Summary: Claire Randall is a combat nurse. The Second World War has just ended. With her husband, Frank, they travel to Inverness, Scotland for a belated honeymoon. But while there both of their lives and time will change. While visiting the standing stones she is transported in time back to the year 1743. Not knowing how she got there or if she can even get back to her own time, she is taken captive by a group of Highlanders. As her life gets intertwined with the politics and intrigue of the local laird she finds herself caught between her love for her husband and a young Highland warrior, Jamie Fraser.
My Thoughts: Now I know that this sounds like a typical bodice ripper. And that is what I thought originally too. But then I watched the first season of the show and was absolutely hooked on these books. There is lots of history included in with the romance. There are some naughty bits but that is to be expected in most books now but that is not the central part of the story. I love the characters. It was hard to lose many of them over the course of the book and in the sequels. But there is action, politics, intrigue and like I said, HISTORY!
I had never heard of the Battle of Culloden before this. I knew barely nothing about Scottish history outside of Mary, Queen of Scots. I think Gabaldon has done a great job giving us a thrilling story but also bringing this important piece of history to millions of readers.
As I am writing this I am working on reading book six, A Breath of Snow and Ashes, in anticipation of season six debuting on Starz on March 6. I always have a little get together with friends where I make drinks and snacks while we watch a new episode every week. It is always a highlight of my week to spend time in the Outlander world with friends for an hour each week.
FYI: Lots of violence. Some sexually disturbing scenes.
A few weeks ago, per one of my best friend’s advice, I started New Girl. I’ve almost started it many times, but I’d heard mixed reviews (from people I know. The show overall has a 95% on Rotten Tomatoes, though, if that means something to you. The first season only has 87%, but that’s already a great place to start). I am an avid re-watcher of Parks and Recreation, and while the writers are different, the idea of having a quirky and passionate protagonist (Jess), who is definitely naive and socially awkward at times but still very loved by those around her, is still at the heart of the show. Because I trust that friend who said, “Grace, I know you’re Leslie Knope, but you’re also very much Jess,” and she was right.
The first season begins with our main heroine, Jess moving into a loft with three bachelors. Their lovely apartment boasts one bathroom, a sketchy garbage disposal, and terribly patched up plumbing problems (by Nick, one of her new roommates), due to their fear of the landlord, played by Jeff Kober. The guys and Jess learn about love, friendship, how to compromise on sharing their space, even when Jess spends all day crying on the couch, watching Dirty Dancing for the seventh time, and cry-singing along to I’ve Had the Time of My Life.
Available for checkout from the Derby Public Library (because I just returned it, don’t worry), streaming on Hulu, and maybe still streaming on Netflix?
This Black Panther comic book follows NYPD officer, Misty Knight (girlfriend to Sam Wilson aka Captain America), as she investigates the death of a civil rights activist named Ezra, who died while in police custody. Featuring familiar names and faces such as Storm, Black Panther, Luke Cage, and Manifold, Misty must uncover the truth about the dark forces at work in Harlem.
The story spans decades and shows how Ezra has been trying to make Harlem a better place since he was a young man, back in 1957. There is a moment in the story, where some of the “good guys” realize that they have grown to have the same calloused, and bitter hearts as those they are fighting, and they have begun participating in the same senseless acts of violence that had separated them from the “bad guys.” That’s one of my all-time favorite tropes in any action story, especially in comic books, and one of the many things that made this a fantastic read!
Available for checkout from the Derby Public Library and online, if you’ve set up your Hoopla account (and if you haven’t, I highly recommend you do! It’s a super convenient way to still get the titles you need, especially during those crazy snow days when you don’t want to leave the house).
I know Black History Month will technically have just ended by the time this post comes up on the blog, but that only means that you’ve (hopefully) seen a lot of great new authors promoted over the past month and your TBR list is now a mile long. An author I follow on Instagram shared this challenge, and I was really excited (and not just because my copy of Their Eyes Were Watching God has been sitting at home, unread).
Here are a few of the books that I’ve read / am reading for this challenge:
(If you haven’t read this book yet, know that the author did not shy away from raw dialogue and difficult scenes. Her book contains a lot of triggering content including but not limited to domestic abuse, racism, references to slavery, and violence – especially towards women.)
Written in the style of a news hour from a town that sounds like Lemony Snicket thought it up, welcome to Night Vale gives “community updates for the small desert town of Night Vale, where every conspiracy theory is true.” I can’t think of any other way to describe this except to say that if you enjoy satire and sci-fi this podcast has a great mix of both. Here’s an excerpt from the first episode:
“Lights. Seen in the sky above the Arby’s. Not the glowing sign of Arby’s. Something higher, and beyond that. We know the difference. We’ve caught on to their game. We understand the ‘lights above Arby’s’ game.
Invaders from another world.
Ladies and gentlemen, the future is here, and it’s about 100 feet above the Arby’s.”
Available on Spotify, Soundcloud, Apple Podcasts, and Google Podcasts
First line: It was June of 1935 that I came home from my ranch in South America for a stay of about six months.
Summary: Alice Asher is found murdered in Andover with a copy of the ABC Railway Guide near her body. Next comes Betty Bernard in Bexhill. As the murders progress the famed detective, Hercule Poirot, is being taunted by the killer. Why can’t Poirot figure out who is killing these people even when he has fair warning? How many letters in the alphabet before Poirot finds his killer?
My Thoughts: I’ve been on an Agatha Christie kick lately. I was hoping to read them in order but I decided that when taking a trip with my mom to Kansas City we should listen to one of Christie’s best known stories during the drive. We both have really enjoyed the other Poirot stories and this one was no different.
As the story went along Christie kept giving us peeks into the murderer’s whereabouts. Or did she? She is the master of crime novels because as a reader you never know what is real or what is a distraction from the truth. It is masterfully done. I never once considered who the killer was until it was revealed at the end.
Plus the writing is fun. I love when Poirot talks about “the little grey cells”. If you have not picked up an Agatha Christie novel then I would highly recommend you did. Especially her Hercule Poirot series. They are always entertaining. And then watch the movies based on the novels, Murder on the Orient Express and Death on the Nile. Beautifully done!
FYI: Perfect reads for anyone who likes a good story and one that has stood the tests of time.
First line: For most of the past century, your odds of being killed by a cougar were about the same as your odds of being killed by a filing cabinet.
Summary: Mary Roach attends an animal attack forensic investigator training, interviews locals about leopard attacks and watched the setup of a laser to keep gulls away from the Vatican’s flower arrangements. In her newest book, Roach takes the reader into the little known world of animals who break the law.
My Thoughts: The minute I saw this I knew I had to read it. It is a concept I never even considered. But what happens when wild animals “break the law”? I have been to Colorado many times where we have seen bears, elk and mountain goats but never having lived there I was not aware of all the rules for residents. Bear proof trash cans. French door handles are a no-no. Leaving food outside is a big draw for animals and can lead to the animal being hurt or killed plus the danger to humans too.
But I was really shocked when reading about the elephants, monkeys and leopards. Going to zoos makes a person not consider that these are animals that can cause lots of harm or mischief. Who knew that there are elephant interventionists? They try to move elephants on when they wander into farmers’ fields or a village. Or that monkeys have learned that stealing from humans gets them food? I think visiting Asia would be fascinating and beautiful but now that I know that elephants could be deadly or monkeys may steal my phone, I’m a little more cautious.
I was constantly telling my mom all the new facts and statistics I was reading. Near the end of the book it dealt more with birds or smaller animals which I did not find as interesting but it was worth the read. I learned a lot!
FYI: If you love to read weird facts then this book is for you!
Lorelai Gilmore and her daughter, Rory, live in the small town of Stars Hollow. Their life is full of drama, life changes, and small-town relationships. My mom and I first watched this when I started high school, and every year since then, we have watched it. Somehow, it has become our cozy series to watch during the holiday season. All of the actors and actresses in the show are talented and well-known today. Despite the series being released in 2000, it is a timeless coming of age story that is enjoyable for all audiences.
Available for checkout through the Derby Public Library
Podcast:Dark History hosted by Bailey Sarian
Bailey Sarian is the host of the Dark History podcast, which I listen to on Spotify. She started the podcast to talk about topics that are a little too dark or theory-based to cover in history class. I first found Bailey on YouTube with her Murder, Mystery, and Makeup series, where she does a full face of makeup while explaining a true murder story. She has a talent for researching and retelling stories with such dark topics. She is loose with her language and is a little sarcastic. Although in my opinion, that adds to the story. Most podcast episodes are pretty short and fun, and I enjoy listening to them in my free time.
Available on Spotify, Youtube, or whatever you listen to your podcasts.
Organizing and reorganizing are two of my favorite things to do. Last year, I aimed to adopt a capsule wardrobe. If you are unfamiliar with this idea, essentially, you own just enough clothes that you will regularly wear and nothing more. I first found the author, Anna Newton, on YouTube as The Anna Edit. On her channel, she has videos explaining her wardrobe. She explains what she looks for when purchasing new items, quality over quantity.
Her book, An Edited Life, describes living a semi-minimalist lifestyle. It gives the basics of how to start decluttering your mental and physical space. Anna Newton uses comedic writing and colorful language in this book. It makes it feel like she is just a friend chatting with you about living a simple life.
Available for checkout through the Derby Public Library
Audiobook:Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell
I listened to Fangirl by Rainbow Rowell on Libby. This is a young adult book about a college freshman, Cath. Her twin sister, Wren, has committed to the college girl lifestyle and leaves Cath on her own. Cath is a writer of Simon Snow fan fiction. She has spent years editing the fictional world of her favorite story in order to escape her reality. Throughout the story, Cath is falling in love with a real guy, not a fictional character, and it was fun to hear her inner dialogue as she tries to navigate her priorities and emotions. I enjoyed how easy this book was to listen to, and that it was a simple boy meets girl kind of story.
Audiobook available for checkout through the Sunflower eLibrary or the Libby app, book available for checkout through the Derby Library
I love all kinds of music, but lately, this album by Kaleo is the only thing I play. I am a fan of their album A/B which they released in 2016. So, when Surface Sounds came out in 2021, I was more than ready to hear it. Kaleo is an “Icelandic blues-rock” band, and their style checks all the boxes for what I think makes music enjoyable. My favorite songs on this album are Skinny and Backbone. Plus, this CD is available for checkout at the Derby Public Library!
First line: The boys and the girls live in separate worlds.
Summary: Told through vignettes, the reader is taken through the life of a young Latina girl in Chicago.
My Thoughts: This was like peeking into the a scrapbook or the memory of a young girl. We get little snippets of information about the people around her, the life on her street and her thoughts as things change over time. It was a sweet little book. I listened to the audio version which is read by the author and has introduction by her as well. Some of the stories gave me nostalgia for my childhood playing with neighborhood kids but even though it was similar it was also very different. This is a great choice for Big Read Wichita. It can open up many conversations and be incorporated into programs and learning experiences.
FYI: This is something that can be read in one sitting. Pick it up and join us at the library for our many events between February and May.
“I’ve loved another with all my heart and soul, and for me, that has always been enough.”
– Nicholas Sparks, The Notebook
With Valentine’s Day approaching, I felt like listening to The Notebook on Libby was appropriate.
Summary:
Noah and Allie fall in love during a summer when they were young. Allie’s family does not approve of Noah, and the two end up being pulled away from each other. Allie is all that Noah can think about, and he even spends time writing her letters that always go unanswered. After 14 years, Allie sees Noah in the newspaper and returns to him, but she is engaged to a new man. It is now up to her to choose between Noah or her fiancé.
This story is being read from a notebook to a woman with Alzheimer’s, presumably Allie, by a man, who is possibly Noah. He does this daily to remind her of who she is, and he hopes that she will remember him as well.
My thoughts:
My favorite aspect of this love story is that it shows the viewpoint of a man who is in love. I appreciate that Nicholas Sparks focused on Noah rather than Allie. I am torn between which I like more, the book or the movie. Both give the story justice, and I would recommend either to anyone looking for a classic love story to enjoy this Valentine’s Day.
First line: On August 4, 1944, a thirty-three-year-old German SS officer, Karl Josef Silberbauer, a sergeant in the Sicherheitsdienst (SD) Referat IV B4, known colloquially as the “Jew-hunting unit,” was sitting in his office on Euterpestraat in Amsterdam when the phone rang.
Summary: A former FBI agent, Vincent Pankoke, along with a team of investigators decided to dive into one of the most famous cold cases in recent history. Who betrayed Anne Frank? Using new technology they poured over interviews, documents and photographs, looking for clues that may lead them to betrayer. As the pieces began to fall together they believe they have found who may have been responsible for the raid on the secret annex in 1944.
My Thoughts: I remember reading The Diary of Anne Frank when I was younger. It fascinated me then and lead me to love the history of World War II. I watched the movies and read everything else I could get my hands on about this time period. Over the years though, my fascination waned as I found new topics to explore but after reading this I think I need to read it again.
I found the methodical research of the team intriguing. They looked in places I never even knew existed. I realized as I read that I did not know as much about the time period as I originally thought. There were thousands of Jews in hiding. It was not an uncommon event to have a hiding place raided. But the fact that the Frank family’s life in the annex was so well documented by Anne made the topic available to the world. After reading her diary, the reader feels connected to them and makes it much more real.
Even though I knew how the story ended I kept hoping that it would change. I liked the layout of the narrative. We start with the history and events surrounding the secret annex, the concentration camps and aftermath of the war. Then we dive into the evidence which is spread near and far. Some has disappeared with the witnesses. But the researchers used every avenue they could find. Interviewing family members, historians, archivists and even the Anne Frank Organization. I found myself saying just one more chapter!
I kept hoping for a definitive answer. Even though they think they discovered the betrayer there is still some doubt because there may be more evidence that has not been uncovered yet. They do make a very strong argument which I found believable and likely. Let me know in the comments what you think!
FYI: This can be a difficult topic since it deals with the Holocaust and the death of millions.
A TV show that I have been watching is White Collar. This TV show is really funny and enjoyable for the whole family. This show ran several seasons. It is about the FBI White Collar division and several cases they handle on a daily basis. The lead actor Matt Bomer plays Neal Caffery, a notorious art thief and con man that is doing his time by helping the White Collar division catch thieves and con men. Neal uses several tactics, most of which are not FBI approved and he always gets out of trouble. His handler/assigned detective grows close to him and eventually calls him family. This show was funny and heart warming with a tad bit of mystery all in one. I liked this especially when I had a long day and needed something to laugh at and something to calm down to. It quickly became a routine to watch after getting off work.
Available for checkout from the Derby Public Library
Game:What Do You Meme?
Currently I am playing a board game called ‘What do you Meme.’ This game is really fun to play with friends and family. I play it every Wednesday night with a group of 7 friends and we always end up laughing and having a great time. There are different variations of the game, but I like the Tik Tok version. It is a lot of fun.
Available for purchase through Amazon, Walmart, or Target.
Emoji:Smiley with hearts
My favorite emoji is the smiley emoji with the heart eyes. I use this emoji a lot because it tells people that I am super happy. I am pretty sure that I use it 20 or more times a day.
I am currently reading The False Prince by Jennifer A. Nielsen. I am enjoying this book so much. I have read it several times and every time I read it, the book gets better. I love the thrill of going on an adventure to pick out a false prince and con the king and queen, but is it really a con? I love the mystery and the new little bits I pick up from reading it over and over.
My favorite soundtrack right now is the Encanto soundtrack. I am loving the upbeat and catchy music. Every time I hear it I just want to sing and dance along. In the soundtrack, my favorite song is We Don’t Talk About Bruno because it is really catchy, plus it tells the story really well.
Available for checkout from the Derby Public Library
Summary: Amy Whey has spent years rebuilding her life after a tragic accident in her teens. She has husband, baby son and a step-daughter who she adores. Everything is going Amy’s way until Roux comes over for book club. In an attempt to unsettle Amy, Roux suggests playing Never Have I Ever, but with a twist. As the game progresses, Amy realizes that Roux knows her darkest secret. The one she has not even told her husband.
Roux tells Amy that if she doesn’t pay her the money she is asking for, she will go to the police and tell them about Amy’s past. In order to save the life she has built, Amy will dig back into her past to figure out how to outwit Roux.
My Thoughts: This book was twisted. There were so many different ways I thought the story would go but then the author took the reader on a completely different path. I literally gasped several times when a new twist was revealed. I really enjoyed the book but all the main characters were not great people. Amy was the best of the bunch but as you learn more about her and what she has done and what is happening in her head, I liked her less and less. Roux is the character that you love to hate. She is the opposite of Amy. She is not ashamed of who she is.
But the ending was nuts! I was really shocked by the ending. I don’t want to spoil anything but I never, ever would have guessed that ending.
