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A Tree Grows in Brooklyn–a no-nonsense coming of age story
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
by Betty Smith
Sometimes publishers and reviewers have the audacity to promote a newly published book as a “classic.” In my opinion a classic is a book of excellence that has stood the test of time and is judged to be worthy of reading and rereading by future generations. First published in 1943, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn is such a book. Written by Betty Smith, it is fiction but it has its basis in Betty Smith’s own coming of age in Brooklyn.
The protagonist is Francie, a girl who grows up in difficult circumstances of poverty with an alcoholic father who is nonetheless likable. Her mother favors her younger brother over Francie knowing she will be able to succeed in spite of her background. Francie, like Betty Smith herself, from a young age is a reader and a writer. Francie’s mother, Katie, works cleaning houses and believes with all of her being that education is the route to success for her children. She insists that her children read a page from Shakespeare and the Bible each night. She evens barters piano lessons for herself and Francie, with little brother Neeley, who inherited his father’s musical aptitude, watching. Their father Johnny worked as a singing waiter when he could get employment.
There is not a plot per se in A Tree Grows in Brooklyn; it is a recounting of a family’s struggle to survive. The reader is immersed in the setting, the culture, and the characters. Despite the lack of twists, cliff hangers, climax, and denouement, this novel is a page turner of a gentle sort. Ripe with symbolism, this book is perfect for discussion and introspection. It opens the door to an era gone by and good hearted, imperfect people who want to keep their dysfunctional families intact and give their children a better life than they had. It is the fight for the American Dream set down on paper.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Classic, Literary Fiction
Publication: 1943—Harper Collins
Memorable Lines:
Mama explained: “Francie is entitled to one cup each meal like the rest. If it makes her feel better to throw it away rather than to drink it, all right. I think it’s good that people like us can waste something once in a while and get the feeling of how it would be to have lots of money and not have to worry about scrounging.”
“Who wants to die? Everything struggles to live. Look at that tree growing up there out of that grating. It gets no sun, and water only when it rains. It’s growing out of sour earth. And it’s strong because its hard struggle to live is making it strong. My children will be strong that way.”
Oh, the last time how clearly you see everything; as though a magnifying light had been turned on it. And you grieve because you hadn’t held it tighter when you had it every day.
The Good Luck Cafe
The Good Luck Cafe
by Annie Rains
Moira has been hurt—badly. So devastatingly, that she has never shared what happened to her and how she reacted with anyone. Even Gil, who rescued her, only knows part of the story. Now he is town mayor and one of the nicest people in town. Except he has not stopped the town council’s plans to demolish her mother’s coffee shop on the main street through town and replace it with a parking lot. Everyone agrees that it will be sad to lose Sweetie’s Bakeshop, but the driving and parking situation in town has become dangerous.
Gil has always been attracted to Moira, but she pushes him away because of her secret and her concern that her mother will lose the business she loves. Moira is a dispatcher for the town’s 911 emergency services, works from home, and loves her job. Gil has done a good job as mayor. He is also a great big brother to his brother Doug who has Down syndrome. Goldie, Gil’s golden retriever, adds fun to the story.
Around this basic plot, Annie Rains creates and develops some great characters in The Good Luck Cafe. There is a lot of tension over the parking lot controversy, the upcoming mayoral election, and the relationship of Moira and Gil. Denise, Gil’s high school nemesis, decides to stir up trouble. Also, Doug wants to move out on his own and solicits Gil’s help in persuading their parents to allow it while his mother wants Gil to convince Doug to continue to live at home.
All through the book you will find a heartwarming story and a clean romance. Both Moira and Gil have a support group of friends. Moira meets with her Book Club on Thursday nights and the associated men meet at the local tavern to enjoy each other’s company along with some friendly teasing. Most of them go way back as friends.
This is my second book in the Somerset Lake Series. If the next book were available, I would have followed up with an immediate read of it after The Good Luck Cafe. I will just have to be satisfied that there are two more books in the series that I can go back and pick up.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Romance
Notes: 1. #4 in the Somerset Lake Series, but can definitely be read as a standalone.
2. Although it is a clean and fun romance, it does address a few serious topics which I will not list because they would be spoilers.
3. I was simultaneously reading a book for my book club, but I read several chapters of this every day to keep the story going.
Publication: March 14, 2023—Forever (Grand Central Publishing)
Memorable Lines:
When Doug was growing up, it had seemed like acquiring every new skill was a challenge. Doug never gave up though. He wasn’t a quitter. Gil had learned everything he knew about perseverance from his brother.
“Trust me, when you feel like you want to be alone you really need to be with the people who love you.”
“Relationships are hard, and they can be messy, but sometimes the things that complicate our lives are the things that make life worth living.”
The Marlow Murder Club
The Marlow Murder Club
by Robert Thorogood
Narrator—Nicolette McKenzie
Judith Potts is seventy-seven years old and is known in Marlow as the eccentric old lady who lives in an aging mansion. As someone who sets crosswords for The Times, she excels at puzzles of all types. She unintentionally gathers two friends along the way of putting together clues that lead to the solution of several murders. Her unlikely friends are Susie, a rough-around-the-edges dog walker and Becks, the ultimate homemaker and vicar’s wife.
The three ladies grow individually and as a team through the course of their humorous escapades. I enjoyed this audiobook on a trip and several fun filled hours afterwards. The narrator did a good job of differentiating between the various characters. I never had to wonder who was talking.
For a book with multiple murders, The Marlow Murder Club managed to be humorous while engaging me in a complex mystery that I couldn’t solve. I liked that the protagonist was an older woman and that she could interact so well with the other ladies with whom she had so little in common. I’m going to add the second book in the series, Death Comes to Marlow, to my queue. The first book was that good!
Rating: 4/5
Category: Mystery, Humor
Notes: Contains bad language, but in British English so not as offensive to me.
Publication: First published January 7, 2021—Poisoned Pen Press
Audiobook released May 3, 2022
Lessons at the School by the Sea–depressed characters
Lessons at the School by the Sea
by Jenny Colgan
Although there were two boys’ boarding schools in my home town in the the U.S., boarding school seems more important in British history and culture than it is in the United States. Jenny Colgan originally wrote this series about a pair of neighboring boys’ and girls’ boarding schools in Great Britain under a pen name at her publisher’s suggestion. They are currently reissuing The School by the Sea Series under the same name as her other popular books.
Having read the first book in the series, I was interested in revisiting the two schools and catching up with the characters. I was disappointed with the pace in Lessons at the School by the Sea. The characters are stymied by their respective roles and are frankly unlikable. There are two storylines. One focuses on the teachers and the other one on a core group of students. The two plot lines in the story overlap.
There is a new character in this addition to the series. Ismé is a scholarship student who keeps her three roommates at arm’s length. Suddenly, one of the roommates questions her own gender and sexual orientation and falls in love with Ismé because of a kiss in a play. The relationship seems contrived and unrealistic.
The only part of the book that truly got my attention is the efforts of David, who has to take a job teaching English literature to high school students at a low income school in a rough part of town. I was interested in his methods to draw the students in. He doesn’t give up even when they resist his attempts to get control so that he can actually teach them. He is somewhat naive but stands by his moral principles and has a positive effect on his students and the whole demoralized school.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 3/5
Category: Fiction, Women’s Fiction, Young Adult
Publication: March 7, 2023—Avon and HARPER
Memorable Lines:
“But everyone here is so rich and knows everything and how to get by…” Maggie stared out the window. “Nah,” she said. “They’re faking it just as much as anybody else. Posh people are just better at pretending.”
She couldn’t bear to think that any Downey girl—any student who had ever been in her care—would be capable of doing such a thing. But she knew this was bias, that people did do horrible things on the internet, every single second of the day.
“…if you behaved like a bad person, whatever your intentions, it was entirely possible that you would become one.”
Special Memorable Quote for Those Who Love All Things Bookish:
On Saturday morning she had driven all the way into Exeter, which had the nearest Paperchase, and spent a very happy hour there—like all book lovers, she had a special affinity with stationery and could happily spend half a day among it—choosing the finest, most beautiful writing paper and pen she could find.
Standing Dead–K-9 page turner
Standing Dead
by Margaret Mizushima
The story of Standing Dead opens with Mattie, a Deputy Sheriff, and her newly found sister Julia driving to a little town in Mexico looking for their mother. Mattie had a traumatic childhood (ages 2-6) involving a kidnapping and abuse from a man who pretended to be her father. Her real father, a Border Patrol Agent, was murdered and eventually the case was a designated “cold.” Mattie wants to get to the bottom of this case and bring her mother out of hiding.
After her long trip home from Mexico and a reunion with her boyfriend, veterinarian Cole Walker, his two daughters, and her K-9 officer Robo, Mattie and Robo return to their house. There she discovers the first of many creepy notes taunting Mattie and directing her through a variety of difficult situations. She is led to a beetle-kill pine forest where the trees are not the only “standing dead.” Mattie, her family, and her friends are all in deadly danger.
As always with the Timber Creek K-9 Mystery Series, watching the relationship between Robo and Mattie is touching as Mattie understandably has trust issues. Robo is highly trained and intelligent and does some pretty amazing things.
As things get “interesting” for Mattie, Cole is called out to the same area in the mountains to attend to some very sick horses. Their paths cross, and Cole is able to provide a clue that helps the law enforcement team determine the cause of death. Cole goes through his own crisis as he supports Mattie by backing off when she makes decisions to put herself in danger to save those she loves.
Other branches of law enforcement join in with the small local squad. They pool their manpower and resources for the good of the team. Also, there is a local sheriff’s posse that helps as needed, and Cole is a trusted and active member.
I stayed up late to finish this page turner. I am looking forward to the next book in the series and plan on returning to the few that I have not yet read.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: #8 in the Timber Creek K-9 Mystery Series. It could be read as a standalone, but to understand more of Mattie’s background I would recommend reading some of the previous books.
Publication: March 7, 2023—Crooked Lane Books
Memorable Lines:
She leaned to stroke the dark fur between his ears while she kept up with Sophie’s banter, and soon Cole noticed the taut muscles in her face relax as kids and dogs—two of Mattie’s favorite things in the world—seemed to ease her distress.
He knew how hard it was for her to trust others, and he felt he’d passed a test. He just wished it wasn’t a test involving life and death.
She drove steadily into the night seeing ahead only as far as the headlights would allow. She decided it was symbolic of the mission that lay ahead—she could only see ahead one step at a time. The rest of it would play out and reveal itself very soon.
Wined and Died in New Orleans–discovery of hidden wines
Wined and Died in New Orleans
by Ellen Byron
Ricki fled from Los Angeles to New Orleans to escape a past tarnished by her innocent association with a Ponzi scheme billionaire. Now connected with the Bon Vee Culinary House Museum, Ricki opens her own museum gift shop, Miss Vee’s Vintage Cookbook and Kitchenware Shop. She purchases old cookbooks and kitchen tools for resale in her shop.
The plot centers around a murder. Ricki leads friends who are also her co-workers at the museum in trying to solve the case. She feeds any information she discovers to Nina, a local detective with whom she “collaborated” on a previous case. The plot is good and has plenty of complications and surprises involving some very old wine discovered on the property. Suddenly the family tree expands as people claiming to belong to the Charbonnets descend on Louisiana in hopes of a share of wealth and fame. Also the reader gets a taste of Louisiana from references to food, dialect, and an impending hurricane.
I have enjoyed other books by Ellen Byron with a Louisiana setting, but this one does not appeal to me and is definitely not a page turner. I didn’t identify or empathize with any of the characters. Ricki and her friends/coworkers seem to go round and round in their efforts to discover the murderer. Ricki has a revelation of a personal nature that is an interesting twist. Ricki and her neighbor, Chef Virgil, are co-parents of two dogs, making the potential for interesting scenarios which never develop. The dogs have very minor roles.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 3/5
Category: Mystery
Notes: 1. The author provides a list of characters at the first of the book which helps orient the reader.
2. This is the second book in the Vintage Cookbook Mystery Series. I have not read the first book in the series, but I don’t think that affected my reflections on this cozy mystery.
3. There is a recipe section describing selected vintage cookbooks and any information about them that emerged during the author’s research. She also chose a recipe from each book to add to that section.
Publication: February 7, 2023—Berkley
Memorable Lines:
“You need a drink.” “Everyone keeps liquoring me up. Is a drink New Orleans’s answer to everything?” “Pretty much.”
“I guess you could call me a California Charbonnet. Kind of like a California chardonnay but with notes of murder and bizarre family dynamics.”
“Sam’s on the Crisis Negotiation Team. I din’t pass the training. Apparently, sarcasm isn’t perceived as an ‘effective oral communication skill.’ “
The Sound of Light–Denmark in WWII
The Sound of Light
by Sarah Sudin
Through the fictional characters of Baron Henrik Ahlefeldt and Dr. Else Jensen, a physicist working in the lab of the famed Niels Bohr, Sarah Sudin tells the story of the German occupation of tiny Denmark. Initially, freedoms are not as restricted by the Nazis as in the rest of occupied Europe, but many Danes resist through sabotage, work slowdowns, and underground newspapers. Henrik assumes several identities and uses them to hide covert activities; he also uses his skills as an Olympic rower to transfer messages from Denmark to Britain. Else, while fighting her personal battles of discrimination as a female in a traditionally male field, becomes involved in helping the underground cause.
There are a lot of subplots and threads that are woven into this story. Henrik is working as a laborer in his estranged father’s shipyard. Henrik portrays himself as barely literate instead of the well-educated nobleman he is. He and Else live in the same boarding house but are unable to share their identities or secrets with each other because of the confidential nature of the underground. The final straw for the Danes is when the Germans begin to round up Jews for deportation. Many Danish citizens quickly rise up to protect their Jewish friends and neighbors. I will leave it to the author to share what happens to the Jews and to Henrik and Else as they grapple with the question of whether it is “right to do wrong (i.e. to break the law) to do right.”
I highly recommend The Sound of Light. I didn’t feel like I needed to be an expert on Danish history to appreciate the story. I did learn a lot about Denmark’s wartime experiences. The book is fast-paced, and there is good character development. It contains a good plot, scenes tense with intrigue, and a Christian viewpoint on good versus evil.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Historical Fiction, Christian, Romance
Notes: Includes historical notes by the author, pronunciation guide and glossary, and discussion questions.
Publication: February 7, 2023—Revell
Memorable Lines:
Henrik, on the other hand, hadn’t endured Far’s anger. He’d absorbed it, every biting word. For fourteen years, he’d absorbed the anger, and it had fermented inside, loathsome and noxious, until at last, in one moment of clarity, he’d turned from his father and all he stood for.
She was one small individual in a sea of people. But if each person did just one thing to help, a lot of good could be done.
On the deck, the captain sprinkled powder, a mixture of dried blood and cocaine, developed by a Swedish scientist. If the Germans brought police dogs on board, the compound would deaden the dogs’ sense of smell so they couldn’t detect the passengers below.
A Light in the Window–Mitford, a good place to live
A Light in the Window
by Jan Karon
Earlier this year the members of my book club decided that for the upcoming months each person would select a book for all of us to read. I couldn’t have been more delighted when A Light in the Window was chosen as one of our reads. It is the second book in Jan Karon’s The Mitford Years series and a reread for me.
I enjoyed so much returning to the little town of Mitford where no one is perfect and everyone has hiccups in their lives. Yet the people there are good. Miss Rose has a screw loose, Edith Mallory gets carried away with romantic intentions on Father Tim, and the town is in danger of losing its café. These are just some of the problems in Mitford, but the focus of the plot is the relationship of Father Tim, the never-married Episcopal priest, and his neighbor Cynthia, an artist and the author of a successful series of children’s books. Father Tim likes Cynthia, but his inexperience makes him a reluctant suitor.
This major plot thread dominates A Light in the Window, but many other threads are woven into the book. It is a relaxing book, full of humor. The unexpected visit of Irish cousin Meg is a source of both humor and concern as are many of the stories in the book. There is character development as the characters mature and work through their problems. Themes include love, forgiveness, and trust. There are many denominations included in the book and there is an emphasis on how Father Tim and other preachers work together for the good of the people of Mitford and to further their exposure to the love of Jesus. Father Tim is an excellent listener and very accepting of others and their differences. At the same time, it is clear that he has standards and the townsfolk know they can count on him from his cooked hams to his pastoral care. There are a lot of characters, but the author makes it easy for the reader to distinguish them by their uniqueness. Father Tim’s dog Barnabas and his foster son Dooley are two of my favorites.
I very much enjoyed my return trip to Mitford and look forward to rereading more of the books in the series.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Fiction, Christian
Notes: There are a lot of characters in this book. Most of them were introduced in the first book. This book could be read as a standalone, but I recommend reading the first book in the series prior to reading this one. Both are relaxing and enjoyable.
Publication: 1995—Penguin
Memorable Lines:
He wanted to get at something more compelling, more life-changing—the process of personal confession, of personal relationship with Christ. He also wanted to point out that being a priest no more assured him of heaven than being a chipmunk would assure him of nuts for winter.
“Do you think God would have me batter through your locked doors?” “I think that you and only you could do it. I read something the other day—‘What is asked of us in our time,’ the writer said, “is that we break open our blocked caves and find each other. Nothing less will heal the anguished spirit, nor release the heart to act in love.’ Locked doors, blocked caves, it’s all the same. It is so hard to…” “To be real.” “Yes. Terribly hard. Frightening. But there’s no other way.”
Stolen time. He took her hand and turned it over to see the small, uplifted palm. He kissed its softness and placed her palm against his cheek. Stolen time. He would willingly be the blackest of thieves.
The Devine Doughnut Shop–divine doughnuts in Devine, TX
The Devine Doughnut Shop
by Carolyn Brown
Anyone who has traveled across Texas by car knows that most small towns in Texas have a doughnut shop. It’s a standard! Devine, Texas, an actual town near San Antonio, in this novel boasts the most divine doughnuts in the area. They are made in small batches from a secret recipe passed down through four generations of Devine women who are a “family of sisters.”
Grace and Sarah are biological sisters and their cousin Macy is like a third sister. The three women, who also live together in a house near the shop, are up at three o’clock six days a week making their delicious doughnuts.
All of the these women have suffered shattered romantic relationships ranging from a bad boy spouse who couldn’t stay around to parent his newborn, to a boyfriend who lied about his marriage, to a serial con man. In The Devine Doughnut Shop, the reader watches as some of these disasters unfold.
Grace’s teenage daughter Aubrey is beset with her own trust issues in her desire to be popular. She is used by a group of “mean girls” and foolishly casts off her old friends. One of those friends, Raelene, is herself abandoned by her own mother just a few months before her high school graduation. She finds herself without a home or food and in danger of losing the college scholarship she has worked for.
The mean girls have moms who spoil them and were obviously bullies themselves in high school. Now they are vicious gossipers who excel in and celebrate making others miserable.
All of the characters have trust issues to overcome. Grace finds herself oddly attracted to a successful businessman with a good heart. Married to his job, Travis is surprised by his attraction to this hard-working, no nonsense mother of a teenager who won’t sell either her business or the secret recipe. Is he really interested in Grace or does he just see her as a stepping stone to another business deal? What will it take for these characters to turn their lives around and begin to trust in love again?
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 5/5
Category: General Fiction, Romance
Notes: Standalone
Publication: February 14, 2023—Mountlake
Memorable Lines:
She was wearing a five-dollar thrift store dress, but she was riding in a modern-day golden chariot, and she had to admit that the excitement bouncing around in the back of the limo was contagious.
“The way to a man’s heart might be through his stomach, but the way to a woman’s heart is through her family.”
“Honey, I’m swimming with the dolphins.” Beezy held up her tote bag. “I’ve got my bathing suit right here, and I don’t give a rip if my hair gets wet. At my age, we got to do what we can when we can, because tomorrow we might be too old and decrepit to even feed ourselves.”
Unnatural History–crime novel
Unnatural History
by Jonathan Kellerman
Dr. Alex Delaware is a psychologist with great insight into the workings of the human mind. He freelances working with the courts as an expert witness, often in family court when there is a custody conflict. In his spare time, he goes to crime scenes when his friend Milo, a homicide lieutenant requests his input which he only does when he sees that a case is going to be “different.”
The case in Unnatural History is indeed very different. A rich young man working out of a bare bones photography studio is found murdered. He has been giving homeless people a makeover according to their fantasy dream career. He pays each one $500 cash, and everything is on the up and up. Everyone has only kind words to say about the deceased, but his family background is sad and he had learning difficulties. Milo, Alex, and several younger detectives try to make sense out of the case, interviewing multiple, often foggy, homeless people. They are also trying to locate the victim’s extremely rich, reclusive father who seems to make a hobby of marrying, siring a child, and divorcing, leaving a trail of wealthy half brothers and sisters who barely know each other. Things get even crazier when some of the victim’s photographic subjects become victims themselves. There are lots of suspects and possible motivations, and Alex and Milo have to bring their A game to this case.
One of the things I like about this book is the way the author treats the rampant homelessness in Los Angeles. So many people take the extreme view of “these poor people are just victims” or at the other end of the spectrum that the fault is all their own, a result of their sinful nature or lack of self-discipline. In fact, homelessness has many causes and manifestations from drug and alcohol use to mental problems. Via Alex, the author takes the reader through a brief history of changes in government policies without funding to support the necessary programs. I remember these changes in the 1970’s, and the discussion of it in the book is accurate.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Rating: 5/5
Category: Mystery and Thriller, General Fiction
Notes: 1. #38 in the Alex Delaware series, but absolutely could be read as a standalone. The mystery depends on the case, not on character development.
2. As a crime novel, there are, of course, victims, but there is no play by play depiction of the violence.
3. Psychological issues are present, but the book does not drop into the realm of creepy.
4. Contains a lot of swearing, but no sex.
Publication: February 7, 2023—Ballantine (Random House)
Memorable Lines:
When you’re all strung up, there’s nothing less helpful than being told to calm down. But cops aren’t therapists and confronting anxiety kicks in their own fears of madness and impulse. So they keep saying it and getting nowhere and the beat goes on.
I did ask him what it was like working with the unhomed community in general. He said they were prisoners of circumstances and that created unnatural histories for them.
“Something with money, I assume?” “Why would you assume that?” “Because money is like dirt, Lieutenant. When it is skimpy dust, no one cares. When it collects into a mountain, people do crazy things to climb it.”
education pathways 