Tailspin will be our book club's December selection. We are always on the lookout for local authors! To find a copy of the book, please check out our Tailspin will be our book club's December selection. We are always on the lookout for local authors! To find a copy of the book, please check out our catalog, Hoopla, or Libby. Happy reading!
Tailspin is one of those nonfiction books that grip you like a thriller novel. Let me explain.
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This is a WWII story centering around Wisconsin-born tail gunner Gene Moran. The story told in newspapers was that he survived falling four miles to the ground when his plane, the Rikki Tiki Tavi, was shot down over Germany.
Mind you, he fell without a parachute in the tail section of the plane, which had separated from the rest of the aircraft, and survived! Tailspin catches us up on the events leading to the plane being shot down and Gene’s travails afterwards.
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What the newspapers didn’t cover was the immense trauma Gene experienced throughout his time in military service. (The fall alone is incredibly traumatic.)
He survives when he is patched back together at a German prisoner-of-war (POW) camp, one of three the Germans shuffle him and his fellow prisoners around to as the Allies gradually advance from the west.
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Even though Germany ostensibly signed up to the Geneva Convention and had to treat Allied POWs with care, conditions in these prison camps were awful.
Diseases spread rapidly among prisoners that already were not at their best, having been caught during combat missions in or over German territory. (The Soviet Union had not signed on to the Geneva Convention. The brief descriptions of the Soviet prisoners in these camps, however, were even more chilling, as Germany treated them as subhuman.)
Often, the prisoners were evacuated as bombings were in progress, cruelly snatching away what they thought was their freedom, only to have to march at a merciless pace in awful weather to whatever place was next. For people in already bad shape, this led to further deaths from disease, exposure, and starvation.
There was a considerable amount of gallows humor, but that is understandable.
Camaraderie develops almost immediately between prisoners caught in the same horrible circumstances, leading to Gene developing some friendships that lasted long after the war.
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Gene is much braver than I will ever be. May he rest in peace.
But Gene’s story is only part of Tailspin, believe it or not.
At the time Wisconsin-based historian and author John Armbruster is interviewing Gene for the book, his wife, Carmen, is suffering through metastatic breast cancer that has spread to her brain.
Despite relentless chemotherapy, the brain tumor keeps recurring. Armbruster gracefully interweaves these two narratives, his wife’s declining health and Gene’s WWII survival story.
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Throughout Tailspin, both men work out their trauma with each other during their “Thursdays with Gene” interviews.
This process is incredibly moving, watching both become the best of friends during and after the interview process. (view spoiler)[ The story of Gene and his family trying to hold things together as Gene struggles with his mental health will just break your heart. (hide spoiler)]
Tailspin is a great read. However, make sure to have a box of tissues next to you! If your reading experience is anything like mine, Tailspin will stick with you long after you finish the story.
My mother said to me recently that I was destined to be a librarian with my obsession with books beginning Review originally published August 2016
My mother said to me recently that I was destined to be a librarian with my obsession with books beginning before I could even read and spending time after school starting in 5th grade helping at my school library. Match that obsession of libraries with my Celtic ancestry, and I long imagined spending my professional career working in the Library of Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland guarding the Book of Kells or translating Gaelic books into English at the National Library of Scotland in Edinburgh.
Since I realized during my graduate work in library science that I enjoyed the idea of public libraries much more than academic libraries, and since I never managed to learn Gaelic, those dreams were set aside. However, I knew I found my calling in public libraries among popular materials and have never looked back.
In 1995, I took a position as the adult services librarian in Albert Lea, Minnesota, and was excited to be assigned the collection development of fiction. It wasn’t long after that when I uncovered how I could bring my Celtic obsessions and literature together when I was replacing copies of the first two titles in the popular Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon.
The downfalls of collection development is an insatiable appetite to read everything that you purchase. (Although I suspect that’s what many people think librarians do, with access to thousands and thousands of titles, we are forced to make our choices quite carefully for what we actually take home to read on our own time!)
Although 600 plus pages of book 1 seemed daunting for a book covered with a rather inconspicuous book jacket, the synopsis sent chills down my spine!
Claire Randall, a former World War 2 combat nurse, travels to Scotland for a 2nd honeymoon with her husband in 1945. An unexplainable course of events occurs while walking through an ancient circle of stones. Bringing romance, mystery, history, and science fiction to the same storyline, she falls through one of the standing stones, and is hurled back in time to the Scottish Highlands in 1743.
She soon comes across a gallant young Scots warrior, Jamie Fraser, who changes her life, heart, and history forever. I’ve mentioned before that authors are like rock stars, and Diana Gabaldon tops that all-star category for me. She just can’t write fast enough with book 9 now in the works! Now referred to as "Droughtlander," the time between books is unbearable!
When word spread a few years ago that Starz had picked up the option to create a full-scale series based on the books, there was great speculation for success. Come on, we’ve all seen it before; rarely can anything beat the book. And I’m just not saying that as a librarian! The detail and historical accuracy in Diana’s books is incredible and with each book with monster-size page counts, how could anyone condense this for the screen?
But sometimes we eat our words, or I guess in this case, our written pages! On the heels of such phenomena as Harry Potter and Game of Thrones, the second season of Outlander ended last month (and the fandom of the series is now at critical mass)!
While the torturous wait for season three continues, fans are flocking back to the very books I first discovered 20 years ago. My fangirl obsession is in overload! When your favorite characters come to life on the screen and they’re more perfect than you could have ever imagined, your status moves from fan to fanatic!
Irish actress Caitriona Balfe, Englishman Tobias Menzies, and Scottish heartthrob Sam Heughan walked right off the pages of Diana’s incredible books! Now add to that the ability to connect with other fans around the world so easily through social media, and if you haven’t heard of these books and this series by now, you need to get over to one of the La Crosse County Library locations in Bangor, Campbell, Holmen, Onalaska, or West Salem today to track down the books or audio version along with season one available on DVD.
At this point, I can’t even imagine which to recommend first, although the books will definitely keep you busy now through this current Droughtlander as fans await season three on STARZ and book nine from Diana Gabaldon.
For more information about the La Crosse County Library, check out our website at www.lacrossecountylibrary.org, find us on Facebook, or stop by my office in the Administrative Center of the Holmen Area Library, and I’ll be glad to tell you all about my membership as a "Heughligan" within Sam Heughan’s enormous online fan community!
Historical fiction is a favorite of mine, especially the WWII years, so Mrs. Sinclair’s Suitcase by LouisReview originally published November 2015
Historical fiction is a favorite of mine, especially the WWII years, so Mrs. Sinclair’s Suitcase by Louise Waters was an easy choice to make.
Roberta, a lonely young woman, works at The Old and New Bookshop in England. She treasures books and looks forward to sorting incoming old books to see if there are any old letters tucked inside. She collects letters and postcards, always curious to imagine the stories and history that might go with them.
When her father gives her a suitcase belonging to her centenarian grandmother, she finds a baffling letter from the grandfather she never knew. The letter, dated after he supposedly died in the war, hints at a dark secret that will change everything Roberta believed about her family.
This novel is told in past/present form, (which I like) alternating between Roberta’s contemporary story and the story of Dorothy, a forty-year old childless woman desperate for motherhood in the early years of WWII. Her life is forever changed after meeting Jan Pietrykowski, the handsome Polish war pilot.
The two women’s stories are woven together in a sincere spellbinding tale of secrets, truth, and love. I personally enjoyed Dorothy’s story best. The back and forth of past and present pulled me in right away, but Dorothy’s WWII tale is the one I am fascinated by. As Roberta connects the dots in the secret that was her grandmother’s life she also finds comfort, purpose, and resolve in her own.
The themes of this book make for a great read: letters slipped into discarded books, long hidden secrets, and overwhelming love. This is a first novel for this author, and I will definitely watch for more by her.
This is the second book I have read written by Alma Katsu with the first being The Hunger. The story mainly has to do with the Japanese internment caThis is the second book I have read written by Alma Katsu with the first being The Hunger. The story mainly has to do with the Japanese internment camps of WWII with a mixture of horror, which is interesting to read about since you can compare it to multiple adaptions.
Off the top of my head, I remember a season of Teen Wolf and the second season of The Terror tackling the internment camps with some horror/supernatural type of twist. In fact, I liked the first season of The Terror so much that I read the book it was based on...which got me into reading The Hunger in the first place.
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The novel follows four different point of views that become connected one way or the other. Meiko and her daughter, Aiko, must survive in an internment camp after being betrayed by close acquaintances where they face ostracism from other Japanese prisoners due to the fact Meiko is married to a white military pilot serving in the war. Things take a turn for the worse when they realize something is running rampant through the population.
Archie is a minister whose life and faith fell apart after an explosion took everything from him. He must battle his demons or succumb to the sickness and racism that seems to be gripping his whole parish and town. Jane is a journalist who starts to notice strange incidents and illnesses intertwined across the country. It doesn’t take her long to realize that somehow even the Internment Camps might be involved. The main characters race to get to the bottom of this wave of sickness before it is too late.
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The novel was different than what I expected. I kept comparing this novel with the author’s previous work I read. In The Hunger, the tone of the book was really heavy, dark and somber with all the characters in one large caravan. This story wasn’t quite as bleak, and the characters were spread out through the US. I guess the The Terror: Infamy spoiled me since I wanted to experience more of the story in the camp with more interactions on all involved there.
The story felt a little less historical too compared to the author’s other works, but then again that could be because of the modern parallels she drew in the story. It was interesting to see the different takes on supernatural horror done with the internment camps. Teen Wolf had a Nogitsune, The Terror: Infamy had a Bakemono/Yurei, and this book had (view spoiler)[ a Jorōgumo. Well maybe. The book hints at that it could be or that it might not be as well. (hide spoiler)].
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Another thing that I enjoyed in this book over the other book I read by the author is that I like the characters more in this one. I liked Fran as a character especially since she kept following the mystery despite all of the obstacles put in her path. The thing I disliked was how she was phased out of the story after a certain point. Archie was a bit of a coward and hard for me to like until the end.
I enjoyed Meiko as a character with all of the struggles she went through, but at times, she felt cold with little personality. It could be a cultural thing, but even with her daughter the relationship felt different at times. Speaking of Aiko, I wanted more of her as a POV in the story. The differing views between her and her mother could have been great.
(view spoiler)[ I was thrown for a loop when it came down to the explanation of the sickness. Was it more scientific or more supernatural? I understood that it came from the spiders, but was the lady in the kimono a hallucination or was it the actual demon and everything was a curse? At first, I thought the balloons could have been the ones that Meiko’s father originally used to test the winds, but then I surmised that these balloons were probably released intentionally by the Japanese military. Some other things I wondered about were why it seemed “The Fervor” caused white men to get whipped up into a racist mindset instead of death like the camp inhabitants. I also wondered about its effect on women in general since it didn’t really cover many female victims. (hide spoiler)]
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Overall, I enjoyed this story more than previous works I have read by the author. I like historical fiction with a mixture of horror so of course I enjoyed this book. I just wish there was a little more of the horror element. Outside of horror fans, I think someone who wants to know more about the era and Japanese internment camps would enjoy this without having to read through a nonfiction book.
In 2017, a mere two years away, the world will recognize the one hundredth anniversary of the Russian ReReview originally published September 2015
In 2017, a mere two years away, the world will recognize the one hundredth anniversary of the Russian Revolution: a violent, prolonged event that saw the demise of the nation’s once great tsarist empire and the rise of what would eventually become the Soviet Union. The first Soviet forced labor camps were established as early as 1918, and would quietly exist (in one form or another) for the next sixty-eight years, until Mikhail Gorbachev approved a general pardon for all Soviet political prisoners in 1986.
The Gulag, as this stunningly complex web of camps and government bureaucracy would become known, took the lives of millions of Soviet citizens and foreigners alike. It is estimated that between 1929 and 1953 alone, at least 18 million people were sent to the camps, and another six million exiled (actual numbers can never be known due to imprecise Soviet documentation and the destruction of records).
Yet, despite such staggering statistics, most people in the Western world have little, if any, knowledge of the Gulag system. It is a hidden history, but one that receives the delicate, insightful treatment it deserves in the well-researched Gulag: A History by Anne Applebaum.
For a history buff like myself, Applebaum’s book is a diamond in the rough, providing extensive survivor interviews, historical photographs and diagrams, and excerpts from poetry and prose written by both survivors and victims alike. The author reminds readers early on that this is not simply a technical, chronological history of the Gulag, but “[a]t the same time, this is a book about life in the Gulag” that explores every corner of a person’s time served in a camp.
In fact, Applebaum devotes an entire section of Gulag to this human aspect of the Soviet labor camp system, with chapters like “Work in the Camps,” “Women and Children,” and “Strategies of Survival.”
While perhaps not the cheeriest of reads, Gulag: A History provides a much needed introduction for general readers to an important facet of modern history that has remained incredibly enigmatic, even been avoided, for far too long. As Applebaum states, “[t]his book was not written ‘so that it will not happen again,” as the cliché would have it. This book was written because it almost certainly will happen again.” A thorough understanding of the past is therefore the only way to truly comprehend our future.
Find this book and more like it through the La Crosse County Library system, with locations in Holmen, Onalaska, West Salem, Bangor, and Campbell.
If you enjoy historical fiction, The Paris Architect by Charles Belfoure is well worth the read time, which Review originally published April 2014
If you enjoy historical fiction, The Paris Architect by Charles Belfoure is well worth the read time, which will be brief because it’s a page turner. It’s 1942 in German occupied Paris, and for architect Lucien Bernard, the question of survival takes a turn when he must confront his willingness to risk his life for people he doesn’t even know and for a cause he doesn’t believe in. Lucien very talented but is also greedy and unlikeable with little compassion, which makes him perfect for the job.
When a rich businessman persuades Lucien to adapt an apartment to create a hiding place for a wealthy Jew, he takes it as a challenge. Tensions rise as he gets drawn deeply into the plans of both the occupiers and the Resistance. After one careless mistake results in tragedy, Lucien is fueled to reevaluate his life.
The writer does an excellent job of reminding the readers of the horrors that were very present at that time. The constant fear of the Parisians and the brutality that the Jews faced are palpable. Food is scarce, black market goods are costly, and neighbors don’t hesitate to rat one another out to save their own hides! Given the torture inflicted by the Nazis, you can hardly place blame.
The architectural references are interesting, and they draw from the fact that the author is an architect by profession. This is a debut novel for Belfoure, and I would not be surprised to see more of his writing. I might mention that the cover art is very intriguing as well: a small child peeking out of a small space, and you can clearly see the gold star sewn on her shirt.
It’s hard to describe this book as enjoyable because the subject matter is so disturbing, painful, and unenjoyable. I feel as if I am paying homage to the victims by reading this genre. The events of the Holocaust should never be forgotten or go untaught. When you consider that all the victims and perpetrators surrounding the Holocaust will soon be gone, it is even more imperative that we keep this part of history alive.
See also:
Other books on the subject you may find interesting are:
Anne Frank, Diary of a Young Girl Sophie’s Choice Schindler’s List Unbroken The Boy With the Striped Pajamas The Book Thief The Pianist Night The Reader
Just to name a small few!
All of these books and many more on the subject can be found at your local library.
Copies of The Paris Architect can be found in any of our La Crosse County library locations at Onalaska, Holmen, Bangor, Campbell, and West Salem, which are all a part of the Winding Rivers Library System. The book comes in regular print, audio CD, and e-book. Please check out our website at www.lacrossecountylibrary.org for catalog resources or for upcoming programming schedules. You can find us on Facebook as well!
As I read Laura Hillenbrand's Unbroken, a stirring and triumphant account of the disturbing experiences of AmReview originally published July 2011
As I read Laura Hillenbrand's Unbroken, a stirring and triumphant account of the disturbing experiences of American Olympic runner and World War II POW, Louis Zamperini, I was struck by the amount of research Hillenbrand had to have done to put this book together.
Hillenbrand tells Louie Zamperini’s story as a nearly continuous flow of suspense. She opens with a gripping two-page glimpse of Army Air Forces bombardier, Zamperini, in mortal danger, lying on a raft in the Pacific in June of 1943. He and three other survivors of a plane crash are skeletal after 27 days at sea. Hillenbrand writes:
"Sharks glided in lazy loops around them, dragging their backs along the rafts, waiting."
Spotting a plane, Zamperini fires off two flares only to discover that he has signaled a Japanese bomber.
After that powerful scene, Unbroken goes along at full speed for the first four sections of the book. Hillenbrand shows that Zamperini was untamable from birth; he had an energetic defiance that needed to be harnessed.
At his brother’s suggestion, Zamperini decided to try track, and he became one of the fastest runners on earth. At age 19, he came to national attention when he ran a 56-second last lap in the 5,000-meter race at the 1936 Berlin Olympics. He was busy breaking records during an interesting and tumultuous time as the country was in the throngs of the depression. Then the 1940 Olympics were canceled, and Zamperini went to war.
As the country, and Zamperini, rolled into war, it was his hardy optimism that would define him, and ultimately save his life. He would spend 47 days at sea before being captured by the Japanese. From then until the war's end in 1945, he was engaged in a hair-raising struggle to survive; but it is the tension of Zamperini's fight to live in barbaric conditions that makes Unbroken so disturbing and thrilling.
Toward the end of the story, I found myself thinking about Zamperini’s family, and I was reminded how war reaches out its tentacles to more than just the soldier.
I was grateful that Hillenbrand included in the book the life that Zamperini lived (and is still living at 93) after the war. As one can imagine, you can’t live through a nightmare like that without a constant battle with demons. Hillenbrand describes how a meeting with Billy Graham helped Zamperini claim a lasting victory over his deep wounds.
I consider this a must-read book, even if you don’t have a strong interest in historical nonfiction or running. Hillenbrand does an excellent job of making this book a true page turner. Laura Hillenbrand is also the author of Seabiscuit, another truly read-worthy book.
Unbroken comes in regular or large print, as well as audio format and electronic book. To check this book out or reserve a copy, please call one of the La Crosse County Libraries in Bangor, Campbell, Holmen, Onalaska, and West Salem or visit us at www.lacrossecountylibrary.org.
Last month, American voters spoke loud and clear that our nation is in need of a change in the current poReview originally published December 2008
Last month, American voters spoke loud and clear that our nation is in need of a change in the current political atmosphere. After serving as President of the United States for eight years, George W. Bush will leave office with the lowest approval rating of any president in our recent memory.
Believe it or not, President Bush is not the first president to make catastrophic decisions while in office. Failures of the Presidents by Thomas J Craughwell is a fascinating book that details what really happened during many conflicts in American history, such as the Whiskey Rebellion under the presidency of George Washington and The Bay of Pigs under John F. Kennedy.
What do George W. Bush and our fourth president, James Madison, have in common? President Madison was convinced that that the British were responsible for recruiting Shawnee Chief Tecumseh and his brother Tenskwatawa to drive white settlers out of Illinois, Iowa, and Ohio, which would ease the way for the British to carry out a grand scheme to take over all of New England. Both claims were false.
President Madison then convinced Congress that the British were responsible for suffocating American commerce, as well as forcing American citizens to serve on British warships while violating American waters. Congress believed him, and by a narrow margin voted to declare war on the British, which resulted in The War of 1812.
Lasting two years and 8 months, 20,000 Americans lost their lives in addition to 17,000 lives lost due to disease in military camps and Indian raids. National debt doubled and by November of 1814, the federal government was virtually bankrupt.
Read about Richard Nixon’s part in the Watergate Scandal as well as the bombing of Cambodia, Grover Cleveland’s order to involve military forces to settle a strike by Pullman railroad workers, and Jimmy Carter’s mistakes during the Iran Hostage Crisis and many others.
This book and many other historical accounts of America’s past are available at the five County Libraries located in Holmen, Onalaska, West Salem, Bangor and Campbell or visit us online at www.lacrossecountylibrary.org.
It is almost de rigueur for librarians to tout the evils of television compared to the benefits of reading. AReview originally published July 2004
It is almost de rigueur for librarians to tout the evils of television compared to the benefits of reading. As librarians, and as parents and grandparents, we may not-so-discreetly suggest that a child turn off that electronic mind-waster, open a book, and use his or her imagination.
And yet, I always feel a slight tug of hypocrisy when I get on the "TV=bad/books=good" bandwagon since, as a front-line baby boomer, I was ecstatic when our family got its first television. No matter that we got only one station and that the reception was lousy. I was hooked. Is it a boast or an embarrassment to say that even today I can usually hum the melody and rattle off the words to commercials from 40-year-old TV shows? (Do you know what LSMFT means?)
Anyway, I have the perfect temporary solution to the read-or-watch conundrum. We just received the latest edition of The Complete Directory to Prime Time Network and Cable TV Shows, 1946-Present. You can read about those great old TV shows and thus participate in the best of both worlds!
Want to know what TV shows were spin-offs from other shows? What were the theme songs from your favorite shows from the 60s? What were the longest running series? What TV shows also aired on the radio? Want to verify the name of the actors in your favorite shows? Need some help remembering just what your favorite shows were? This is the book for you.
This is a reference book in a very user-friendly format. Undoubtedly, much of the information in it can be found on the Internet, but not in such an organized, fun-to-read way. Plus, it has a terrific appendix with the kind of trivia questions (and answers) we boomers love. What did Jim Anderson do for a living on Father Knows Best? Where did Ida Morgenstern live? Who played Miss Kitty on Gunsmoke? What was Maxwell Smart’s agent number on Get Smart?
Back when I was young and a million dollars went a lot further than it does today, there was a show I thought was the best. It was called, helpfully, The Millionaire, and I daydreamed about eccentric multibillionaire, Mr. John Beresford Tipton, sending his agent, Michael Anthony, to present me with that cashier’s check for one million dollars.
Well, Mr. Anthony never came, but just reading about that wonderful old series makes me feel wealthy. Chances are you, too, will find that this is one reference book that will jog your memory, make you wistful, and help you to enjoy those reruns even more!
The subject of war is not a topic I particularly gravitate to when selecting books for leisure reading. HReview originally published February 2004
The subject of war is not a topic I particularly gravitate to when selecting books for leisure reading. However, I recently discovered two fiction books with war-related themes that I consider very good stories. A staff member mentioned one of these books to me; she had read it and really thought it was a worthwhile story. When she told me the title, The True Story of Hansel and Gretel, I was very intrigued. Hansel and Gretel was one of my favorite childhood fairy tales, so thought I would browse through it and see what it was all about.
After the first five pages, I was hooked. The author, Louise Murphy, weaves this story about two Polish-Jewish children during the Nazi occupation of Poland into a mesmerizing tale. The story seems familiar, yet it is full of twists and turns that keep you reading long past your bedtime. It is an adult tale with characters you remember from the old fairy tale. There is the father, stepmother, Hansel, Gretel, and the witch.
But now the author adds the German Nazis as the villains, and villagers and “others” as the heroes that lend their provocative experiences to the story. Of course the main setting is the forest, generally a safe place in this story. From there, you are pulled into other areas that show the horrors and the nightmares of war.
Publishers Weekly says, “No reader who picks up this inspiring novel will put it down until the final pages, in which redemption is not a fairy tale ending but a heartening message of hope.” I thoroughly agree!
I don’t mean the small fibs that children tell. I mean real lies fed by real fears – thing
“The year I turned twelve, I learned how to lie.
I don’t mean the small fibs that children tell. I mean real lies fed by real fears – things I said and did that took me out of the life I’d always know and put me down hard into a new one.”
When I read these opening lines from Wolf Hollow, the award-winning middle grade novel by Lauren Wolk, my reading radar pinged. Sometimes you just know when you start a book that you are in good hands and the author is about to take you somewhere memorable. That’s how I felt about this beautiful, heartbreaking book.
Set in 1943 in rural Pennsylvania, Wolf Hollow tells the story of Annabelle, a 12-year-old girl whose “…steady life began to spin,” the day a new girl moves to town. Sent to Wolf Hollow to live with her grandparents, Betty Glengarry arrives and begins viciously bullying Annabelle and her little brothers. When Betty crosses paths with Toby, a bearded loner traumatized by the war, her malice turns to lies that end in tragedy.
Annabelle is the narrator of this story, and I kept thinking as I was reading, “She reminds me of Scout in To Kill a Mockingbird.” Both books tackle complex topics of morality and justice as seen through the eyes of a young girl. And when you turn the final page, both leave you with characters and a story difficult to forget.
The sequel, titled My Own Lightning, will be published this May. If you enjoy historical fiction or embrace powerful stories without tidy endings, pick up Wolf Hollow by Lauren Wolk.
The Book Woman’s Daughter is the second historical fiction novel in Kim Michele Richardson’s “The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek” series. (Spoilers aThe Book Woman’s Daughter is the second historical fiction novel in Kim Michele Richardson’s “The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek” series. (Spoilers ahead for those who have not read the first book in the series. You've been warned!)
Personally, I enjoyed The Book Woman’s Daughter more than The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek, even though both were great stories.
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The Book Woman’s Daughter follows Honey Mary Angeline Lovett, daughter of Cussy Mary, as she follows in her mother’s footsteps with the Troublesome Creek public library. (Literally following in her steps, as Honey’s route is the same as Cussy Mary’s.)
Honey is the newest outreach librarian for their branch, and the job proves to be more about survival for her than finding a fulfilling job and making a living.
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Although Honey really enjoys her work, which combines her love of reading with the independence of delivering books for patrons in hard-to-reach places outside of town. (view spoiler)[ Honey’s mother and father are in jail, due to violating the miscegenation laws that outlaw marriage and family-making between a white man and a woman of color. Since Honey is a minor, she is in legal jeopardy, and liable to be taken on as a ward of the state. Honey’s library job then becomes a key factor in Honey’s fight for legal emancipation. (hide spoiler)]
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During her work duties, Honey reconnects with her beloved Loretta (family friend) and becomes friends with Pearl, the new fire look-out for the Forest Service in the area. My favorite part of the novel is Honey developing into a strong, independent woman, and finding a kindred soul in Pearl, who is fiercely independent herself. I enjoyed their bond, which got stronger throughout the book.
Despite Honey and Pearl facing rampant misogyny (and racism, on Honey’s part, due to her blue skin), they learn to stand up for themselves and fight back against the systemic forces trying to press them both into the ideal mold of a woman.
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Overall, I really enjoyed The Book Woman’s Daughter and the return to Troublesome Creek. It is always nice to have characters with such an immense love of reading and libraries at the center of a story, not to mention strong women characters supporting each other.
My one nitpick is that the ending, to me, was very open-ended. (view spoiler)[ I need to know what happened to Honey’s parents, especially her mother, who was forcibly sterilized in custody. I want to see the family be reunited again. (hide spoiler)]
I really hope there is another book in this series! If not, I’ll have to make peace with the ending, which did nicely for the second entry in a series.
Ah the Revelator, what could be more peaceful than a novel set inside a beautiful national park during the 1930s and 1940s? Except underneaRevelator
Ah the Revelator, what could be more peaceful than a novel set inside a beautiful national park during the 1930s and 1940s? Except underneath this peaceful haven is a dark cavern that houses an immense creature worshiped as a god. This story reminded me a bit of The Twisted Ones by T. Kingfisher with the setting of the story and the personality of the main character. Both books vividly painted scenes in rural, mountainous America infused with gothic and supernatural elements.
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The author captured the era quite well even down to the little details like how to drive a car from that era as well as describing the distillery process and machine used for making moonshine. I must confess that I wasn’t the biggest fan of our main character, Stella, at first. I pitied her growing up, but her adult self was frustrating due to the number of secrets she liked to keep from others. Stella was described to be intelligent, but it felt wasted when she would go barreling through things instead of thinking it out.
I also really wanted more of the character Sunny, since she was put in this position that readers initially feel bad for her, but surprisingly enough we barely meet her in the book. The author teased us with such an intriguing character that I wanted more. The character I liked the most was Abby since he always tried to look out for our main character and others. Just not enough it seems. Overall, all the major characters were fleshed out well even ones I disliked.
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One of the things that this story does that a lot of modern horror stories do is switching between timelines after every chapter. One of the timelines being followed is of the adult Stella who is a bootlegger of the finest quality moonshine. A death in the family lures our main character back to the place she grew up in and to the family she ran away from while trying to protect a young girl named Sunny from them and the cavern dwelling god.
The other timeline follows the adventures of a young Stella after her father abandoned her and sent her to live with her temperamental grandmother, Motty, as she meets her family’s god. The switching between timelines worked in the end, but it also irked me since the story was getting disjointed. I liken it to novels that switch POVs with every chapter.
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Did I mention yet how I disliked the name of the god even though I liked the creature in general? The name Ghostdaddy is just so underwhelming for a god. At least call it Ghostfather or something since the scenes that contained it were described so strikingly well. In hindsight, I recognize why it was named the way it was, but I wish that the new religion created around it gave it a different name too. I wanted the origins of Ghostdaddy explored more since it is such an intriguing creature where you even wondered if there could be more like it.
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I would be remiss if I didn’t talk about the twists in this book. The twists really put things into perspective and explained behaviors of characters in certain instances that confused me for a while. Certain motivations and behaviors by characters frustrated me to the point I would start to dislike those characters. When things began to be unveiled, I understood the reasons why they acted the way they did, and the frustration dissipated for the most part.
(view spoiler)[ The two twists that surprised me the most were the actual killer of Motty and the origins of the children where I guessed the primary parent but not the other. (hide spoiler)] Some of the twists revealed were more obvious than others though.
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If you are expecting a horror book full of scares, then this book will disappoint you in that regard as it is more of a gothic horror with relatively few if any scares, but a captivating plot. I enjoyed reading this novel, but I felt it underutilized some elements and characters.
The author really outdid himself with his descriptions of Ghostdaddy and the cavern it dwelled in creating a hauntingly beautiful image that instead of instilling fear, it instilled more awe. Hearing how the author wrote this book also made it that more enjoyable too. I look forward to reading more books by Daryl Gregory and would wish for more stories set inside this universe (even though a coworker dashed my hopes for this already).
La Crosse County Library
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Books:
1940s
(13)
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