The History Book Club discussion

75. by Walter Mosley
Finish date: September 2021
Genre: Mystery, Thriller
Rating: B-
Review: Leonid McGill is a New York P.I. who has a history of working both sides of the law in the name of justice. The black former boxer is approached by Catfish, an old Mississippi blues singer. Catfish wants Leonid to deliver a letter to his granddaughter, a wealthy heiress who has never been told of her black racial heritage. But there are corrupt people who will go to any length to make sure this letter never gets delivered. The lives of Catfish, Leonid, and others that know the family secret are in danger.

"Trouble is What I Do" is a fast-paced book with snappy urban dialogue. It's a short, suspenseful read that kept me turning the pages.

76. by Jhumpa Lahiri
Finish date: September 2021
Genre: Literary fiction
Rating: B
Review: "Whereabouts" is a slender novel composed of a series of vignettes about an unnamed, introverted, female narrator. Jhumpa Lahiri wrote the book when she was living in Rome, and the chapter titles such as "At the Trattoria" and "In the Piazza" indicate an Italian setting.

Each chapter is a moment in time with a middle-aged college professor who lives alone. The book is written in first person so we only read the narrator's point of view concerning her life. She is very introspective, and examines the joys and sadness of solitude. She enjoys walking in her neighborhood and associating with others for a short time, but then needs to go back to her routine, quiet life. The narrator is highly observant, and there seems to be a promise of some small changes in her life as the book ends. The novel is character-driven with very little plot.

The book was first published in 2018 before the pandemic, but the author was very skilled in writing about social isolation. Jhumpa Lahiri wrote the book first in Italian, then self-translated it to English. Her prose is spare and sometimes heartbreaking, and the forty-six vignettes give the reader a melancholy portrait of an introspective woman. "Whereabouts" is not for everyone, but will be enjoyed by readers who like literary fiction.

77. by Ann Mah
Finish date: September 2021
Genre: Historical fiction
Rating: B
Review: Kate, a sommelier, is staying with her cousin Nico's family in Meursault, France while she's studying for the difficult Master of Wine test. She has not been back to the vineyard since she broke off a serious relationship with their neighbor around ten years ago. Kate volunteers to help with the harvest of the grapes. She also helps her best friend, Nico's wife, clean out their cellar storage area. They find World War II-era items belonging to Kate's great half-aunt Helene, as well as some valuable items in a secret hiding place.

Kate's uncle is unwilling to talk about Helene or World War II. There is conflicting evidence so Helene's descendants don't know if the family was involved in the Resistance, or if they were collaborators with the Germans during the Occupation. The missing pieces to the puzzle are found when they locate Helene's diary.

"The Lost Vintage" is a wonderful family saga with a contemporary 2015 timeline, flashbacks to a romance around 2005, and my favorite--Helene's 1940-44 timeline from the war years. The history of the Occupation with some people helping the Resistance, and others collaborating with the Germans was terrifying for those who lived through it. After the Liberation, many women who had relationships with German officers were excessively held up to public shaming and barbaric treatment, but sometimes their only other choice was to let their children starve. Helene wrote, "The most enthusiastic persecutors were the war's most spineless cowards--traitors, informers, racketeers--hoping to expunge their record by pouncing upon this most convenient scapegoat."

Author Ann Mah is also a food and travel writer. She included great descriptions of wine-making, French food, the Burgundy region of France, and the prestigious Master of Wine designation. "The Lost Vintage" is even more enjoyable if you pour a glass of your favorite wine.

78. by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Finish date: September 2021
Genre: Classic fiction
Rating: B
Review: Written in epistolary form, "The Sorrows of Young Werther" is a semi-autobiographical novel about unrequited love. Werther moved to the fictional German village of Wahlheim to enjoy painting and reading. He meets Lotte at a local dance, and is swept off his feet with love. However, Lotte is engaged to Albert, an older, dependable man who is devoted to her.

Werther is artistic, emotional, and lacks purpose and responsibility in his life. His feelings reach the height of happiness when he is with Lotte, then plummet in despair. His love for Lotte becomes an obsession, even after Lotte and Albert are married. Werther felt that he no longer wanted to live.

This novel prompted 18th Century young males to dress in blue jackets and yellow waistcoats like Werther, and write passionate letters to the women they loved. Unfortunately, it also prompted some of these emotional young men to end their lives in suicide. "The Sorrow of Young Werther" was part of the "Sturm und Drang" (storm and stress) literary movement which was a reaction against rationalism. It's an interesting classic story to read in the context of its era.

You are doing great

Bentley wrote: "You are doing great"

Thanks, Bentley! Welcome back to the States!

Yes and what a state the states are in! Do hope that this Covid 19 situation is under wraps soon. But it doesn't look like we have reached that point yet. Great to see such wonderful progress.

79. by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
Finish date: September 2021
Genre: Contemporary fiction
Rating: B-
Review: Nine people were in the basement-level visa office in the Indian Consulate while the wheels of bureaucracy turned slowly. When an earthquake hit San Francisco, concrete rained down, obstructing the exit out, and leaving them in the dark. Water from leaking pipes slowly seeped into the room. Tempers were running hot and nervous.

Uma, a graduate student, had been reading "The Canterbury Tales" when the quake hit. She suggested that they focus their minds by each telling a story. She said, "I don't believe anyone can go through life without encountering at least one amazing thing."

The trapped people shared their lives with the strangers in the room. There are stories about unhappy childhoods, love, special talents, attempted suicide, post-traumatic stress, and more. The stories are engaging, and let us see each person as an individual. It was a little disappointing that the book was open-ended, and we could only imagine the fate of the trapped group in the Consulate.

80. by Paulette Jiles
Finish date: September 2021
Genre: Historical fiction
Rating: A
Review: "Enemy Women" is another book to add to my favorites list. The story is set against the background of the American Civil War in the Missouri Ozarks. Missouri was considered to be a neutral state with fewer slaveholders than the Confederate states that seceded from the Union. However, conventional Union and Confederate troops plus irregular guerrilla military forces (Union Jayhawkers and Confederate Bushwhackers) looted houses and ambushed individuals in Missouri.

The neutral Colley family had their horses stolen, their barn burned, their house raided, and the father beaten and dragged away by Union forces. A drenching rain saved their house from being destroyed by fire. Eighteen-year-old Adair Colley and her younger sisters took to the road in an attempt to get news of their father's condition. A fellow traveler's false statements resulted in Adair's arrest on charges of "enemy collaboration," and she was sent to a woman's prison in St Louis.

Adair is saucy, sarcastic, and courageous in prison, but it is a hotbed of disease. Her Union interrogator, Major Neumann, is a righteous man who respects Adair's convictions, and tries to help her. Eventually, Adair sets off on a long dangerous journey through the ravaged, lawless state to reach her home in southeastern Missouri. She is strong, resourceful, and quick-thinking in some frightening situations. The book also details Major Neumann's journey after a bloody battle.

Paulette Jiles, who is also a poet, writes beautiful prose. In addition to being a compelling story, the book starts each chapter with excerpts from actual Civil War correspondence, newspaper articles, and both Union and Confederate military records. The story illustrates the brutality of this war where neighbors fought neighbors. This is a story about survival, love, and a journey with a desperate longing to reach home . . . not knowing if home still exists.

81. by Charles Dodd White
Finish date: September 2021
Genre: Literary Fiction, Southern Noir
Rating: A
Review: "Lavada rose to the iron dark and stepped barefoot across the cabin floor, paused and placed her hand to the door to test the wind's new ache, to know it as her own. Touch told her she would need Mason's coat. It hung on a tail next to the mantel. She took it in her hands and slipped her thin arms through the sleeves, wore the wight of her man for a moment before she drew on his blistered boots and stepped into another day that lacked him."

I read this first paragraph of the book three times before moving on. Charles Dodd White tells us so much about Lavada Laws and her situation in one lyrical paragraph. The next 216 pages were written just as beautifully.

Mason Laws has been released from two years in prison for a drug conviction. His father, Sam, has been cared for by Lavada during Mason's time away from his North Carolina home. Sam is suffering from dementia, and thinks of Lavada as his daughter. Lavada feels close to Sam, although he is a challenge, escaping into the wilderness when his mind shows the greatest loss of mental acuity.

Mason needs to be on his own for a while after his prison term is finished. He camps out in the woods in a tiny cabin until he falls into a job at a run-down convenience store. Mason is a complicated character, emotionally hurt by a motherless childhood, but capable of showing tenderness to an old dog and compassion to a crippled elderly man.

A deputy in the sheriff's office, Cody Gibbs, served in the war in Iraq. He enjoys inflicting pain, and is more damaged than most of the criminals he pursues. His cruel actions have a domino effect, setting off a chain of actions by unstable or emotionally hurt people, and intensified by the treacherous conditions in the wilderness.

I love the title of this novel, "A Shelter of Others." The novel includes characters who missed the childhood feeling of home and developed haunting psychological issues. There are also instances where caring people created their own family with those who were not their blood relatives, sheltering them with their love.

One could find a quotable sentence on almost every page of this novel. Readers of literary fiction or Southern noir are sure to enjoy the poetic writing of Charles Dodd White.

Looks like a very enjoyable read.

Bentley wrote: "Looks like a very enjoyable read."

It was very well written, Bentley.

82. by Diana Ross McCain
Finish date: September 2021
Genre: Historical fiction
Rating: A-
Review: "Thy Children's Children" is a historical novel based on the lives of multiple generations of the Lyman family in Connecticut. John Lyman was courting Hope Hawley in 1738, and the married couple bought land for a small farm in Middlefield three years later. This would grow to be today's complex of Lyman's Orchard, a farm shop, and several golf courses. The novel follows the history of the family from 1738-1871 with a brief epilogue about modern times.

Author Diana Ross McCain is a historian who included major historical events in this compelling story. Elihu and Phineas Lyman fought in the Revolutionary War. William Lyman spoke up against slavery, and his home was part of the Underground Railroad network. David Lyman was an entrepreneur who founded a company that produced washing machines and wringers. He was also instrumental in bringing a railroad across Connecticut, connecting the state with Boston and New York City. Through it all, operations on the family farm continued.

The Lymans had large families, but had to support each other through the sadness of early deaths before the era of modern medicine. Their strong faith helped them through sorrowful times. The work of the strong, intelligent Lyman women was also important to the Lyman family's success. Some family members traveled westward for new opportunities, but faced dangerous conditions. The family honored their relatives by naming their children after their loved ones. So this 634 book is best read over a few weeks since their are multiple Johns, Davids, Elihus, Esters, etc to keep straight in your mind.

"Thy Children's Children" was an engaging historical novel. The story was even more poignant since I knew it was based on people who lived around twenty miles away from me. It made me wonder what choices my family would have made if we were living in earlier times.

OCTOBER 2021

83. by Robin Wall Kimmerer
Finish date: October 2021
Genre: Nonfiction, Indigenous, Ecology
Rating: A
Review: "Braiding Sweetgrass" is a remarkable book that melds indigenous wisdom with modern science. Author Robin Wall Kimmerer is a SUNY Distinguished Teaching Professor of Environmental Biology in upstate New York, and a member of the Citizen Potawatomi Nation. She starts her book with the Skywoman story of Creation with its message that we need to respect the earth, offer gratitude, and remember than future generations will inherit it.

Another indigenous story is that of the Three Sisters--corn, beans, and pumpkins--that provide the proper nutrients and sunlight that is needed when the three are planted together. The beans wind around the corn's strong stem while the pumpkin or squash vines travel over the ground, sheltering the soil, keeping the moisture in, and reducing the weeds. Rhizobium bacteria, housed in the bean roots, take nitrogen from the air and convert it to nitrogen fertilizer for the three plants. This is just one example of reciprocity in nature. Reciprocity and restoration of damaged land by humans is told in additional stories such as intelligent planting to restore clearcut land.

The book also emphasizes the Honorable Harvest, taking less than half of what you find in the wilderness, and leaving the rest to reproduce during the following year. We are warned away from the Windigo of greed, overconsumption, and pollution.

Kimmerer feels a strong bond with her ancestors. Her grandfather, Asa Wall, was sent to the Carlisle Indian School in Pennsylvania. The school separated the indigenous children from their parents for years, cut off their braids, and punished them if they spoke in their native language. The author is taking lessons to learn the Potawatomi language, attends indigenous ceremonies, participates in workshops to learn native crafts such as basket weaving, and passes down indigenous wisdom to her daughters and students.

Kimmerer writes thoughtfully with beautiful lyrical prose as she looks at nature through the eyes of a botanist, an ecologist, and an indigenous person with a strong love of the land. Gratitude, reciprocity, and restoration are necessary to renew the earth.

84. by Wiley Cash
Finish date: October 2021
Genre: Crime, mystery, historical fiction
Rating: B
Review: Sheriff Winston Barnes heads to a small airfield on the North Carolina coast after a large plane crash-landed. There is no pilot and no cargo with the plane, but the body of Rodney Bellamy is on the ground with a bullet through his chest. African-American Rodney was the son of a local teacher and civil rights activist.

Winston is running for re-election as sheriff in a close race with Bradley Frye, a wealthy redneck and land developer. Bradley and his friends fly the Rebel flag and throw rocks at the windows in Rodney's widow's house. Jay, Rodney's brother-in-law, is dealing with being a teenager in a new town full of racial prejudice, and is having a hard time staying out of trouble in that atmosphere. Winston is trying to do the right thing in a time of racial tension while everyone's eyes are on him right before the election.

Winston's daughter, Colleen, comes back to North Carolina for a surprise visit with her parents. She has recently suffered a late-term miscarriage, and is drinking to numb the emotional pain. She and her husband are grieving, and having difficulty communicating. Colleen looks back at her childhood, giving us another view of her father and the racially divided town, as her honest father investigates the murder.

Although this is a crime story, "When Ghosts Come Home" is a sensitive character-driven story too. The book also paints a portrait of a North Carolina town in 1984. Airplanes transport people--and ghosts--in and out of North Carolina. A twist brings the story to a surprising end.

85. by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley
Finish date: October 2021
Genre: Horror, Classic
Rating: B
Review: After an evening of telling ghost stories, Lord Byron challenged his guests--Mary Shelley, Percy Shelley, and Dr John William Polidori--to each write a scary ghost story. Mary Shelley wrote the beginning of "Frankenstein" which was expanded and published in 1818, and revised in 1831. It has an unusual structure with stories within stories, all framed by the letters of Captain Walton, an Arctic explorer. In addition to the Arctic setting, much of the book is set in the beautiful Swiss Alps with Romantic Era descriptions of the light and beauty of nature.

Reanimation and galvanism were being explored by scientists at the time Frankenstein was written. Precocious scientist Victor Frankenstein discovers the secret of life, and fashions a creature from human parts he obtains from the charnel houses. When the creature comes to life, Frankenstein is horrified by its repulsive appearance and rejects the creature.

Frankenstein did not consider the moral responsibility that comes with pushing the borders of science. The creature was miserable without companionship since humans rejected him, and he vowed to take revenge.

"Frankenstein" is a gothic horror story, but it runs much deeper emotionally. The book has themes of isolation and loneliness, ambition and responsibility, revenge, prejudice, and the perfection of nature. Mary Shelley's story deserves its place among the very popular classics.

Great progress

Bentley wrote: "Great progress"

Thanks, Bentley.

86. by Chris Bohjalian
Finish date: October 2021
Genre: Historical fiction, Mystery
Rating: B
Review: "I have no desire to meet the Devil. Not ever. I have seen too much of His likeness here in Boston, even among the saints."
--Witness testimony of Mary's friend, Constance Winston

Mary Deerfield, an attractive 24-year-old woman with a fine mind, is the daughter of a wealthy English merchant who settled in Boston. Mary's older husband, Thomas, is physically and emotionally abusive, but he commits his cruel acts when there are no witnesses. Mary's father imports some three-pronged forks, but the Puritans consider them "the Devil's tines." In a drunken moment, Thomas plunges a fork through Mary's hand, breaking some of the small bones. Mary fears for her life and files for divorce.

The 1662 court hearing is a sham with the evidence twisted around so it is Mary's behavior which is being scrutinized. Mary is considered to be a disobedient wife. She is also accused of witchcraft by some witnesses. After the divorce trial, life for Mary becomes even more intense and the pace picks up in the second half of the book.

Chris Bohjalian wrote a well-researched book of historical fiction. "Hour of the Witch" shows a woman who has reasons for revenge, but also has a strong conscience. The Puritans explained the unknown by accusing people of possession by the Devil. Crowds of people worked themselves into mass hysteria. The court was just as guilty of mistreating women as Mary's husband. Religion was used as an excuse for cruelty, and exerting control over others. There were attitudes present in 1662 regarding the treatment of women that still exist in certain groups today, so this is a very thought-provoking novel.

87. by Kazuo Ishiguro
Finish date: October 2021
Genre: Science Fiction
Rating: B
Review: "Klara and the Sun" is an unusual book that raises questions about the poetic meaning of the human heart, that "something that makes each of us special and individual." Klara is an Artificial Friend, a robot who is very observant and intelligent, but still has some childlike qualities. Klara, who is solar-powered, thinks of the sun as a life-giving god. Parents can purchase an AF as a companion for their child at a high-end store.

The reader learns about a futuristic society through the eyes of Klara. Many workers are unemployed because they have been replaced by artificial intelligence. In order for their children to compete in this highly selective world, parents can take a risk and have their children genetically "uplifted." Josie, a young teen, chooses Klara to be her Artificial Friend. Josie is not feeling well, and the author presents some possible scenarios that might transpire if she does not recover.

I enjoyed this science fiction novel because author Kazuo Ishiguro raised so many interesting questions about artificial intelligence, futuristic lifestyles, love, loneliness, and what it means to be human. The reader is left to discover their own answers to the questions that the thoughtful novel presents.

88. by Darci Hannah
Finish date: October 2021
Genre: Historical fiction, mystery, romance, time-travel
Rating: C
Review: In this historical novel, Sara Stevenson falls in love with a sailor, an unsuitable match for her wealthy family. Sara is banished to a remote lighthouse to avoid a scandal. The location in 1815 northwestern Scotland is isolated, cold, windy, and spartan. Many of the characters have disturbing memories of the past. Some supernatural elements add mystery to the story in a convoluted way. It was an entertaining book, but the ending was a bit contrived.

89. by Karen Kijewski
Finish date: October 2021
Genre: Mystery
Rating: B
Review: PI Kat Colorado helps her childhood friend, Dakota Jones, a country music star who is receiving threatening letters. The harassment escalates into violence so Dakota has to cancel concerts as while Kat investigates.

Kat questions Dakota about suspicious people in her past who might be holding a grudge, and also brings out their challenging childhoods. Both Kat and Dakota had absent parents, and were brought up by loving grandmothers. Even though Dakota is now a superstar, there is a part of her that still feels like an unwanted little girl.

There were several possible perpetrators of the crimes, and the book kept me guessing. I enjoyed the Nashville country music atmosphere for a change of pace in my reading. Kat's cynical humor regarding some of the lowlifes she encountered kept me laughing. Since the book was written in 1996, it was a little jarring when Kat kept stopping at pay phones, but otherwise the book could have been written in modern times.

90. by Alan Paton
Finish date: October 2021
Genre: Classic, fiction
Rating: A
Review: "Cry, the Beloved Country" is an important story set in 1940s South Africa with its tensions between the various ethnic and racial groups, and between urban and rural life. Reverend Kumalo leaves his rural village to bring back his sister and his son from Johannesburg. Both of them have been influenced by bad company and the corruption in the lawless city. His son has been involved in a terrible crime.

The story later tells of the kindness of a white plantation owner, inspired by his son's work for social justice, who helps Reverend Kumalo's Zulu village. Kumalo feels that a strong family life and a strong village community are very necessary, but the young people often move away for financial reasons. The author's love for beautiful South Africa, his deep compassion, and his dismay over racial injustice act as a backdrop for this moving story.

91. by Rebecca Lee (no photo)
Finish date: October 2021
Genre: Contemporary short stories
Rating: B+
Review: Rebecca Lee's collection of seven short stories is gorgeously written, and emotionally insightful with touches of humor. Relationships between spouses, lovers, friends, students, and teachers are explored using first-person narrators. The endings to each story are a little open-ended, answering some questions, but always leaving something for the reader to reflect upon.

92. by Margaret Millar
Finish date: October 2021
Genre: Mystery, Psychological Thriller
Rating: B
Review: This short psychological thriller is hard to put down. With frightening phone calls, a woman terrorizes people who have slighted her in the past. "Beast in View" is a suspenseful classic from 1955.

93. by Edith Wharton
Finish date: October 2021
Genre: Classic, fiction, romance
Rating: A
Review: "Charity was not very clear about the Mountain; but she knew it was a bad place, and a shame to have come from, and that, whatever befell her in North Dormer, she ought, as Miss Hatchard had once reminded her, to remember that she had been brought down from there, and hold her tongue and be thankful."

Charity Royall had been raised by Lawyer Royall and his now-deceased wife since the age of five in a small village in the Berkshires. She was hoping to someday get away from living in such an isolated location, so she took a job at the musty library for a few hours weekly to earn some money. Her life changed on the summer day that architect Lucius Harney, a worldly man from New York City, walked into the library. Charity fell in love with a man who came from a different social class.

"She had given him all she had--but what was it compared to the other gifts life held for him? She understood now the case of girls like herself to whom this kind of thing happened. They gave all they had, but their all was not enough: it could not buy more than a few moments. . . ."

"Summer" is a beautifully written book with gorgeous descriptions of the Berkshires, and the feelings of a first love and a sexual awakening. Published in 1917, it shows the limited options available to women because of social class, little education, and a lack of financial assets at that time. Charity Royall has few choices as she comes to understand this harsh reality.

NOVEMBER

94. by Shari Lapena
Finish date: November 2021
Genre: Psychological Thriller, Mystery
Rating: B
Review: Stephanie and Patrick Kilgour are adjusting to being new parents to colicky twin daughters. They are barely coping with sleep deprivation when Erica Voss, a former lover of Patrick, comes into town. Erica is raising questions about the death of Patrick's first wife, and threatens to go to the police. At first Stephanie does not believe Erica's accusations, but soon she has doubts about her husband's innocence. Who is telling the truth? How safe are Stephanie and the twins?

This domestic thriller has multiple unreliable narrators. Erica is a temptress and a blackmailer, but Patrick seems far from angelic too. Two other minor storylines involve some of the same characters. There's lots of internal dialogue as Stephanie grows more paranoid while also dealing with exhaustion. "The End of Her" is a quick-moving psychological thriller that kept my interest to the end.

95. by A.D. Scott
Finish date: November 2021
Genre: Mystery
Rating: B -
Review: The reporters on a weekly newspaper in 1950s northern Scotland were investigating two deaths on the Black Isle. One of the dead had been recently on a fishing boat that was destroyed by a suspicious fire. The book had a good sense of place and the various groups of people living on the Black Isle--the upper class, the farmers, the fishermen, and the Travelers (or tinkers who were similar to gypsies.) Prejudices existed so that people mostly socialized only with their own group.

The main character is Joanne, a mother with two children who left an abusive marriage, who is working a new job as a reporter for the Highland Gazette. The interactions between the people on the newspaper staff seemed very realistic--humorous banter, wanting the big scoop, and the pressure of deadlines. The author worked as an advertising agent on a newspaper so she was able to use her experiences in creating the atmosphere.

96. by Paulette Jiles
Finish date: November 2021
Genre: Historical fiction
Rating: A
Review: "This was a world unto itself that lay between the Canadian River and the Rio Grande as if it had been designated on the day that God made it as the place where men would come to fight and kill each other. The Texans had brought their women and their children and their slaves right into the middle of the war land and expected to set up houses and fields and herds and live as if they were in Maryland, and were surprised on moonlit nights like this when Comanche arrows sang through the air in the dark." (101)

Paulette Jiles' historical novel features Britt Johnson, a free black man, who travels to Texas with his wife and children as the American Civil War is ending. He's hoping to start a freighting business to transport goods through dangerous territory by wagons. While Britt is away, Comanches and Kiowas attack their community in a violent raid. They take Britt's wife, Mary, and his two younger children as well as their neighbor and her two grandchildren as captives. The captive women hope that Britt will be able to rescue them.

The women are treated as slaves, but many of the child captives adapt quite well to this different way of life with the Native Americans. They enjoy the freedom, the adventure, and the strong bond with nature. The Native Americans follow the streams, the new grass, the buffalo and other food sources in a seasonal circuit.

Samuel Hammond, an idealistic Quaker, is sent to Texas to be the Indian agent. He tries using kindness to convince the Native Americans to farm, live in wood houses, go to school, listen to Bible readings, and release their captives. The Native Americans are uninterested in changing their way of life, and resent being driven away from their traditional hunting grounds by the settlers and soldiers. The tribes had been decimated by white men's diseases and violence.

Jiles gives a balanced account of the conflict where the cultures are so far apart that compromise is almost impossible. There is a lot of violence in this tale since the author is writing about the true dangers of that era which she has carefully researched. The book also has many beautiful poetic passages describing the Western plains that invite the reader to stop and reread the passage. "The Color of Lightning" is the fourth Paulette Jiles book I have read, and I'm always impressed with her writing and her research.

97. by Lee Smith
Finish date: November 2021
Genre: Historical fiction, Southern Lit
Rating: B+
Review: Jennifer, a college student, visits her deceased mother's family to record the folklore and haunting of the people of Hoot Owl Holler. "Oral History" is a fascinating tale of a family that may have been struck with the Cantrell curse which led to tragic love affairs and unexpected deaths. Lee Smith has infused her story with folk expressions, traditions, food, music, and superstitions to bring the reader into the hill country of Virginia. This is a multigenerational story full of family secrets that are revealed layer by layer.

98. by Kristin Hannah
Finish date: November 2021
Genre: Historical fiction
Rating: B
Review: "Courage is fear you ignore."

Elsa Wolcott has been told by her mother that "no man of note wants an unattractive wife." At age 25, the tall slender woman longs for excitement, romance, and meaning in her life like she has found in the novels she enjoys reading. It's 1921 in Texas, and Elsa admires the style and independence of the Flappers. She goes out one night looking for fun, and meets handsome Rafe Martinelli. A few minutes of passion leads to an unplanned marriage, and life on Rafe's parents' farm. Elsa comes to enjoy her work on the farm, but their marriage is strained.

Fast forward to 1934 when their Texas farm is completely dry, and crops are dying. The Great Depression has brought poverty and unemployment to the country. Dust storms ripped up the topsoil, and filled the lungs of the farmers. When Elsa's son gets sick from breathing the dirt-filled air, she heads out to California with her two children looking for work. It was a shock to find few job openings, and tent cities full of impoverished migrants. Even young children were picking crops to help keep food on the table. The owners of the large farms kept reducing wages so survival was uncertain. Union organizers came in to fight for a living wage, but were met by violence from the farm owners.

The book does cover some of the same territory as "The Grapes of Wrath," but is told mostly from the views of a desperate mother and a teenage daughter finding her voice. "The Four Winds" shows the courage of Elsa as she becomes a strong, resilient woman facing incredible challenges and making many personal sacrifices.

99. by Elizabeth Strout
Finish date: November 2021
Genre: Literary fiction, Grief, Religion
Rating: B+
Review: Tyler Caskey is a grieving minister in a small Maine town in 1959. He's having a difficult time functioning since the death of his wife. Tyler is the father of two young girls--Katherine who is living with him, and Jeannie who is being cared for at his mother's home. Katherine needs a parent's love and attention, and is acting out in kindergarten. Gossips in the parish talk about Katherine's behavior, and spread false rumors about Tyler.

Tyler feels inadequate when he compares himself to his hero, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the German minister who was executed by the Nazis. Tyler's father told him to "always think of the other man first" as he lived his life. But Tyler now needs help and love from others.

The words of his favorite hymn, "Abide With Me," offer comfort to Tyler, and lines of the hymn are sprinkled throughout the book. As always, Elizabeth Strout's prose is gorgeous and she provides lovely descriptions of nature in northern Maine. There are many flawed people in the congregation, but giving and receiving love starts healing relationships.

WOW, Connie! What a great review! My enormous TBR List thanks you … and so do I, grudgingly!
Regards,
Andrea

Andrea wrote: "WOW, Connie! What a great review! My enormous TBR List thanks you … and so do I, grudgingly!
Regards,
Andrea"

This is a lovely book that I think you would enjoy, Andrea.

100. by Shona MacLean
Finish date: November 2021
Genre: Historical mystery
Rating: B
Review: Alexander Seaton, a disgraced minister, has returned to his hometown of Banff to work as the assistant schoolmaster in 1626. A young apothecary's assistant falls in the street outside the schoolhouse, and is found dead in the schoolroom the next morning. Alexander's close friend is arrested for the crime, and Alexander works to prove his innocence.

Once the reader gets beyond the first few chapters where numerous characters are introduced, the book becomes a fast paced mystery. The story involves several murders, suspicions of witchcraft, worries about an invasion of northern Scotland, ruthless ambition, and religious intolerance. Author Shona MacLean has her doctorate in 17th Century History, and she brings lots of period details into her storytelling. This is the first of a series of mysteries set in 17th Century Scotland.

Connie, I just can’t win for losing! this sounds like another great book … kind of like Tolstoy’s “War and Peace.” … my TBR LIST is off its diet yet again!
Regards,
Andrea

by Leo Tolstoy

P.S. YOU’VE REACHED ONE HUNDRED BOOKS!!!!!!! CONGRATULATIONS, CONNIE!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Regards!
Andrea

Thank you, Andrea. The book I reviewed is a mystery with lots of historical detail, not a great classic.

101. by Patricia Highsmith
Finish date: November 2021
Genre: Psychological suspense
Rating: B+
Review: "The Blunderer" is a skillfully written dark story with increasing psychological tension. It involves two men whose estranged wives recently died in similar violent circumstances. A police detective is trying to prove that the second death was a copycat crime of the earlier murder, and plays one man off the other. There is no concrete proof that either man is guilty, but a series of lies and blunders gives the illusion of guilt. Patricia Highsmith was an expert at writing riveting psychological suspense.

102. by Vera Caspary
Finish date: November 2021
Genre: Mystery, Crime
Rating: B+
Review: Laura Hunt was shot as she opened her apartment door in New York City, and detective Mark McPherson was sent to investigate. Laura was a beautiful, independent woman who fascinated the people who loved her. Using multiple narrators, author Vera Caspary gives us psychological profiles of the main characters and their relationships. This excellent crime story is a classic with interesting characters and a twist in the middle of the book.

103. by Rick Bragg
Finish date: November 2021
Genre: Memoir, Animals
Rating: A
Review: Speck is a terror--a half-blind stray dog that won't behave. But the starving dog arrived at the Bragg's Alabama farm just when he was needed. Rick was in remission from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma after going through the hell of chemo, and isolating with his mother during the pandemic. Speck helped fill up the hours that would have been spent feeling depressed. Speck is part Australian shepherd who feels that he's needed to herd the kittens and the donkeys. The dog offered love, and laughter at his crazy antics. Speck and Rick needed each other's company to heal.

Rick Bragg shows shows a great love for his family, his adopted dog, and his Southern roots. He also writes about his close relationship with his older brother, Sam, who recently died. "The Speckled Beauty" is a warm story full of humor told by a man with a big heart.

Sssssigh, Connie … this is another of those heart-warming stories that everyone needs to read at this time of year … and I don’t even like dogs … my TBR List thanks you!!!!
Regards,
Andrea

Andrea wrote: "Sssssigh, Connie … this is another of those heart-warming stories that everyone needs to read at this time of year … and I don’t even like dogs … my TBR List thanks you!!!!
Regards,
Andrea"

I would recommend the book to anyone, Andrea, not just dog owners. Bragg's humor and caring heart are wonderful.

104. by Jane Gardam
Finish date: November 2021
Genre: Historical fiction
Rating: A-
Review: "Old Filth" is a touching character study of a famous retired judge, Sir Edward Feathers. Filth is an acronym for "Failed in London, Try Hong Kong." The story is told mostly in flashbacks to his earlier life.

Eddie's mother died shortly after his birth in Malaya, and his father was a British government official who had been shell-shocked in World War I. He was cared for by a loving native girl until he was four years old. Then he joined the Raj orphans being sent back to Great Britain for foster care to learn English and receive schooling. The trauma of foster care, and never belonging in a family inflicted emotional wounds on young Eddie. The waning days of the British Empire are also revealed through his experiences and adventures. The book takes Eddie through his marriage, and his feeling of loss after the death of his wife, Betty. The story ends with him traveling back to his roots--traveling alone.

"Old Filth" is a part of a trilogy, and I would love to read the next book told from the point of view of Betty. I enjoyed Jane Gardam's writing with its dry British humor, her understanding of the human spirit, and the interesting 20th Century colonial backdrop.

105. by Alison J. Butler
Finish date: November 2021
Genre: Historical fiction
Rating: C+
Review: "She was a free spirit and she did as she damned well pleased."
"She paid for it too."
"Aye, she did."

Author Alison J. Butler has brought the true 18th Century Scottish legend of Half Hangit Maggie to life. Maggie Dickson was a headstrong, independent fishwife living in Musselburgh. She was a beautiful, lusty young woman who attracted men. When her husband disappeared she headed to Newcastle to find him, but stopped at a tavern along the way to shelter from the inclement weather. She accepted a job at the tavern where she met the handsome son of the innkeeper. Soon her actions led to legal trouble, and she was thrown into the filthy Tolbooth (jail). The rest of Maggie's remarkable history is an amazing tale.

Maggie's story appeared to be well-researched, and kept my interest. Unfortunately, a proofreader does not seem to have looked at the last part of the book.

DECEMBER

106. by Ron Rash
Finish date: December 2021
Genre: Literary fiction
Rating: B
Review: A twelve-year-old girl waded into the middle of the Tamassee River bordering Georgia and South Carolina so she could tell her friends that she had visited both states at the same time. She had no idea that the swollen river would suck her into a whirlpool, trapping her under the rocks.

Her death set off a battle between her grieving parents and a local environmental group. Her devastated parents want to set up a temporary dam to divert the water so divers can retrieve their daughter's body. The river is protected since it has the Wild and Scenic status, and environmentalists feel that the streambed should not be altered according to Federal regulations. It would also set up a precedent for other exceptions to the law. A developer, the divers, and various local people also have opinions while the Forest Service ranger is caught in the middle.

The wild, rain-swollen river is also a character. It's powerful and dangerous with raging water and granite boulders. It's a force of nature that has to be respected.

Maggie Glenn, the narrator, is the photographer for a major newspaper in South Carolina. Her poignant photograph of the grieving father, which accompanied the news report, swayed public opinion. But Maggie also has a history of working with the environmental group when she was younger.

"Saints at the River" showed the perspectives of many characters, each having valid opinions. The book also had interesting sub-plots which brought out the backstories of the characters. Maggie interacted with family and friends in her hometown, so the story also had lots of local color. The locals possessed first-hand experience with the Tamassee River and the mountain wilderness. It's always a pleasure to read Ron Rash's lovely writing.

107. by Charles Dickens
Finish date: December 2021
Genre: Short stories
Rating: C
Review: "The Holly-Tree Inn" is the 1855 Christmas issue of Charles Dickens' periodical "Household Words." The Herperus Press book contains an interesting introduction by Melisa Klimaszewski, and biographical notes about the authors. The book is a collection of stories arranged with a framing story about a traveler caught in a December blizzard. He must spend time at the inn until it is safe to travel again.

In Dickens' framing story, "The Guest," the traveler thinks back about other inns he has visited, as well as some scary stories set in inns. He decides to ask other people at the Holly-Tree Inn to share some stories to pass the time.

"The Ostler" by Wilkie Collins features a dream about a scary woman with a knife. The situation in the dream later turns into reality.

"The Boots" by Charles Dickens is a sweet story about two young children who decide to "elope." It was a favorite with audiences when Dickens did his public readings.

"The Landlord" by William Howitt features a family that emigrated to Australia only to find that property prices had risen. The Gold Rush changes their fortunes.

"The Barmaid" by Adelaide Ann Procter is a sentimental poem about a man's memories of a sweet, beautiful girl at several points in her life.

"The Poor Pensioner" by Harriet Parr involves a demented pensioner, Hester, who lives at the inn. Many years ago, her son was declared guilty of murdering his romantic rival, and Hester is still hoping for the judgement to be overturned.

"The Bill" by Charles Dickens is a closing framing story as the guest is leaving the inn. He gets some good news regarding his personal life as he's departing. We feel his happiness as an extra measure of holiday cheer.

The stories were a mixed bag of fairly enjoyable works. People in Dickens' era would read the stories aloud to each other since many people were illiterate. Reading Dickens' Christmas issue would be an entertaining way to spend a few evenings around the fire during the 1855 holiday season.

Ooohhhh, Connie, I’d hate to confess how many years it’s been since I read this book … however, your lovely review brought it all back with a rush! Speaking of books about travellers’ being stuck in an inn by a blizzard, doesn’t that feature in one of Neal Stephenson’s books? Can’t remember the title right now … oh, well … it will come to me in the wee hours of tomorrow morning …
Regards,
Andrea

Neal Stephenson

I haven't read any books by Neal Stephenson so I can't help you there, Andrea. I have another book set in a blizzard, The Children's Blizzard, scheduled for next month when the Northeast will probably be covered in snow.

by Melanie Benjamin

108. by Rachel Joyce
Finish date: December 2021
Genre: Historical fiction
Rating: B
Review: Margery Benson is an unfulfilled spinster teaching domestic science to school girls in early 1950s England. Her family was destroyed by war in 1914 with her four brothers dying on the same day, and her grieving father committing suicide. Her father left her with an interest in nature, especially in the golden beetle of New Caledonia which Darwin observed. However, the golden beetle had not "officially been discovered" with preserved specimens at London's Natural History Museum. Some incidents at Miss Benson's dead-end job lead her to follow her dream of finding the golden beetle, and she plans a trip to New Caledonia (northeast of Australia.) She advertises for an assistant who speaks French to accompany her on her excursion. For various reasons, three of the applicants don't work out. Margery is left with Enid Pretty as a companion at the last minute.

Enid is a petite young woman with shocking yellow hair, and unsuitable clothes for a scientific trip which involves bushwhacking up a mountain. Worst of all, Enid never stops talking! But she has a nurturing side so Margery starts to appreciate Enid's help after she nurses her through a long bout of seasickness during the five weeks at sea.

Their time in New Caledonia is full of humorous adventures and challenges. Miss Benson and Enid help each other deal with ghosts from their pasts, and they become good friends that can depend on each other.

"Miss Benson's Beetle" is a story about friendship, adventure, and following your dreams. Author Rachel Joyce is known for her quirky, lovable characters, and she does not disappoint her readers in this heartwarming book.