Spy Hunt in Dixie by Max Connelly

I was looking forward to reading this book but was very disappointed. The beginning was terrific and I was hooked. Then out of the blue it started reading like another author took over. That is when I lost interest. However, when I am asked to review a book by an author, I have an open mind and was dedicated to finish the book hoping for a return to the beginning hook. I'm sorry to say it never happened.

 

I started reading the book on my flight to visit my mother. I was so confused 35% of the way into the story, that I thought I would reread it from the beginning to my mother. She is an avid reader and loves history. I said nothing to her about my thoughts, just telling her it's a book I said I would read and review.

 

We thought we were either stupid or going crazy with how the book was written. Like I mentioned before, the difference in writing styles were integrated into the story and it was extremely confusing. We weren't sure who was doing what or what was going on much of the time. There were so many points of view, but I don't think Max Connelly has mastered how to write whose point of view the reader is supposed to be reading.

 

There were also many times I thought I knew what a word or phrase meant, but it was used incorrectly, therefore continuing to make the story more confusing.

 

By the time we were 73% into the book, we were both counting the pages to be finished. The end of the book being the most confusing, we had no idea what was going on with which characters. There were so many characters and so many name changes, it was just absurd.

 

Avoiding naming certain political characters in the very end I'm figuring was a bias on Max Connelly's part, but once again, not really sure.

 

Most of the book felt like I was reading what I would read from a political reporter. This was supposed to be historical fiction. I felt like I could tell when Max was writing (which I actually enjoyed) and when this phantom writer took over.

 

I am sorry to say I cannot recommend this book for anyone in particular because of the writing, point of view confusion, and too many characters without enough depth to make the story enjoyable and not confusing.

Harriet Beamer Takes the Bus by Joyce Magnin

Harriet Beamer Takes the Bus is a fun story about a 72 year old widow who loses a bet resulting in her moving across the country to live with her only son and his wife.

Harriet Beamer lived a quiet life in Philadelphia with her dog, Humphrey. She has a best friend, Martha, who she loves very much. Her son, Henry, and his wife, Prudence, live in California with their cat, Sandra Day.

When hanging Christmas decorations at home, Harriet falls and breaks her ankle. She didn’t think it was broken, so she felt confident when she made a bet with Prudence that if it was indeed broken, she would sell her home and move to California to live with them. She lost the best.

Harriet didn’t want to squelch on her bet, so she sold her home and most of her belongings, and moved to Henry and Prudence’s home in California. She made an astonishing decision to take a bus to California, vs. a quick plane ride. She wanted to live a little and experience life before settling in with her family in her new home.

She collected salt and pepper shakers and realized her collection was accumulated from other people’s travels. She wanted to obtain her own collection and planned her trip around this new quest.

Harriet Beamer Takes the Bus is full of unexpected adventures readers of every age will enjoy. It’s great fun to share Harriet’s journey across the country where she discovers a lot about herself. She thinks she has a future and that God has a plan mapped out just for her.

I felt Joyce Magnin enjoyed writing this book. It flowed beautifully and was a page turner till the end. I particularly enjoyed learning a bit about our country’s historical places where Harriet visited on her trip.

It’s an enjoyable quick and easy read with memorable characters.  I would love to see a sequel to this book to see how Harriet’s life turns out living in California with Henry, Prudence, Humphrey, and Sandra Day.

Need You Now by Beth Wiseman

A family coping with everyday struggles is the gist of Need You Now. A stay at home mom, a dad working his way to partnership, and three children who are not perfect describes this religious family.

The story begins with the family’s move from the city of Houston, TX to out in country in an effort to improve their life. Their son, Chad, was in trouble, and they thought leaving the city would be a fresh start.

Chad improves, but their daughter, Gracie, develops major life threatening problems, brought on by stress. Their youngest daughter has special needs, and the marriage is in trouble at one point. So all is not well and Beth Wiseman takes us through the journey of these struggles.

The book is a nice wholesome story where families may read together and discuss what they would do if they were in any of the situations. There are lessons to learn.

However, I thought it was a bit too perfect. For the situations Beth Wiseman introduces and includes in her story, I feel they should have been expounded on. I feel more realistic dialogue was needed.

I was disappointed with the ending. I felt the characters needed more closure for the readers. It left some characters and their struggles hanging.  This may be the author’s purpose, if she has a sequel in mind.

The best friend of Darlene, the mother, was a strong character in the story. Once again I would have liked her to have been given more depth.

I recommend Need You Now for families who read Christian based books. It certainly is a nice story, especially to those who pray to God and have a strong faith.

Willow Pond by Carol Tibaldi

A crime story set in the 1930’s complete with speakeasies and gangsters. A toddler, Todd, is kidnapped while playing at Willow Pond with his nanny. His mother, Laura, a suppressed housewife at the time, and his father, Phillip, a famous actor, try to find their missing boy.

Crimes in the 1930’s were solved by police and newspaper reporters. In this investigation, it took about a year and a half because of incompetence by both.

Laura lived with her Aunt Virginia for most of her life after her parents died in an accident. Virginia was the owner of a speakeasy and had questionable connections. She used them to help find Todd.

Most of the story’s tension comes from the relationship between Laura and Virginia. Laura wants to become her own woman after being stifled in her marriage, and Virginia is a very strong and powerful woman. They clash during their efforts to find Todd, each using different methods, and Laura has a hard time in the end when Virginia’s hidden tactics comes to light.

Willow Pond flows beautifully as Tibaldi masters introducing and building her characters. She integrates the history of the era when apropos.

Tibaldi sheds light on how a woman owner of a speakeasy spends her day, how cops and reporters try to solve crimes back in the day, and how women are perceived in and out of marriage.

Tibaldi includes romance to Willow Pond. What would a good story be without lovers and tough decisions? Laura has her share of ups and downs and readers will enjoy the ride.

I recommend Willow Pond for readers who enjoy romance and crime. It’s a quick and easy read.

I would have liked to see more history of the time period integrated throughout the story.

As far as Laura’s character is concerned, for me, I just didn’t like her. She drove me crazy! There was not enough effort being done to find her son and she went on with her life way too fast and cheerfully to suit me during the year and a half. I realize one must go on, but I thought Laura should have experienced more anguish during such a time. Instead she had it pretty easy and it seemed her character would have been more realistic if the scale was tipped more in hardship than good times.

I was born and raised on Long Island so I was very familiar with Suffolk County and all the towns in the story. With this in mind, it was quite the read for me.

One Last Love by Derek Haines

They took ‘it’s never too late’ to a whole new level!

A beautifully written love story with a message of tolerance is what Derek Haines brings to his readers. His main character, Bonnie, as he likes to be called, is transferred from a hospital to a hospice to live out his last days. It’s here that he sheds his grumpy old bastard reputation and his prejudices with a little help from another patient, Madeleine, his unexpected last love.

Bonnie shares his last days with patients he held strong opinions about in life, to name just a few; a homosexual, a typical teenager he would never have related to, and a pompous ‘prat’. All contributed to changing Bonnie’s lifelong perceptions. His awakening, being in the last days of his life, may not have made any impact except for a last minute mea culpa, but Derek tells the story in such a way that you will be forced to think about your own attitudes.

Bonnie’s life wasn’t a barrel of laughs; he had crosses to bear, like many of us. A bad marriage which ended in a suicide, bad relationships, and losing his son at age 11. He hid his insecurities by being brash, but as Madeleine says, “Everyone knows you’ve got a soft centre under that grumpy crust of yours.”

I recommend One Last Love for those who enjoy a thought provoking romantic story with subliminal messages. For Bonnie, he experienced an epiphany in his last days of life. Along with that, he fell in love, perhaps the truest love in his life. If not for Madeleine and his new friends, he would have died alone.

I was left with one final message in One Last Love. Don’t be afraid to be open-minded and let people in. One shouldn’t wait for companionship and love until the last days of your life, even if unexpected as was the case with Bonnie and Madeleine. They took ‘it’s never too late’ to a whole new level!

Derek Haines, as always, brings his characters to life. Each one will captivate your heart. Readers will truly enjoy meeting Bonnie and his last minute friends who change his life if only for a few days.

A Song For My Mother by Kat Martin

A Song For My Mother by Kat Martin

While picking up my books on hold at the library, A Song For My Mother was being displayed on a shelf above my books. It’s a small book so I picked it up and read the book flap. Since it was a very short story I figured why not. It’s not one I would have read if not for being displayed, so I took it home. I try to expand the genres I read.

The story was about a mother’s love for her children. The mother in the story gets a chance to explain to her grown daughter why she made the choices she made when her daughter was young.

After 12 years of not seeing or talking to her mom, and after hearing the reason why her mother made the choices she did, the daughter forgave her and everyone lived happily ever after.

I assume readers finished the story feeling good that all is forgiven and a good life was lived by all. I did not have this feeling. I think the mother made the wrong choices. I’m not even sure I would forgive the mother. I understand her daughter’s reason for leaving home and not communicating with her mother for 12 years.

However, the story itself was touching and the characters fit the story. But to me it lacked substance so I looked at it from a different perspective as I always try to bring something positive from a book I didn’t really enjoy. What I realized was Kat Martin’s dialogue sounded effortless and spontaneous. It was literary genius.

As any aspiring writer does, I read to improve my writing skills. A Song For My Mother is a great book to improve writing dialogue. It’s the perfect model to emulate.

A writer may take classes, purchase writing books, and write daily to improve. I learn better reading books by authors who have mastered writing dialogue, along with taking classes, purchasing writing books, and writing daily!

I recommend A Song For My Mother for readers who enjoy romance novels and feel good stories that have happy endings.

For aspiring writers, I recommend A Song For My Mother for its outstanding dialogue!

Clover Adams: A Gilded and Heartbreaking Life by Natalie Dykstra

Natalie Dykstra writes a well-written detailed biography of Marion (Clover) Adams. She was Henry Adams wife. Henry was President John Adams great-grandson and President John Quincy Adams grandson. The book is an enjoyable read rich in facts about the mysterious life of Clover Adams. The author includes the works of Henry Adams and the history of The Gilded Age.

For the time period, one would surmise Clover and Henry’s marriage and life were appropriate. Both were educated coming from influential families. Although they married later in life than most for the era, they were able to share their love for the good things in life. Both were intelligent and good companions to one another. They never had children.

However, as time went on, Clover felt unrest in her life and her marriage. She became desperate in many ways trying to figure out why she was unhappy. Henry was no help, as most men were not nurturing during that time, so Clover felt isolated in her depression. Clover only knew she felt sad, lonely, and unfulfilled. She tried to find something to make her happy and feel worthwhile so she took up photography. This was a double edged sword because it did help Clover feel better; however, it wasn’t highly regarded as art. She took many photos and had her ups and downs during this time. She had a complicated family which at times added to her sadness, other times brought her happiness. She had a close relationship with her father. When he died, this was the beginning of the worst depression for Clover. She truly did not recover from his loss.

So while Clover was suffering, Henry was also depressed. At the same time she was losing members of her family and it all became too much for Clover. She committed suicide on December 6, 1885. She was 42 years old. What gave her hope was what ended up killing her. She drank the chemicals she used to develop her photographs.

Natalie Dykstra suggests the answers to why Clover took her life may be seen in her photographs. Natalie’s extensive research includes Clover’s notebook, letters, and family papers. From this research Natalie was able to describe to her readers Clover’s daily life, her thoughts and feelings. It describes life in the 19th century.

The book contains 31 extraordinary photos. One is a photo of an untitled bronze statue named, “Grief” that marks the graves of Clover and Henry. It is located in Rock Creek Cemetery in Washington, D.C. It’s sad, but people only know she was the wife of Henry Adams and that she killed herself.

Thanks to Natalie Dykstra, we know there was much more to Clover Adams.