Wonderland Creek

Finished June 16

Wonderland Creek by Lynn Austin

This historical novel is set in 1936. Alice Ripley lives with her parents in a suburb of Chicago. Her father is a pastor and while Alice trained as a teacher, she wasn't good at classroom discipline and went into work at her local public library instead. 

As the book begins, Alice's fiancé breaks up with her, which she has a hard time accepting although she honestly doesn't have strong feelings for him. She also loses her job due to funding. When her aunt and uncle take a road trip to a resort, she gets them to drop her and hundreds of books that she collected for a rural library in Kentucky off at that library, arranging for them to pick her up again a week later. But she finds a situation quite different than she expected. The librarian is a man, which she didn't expect since she'd been corresponding with him and assumed the name Leslie was a female one. There isn't room for her to stay anywhere in the small village without putting someone else out of a bed, and Leslie (known as Mack to his friends) is also looking after the dying black woman who raised him.

When Leslie gets shot and badly wounded, Alice finds herself stepping into his shoes as she manages the household, the library, and even takes on duties as one of the Packhorse Librarians working out of the small library. 

I liked how Alice grew from her experiences, but also had an influence on the community through her love of reading and her dedication to literacy. She overcame many of her prejudices and fears and found real relationships among the hill people as she learned about their struggles, include the union movement, the local feud, and secrets kept close. 

Good Taste

Finished June 16

Good Taste: A Novel In Search of Great Food by Caroline Scott

This historical novel takes place beginning in 1932 and follows writer Stella Douglas. Stella recently finished a biography called The Marvellous Mrs. Raffald about a female cookbook writer. It's doing okay, but isn't a best-seller. She has plans for another biography, but when her publisher Mr. Williamson asks her to take on a more broad-ranging project, a history of British food, she feels both honoured and overwhelmed. She isn't sure how to decide what to include and how to treat the inevitable foreign influences that exist in the nation's food traditions. 

She has a budget that allows some travel, but decides to place advertisements in some regional newspapers asking for recipes. Stella's best friend of many years is Michael, a chef in a French restaurant in London. She lived in London until her mother became ill and she moved back to her home village in Yorkshire. She rents a furnished row cottage called Celandine Cottage and visits her father regularly. When she goes up to London, she often stays with Michael and spends time with him and their mutual friend Lucien, a Frenchman who has unrequited feelings for Michael. 

When Stella's car breaks down on one of her information gathering trips, she is rescued by antique dealer Freddie, and he soon insinuates himself into her life. As she finds his influence affecting her choices, she starts to question herself and decide what she is comfortable with as a writer. 

This is a book that raises a number of things to think about. These include what real friendships look like, the fear of other cultures, anti-immigrant mindsets, and how to move forward from grief. It gave me a lot to think about and was relatable to things happening in the world today. 

I loved the discussions around food and folklore. The inclusion of diary entries and letters responding to Stella's ads gave another layer to the writing. 

Scott was inspired by the real life Florence White, author of Good Things in England, which was published in 1932. White is considered the first female freelance food journalist in England. 

Almost Over It

Finished June 11

Almost Over It by Kylie Gilmore

This is the first in a series, Clover Park Charmers, and a light romance. William (Will) Levi is an orthodontist with a lot of baggage. When he was in college, he drove impaired and put his older brother Charlie in a coma. His brother recovered, but was never the same mentally and walks with a limp. His brother was going to take over their father's orthodontics practice, but dropped out of college and lives a less structured life. Will's former girlfriend fell for Charlie when they went to visit them, and dumped Will. Now, managing the practice with a new orthodontist, Tony, on staff, he takes his job seriously. His retired father, Brian, had him take over the musical portion at the community summer theatre while Brian and his wife went on a cruise. Also involved with the theatre was ex-Broadway dancer Jasmine Davis, and they clashed a lot. Now Jasmine has her dance studio next door to his office and lives in the apartment over it. 

They clash over noise, parking, and other topics, but the chemistry is there. Will finds himself thinking about how both Jasmine and him have perfect bites, and how they would align when they kiss, which seemed a very dentist thing to think about. He also has a feral rescue cat, Sweetie, who torments him, but who he also can't return to the shelter as he knows she'd be put down. 

We see into both their family dynamics, and there are some very spicy scenes. An entertaining read. 

The Days I Loved You Most

Finished June 10

The Days I Loved You Most by Amy Neff

This novel follows Joseph and Evelyn Myers from the beginning of their courtship in 1941 to 2002. Tommy, Evelyn's older brother, was best friends with Joseph and always included Evelyn in their adventures. Tommy and Evelyn's parents were somewhat distant, having a more formal relationship with their children. Joseph's parents ran a small inn, the Oyster Shell Inn, that he grew up in. They were loving and demonstrative affectionately. After a major storm damaged the inn, Joseph's father has started working another job while still repairing the inn. For her junior year of high school, Evelyn is shipped off to Boston to stay with her aunt Maelynn and go to the private school she teaches at. She connects with her aunt and finds her world expanding, particularly finding a love for the piano. But the entry of the United States into World War II means changes and loss. 

There are two timelines here. One is the long-ranging one from 1941 on, and the other begins in the spring of 2001 when Joseph and Evelyn ask their three children: Jane, Thomas, and Violet to visit, letting them know that they plan to end their lives together in a year, with the decision triggered by Evelyn's recent diagnosis of a rare version of Parkinson's that advances quickly. There are a lot of emotions: anger, sadness, and confusion among them. We see into their children's relationships and some of their grandchildren. Thomas is married to Ann and they both lead busy lives in the city. Jane is a television news journalist and her daughter Rain is also newly married. Violet and her husband Connor have only one child still at home, and are adjusting to lives that have more time available for each other. 

The novel has a languid pace and an unusual premise. However I didn't feel that I got as much depth for the characters as I would have liked. 

A Rain of Thorns

Finished June 7

A Rain of Thorns by Jennifer Grayson

This novella is the first of a series of books called The Heart of the Savage. Mattie is a young woman whose mother died when she was an infant. Her father brought her up to be the son he didn't have, and she did ranch work and went on cattle drives. As the book begins, her father and her along with three men, Pete Winslow, a teen similar in age to her; Henry Finch, an man older than her father; and Charlie Rose, a quiet man returned from war. Their first night they are ambushed by cattle rustlers led by a man called Clay. The rustlers dealt with the men in a variety of ways and took Mattie with them. Clay intends to have his way with her, but Mattie won't go easily. 

Shortly after, a group of Texas Rangers come in and ensure Clay is dealt with. Mattie's father is thankful to their leader Franklin Cole, but Mattie doesn't like him, or respect him. When she finds herself married to him, she puts up with it, but over time, she finds herself thinking about leaving. 

The story doesn't wrap things up, but leads to the next novella in the series. 

Mattie is capable and observant, and knows her own mind. She doesn't like dishonesty whatever the reason, and I would find it interesting to follow her life. 

The Woman with Two Shadows

Finished June 6

The Woman with Two Shadows by Sarah James

This historical novel is set over a few months from 1944 to 1945. Twin sisters Lillian and Eleanor live in New York City with their mother. Their father killed himself when they were very young and their mother has struggled mentally since then. Lillian has taken on the role of head of the family and is a physics student at Columbia University. She has plans to take the test for the Allerton Prize which gives the winner a scholarship to Harvard University where she wants to do her masters degree. This plan depends on Eleanor staying home to live with their mother and care for her. 

Eleanor is an actress, getting roles on Broadway, but she is applying for a part in a new Rodgers and Hammerstein play which will open in Chicago and tour. Eleanor is good at what she does, but this role worries Lillian and she makes some choices that impact both their lives. 

The military has come to the university recently and recruited physics students for a project at a site near Knoxville, Tennessee. The place is called Oak Ridges and since the students find that their deferral is no longer valid, some choose to go rather than enlist. One of them is Max Medelson, and he is not only a fellow student of Lillian's but also the boyfriend of her sister Eleanor. He also claims to be able to tell them apart, when most people cannot. Eleanor changes her plans and decides to go with Max. She gets a job there as well. 

All of these we learn as backstory. Eleanor hasn't written home since she left, and now Max has contacted Lillian with the news that Eleanor is missing and he wants her help. When Lillian gets to Knoxville, she finds things aren't what she expected and she takes on Eleanor's identity to see what she can learn. With tales of others going missing, secret projects that Lillian finds herself getting involved in, and a complicated romance, there is a lot going on.

This novel raises issues of sibling rivalry, what one is willing to do to get what one wants, and the costs that are found to be beyond enduring. An interesting read. 

Appointment in Samarra

Finished June 3

Appointment in Samarra by John O'Hara

This novel, written in 1934, is set in 1931, and was the first novel by O'Hara. It is considered a modern classic. The main character is Julien English, a manager of a Cadillac dealership in the town of Gibbsville, Pennsylvania. He has been married to his wife Caroline for five years, and has recently turned thirty. We know that he had a previous relationship, that wasn't public, with a Polish immigrant woman named Mary. 

Julien's father is a doctor in town and Julien has always been somewhat of a disappointment to his father, from his antics as a boy to his lack of ambition as a man. Julien and his wife are active socially, belonging to clubs and part of a friend group that parties regularly. It is the Christmas season and we see Julien begin a series of self-destructive incidents that compromise his friendships, his position in society, and even his marriage. They start with throwing a drink in the face of a friend and important business associate.

There are issues of mental health, infidelity, and economic difficulties as the Depression has begun in the country. We see things from Julien's perspective, but also from others such as his wife Caroline's, has salesman, and some of his friends. 

The title comes from an ancient Mesopotamian tale about a man who tries to escape death but can't. It speaks to the inevitability of Julien's self-destruction. 

An interesting psychological read.