ARC Review | The Color of Everything

4 stars

I devoured this book, like I do every other book about mountain climbing. But as much as this book is about climbing, it’s also about mental health and the struggles the author has had throughout life dealing with different mental health issues. For those expecting a book entirely devoted to climbing, this might come as a bit of a shock. However, it was quite insightful reading about Richards’ struggles with depression and bipolar disorder. Even though he’s known for achieving some pretty big things in the climbing world and struggling to attain those achievements, his struggles and achievements when dealing with his mental health are just as impressive.

The writing has a certain poetic nature to it, though it can feel choppy at times. However, I think it works with the story the author is trying to tell. The story itself is choppy; jumping from the avalanche that nearly took his life, to his childhood, to different climbs and the aftermath of quitting climbing, all while interspersed with stories of him crumbling under the weight of his mental health crises. At times you really feel for him, but then there are times you don’t. We all are responsible for our actions, but it feels as if the author doesn’t always take responsibility for his. And while there are times when his struggles with mental health may be to blame, I don’t feel as if this is always the case. However, I do applaud him for speaking candidly and openly, especially during his allegations of sexual harassment.

While I do wish there had been a little more regarding climbing, I was surprised on how much I enjoyed the rest of the book. Recommended for those who want a deeper look not only into the struggles of climbing, but the struggles of battling yourself.

ARC Review | The Calculation of You and Me

3.5

This took me a bit to get into, but I ended up enjoying it in the end. After Marlowe gets dumped by her boyfriend, she concocts a way to get him back by having a moody songwriter help her write romantic letters. Marlowe’s problem, according to her ex, is she isn’t romantic enough. Marlowe also happens to be autistic, which I think the author was using as part of the reason she wasn’t romantic enough for Josh. She doesn’t always pick up on social cues and is obsessed with mushrooms and math. She describes herself as the weird and unpopular girl who can’t understand why she gets asked out by Josh in the first place and can’t understand why he dumps her. The confusion continues when Ashton volunteers to be her partner for a class project, which is where she discovers his songwriting abilities and his romantic side.

The characters in this were all well-written, including the side characters. It showed that you can’t always judge someone by the way they dress or talk, and people can surprise us in many ways. It was easy to get frustrated at times because Ashton so very obviously had a thing for Marlowe, but she was still too obsessed with trying to get back Josh to notice. Of course, I’m sure we’ve all been there before in our lives. I know I have. It’s easy to get caught up in something you think you want, even if you know deep down it isn’t good for you.

There were lots of cute moments throughout the book, and I really enjoyed the ending. Recommended for those who enjoy YA contemporary romances without a lot of spice.

ARC Review | Middletide

3.5 stars

This is a very slow-paced mystery, spanning several timelines and decades as it meanders through the story. Those who enjoy faster paced books may find themselves frustrated with this, but it’s worth giving a shot if you don’t mind a slower pace. I generally prefer something a bit quicker, but the pacing here worked for me, as it helps set the tone of the story.

The writing is very good; you can feel the emotions of the characters and picture the location very well. Even though the town of Point Orchards is fictional, it’s easy to picture it as one of the actual towns on the Olympic Peninsula. I did enjoy the different timelines, as it helped add to the mystery. My biggest complaint was the ending. It felt a little too rushed and seemed to come together just a little too easily. Once the final witness was introduced, everything was over in a heartbeat. I also felt the murder was slightly unbelievable as to the reason it occurred. I don’t think it’s completely out of the realm of possibility as others have suggested, but it definitely makes you think as to the how and why.

For a debut, this is pretty solid, and I do think the author has a good future ahead of her in terms of writing. I’d be interested to see what she comes up with next.

ARC Review | Flawless Girls

3.5 stars

This book was definitely heavy-handed at times, but I still enjoyed it. It feels like less of a mystery and more of a social commentary described in very metaphorical terms. While I didn’t mind this for the most part, at times it got to be a bit too much. Also, the author’s note at the end irked me slightly. If you’re going to write something with such a blatantly obvious theme, you should trust your readers to know this and pick up on it. They don’t need it explained to them.

McLemore does have amazing prose, and I did like the overarching theme of there being more than one way to be a girl. But I would just like to point out that this goes for every facet of being a girl – if some girls like wearing dresses and makeup and being in high society, it’s okay. If some girls like wearing pants and tailored shirts, it’s okay. Just because you identify with one way of being a girl, doesn’t mean it’s okay for you rag on other girls that identify differently than you. This still seems to be an issue today, and it goes both ways.

I can see why this not may as well liked as some of their other books, but I think it’s worth checking out. Just know going into it that it’s probably not going to be what you expect.

ARC Review | Life After

3 stars

This wasn’t terrible, but I felt like it was lacking substance in a lot of places. The story deals with the aftermath of a global disaster brought on by climate change, though we aren’t given many details as to how exactly this all occurred. The reader is left to fill in the blanks, presumably with what they hear on the news now about climate change and how it can affect us.

The story is told in multiple POV’s and timelines, with a few chapters happening during the crisis, and the rest happening after the crisis. There are several plot lines that are followed, with each dealing with a set of characters navigating the world they live in. While it was interesting reading about each group’s struggles, I felt like the dialogue and flow needed to be cleaned up. There were times when the dialogue felt more along the lines of fan fiction, and the story didn’t always flow well, with events being disjointed and things entirely skipped over. At one point some of the characters are discussing how to move past a hostile group that have taken over a road, and instead of dealing with this in the story, it’s completely skipped over. If you’re going to mention a problem or issue the characters are dealing with, then you should also mention the solution. Completely ignoring the issue makes it feel like the author didn’t know how to resolve it, so they simply avoided writing about it at all.

I also had a lot of questions that were never answered, such as why Diego and Mia volunteered for the experiment they did, how it happened, etc. Also how was Jeremy never affected by the illnesses his family was? And how did Diego and Mia drive an electric car from Florida to Colorado with no issues? They took the car because they said gas stations were dried up and not working, but I’d think the same would be true for vehicle charging stations. Electricity doesn’t just magically appear out of nowhere. It’s generated at power plants, which use things like water, wind, and of course natural gas and coal. But without people making sure the plants are operating and keeping up with repairs, they would quit working and therefore quit producing electricity. And since charging stations are on whatever grid their power runs on and most of the world seems to be without electricity, this doesn’t seem plausible. Not to mention of course that if those charging stations were on a coal power grid, you’d be using an unclean power source to power your clean vehicle and contributing to the problem anyway. But I digress.

The story itself is good; it could just use some polishing when it comes to dialogue and events.

Local Bookstore Highlight – Marissa’s Books

Store front. You can see the old garage doors from its former use as a tire shop.

There are so many good local bookstores in the Salt Lake Valley, that I decided I wanted to show them a little love. First up is Marissa’s Books.

This shop started in a small location in Murray, and quickly grew to needing more space. They moved to a bigger location, but it was soon evident they’d need even more space. In 2020, they loved to their current location, an old tire shop in Millcreek. This location not only offers a lot of space, but it also has a very unique layout which adds to its charm.

One of the many walkways in the store, this one featuring the history section.

While their main focus is on used books, they also offer new books as well as a variety of gifts. I enjoy wandering around to see what interesting books I can find, as there is always new inventory. Many people (myself included) will drop off used books and then pick up more.

More nonfiction categories. The stairs at the back lead down to the vintage book area.

I think it’s important to shop locally when possible, as you’re supporting your local economy and helping keep local places in business. It was hard seeing so many places close because of the pandemic, so I do what I can for the remaining businesses in my area.

The vintage book area features several chairs to sit and read, along with other vintage items.

The narrow walkway featuring sci-fi and fantasy books. At the end is an opening into YA.

More benches to sit and read, along with classic novels.

I encourage everyone to shop locally, and if you’re ever in the Salt Lake area, stop by Marissa’s and show them some love!

Marissa’s Books and Gifts
3302 S 900 E
Millcreek, UT, 84106
https://marissasbooks.com

ARC Review | The Brightwood Code

4.5 stars

I started this book after work one day, intending to read just a couple of chapters before doing other things. I ended up reading about 85% before I’d even realized it, and decided to push through the last bit before the end of the day. It’s been a long time since I’ve read a full length book in a few hours, but this book was so gripping I couldn’t stop.

This book follows Edda, a former Hello Girl during World War I. I didn’t know much about the Hello Girls, as I’m not well-versed in much of WWI. They were bilingual English/French switchboard operators who helped connect the different American and French troops, and were essential to the war effort. Edda was discharged from her duty early and returned to the US, intending to forget her mistake which she believes cost the lives of the entire Forty-Eighth Baltimore Regiment. As we follow Edda, we learn more about how she became a Hello Girl, and what led up to the tragedy that caused her to return home. This book brilliantly crafts another aspect of the war that many people didn’t give much thought to and didn’t have words for – PTSD. Edda’s struggles with her PTSD are woven throughout the tale and offer great insight into her character.

I do have to say that I wasn’t expecting the ending at all. Everything is not as it seems, as Edda isn’t always the most reliable narrator due to her trauma. However, once you get to the end, you understand completely why Edda is suffering the way she is. There is a second part to the ending, which weaves in another thread of the story that packs an emotional punch. This story moves at a fast pace, with very few unnecessary words or scenes. It’s easy to get pulled in by the narration and even easier to keep flipping the pages to find out what really happened. Highly recommended for anyone who enjoys historical fiction with a bit of mystery involved. Just be prepared for an emotional rollercoaster.

ARC Review | Miss Morgan’s Book Brigade

4 stars

I am not nearly as familiar with WWI as I am WWII, so a lot of things mentioned in this book were new to me. The book follows Jessie Carson as she travels from New York to France to become a member of the American Committee for Devastated France (Comité Américain pour les Régions Dévastées de France), or CARD. I had never heard of CARD before, so I enjoyed reading about the committee and its members. Many of the characters in the book were real people, including Jessie Carson and the Annes, though others were created by the author.

The novel follows dual timelines, with the first being about Jessie during the war, and the second following Wendy, an NYPL librarian in 1987. Jessie is a librarian with the NYPL who joins CARD in order to help the people of France during the war. She believed that books were just as important to people as other necessities, and worked to create a library that villagers could enjoy. She ended up creating a bookmobile, as well as story hour for young children. We witness her struggles with trying to get these things created, along with the struggles of living so close to a war zone and being a Card (as they were called)

Wendy works at the NYPL, scanning and photographing old articles and photos for preservation. She comes across a box which contains information on the Cards and becomes fascinated with their many stories. She learns of Jessie and feels a kinship with her, as they both worked for the NYPL. She begins to research CARD and its members in hopes of tracking down Jessie and finding out what became of her.

The dual timeline worked well for this. Each woman had a distinct voice and their own story and struggles. My biggest issue was the ending. It felt rather abrupt, as it never actually goes over what happened to Jessie. We get some information on her after she left CARD and moved to Paris, but not a fully satisfying conclusion, which is an odd thing seeing as how Wendy was so obsessed with finding her and learning her story. In the author’s note at the end, we do get more information on her, but even then, we are left without the whole story. I ended up researching her myself after I finished the book to find out happened to her after France. The author’s note does include information on several other people in the book and includes some pictures, which I enjoyed. Even though I wasn’t satisfied with the ending, I still enjoyed this and recommend it to anyone who enjoys historical fiction and war novels, and definitely recommend learning more about the Cards and their role in WWI.

ARC Review | Catchpenny

3.5 stars

There is so much going on in this book that it’s sometimes hard to keep track of it all. Besides the many goings on, there are also a lot of terms associated with the magic – or mojo as it’s called – used that aren’t explained very well, which can leave readers in the dark as to what it all means. The basic premise follows the main character, Sid Catchpenny, as he gets called on by an old friend to help track down a missing teenager. It quickly becomes clear that there is much more going on than a simple missing persons case, but it all gets rather convoluted at times. Sid jumps from event to event rather quickly and literally, as he is one of the few people in the world who is a sly – a person who can travel almost instantaneously from one place to another by jumping through mirrors. He’s also one of those main characters that you’re supposed to be sympathetic towards, but it’s rather hard most of the time as he makes himself very unlikeable, much like every other character in this book. There isn’t a single character I really enjoyed. They are mostly tolerable, with a few that I couldn’t stand. When you don’t enjoy the characters, it can make it a lot harder to get through a story, as you can’t connect as well to what’s going on. I do have to say though that most of the characters played their parts well and served their purpose in the story, even if I couldn’t connect to them. Eventually I did come around to Sid as more of his story is explained, but even then, I didn’t love him.

As the events continue, they get rather ridiculous, which is saying a lot for a book that involves jumping through mirrors and collecting mojo off beloved items. However, I did like the underlying message from the final event of the book, even if I didn’t necessarily like everything leading up to it. The ending was ambiguous enough to believe that a sequel could be possible, though not necessary. I think I would have enjoyed this more had there been characters I could connect with more and parts of the magic system explained better. It is one of the most unique magic systems I’ve read about and one I did enjoy, but I wish we’d been given just a little more information on it. If there ends up being a sequel, I’ll pick it up, as I do want to know if a few of the loose ends get taken care of.

ARC Review | Off the Air

3 stars

This book is a perfect example of why I hate the news and media: reporters who will do anything to get a story and don’t seem to care about the people involved in them, news stations that are all about the likes on social media, and all of them not being unbiased like they should be. It’s a world where honest, unbiased reporting seems to be a thing of the past, and those involved will do anything to get the scoop.

With that said, this was pretty well-written. The author definitely knows her stuff about the journalism world, as she spent many years being a journalist herself. There’s plenty of talk of what goes on behind the scenes to make newscasts, and how the world has shifted from the printed stories of old to the new era of Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, etc. The mystery itself is pretty basic – a controversial radio talk show host, Larry Lemmon, has gotten himself murdered, and all the news stations are competing to be the first to get exclusive stories with the people close to him. You can easily see how this story could happen in real life, as Larry was a conservative voice who enjoyed riling up the other side. The political angle isn’t terrible, but we really need to get over the thinking of everyone on one side being the bad guys and everyone on the other side being the good guys. It’s tearing us apart having such black and white thinking, especially since things are rarely that simple.

As far as the murder goes, do I think what Larry did was terrible? Yes. Do I think it warranted murder? No. I was expecting a much bigger reason for why the murderer did what they did, and was a little let down when I learned the actual reason, seeing as how it all felt so hyped up with Larry being such a controversial person. It just didn’t live up to the expectations I had made for myself.

I think this will appeal to anyone with an interest or background in the journalism and news world, and those who like pretty straightforward mysteries. Just don’t set your expectations too high.