Road to Riverdale Vol. 2

Title: Road to Riverdale Vol. 2

Author: Mark Waid, Chip Zdarsky, Marguerite Bennett, Adam Hughes, Fiona Staples

Publisher: Archie Comics 2017

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 136

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Graphic Novel

In the past two years, the little town of Riverdale has changed in a number of amazing ways. The entire Archie universe has been given a fresh coat of paint and it's only getting bigger and better from here. Road to Riverdale presents to readers all of the second issues of each of our new series so far, including Archie, Jughead, Betty and Veronica, Josie and the Pussycats and Reggie & Me, timed to the Season One Finale of the brand new CW series Riverdale. This volume also contains a new story based in the show's universe as a bonus for viewers!

Another fun collection of issues featuring the inhabitants of the Archie Universe. I really enjoyed the Josie and the Pussycats storyline in this collection. And it was fun to see the one-shot story that sets up for the first season of Riverdale.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Road to Riverdale Vol. 1

Title: Road to Riverdale Vol. 1

Author: Mark Waid, Chip Zdarsky, Marguerite Bennett, Adam Hughes, Fiona Staples

Publisher: Archie Comics 2017

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 144

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Graphic Novel

In the past two years, the little town of Riverdale has changed in a number of amazing ways. The entire Archie universe has been given a fresh coat of paint and it's only getting bigger and better from here. Road to Riverdale presents to readers all of the first issues of each of our new series so far, including Archie, Jughead, Betty and Veronica, Josie and the Pussycats, and Reggie & Me, timed to the release of the brand new CW series Riverdale.

I picked up this volume (and the next two) because I’ve really enjoyed watching Riverdale. I was hoping for some more fun stories from the same world. Thankfully, I enjoyed this collection of first issues from the newest Archie series. I liked all of them, but my favorite is the Betty and Veronica series. Love those frenemies.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Bellman & Black by Diane Setterfield

Title: Bellman & Black

Author: Diane Setterfield

Publisher: Atria 2014

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 336

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: UnRead Shelf; Alphabet Soup; Women Authors

Caught up in a moment of boyhood competition, William Bellman recklessly aims his slingshot at a rook resting on a branch, killing the bird instantly. It is a small but cruel act, and is soon forgotten. By the time he is grown, with a wife and children of his own, William seems to have put the whole incident behind him. It was as if he never killed the thing at all. But rooks don’t forget…

Years later, when a stranger mysteriously enters William’s life, his fortunes begin to turn—and the terrible and unforeseen consequences of his past indiscretion take root. In a desperate bid to save the only precious thing he has left, he enters into a rather strange bargain, with an even stranger partner. Together, they found a decidedly macabre business.

Setterfield always knows how to unsettle her reader. There is someone almost unseemly in reading about the life of William Bellman. The reader can see his failings and knows what is missing from his life, but he never seems to understand. And the reader is left to hope that they do not turn out like William Bellman. I really enjoyed this very strange twisted tale. I loved the interludes about rooks and the various thoughts on time and memory. I finished the book and had to sit with the story for a few hours before being able to decide if I really liked it or not. I felt the same way about Setterfield’s previous work The Thirteenth Tale. Now I must pick up her newest novel…

Next up on the TBR pile:

Smoke Gets In Your Eyes by Caitlin Doughty

Title: Smoke Gets In Your Eyes: And Other Lessons from the Crematory

Author: Caitlin Doughty

Publisher: W.W. Norton & Co. 2015

Genre: Nonfiction - Memoir

Pages: 272

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: I Love Libraries; Nonfiction Bingo - Free Space

Armed with a degree in medieval history and a flair for the macabre, Caitlin Doughty took a job at a crematory and turned morbid curiosity into her life’s work. She cared for bodies of every color, shape, and affliction, and became an intrepid explorer in the world of the dead. In this best-selling memoir, brimming with gallows humor and vivid characters, she marvels at the gruesome history of undertaking and relates her unique coming-of-age story with bold curiosity and mordant wit. By turns hilarious, dark, and uplifting, Smoke Gets in Your Eyes reveals how the fear of dying warps our society and "will make you reconsider how our culture treats the dead" (San Francisco Chronicle).

I picked this up from the library based on the rave reviews on GoodReads and I’m so glad I did. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect, but I ended up loving the mix of memoir style essays and facts about death and cremation. I’ve previously read Mary Roach’s Stiff and this one feels like a continuation of a similar theme. I really enjoyed. My biggest takeaway from this book is that I need to get my death wishes in writing and make sure that everyone knows what i want. Definitely going the cremation route, possibly a green burial. I really love Doughty’s thoughts on reconnecting to death.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Cabin at the End of the World by Paul Tremblay

Title: The Cabin at the End of the World

Author: Paul Tremblay

Publisher: William Morrow 2018

Genre: Horror

Pages: 272

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Popsugar - Multiple POVs; Literary Escapes - New Hampshire; Horror

Seven-year-old Wen and her parents, Eric and Andrew, are vacationing at a remote cabin on a quiet New Hampshire lake. Their closest neighbors are more than two miles in either direction along a rutted dirt road.

One afternoon, as Wen catches grasshoppers in the front yard, a stranger unexpectedly appears in the driveway. Leonard is the largest man Wen has ever seen but he is young, friendly, and he wins her over almost instantly. Leonard and Wen talk and play until Leonard abruptly apologizes and tells Wen, "None of what’s going to happen is your fault". Three more strangers then arrive at the cabin carrying unidentifiable, menacing objects. As Wen sprints inside to warn her parents, Leonard calls out: "Your dads won’t want to let us in, Wen. But they have to. We need your help to save the world."

Goodness. This book is not for the faint of heart. It is intense. The action is graphic at times. But even more, the emotions are so high in this book! I was riveted to the spot while reading. I just couldn’t wrap my brain around the actions of the four intruders and those of the family thrown into the situation. The only part that I really didn’t like was the ending. I’m all for ambiguous endings or even open-ended endings, but this one was just too blah after the actions of the book.

Next up on the TBR pile:

And Then You Die of Dysentery by Lauren Reeves

Title: And Then You Die of Dysentery: Lessons in Adulting from The Oregon Trail

Author: Lauren Reeves

Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt 2018

Genre: Nonfiction

Pages: 112

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: I Love Libraries

Pack your wagons, find your ride-or-(literally) die friends, and roll up to Matt’s General Store with a sack of cash—it’s time to hit the Oregon Trail, twenty-first-century style! …And Then You Die of Dysentery is the perfect send-up to the sometimes frustrating, always entertaining, and universally beloved Oregon Trail computer game. Featuring a four-color design in the game’s iconic 8-bit format, alongside pop culture references galore, the book offers 50 humorous, snarky lessons gleaned from the game’s most iconic moments.

Such a cute little book that I grabbed off of the new releases shelf at the library. Definitely funny for all of us that played Oregon Trail obsessively at a child.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Paper Girls Vol. 5

Title: Paper Girls Vol. 5

Author: Brian K. Vaughan, Cliff Chiang, Matt Wilson

Publisher: Image 2018

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 128

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Graphic Novel

BRIAN K. VAUGHAN, bestselling writer of SAGA, and CLIFF CHIANG, legendary artist of Wonder Woman, return with award-winning colorist MATTHEW WILSON and innovative letterer JARED K. FLETCHER for the darkly dramatic fifth volume of PAPER GIRLS. Can anyone escape fate? That’s what Mac and her fellow newspaper delivery girls must discover as they travel from the year 2000 to a distant and dangerous future era of Cleveland, Ohio. Plus, the secret truth behind the mysterious “Grand Father” who’s been pursuing the girls across time is finally revealed! Collects PAPER GIRLS #21-25

Another great volume of this series. I am so invested with these girls. I can’t wait to see what happens next and what twists will be revealed. One of my biggest questions: What’s up with Mac and her future death? Seriously I’m hanging on by a thread waiting to know…

Next up on the TBR pile:

Lumberjanes Vol. 2

Title: Lumberjanes Vol. 2: Friendship to the Max

Author: Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, Brooke A. Allen, Shannon Watters

Publisher: BOOM! 2015

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 112

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Graphic Novel

The second collection of the award-winning Lumberjanes is here! Five girls become instant best friends when they go to camp and discover there is a lot more to the summer than learning to how to paddle a canoe. Miss Qiunzella Thiskwin Penniquiqul Thistle Rumpet's Camp for Hardcore Lady Types is not your average summer camp and Jo, April, Mal, Molly, and Ripley are not your average campers. Between the river monsters, magic, and myths, this summer is only just beginning! Collects issues #5-8.

Such great fun! I really really enjoyed this series. All of the characters are so great. I love seeing what happens next at their Not-quite-normal summer camp. One mystery was solved in this volume, but I just know that there are many more out there to explore.

Next up on the TBR pile:

A Place for Us by Fatima Farheen Mirza

Title: A Place for Us

Author: Fatima Farheen Mirza

Publisher: SJP for Hogarth 2018

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 385

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Popsugar - Includes a wedding; Women Authors; Literary Escapes - California

As an Indian wedding gathers a family back together, parents Rafiq and Layla must reckon with the choices their children have made. There is Hadia: their headstrong, eldest daughter, whose marriage is a match of love and not tradition. Huda, the middle child, determined to follow in her sister’s footsteps. And lastly, their estranged son, Amar, who returns to the family fold for the first time in three years to take his place as brother of the bride. What secrets and betrayals have caused this close-knit family to fracture? Can Amar find his way back to the people who know and love him best?

Our book club selection for March and I’m pretty disappointed in this one. It was billed as a moving story of a family growing, changing, and healing. I just couldn’t get behind it. The story revolved around the father and son and I just couldn’t seem to care about either one. The mother and sisters seemed to exist only to support the two males in the house. I get that many of the familial relationships were influenced by the family’s religion, but that doesn’t mean that I have to like those relationships. Beyond my issues with the characters, I was deeply annoyed by the time jumping and POV switching. Without warning, the author constantly shifted the timeline or the POV. I spent way too much time figuring out who was talking, but more importantly, when they were talking. And then having the story told multiple times throughout the novel adding bits and pieces along the way was just too repetitive for me. I was very bored throughout most of this book.

Next up on the TBR pile:

An Argumentation of Historians by Jodi Taylor

Title: An Argumentation of Historians (The Chronicles of St. Mary’s #9)

Author: Jodi Taylor

Publisher: Accent Press 2018

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 440

Stars: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Random TBR Pick; Finishing the Series; Seasonal Series - Reading in PJs

Behind the seemingly innocuous facade of St. Mary’s Institute of Historical Research, a different kind of academic work is taking place. Just don’t call it “time travel”, these historians “investigate major historical events in contemporary time.” And they aren’t your harmless eccentrics either; a more accurate description, as they ricochet around history, might be unintentional disaster-magnets.

From Tudor England to the burning city of Persepolis, from a medieval St. Mary’s under siege to Victorian Rushford and a very nasty case of gaol fever, Max is struggling to keep her private life intact. There’s an ambitious program hindered by giant teapots, plus Mrs. Midgely’s objection to dead hamsters in her airing cupboard, and Mr. Markham’s stubborn refusal to reveal his exact marital status.

And as if that’s not enough, the unfortunately not leprosy-laden Malcolm Halcombe is back. Admittedly, none of this is the most secure platform from which to launch an initiative to bring down the renegade Clive Ronan, but hey, what’s the worst that could happen?

Oh goodness. I was breathless speeding my way through the last 100 pages of this one. I did not see any of that coming!!! Truly a splendid volume full of historical adventures, quiet moments, major twists, a big reveal, the return of a few characters, and plenty of references to past adventures. I am completely stunned and in agony. This volume focused a lot on Max and we get tons of reflective moments from her. I loved the attempt at bringing together a ton of storylines and issues from the past. I can’t wait to see what happens next! And darn it! One of these days Ronan will see his end.

The Chronicles of St. Mary’s:

#0.5 The Very First Damned Thing
#1 Just One Damned Thing After Another
#2 A Symphony of Echoes
#2.5 When A Child is Born
#3 A Second Chance
#3.5 Roman Holiday
#4 A Trail Through Time
#4.5 Christmas Present
#5 No Time Like the Past
#6 What Could Possibly Go Wrong
#6.5 Ships and Stings and Wedding Rings
#7 Lies, Damned Lies, and History
#7.5 The Great St. Mary’s Day Out
#7.6 My Name is Markham
#8 And the Rest is History
#8.5 A Perfect Storm
#8.6 Christmas Past
#9 An Argumentation of Historians
#9.5 Battersea Barricades
#9.6 The Steam-Pump Jump
#9.7 And Now For Something Completely Different
#10 Hope is for the Best

Next up on the TBR pile:

Lady Mechanika Vol. 2

Title: Lady Mechanika Vol. 2: The Tablet of Destinies

Author: Joe Benitez, M.M. Chen, Martin Montiel, Mike Garcia

Publisher: Benitez Productions 2016

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 160

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Graphic Novel

“The Tablet of Destinies holds the secrets of the Universe…he who possesses [it] shall rule the world.” – Sumerian Legend

After a young friend shows up unexpectedly on her doorstep, Lady Mechanika immediately drops everything to come to her aid. They embark on a globe-spanning trek filled with ancient artifacts, secret societies,and scientific curiosities, but Lady Mechanika is eventually confronted with an impossible decision: the life of her friend, or the fate of all humankind.

Set in a fictionalized steampunk Victorian England, a time when magic and superstition clashed with new scientific discoveries and inventions, Lady Mechanika chronicles a young woman’s obsessive search for her identity after a mad scientist’s horrific experiments left her with mechanical limbs and no memory of her past.

This volume was a great blend of Indiana Jones-esque adventure and Doctor Who episode. I loved every single pages of it. Lady Mechanika is the best female protagonist I really enjoyed this story and the big twist of the “Germans” was a hoot. I was a bit disappointed to not see more of Mr. Lewis, but maybe next time…

Next up on the TBR pile:

Lady Mechanika Vol. 1

Title: Lady Mechanika Vol. 1: Mystery of the Mechanical Corpse

Author: Joe Benitez, Peter Steigerwald

Publisher: Benitez Productions 2015

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 160

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Graphic Novel

Discover a beautifully illustrated steampunk world of airships, monsters, and one courageous but haunted heroine...

The tabloids dubbed her “Lady Mechanika,” the sole survivor of a mad scientist’s horrific experiments which left her with mechanical limbs. Having no memory of her captivity or her former life, Lady Mechanika eventually built a new life for herself as an adventurer and private investigator, using her unique abilities to solve cases the proper authorities couldn’t or wouldn’t handle. But she never stopped searching for the answers to her own past. Set in a fictionalized steampunk Victorian England, a time when magic and superstition clashed with new scientific discoveries and inventions, Lady Mechanika chronicles a young woman’s obsessive search for her identity as she investigates other mysteries involving science and the supernatural.

I had been eyeing this series for awhile and finally picked up the first two trades over Christmas. And I absolutely loved it! We get a complicated yet badass female protagonist. We get some fun shadowy backstory. I loved this particular story featuring a Romani circus, a supposedly dead girl, flashes of more mystery, and some awesome fight scenes. I can’t wait see what happens in the next trade! And I definitely want to see more of Mr. Lewis.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Dark Angel / Lord Crew's Bride by Mary Balogh

Title: Dark Angel (Dark Angel #1)/ Lord Carew’s Bride (Dark Angel #2)

Author: Mary Balogh

Publisher: 1994 / 1995

Genre: Romance

Pages: 624

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: UnRead Shelf; Finishing the Series; Seasonal Series - Over 500 pages

DARK ANGEL
Jennifer Winwood has been engaged for five years to a man she hardly knows but believes to be honorable and good: Lord Lionel Kersey. Suddenly, she becomes the quarry of London’s most notorious womanizer, Gabriel Fisher, the Earl of Thornhill. Jennifer has no idea that she is just a pawn in the long-simmering feud between these two headstrong, irresistible men—or that she will become a prize more valuable than revenge.

Hmmm… So I like most of this book. I enjoyed the intrigue of the dangerous game between Thornhill and Kersey. I enjoyed watching Jennifer fall for Thornhill even though she resisted. I wasn’t a huge fan of their relationship during the last 50 pages of the book. I would have liked more discussion/understanding instead of hostility. I hope we get to see them happier in the next book.

LORD CAREW’S BRIDE
Jennifer’s cousin Samantha Newman is smarting after she too is toyed with by Lord Kersey. In the midst of her heartbreak, she seeks solace from her new friend, the disabled gardener Hartley Wade. If only she knew that Hartley is secretly Lord Carew, and that he hides more than extraordinary wealth: a passionate secret held deep in his heart that only her love can reveal.

I liked this story much more than Dark Angel. Hartley and Sam were much more interesting characters. And I wasn’t as confused by their relationship as I was Gabriel and Jennifer’s. I loved how their relationship progressed. And Kersey was just as much of a villain as in the first book. Definitely a fun read.

Dark Angel:

#1 Dark Angel
#2 Lord Carew’s Bride
#3 The Famous Heroine
#4 The Plumed Bonnet
#5 The Ideal Wife
#6 A Precious Jewel
#7 A Christmas Bride
#8 Christmas Beau

Next up on the TBR pile:

Eruption by Steve Olson

Title: Eruption: The Untold Story of Mount St. Helens

Author: Steve Olson

Publisher: W.W. Norton and Company 2017

Genre: Nonfiction - U.S. History; Science

Pages: 336

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: UnRead Shelf; Modern Mrs. Darcy - Fascinating Topic; Nonfiction Bingo - Nature

For months in early 1980, scientists, journalists, and nearby residents listened anxiously to rumblings from Mount St. Helens in southwestern Washington State. Still, no one was prepared when a cataclysmic eruption blew the top off of the mountain, laying waste to hundreds of square miles of land and killing fifty-seven people. Steve Olson interweaves vivid personal stories with the history, science, and economic forces that influenced the fates and futures of those around the volcano. Eruption delivers a spellbinding narrative of an event that changed the course of volcanic science, and an epic tale of our fraught relationship with the natural world.

I’m always a sucker for narrative history book and this one was gifted to me by the library. (Thank you summer reading program!) I dove in and realized that I really didn’t know much about the 1980 eruption of Mount St. Helens. Granted it was before I was born, but still, I know a lot of stuff prior to 1982. Reading this book gave me a very clear picture of the run-up to the eruption and the aftermath. I really enjoyed learning about the history of the volcano and the back-and-forth between politicians and scientists about the warning zone. The earth science really got me hooked on the book. I wasn’t as much of. fan of the detailed history of the Weyerhauser family. Sure, the company was important when it came to drawing boundary lines, but I don’t think we needed that detailed of a history. Otherwise, I enjoyed this one.

Next up on the TBR pile:

A Beautiful Poison by Lydia Kang

Title: A Beautiful Poison

Author: Lydia Kang

Publisher: Lake Union 2017

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 352

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Ebook; Monthly Motif - Cover Love; Historical Fiction

Just beyond the Gilded Age, in the mist-covered streets of New York, the deadly Spanish influenza ripples through the city. But with so many victims in her close circle, young socialite Allene questions if the flu is really to blame. All appear to have been poisoned—and every death was accompanied by a mysterious note.

Desperate for answers and dreading her own engagement to a wealthy gentleman, Allene returns to her passion for scientific discovery and recruits her long-lost friends, Jasper and Birdie, for help. The investigation brings her closer to Jasper, an apprentice medical examiner at Bellevue Hospital who still holds her heart, and offers the delicate Birdie a last-ditch chance to find a safe haven before her fragile health fails.

As more of their friends and family die, alliances shift, lives become entangled, and the three begin to suspect everyone—even each other. As they race to find the culprit, Allene, Birdie, and Jasper must once again trust each other, before one of them becomes the next victim.

A promising idea for a book: focusing on poison as murder weapon during WWI and the Spanish Flu. I was intrigued and very excited to read this one. Unfortunately the book fell very flat for me. I didn’t like a single character. They were all vain and selfish. Just couldn’t get behind all of those… But the big problem I had was the twist ending. After finding out who the murder was, I was very confused. The motivations of the murderer just didn’t make any sense, at least how the author portrayed the character and the reasoning for the murders. Nope. I was really disappointed.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Greatest Love Story Ever Told by Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman

Title: The Greatest Love Story Ever Told

Author: Megan Mullally and Nick Offerman

Publisher: Dutton 2018

Genre: Nonfiction - Memoir

Pages: 288

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: I Love Libraries; Popsugar - Same Letter Name; Nonfiction Bingo - Essay Collection

The year: 2000. The setting: Los Angeles. A gorgeous virtuoso of an actress agreed to star in a random play, and a basement-dwelling scenic carpenter said he would assay a supporting role in the selfsame pageant. At the first rehearsal she surveyed her fellow cast members, determining if any of the men might qualify to provide her with a satisfying fling. Her gaze fell upon the carpenter, and like a bolt of lightning the thought struck her: no dice. Moving on.

I love these two so much, I had to read their joint memoir/essay collection. I really enjoyed the single essay sprinkled throughout the book. Very funny! The larger chapters with dialogue between the two were slightly less fun. It was the back and forth. I had to really pay attention to understand who was talking. Those portions would have been better in audio form. But I still really enjoyed learning more about them.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Heart-Shaped Box by Joe Hill

Title: Heart-Shaped Box

Author: Joe Hill

Publisher: William Morrow 2000

Genre: Horror

Pages: 402

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Ebook; Monthly Keyword - Heart; Horror

Judas Coyne is a collector of the macabre: a cookbook for cannibals . . . a used hangman's noose . . . a snuff film. An aging death-metal rock god, his taste for the unnatural is as widely known to his legions of fans as the notorious excesses of his youth. But nothing he possesses is as unlikely or as dreadful as his latest discovery, an item for sale on the Internet, a thing so terribly strange, Jude can't help but reach for his wallet.

For a thousand dollars, Jude will become the proud owner of a dead man's suit, said to be haunted by a restless spirit. He isn't afraid. He has spent a lifetime coping with ghosts—of an abusive father, of the lovers he callously abandoned, of the bandmates he betrayed. What's one more?

But what UPS delivers to his door in a black heart-shaped box is no imaginary or metaphorical ghost, no benign conversation piece. It's the real thing.

And suddenly the suit's previous owner is everywhere: behind the bedroom door . . . seated in Jude's restored vintage Mustang . . . standing outside his window . . . staring out from his widescreen TV. Waiting—with a gleaming razor blade on a chain dangling from one bony hand. . . .

After reading later Joe Hill, I had to go back into his back catalog. This one was thoroughly creepy. I could only read it during the day time. Night time reading gave me too many weird nightmares. Back to the story, Jude is a great character. His whole aging rock star persona is a great anti-hero. Originally I didn’t like Georgia, but she definitely grew on me. And the side characters were all great additions, especially Bon and Angus. The last 100 pages were a whirlwind.

Next up on the TBR pile:

American War by Omar El Akkad

Title: American War

Author: Omar El Akkad

Publisher: Knopf 2017

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 352

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love; Alphabet Soup - E; Dancing with Fantasy and Scifi - Science

An audacious and powerful debut novel: a second American Civil War, a devastating plague, and one family caught deep in the middle—a story that asks what might happen if America were to turn its most devastating policies and deadly weapons upon itself.

Sarat Chestnut, born in Louisiana, is only six when the Second American Civil War breaks out in 2074. But even she knows that oil is outlawed, that Louisiana is half underwater, and that unmanned drones fill the sky. When her father is killed and her family is forced into Camp Patience for displaced persons, she begins to grow up shaped by her particular time and place. But not everyone at Camp Patience is who they claim to be. Eventually Sarat is befriended by a mysterious functionary, under whose influence she is turned into a deadly instrument of war. The decisions that she makes will have tremendous consequences not just for Sarat but for her family and her country, rippling through generations of strangers and kin alike.

The February selection for the Girly Book Club. This was billed as a brilliant and powerful novel, but I found it pretty simplistic. I liked the idea of a Second Civil War, but the divide and the highly stereotyped and generalized groups annoyed me. The picture of the South depicted feels very old fashioned. With our changing demographics in this country, to portray all Southerners as rednecks was much too reductive for me. I just couldn’t get behind the basis for the groups. After mulling it over even more, why is the divide North/South? Wouldn’t it be more of an economic divide? There’s one line late in the book about how the Reds of the South got their name from voting Republican. Silly… There are plenty of Republicans all over the country and not everyone in the South votes Republican. As for the rest of the book, it felt very formulaic and graphic. I could predict exactly what was going to happen. I also was repulsed by the graphic scenes (and I read plenty of graphic books).

Next up on the TBR pile:

Exquisite Corpse by Penelope Bagieu

Title: Exquisite Corpse

Author: Penelope Bagieu

Publisher: First Second 2015

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 128

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Graphic Novel

Zoe isn't exactly the intellectual type, which is why she doesn't recognize world-famous author Thomas Rocher when she stumbles into his apartment...and into his life. It's also why she doesn't know that Rocher is supposed to be dead.

Turns out, Rocher faked his death years ago to escape his critics, and has been making a killing releasing his new work as "lost manuscripts," in cahoots with his editor/ex-wife Agathe. Neither of them would have invited a crass party girl like Zoe into their literary conspiracy of two, but now that she's there anyway. . . .

Zoe doesn't know Balzac from Batman, but she's going to have to wise up fast... because she's sitting on the literary scandal of the century!

Another one of those random library finds. I love just browsing the shelves looking for interesting titles. This one is a cute little story about an author and the two women in his life. I sped through this one in just a few minutes not wanting to wait to find out what happens to all our characters. I especially loved the twist ending. Such fun!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Damsels Vol. 2

Title: Damsels Vol. 2

Author: Leah Moore, John Reppion, Aneke

Publisher: Dynamite 2017

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 160

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Graphic Novel

Weeks have passed since the defeat of the witch Belladonna, yet "Happily Ever After" is still out of reach for Rapa, the once-and-future Queen Rapunzel. The wandering adventurer chafes in the trappings of her royal station, her heart yearning to once again roam the roads and wilderness of her magical world. However, her path is not at all safe... for the witches Gothel and Carabosse have formed a new black coven, and are amassing a new army of the wicked!

A great continuation of the story started in volume one. I loved the introduction of a few new heroines with fun and complicated backstories. I loved the mention of other classic fairy tales and stories. The timeline of the pages was a bit harder to follow considering the back and forth. But I still really enjoyed this volume. I will have to seek out the next one.

Next up on the TBR pile: