a Look at a Book

The Personal Librarian by Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray

This historical fiction novel tells the story of Belle da Costa Green, who becomes the “personal librarian” of JP Morgan. Now, when you think of a personal librarian, you might think of a bunch of old tomes, and Morgan certainly collected his fair share of rare books. However, he also curated, through Ms. Green, a stunning art collection.

In a world filled with men, Ms. Green proved her mettle many times over in her shrewd business deals and wise auction purchases. However, she had a secret that would cost her dear if ever discovered, and it made her position quite precarious: she was passing white.

Her position helped the rest of her family pass white – and make ends meet – as well. The authors take some liberties with the book, given the absence of records about her life; however, based on what facts are known, they created a compelling story. 

Content warnings: abortion, racist comments, extra-marital affairs, sexual content. This book is written without shying away from the times she lived, so be prepared. Also be prepared for the fact that since she lived an unconventional life, her choices (some of them) are unconventional as well.

Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

Rebecca Ross’s writing is what drew me to this book, since I’d read another of her titles (Sisters of Sword and Song) and loved that one. While the world was intriguing, it was a bit confusing. It seems to be set in an alternate universe similar to ours, but a few decades ago (typewriters, lorries, bombs, etc. exist) This alternate universe has magic and warring gods, though.

The enemies to lovers trope was fun, though it reminded me somewhat a book I read on NetGalley (that will be published in August) with the mysterious way that her letters travel. The main character goes through a lot of loss, which is heartbreaking, but toward the end, she finds family in the people who remain loyal to her and support her in the midst of the war zone. 

It’s marketed as YA, but I don’t recommend teens reading this unless they’re near the end of high school.

There was one open door scene near the end, which disappointed me, though it wasn’t super explicit. There was also a lesbian couple who were secondary characters.

The Bodyguard by Katherine Center

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. While you would expect the titular bodyguard to be the guy in this romance, it was actually the girl. Hannah’s skills are impressive, and people tend to underestimate them.

Her agency was hired to protect a famous actor when he went home to be with his ailing mom. However, he doesn’t want his family to know that he has a bodyguard or that he needs one. So he convinces Hannah to pose as his girlfriend as he visits.

What do you call this trope? The pretend-girlfriend trope? I’m not sure, but it plays well both on movies, like Sandra Bullock’s The Proposal, and in books like this one. I especially liked the reality of these two actually getting together: they took their time.

I read this earlier in the year, and I honestly can’t remember if it’s open-door or closed-door. I believe it’s mainly closed-door, but it included plenty of sweet moments to fulfill this romantic’s penchant for a good love story.

Though some would describe it as light-hearted, and there were light-hearted moments, there’s plenty of emotional depth and real-life experiences too. The narration was also enjoyable for me too. Actually, now that I’m writing this review, I want to reread it. 

Ready or Not by Clara Bastone

What to say about this book? I did enjoy the overall storyline and character development, but some content made me almost DNF. This was not closed-door, unfortunately, which is one of the reasons I almost didn’t finish it. I believe there are two scenes that you have to skip over if you’re like me and don’t appreciate open-door sex scenes in books. However, there’s also a fair bit of explicit language sprinkled throughout, which detracted from the overall enjoyment for me. 

There are a lot of emotions in this book: the surprise of a one-night stand turning into a pregnancy, a best friend who is struggling with infertility, and navigating the barely-there relationship with the father of the baby.

I think the author did a good job of creating a realistic portrayal of a surprise pregnancy, including the complexity of figuring out what to do to make ends meet, get yourself and your home ready for a baby, and navigate the awkwardness and difficulty of revealing your pregnancy to the people in your life.

If you’re okay with the expletives and the open-door scenes, you’ll probably enjoy this book. Otherwise, I’d say, skip it.

The Last Chance Library by Freya Sampson

Tis book is mainly about found family, fighting for what you value, and growing personally – with a dash of romance sprinkled in.

Since her mother’s death, June keeps her head down and goes to work at her beloved library and then goes home. She has no social life beyond her neighbor checking in on her and acting as her surrogate mother.

Then, the library receives news that it will likely be shut down, and June’s whole life begins to change. Along with some stalwart (and eccentric) patrons of the library, June fights to keep it open – especially once there starts to be some funny business involved in the people who are going to shut it down. 

Throughout the book, June grows as a person and builds rich friendships, including a guy who she’s known since high school. But she doesn’t think anyone would ever have romantic feelings for her, so she’s completely oblivious that he has an interest in her. Believing she is worthy of love is one of the areas she needs to grow in. 

If you want a feel-good novel about fighting for what you believe in, prioritizing the character of a community over so-called economic development, and seeing a young woman blossom from a head-down, buried-in-grief life into one rich with friends and beauty, this is for you.

Drausin and Josephine: We Too Shall Pass by John H. Wulsin, Jr.

I’ve been wading into literary fiction this year more than is typical for me. IF I finish a book in the literary fiction genre, I usually have to push through a good portion of the book until I’m invested in the characters’ lives. It was true for me while reading this book.

At first, the book was too broad in focus since all the characters were being introduced, and all at once. Just look at the family trees (trees, plural!) in the first few pages, and you’ll understand what I mean. However, as the focus narrowed to the titular Drausin and Josephine, I felt like I could settle into the story.

One of the aspects that sticks with me the most is the tone of this book. It does an excellent job conveying the feel of New Orleans, the journey up the Mississippi River, and how different life felt in Cincinnati. There were poems, stories, songs, people, and vernacular in each part of their story that all contributed to giving me a feel for a city I’d never visited, a river trip I’ve never taken, and an experience I’ve never lived.

It felt so different, though, from how I expected it to be, based on reading the book’s description. I thought, looking at the fact that the book spans pre-Civil War to during-Civil War, that it would feel more intense, especially as I assumed there would be lots of close calls as they passed white. Rather, the book felt quiet, just as the family more or less stayed quiet to pass. Other descriptors that come to mind are poetic, musical, listening, and strong.

One critique I have is that sometimes, the book was too poetically descriptive, and then it would abruptly switch to being quite detailed. However, the details turned out to be a huge part of what made the book interesting.

Also, I didn’t realize until I was partway through that this story was based on the author’s family, so he had done a lot of research. As I got used to the feel and scope of the book, I appreciated the descriptive parts more.

Overall, I’m glad I stuck with it. It’s different than what I normally pick up, but I think it was worth it. Definitely more for fans of stories spanning decades and generations or for those who are interested in learning more of U.S. racial history and the black/mulatto experience.

Content warnings are fairly few. There is some violence and death, since escaping slaves cameoed in part of their story. The Civil War is part of it as well. Since it started in New Orleans, there was some of the superstitious voodoo type stuff which was incongruously (to me) tied in with Catholic and Christian beliefs, to a slightly uncomfortable point for me.

Thanks to Atmosphere Press for an advance copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

10% Happier by Dan Harris

<-The subtitle is long, but it’s generally a great summary of what the book covers.

Dan Harris works in the world of news reporting, which can be a cutthroat, stressful job – think of the fictional Robin Scherbatsky and her career on How I Met Your Mother. Dan realized that he needed to find a way to be less stressed, so he reluctantly decided to try out meditation – specifically Buddhist meditation. He describes the path that he took and the people who influenced his journey in meditation.

Since I find it hard to still the voices in my head that are always pushing me on to the next task and next project, I could relate to his difficulty in sitting still for 5 minutes (at first) and focusing on his breathing. 

As other reviewers have noted on Goodreads, this seems to be more of a memoir than an informational read about meditation. His apt descriptions of the torture of sitting still and quiet, as well as reactions to people he encounters made me chuckle, and, of course, I found his descriptions of his life and career intriguing, since I am nowhere near the world of news. 

I listened to it on audio, which Harris himself reads. I appreciated that because it allowed me to hear the tone with which he wrote the words. There were times where I found myself thinking, “Ok, get to the point already” about some of his conversations with people. Other times, I did not appreciate his explicit words – there is almost always a better way to voice emotions. 

I would recommend this to readers who are curious about all the hype about meditation, but want to hear from someone who scoffed at it before trying it. This book would also be great for people who, like me, enjoy reading about the lives of people who walk in very different arenas than themselves.

However, if you’re interested in a “how-to” for meditation, this isn’t the book. You’ll pick up tidbits here and there, but the goal of the book is more to tell his story and persuade people that meditation actually has benefits – not teach people how to do it. (If you’re interested though, I learned while getting links for the buttons below that he has since published his own how-to book on meditation.)

The Midwatch Institute for Wayward Girls by Judith Rossell

This book was just published at the end of last month, and I can’t recommend it enough. 

What a delightful book! Both the characters and the plot kept me turning the pages. Maggie, Sofie, and Nell are new girls assigned to the “first years” group at the Midwatch Institute for Wayward Girls – an ominous sounding orphanage name. However, after a grim first hour of their time there, they discover that the Midwatch is actually a much more relaxed – albeit confusing – place to be. The headmistress is intent on teaching them actually useful skills, like hiding, foreign languages, observing, and how car engines work – as opposed to strictly the sewing and cleaning skills the inspector of orphanages expects them to teach. 

Some of the characteristics that I enjoyed about this book were:
– A character who says phrases like “absolutely the ant’s pants” – but she uses different rhyming words and animals each time (“lizards gizzard”, etc)

– At the end of each chapter, there was an excerpt from a (fictional?) book called Useful Things Every Girl Should Know, and I delighted in learning some things myself – or agreeing that those are indeed useful things to know. Real talk: I used the described strategy for walking silently to sneak out of the room as my son fell asleep in the past two days. I don’t know how the author came up with those ideas or learned about how to do them, but I loved that section.

– There are plenty of mystery and adventure elements as the girls try to help find a missing elderly lady, which then turns into all sorts of hair-raising close calls

One critique:
I found the setting of the book a bit confusing for a good chunk of the book. It has some sci-fi elements like airships, which make it seem like the setting is in the future. However, it seems to be set in the past. So the airships mixed with older-fashioned cars and other technology didn’t mesh in my mind.

That wasn’t enough to put me off the book, though; it was such a fun read, so get it for yourself and your kiddo(s)!

Thanks to the publisher for the advance copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Happy After All by Maisey Yates

Happy After All is about a romance author who is writing to give herself hope about romance and to help her rebuild her life after a devastating breakup. Books about authors and tropes seems to be becoming a trope in and of itself, though one that I enjoy. I appreciate the insights into the book industry, specifically the romance genre, and the tongue-in-cheek nature of the narration. In that sense, Happy After All reminded me of the book Thank You for Listening by Julia Whelan.

Yates writes with humor and emotional depth. The book had many positives:

1. Amelia’s life isn’t just about romance, so we find out about her community
2. The relationship between the two protagonists isn’t a “whirlwind” and doesn’t take place over just, say, a week or something unrealistic
3. The format of using romance trope definitions at the start of some chapters like some authors use quotations was unique and fresh
4. It was well-written and well-paced

However, this book was not for me. I stopped reading at about the 50% mark because of the open-door sex scene. While I’d love to know how it ended, I didn’t want to read so many details about the sex part of their relationship and her sex-related thoughts afterwards. I also felt like it wasn’t realistic in some of the same ways the author was poking fun at the genre – the impossibly handsome guy, the world-altering sex the first time they get together, and the Hallmark-y part relating to her ex.

If you enjoy books with open-door sex, then you’ll likely enjoy this story. If you don’t, pass on this one.

Thanks to Montlake Publishing for the advance copy via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.