The Wife, the Maid, and the Mistress. Finished 2-19-14, rating 4.75/5, historical fiction, 308 pages, pub. 2014

A tantalizing reimagining of a scandalous mystery that rocked the nation in 1930-Justice Joseph Crater’s infamous disappearance-as seen through the eyes of the three women who knew him best.

They say behind every great man, there’s a woman. In this case, there are three. Stella Crater, the judge’s wife, is the picture of propriety draped in long pearls and the latest Chanel. Ritzi, a leggy showgirl with Broadway aspirations, thinks moonlighting in the judge’s bed is the quickest way off the chorus line. Maria Simon, the dutiful maid, has the judge to thank for her husband’s recent promotion to detective in the NYPD. Meanwhile, Crater is equally indebted to Tammany Hall leaders and the city’s most notorious gangster, Owney “The Killer” Madden.

from Goodreads

Since joining the women at She Reads last September I have received a monthly treat in my mailbox – a book that I may not have chosen, but once read, I loved.  This was no exception. I definitely would not have picked this up on my own (gangsters, prohibition and showgirls are not my thing really), but once I started I was immediately drawn into their world.  I could feel the smoky rooms, smell the liquor and hear the jazz of the early 1930’s.  The fact that this was based on a true story, the disappearance of a New York Supreme Court judge, that has never been solved added extra interest.  Now that I’ve read Lawhon’s take on it I am more curious about what really happened and I’m in good company since this is a mystery that tantalized the public for a good 50 years.

Told from the perspective of the three women in Crater’s life, his perfect wife, his flashy mistress and his hard-working maid, this book keeps you on your toes as you jump from one woman to another.  There were also changes in the time frame thrown in that kept me off-balance but in a good way as it kept momentum moving forward.  I loved the women, although Stella did perplex me at times, and was rooting for them all to have their happy ending.  There was no shortage of very bad things happening to people in the story, so a happy ending was not in the cards for everyone.

This book really did have a little bit of everything. There were really bad bad guys, politicians without morals, the glitz of New York City, sexy showgirls, hardworking people trying to better themselves, lies, heartbreak, and, of course, murder.  I loved it.

If you want to see the real pictures of the major players and find out why Lawthon was intrigued, read here.  Also, there is an awesome giveaway for book clubs with very cool shot glasses here.

I received this book from She Reads.  Go on over and see what other bloggers think about this one.

Blackberry Winter. Finished audio 2-6-14, rating 3.75/5, fiction. pub. 2012

Unabridged audio 10 hours 6 minutes.  Read by Tara Sands

Seattle, 1933. Single mother Vera Ray kisses her three-year-old son, Daniel, goodnight and departs to work the night-shift at a local hotel. She emerges to discover that a May-Day snow has blanketed the city, and that her son has vanished. Outside, she finds his beloved teddy bear lying face-down on an icy street, the snow covering up any trace of his tracks, or the perpetrator’s.
Seattle, 2010. Seattle Herald reporter Claire Aldridge, assigned to cover the May 1 “blackberry winter” storm and its twin, learns of the unsolved abduction and vows to unearth the truth. In the process, she finds that she and Vera may be linked in unexpected ways…

from Goodreads

I read The Violets of March a few years ago and loved it, so I was happy to see a quick return visit to our friends on Bainbridge Island in this book.  I still love Jio’s writing, but this one missed the mark of being great read for me.  Still good, still want to read her other books, but this one won’t be making my favorite list.

I like the alternating storylines, and that’s a good thing since everyone seems to be doing it these days, and Jio does it so well.  We start with Vera, a very poor single mom trying to raise her young son during the Depression-era.  She has to work at night and sometimes has to leave Daniel alone in their small apartment above a tavern.  As the story moves along we learn who Daniel’s father is and why he’s not in their lives anymore.  Claire is the modern-day storyline.  She is a reporter who has married into a very wealthy family, but has suffered a loss that is causing the crumbling of her marriage.

As with any alternating storyline plot there are always going to be coincidences that connect the two, you expect it and accept it, but there were just so many in this one, too many for my logical brain to accept.  And I did have a likeability problem with Claire. She was whiny for much of the book and I get that that was the place she was in at the time, but it didn’t make me all that invested in her story.  It was Vera and Daniel’s story that drew me in. I wanted to know what had happened to him!

A note about the audio production, I hated the voices the narrator used for the men.  She was fine otherwise, but the men in the story suffered.  I checked the audio out of the library.

I liked this one, didn’t love it, and can’t wait to read more from Jio.

Inferno. Finished 1-29-13, rating 4.25/5,  thriller, 462 pages, pub. 2013

Robert Langdon #4

In the heart of Italy, Harvard professor of symbology Robert Langdon is drawn into a harrowing world centered on one of history’s most enduring and mysterious literary masterpieces . . . Dante’s Inferno.

Against this backdrop, Langdon battles a chilling adversary and grapples with an ingenious riddle that pulls him into a landscape of classic art, secret passageways, and futuristic science. Drawing from Dante’s dark epic poem, Langdon races to find answers and decide whom to trust . . . before the world is irrevocably altered.

from Goodreads

I read the reviews when this came out that it was just another recycled Dan Brown book, so I put it on the backburner, and picked it up at the library last week with low  expectations.  I’ll be honest and say I do think this does follow a formula, but for me it’s a formula that works.  As for it being recycled I disagree.  The bad guy in this one is more complex than some of his others (especially the tattooed Lost Symbol guy) and I loved that this book tackled a very real issue of today, overpopulation.  And our dear professor was not to be relied on since he was suffering from amnesia, which I personally found lame.

This book took us back to Italy, Florence and Venice, and I was happy to revisit both of these beautiful cities.  I did think that Brown used way too much description and I wanted to read about the cities I love, unfortunately, I did find myself skimming some paragraphs when Langdon was escaping capture in Florence.  Which leads right into the biggest issue, for me.  The book needed some editing.  If I had to read (and each time more dramatic than the last) how the woman in charge of WHO was a broken soulless woman because she couldn’t have children one more time I was sure I would start swearing (ok, maybe the fifth time I did).  The book needed to be tighter, especially for the thriller it was intended to be.

“Zobrist asked the following: If you could throw a switch and randomly kill half the population on earth, would you do it?”

“Of course not.”

“Okay. But what if you were told that if you didn’t throw that switch right now, the human race would be extinct in the next hundred years?” She paused.:  “Would you throw it then?  Even if it meant you might murder friends, family, and possibly even yourself?”

(page 218)

I thought that by tackling the overpopulation issue Brown moved from the past to the future well.  Frankly, it was scary.  I haven’t read Dante’s Inferno and I must remedy that soon now that I’ve had a primer, but even so I’m sure it was a stretch to connect the two.  But that didn’t stop me from enjoying the ride.

I think this is better than the last one but not back on par with the first two Langdon books.  What did you think?

A Hundred Summers. Finished 1-7-14, rating 4/5, historical romantic fiction, 357 pages, pub. 2013

Memorial Day, 1938: New York socialite Lily Dane has just returned with her family to the idyllic oceanfront community of Seaview, Rhode Island, expecting another placid summer season among the familiar traditions and friendships that sustained her after heartbreak.

 That is, until Greenwalds decide to take up residence in Seaview.

from Goodreads

I fell in love with this story right away. The time period, Lily, the complicated friendships, Nick,  the mystery of how it all unraveled.  I was hooked.  I love reading about people who used to take whole summers off somewhere outside the city.  The rich and the idle are such interesting creatures and its fascinating to see how they spend their days.  Only in books though I find the rich and the idle in real life pretty boring.

The love story of Nick & Lily was beautifully written.  Nick was Jewish and while the world pre-WWII might have cared, Lily didn’t.  Lily saw him and fell hard and we find out that Nick fell hard too. I couldn’t understand what could break them apart and then when I did find out I was a little disappointed because it seemed small in comparison to how they felt.   But just like in real life, often misunderstandings or harsh words can cause more damage than they should.

I devoured this book faster than I expected (often books on my Nook only get read a few nights a week in bed) but it did fall apart for me toward the end. The soap opera like quality became too melodramatic for me and while I liked the end, it might have been nice to have more understanding of the characters than excitement over the weather.  I wanted a bit more from Budgie and Lily’s mom.

I loved most of this one but it ended up just a little less than that for me, but I consider myself a new fan and am really looking forward to her first book, Overseas.  It seems most bloggers who read both liked Overseas better.  I wouldn’t hesitate to recommend this to any romance lover.  Williams knows how to deliver romance for sure!

Question- If you got to spend every summer somewhere else where would you choose?  I’ll reveal my answer in the comments 🙂

Looking for Alaska. Finished audio 12-23-13, rating 4.25, YA, pub. 2005

Before. Miles “Pudge” Halter’s whole existence has been one big nonevent, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave the “Great Perhaps” (François Rabelais, poet) even more. Then he heads off to the sometimes crazy, possibly unstable, and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed-up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young, who is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart.

After. Nothing is ever the same.

I’d heard all of the hype surrounding John Green almost since I started blogging almost 6 years ago, but this was my first experience with him.  For the first half of the book I was entertained but a little confused about all the fuss, but then when the big event happened it made the book deeper and more poignant.  Lots of great discussion for teens and parents.  This is a great book for a young adult (15 or 16 and older?) and I have found a new YA author to check out and gift 🙂 

I checked the cds out of the library and was actually listening to it when I got into my car accident.  After some consideration I have decided not to hold this against the book or author.  Highly recommended.