The Mental Load by Emma

Title: The Mental Load: A Feminist Comic

Author: Emma

Publisher: Seven Stories Press 2018

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 216

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Graphic Novel

In her first book of comic strips, Emma reflects on social and feminist issues by means of simple line drawings, dissecting the mental load, ie all that invisible and unpaid organizing, list-making and planning women do to manage their lives, and the lives of their family members. Most of us carry some form of mental load--about our work, household responsibilities, financial obligations and personal life; but what makes up that burden and how it's distributed within households and understood in offices is not always equal or fair. In her strips Emma deals with themes ranging from maternity leave (it is not a vacation!), domestic violence, the clitoris, the violence of the medical world on women during childbirth, and other feminist issues, and she does so in a straightforward way that is both hilarious and deadly serious.. If you're not laughing, you're probably crying in recognition. Emma's comics also address the everyday outrages and absurdities of immigrant rights, income equality, and police violence.

I previously caught a few of these comics online in various places, but finally got my hands on the entire translated volume. At first glance, this is a lighthearted collection of stories. But then you get into actually reading them and the topics are very serious. I had to take a few breaks to let myself recover from the big feelings that I had. These chapters really pack a punch. Very nuanced takes on modern issues.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Gumballs by Erin Nations

Title: Gumballs

Author: Erin Nations

Publisher: Top Shelf Productions 2018

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 160

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Graphic Novel

Gumballs dispenses an array of bright, candy-colored short comics about Erin's gender transition, anecdotal true tales of growing up as a triplet, and fictional stories of a socially inept lovestruck teenager named Tobias. The wide-ranging series is filled with single-page gag cartoons, visual diaries of everyday life, funny faux personal ads, and real-life horror stories of customers at his day job. Gumballs offers a variety of flavors that will surely delight anyone with a taste for candid self-reflection and observations of humanity.

Picked this one up on the recommendation of the Reading Glasses podcast. I loved the mix of serious plot points and more humorous points. The illustrations are basic, but the dialogue and topics covered are amazing. I’ve really been enjoying graphic novel memoirs lately.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Evvie Drake Starts Over by Linda Holmes

Title: Evvie Drake Starts Over

Author: Linda Holmes

Publisher: Ballantine Books

Genre: Fiction

Pages: 293

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love; Literary Escapes - Maine

In a sleepy seaside town in Maine, recently widowed Eveleth “Evvie” Drake rarely leaves her large, painfully empty house nearly a year after her husband’s death in a car crash. Everyone in town, even her best friend, Andy, thinks grief keeps her locked inside, and Evvie doesn’t correct them.

Meanwhile, in New York City, Dean Tenney, former Major League pitcher and Andy’s childhood best friend, is wrestling with what miserable athletes living out their worst nightmares call the “yips”: he can’t throw straight anymore, and, even worse, he can’t figure out why. As the media storm heats up, an invitation from Andy to stay in Maine seems like the perfect chance to hit the reset button on Dean’s future.

When he moves into an apartment at the back of Evvie’s house, the two make a deal: Dean won’t ask about Evvie’s late husband, and Evvie won’t ask about Dean’s baseball career. Rules, though, have a funny way of being broken—and what starts as an unexpected friendship soon turns into something more. To move forward, Evvie and Dean will have to reckon with their pasts—the friendships they’ve damaged, the secrets they’ve kept—but in life, as in baseball, there’s always a chance—up until the last out.

Another Anne Bogel Summer Reading recommendation. I was expecting a very heavy exploration of life after a husband’s death. Instead, we get a much lighter book. But one that I really enjoyed. I’m not really sure why I was confused about the premise, but oh well. I really enjoyed Evvie and loved following her rediscovery of life. She’s a very realistic character full of flaws and quirks. I telegraphed the entire plotline, but that did not detract from my enjoyment of the book. A nice fairly light read for this week.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Masterpiece by Fiona Davis

Title: The Masterpiece

Author: Fiona Davis

Publisher: Dutton 2018

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 368

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love; Historical Fiction

For most New Yorkers, Grand Central Terminal is a crown jewel, a masterpiece of design. But for Clara Darden and Virginia Clay, it represents something quite different.

For Clara, the terminal is the stepping stone to her future. It is 1928, and Clara is teaching at the lauded Grand Central School of Art. Though not even the prestige of the school can override the public's disdain for a "woman artist," fiery Clara is single-minded in her quest to achieve every creative success—even while juggling the affections of two very different men. But she and her bohemian friends have no idea that they'll soon be blindsided by the looming Great Depression...and that even poverty and hunger will do little to prepare Clara for the greater tragedy yet to come.

By 1974, the terminal has declined almost as sharply as Virginia Clay's life. Dilapidated and dangerous, Grand Central is at the center of a fierce lawsuit: Is the once-grand building a landmark to be preserved, or a cancer to be demolished? For Virginia, it is simply her last resort. Recently divorced, she has just accepted a job in the information booth in order to support herself and her college-age daughter, Ruby. But when Virginia stumbles upon an abandoned art school within the terminal and discovers a striking watercolor, her eyes are opened to the elegance beneath the decay. She embarks on a quest to find the artist of the unsigned masterpiece—an impassioned chase that draws Virginia not only into the battle to save Grand Central but deep into the mystery of Clara Darden, the famed 1920s illustrator who disappeared from history in 1931.

Out book club selection for August (I read this one early). I really enjoyed this story, but there were a few sticking points for me. I loved the entire storyline set in the late 1920s involving Clara and the art school. I loved following her as she navigates being a struggling artists in a man’s world while also experiencing the beginning of the Great Depression. I loved Levon and Oliver and even Mr. Lorette. But then we get Virginia’s story in the 1970s. While I enjoyed the rediscovery of Clara’s art and the fight to save Grand Central Terminal, I did not like Virginia at all. I just didn’t love that character and wanted her to grow much more than she did throughout the story. And don’t get me started on Virginia and Ruby’s relationship. I wanted to strangle both of them at many points. Still, I enjoyed this book overall and have put some of Davis’s other works on my TBR list for the future.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Lumberjanes Vol. 7

Title: Lumberjanes Vol. 7: A Bird’s-Eye View

Author: Shannon Watters, Kate Levh, Noelle Stevenson, Grace Ellis, Brooke Allen, Maarta Laiho, Carey Pietsch, Ayme Sotuyo

Publisher: BOOM! 2017

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 112

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Graphic Novel

All Lumberjanes are on deck when the High Council comes to camp for inspection!
The High Council is coming to camp and counselor Jen is determined to make everything perfect, even though a storm is brewing and kittens from the boys’ camp are manifesting magical powers. It’s every Lumberjane on deck as the girls do their best to prep the grounds for inspection . . . but there are some storms no one can prepare for.

Another super fun adventure with the Lumberjanes. We get to see a reappearance fo the members of the Zodiac cabin and Barney. Plus super kitties! Another fun 30 minutes spent in this very strange forest.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Lumberjanes Vol. 6

Title: Lumberjanes Vol. 6: Sink or Swim

Author: Shannon Watters, Kat Levh, Carey Pietsch

Publisher: BOOM! 2016

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 112

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Graphic Novel

Camp is about more than just crafts and acquiring badges when you’re a Lumberjane. When April, Jo, Mal, Molly, and Ripley all decide to learn more about the mysterious Seafarin’ Karen, things take a turn for the strange. Shapeshifters, strange portals, and friendship to the max make for one summer camp that never gets boring! Collects issues #21-24.

These trades are like a breath of fresh air. I love reading the adventures of the girls of Roanoke cabin. This volume has a great story featuring a high seas adventure. I loved meeting and adventuring with Seafarin’ Karen. And we get another great appearance from the Bear Woman.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Less by Andrew Sean Greer

Title: Less

Author: Andrew Sean Greer

Publisher: Back Bay Books 2018

Genre: Literary Fiction

Pages: 272

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love

Who says you can't run away from your problems? You are a failed novelist about to turn fifty. A wedding invitation arrives in the mail: your boyfriend of the past nine years is engaged to someone else. You can't say yes--it would be too awkward--and you can't say no--it would look like defeat. On your desk are a series of invitations to half-baked literary events around the world.

QUESTION: How do you arrange to skip town?

ANSWER: You accept them all.

What would possibly go wrong? Arthur Less will almost fall in love in Paris, almost fall to his death in Berlin, barely escape to a Moroccan ski chalet from a Saharan sandstorm, accidentally book himself as the (only) writer-in-residence at a Christian Retreat Center in Southern India, and encounter, on a desert island in the Arabian Sea, the last person on Earth he wants to face. Somewhere in there: he will turn fifty. Through it all, there is his first love. And there is his last.

Because, despite all these mishaps, missteps, misunderstandings and mistakes, Less is, above all, a love story.

A book club selection this month and I was disappointed in this one. I was interested in the story of a man lost traveling the world to find himself. I wasn’t a huge fan of Arthur. Too much of a sad sack for my tastes. And then the interludes of his history felt like they dragged the storyline down. I kept feeling like I was being pulled completely out of the storyline. Overall this book really fell like a slog to me. I just didn’t want to finish it at all. Definitely not for me.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Lumberjanes Vol. 5

Title: Lumberjanes Vol. 5: Band Together

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

Publisher: BOOM! 2016

Genre: Graphic Novel

Pages: 112

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Graphic Novel

The Lumberjanes meet rock n' roll mermaids!

Excited for the annual Bandicoot Bacchanal, Ripley recruits her friends to help her get ready for the dance. But before the Lumberjanes know it, something mysterious begins to bubble to the surface of the lake near camp! Will the Lumberjanes be able to bring peace to the lake in time for the Bacchanal?

I love this series oh so much! All of the characters are amazingly fun and cute! I loved seeing the arrivals of the girls to camp. And we get a great underwater adventure. Definitely need to grab the volume soon.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Accidental Beauty Queen by Teri Wilson

Title: The Accidental Beauty Queen

Author: Teri Wilson

Publisher: Gallery Books 2018

Genre: Romance

Pages: 304

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love

Charlotte Gorman loves her job as an elementary school librarian, and is content to experience life through the pages of her books. Which couldn’t be more opposite from her identical twin sister. Ginny, an Instagram-famous beauty pageant contestant, has been chasing a crown since she was old enough to enunciate the words world peace, and she’s not giving up until she gets the title of Miss American Treasure. And Ginny’s refusing to do it alone this time.

She drags Charlotte to the pageant as a good luck charm, but the winning plan quickly goes awry when Ginny has a terrible, face-altering allergic reaction the night before the pageant, and Charlotte suddenly finds herself in a switcheroo the twins haven’t successfully pulled off in decades.

Woefully unprepared for the glittery world of hair extensions, false eyelashes, and push-up bras, Charlotte is mortified at every unstable step in her sky-high stilettos. But as she discovers there’s more to her fellow contestants than just wanting a sparkly crown, Charlotte realizes she has a whole new motivation for winning.

Picked this one up because of Anne Bogel’s summer reading guide and read it in less than 36 hours. Very cute little romcom volume full of ridiculous meet-cute, crazy conflicts, and happy ending. It was sweet. Nothing that’s going to land itself on my Top 10, but a very enjoyable read.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Walking Dead Vol. 31

Title: The Walking Dead Vol. 31: The Rotten Core

Author: Robert Kirkman; Charlie Adlard; Stefano Guadiano; Cliff Rathburn; Dave Stewart

Publisher: Image 2019

Genre: Comics

Pages: 136

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Graphic Novel

Rick leads the Commonwealth's Governor, Pamela Milton, on a tour of the various communities Alexandria is aligned with. Naturally... terrible things begin to happen very quickly.
Collects THE WALKING DEAD #181-186.

After the last volume, i was a bit worn out and unsure of where this story was going. Thankfully this volume helped get the story back on track. The leader of the Commonwealth is a fascinating character addition. Things are going to end badly, I just know it. And I’m super here for it all.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Little Beach Street Cafe by Jenny Colgan

Title: Little Beach Street Cafe

Author: Jenny Colgan

Publisher: William Morrow 2015

Genre: Romance

Pages: 465

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love

A quiet seaside resort. An abandoned shop. A small flat. This is what awaits Polly Waterford when she arrives at the Cornish coast, fleeing a ruined relationship.

To keep her mind off her troubles, Polly throws herself into her favorite hobby: making bread. But her relaxing weekend diversion quickly develops into a passion. As she pours her emotions into kneading and pounding the dough, each loaf becomes better than the last. Soon, Polly is working her magic with nuts and seeds, chocolate and sugar, and the local honey—courtesy of a handsome beekeeper.

I really enjoyed Jenny Colgan’s The Bookshop on the Corner, but this one just feels like a repeat. Or more accurately, a first stab at the story. I know that the setting and characters are different and yet I felt like I was reading the exact same book. I finished this one, but I really was not entranced in the story.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Salt Line by Holly Goddard Jones

Title: The Salt Line

Author: Holly Goddard Jones

Publisher: G.P. Putnam’s Sons 2017

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 400

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library love; Popsugar - “Salt”; Dancing with Fantasy and Science Fiction - Utopia

In an unspecified future, the United States' borders have receded behind a salt line—a ring of scorched earth that protects its citizens from deadly disease-carrying ticks. Those within the zone live safe, if limited, lives in a society controlled by a common fear. Few have any reason to venture out of zone, except for the adrenaline junkies who pay a fortune to tour what's left of nature. Those among the latest expedition include a popstar and his girlfriend, Edie; the tech giant Wes; and Marta; a seemingly simple housewife.

Once out of zone, the group find themselves at the mercy of deadly ticks—and at the center of a murderous plot. They become captives in Ruby City, a community made up of outer-zone survivors determined to protect their hardscrabble existence. As alliances and friendships shift amongst the hostages, Edie, Wes, and Marta must decide how far they are willing to go to get to the right side of the salt line.

I picked this one up one the recommendation of the Reading Glasses podcast and loved it. There’s a great utopian society and a spare possibly. And then we get to dig beneath the surface and see what is beyond the wall. I loved the world-building and background information to explain how exactly the characters find themselves in the situation they are in. Once the story moves beyond the wall, the plot picks up the pace and things start to devolve. I immediately felt an attachment to Marta and her backstory. I loved the sections from her point of view. The plot moved fast with the twists and turns. I wasn’t a huge fan of the ending, but overall I really enjoyed the book.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The River by Peter Heller

Title: The River

Author: Peter Heller

Publisher: Knopf 2019

Genre: Thriller

Pages: 272

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love; Popsugar - About a Hobby

Wynn and Jack have been best friends since freshman orientation, bonded by their shared love of mountains, books, and fishing. Wynn is a gentle giant, a Vermont kid never happier than when his feet are in the water. Jack is more rugged, raised on a ranch in Colorado where sleeping under the stars and cooking on a fire came as naturally to him as breathing. When they decide to canoe the Maskwa River in northern Canada, they anticipate long days of leisurely paddling and picking blueberries, and nights of stargazing and reading paperback Westerns. But a wildfire making its way across the forest adds unexpected urgency to the journey. When they hear a man and woman arguing on the fog-shrouded riverbank and decide to warn them about the fire, their search for the pair turns up nothing and no one. But: The next day a man appears on the river, paddling alone. Is this the man they heard? And, if he is, where is the woman? From this charged beginning, master storyteller Peter Heller unspools a headlong, heart-pounding story of desperate wilderness survival.

Thrillers aren’t usually my go-to genre, but this one was recommended by Anne Bogel. Of course I had to try it out. And I’m really glad I did. I loved getting to know Jack and Wynn as they traveled down river toward the bay and potential peril. There are a lot of tense moments in this book that held me on the edge of my seat. There were some turns that I did not see coming. The ending wasn’t happily ever after, but I like that in a book. Overall a great read that I sped through in just a day. Couldn’t put it down!

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Peacock Emporium by Jojo Moyes

Title: The Peacock Emporium

Author: Jojo Moyes

Publisher: Penguin Books 2004

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 389

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love; Monthly Motif - Through the Years;

In the sixties, Athene Forster was the most glamorous girl of her generation. Nicknamed the Last Deb, she was also beautiful, spoiled, and out of control. When she agreed to marry the gorgeous young heir Douglas Fairley-Hulme, her parents breathed a sigh of relief. But within two years, rumors had begun to circulate about Athene's affair with a young salesman.

Thirty-five years later, Suzanna Peacock is struggling with her notorious mother's legacy. The only place Suzanna finds comfort is in The Peacock Emporium, the beautiful coffee bar and shop she opens that soon enchants her little town. There she makes perhaps the first real friends of her life, including Alejandro, a male midwife, escaping his own ghosts in Argentina.

The specter of her mother still haunts Suzanna. But only by confronting both her family and her innermost self will she finally reckon with the past--and discover that the key to her history, and her happiness, may have been in front of her all along.

This was one big confusing bore. There were too many time periods, jumping back and forth, but also spending too much time in one period. I wasn’t super engaged in the storyline. And was super confused for the longest time about the meaning of the first chapter and then the first section. I figured it out by the end, but was utterly bored with the story. On the other side, the characters were self-absorbed and whiny. I just couldn’t find myself liking any of them at all. I thought this was a new book by Jojo Moyes, but it turns out it was published in 2004 in the UK. It’s come to the US only this year.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Once Upon a River by Diane Setterfield

Title: Once Upon a River

Author: Diane Setterfield

Publisher: Emily Bestler Books 2018

Genre: Fantasy

Pages: 464

Rating: 5/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Random TBR Pick; Popsugar - Based on folklore; Dancing with Fantasy and Scifi - Uncommon Fantasy Creatures

On a dark midwinter’s night in an ancient inn on the river Thames, an extraordinary event takes place. The regulars are telling stories to while away the dark hours, when the door bursts open on a grievously wounded stranger. In his arms is the lifeless body of a small child. Hours later, the girl stirs, takes a breath and returns to life. Is it a miracle? Is it magic? Or can science provide an explanation? These questions have many answers, some of them quite dark indeed.

Those who dwell on the river bank apply all their ingenuity to solving the puzzle of the girl who died and lived again, yet as the days pass the mystery only deepens. The child herself is mute and unable to answer the essential questions: Who is she? Where did she come from? And to whom does she belong? But answers proliferate nonetheless.

Three families are keen to claim her. A wealthy young mother knows the girl is her kidnapped daughter, missing for two years. A farming family reeling from the discovery of their son’s secret liaison stand ready to welcome their granddaughter. The parson’s housekeeper, humble and isolated, sees in the child the image of her younger sister. But the return of a lost child is not without complications and no matter how heartbreaking the past losses, no matter how precious the child herself, this girl cannot be everyone’s. Each family has mysteries of its own, and many secrets must be revealed before the girl’s identity can be known.

I finally got Diane Setterfield’s new book and loved every single sentence of it. Setterfield’s writing meanders just like the Thames, but I savored every turn. We follow a beautiful yet haunting story of three lost girls who may or may not have come back. The lives of three families are affected by the events of the Winter Solstice. We spend the next year following those families and the various characters around the village. My favorite storyline was following Rita as she tends to the people around her, especially the little girl lost. This is not the book for those readers that love a fast moving plot. But it is for those that love a haunting story that may or may not have magical elements. My absolute favorite part was the legend of Quietly. Perfection!

Next up on the TBR pile:

Between Shades of Gray by Ruta Sepetys

Title: Between Shades of Gray

Author: Ruta Sepetys

Publisher: Penguin Books 2012

Genre: Young Adult Historical Fiction

Pages: 384

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Random TBR Pick; Popsugar - Based on a True Story; Historical Fiction

Fifteen-year-old Lina is a Lithuanian girl living an ordinary life -- until Soviet officers invade her home and tear her family apart. Separated from her father and forced onto a crowded train, Lina, her mother, and her young brother make their way to a Siberian work camp, where they are forced to fight for their lives. Lina finds solace in her art, documenting these events by drawing. Risking everything, she imbeds clues in her drawings of their location and secretly passes them along, hoping her drawings will make their way to her father's prison camp. But will strength, love, and hope be enough for Lina and her family to survive?

This book is rough! But ultimately it’s an amazing story of a facet of WWII that I don’t think many people know about. Lina’s story is so incredibly heartbreaking. I loved her as a character and the interactions that we see with her family at the beginning. I was constantly hoping for the family to be reunited, but I know how WWII stories go. The book itself is well written with a lyrical quality even in the harshest of passages.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Furious Hours by Casey Cep

Title: Furious Hours: Murder, Fraud, and the Last Trial of Harper Lee

Author: Casey Cep

Publisher: Knopf 2019

Genre: Nonfiction - True Crime

Pages: 308

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love

Reverend Willie Maxwell was a rural preacher accused of murdering five of his family members for insurance money in the 1970s. With the help of a savvy lawyer, he escaped justice for years until a relative shot him dead at the funeral of his last victim. Despite hundreds of witnesses, Maxwell’s murderer was acquitted—thanks to the same attorney who had previously defended the Reverend.

Sitting in the audience during the vigilante’s trial was Harper Lee, who had traveled from New York City to her native Alabama with the idea of writing her own In Cold Blood, the true-crime classic she had helped her friend Truman Capote research seventeen years earlier. Lee spent a year in town reporting, and many more years working on her own version of the case.

Now Casey Cep brings this story to life, from the shocking murders to the courtroom drama to the racial politics of the Deep South. At the same time, she offers a deeply moving portrait of one of the country’s most beloved writers and her struggle with fame, success, and the mystery of artistic creativity.

I really wanted to like this book, but it just didn’t happen for me. I was annoyed by the structure and perceived lack of big idea. I didn’t love how the book was split into thirds. And then each section meanders throughout the main line. Cep took way too many side tracks about various topics (seriously multiple pages on the history of the life insurance industry was not necessary) and felt like a ton of padding. I wanted so much more about the murders and aftermath, but Cep speeds through that section to spend so much more time with the lawyer and Harper Lee. And please, do not get me started on the lawyer. His adamant support of the murdering Reverend was just too much. Not a book for me at all…

Next up on the TBR pile:

Fix Her Up by Tessa Bailey

Title: Fix Her Up

Author: Tessa Bailey

Publisher: Avon 2019

Genre: Romance

Pages: 400

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love; Literary Escapes - New York; Romance

Georgette Castle’s family runs the best home renovation business in town, but she picked balloons instead of blueprints and they haven’t taken her seriously since. Frankly, she’s over it. Georgie loves planning children’s birthday parties and making people laugh, just not at her own expense. She’s determined to fix herself up into a Woman of the World... whatever that means.

Phase one: new framework for her business (a website from this decade, perhaps?) 

Phase two: a gut-reno on her wardrobe (fyi, leggings are pants.)

Phase three: updates to her exterior (do people still wax?)

Phase four: put herself on the market (and stop crushing on Travis Ford!)

Living her best life means facing the truth: Georgie hasn’t been on a date since, well, ever. Nobody’s asking the town clown out for a night of hot sex, that’s for sure. Maybe if people think she’s having a steamy love affair, they’ll acknowledge she’s not just the “little sister” who paints faces for a living. And who better to help demolish that image than the resident sports star and tabloid favorite.

Travis Ford was major league baseball’s hottest rookie when an injury ended his career. Now he’s flipping houses to keep busy and trying to forget his glory days. But he can’t even cross the street without someone recapping his greatest hits. Or making a joke about his… bat. And then there's Georgie, his best friend’s sister, who is not a kid anymore. When she proposes a wild scheme—that they pretend to date, to shock her family and help him land a new job—he agrees. What’s the harm? It’s not like it’s real. But the girl Travis used to tease is now a funny, full-of-life woman and there’s nothing fake about how much he wants her...

Ooof… This was not good. The more I sit on this book, I angrier I get at the book. I feel duped. I feel angry at the patriarchy that perpetuates dysfunctional relationships. I am confused (but not really) by the fact that this was written by a woman. I am turned off by the sex scenes (and I’ve read and enjoyed a lot of erotica). The more I thought about this book, the more stars I knocked off of my rating.

Amongst all of this crap, there were a few good items. I loved the growth of relationship between sisters Georgie and Bethany and friend Rosie. I loved the creation and growth of the Just Us League. I wanted an entire book focused on those relationships.

But instead, we get a deeply problematic romance. I’m not going to get into all the details, but let me say that I was icked out by the power dynamics, the actual sex, repeated use of “baby girl,” keeping secrets, playing games, overprotective brothers, dismissive family, and the need for a clothing makeover focused on tight and short. Checking out other reviews on GoodReads, I realize that I’m not completely alone in my disappointment and anger. Thinking that this author is going on my “do not read” list.

Next up on the TBR pile:

Perihelion Summer by Greg Egan

Title: Perihelion Summer

Author: Greg Egan

Publisher: Tor.com 2019

Genre: Science Fiction

Pages: 216

Rating: 3/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Library Love; Popsugar - Fave Previous Prompt; Dancing with Fantasy and SciFi - Novella

Taraxippus is coming: a black hole one tenth the mass of the sun is about to enter the solar system.

Matt and his friends are taking no chances. They board a mobile aquaculture rig, the Mandjet, self-sustaining in food, power and fresh water, and decide to sit out the encounter off-shore. As Taraxippus draws nearer, new observations throw the original predictions for its trajectory into doubt, and by the time it leaves the solar system, the conditions of life across the globe will be changed forever.

Interesting world issue. Satisfactory threat level. But… this book feels like more of an outline of a boo versus a complete volume. The characters were not well developed. The characters’s motivations were unclear at many points in the story. And the ending was completely unfinished. I was really into the book for the first half, impatient to find out what Taraxippus’s close call to Earth would do the next year. A bit of a disappointment to me.

Next up on the TBR pile:

The Huntress by Kate Quinn

Title: The Huntress

Author: Kate Quinn

Publisher: William Morrow 2019

Genre: Historical Fiction

Pages: 560

Rating: 4/5 stars

Reading Challenges: Popsugar - Astrology Term; Women Authors; Historical Fiction

Bold and fearless, Nina Markova always dreamed of flying. When the Nazis attack the Soviet Union, she risks everything to join the legendary Night Witches, an all-female night bomber regiment wreaking havoc on the invading Germans. When she is stranded behind enemy lines, Nina becomes the prey of a lethal Nazi murderess known as the Huntress, and only Nina’s bravery and cunning will keep her alive.

Transformed by the horrors he witnessed from Omaha Beach to the Nuremberg Trials, British war correspondent Ian Graham has become a Nazi hunter. Yet one target eludes him: a vicious predator known as the Huntress. To find her, the fierce, disciplined investigator joins forces with the only witness to escape the Huntress alive: the brazen, cocksure Nina. But a shared secret could derail their mission unless Ian and Nina force themselves to confront it.

Growing up in post-war Boston, seventeen-year-old Jordan McBride is determined to become a photographer. When her long-widowed father unexpectedly comes homes with a new fiancée, Jordan is thrilled. But there is something disconcerting about the soft-spoken German widow. Certain that danger is lurking, Jordan begins to delve into her new stepmother’s past—only to discover that there are mysteries buried deep in her family . . . secrets that may threaten all Jordan holds dear.

To be honest, this one is not as good as The Alice Network. But if I had read it before The Alice Network or at least without reading the other, I would have really enjoyed this book. As it is, I thought the latest from Kate Quinn was good and a compelling story. It just doesn’t have the big gut punches of her previous work. The terror over confronting the Huntress just wasn’t there. I think most people figured out the identity of the Huntress within the first few pages. It’s not a big secret, which makes the confrontation lackluster. We just don’t get the big emotional upheaval. And I wasn’t a huge fan of the romances featured. They just didn’t feel that real. I did love the storyline featuring the Night Witches and Nina is a great character.

Next up on the TBR pile: