I received this book for a free and fair review. I enjoyed Oakley's previous book, The Mostly True Story of Tanner and Louise, this, her most recent book, and was excited to be able to review this one. And this one did not fail to deliver either, being a fun-filled romp of misadventure, miscommunication and missed steps that lead to a denouement that's unique and satisfying.

Jane and Dan are going to La Fin de Munde, an expensive and exclusive restaurant, precariously located over a cliff, to celebrate their 19th wedding anniversary (though Dan keeps thinking it's their 20th). Jane's in a funk; she's ready to leave Dan, feeling in a rut as her writing career hasn't taken off and she believes something's going on with Dan. The restaurant only seats five tables and is known as the restaurant that serves the most expensive dessert! Just a Jane announces to Dan that she wants a divorce a group takes over the restaurant and from there the adventure begins. As things unfold, Jane comes to realize that what is happening is based on the book she wrote, things get more curious as Dan begins to realize he might know someone in the group. No spoilers here. You have to read the book - and you won't be disappointed if you - to find out what the group wants, how the takeover ends and if Jane and Dan come to the "end of their world."

Overall, I enjoyed the read and believe others will as well.

First, and most interestingly, the topic of this book is an unknown part of American history: a black settlement known as " The Kingdom of the Happy Land." This actual "black communal society" existed in Western North Carolina during Reconstruction. Not much is actually known as most of it has vanished, but its possibility "reflects on a curious story of a Black Appalachian utopia" as Danielle Dukin writes in her webpage, "A Black Kingdom in postbellum Appalachia." But this premise is intriguing.

Valdez starts her book in present day with a fictional relative of the founders of this kingdom going to visit her grandmother, Mother Rita. Mother Rita has called Nikki "home" as she needs help staying on her land and since Nikki is a real estate agent, Mother Rita believes Nikki can help her. The book then switches to the past with the founding "queen," Luella Bobo, of Happy Land telling her story of how this kingdom came to be. Alternating between past and present, the interlocking stories have a similar theme: achieving ownership of the land and evading unscrupulous provocateurs, though this is a lighter theme compared to the stories of two women discovering what they are capable of doing and achieving.

I enjoyed the modern story a bit more than the story of the founding of Happy Land because of the legal aspects involved in Mother Rita getting her land back. While Luella's story was essential, I just didn't resonate as well with it.

Overall, this was an enjoyable read as well as an opportunity to learn more about black history.

While not in the cozy mystery genre (which I do enjoy), this book meets my definition of a cozy because it's a perfect snuggle-up read if that's what you are in the mood for. And the story line is one that once it gets going, you are drawn into one of those mysteries where you have to know "who done it" - meaning you can't put it down! More importantly, while this is the third in a monster hunter mystery series, you don't have to have read the previous books to enjoy this one (this was my first read in the series). Set in Rhinelander, Wisconsin, during the winter, Morgan Carter, a cryptozoologist, is hired to help solve a murder to provide a supposedly mythological creature, a hodag, is the killer, not the nephew of Cater's employee, Rita Bosworth. She and Rita arrive to hear a fantastical tale of a creature, Andy Bosworth, the "accused," said he saw and whom he believes killed a former high school rival. As Morgan digs into Andy's story, she uncovers something that is even more fantastical than the idea of a mythological creature being the killer. In doing this, Morgan has to deal with locals who don't want her destroying the image of "friendly" hodag that draws tourist to the area as well as shady people who seem to be following her. Initially clues are hard to come by but through some luck, she uncovers things are going on in the Rhinelander area that are might not bode well. No spoilers here. I would encourage a read to find out what Morgan discovers because it's quite unique - and when you read the author's afterword, is not far from truth or perhaps reality. I enjoyed having the opportunity to read and review this book as well as to becoming acquainted with the author.

I was given this book in order to participate in a March 2024 on-line book discussion. And, I am so honored to have received it because this is a beautiful, captivating and well written book that deals with themes of love, purpose, and self-discovery set during the period of political upheaval in Iran as well as tackling the subject of nuclear proliferation. This is pretty heavy stuff, but the author handles it beautifully and, in the process, we are treated to an extraordinary story of one woman's coming of age in these turbulent times.

Spanning the years between 1977-2009, the book follows Amineh, a young Iranian woman who has come to Tehran to pursue a literature degree with the end goal of writing a book about her parents, meeting Farzah, an older man involved in the Iranian government's nuclear energy department and who leads a group of international men and women seeking to stop nuclear weapons production and expansion. Amineh and Farzah's journey as a couple is portrayed realistically. Their friends and family (Jalalod-Din (he was a wonderful character), Ava, Dariush, Patrik and Ariav) give the story great depth and enrich the story of these two characters. As the story is woven, I was drawn into the lives of these people, experiencing their "real" joys, pains, uneasy choices they had to make but believing in the hope of a better future.

I also especially loved the description of the food Amineh made - you could almost smell the aromas that must have wafted off the delicious food. Then there are the descriptions of the garden in Amineh's home, the forest around Patrik's home in Sweden, which for me at least were some additional enjoyable moments. But even the times when there were intense discussions about nuclear proliferation were captivating. You become engrossed in this story to the point you cannot put the book down. In the author's Postscript, she shares that when she worked in Washington D.C. during the Bush (43) administration, she could find no literature on Iran that painted a positive view of this country or its culture, writing "A single story cements our perception of the others." Hence this book can be seen as an attempt to create a different perception - which I believe she admirably achieved. This is a stellar book about love, hope, forgiveness, and healing. Highly recommend.

This is a book that is not an easy read, but it is a very worthwhile one! It is beautifully written, strangely addictive and incredibly intense. This intensity though is what keeps you interested and sometimes on your seat as the story of three generations of women who either live or grew up on an island surrounded by a community that loves, fears and is strangely ambivalent about them unfolds. Hermine "Herself" Zook is the matriarch of a family of three daughters (Primrose (who lives in California and practices law),

Molly (who is a nurse in the community) and Rose Thorn (who is beautiful, lazy and struggles to understand herself)) and granddaughter, Dorothy "Donkey," a precocious 11-year-old when we meet her. Herself is a healer and maker of herbal potions craved by the women (and men who are not quite as open about this) but at the same time the legends, lore and suspicion that surrounds Herself makes her fearsome and strange. Herself married Wild Will Zook but she kicked him out at one point after he built her a big house off the island. The mysteries surrounding Wild Will and the origins of Donkey underpin the story as does the winsome but toxic love between Titus Clay, Jr. and Rose Thorn, which to the community represents a kind of fairy tale, perfect love that seems to inspire the community, resonate within the story line.

Donkey plays a pivotal role as she is the linchpin between Herself, Rose Thorn and Titus. There are many moments that are funny, compelling, but triumphant too. But, it is nature and the love of nature and animals (the two donkey Astrid and Triumph, the cow, Deliah, Ozma, the pet dog, and the Massasauga rattlesnake Donkey believes is her "sister") that underlie the telling of the story of these strong, compelling women. Moreover, this is a book about relationships: man to nature, woman to man, siblings to parents, friends to family, community to the world.

There is so much about the nature of the story - secrets, truths that must be exposed, acceptance of responsibilities, etc. - that if revealed in this review would give the story away. There is realness to this story that is unique - the characters all have such huge flaws that at times you just want to slap them and say "wake up, you're being stupid" - but isn't that what happens in real life?

There were moments when I had to stop reading too because the intensity could overwhelm me but persevering got to me to place of intense satisfaction when I was done reading. Suffice it to say, I’m glad I read this book. Highly recommend.

As one reviewer wrote of this book: "Mesmerizing and important" and indeed this book is. Based loosely on the author's great-grandfather, who she writes in the Author's Note, was "a bandido in the late 1800s, the book tells the story of the "notorious" Sonoro family - a fictitious family of legendary bad men. Antonio Sonoro is a bad man, a man from a long line of legendary bad men. We meet him in 1895 at the time of a terrible drought, planning a train heist. He has been a terrible husband and father but he is determined to somehow make things better by the train robbery - visions of gold, unsurpassed wealth spur him on. So, he and his brother, Hugo, travel to Texas where everything goes wrong and they are then pursued by the Texas Rangers, several of whom are bent on the destruction of all Mexicans, whether good or bad!

At one time Antonio is shot in the face and acquires his nickname: El Tragabalas ("The Bullet Swallower"). Fast forward to 1964 where we meet El Tragabalas's great grandson, Jaime Sonoro, a Mexican movie star beloved in his country, who is given a mysterious book purposing to show how the vile Sonoro family is responsible for all evil in the world. As the book alternates between 1895 and 1964, a story unfolds showing how Antonio is desirous of revenge but also wanting to repent his ways while Jaime is struggling to understand his past and what it means for him, his father and his children. The question grows: are the sins of the father put upon the children? Throughout these periods of time, a "shadow" seems to pursue both men. Who is this "shadow"? Can one redeem himself?

The book is masterfully written - there are some of the most delicious and beautiful descriptions of the terrain of the Texas and Mexican countryside where events take place -and the character of Antonio is stellar! The added dash of magical realism is not over drawn but adds to the tale creating some gothic elements too. While racism isn't a theme necessarily in the book, the story is riddled with it and the terrible impact racism has on Antonio and his family. This is not a long book but it's a wonderful read. Highly recommend.

I received this book in order to participate and in a BookBrowse discussion. I wasn’t sure what to expect from this coming-of-age memoir and was thrown off by the cover (which was later explained through reading the book) but found once I began reading that this was a rare opportunity for me to re-examine and re-experience a period in time that I too had lived through. I enjoyed the author’s reflections of his youth, it’s innocence; his gleeful indulgences upon achieving “freedom” and his sobering moment upon viewing Wild Strawberries wondering on the life he had chosen at this point in his youth. I got swept up on how he viewed and/or pursued those things that came his way and the choices that came along with all of them. But what made the book so meaningful to me was that the author put into perspective an important point in aging: we can’t turn back the clock so it’s best to reflect and appreciate your choices, regret the hurts you received or inflicted, but be grateful for all that has been given. A most enjoyable read.

This is an awesome coming-of-age story set in a culture far different than what would be considered American, but I think that's what makes this book kind of special and one which expands reader awareness of what it takes sometimes to grow up. And, I can honestly say this book pushed a lot of emotional buttons for me when reading from comedic to upsetting to thankfulness - and not necessarily in that order - also making the whole reading experience kind of unique (at least for me).

Beyonghak "Bucky" Yi is growing up in Washington State looking forward to playing football at the professional level when through a series of bizarre incidents, he's deported to South Korea, a county that he knows nothing about and whose language he cannot understand or speak. We experience Bucky's transition from citizen to deportee when he's detained and then dehumanized within that experience - and frankly this part of the book if a true representation of what our country does to deportees or detainees is reprehensible (and if true I'm glad it was called out in the book).

Once Bucky gets to Korea, his main goal is to find a way back to America but through a series of incidents he keeps being detained in South Korea, being conscripted by the South Korean government and then being responsible for paying back the debts his bio-father has accrued - as a result he never gets paid by the army. Bucky's army experience is funny, frustrating and sometimes downright cruel but through it all Bucky grows in understanding - he's required to learn Korean (I loved the moment when he's out on leave and he starts listening to what's being said around him, and he gets that "aha" moment and a kind of realization that maybe he can live here or maybe he is Korean after all). Bucky just seems to flow into problems, some caused by his youthfulness and anger at being pushed around and some by the "powers that be," but he moves with the flow and learns - the football analogies are a nice way to tie the Americanized version of Bucky with his new self in Korea.

This was a fun, awesome read. Really enjoyed it.

This is a complex and provocative novel that questions what it means to belong. Starting with the passing of the Immorality Act of 1927 which prohibited sexual relations between Europeans (white people) and natives (basically anyone not white), the book traces the unraveling of the lives of Abram (a white man) and Alisa (a black woman) can Zijl and their two daughters, Dido and Emilia. The Van Zijl's are a family caught between time, cultures and nationalities. Alisa comes from the Caribbean, the adopted daughter of white parents but the daughter of enslaved parents. She travels to Africa to find her "roots" if you will. Abram is a white man and transplant to South Africa but who has taken root in the land but realizes the new law will set his family will be thrust out and not belong due to the harsh reality of apartheid. The frayed relationship between Abram and Alisa forms the heart of the story as their family is faced with the new law and the harsh reality of who really does this land really belong to. The structure of the book was interesting but at times I felt it was off putting in explaining the complexities of what was happening. The book is beautifully written though.

This is an interesting book and an amazing read. It is interesting for its structure and an amazing for its beautiful prose and engaging storytelling. While a murder mystery on the surface, it is also a story about a small town and its people and how the death of a 12-year-old girl impacts and changes them.

Set in rural Australia, the book starts with the discovery of the body of Esther Bianchi who has disappeared four days previously. Alternating between time and characters, the book tells the story of what happened to Esther through the characters affected by her disappearance. The arrival of Detective Sergeant Sarah Michaels and her partner, Smithy, in Durton, coming from working on another child disappearance, finds them in a town in a state of shock, grief and suspicion.

Durton seems to be a hole-in-the-wall town, possibly even a dying one. And, it is populated by a set of disparate characters each with secrets and something to hide. As the story unfolds, we come to know Ronnie, Esther's best friend who is sure Esther is about to return at any moment and keeps trying to find her to bring her home. Lewis, another of Esther's friends, though, has seen something which he is reluctant to share.

As Sarah and Smithy work to uncover clues as to what happened to Esther, they uncover abuse and drugs underlying the lives of Lewis's family and Ronnie's aunt and uncle, Shelly and Peter Thompson. What is most intriguing about the book is the Greek chorus found in the chapters entitled WE. These act as the voices of the other children of Durton and what they see shining a spotlight on what ties people to places like Durton and how what people do or may not do affects community. But, while an interesting feature of the novel, the solving of Esther's death remains always in focus as can seen in Sarah Michaels's role as she works to solve the disappearance. A very intriguing and insightful novel that keeps your interest.

I received an advance copy of this book in order to participate in an upcoming book discussion. I’m so very glad I did. This book offers a compelling story of three black women each seeking love, fulfillment, and meaning as they arrive to set down roots in Sweden, a predominantly white country. Kemi, a Nigerian, naturalized American, has a successful career has recently been offered a career-advancement opportunity in Sweden but in her personal life cannot find a man whom she feels is worthy of her. Brittany, an American with Jamaican heritage, is beautiful and smart, but her career choices have left her unfulfilled until she meets Jonny, heir to untold wealth in Sweden, who offers her what appears to be the relationships she’s always been looking for. Muna is a Somalian refugee, who comes to Sweden family-less, with little skills but a great desire to succeed and set down roots with a new family. Each experiences the harsh reality of racism but each defines the experience differently. Each woman has been given opportunity but responds differently. Their lives intersect at the marketing firm owned by Jonny who is a fascinating character and to whom each of the women has a unique response dramatically affecting their life choices. The author has done a wonderful job in crafting this book. Her writing is magical and deep. I simply could not put this book down. This is a worthwhile read. I highly recommend it.

Wow! What a thought provoking and exhilarating read! Beautifully written and exquisitely researched, this is a book that when read can profoundly in part the soul if one is open to viewing freedom from a different construct: the body you are in is constrained by forces and laws that do not allow you to live freely. Laing centers her proof on giving insights into the lives of individuals ranging from Wilhelm Reich to Malcolm X where these individuals were confined and persecuted by ideologies that sought to deny them their individuality. She also draws upon her personal experience to further the portrait of society's limitations on freedom. Laing seeks to point out too that "freedom is a shared endeavor" and the wrongness of white supremacy, religious bigotry and malign meanness of the human spirit deprive the body of freedom. It's impossible to capture the brilliance of this book in a review. I can only point out that while this is a book that should be considered as worthy to be read, it is one that is necessary and important to read.

Wow! What a poignant, painful journey into hope. I was mesmerized throughout this book both by the author's beautiful prose and her openly honest and painful exploration of her lingering grief over the death of her son. The author's pain is visceral and you experience it with her. But her journey that carries her across the river to hope and acceptance is inspiring as are the stories she shares of others who are experiencing some kind of loss. These stories are so powerful and the insight the author gains from them so meaningful. I particularly loved the story of her grandmother. This is a book that should be read more than once as it's bigger than just one woman's struggle with grief. Somehow Carol Smith has written a self-help book - I hesitate somewhat to call it that - but this is a book that arises beyond a memoir, offering anyone seeking better insight into self a way to grasp how hope and acceptance can be found. I found myself writing down quotes in my journal so I could reread them and regain that perception I got when reading the book. I highly recommend this book.

This was an interesting but strange book. It never resonated with me though I give high marks to the author's writing. Ruthie Fear is a most unique character. Raised in a beautiful wilderness faced with creeping civilization and environmental changes by a father who gives limited credence to kindness or feminine development, Ruthie is shaped by nature and animals instinct as well as the male world she predominantly inhabits. While the book has a surprise ending, the story is not a very happy one.

The Prisoner's Wife is work of fiction based on a true story told to the author by a survivor of a POW camp in WWII of how a Czech woman survived as a POW along with her British husband. Intrigued by the story, the author researched WWII POW experiences to write this novel. She brilliantly creates a story that is spell-binding, realistic and captivating. You are carried along with as the woman, Izzy, and her husband, Bill, meet men who keep her secret safe and in so doing become her friends. The ending with the long march right before the end of WWII is particularly riveting as the characters experience extreme coldness and hunger that is unimaginable. I kept reading because I simply had to know how the story ended. Highly recommend.

Loved this book. What a delightful story filled with interesting and endearing characters. Beautifully written, this book lets you enter a woman's journey teaching in Kurdish Iraq as she becomes part of an extended family in the village close to her school and works to make her students enjoy learning, in spite of the school's attempts at conformity in teaching. You just grow to enjoy Theresa Turner's story and all the people she meets and interacts with along the way. In fact I felt sorry the book had to end. I highly recommend.

This book is a powerful and moving memoir of a woman's quest to keep the memory of her family alive after its near destruction due to the Holocaust. Beautifully written we the readers enter a journey along with the author to open up the silence of the past as she searches for a half sister killed by the Nazis in Ukraine. The importance of memory - never forgetting the past - is powerfully illuminated in this book. And the need to end the silence around the horrific event of the Holocaust is expressed in the author's journey to learn about her father's s life before coming to America. It was also sad to read about how the mass graves of Ukrainian Jews are falling into disrepair and forgetfulness as if the underscore that memory unless maintained can be lost. I thoroughly enjoyed this book. This is a must read for everyone!

D-Day Girls provides an interesting perspective on WWII by focusing on the contributions of women to the preparations for D-Day. The book takes the reader from the decision (somewhat difficult for the men of Britain) to employ women as undercover agents in the war effort, to the conclusion of the war when these valiant women were recognized for their efforts (though not on the same level as the men who performed the same things as the women - women's equality was not a "thing" in 1946!). Details about what it took to organize a resistance group, receive supplies to sabotage important supplies lines, coordinating and executing the sabotage, and the courage after capture to endure the gruesome interrogation as well as the captivity is awe inspiring. The author provides insightful historical information that serves to integrate how the women's undercover efforts played into events and activities occurring simultaneous to what they were doing or experiencing. This book is an important contribution to understanding what it took to execute D-Day and how women contributed to it. It was a good read and a book I would recommend.

The Last Romantics is a lovely, lyrical story well worth the reading. The author has a magical ability to pull you into the story of the Skinner family as told by the youngest member, Fiona. The twists and turns within the story compel you to read on because this family just becomes a part of you. The author has the ability to make you like her characters while recognizing their flaws but because there is such a intriguing charm to them all you are constantly pulled into them that even having to stop reading makes you want to get back to them as soon as possible. And structuring the story about "what happened" adds to the strength of this book. I loved this book! I highly recommend it.

Another Susan Meissner winner. This is the third book I've read by Ms. Meissner and she has yet to disappoint me. This is a gripping and heartfelt story of friendship in spite of differences and courage in the face of prejudice. I simply could not put this book down because I had to know how the story would end. The little known fact that Germans and other nationalities besides Japanese were interned was surprising but that repatriation was was part of the process was saddening. While the book is based on historical facts, it also has parallels to today so it can be read on another level. I highly recommend this book.