Books Completed Since March 1

  Getting Smarter: A Memoir, Barbara Feldon
Agent 99 was my first heroine (well, after Lassie...). At age 9, I fell head-over-heels in love with Maxwell Smart, and "shipped" Max and 99 with all my heart.

Barbara Hall grew up in Pittsburgh, From childhood she wanted to go on the stage, and as soon as she was old enough, she moved to Manhattan to try to make her living at acting. She became a model and in an accident of fate, was about to be interviewed for the big television program of the 1950s, the game show $64,000 Question. It was as she was deciding whether to do this or not, she meets suave, French-accented Lucien Feldon. He tells her he's about to be divorced and that he's a commercial airline pilot. Later she finds out he survived the Occupation of France.

Alas, that wasn't the only untrue thing he ended up telling her during their relationship. In fact, at one point he even convinces her he's a spy.

While this memoir talks about her career, the years on Get Smart (she and Don Adams didn't become close friends until after the series ended, but she enjoyed working with him) and afterwards, most of the narrative has to do with her relationship with the enigmatic and ultimately duplicitous Lucien. He made things sound so real she automatically believed him; only as years passed did she become suspicious and then finally realize he was playing her.

At my age, I read it and wonder how she could have been so naïve, but then I remember: once upon a time, so was I.

This is a book I'll hold close to my heart.

(Don Adams loved history books! And read and wrote poetry! Damn, I wish he'd also written something.)

 The Love Con, Seressia Glass
I picked this up at Books-a-Million because (1) cosplay, (2) mentions of DragonCon, and (3) it takes place in Atlanta. Kenya Davenport is a talented cosplayer and gamer; while she has a degree in engineering, what she really wants to do with her life, to her parents' dismay, is become a professional costume designer. Her close friend Cameron Lassiter, who she's known since he was a neglected boy in grade school, owns a maker shop in which she works.

Now she has the chance of a lifetime, winning a prize in a televised cosplay contest—except her last project has to be done with her romantic partner! Kenya doesn't have one, but she hopes that Cameron will cooperate and pretend to be her boyfriend. He knows her dreams and she's sure he'll be supportive, but can they make a pretend relationship work? She doesn't know that Cam is already in love with her...or that the producers of the series Cosplay or No Way will stoop to everything sordid to create a little conflict!

Boy, did I want to whack the producers of the television series, not to mention the one judge who seems to hate Kenya. She's so blatant about not liking a plus-sized Black girl that I wondered how the producers would permit it to continue. This was a fun read having to do with conventions, cosplaying, and friends to lovers.

  Flâneuse, Lauren Elkin
Cool! I said when I saw this at Barnes & Noble, a woman walks through Paris, New York, Tokyo, Venice and London and explores their history and observes society in each urban area. Instead I'm treated to depressing essays about writers like Jean Rhys, how terrible Tokyo is for women walkers--although her main complaint seems to be she wants to go back to Paris while her boyfriend X is having a grand time (well, either leave the idiot, stupid, or quit complaining), a chapter where she describes an entire film about a woman named Cléo, a history of protests in Paris, and other snooze-worthy topics. Some interesting observations about how Paris neighborhoods are homey, and a too short chapter on Martha Gellhorn (after she goes on and on about George Sand). About halfway through I just sped up my reading because I was bored, except in the Gellhorn chapter.

I have lots of wonderful travel books, many written by women. This one is not a keeper.

  Half Sick of Shadows, Laura Sebastian
You've heard the saying "Behind every great man is a good woman"? This is the story of Elaine of Astolot, a very different woman from the one who inhabits Lord Tennyson's brooding poem, and who dies from viewing the real world. In this Arthurian retelling, Elaine, along with Guinevere of Lyonesse, Lancelot, and Arthur's half-sister Morgana, are basically the support from which Arthur, destined to be the king of England, derives his strength. When the time finally comes, Arthur and his friends journey to Camelot, only to find that Merlin the magician is ready to declare the evil Mordred king. If Arthur wants to be king, he will be required to carry out three tasks, including marching into Lyonesse to ask permission to marry Gwen. And Lyonesse is a treacherous place indeed.

This is a reworking of the Arthurian legend with women on an equal footing with men. Elaine particularly carries a heavy load, as she can see the future, and, in no future she foresees does Arthur not end up betrayed by his sister, despite how hard she tries.

I'm picky about my Arthurian tales ever since I read Mary Stewart's Merlin books. This one kept my attention.

 The Defense is Ready, Leslie Abramson
I don't follow true crime stuff, so I had no idea the author was the attorney for the Menendez brothers. I just watch so much Law & Order I wanted to see some criminal law from the POV of the defense attorney rather than from the district attorney.

So she's defended a lot of people, some absolutely clueless, others badass, some who were just mixed up in the wrong thing. Some she liked, some she was happy to get away from. She also talks about the different personalities of judges and how they often make convictions based on their own prejudices, and also about her opponents: the district attorneys and other prosecutors, some who are doing their best and others who are just lazy.

It was an interesting read. I don't have any opinion if she was right or wrong about the Menendez brothers.

  Bride, Ali Hazelwood
Hazelwood, known for her rom-coms involving STEM couples, branches out in a new direction in this paranormal romance.

Vampyres, werewolves, and humans have an uneasy alliance in Misery Lark's world. Many of the alliances hinge on the keeping of hostages. For years Misery, who's never been her father's favorite person, has been keeping a low profile in human society. Now her father calls upon her to marry the alpha male of of the werewolves, Lowe Moreland, to cement another agreement. She does so reluctantly, but in order to achieve another goal. What she didn't count on was becoming fond of a member of Moreland's family, or...fond of Lowe himself.

Enjoyable dynamics and a twist at the end, and Ana is cute.

  Braiding Sweetgrass, Robin Wall Kimmerer
I enjoyed this so much. Kimmerer is a botanist and also a member of the Potawatomi Nation, so her narrative about her interactions with plants, nature, her students, and the earth is infused with both botanical knowledge and indigenous wisdom. Some of the chapters are sobering, such as the one about how chemical plants not only polluted a lake but poisoned the land around it, and how they are trying to revive both, and in various parts of the texts where she described how Native American children were sent to schools which tried to "rip the Indian out of them." Other chapters relate how she tries to bring her technologically-addicted students back to thinking about and relating to the earth.

Scattered within the text are Native wisdom, founding myths of the Potawatomi and other Native nations, and some of the loveliest descriptions of nature that I've ever read. Well worth your time as a nature read or for Native lore.

Books Completed Since February 1

 The FBI, Ronald Kessler
This isn't a history of the agency, but a book about the different departments of the Bureau and what each is responsible for (and sometimes not responsible for), with alternating chapters about each of the field offices and how they differ depending on the region of the country they're in. It's also pretty much the story of how the Bureau operates now, rather than during the reign of its first famous Director, J. Edgar Hoover.

You'll find some great stories about FBI busts, but a lot more about eccentricities, including a director so thick he was known as "Cement Head" and a New York agent who expected discounts for everything. You'll discover that the Miami office is known as "the Super Bowl of crime," that the famous BAU is hideously understaffed despite the popularity of television shows like Criminal Minds, and  that there's a London field office everyone would like to be assigned to.

A large part of the end of the book recounts Kessler's investigation into irregularities in the business dealings of FBI director William Sessions and how it brought about his eventual resignation.

 The Personal Librarian, Marie Benedict and Victoria Christopher Murray
This is a novel based on the fascinating life of Belle da Costa Greene, who for most of her life was the personal librarian for the banker/collector J. P. Morgan, who was obsessed with creating a personal library that contained the rare manuscripts of the world, including a jewel-encrusted Gutenberg Bible and an extremely rare Caxton Bible. But Belle had an amazing secret kept all her life: her real name was Belle Marion Greener. Her father Richard Greener was the first Black graduate of Harvard and tireless fighter for civil rights. However, both he and his wife were light-skinned and she decided that she did not want her children being discriminated against. So Belle and her sisters and brother were brought up in a white world (Belle and her brother's slightly darker skin was explained by "a Portuguese grandmother"), "passing," and wondering every day would be the day they would be outed to a world of hatred and distrust.

Benedict and Murray have written an incredible tale about a talented and forward-looking woman who was a self-made expert in rare books and who bought some incredible treasures for the Morgan library—indeed, Morgan and several members of his family considered Belle a treasure and an asset—one of the finest private libraries ever assembled.

For Belle's true story: An Illuminated Life.

  Book Lovers, Emily Henry
Nora Stephens loves books, but she loves her sister (who she's cared for since their mother died, despite the fact that Libby is married and already the mother of two) more. So she's kept her job as literary agent and taken no chances with a personal life. When she sends a favorite client's new manuscript to one of the best editors in the business, the icy Charlie Lastra, he tells her the book is unrealistic. It's set in Sunshine Falls, NC, a sweet little small town that just happens to be the place her sister wants to spend a little "sisters only" time. The protagonist of the new book is also based on Nora.

Indeed, the sisters find out Sunshine Falls is a lot different, but the same, as it was portrayed in the manuscript. For one, guess who's working there: Charlie Lastra: it's his hometown and he's trying to keep his ill father's bookstore afloat. And she finds out Libby is trying to make a perfect Hallmark romance for her.

And that maybe Libby and her husband are keeping secrets from her.

This book reminds me of Check & Mate, which I read later in the month: a woman protagonist who makes the decision to take all the family responsibilities on herself, putting her life on hold for the sake of everyone else. Charlie does the same thing. It's irritating. So is Libby's habit of calling Nora "Sissy." However, Sunshine Falls is kinda charming. But...no wifi? Not going.

  The Improbable "Meet Cute" Collection:
The Exception to the Rule by Christina Lauren
Worst Wingman Ever by Abby Jimenez
Rosie and the Dreamboat by Sally Thorne
Drop, Cover, and Hold On by Jasmine Guillory
With Any Luck by Ashley Poston
Royal Valentine by Sariah Wilson
Six novelettes for Valentine's Day. My favorite was the Jimenez piece involving a woman nursing her terminally ill grandmother, and the man who starts leaving her notes after leaving her the wrong note. Rosie was my next favorite, even if it did involve someone being trapped in a sensory deprivation tank! I wish there had been a warning involved. My least favorite was probably the princess one because it was a cliche.

  Agent Josephine: American Beauty, French Hero, British Spy, Damien Lewis
I knew Josephine Baker only as a talented African-American singer and dancer who fled the racism of the United States and adopted France as her home, where she was lauded and lionized in the 1920s-1930s.

I had no idea of her role in the war effort during World War II! Teamed chiefly with Maurice Abtey, a daring and fearless veteran of the previous war, Baker not only used her own funds to keep fellow French citizens alive with food and clothing, but ran spy missions as she gave performances around Europe for morale purposes. Secret messages were hidden in her musical scores, and sometimes she was just hours ahead of enemy forces. At one point she almost dies while on a mission.

This book is fascinating when it concentrates on Josephine's life and spy work. However, the author admits there is limited material about this, and many facts are repeated multiple times. So only half the book is about Josephine, the rest is about France's spy network, how it worked, all the agents involved, etc. If a person involved in the spy network is introduced as part of Josephine's story, you learn their entire history, what they did for the resistance, and what happened to them. All these facts formed an interesting framework to Baker's story, but if you're reading the book just for Baker herself, the story could have been told in half the pages.

  Be Still My Heart, Emily McIntire and Sav R. Miller
This is a mystery thriller co-written by the author of Hooked, and while the romance isn't as dark, it's a pretty intense ride both plotwise and sexually.

Lincoln Porter is a lobsterman trying to keep the family business on Skelm Island, Maine, afloat, still embittered by the death of his best friend when he was eleven years old. He's also busy trying to referee between his sister and her police officer husband, who helps Lincoln on his boat. But when Lincoln finds a dead body in one of his lobster traps, two mainland police officers are dispatched to the island to assist the understaffed Skelm police force: Andy Lopez and his partner Sloane, a profiler who's still under psychiatric care after being kidnapped by a serial killer. Lincoln and Sloane immediately start striking sparks off each other, and not just because she's investigating him as a murderer.

Sex and suspense whet off each other as Sloane tries to piece out the string of murders that occur, as well as bringing some very nasty Skelm secrets to the fore. Enjoyable as both a dark mystery and steamy romance.

  Zero Through Lazy Eight: The Romance of Numbers, Alexander Humez, Nicholas Humez, Joseph McGuire
Yeah, I do occasionally read math books. This one is about numbers, from zero through thirteen and then the "lazy eight"=infinity, and how each of them have effected literature and history. What did they do before zero was a placeholder? Why is seven a "lucky number"? What's special about prime numbers, Fibonacci series, pi, and more?

Yes, some of the text wanders into algebra and other mathematics concepts that make my eyes cross. Still a lot of fun to read.

  Check & Mate, Ali Hazelwood
Mallory Greenleaf's father taught her chess at an early age, and she was outstanding at it. But at age 14 she gave up chess and her winning streak after her father left home, instead concentrating on her family. Since her mother is ill, she gives up college to work to support them. But when she has a chance to win some badly-needed money to keep the family afloat, she returns to play one more chess match—ends up beating the current young rising star chess champion Nolan Sawyer. The money is too good, her family needy, so Mal is back in competition, trying to keep her participation secret from her mother and younger sisters.

I guess I don't understand the obsession with chess. I was also a bit infuriated with Mallory's mother. Yes, I understood she was chronically ill with arthritis, but couldn't she notice how Mallory was stressed? It's only at the end she admits she noticed! And her sisters are totally obnoxious. Why doesn't her mom discipline them? Just because she has RA doesn't mean she can't keep them in line. They harass Mallory and the older of the two is a complete brat. Nolan, who's supposed to be "the enemy," is the nicest person of the bunch, as well as Mallory's offbeat mentor Oz.

 The Devil and Sherlock Holmes, David Grann
This is a collection of factual stories about people whose interests often bordered on obsession. The opening story gives the collection its title: about the mysterious death of a Sherlock Holmes aficionado whose massive collection lacked one particular item. One of the oddest stories is about Steve O'Shea, a marine biologist who continues (at least at the time of Grann's article) to look for a young giant squid to observe in captivity. He spends most of his time searching for baby squid or diving for them. Another is a very scary story about the sandhogs digging a third water supply for New York City since the first two cannot be turned off any longer due to the age of the equipment!

The creepiest story in the collection may be the one about the Aryan Brotherhood, which began in maximum security prisons as a racist organization, but which is now a well-organized association for protecting—and punishing—prisoners and their families. All of them are worth reading, about twelve very different people/groups in a dozen different situations.

Books Completed Since January 1

  A Hertfordshire Christmas, compiled by Margaret Ashby

  'Twas the Night Before, Jerry B. Jenkins

  A Shropshire Christmas, compiled by Lyn Briggs

  Christmas in Puerto Rico, World Book Encyclopedia

  Ideals Christmas 2023, Ideals Publications

  Obsession, John Douglas and Mark Olshaker
FBI profiler Douglas, author of the popular Mindhunter (made into a Netflix series) once again delves into the criminal mind in this thick paperback filled with true stories of rapists, stalkers, and murderers. The depravity of some of these criminals will nauseate you, especially "big strong men" who murder children. In this volume, Douglas addresses some infamous serial killers like Ted Bundy and celebrity killers like Mark David Chapman, and also stories of celebrities who have been stalked and killed, like Rebecca Shaeffer, a rising young actress who was the front-runner for a role in The Godfather when she was killed by a "fan" obsessed with her. Some of the criminals seem to have been mentally disturbed since childhood (Ted Bundy sounded particularly creepy), others became twisted due to child abuse or mental illness. Some of them work silently, some taunt the police and wish to match wits with them. All are incredibly mind-bending.

There are also touching and painful chapters from the point of view of the victims' families: their grief, certainly, which broke up many of the families, but more importantly their fight for justice. One murderer beat off punishment for several decades because his attorney kept filing appeals. Douglas also speaks to counselors who have tried to help victims' families, who find it a 24-hour, 7-day-a-week avocation.

Not a book to be read at bedtime!

 The Vanderbeekers on the Road, Karina Yan Glaser
Sixth in the series and follows directly after the previous book: the Vanderbeeker kids (twins Isa and Jessie, only boy Oliver, Hyacinth the compulsive knitter, and little Laney), Mama, Mr. Beiderman (their landlord) and his ward Orlando, and the Vanderbeeker pets, including their big Basset hound and the two cats they're taking to Aunt Penny in California, are bundled into a van and making their way cross-country to pick up Papa Vanderbeeker in Indiana where he's helping a friend and then continue to California to take the road trip Papa's father never got to take with him. Along with way they get adopted by a chicken, stay at a spooky campground, make farm friends, see the sites, suffer from summer heat, and have engine trouble.

But something is bothering little Laney: she understands that both Jessie and Orlando are going to try out for a scholarship at a college in California. To fearful Laney, this means breaking up the Vanderbeeker family. So for the rest of the trip, Laney, and soon her helper siblings, are going to try to prevent that from happening!

There's also a subplot with Mr. Beiderman that's nifty for a children's book.

My only puzzle about this book is how you fit six kids (three of them teens!), three adults, a bunch of animals, and all that luggage into "Ludwig Van." It must be a TARDIS!

 The Boys, Ron Howard and Clint Howard
Ron and Clint share their memories of growing up in Hollywood and acting in this fast-moving memoir that always holds your attention. Ron—back then "little Ronny Howard"—experienced mostly positive vibes behind the scenes in the movies and television he did. He became fascinated by "behind the scenes," which eventually led him into directing. He also met his wife (they're still married) as a teenager and his mind never changed about her, despite his practical parents' efforts to dissuade him. Clint also had generally positive experiences, if his parts were a little different: his first role was as an alien on Star Trek and people still recognize him for that. However, where Ron went on to direct, Clint lost direction after parts disappeared and had problems with alcohol and substance abuse, which he finally conquered. We also gain insights into parents Rance (born Harold Beckenholdt) Howard, longtime character actor, and Jean Speegle Howard (she played Jim Lovell's mom in Apollo 13).

Throughout the narrative, the brothers support and tease each other until the end, and the result is a warm, wonderful book.

 The Adventures of Ellery Queen, Ellery Queen
I loved the 1975 retro series and bought a couple of the books, especially those around the character of Inspector Queen, but I'd never read any of the short stories until I received this book as a gift (thanks, Rodney!).

In the beginning, Ellery Queen was the erudite, well-dressed young man-about-town who was usually called in by his practical police inspector father on perplexing cases. Of course young Ellery spots the elusive clue that no one else saw and solves the crime. The stories themselves are snapshots of the 1920s and 1930s in which they were written, and the mysteries suitably confounding. I'm very glad to have met early Ellery! (Note: the last story in this book was adapted as an episode of the 1975 series.)

("Ellery Queen" the author was a pseudonym adopted by Frederic Dannay and his cousin Manfred Lee. Apparently the cousins had an adversarial relationship, but they sure could write a mystery story!)

  Forensics: What Bugs, Burns, Prints, DNA, and More Tell Us About Crime, Val McDermid
Newspaper maven and crime author McDermid offers this very readable book about the different aspects of forensics, from the basic crime scene to specifics like entomology (for you CSI fans, Dr. Gil Grissom's specialty), pathology, fingerprints, DNA, and others, even profiling (which she doesn't seem to be fond of). Well illustrated with British case studies and photographs, and enjoyable if you're a fan of crime series or just curious about how forensic evidence helps law enforcement.

  Business or Pleasure, Rachel Lynn Solomon
Oh, dear God, thank you! A rom-com populated by adults. And three of the four parents are supportive. I may have to get Solomon's other books.

Chandler Cohen is upset after the celebrity "author" of a best seller that she actually ghost wrote for the woman doesn't even recognize her at the book signing (and can't even spell her name correctly). She's just lost her long-term boyfriend, so she takes a chance and has a one-night stand with a handsome guy she meets at a bar. The sexual experience that follows is underwhelming because while her partner is nice, he knows nothing about foreplay or pleasing his partner. So she's at a particular low when her agent offers her a new ghostwriting project: helping former television star Finnegan Walsh write a book. Guess what: Finn is the inexperienced guy who she shared her bed with!

So they strike up a deal: Chandler will write the book and she will also give him seduction lessons with the proviso that said lessons are just business.

Well, this is a rom-com; of course it doesn't stay that way. The two characters are very charming, and it's set against a background of books and science-fiction conventions (Finn's television character was the human friend of some werewolves who attempted to navigate college life). There are thankfully no goofy gay character (there are non-cis characters, but they're real, ordinary people, not funny goofballs) and all the parent characters who appear are not mustache-twirling villains. Both lead characters have weaknesses and problems, but they never drag you down. A plus: Jewish characters!

  Rivers of London: Here Be Dragons, Ben Aaronovitch, James Swallow, Andrew Cartmell, José María Beroy
Always good to have a new "Rivers" story, whether it be written or in graphic form. This one begins with a helicopter crash, and the story only gets wilder from there: elves slumming it in the real world, a police helicopter crew with different outlooks on the supernatural events they're seeing, a rock-music busker and his old friend the roadie—not to mention the "dragon" and Jimi Hendrix! Even Peter Grant's cousin Abigail and one of her fox friends get in the action. Beverley and the twins have a cameo, and Peter even asks his dad for help.

Only thing wrong with this story: No "Tales from the Folly"!

Book Challenges

Last year I did this book challenge:



I had done Spine & Leaf's 2022 challenge as well. In 2022 I did 30 of the 50 prompts. This year I did 38 prompts, and added two of my own: a book out of my comfort zone (Emily McIntire's Hooked) and a book on a topic I have no interest in (Victoria Finley's Fabric).

I found one I think I can manage for this year; I already have books lined up for "set on a different continent" (Revenge in Rubies), "book about a road trip" (The Vanderbeekers on the Road) and more: