Author: Book Girl

Eleanor and the Cold War

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Eleanor and the Cold War by Ellen Yardley

Read this mystery to view Washington, D.C. and New York in 1951 through the eyes of Kay Thompson, temporary secretary to Eleanor Roosevelt. Kay is 25 and very pretty, and expects to find an attractive, well-off man to marry rather than have a career. Working for Mrs. Roosevelt is quite the eye-opening experience. While many historical characters are featured, Kay is fictional, as is the mystery, the first in a planned series featuring Eleanor Roosevelt.

Eleanor is 66, and working with the United Nations. Kay is filling in as secretary for her aunt. Atomic scientist Elsa Meyer contacts Eleanor from Sweden, looking for her daughter Susan. Eleanor makes contact and arranges to meet her at Union Station in Washington. Kay and Eleanor instead find her body on the train. Detectives Barlow and O’Malley investigate, but Barlow assumes a Soviet communist is to blame, and doesn’t look further. Kay has reason to think the Russian is innocent, as is the train porter, and helps Eleanor investigate. Young politicians, another scientist, a man investigating Communists, and even young Jacqueline Bouvier, a newspaper photographer, are all involved. New York City, Washington, and Long Island are clearly described, with the historical figures, clothing, meals, drinks, department stores and women’s roles setting the story firmly in the early 1950s.

I look forward to another book in the series, and enjoyed reading about Kay and Eleanor. The author studied Eleanor’s autobiography and her many My Day newspaper columns to bring her character to life. A clever mystery that is perhaps deliberately tricky to figure out, but the characters and immersive setting make for an excellent read.

Brenda

Swordheart

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Swordheart by T. Kingfisher

I’ve read a few other books by T. Kingfisher, but Swordheart, first published in 2018 and recently rereleased, was new to me. I listened to the audiobook, with an excellent narration by Jesse Vilinsky. The genre is fantasy, with humor, adventure, and a slow-burn romance.

Halla, a respectable widow, has been taking care of Uncle Silas for years until his recent death. Silas was her husband’s uncle, so it’s quite a surprise when Halla inherits the large house and its contents. Nasty Malva wants Halla to marry her son Alver so they can regain the inheritance, and won’t take no for an answer. Alver has clammy hands and won’t stand up to his mother’s demands, so Halla looks for another way out. When Halla draws a sword that’s been hanging on the wall for years, Sarkis appears. He is an immortal warrior, sworn to protect the sword’s owner.

To claim Halla’s inheritance, Halla and Sarkis travel from Rutger’s Howe to a temple where they employ Zale, a nonbinary lawyer priest. They travel back to the village in a wagon, driven by Brindle, a gnole, and his ox. Along the way, they have many adventures. Sarkis is grumpy and hiding secrets about his lengthy past, the ox is extremely slow, and Halla is very curious and asks innumerable questions. Readers of Kingfisher’s Nettle & Bone are sure to enjoy. Daggerbound, featuring the Dervish mentioned in Swordheart, is expected to be published in 2026.

Brenda

When the Moon Hits Your Eye

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When the Moon Hits Your Eye by John Scalzi

Another entertaining book in the category of highly improbable plots. If you enjoyed Scalzi’s recent Kaiju Preservation Society or Starter Villain, as did I, this near future novel may be right up your alley. I was lucky enough to hear the author read from Chapter 2 at an author event last fall, which thoroughly entertained the audience.

The premise is that the Moon has suddenly turned to cheese, but is the same mass as our familiar cratered, rocky satellite. Moon rocks in museums have also transformed. At first, it just seems like a great opportunity for silly jokes. Then it gets a little more serious. A moon landing is planned, and how will that go? The Moon is now brighter, and a few other aspects are different; and so…? How did this happen, and how will the people of Earth react? And just what kind of cheese is it??

Told from several points of view, including a museum director, an astronaut, and a government staffer, this is a fast-paced read that has some science, a little bit of philosophy, but is mostly very funny. Enjoy.

Brenda

The Tomb of Dragons

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The Tomb of Dragons: The Cemeteries of Amalo, Book 3 by Katherine Addison

Sometimes a novel is so satisfying to read that I don’t want it to end. Reading books by Addison is like that for me, and it’s a real treat to have such a good story to enjoy and savor. Katherine Addison is the pen name for Sarah Monette, and her Addison books are set in the world of Osreth, which has steampunk and fantasy elements. It’s a dark world, but full of ordinary people who are clever, kind, and sometimes heroic.

This is the last book in a trilogy featuring Thara Celehar, an elven cleric who is a Witness for the Dead. He investigates crimes, occasionally quiets ghouls, problem solves on special assignments, and, rarely, officiates at funerals. Unfortunately, his magic was damaged in the last book, so he is currently working special assignments. Thara feeds cats near his apartment, drinks a lot of tea and visits the opera house where his friend works. In his last book, his good black coat of office was damaged, and there’s a minor subplot to get him looking respectable (but not gaudy) again. He is mentoring a new Witness, a woman named Tomasaro, and also helping a cemetery administrator deal with a mountain of old paperwork. There is winter travel with a caravan, a scary dragon encounter in a mine, the acquiring of an intriguing guard, and a couple of encounters with the local prince and even the emperor. I wish there was a glossary, though I did find one on a fan wiki online. More books in this world, please, even if other characters take center stage.   

Brenda

Every Tom, Dick & Harry

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Every Tom, Dick & Harry by Elinor Lipman

Humorous and witty, this contemporary novel has the zaniest plot of any book I’ve read since The Husbands by Holly Gramazio. Every Tom, Dick & Harry is set in small-town Harrow, Massachusetts, with a large ensemble cast like Amy Poeppel’s novel The Sweet Spot.

Emma Lewis has been involved with her parents’ estate sale visit for years, but is startled to have their business, and her childhood home, left to her when they retire to Cape Cod. Also, Emma gets a boarder to help with expenses, her dad’s recently widowed friend, Frank. Frank was also Emma’s algebra teacher.

Frank and Emma both start dating, but not each other. Emma is quietly seeing the new chief of police, Luke, while Frank is dating Luke’s widowed mother, Connie. Frank also adopts a cute dog, Ivy, and helps out with the estate sales. Emma is trying to get a contract to hold an estate sale at Quail’s Nest, a mansion and former B and B in town. The house is chock full of classic estate sale items, from an espresso machine to Persian rugs to bikes, a lawn mower, and lots of silver. Then she learns that an escort service was run out of the mansion’s attic, and the family is not at all shy about their former business.

Emma’s parents come back to help with the sale, which definitely does not go as planned. Emma and Luke, meanwhile, are helping plan their 15th high school reunion, while still pretending they’re not dating. Add in some stolen art, a very ugly statue, and Frank’s stepdaughters to round out the wild plot. I’ve read Lipman’s books On Turpentine Lane and Ms. Demeanor, and there are many more titles for those looking for quirky, upbeat, and witty reads.

Brenda

Clouds & Curses

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Clouds & Curses: Tales of Rydding Village Book 3 by Shanna Swendson

Readers of cozy fantasy novels set in small villages will enjoy the Rydding Village series. In this novel, Ceri, Lady Parcells, comes back home after many years with her daughter, Lili. Ceri’s husband has died and left everything to his children from his first marriage. Ceri’s mother, Mistress Teague, is the most disliked lady in Rydding, and is a complete snob. Ceri was in love with Daryn as a teen, but her mother persuaded her to marry an older nobleman.

Ceri and Lili have an affinity for animals, and bring their cat and dog with them. Ceri can calm horses, though she doesn’t believe in magic. There is some mystery in Rydding. Lights are seen in the distant castle, but no one is ever there. The harvests the past several years seem to be cursed, with rain falling at the worst times. Wyn, the healer who runs a tea shop is slowly starting a romance with Bryn, who runs the small inn and studies magic. Mair, who runs the dairy and sells cheese, is not happy that Ceri is back in town, but Wyn, a newcomer, is more understanding. Ceri actually apologizes for her past mistakes.

Ceri meets Daryn again, and there are definite sparks. Could he still care for her after all these years? Together, the villagers try different methods to harvest the hay and wheat and save the crops. Ceri learns that she can stand up to her mother, especially concerning Lili’s future, and becomes more connected to the village. Some storylines have satisfying conclusions while others will be continued in the next Rydding Village book. The first novel is Tea and Empathy.

Brenda

Wild Chocolate

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Wild Chocolate: Across the Americas In Search of Cacao’s Soul by Rowan Jacobsen

This is a fascinating combination of history, travel, agriculture, and chocolate. Traveling as part of a team with the Heirloom Cacao Preservation Fund, Rowan travels to southern Mexico, Belize, Guatemala, Brazil, and Bolivia in search of the best cacao varieties and beans and to meet the farmers and the people working to get their beans from farm to factory to table. There are varieties of cacao beans most of us have never heard of or tasted, such as Criollo.

Rowan makes many journeys by bus and down creeks and rivers, sleeping in hammocks, getting bitten by ants, mosquitoes, and gnats.  He learns about challenges of collecting freshly harvested cacao pods and along with farmers, how to dry, sort and ferment cacao beans, and then getting them shipped to a city or another country to be made into an amazing variety of chocolate bars.

Bean to bar chocolate is more expensive than the mass-produced chocolate, and Rowan explains why, and where to purchase it online, or in a few cities. I haven’t ordered any yet, but did find a single origin bar to try at a local store (not the same as true bean to bar or wild chocolate) and found it to be very complex and tasting of raisins. I didn’t love it, but look forward to trying new varieties of gourmet chocolate.

The author has also written about apples, oysters, truffles, and honey bees in crisis, among other topics.

Brenda

The Orb of Cairado

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The Orb of Cairado by Katherine Addison

A very welcome novella for fans of Addison’s science fiction, set around the time of The Goblin Emperor, but closer in tone to The Witness for the Dead. Ulcetha Zorvena, a shopkeeper’s son, was a history scholar until five years ago. He was accused of stealing the bejeweled Orish Veltavan from Osmer Bruna Aidrina. Aidrina, a scholar from the University of Cairado, found the object in the ruins of the Summer Palace. Ulcetha is not a thief, though he has spent the last several years writing provenances for fake artifacts.

After the sudden death of a friend, Ulcetha is stunned to find himself traveling to the site of the Summer Palace on an expedition for the ultimate prize, the Orb of Cairado. Faced with difficult choices, Ulcetha keeps trying to steel himself to do the next right thing. A twisty plot, a mix of mystery, adventure and scholarship set on a steampunk world populated by elves, goblins, and half-elves make for a fast-paced read. I really enjoyed the scenes set in the university library, where Ulcetha no longer has a scholar’s access.

This memorable novella has me looking forward to Celehar’s return in The Tomb of Dragons, just published this month.  While I read an eBook, Subterranean Press also offers a gorgeous hardcover.

Brenda

Back After This

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Back After This by Linda Holmes

Cecily Foster lives in Washington, D.C., and produces podcasts. When offered the chance to host a show that her friend Julie would produce, she’s excited. Her boss Toby even agrees to let her tape a pilot of a podcast she will write. But the new podcast turns out to be Twenty Dates. Eliza Cassidy, an influencer turned life coach, will set up dates for Cecily with 20 suitable men, including a practice date, then arrange follow up dates.

Cecily does get some awesome meals, advice, and men who are okay, but they aren’t her meet-cute guy, Will. Cecily and Will meet four times by accident in her neighborhood, and the first time she helps him catch a large runaway dog, who isn’t even Will’s dog. Eliza does not think Will would be a good match, and discourages her from dating him. Layoffs are threatened at work, and the advertising revenue for Twenty Dates would really help her company. Cecily’s sister Molly is her lifeline when life gets too hectic.

A third of the way through the book I knew who Cecily would choose and wasn’t looking forward to the bumps in the road the author would be sure to put in her way. But Cecily and her podcasting work are quite interesting and there’s enough humor that I happily read through to the triumphant end, which has as much to do with Cecily’s work as it does her love life.

A feel-good read for fans of Emily Henry, Abbi Waxman, Jennifer Crusie and for readers of Evvie Drake Starts Over and Flying Solo, also by Holmes.

Brenda