Review: Transcription by Kate Atkinson

Release Date: September 25, 2018

Juliet Armstrong works with MI5 during WWII, first simply (and rather boringly) transcribing recordings of conversations among Nazi sympathizers. But it's not long before the world of espionage engulfs her and she is asked to do much more.

I found myself struggling to get through this. The majority of it was just so dull, with what felt like a lot of rambling. Not badly written, just not captivating. It wasn't until about half way through that things picked up and became much more interesting. I still wasn't hugely invested in the characters, but the plot at least picked up. Or at least, I thought it did, and then the WWII story line abruptly ended and jumped forward, which I was expecting at some point, since I knew it was a dual time period plot, but moving forward in the timeline meant the plot slowed down again. There was another peak in the story line at the end, but I'm still not sure all the dribble in between was worth it.

There were some things I really like about this like the writing style and the periodic witty and dry quips in the narrative. And in some ways I think this could actually make an interesting movie (slow paced, granted), but I felt like much of it was just tedious.

Advanced review copy from publisher via NetGalley. My opinions are my own.

Review: Sold on a Monday by Kristina McMorris

Release Date: August 28, 2018

An aspiring journalist takes a photo of questionable moral integrity, showing what the Great Depression has driven people to and it winds up being his big break. But when he returns to followup on it, he learns just how his photo and accompanying article has influenced the family in the photo and his niggling remorse over it turns into full blown regret and forces him to take a good, hard look at who he has become. Desperate to make things right, not only with the family, but also with his own parents and friends he has driven away, he embarks on a journey of atonement and self growth.

Based on a similar photo taken during the Depression (see below), the subject matter seemed compelling. It was very well written with well developed characters, but I felt like the plot dragged a little bit. I enjoy a good slow paced book, but sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't and this time it was more the latter. It wasn't a bad read, but it was not as 'powerful' as I thought it was going to be, given the subject matter.

The real life photo which
inspired this novel

I think particularly because the actual photo (in the novel) that wound up being published was staged, the whole book felt too far removed from the real and gritty hardships and desperation of the Great Depression. It was really more about the journalist's remorse over staging the photo and what it winds up doing to the family. The story follows him and his love interest, neither of whom are particularly struggling all that much and don't embody the true depths of despair that time period evokes. I felt like this really could have been placed during almost any time period - the question of what some journalists will sometimes do for a good story and how they deal with those questionable ethics is something that isn't exclusive to the Great Depression. I'm not saying that such a topic isn't worthy of a novel, but this is not what I expected it to be, and therefore it lost it's impact on me.

Additionally, I have to say - the idea that Ellis knew how to pick a lock with hair pins just because he had "a father who preferred tinkering with machinery to conversation" seem ridiculously unrealistic and contrived for the sake of the plot. Maybe if Ellis had an uncle or such who was a locksmith, that would have been more believable, even if still a little contrived. But I just don't know how the author is making the connection between the two. This alone wouldn't be enough for me to dislike it, but it was so silly, I couldn't let it go unmentioned.

Advanced review copy from publisher via NetGalley. My opinions are my own

Review: The Sword Decides by Marjorie Bowen

This was the only novel I could find based on Joanna I of Naples, which still surprises me because she lived such an eventful life. And extra bonus, it was free because it was written in 1908. The writing was good, especially given the time period it was written in (sometimes older books have a style I don't love), but unfortunately, I just couldn't connect with any of the characters, none of them seemed like likable protagonists. It's a shame - I'd love to see a well done dramatized account of Joanna's life.

Review: Nefertit by Michelle Moran

This biographical novel of Nefertiti as told from her sister's point of view has a compelling plot with interesting characters, but at the same time, the most frustrating thing about it is that one of the main characters (Nefertiti herself) is so unlikable and also is supposed to be intelligent but frequently makes poor decisions.

Additionally, one of the downsides to writing in first person from a more minor character's point of view is the fact that we don't get to see much of the actual governing that Nefertiti did. Some of it is mentioned at the very end, almost as an afterthought, but it might have made her a bit more likable had we seen more of that, and less of her selfishness and petty, spiteful vindictiveness. You have to wonder why Mutny kept going back to her sister, and then you remember "because then the book wouldn't be about Nefertiti" and yet, that didn't really feel like it would be so terrible.

I also felt like this was set up perfectly for a sequel about Tut's reign and fall, and the succeeding Pharaohs, which has never happened. There was much talk about Horemheb, for example, but ultimately, he didn't play much of a role, so it would have been the perfect set up for a sequel, but I guess Moran only writes about famous women.

Overall, the subject matter and plot was fascinating enough to hold my interest but I definitely wouldn't rank this as the best Moran novel.

Review: I, Eliza Hamilton by Susan Holloway Scott

Release date: September 26, 2017

This novel about the wife of Alexander Hamilton felt like it was missing something. I think it was the fact that there was no real antagonist or any main trial or obstacle for the protagonists to overcome. There were interesting events and hardships that cropped up but they were quickly resolved. I understand real history doesn't always lend itself to a clear antagonist or the arc of a good story line, but it's still necessary for a captivating novel.

I also felt there was too much "telling" and not enough "showing" which I felt made it more difficult to really connect with the characters.

It was well written though, and there were some very good scenes I enjoyed. I also couldn't help but picture Eddie Redmayne as Alexander for some reason, I guess because he had red hair in Pillars of the Earth, which certainly helped increase the enjoyment factor. But ultimately, I felt like portions of the book dragged, and the duel with Burr wound up rather anti-climatic.

Advanced review copy from publisher via NetGalley. My opinions are my own.

Review: Alice and the Assassin (An Alice Roosevelt Mystery #1) by by R.J. Koreto

Release Date: April 11, 2017

Alice Roosevelt, spirited daughter of President Theodore Roosevelt, drags her bodyguard around New York to uncover a mystery relating to the assassination of President McKinley.

An entertaining enough fictional adventure, but I can't say I was hugely enthralled. Alice's character is amusing and I enjoyed the banter between her and her bodyguard, but beyond that it was an average plot with average writing. I could let the unrealistic places the daughter of the president wound up in and people she talked to slide, as unlikely as it was even given her very real spunky nature, it was plausible enough for the sake of a good story. Unfortunately, the plot just seemed to dragged on, despite being a very short 288 pages. It picked up at the end, but by then I'd already figured out what was going on.

I also frequently wished we could have seen Alice's point of view.

Good, fun characters with lively dialogue and banter, but everything else fell just a bit short of the mark.

Advanced review copy from publisher via NetGalley. My opinions are my own.

Review: 1066 Turned Upside Down by by Joanna Courtney, Helen Hollick, Annie Whitehead, Anna Belfrage, Alison Morton, Carol McGrath, Eliza Redgold, G.K. Holloway, Richard Dee

It appears that another group of authors has attempted to do what the H Team has done in compiling short stories from each author on a major event in history, except this group is doing it with an alternate history twist. These short stories explore how things would have gone down in 1066 England if Edgar was crowned instead of Harold, or if William of Normandy had lost at Hastings, and several other "what if" speculations.

It also differs from the H Team's books because these are truly individual short stories. Each tale has nothing to do with one another (apart from being based on the events of 1066), which in itself is not necessarily a bad thing. There are plenty of unrelated short story compilations out there which people really enjoy. But it's disappointing when you also consider that most of the stories are so short that you really don't get an idea of how history would have been radically different if these "what if" scenarios had happened. I felt like it posed more questions than it answered. I would have liked each story to not only present an alternate event, but also show us how the succeeding events thereafter would have been different as a result. Don't just show us how the Battle of Hastings would have been different if Harold had won, show us what would have happened after that - how would it have changed England? If they had done that, I wouldn't have minded each story having nothing to do with the next, as it allowed more than one alternate history scenario to be explored.

There were author's notes and discussion suggestions that attempted to explore the resulting events a little bit, which were informative and enlightening, but it just wasn't the same, and wasn't what I was expecting. I did enjoy them though, and actually wound up thinking this might have been a better project had they just approached it with academic essays instead of trying to make them into fictional short stories.

Don't get me wrong, the writing quality from all these stories is very good. But to me, the short stories felt like something that was just quickly thrown together to make each author a few extra bucks on the self published ebook sales, and give them some more exposure. I guess I was hoping for something a little more in depth. However, for only $1.99, it's probably worth the read for those really interested in this topic.

Hawkwood (Matthew Hawkwood #1) by James McGee

A former army Captain and sharpshooter who is now a Bow Street Runner investigates a highway robbery and several murders which plunge him back into the conflict between Britain and Napoleon.

An interesting enough plot with interesting enough characters, and yet at times it sort of dragged. It was like all the parts in between the action scenes felt like filler, and although the characters had good backstories, they still seemed superficial or artificial at times. I also didn't find McGee's portrayal of female characters very believable, I don't think he understands real women very well.

I thought it had real potential at first, but it never really seemed to take the next step to something that makes me want to carry on the series. It was lacking the sort of wit or cleverness it seemed to promise. It's not a terrible read, and I can see how some would enjoy it, but it just wasn't as captivating as I was expecting.

Review: The Spanish Influenza Pandemic of 1918-1919: Perspectives from the Iberian Peninsula and the Americas by Mar Porras-Gallo and Ryan A Davis (editors)

Review copy from publisher via NetGalley. My opinions are my own.

This is a very scientific, political, and academic look at the Spanish Flu Pandemic of 1918-1919. The first chapter in particular is very medical and difficult for a lay person to grasp. The writing is dry and scholarly. It is very informative, but I was hoping for a more cultural and personal look at the pandemic's influence.

Each chapter is an essay by a different author assessing a different aspect or perspective of the pandemic. Over all, it is very focused on Portugal, Spain and Latin America, which was also a little disappointing. Although it's called the Spanish Flu, it impacted most of the world, but this book only covers certain areas. And while the subtitle does specify "Perspectives from the Iberian Peninsula and the Americas", I was assuming North America was included in that, which it wasn't.

So while it has merit, it was not entirely what I was expecting. It would probably be best suited to academics rather than mainstream readers.

Review: The Hangman's Daughter by Oliver Pötzsch

In a small town in 17th century Germany, orphaned children are being murdered and an innocent woman is being blamed as a witch. With few allies and the hysteria rising, the town's executioner and physician team up to find the real killer.

An oddly titled novel, since although the hangman's daughter does play a role in this, she is not the central character. It's told in third-person from mostly the points of view of the hangman himself, the town's young physician, and a few other characters. The title misnomer didn't bother me very much though, what bothered me was the lack of cultural details, and the occasionally stilted dialogue and narration, which I assume was due to the translation. With this being set in a small 17th century German town, I was hoping to see more of the culture come through, but it really could have been set anywhere during the 17th century. I did find the information about executioners and physicians during this time period interesting, but I felt like that would have been true for any European small town, not just Germany. The book is apparently based on the author's own ancestors, who were executioners, so I felt like the author did a great job researching and portraying the culture of the executioners' society, but not much else.

It also had a little bit of a slow start but picked up the pace eventually. All in all, a fairly average murder mystery, which are a dime a dozen. Good for a "light read" if that's what you're looking for but don't expect it to live up to its hype. It's unlikely I'll be motivated to read the rest of the series.

Review: Germs, Genes, & Civilization: How Epidemics Shaped Who We Are Today by David P. Clark

This is very informative book about the history and evolution of bacteria and viruses and how they have influenced the development of civilization, but I took issue with certain passages such as this:

“The great age of hygiene lasted from roughly 1850 to 1950. The front-line troops in the battle for cleanliness were mostly women. Since the 1950s, women have gradually abandoned the home and ventured forth to find external employment. Hygiene standards in the home have inevitably relaxed. Houses are cleaned less often, laundry is done less often, and both are done less thoroughly. Despite the outbreaks in fast-food restaurants that hit the headlines, most foodborne disease actually occurs in the home and goes unreported.”

I felt like the author was trying to say that women who work full time are putting their families health and hygiene at risk. It was suggestive that a woman’s place is in the home, cooking and cleaning. There was no evidence or stats supplied to support this theory that homes today are less hygienic than 60+ years ago or that even if they are, food poisoning is a direct result of it. Indeed, the author does at least admit that most food-borne diseases go unreported but this means there is no evidence to support his ridiculous claims.

Despite being full of useful information, passages like this unfortunately cause me to question the respectability and intent of the book as a whole. Fortunately, I did not pay anything for it - it was a Kindle freebie once upon a time.