The Victory Garden by Rhys Bowen
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I'm kind of on a Historical Fiction kick, featuring stories placed in the 1900s during either of the two World Wars. I came across this gem and LOVED it, even though it took more than half the book to get to the "point" of the initial synopsis, and it was FILLED with an abundance of niceties & conveniences.

Plot: The "plot" is about an upper-class girl, coming of age in British high-society in the middle of WW1. Upon turning twenty-one, she defies her parents in every polite way possible and in an effort to be near the man she has (semi-quickly) fallen in love with, she joins the Women's Land Army, and from there follows the circumstances where they lead her as they happen TO her.

Characters: Emily is the main character we follow through this book. She is privileged & hard-headed, educated & courageously cavalier in her naivete. Yes, she puts her foot down and "stands up" for what she wants in life; going against the grain of polite society as far as the expectations placed on her; but as a good, strong, character... I believe she falls quite flat. As do the other (supporting) characters. All of their voices, though some more distinct than others, all sound more like a bit of chatter really. If anything, I'd say this story was more plot-driven than character-driven. Everything happened TO her and she REACTED, instead of her DECISIONS being what changed the course of her fate.

The Writing: The writing was done well, no complaints here. The cadence and prose were enjoyable and written in 3rd person POV, from Emily's POV.

In Case You Wanted to Know: This book was fairly sweet and innocent, like a PG-13 movie. Anything "bad" was politely glossed over. Which, for me, seemed appropriate for the posh societal setting of the early 1900s this story takes place in.

Overall: Few books have made me want to start Book Tube videos as this one has. I expected one thing and got something completely different. I expected the plotline to be threaded much earlier in the book but was perfectly okay with that not being the case... because, all in all, it was a pleasant story to read.

ALSO... Ms. Bowen- I see what you did there at the end with the name association.

And there it is folks... the moment I threw my pen across the room and decided I'd begin to add Book Tube videos to my You Tube channel.

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The Woman in the Moonlight by Patricia Morrisroe
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I fell in love with Moonlight Sonata way back in the late 90s when I played as Jill in the first Resident Evil game. Ever since it's been on every one of my playlists, and I listen to (it) almost daily. I, however, never gave any thought to the story behind such an emotionally charged masterpiece. This novel takes care of that for me (thank goodness), even though I never knew I'd wanted to know until I read the synopsis... And oh my gosh- what an imagining this novel is. I felt SO much. My heart ached. My spirit soared. I cried. I laughed. I cringed. I'm just overwhelmed with the beauty the author captured and I refuse to think Beethoven wrote 'Moonlight' under any circumstances.

Also, kudos to Ms. Morrisroe for capturing the *madness* within. This was a heavy read in all the right ways; illustrating life & the political games of Europe in the 1800s while telling the story of a mysterious woman in Beethoven's small, social circle: Countess Julie Guicciardi.

Trigger warnings for rape and miscarriage.

I just want you to read this novel. Then listen to Moonlight Sonata en loop. This book gives life and a plausible explanation in a heartbreaking way to what has always been an unexplainably beautiful and gut-wrenching composed piece of art.

To sum up, this novel is written from Julie's POV is 1st person, and there's a quote she "says" which is so relatable to who I was when I first heard that enchanted melody: "I was accustomed to loving absent men." And that's a *mood* if ever I read one.

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Across the Winding River by Aimie K. Runyan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ever since I read Shari J Ryan's "Last Words", I have been fairly obsessed with WWII era novels. Both of my parents were born during WWII and grew up feeling the after-effects of the war in China & Europe... Anyway, this was a bittersweet tale of lost & forbidden love- a US Jewish Dentist overseas as a field doctor, and he ends up meeting a German Resister and this turns into a love affair that can't be forgotten 60 some odd years later as the dentist, faces his own mortality.

Told from (the dentist) Max's POV during WWII, Johanna's POV in WWII (his love interest's sister), and Beth's (present-day/Max's daughter) POV, all using 1st person POV. It sounds like it could get confusing, but the author did a nice job of developing clear voices and traits for her three main characters.

Was there anything "special" about this novel that makes it "stand out"? No, sorry, but- no. I wasn't moved or invested, but I would read a novel about WWII over almost any other, any day. And this one was written well. I liked the story, but I REALLY liked the writing style-more. I guess for a historical novel, based in that time period, I expected more pain/suffering & the ultimate overcoming of adversity that's familiar to that type of novel; and I think the 3 storytellers actually detracted from what could have been an engrossing tale.

This was an interesting read and approach to telling the story of a character who's own voice you never really get to hear. For the artistry alone, I would recommend it, but stay till the end because it does have a lovely conclusion.

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Condo by Kerry Costello
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Despite the setting being Florida & the beachy/resort environment one associates with "Florida", I would also categorize this book as a "beach read", and here's why...

The murder/mystery plot was enough to keep me interested although as far as "believability" goes, this one really stretches the possibilities. I mean, the knit together details are solid but extreme. And in this day and age, I'm just not sure how copacetic it is to read/write a story where an older white man is totally given carte blanche to take over a murder mystery after being suspected as a suspect, to begin with. Sure, that probably happens, but since I don't relate to that kind of privilege (no, not an SJW, just grew up poor, so not about that life), I honestly didn't care for it. But to be fair, the story is based in an apartment complex in Florida where the majority of people there are retired, semi-wealthy, white people. So I'm sure in some ways this whole premise and audacious-ness are realistic to someone out there? Basically, this isn't for me, but it was still a good quick read that read easily. 3.5 stars.

*I received a free copy in exchange for my honest review.

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Absolute Sunset by Kata Mlek
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I was asked to review this book, way back in 2016, I think? Shortly after that, my life got a little crazy and this book, along with several others, was put aside and forgotten about. Long story short... wow. This book was horribly good. Here's what I mean...

Plot: An abused child (yeah, it starts out that deep & dark), living with her parents in modern-day Poland, is haunted by a raven in her dreams, which only leads to trouble and heartache further on as the story progresses.

Characters: We get to see Hanka grow up from a seven-year-old to an adult. I hate her story, but only because so much of it is familiar in so many ways. Her parents remind me of my parents but in reverse. For Hanka, the alcoholic abuser is her mother, the enabler- her father. The story pretty much revolves around these three (and the raven) and I can say that each character was fleshed out & believable even if unlikeable.

The Writing: The story itself was easy to read cadence/prose-wise. There is a bit of syntax difference due to Ms. Mlek being a native Polish speaker and a few spelling mistakes... but nothing that got in the way of enjoying this dark story told in 3rd person POV.

In case you wanted to know: Dude. This is NOT a happy, feel-good story. It is dark and upsetting. There is child abuse (physical & neglect) and it is written in a normalized way. If reading this type of story offends you- you'll want to skip it. If you think it might trigger you- skip it. If however, you were raised in & survived an abusive upbringing, & have mostly healed/overcame all that comes from being abused as a child AND also (forgot to mention) can relate to a mental break & mental issues without wanting to self-harm- then you might be okay to read this. For anyone/everyone else- also know that there is infanticide, general poverty, alcoholism, infidelity, and lots of death.

Overall: So why would I rate this a 4.5/5 star? Because I wasn't expecting it. I wasn't expecting to feel so much for a character as I did for Hanka. And although this didn't leave me feeling all sweet & mushy- it DID leave a memorable mark on my damaged brain. I would recommend to anyone who is willing to go dark.



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