turned out so well" - that may be true, however, her son did NOT have schizophrenia. And she does not have 12 children to take care of. I also did not care for Lindsey's judgement of her sister's decision to cut ties with the family. Lindsey found strength and healing through serving her family; her sister found strength in divorcing herself from those that hurt her. In the world of therapy, probably each of those avenues has it's merits. No two people can heal the same way, so I although I personally in my heart think that families should work to heal together and keep their relationships, I totally understand why for some so abused would choose not to - and that's totally their right and they should not be made to feel less than for choosing it.

Overall I'd give this audiobook a 4 star rating, but I do believe it would've been better if it had been shorter, and if the statistics of the family after the decades of hearing them grow up, would've been a nicer closure. I still recommend this book, it was very informative on the disease and very eye-opening on the history of the disease. Those of you interested in psychology, psychiatry, or neurological studies, would especially enjoy this book!