Review: The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek by Kim Michele Richardson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars


A heart-ripping story of bigotry, illnesses, coal mining, and poverty during the early 1930s in Kentucky. This tale is about Cussy Mary Carter and her work with the WPA Pack Horse Library Project.
Remember that this is historical fiction based on two real events. There is a Troublesome Creek in Kentucky. The bigotry is horrid, but only because the bigotry we have now is not widely acceptable and is usually kept to oneself.

This was a wonderfully sad read and will be perfect for book clubs.

This book is very loosely based on a real family, so the Blue Skinned people part is true: "The 'Blue People of Kentucky' were the Fugate family, who lived in Eastern Kentucky in the 19th and 20th centuries and possessed, due to a rare recessive genetic trait and inbreeding, a condition called methemoglobinemia. This caused their blood to have a lower oxygen-carrying capacity, resulting in blue-tinted skin, purple lips, and, usually, a normal lifespan."



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SUMMARY: "

In 1936, tucked deep into the woods of Troublesome Creek, KY, lives blue-skinned 19-year-old Cussy Carter, the last living female of the rare Blue People ancestry.

The lonely young Appalachian woman joins the historical Pack Horse Library Project of Kentucky and becomes a librarian, riding across slippery creek beds and up treacherous mountains on her faithful mule to deliver books and other reading material to the impoverished hill people of Eastern Kentucky.

Along her dangerous route, Cussy, known to the mountain folk as Bluet, confronts those suspicious of her damselfly-blue skin and the government's new book program. She befriends hardscrabble and complex fellow Kentuckians, and is fiercely determined to bring comfort and joy, instill literacy, and give to those who have nothing, a bookly respite, a fleeting retreat to faraway lands."

Review: Moonlight Murder

Moonlight Murder by Uzma Jalaluddin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I love the first book in this series so much that I figured that I was going to love this one just as much. I did not. That is not to say that I hated it; I just didn't like the concept as much during this book. There is a third book coming out, and I do believe that I will be reading it to assuage my curiosity for the next one that needs help from Aunty Detective, which will be Ilya.

We do finally find out just exactly what happened to Ali 18 years ago. We also have a new murder to explore. It is being called an accident or a suicide, but Auntie's granddaughter, Maleeha, doesn't believe that to be so. So what is a grandmother to do but to try to solve this puzzle?

I love learning about different cultures, but at times I really didn't understand the words, and this time my Kindle translator was no help. I fear for those who will read this in paper form.

Another thing I wasn't so happy with was how repetitive it was, though I can see that would help those who didn't read the last book. But the repetitiveness didn't stop with recountings from the last book; it continued with events in this one.

The author does like to use the trope of keeping us all in the closet about what is happening and then being told, 'I'll tell you when I do just one more thing. I wanted to yell for Aunty to just get on with it. I actually got bored and frustrated after a while and was tempted not to finish, but I hung on. I'm glad I did, but as to what happened to Ali, Kausar Khan's late son, but it just didn't work for me.

Well all books can't be everything to everyone so I guess this was just amiss for me...I do think I will be reading the next one now that I have a better handle on how this author works.


*ARC supplied by the publisher Harper Perennial/HarperCollins, the author, and Edelweiss.


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SUMMARY: "Kausar Khan, the Detective Aunty, returns in a new case about the mysterious death of a young man in the Golden Crescent neighbourhood, which draws her back to the unresolved death of her son twenty years ago . . .

When Kausar Khan decided to move back to Toronto to be closer to her family, she didn’t expect to have another murder investigation on her hands so soon—or rather, she didn’t expect to have another murder investigation on her hands ever. But when a young man named Mateen is found dead in their Golden Crescent neighbourhood, and when it turns out Mateen was close with Kausar’s granddaughter, Maleeha, what’s a grandmother to do but try to solve the case?

And it’s not just a heartbreakingly devastated Maleeha that is spurring Kausar on to find answers; it’s also how much the circumstances of Mateen’s death remind her of her own teenage son, Ali, and his mysterious death nearly twenty years before. Kausar knows first-hand what a difference closure could make to a grieving parent—and the more she seeks to find that for Mateen’s parents, the more she begins to realize that perhaps it’s time she find it for herself as well.

As Kausar conducts parallel investigations into both Mateen’s and Ali’s deaths and her “aunty” skills continue to bring information to light, she can’t help but wonder if the similarities in the two cases are more than just mere coincidence—but how could two deaths, twenty years apart, possibly be related?

Detective Aunty is determined to find out . . ."

Review: Road Trip

Road Trip by Mary Kay Andrews
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Mary Kay Andrew is one of my favorite Southern authors, which is why I never even read the book's description before I asked for it. I never read previous reviews, so I was quite shocked by the type of book I got instead of the one I was expecting.

For one thing, even though the meat of the book starts in Georgia, we soon transition to Ireland, and that is where the rest of the book takes place.

This book is filled with mystery, intrigue, (romance comes much later in the book) and even murder. We also have part of the book being devoted to the past, about 100 years in the past, and this is where everything in this book, and especially the mystery, starts.

The ending is fantastic if a little far-fetched. But that is why I love most of Mary Kay's books. The only thing lacking in this novel is the author's normal wackiness and sense of humor.

It's not to say I didn't like the change of pace, it just wasn't what I'm accustomed to...sometimes it's good to step out of your comfort zone, but not always, and this wasn't the time for me.

*ARC supplied by the publisher St. Martin's Press/Macmillan, the author, and NetGalley.

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SUMMARY: "Pack your bag for a summer read filled with mystery, romance, intrigue, travel, cozy pubs, and hot men with accents.

Maeve and Therese Dunigan are sisters--but the two have been estranged for years. They could not be more opposite: Maeve is the rule-follower and Therese is the rebel. But when their mother's death brings the family back together, the two find that they have inherited a painting--one that could be worth millions and could save each of them from the wolves at their door. The only issue is whether it’s real or a fake --and the only way they can prove that theirs is the real McCoy is to solve the mystery of how this portrait of an Anglo-Irish aristocrat made its way to their childhood home in Savannah, GA. This means a road trip--to Ireland, to their family roots, and to a mysterious crime that occurred generations ago. With tensions simmering, the two hit the road and find themselves on twisty lanes, in colorful villages, at local pubs, and with handsome men whose gift of the gab is surpassed only by their charm. Can Maeve and Therese actually survive the journey without killing each other? Join Mary Kay Andrews on a road trip that will entertain you for miles."

Review: The Moonshine Women

The Moonshine Women by Michelle Collins Anderson
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is one book that I can give you my feelings on in two words --- Fascinatingly Depressing.

This family had so many tragedies that I just couldn't keep count. However, this was a very accurate look into moonshining, the mob, and living in the Ozarks. The author did a fantastic job of researching that era.

Did you know that a national sport came into being just because of booleggers and the G-men? Yep, NASCAR racing---look it up!

This may be a good book for book clubs, though I'm thinking that all the mishaps that befall this family may be too much for some readers.

I enjoyed this read very much, even though I was sad for most of it!

*ARC supplied by the publisher, John Scognamiglio Book/Kensington, the author, and NetGalley.

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SUMMARY: "In the Prohibition era Missouri Ozarks, three sisters take over their father’s moonshine business in an evocative story of reinvention, sisterhood, and the alchemy of love for readers of Jeannette Walls, Fannie Flagg, Sue Monk Kidd, and Donna Everhart.

Every batch of Strong moonshine has its own special flavor, thanks to the secret ingredients that matriarch Lidy Strong adds to the barrels of fermenting corn mash. Whether a bucketful of golden peaches, a ripe melon or juicy, jewel-toned berries, that extra “something something” is what makes the Strong “shine” so prized—and allows the family to survive after crop prices plummeted in the wake of the Great War.

Each of the Strong sisters, too, is distinct. Stoic, steadfast Rebecca would rather be with her beloved farm animals or off hunting in the woods than socializing. Middle sister Elsie is kindhearted, beautiful—and itching for a life more thrilling than the farm can offer. Jace, the youngest, is known far and wide as “Shine,” a name that suits her fiery personality and flaming red hair as much as her innate skill with a still.

Their father, Hiram, has been drowning himself in grief and liquor ever since his wife died. But the moonshine business is unforgiving, especially with Prohibition agents turning up in every creek and holler. When tragedy strikes, it falls to the Strong women to keep the still running, the family together, and hope burning on the horizon.

From the Ozark mountains edged in oak and pine, to the outlaw paradise of Hot Springs, Arkansas—where gangsters like Al Capone line the bar at the Southern Club—the sisters’ quests for vengeance, healing, and love will drive them forward, in search of a future as transformative and powerful as the purest Strong moonshine."

Review: The Barn Identity

The Barn Identity by Diane Kelly
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

This may be a wonderful book for those who have been following this series. However, for me, it was just one lecture after another (slavery, vegetarianism), and though it may have picked up later, I didn't want to waste my precious reading time to find out.

I am not saying this was a horrible book; I AM saying it just wasn't my cup of tea. Please read the other reviews for differing opinions.

*ARC supplied by the publisher Minotaur Books, the author, and NetGalley.

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SUMMARY: "The eighth in the House-Flipper mystery series set in Nashville, TN, where the real estate market is to die for.

In Nashville, carpenter Whitney Whitaker is ecstatic when she discovers an abandoned barn perfect for her next project. However, since the surrounding former farmland has now developed into a shiny new shopping center, it seems the decrepit antebellum barn that once served as a livery stable should be torn down to make way for something more modern. Even so, Whitney can’t help but think the barn should be preserved. While unproven, it’s rumored the building once served as a hiding place for escaped slaves as part of the Underground Railroad. She convinces her cousin to take a chance on the old property. After all, the barn would make a unique retail space or, with its high ceilings and wide walls, could be turned into an arthouse cinema.

When a local print journalist reporting on the renovation is found dead on the property, investigators suspect he might have been murdered for any one of several exposés he’d published about local politicians, movers, and shakers. Whitney suspects there’s more to the story, and that the journalist’s fate might be tied directly to the stable renovation. Can she solve the murder and bring a killer to justice? Or might this goal be too lofty?"

Review: The Hired Man

The Hired Man by Sandra Dallas
My rating: 4 of 5 stars





This was a fine novel that combined the history of the Dust Bowl, hoboes, and several large mysteries. It also gave us a look into how people felt about hoboes (I assume that this was what we now call the homeless). This was the height of the depression, and men were wandering the country looking for work. Poor, dirty, downtrodden, most were aimless. And they were the ones who took the blame when anything went wrong in a town they happened to be in.

The Kessler family came upon a hobo named Otis when he saved a boy from a dust blizzard. This story is told using Martha Helen Kessler's (daughter) thoughts and words.

The only problem that kept me from giving this book a 5-star rating was that, even though this was the height of the Dust Bowl, the Kesslers lived on a farm that wasn't making any money, and it was the Great Depression, they always seemed to have more than anyone else. They had more food, clothing, money...why was that?

The mystery (both of them) took me quite by surprise; pleasantly so. I love how authors write things like this that don't work out the way you assumed they would go!

This may be a very good novel for book clubs because of the historical elements, the mystery, and the town's reaction to Otis.

*ARC supplied by the publisher St. Martin's Press/Macmillan Publishers, the author, and NetGalley.


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SUMMARY: "The Dust Bowl sweeps a handsome stranger into a small Colorado town to dangerous effect

1937. It’s been seven years since the dust storms started in Colorado. Folks can barely remember a time when the clouds were filled with rain instead of dirt, and when the fields were green instead of brown. High school student Martha Helen Kessler and her family are luckier than most; they still eke out a living from the land. Even so, evidence of the Dust Bowl’s grim impact on families, especially on the women who bear the brunt of their husbands’ frustration and their children’s hunger, is everywhere.

When Martha Helen’s compassionate mother insists they take in Otis Hobbs, a handsome drifter who saves a local boy from a vicious storm, she quickly discovers a darker side to their rural community. Suspicion, jealousy, and prejudice grip their neighbors–and emotions reach a frenzy after Martha Helen’s best friend, Frankie, disappears and is then found murdered. Ultimately, Martha Helen is forced to make sense of her conflicting feelings and loyalties in order to help find retribution and to reconcile the difference between the law and justice.

Full of period detail and Sandra Dallas’s trademark focus on the lives of women, The Hired Man entertains and ultimately surprises.

Review: Beast Business

Beast Business by Ilona Andrews
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Just a tad over the top. The constructs, the demented Woodward and his half and half body...I know this is fiction, but this has nothing on the first few books in this series. At least they were written to be believable.

And what is it with these covers? These are supposedly adults, yet the images show ridiculously young people, and Augustine looks like a caricature of a K-pop boy band. Also, isn't Kitty supposed to be blue? It reads like Manga, and I would have appreciated it if it had been advertised as such. Or at least told us that this was a book geared towards teens.

It was an interesting book that left me feeling like a lot was missing.

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SUMMARY: "Augustine Montgomery is an Illusion Prime who owns a premier PI corporation and alters his appearance with magic. The people who have seen Augustine’s real face can be counted on the fingers of one hand. The people who witnessed the full extent of his power are dead. The illusion isn’t just the brand of his magic. It’s become his lifestyle.

Show as little as possible. Make them think that illusion is all you have. Your life depends on it.

Augustine lives by this creed. He’s cold, rational, and calculating. He doesn’t get emotionally involved. Then one day Diana Harrison walks into his office and asks for his help. Diana is a Prime, an animal mage who bonds with animals through her magic and prefers their company to humans. Something precious has been stolen from House Harrison. Something Diana must recover at all costs.

The two Houses are allied through a friendship pact. Assisting Diana is simply good business. And yet, there is something about her that disturbs the careful balance of Augustine’s inner world.

Neither of them is who they appear to be. Both would die to keep their secrets. But the enemy they face is more powerful than either had imagined, and saving the life that hangs in the balance will demand the ultimate price neither Augustine nor Diana ever anticipated to pay – complete honesty."