A Bag Of Marbles

 Title: A Bag Of Marbles

Author: Joseph Joffo, Edward Gauvin, Kris, Vincent Bailly

What’s it about?

This graphic novel serves as a memoir of Joseph Joffo’s journey to live somewhere safe from Nazi control. The story follows Joseph and Maurice as they move farther and farther away from their home in Paris. Their parents and two older brothers are in the memoir as well, but the story belongs to the two youngest. Gauvin’s illustrations beautifully capture the world the Joffo’s had to survive in. 

Did I like it?

I enjoyed this graphic novel. Memoirs from this time period are always difficult for me to get through due to the subject matter, but I found myself able to actually enjoy the story and not just for educational purposes. Since this is a translation I am not sure if the credit goes to the original author or the translator but whichever one it is they are a heck of a storyteller. I feel like it is the work of Joseph Joffo since there is a scene in the beginning that talks about his father being a storyteller. Either way, it was an enjoyable read which surprised me. 

Who would I recommend it to?

I would recommend this book to everyone. Seriously, I think everyone should read it. It is less than 200 pages and coupled with the illustrations makes the tale extremely accessible. I also 

feel that it would be appropriate for children, depending on the child of course. 

Did I purchase it?

No, I borrowed this from my library but I do intend on picking it up if I see it in my local bookstore.

Rating 4.5/5

The Midwife's Tale

 Title: The Midwife’s Tale

Author: Sam Thomas

What’s it about?

Bridget Hodgson is a widowed midwife in 1600’s York. In between guiding new life into the world and surviving a siege on her city, Bridget finds herself in the middle of a murder mystery. With the help of her servant Martha Bridget hunts down clues and questions the people of York to try and find a murder.

Did I like it?

This novel is the first of a series called the Midwife Mysteries. I’ve been looking for a new series to get into and after reading the summary I figured I would give it a go. The book was a quick read for me and I enjoyed it. Did I love it? No. It wasn’t bad but I didn’t enjoy it enough to keep going with the series. My two main issues are I didn’t like the resolution of the mystery and I didn’t care for Bridget. Without delving into spoiler territory I’ll just say the resolution ended up using a trope I don’t care for and tacked on a bit more that I felt was done just for shock value. 

As for Bridget, she started out alright but by the end of the story, she seemed to be dipping her toes in best at everything water. I think I would have liked it better if the story was focused on Martha instead of Bridget. Bridget is a high-class woman and Martha is a servant. I think Martha would have made for a more engaging main character. At least, I think she would have for me. 

Who would I recommend it to?

If you are someone that enjoys historical fiction, especially in the time and place this is set in, there is a good chance you’d enjoy this. There were quite a few words that I didn’t know the meanings of so I had to look them up. I enjoy learning something and found that to be fun. It wasn’t enough to make following the story impossible, it was more like a little bonus for those that enjoy that sort of thing. 

I think it could be a good book for a book group depending on the tastes of the group. 

If you enjoy mainstream mystery stories and don’t mind the historical fiction aspect I think it would be worth trying. It reminds me of the Stephanie Plum mysteries in a way. Both have a strong female lead with memorable side characters. There wasn’t a romantic interest in this book but there could be in a future one. Just going off the first book I’d say it is more about female friendship than romantic relationships.

Did I purchase it?

No, I borrowed this from my library.

Rating

3.5/5

Not A Happy Family

Title: Not A Happy Family

Author: Shari Lapena

What’s it about?

When a wealthy couple ends up murdered everyone wants to know why and who did it. Suspicion falls on their three adult children, each one in line to receive a large inheritance. The story follows all the different family members and the police as each one tries to figure out who the culprit is. 

Did I like it?

This was my first Shari Lapena novel and I am kicking myself for not reading her books earlier. I enjoyed following all the characters and clues and trying to solve the murder. I found the ending to be very satisfying which is where, imo, mystery authors tend to fail. Lapena did not disappoint and I will be heading to the library to pick up another of her books. 

Who would I recommend it to?

I found this book to be an easy and engaging read so I’d recommend it to anyone looking for a good murder mystery. It would be a perfect pick for a summer vacation read. I think a book club could get some mileage out of it. My copy was 368 pages long. One thing to be aware of is that there are alot of different characters, so if you are someone that has trouble keeping names straight you might want to take notes. I didn’t have any trouble with it but I do think it is worth noting. 

Did I purchase it?

Yes, It was my August 2021 Book of the Month pick.

Rating: 4.5/5

The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

Title: The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle

Author:  Stuart Turton

Warning! This review contains minor spoilers.

What's it about?

"The 7 ½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle" is about a man named Aiden Bishop, not Evelyn Hardcastle as the title might suggest. Every day Aiden wakes up and relives the same day over. The only difference between the days is he wakes in a different body. Aiden learns he has only eight days to figure out who killed Evelyn Hardcastle. Then and only then, will he be able to leave Blackheath Estate, the setting of the novel. At first, Aiden doesn’t believe what is going on, but soon he realizes this isn't some weird dream or game. I would have liked him to come to that realization sooner, but this is a minor nitpick. Eventually, he accepts he needs to figure out the murderer, but he won’t accept he can’t save Evelyn. While reading the story I felt this point was only to give Aiden motivation. However, by the end, I understood why the author made that choice and was happy with it.

 

Over the course of the story, Aiden learns there are others like him trapped in Blackheath and, if he wants to get free, he has to solve the mystery first. To add to the tension a mysterious man Aiden calls the Footman is hunting him down and killing him over and over. The end of the story I found satisfactory. It wasn't the best ending I have ever read, but it wasn’t an ending that left me imagining how it should have concluded. Since it is a mystery there were twists and turns. Some of them I saw coming and some unfolded naturally. I didn’t feel any of them were cheap or didn’t make sense. At least, not when I finished the story.

 

Would I recommend it?

I found it to be an enjoyable mystery and would recommend it. Agatha Christie’s name keeps coming up when people talk about this book. While it has a Christie-ish feel to it is not Agatha Christie. That is okay though because Turton does a fine job. If you are looking for an engaging mystery with an interesting premise you should give this book a shot.

Book Club?

If your book club hasn't gotten around to reading this one yet then I think it would be a nice addition.

Purchased?

I got this book on loan from my public library. I am not planning on purchasing it.

 

Content Warning

 

There is nothing too gory, in my opinion, but Turton gives enough to let your mind take over and fill in the blanks. If you are a reader that is sensitive to violence you might want to read up to the first murder and decide from there.

 

There is some sex, but you catch it in the aftermath. Again, Turton lets you fill in the blanks.  There is also a character with a past that involves the mistreatment of women. When Aiden inhabits his body people reference past deeds and there is one scene where Aiden fights against actions his host wants to take. Nothing too graphic, but as with the violence, if you are sensitive to the subject matter take caution. 

 

 Rating

4/5

Malibu Rising

 Title: Malibu Rising

Author: Taylor Jenkins Reid

What’s it about?

The novel is split into two parts: before the party and during the party. In part one we are introduced to Mick and June Riva. Mick and June both want him to be a good guy, husband, and father.  Not really a spoiler to say he doesn’t reach the bar. When we aren’t following the older Riva’s doomed marriage we follow the lives of their children in the present day. Nina is the oldest, a surfer girl who is famous for her sexy photos. Next in line is Jay, the oldest boy. He is also a surfer, but unlike Nina, he is famous for his surfing. Hud is the third child and he is a photographer. Kit is the youngest and she is trying to figure herself out. 

The second half of the book is about the big annual party Nina always throws. To say things get wild is an understatement. Almost everyone at the party gets a few pages devoted to them and their problems. 

I found it to be a fun summer read, although I enjoyed the first half of the book more than the second half. Reid spent the first half focused on the Riva family so when the second half started jumping between everyone in Malibu, at least it felt like it, I found myself skimming. Outside the Riva family, and maybe two of the side characters, I didn’t feel the others justified taking up page space. The second problem I had is an extension of the first, everyone gets their outfits described. I did not care rando number thirteen wore a cropped top, leather skirt, and had teased hair. Nope, not even a little bit. 

Would I recommend it?

Yeah, I would recommend it. I found it to be a fun read outside of the two problems I mentioned. I think it would be a good book to take with you on vacation, especially if you are going to be at the beach. If you like the beach, California, and the 80s there is a good chance you will enjoy this book. 

 

Book groups? Eh, I think it would depend on the group. There was enough there that you could talk about it. I feel this book is more on the fluffy side of literature so if your group is used to deep discussions where you wring every theme and metaphor out you might be disappointed.

Purchased? 

This was one of my picks from my Book of the Month subscription. I don’t plan on making it a permanent part of my book collection so I will be passing it along to someone else. 

3.5/5

"Hour of the Witch"

 Title: Hour of the Witch

Author: Chris Bohjalian

“Hour of the Witch” is a story about a woman named Mary Deerfield. Mary, who lives in 1600s Boston, is married off to Thomas,  a widower old enough to be her father. Mary finds married life to be different from her parent’s marriage. Firstly, she is unable to conceive a child with Thomas. Due to the fact that Thomas has a daughter from his first marriage the failure is solely on Mary’s shoulders. Thomas is unkind to Mary and often berates her while doling out what he calls discipline. After an exceptionally cruel attack from Thomas Mary has had enough and decides to try and get a divorce. What she hoped would grant her freedom quickly turns into a fight for her life. The pious city's inhabitants start pointing fingers at her and accusing her of sins like being prideful and lustful. When the accusations turn to witchcraft Mary must try and figure out who is plotting against her while also trying to prove her innocence. If she fails, she knows the gallows await. 

Bohjalian showed off an impressive amount of knowledge about the daily lives and habits of the people of New England. At the end of the book, there is a list of research material and it is substantial. There were a few times I had to turn to Google to figure out what something was, so I found the book to be educational as well as entertaining.

The characters held my attention throughout the story and made me want to keep reading during the times the plot dragged. More on the plot in a moment. While I can’t say that I particularly liked any of the characters I found a number of them to be very human. All the characters but Thomas I could understand their motives for their actions. Even though I could not understand Thomas’ motives I recognized him as someone that could and probably did, live during that time. The only character that I felt lacked in fleshing out was the character Henry Simmons, which I found to be a shame. He started out as interesting but in the end, became a somewhat flat knight in shining armor kind of character. At least, that was how he came across to me. YMMV

My only real problem with the book was that it took a bit too much determination to make it through the first half. While I understand it was to set up the latter half of the book I found myself wishing the plot would just get on with it. Had I not wanted to see what fate had in store for Mary I probably would have given up. I am glad I didn’t because I really did enjoy the latter half of the story. My advice to anyone wanting to give the book a go is to skim the first half up to Mary’s divorce petition. If you do that though, be aware you will miss out on a lot of the details that Bohjalian uses to make the world of 1600s Boston come to life. 

Would I recommend it? 

Yes, I would. Someone that likes the time period and is interested in how a woman might come to be accused of being a witch will most likely find it interesting. Someone looking for a book that involves the supernatural should look elsewhere. As previously stated, I think a good many people could skim the first half to get the gist of things and then settle in for the second part where, in my opinion, the story really starts to take off. 

I think the book would be a good fit for a book group and give plenty to talk about and debate. There are a few characters that I think with the right group could provide some interesting conversations regarding their motivations. There is also a heavy emphasis on the unfair system women had to live under which could also lead to some good discussion. 

Purchased?

No, I got it on loan from my library. I am not planning on purchasing it. 

Rating: 3.5/5

Annihilation

 

Title: Annihilation

Author: Jeff VanderMeer

I hadn’t heard of Jeff Vandermeer’s sci-fi novel Annihilation before I watched the movie. I was meh about the movie so I wasn't rushing to the library to pick up the book. I popped it on my TBR list figuring I'd read it eventually. Then I started to hear about it more and more, and it started showing up on every must-read book list I saw. As luck would have it, I saw it for sale at my local used book store. With a  price tag of $3 and a page count of under 200, I headed home eager to move it off my TBR list. 

Boy, had I been missing out. It turns out that while it had similar characters, ideas, setting that the movie did, it had what the movie didn’t. In case you couldn’t tell it had my interest. I finished it in one sitting. Yes, it wasn't a long book but that is not the point. Jeff Vandermeer built an interesting world known to the characters as Area X, and it becomes more and more disturbing as the story goes on. Told in first-person point of view the author, known only as the biologist, recounts her tale. I think it is safe to say the biologist and her three female companions don’t really know what they are in for when they head into Area X to research what’s going on in there. They are the twelfth team to venture in, with previous teams having weird things happen to them. If you think you know what is going on because you saw the movie, trust me you don’t. The characters are similar to the movie, but none of them meet the fate their movie counterparts did. While the movie relied on, what I felt, was classic scary movie tropes to make you feel nervous the novel doesn’t do that. The movie had scary visuals to make you feel uneasy, the novel doesn’t do that. The novel has creepy moments but they are usually without gore and cheap scares. The novel makes you feel suspense and dread which, for me at least, the movie never did. 

The characters are the protagonist and her three female companions, but these aren’t the only characters. There is the mysterious group that sent the teams. The biologist’s husband was a member of the eleventh group. Even some of the creatures and important locations end up being characters in their own right. All of them I wanted to know more about, but what Vandameer gave us I’m okay with. The way he gives just a little and rarely anything that is certain is fine with me. He does it in a way that doesn’t leave me frustrated. 

I won’t spoil the plot, and if you are someone that watched the movie don’t worry, the movie doesn’t really spoil it for you either. There are similarities, and you’ll recognize the story but they are two different things.

Would I recommend it? 

Yes, I would recommend this book to anyone that enjoys science fiction.  The book is relatively clean, there are a few mentions of sex but nothing more than the “we made love” or “I woke up next to him” kind of thing. There is some violence but nothing too graphic. There is a scene of a violation, I’m not entirely sure how to explain it because it is so weird, but it isn’t a sexual violation. I could see how someone sensitive to that might want to steer clear of it, but not to worry because it is easy to skip. Drugs and alcohol are barely present. There is one instance of the group drinking and one instance where the biologist recounts a different time she got drunk. Both cases are more vehicles for characters to lower their guards. 

Purchased?

Yes, from a secondhand book store. I’m not planning on having it be a permanent part of my collection but I am going to be passing it on to people I know to read.

Good for a book group?

I would say this depends on your group. There are things there to discuss. Vandemeer talks about some big themes and if your group is the kind that loves to discuss symbolism, allusions, and tackle deep thoughts this could be a good addition. Keep in mind it is a short read. A weekly book group could get a maximum of six weeks out of it. That is including a week to wrap it all up. I think, realistically, you’d get maybe a month. Keep in mind it is book one of a trilogy.