Book Review: The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb

The Violin Conspiracy by Brendan Slocumb
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Wow -- an incredible debut novel!  It has everything I love:  classical music, mystery, intrigue, family drama, edge-of-your-seat-what-will-happen-next page turning excitement!  It starts out with Ray McMillan preparing for an upcoming violin competition when his extremely valuable Stradivarius violin is stolen.  The story immediately goes back several years to focus on Ray's his family life, his early love of the violin, his musical talent, and his journey approaching the iconic Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow.  We also learn how a Black boy from a poor family in North Carolina acquires a Stradivarius, along with all of the many setbacks and challenges  he encounters along the way.  Luckily he meets a college music professor when he is auditioning for a regional orchestra who immediately offers him a full scholarship and becomes his mentor, guiding him throughout his early career.  Be sure to listen to one of the Spotify playlists which have been created to accompany this book with tracks of all the music Ray plays during his performances.  Highly recommended!  I'm looking forward to the author's second book, "Symphony of Secrets" which is due to be published this month (April 2023).  

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Review: North of Normal: A Memoir of My Wilderness Childhood, My Unusual Family, and How I Survived Both

North of Normal: A Memoir of My Wilderness Childhood, My Unusual Family, and How I Survived Both by Cea Sunrise Person
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Another very difficult book to read. To be honest, I would not have read it past page 20 except that this is our next book club selection. Cea's memoir starts out when she is 2 1/2 years old. She lived with her extended family in California and Canadian wilderness. There was no running water, electricity or heat in the tipi, and no regular income for the family. Her mother had a series of different boyfriends, and Cea saw everything going on in the family -- drug use/abuse/addiction, mental illness, nudity, neglect, child sexual assault, and emotional/psychological abuse. Somehow she escaped from this downward spiral and made a modeling career for herself. Overall, it was a shocking and somewhat depressing memoir, but I'm glad that she was able to pull herself out of her family's grips and find happiness and success in her life. 

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Book Review: The Queen's Gambit by Walter Tevis

The Queen's Gambit by Walter Tevis
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

An incredibly compelling book, even though I'm not a chess play and know very little about the game.  I just finished watching the Netflix series and turned to the book.  I have to admit that the series and the book are the most closely alike than any other book and movie I've read and viewed.  We follow Beth Harmon from age 8 when her mother dies and she is placed in an orphanage.  The janitor in the basement teaches her how to play chess, and she quickly becomes obsessed, reading everything she can about the game.  Her eidetic memory along with her skills in math soon propel her to master the game and become a child prodigy, competing against all members of the local high school chess team simultaneously...and winning!  We follow her to the local, regional and national competitions, then to Paris and Moscow to play against the elite players.  I was at the edge of my seat reading this book, and would highly recommend it.  Content warnings:  alcoholism, prescription drug addiction, suicide.  

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Book Review: Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano

Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I don't think that it's a spoiler to say that 12-year old Edward is the sole survivor of a plane traveling from Newark to Los Angeles with his family.  The story follows Edward from the crash in June 2013 until June 2019 when he is 18 years old.  The story gently unfolds with the author carefully bringing the reader into Edward's life and recovery (both physically and emotionally).  Edward forms a quick and lasting friendship with the girl next door who helps him through his trauma.  In return, he realizes that he has helped her throughout the years as well.  They are like "two lost souls together," as one of my book club members so aptly put it.  We meet other people in Edward's life who are helping him through:  his aunt and uncle, his principal and teachers, his therapist.  The format of the book alternates chapters between what is happening during the flight, and how Edward is handling 'life' after the crash.  Although there is a lot of grief and sadness in the story, overall it is a very poignant and hopeful book.

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Book Review: NetGalley's Book Advocate Toolkit

NetGalley's Book Advocate Toolkit by We Are Bookish
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Fantastic, very practical advice for readers using NetGalley for advanced reader copies.  Everything you need to know, regardless of where you review the books (Facebook, Instagram, Blogs, YouTube, TicTok, etc.).  Helpful hints on: how to create your profile, how to request books, what to include in your review, and much more!  I would highly recommend this for anyone who is getting started with NetGalley.

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Book Review: Water Like a Stone by Deborah Crombie (Duncan Kincaid / Gemma James #11)

Water Like a Stone by Deborah Crombie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

#11 in the Duncan Kincaid and Gemma James series.  They have loaded the family (two children and two dogs) into the car and are heading to the English countryside to spend the Christmas week with Duncan's parents.  Two separate murders interrupt their restful holiday celebration, and they both join the hunt to solve the cases.  I was enthralled to learn about the narrow boats which populate the canals throughout England, serving a houseboats for entire families.  I definitely felt a 'sense of place' of small town country English - delightful!  It was also nice to get the back story of Duncan's parents, sister, niece and nephew.  Deborah Crombie is an excellent storyteller!

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Book Review: The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie (Miss Marple)

The Body in the Library by Agatha Christie
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Miss Marple is at it again, solving crimes in the English countryside.  This time the dead body shows up in the library of a neighboring estate.  Who is the girl?  How did she get there?  Who murdered her?  Miss Marple gets to the bottom of the crimes (2!) in short order.  I love the British setting and sense of place and entitlement.  Who wouldn't want to live during this era?  I have read quite a few of Agatha Christie's books, but have yet to solve one of them before the answer is divulged.  That won't keep me from trying in the future though.

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Book Review: Sundays with Sophie: Flay Family Recipes for Any Day of the Week: A Bobby Flay Cookbook

Sundays with Sophie: Flay Family Recipes for Any Day of the Week: A Bobby Flay Cookbook by Bobby Flay
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

If anyone has watched Food Network, they realize that Bobby Flay and his daughter Sophie share an intense love of food -- cooking, eating, dining at restaurants, shopping at markets, etc.  This book is an extension of that shared love.  These recipes are more designed for the home cook than many of his previous cookbooks.  Don't shy away from the recipes because of the number of ingredients.  He makes the instructions very approachable.  Plus they provide a 'deep dive' into several favorite dishes, showing the key steps in making them -- Scrambled Eggs, Paella, Spatchcock Chicken, Piccatta Anything, etc.  Lots of beautiful color photos too.

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Book Review: Dead Lions by Mick Herron (Slough House #2)

Dead Lions by Mick Herron
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Book #2 in the Slough House / Slow Horses series.  Jackson Lamb and his team of the Slow Horses is pulled into solving the murder of one of their own.  The book is fast paced, and moves from team to team, following them during the 24 hours of the novel.  Pay attention, reader -- there are lots twists and turns in the plot, plus many characters to keep track of.  And of course the dark humor which runs throughout the book.  It helped that I was reading the Kindle version so I could look up the many British slang terms that were used.  Looking forward to reading the next book in the series.  

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Book Review: Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry

Friends, Lovers, and the Big Terrible Thing by Matthew Perry
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This was a very difficult book to read.  And I'm sure that Matthew Perry found that it was a very difficult book to write as well.  The thought that kept running through my mind was "How can he still be alive?!?"  He candidly talks about his repeated stays at rehab facilities, detoxing, his alcoholism, his dependence upon pain killers and prescriptions drugs, health problems, surgeries, his repeated recoveries, and more stays in rehab.  The book is not told in linear fashion; he jumps around in time and events, and I kept getting confused.  To be honest, it's almost like he started talking and recording the story of his life in a stream-of-consciousness fashion, and no one bothered to edit it during the transcription to print.  I have to give him credit for pulling through all his hardships, and wish him the best in the future hoping that he will ultimately find what he is searching for in life.  

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