The Crucible by Arthur Miller

The Crucible by Arthur Miller
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.0/5.0 - It's hard to believe that I've never read this before, it is such a timeless classic. Everyone knows the story of the Salem witch trials, Miller's retelling is beautifully done. There are lessons to be learned, the dangers of mass hysteria, the bravery of honest men and women who will die, rather than confess what they did not do.
Book 198 of 2021

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Until Tuesday: A Wounded Warrior and the Golden Retriever Who Saved Him by Luis Carlos Montalván

Until Tuesday: A Wounded Warrior and the Golden Retriever Who Saved Him by Luis Carlos Montalván
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.0/5.0 - This was an excellent book, although a difficult one at times for me to read. The author is a decorated 17 year army veteran, who suffers from PTSD and numerous other medical ailments after several tours of duty in Iraq. He is at a very low point in his life when he finds out about a program that matches highly trained dogs with wounded warriors. While it takes a while for Tuesday and Luis to bond, once they do, it is for a lifetime. Tuesday helps Luis regain confidence to navigate the world, and he goes on to become an advocate for veterans and pursue two masters degrees, as well as become a sought after speaker. He helps to formulate policy for veterans, inspiring the Service Dogs for Veterans Act in 2009.
It was a great book, but the content describing his war experiences was hard to read, and the discrimination and difficulties that returning veterans face was heartbreaking. But intermixed with that was the story of the wonderful dog, Tuesday.
Book 197 of 2021

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The Summer Seekers by Sarah Morgan

The Summer Seekers by Sarah Morgan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

5.0/5.0 - I feel like I have to give this 5 stars, just based on the fact that I got up in the middle of the night to finish it. Kathleen is a feisty eighty year old woman, who reevaluates her life after a run-in with a midnight intruder. Liza, her forty year old daughter, is Kathleen's opposite is many ways. Where Kathleen is bold and adventurous, and was a distant parent, Liza is cautious and focuses her life on raising her daughters. There is tension between them, and never so much as when Kathleen decides to fly to America and take a road trip across Rt. 66 with Martha, a unknown 25 year old, as her driver. Martha is gregarious, but lacks in self-confidence after a bad breakup.
The road trip is a turning point for all three woman, and a renewal of Kathleen and Liza's relationship. I found all the characters, scoundrels and worrywarts alike, to be well developed and likeable. The inclusion of Rt. 66 made it all the more fun, as it is a trip I'd like to take myself.
Book 194 of 2021

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Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain

Big Lies in a Small Town by Diane Chamberlain
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.0/5.0 - This is the second book that I've read in which a mural created during the WPA project played a major role in the story (see Prayers the Devil Answers), and the topic has fascinated me enough to create a list for it: (https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/1...). Feel free to add additional books to it.
The author tells the story of the mural in a dual timeline, during its initial creation by Anna Dale, and during its restoration by Morgan Christopher. Anna is a young woman from New Jersey, who wins a national contest to create post office murals in 48 states. She is chosen to create a mural in Edenton, NC. She arrives, young and naïve, and unprepared for the racism that she finds there. She befriends a young black artist named Jesse Williams, and it is he who ties the whole story together. The story of the creation of the mural, its long hidden history, and the restoration makes for an interesting tale of mystery, intrigue and saving grace.
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Book 192 of 2021

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Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.0/5.0 - Wow, this was so good! I'm am not normally a fan of science fiction, but Philip K. Dick writes books that really intrigue me. There are so many layers, so much to think about, and such great detail. One thing that makes it especially interesting is that it was written in 1968, but takes place in 2021!
Book 188 of 2021

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St. Peter's Fair by Ellis Peters

St. Peter's Fair by Ellis Peters
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.0/5.0 - My first foray into the Brother Cadfael mystery series, I first read about it in a cozy mystery series (The Spice Shop mysteries?) and then found it for free in the Audible Plus catalog. It was actually very enjoyable, both the character development and the attention to detail given to the setting - medieval England, during the reign of King Stephen, this being part of the plot that is revealed at the end.
Book 187 of 2021

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Florence Adler Swims Forever by Rachel Beanland

Florence Adler Swims Forever by Rachel Beanland
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.0/5.0 - I had no idea what this book was about when I started it, but it turned out to be a character driven literary fiction book about family, loyalty, love, betrayal, and the lengths you would go to, and the costs you would willingly incur to protect those you love.
Florence is a 20 year old youngest child of Esther and Joseph Adler. It is 1934, she is training to swim the English Channel. Then one day, she drowns, and her family's life is turned upside down. Her older sister, Fannie, is on bedrest in hospital, awaiting a high risk baby. Her mother decides to keep Florence's death a secret from Fannie, at great cost. The book is told from multiple perspectives, including Fannie's 7 year old daughter, Gussie, her husband, Isaac, and Anna and Stuart's. Each person adds to the richness of the tale.
This book is actually based on a true story from the author's family, and in the endnotes, she explains the differences and similarities.
Book 186 of 2021

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Boundary Waters by William Kent Krueger

Boundary Waters by William Kent Krueger
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.0/5.0 - It has been several years since I read book one, although I've danced my way around eight other random books in the series, so I'm a little hazy about why Cork and Jo are on the outs in the beginning. No matter, though, I enjoyed the book nonetheless.
Cork is approached by multiple parties to help find a missing young woman, a musician named Shiloh, whose mother Cork had a huge schoolboy crush on. All around Shiloh, people are dying, but why? Who are the bad guys, and who the good? We finally find out in the end. The subplot of the young Ojibwe boy named Louis TwoFeathers was especially good, and I hope we hear more about him in future books.
Book 185 of 2021

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Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron

Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World by Vicki Myron

I rarely blog about books I dislike, this is an exception.
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

2.0/5.0 - There's part of me that feels guilty about not liking this book very much. It's about books, and libraries, and a cat - or is it? Too much of the book is about the author's crappy life, her illnesses, the cat's illnesses, how bad a mother she was (her words), how great the town was, her family's illnesses - you get my point. It wasn't a joyful book, or an endearing one. Honestly, I just couldn't wait to be done with it. Others may disagree with me, that's fine. As Ranganathan's laws of library science state: "Every reader his or her book" and "Every book its reader." We won't and don't have to all enjoy the same book!
Book 184 of 2021

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A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway

A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4.0/5.0 - It has probably been 50 years since I've read a book by Ernest Hemingway, so this short memoir about his time in Paris in the early 1920s was interesting to me. He talks about his friendships with Gertrude Stein, Ezra Pound, Scott Fitzgerald and others. Throughout the book, he speaks of his great love for his wife, Hadley, all the while foreshadowing their eventual breakup. All in all, this book has encouraged me to seek out more of his writing.
Book 182 of 2021

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Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley

Parnassus on Wheels by Christopher Morley
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.5 rounded to 4 stars - What's not to like about a novella written in 1917 about a traveling book salesman who spreads the joy of reading to everyone he meets? Roger Mifflin is a retired schoolmaster who has outfitted a wagon and travels around New England countryside. When he decides to sell Parnassus (where the Muses live), he seeks out an author, Andrew McGill, but meets his sister Helen, instead. Helen is tired of housekeeping for Andrew and decides to buy Parnassus for herself. There are adventures to be had, love to be found, and some books to be sold before this charming novella ends.
Book 178 of 2021

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Love at First by Kate Clayborn

Love at First by Kate Clayborn
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

3.5 rounded to 4.0 stars - This book was a little slow in the beginning, but about 1/3 of the way in I didn't want to put it down. Will, a young doctor, is left an apartment/condo by his uncle that he only met once, sixteen years before. On that day, he also saw Nora for the first time, and fell for her. Sixteen years later, they meet again, although for Nora, it's the first time. They are attracted to each other, but their new relationship is fraught with landmines, the apartment, their families, their upbringing. Slowly, they work their way through things.
I liked the way the author built the relationship, not rushing things. I enjoyed the setting - Chicago, and the development of the cast of characters. One thing I felt was missing was more about the Donny/Will/Will's mother relationship. Why did Donny dislike her so intensely? What was in the book? This part felt a little unfinished to me. Overall, though, I enjoyed this book.
Book 175 of 2021

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