Lydia's Journey

 

I haven’t been blogging, I’ve been writing. Yesterday I submitted a short story to my first contest.

I’ve also been writing my first historical novel. In 1908, my grandmother gave birth to my father in a small Midwestern town. Her story intrigues me, a strong woman, she died before I was born.

I’ve been researching the time period and have discovered a multitude of interesting facts. I decided to write a story about the women of my family. They are not the leading characters in the story, rather Lydia and Sarah take on that role. A great aunt leaves Michigan for Wyoming in 1905. I want to write her story next.

I also added a few more characters to this one. I was inspired when I visited the town's genealogical library and learned of a horrific scandal taking place that year. A woman, dressed as a man, was going about with all the rights and privileges of a man. As if she had those rights too! How dare she?

My protagonist is Lydia. She has a fiery hot temper rivaled only by her blazing red hair. Her piercing green eyes take no prisoners. She is sick and tired of the social and economic injustice and is ready to do something about it.

Lydia's best friend is Sarah. The town librarian takes on the role of amateur sleuth when a murdered man dies on the steps of the postal station right after she gave him a stamp. Sticking her nose in where it doesn’t belong is just up her alley.

The Poe Predicament by Phil Thomas

I felt like I was visiting the early 19th century. The setting was very realistic, the research was exceptional. The attention to details of the environment were most interesting to me. The time-travel felt flawless, very believable.

I enjoyed the aspect of an alternate history of Edgar Allen Poe, funny hearing him called Eddie.

But it does have a horror feel to it, the settings and experiences, some of the people were pretty creepy. Getting close to Halloween, it's a scary story to be sure.

I did like his visit from another time-traveler at the end of the story. He met her in another time and then she visited him in this time. Nice finish.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

The Last House on the Street by Diane Chamberlain

 

This was a beautiful story. It broke my heart and then healed it again. The sixties brought blacks and whites to the streets, and it was ugly. The historic ugliness in the book is intercepted with a tender love story that ends with a broken heart.  Women grown and still holding onto a piece of the past. But the book ends with hope.

At times I wished the telling of the story would stay in the current era, 2010. The trails down 1965 were brutal at times and I didn’t want to go back there. However, it was necessary. We shouldn’t forget the reality of our history. The story was told well without any extraneous nonsense. This was a serious work about a serious subject.

There were parts that were hard to read, parts I had to skip over. I knew what happened, I was alive in those years I know what the kkk is about. The hard part for many of us is knowing that behind those masks were our relatives, ancestors and neighbors.

Kayla brings healing to the small community many years later. She doesn’t know that’s what she’s doing, by choosing to live in the house she and her husband built. But it was necessary, and her strength was necessary.

It’s a story I won’t soon forget. I’m glad I read it.

I received an advanced reader’s copy of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Little Souls by Sandra Dallas

This was an interesting read. By the end, I was caught up in the drama of two sisters’ lives unfolding. I couldn’t wait to find out how it would all be resolved. I was hoping for a happy ending, and I did find it but not without a few tears along the way. 

Our protagonist reflects and accepts the values of society’s view at the time, 1918. A pandemic is raging and after two sisters contact the disease, it’s as real as our current crisis. I felt the loss personally, as one loses her battle to the virus. 

A fortunate connection between the protagonist and her fiancé’s family allows our heroine to proceed more smoothly through her difficulties than without their assistance. However, she’s not relying on it. She has gratitude and understands the family’s grief at the loss of a son as well. 

A compassionate and caring woman with presence of mind to continue through misfortune brings me to admire her inner strength. 

I hesitated to proceed with this book early on. I found that there was more telling than showing in the early chapters. I found a disconnect with time which confused me. It was all resolved by a third of the way through the book and by the end I was right on the page with the heroine. 

I recommend this book but do have to caution about topics of rape, child abuse and murder. It’s not a cozy because of these topics but does not delve too deeply into the acts to trigger more than necessary. It’s essential to understand the desperation and fear that she feels. 

I received the ARC from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. #NetGalley 

A Second Look at A Taste for Poison by Neil Bradbury

 The author should have provided the first clue. It is written by Ph.D. 

I didn't initially enjoy this book as much as I expected to since I obviously did not read the description very carefully. I was expecting a mystery with poison as the killer's choice. This is not a fictional novel. 

After reading more of the reviews from others and moving along with learning more about novel-writing, I realized what a wonderful "RESEARCH' opportunity this book provides. If you're a mystery writer and you need to choose your poison, this is your book. 

Poison Choices were provided with brief descriptions of fictional stories which utilized this choice along with the chemical properties and details of death. At this point in my writing career, this is the perfect choice. 

I'm changing the starts to 5.

The Bookshop Murder, Flora Steele Mystery Book #1, by Merryn Allingham

 

I loved the ending. A surprise that filled me with joy for Flora. I knew the book was coming to a close as the murderer was found and loose ends were being tied up, but out of the blue, there it was. Flora’s a sweet young woman and deserves the best that life has to offer. She’s receiving it with this unexpected invitation, and I’ll be glad to hear how that unfolds for her.

The mystery was interesting, loads of suspects with good motives for a murder or two, three? Can’t say for sure, the third victim might be out there somewhere, fearful to return to the havoc he created.

I think I might have liked to hear more about life at the bookstore. But frankly with sales down due to the body being found, I understand why she needed to solve the murder to save Violet’s bookstore. No need to stay at an empty store, waiting for the police who weren’t going to do it.

Her background with her Aunt Violet was endearing and I enjoyed hearing about the memories of her younger life. Great friends in the village. And of course, Jack – they rescued each other.

A Perfect Bind by Dorothy St. James

Did you ever finish a book in two days, that you couldn't put down, because you had to find out who did it? That was me while enjoying this read from Dorothy St. James.

Tonight, I miss my friends from the book. It crossed my mind that I could re-read it, right from the start. Slower this time, reading every single word. I might have found my newest favorite author. I love her leading character, Trudell Becket, not Trudy, as she'll remind you. She's Assistant Librarian in the South Carolina town where she grew up. There are two good-looking men interested in dating her and she doesn't sleep with either one. I love it. How refreshing.

My previous favorite author, Sue Grafton, has gone to the great publishing house in the sky. Their protagonists are similar in character. Both Trudell and Kindsey are independent women, working in their chosen fields. They dress for comfort, not following current trends. Men find them attractive, but it doesn't rattle them, they've got other things to think about. Told in the first person, I enjoyed the ride along.

Trudell has a lot going on. There's more than one mystery, more than one secret and more than a few interesting characters. I want to visit them in their little town and have lunch at the Sunshine Diner. I'd visit the library. The fact that there's something going on in the basement makes the visit even more compelling.

Libraries have made some drastic changes in the last few years concerning the question of printed materials. Libraries are busy drawing in younger patrons with gaming and Internet usage. Older patrons are finding crafty events. People come to the library for help in finding their way around the Internet.

The town of Cypress has decided to eliminate all books in favor of an ultra-modern library. This raises the question of the value of printed materials. Has electronic media replaced the need for books? Are books of value any longer? This story hits the topic straight on.

This new concept library doesn't sit well with those who love hard covers and paperbacks so Trudell devices a plan to keep those folks happy. Does this tie in with the dead body found behind the library? Is apple pie an issue? Can her cat, Dewey Decimal, provide assistance? A few likely suspects are evident since there's more going on in the town of Cypress than meets the eye.

If you can't tell by now, I recommend this book. If any of this resonates with you, enjoy yourself.

I received this book without charge in exchange for an honest review.