Ponder: The Black Wolf

My first read of 2026, The Black Wolf ©2025 by Louise Penny, was unfortunately a real loser for me. Goodreads rated this novel 4.2 stars (23,1776 ratings) and Amazon readers rated it 4.4 stars (13,076 ratings), so I expected my enjoyment to be commensurate. Nevertheless, I rate The Black Wolf a dismal one star. What a bummer of a way to start the new year!

Louise Penny has been a favorite author of mine and I have read all her novels. I revel in the serenity and the characters in the secluded village of Three Pines. Although these characters did make cameo appearances and lead detective Armand Gamache seemed to work remotely from the village as much as possible, the local people and setting seemed to be only a feeble homage to satisfy readers' desire for these features. This was not a murder mystery with precisely developed characters, motives, clues, and alibis but rather a huge, impersonal, international plot of a politically motivated power grab.

There were too many people with titles and political positions for me to follow. Even if I had created a chart or list as I progressed through the book, none of these persons were assigned a personality in depth. Each identity was not sufficient enough for me to align myself with either rooting for them or loathing them. Also the plot was too expansive and disjointed. I do admit I was very biased by my present disgust of the Trump administration's tactics in promoting domestic and international turmoil. This novel, rather than engage me, upset me, and was the opposite extreme of providing an enjoyable reading experience. I completed The Black Wolf but I rate it only one star.

★☆☆☆☆ Awful but I read most or maybe even all of it

I am rethinking my intention of reading all of Louise Penny's books. I realize an author needs to grow and not churn out the same story over and over. But I am also learning that I prefer a "whodunnit" with quirky characters and a plot I can follow. If that makes me an immature, politically ignorant reader, so be it. Reading should be for pleasure. I still prefer dessert over the main course. I suspect this author is "growing" in a direction that diverges from my preferences. Here is a quick review of my rating of her past books. Near the end of my 1/28/25 post on The Grey Wolf  are the blog post links for my review of each of these novels. 

Ponder: The End of Your Life Book Club

The End of Your Life Book Club ©2012 is a non-fiction novel, a genre I rarely read. The title is somewhat morbid and yet I was inspired to read it by one of my usual sources for book suggestions ... possibly the Reese Witherspoon Book Club or Amazon Editor's Choice? No matter, I decided to investigate it and was glad I did.

In it the author Will Schwalbe tells of the final months of his mother's life as she is dying of pancreatic cancer. Mother and son form a book club of two members and use reading and discussion of what they've read to pass away the long hours during her chemotherapy infusion treatments. The author's YouTube description of the book, explained of he and his mother that , "We didn't read only great books, we read casually and promiscuously and whimsically." The brief trailer, quite worthy of a listen, summarized it very aptly, "Reading is not the opposite of doing; it is the opposite of dying". The six page long appendix at the end of the book lists all the books they read or referenced. Many are too heavy and dark for my taste, several I have already read, some I would not want to read, but many were very enticing, indeed. The pithy excerpted passages they shared from many of the books were thought provoking.

Overall though, I was very impressed with the humanitarian and altruistic work Mary Ann Schwalbe did in her lifetime. Per wikipedia, as well as serving as Associate Dean of Admissions at Harvard University,

Schwalbe was a supporter of refugees cause in Thailand and later in Afghanistan. She was involved with the International Rescue Committee (IRC) and was the Founding Director for the Women's Commission for Refugee Women and Children, now known as the Women's Refugee Commission. During this time she also served as an electoral observer in the Balkans. She also raised funds for a library in Kabul and traveling libraries for Afghanistan.

I cared about the books they read together and the life lessons absorbed, but also I cared deeply about the impressive women and her close relationship with her son, the author, Will Schwalbe. Granted I skimmed rapidly through some portions of the book that were too heavy for my taste, but overall it was an educating and absorbing read. Because I did speed read through some passages, I oscillated in my rating between three and four stars. I did engage with the characters, resonated with the precepts, and highly respected the dying woman, and so I decided upon four stars.

★★★★☆ Really good; maybe only one weak aspect or limited audience

Ponder: Point Last Seen

Point Last Seen by Christina Dodd ©2022 is categorized as a thriller romance. That is an odd genre I had never experienced so I decided to give it a try. The suspense in the beginning of the book is strong, raising many questions, urging me to read on. One setting is near Big Sur, California along a sweeping picturesque portion of the California Pacific coastline in a small town called Gothic, City of Lost Souls. A second more minor setting is on board a scientist-laden exploration vessel out at sea. The two main characters, Adam a loner making a living as metal sculpture artist, and Elle, a yet to be described woman, meet in an extremely unconventional way. Her limp body washes up on the beach. She has strangulation marks on her throat, screams uncontrollable when the memory of how she got those bruises washes over her, yet has amnesia about the other circumstances of her life. The story takes off as how to assess and treat her injuries, mental and physical. The role, if any, that the ship and its crew play, is a niggling distraction in the background, but one the reader cannot dismiss as irrelevant.

Yes, this book has suspenseful portions, but I think the majority is more of a mystery, learning the background of both key characters. The romance portion of the book involves the budding relationship between the two of them. I liked the affect Elle had on Adam. She was strong and upbeat despite her travails; she was not a ditsy, clingy female like those portrayed in so many romance novels. Other supporting characters native to the town of Gothic, are plentiful but initially hard to follow and absorb – a local vet, a psychic, a psychologist, an actress and her entourage, a teenage girl, a garrulous old man, a wealthy town land-owner/landlord. All characters have their quirks that lend a bit of whimsy to the novel, especially the fortune-teller/palm-reader. Another oddly good aspect of this book is short chapters. Point Last Seen has 481 pages and 81 chapters which are conducive to an interrupted reading scenario. Per Wikipedia

Christina Dodd is the best-selling American author of suspense and regency historical romance. She is a recipient of the RITA Award.

Perusing the Amazon reviews of her works, many comments alluded to this novel as not being representative as the best of her works but still averaging a 4.4/5 rating. 

I read Point Last Seen on two plane flights and during hours in airport terminals before and between flights. Just like with movies, I think reading in travel situations detracts stars from a book's rating. On the other hand, I did not regret having this book to help me while away the hours. Sometimes a book can be so bad, you rue your choice for travel, and you'd rather nap than read. This novel held my interest though it did seem rather long; but, to be fair, it was probably the flights and layovers that were rather long. This is the first of her books that I have read and I give it 3 stars. Fellow local library readers also gave it an average rating of 3 stars. Despite my mediocre rating, however, I am not deterred from giving this author another try.

★★★☆☆ Better than average; not a waste of time

Ponder: The Underdog

I thoroughly enjoyed and chuckled my way through The Underdog ©2005 by Joshua Davis. Yes, this book is almost 20 years old, but I was surprised and pleased to learn, after I completed it, that its author is now quite accomplished per a Wikipedia entry that cites Joshua Davis as "an American writer, film producer and co-founder of Epic Magazine".

In order to spark interest in reading this book, rather than giving away any spoilers, I reveal that competitions were in arm wrestling, bullfighting, sumo wrestling, retro-running, and sauna. These sports are all challenging choices for a tall, thin, wiry, vegetarian young man in his thirties seeking fame in life.

An excerpt from Chapter One reads

"Grip up!" the ref shouts at me. I am about to face Rabadanov Rebadan – a.k.a the Russian Ripper – at the World Armwrestling Federation World Championship in Gdynia, Poland. ... Rumor on the floor of this cavernous, Soviet style gym has it that the Ripper has broken more arms than any other wrestler. ... Rebadan snaps his head to the side. I hear his neck crack despite the roar from the thirteen hundred people in the crowd and the jostling of a half dozen photographers. My plan is working. I can tell Rebadan is worried. Or at least confused. 

His eyes crisscross my body looking for weak points. All he sees are weak points. I've got bony arms, glasses, and strange spiky red hair that I point menacingly in his direction. It doesn't make sense to him. He's never heard of me. Nobody has. I'm a five-foot-nine-inch 129-pound data entry clerk from San Francisco named Joshua Davis.

In the book I learn about Joshua's family growing up, his relationship with his ever patient wife, Tara, who lives with him in a 90-square-foot San Francisco apartment, aspiring only that they can soon afford to move to somewhere with natural light, a bathtub, and room for a dining room table. The Underdog is an amusing and fun romp with a plucky young man determined to be famous in something. In the process I also gain knowledge about the rudimentary elements as well as the intricacies of several off-the-beaten-path sports. Retro-running? Really? Joshua enters the Golden Shrimp retro-race in Italy so named because the shrimp is the only animal that consistently moves backward. From the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission 

Unlike fish, shrimp do not have fins that enable them to swim, but they can certainly move around in the water. A shrimp "swims" by quickly pulling its abdomen in toward its carapace (body). This motion shoots them through the water. However, because of body configuration, it also means that shrimp swim backward.

From Joshua's participation in bullfighting and sumo wrestling I learned some of the maneuvers, as well as costuming, of both. This book was an eclectic and comedic view into another side of the wide, wide, world of sports. The book rated well on Amazon with reviewers (all 34 of them) commenting on the quality of the humor. 

To quote a sample Amazon review:

The writing is, in my opinion, very good, perhaps excellent. First and foremost: I laughed, for the humor is constant and clever (and, generally, doesn't come at others' expense, as to contrast much of modern popular comedy -- how refreshing).

For more background of Joshua Davis check his website www.joshuadavis.net. I guess he did eventually become famous. I recommend The Underdog as an entertaining light read. It may not appeal to everyone and for this reason only I gave it four stars instead of five.

★★★★☆ Really good; maybe only one weak aspect or limited audience

Ponder: End of Story

End of Story ©2023 is a romance novel by Kylie Scott who is a New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and USA Today best-selling, Audie Award winning author. She has sold over 2,000,000 books and was voted Australian Romance Writer of the year, 2013, 2014, 2018, & 2019, by the Australian Romance Reader’s Association. Despite all these accolades, I thought the book was terrible. I rate it one star.

I did finish the novel and the conclusion was predictable. I do not hold the ending against "End of Story"; most romances do have a predictable finish and it is the path getting there that is engaging. The premise is that, due to past circumstances, a house renovation causes awkwardness between the main handyman Lars and the homeowner Susie. He is best friends with her ex-boyfriend.

The hero Lars, stereotyped as the strong silent type, was silent enough to be boring and annoying. The heroine Susie was so self-deprecating I wanted to slap her on the side of the head and tell her to wake up. The pacing was slow. There were so many red herrings that were confusing such as a car accident, the inheritance from a favorite aunt, a dysfunctional family, and a mysterious document; these diversions may have provided a seed for the plot, but were not resolved or detailed enough to contribute to its advancement. Sexual relations were very, very explicit and the frequency and amount of alcohol consumed as a coping mechanism was distastefully overused. 

Amazon readers rated the novel 4.2 out of 5. In reading these reviews, though I noticed most of the comments were from those already fond of Kylie Scott as an author and were depending on her past successes for their opinion. 

I will admit I, too, can be guilty of prejudice for authors I really enjoy; e.g., Louise Penny, Brenda Novak. Using that strategy in reverse, I will put Kylie Scott on my list of "do not read" authors. My advice is to not waste your time on this book.

★☆☆☆☆ Awful but I read most or maybe even all of it

Ponder: Someone Else's Shoes

In Someone Else's Shoes by Jojo Moyes ©2023, two women accidentally exchange their gym bags in a locker room after their workout sessions. One is wealthy and being abruptly divorced; the other is a struggling working class woman. Both women learn how important what you wear impacts how you are treated. Without her fancy clothes, Nisha is treated like dirt by staff and store personnel. Sam experiences respect and wins business contracts when she dresses up in fancy shoes and jacket. Female character development is strong in this novel.

Sam Kemp, the working class woman, struggles to make ends meet and competently deals with issues totally on her own since her husband is unemployed and undergoing depression after the death of his father.  Sam's boss at work is a misogynistic S.O.B. and a firmly ensconced member of the "good ol' boys' club". Sam's male peers are encouraging and like her but are ineffective in having any influence on her battles with, and accusations from, the boss. Sam's gym bag contains scuffed up practical low-heel black pumps, shoes Nisha is loathe to wear but has no other choice.

Nisha Cantor, the very wealthy woman, is accustomed to getting her way, but molds her life to accommodate her strong, powerful, domineering husband. Her husband has been scheming to divorce Nisha and cut her off entirely financially so he can hook up with a younger woman. Nisha's gym bag contained very, very expensive, six-inch high, Christian Louboutin red crocodile shoes and a haute couture Chanel jacket. Per Wikipedia, Christian Louboutin is a French fashion designer. His stiletto footwear incorporates shiny, red-lacquered soles that have become his signature. These are the only clothes to which Nisha had access since her husband shut her out and cut off all accounts and now they are out of reach, unintentionally in Sam's possession. These clothes are foreign to Sam Kemp.

Nisha finds and makes friend across all social classes. Nisha, Sam, hotel maid Jasmine, and Sam's friend Andrea forge an unlikely coalition. Nisha's husband emphatically insists that the shoes be returned before he considers an equitable divorce settlement. The remainder of the novel is a romp in which the women band together to help Nisha gain what is rightfully hers: her clothes and a fair divorce settlement. To do so they must locate the shoes, devise a scheme to get the shoes back, and sneak into the husband's suite from which Nisha is locked out.

This novel has passages that display the bravery and resourcefulness of women. Some scenes are scary, some scenes are hilariously funny, and some situations make the reader ache for the struggles of women. The men in this book are minor characters in supporting  – note, I did not say supportive roles – for the plot. This novel will not appeal to male readers – at all! The book was entertaining and had a few devious twists that kept it interesting. I rate it three stars. It is not one of the best of Jojo Moye's novels but it was enjoyable enough for the time I invested in it. I did not want to set it down until the issues within were resolved to my satisfaction... and they were.

★★★☆☆ Better than average; not a waste of time

Ponder: A World of Curiosities

A World of Curiosities by Louise Penny ©2022, is her 18th novel in the series about the Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Sûreté du Québec. As a fan of Louise Penny I am familiar with her cast of characters and very much enjoy revisiting them. The characters that are old friends – second in command Jean Guy Beauvoir, wife Reine Marie, bistro owners Gabri and Olivier, book shop owner Myrna, artist Clara, eccentric old poet Ruth and her duck – beckon me to read on farther. Moreover, as a bonus, the mystery and murder motive in this book harken back to the very first case that Armand and Jean Guy work together, where their deep and lasting relationship first began. 

This novel takes place in the quaint Canadian village of Three Pines where a huge painting is found in a secret room. The mystery in this novel hinges around that huge painting, with clues sprinkled throughout the images. This painting is a parody of a real painting Paston's Treasure, which per Wikipedia

The Paston Treasure is an oil painting that serves as a historically rare record of a cabinet of treasures in British collecting. Commissioned by either Sir Robert Paston or his father Sir William Paston in the early 1670s, it depicts a small fraction of the Paston family's collected treasures.

New characters – which arouse suspicion – are strong, three dimensional, and highly developed. The climactic action scenes are well written and riveting. The mystery itself is quite convoluted. I was grateful that in the final chapters, the author has Armand Gamache explain to the villagers "what happened".  The plot and clues do all hang together, but a debriefing for the readers was welcome.

I must admit, though, that familiarity with the characters and setting are what made this book so enjoyable for me. I do not think it would fare so well as a stand alone read. I anxiously waited for it to be released and, for me, it was well worth the wait. Perhaps not so for the Louise Penny uninitiated. If I remove my fan-based bias, I feel I need to rate it three stars;  but I will still eagerly await her nineteenth novel in the Gamache series.

★★★☆☆ Better than average; not a waste of time

Ponder: Outlawed

In the year of our Lord 1894, I became an outlaw.

Such is the opening sentence of Chapter 1 of Outlawed ©2021 by Anna North. Newly married, 17-year-old Ada is in love with her husband. She remembered when he was her beau and she spent "hours talking about his broad shoulders, his awkward but charming dancing, the bashful way he always said my name". The first few months of their marriage were sweet ones. "My husband and I were hungry for each other all the time." The situation changed to grim when she failed to get pregnant within a year, thereby being derelict in her duty to "produce a baby for Jesus". In this era and region, barren women were accused of being witches, believed to cause others to miscarry or similarly to fail to conceive.

Ada is forced out of her dwelling with her husband and forbidden to practice the trade she has been learning as an apprentice from her mother, who is a highly trusted and respected mid-wife in the community. Furthermore, out of fear for the wrath and harsh punishment, even execution, that could befall her as a witch – and her sisters by association –  she needed to leave her childhood home to fend for herself and keep her family safe. There is a brief sojourn in a convent with other women who also have not succeeded in becoming mothers. The path Ada's life takes is simultaneously courageous and heart-wrenching, and also unanticipated.

This novel can be described as a feminist western, complete with bank robberies, stage coach hold-ups, and the self-proclaimed group name "Hole in the Wall Gang". Although I am not a fan of western shoot-'em-up movies myself, I enjoyed the novelty of this book. Women banned from society and their communities because of infertility or sexual proclivity, or shunned because of inappropriate mannerisms, band together in a supportive pseudo family. Mutual acceptance is an overall theme and even extends to the other gender. This is not a lesbian focus nor a male bashing. This is a unique way to survive a life and live it to the extent their genetic makeup will allow them within the ignorant and cruel confines of a "Christian" society.

I will admit, this book is probably not for everyone; but, because of its uniqueness and oddly supportive nature of the relationships, I rate it 4 stars.

★★★★☆ Really good; maybe only one weak aspect or limited audience

Ponder: The House in the Pines

The House in the Pines is a first novel by Ana Reyes, promoted as being a thriller.  It was advocated by Reese's Book club, whose selections I generally enjoy. This book was a dud for me but I did stick with it until the end. Although I'll admit it was page turner, but not out of fast paced action but rather from a confused desire to figure out what was going on. The introduction from the front flap of the book jacket drew me in taunting

Maya was a high school senior when her best friend, Aubrey, mysteriously dropped dead in front of the enigmatic man named Frank whom they'd been spending time with all summer.

Maya wants to blame Frank. Is Maya imagining things? She did have a mentally ill aunt, and the threat of possessing genetic similarities lingers over her. Seven years later she sees a YouTube video of another young women who similarly drops dead in a diner while seated across from none other than the very same Frank. Maya becomes obsessed with learning the cause and refuses to accept the mere coincidence of another "Unexplained Death" per the authorities.

Maya has stopped taking a prescription drug prescribed by a psychiatrist for her insomnia because she realizes it is addictive; to some degree she imbibes alcohol as a substitute. This book has too many red herrings to describe her periods in time where she has no recollection of what occurred – drugs, alcohol, genetics, weed, sleep deprivation? Do the last few sentences seem befuddled? That is the "thrill" part of this novel – no creepy witches, no bloody daggers, no snapped twigs in a dark foggy forest – merely a haunting absence of memory and an abundance of confusion. I was not satisfied with the only partially resolved ending, either. Amazon readers rated The House in the Pines rather tepidly. I rate it even lower at two stars.

★★☆☆☆ Ok, not great; some redeeming features; I finished it

Ponder: Wish You Were Here

Jodi Picoult is a very uneven author for me; I like some of her books but am disappointed by others. Wish You Were Here was a big disappointment for me. The premise is interesting, even if implausible. 

Diana  is a professional art seller and her boyfriend Finn is a surgical resident, both living in New York City. They are scheduled for a two week vacation in the Galápagos when an outbreak of COVID-19 decimates the medical response and hospitals in the city.  The crisis means Finn cannot leave his job, all hands are required. He urges Diane to go alone so at least she can enjoy the prepaid non-refundable vacation.  I found it odd that a woman would go off while her boyfriend is under such stress and choose to not stay with him for support. Nevertheless, that is how the book proceeds. The reasoning is that Finn will not be able to spend much time with Diana, plus she will be more vulnerable to the virus when periodically exposed to him if she stays.

There are lots of stressors on the island beyond the medical ones in New York. The island is shut down in hopes of securing COVID-19 isolation so amenities such as hotel, food, and stores are unavailable. The wifi and cell signals are down so communications between Diane and Finn are limited and strained. He manages to get a few emails off to her but instead of professing his love and how much he misses here, the emails are filled with horrifying details of failure to save patients and the dire progression of the disease. No spoilers here, but there is a twist near the end of the book which I thought was lame and a cop-out. I completed Wish You Were Here, ©2021, but rated this book one star. 

★☆☆☆☆ Awful but I read most or maybe even all of it.

I read Wish You Were Here back in February and just now got around to releasing this post. In order to brighten up this pessimistic blog post I googled some photos for Galápagos and COVID-19. I was surprised at the similarity between these two photos.

Ponder: Drunk on Love

I have read half a dozen romance novels by Jasmine Guillory, a relatively recent NewYork Times best selling author. Most of these books have settings in the Los Angeles or Oakland area of California, with characters who are young professionals and interconnected to each other. (See 8/30/22 Romance novels 1-3  and 9/12/22 Romance novels 4-6 .) Jasmine Guillory's seventh book Drunk on Love ©2022 still takes place in California, but in the Napa wine country. There is no association with characters from the first six books and I found that absence a bit disappointing. I tend to like series where there is familiarity and continuity among family or friends. 

New characters Margot and her brother inherited a working winery from their uncle. After a hot first time encounter with new casual acquaintance, Luke, Margo discovers the following morning that her brother has hired Luke to work in the tasting room. Margot and Luke's attraction to each other makes the situation at their mutual place of employment awkward. The love making in this book is more explicit than in the earlier novels. The verbal banter is amusing but less in quantity than in the earlier books. That physical versus mental balance makes this book less appealing to me rather than more so; consequently, I dropped my rating by one star to two stars. The winery details lent some interest, but not in enough detail to make the setting worthwhile. I think I will hold off on Jasmine Guillory's future books for a while. I may be saturated or she may be morphing her style to something less attractive to me.

★★☆☆☆ Ok, not great; some redeeming features; I finished it

Ponder: Two Nicholas Sparks Books

Although, as a fan, I thought I had read all the Nicholas Sparks novels, but I came across a notation about these two books for which I had no recollection and no blog post to jog my memory. True Believer was ©April 2005 and At First Sight was ©October 2005. With his most recent novel Dreamland  ©2022 just out, I decided to check these 2005 books out of the library so my reading of his publications would be complete. They share the characters of Lexie and Jeremy and second is a continuation of the first.

Both books were disappointments. Jeremy hails from New York City and Lexie lives in a small lazy town in North Carolina. These different home backgrounds did lend some interesting conflict, but it seems Sparks forgot that novels need a storyline as well as lengthy character and setting descriptions. True Believer is about finding a logical explanation for mysterious lights in a cemetery while Jeremy learns he is in love with Lexie.  I truly believe I had never read True Believer although I did find the striped lighthouse front cover enticing. At First Sight continues the Jeremy/Lexie relationship and seems to have no other plot other than Jeremy's struggles with his writer's block as a professional journalist and his communications with Lexie. The first half or more of the book merely re-tells the True Believer book. Once I got toward the end of At First Sight I recalled, "Oh, yes, I have read this before," and Sparks' typical end twist was spoiled for me. I believe a reading of the complete works of Nicholas Sparks would not suffer at all if these two books were omitted. I rate both these novels two stars. I sure hope Dreamland will be better.

★★☆☆☆ Ok, not great; some redeeming features; I finished them

Ponder: The Littlest Library

The Littlest Library ©2021 by Poppy Alexander (aka Sarah Waights) is a sappy story set in the English countryside about an unemployed librarian, Jess, orphaned as a young child, and raised by her grandmother who recently died.  The initial concept that drew me to the book is the repurposing of a classic red telephone booth for a local neighborhood lending library, populated by Jess's books inherited from her grandmother. The recurring theme is Jess's fear of happiness because she believes joy will be inevitably snatched away and she will be left miserable. I gave this sad little book two stars.

For those who enjoy a lot of description in their books and very little action, this novel will appeal. The characters in the quaint village are reasonable entertaining but the story is extremely predictable and slow moving. Jess purchases a picturesque, but run down, cottage. Long passages detail her scrubbing and painting and gardening efforts to spruce up the place and make it homey. There was a hint of a thwarted romance to keep the narrative alive but barely. At least I did learn some British vocabulary. 

★★☆☆☆ Ok, not great; some redeeming features; I finished it

Ponder: Three More Romance Novels

In my post for 8/30/22 I referenced an author that I recently discovered, whose romance series intertwined the characters from one book to the next. The author's name is Jasmine Guillory. Per the Amazon information page 

Jasmine Guillory is an American romance novelist. Her works' protagonists are often African-American professionals. In February 2019, her book, The Proposal, was ranked on The New York Times Best Seller list for paperback trade fiction.

Each novel has an interesting premise for how the male and female of the couple are introduced. Each holds an accomplished job position. Although it is noted that none of the females fit the "ideal body image", they are confident women none the less, and still desired by the males.

• In Royal Holiday © October 2019 Vivian, mother of Maddie from an earlier book in the series, accompanies her daughter to England where Maddie has a job outfitting a member of the royal family. There she mets Malcolm Hudson, assistant to the queen. This novel paints an interesting perspective on a budding love between two people in their fifties. It is filled with the flirtatious banter I like in romance novels. It is set in England, quite different from the Los Angeles or SanFrancisco settings of Guillory's other novels in this series.
• In Party of Two © 2020, at a hotel bar Olivia Monroe (sister of Maddie) happens to strike up a conversation with junior senator Max Powell about favorite desserts. Not learning her name but finding out where she works, he sends her a scrumptious chocolate layer cake inviting her on a date. The plot is about hiding from the press, going incognito, and flitting between a Los Angeles or San Francisco setting. The incidental focus on eating and desserts is a fun plus.
• In While We Were Dating ©July 2021 Anna Gardiner, beautiful actress on the rise to stardom, meets Ben Stephens while shooting an advertising campaign for a cell phone. (Ben is the younger brother of Theo from the third book, The Wedding Party.) This book has an opposite premise from the secrecy of Party of Two. Anna and Ben strive hard to be seen together for publicity. But it is all for show... isn't it?

These three books, like the first three (from my post for 8/30/22), are filled with lively banter both in person and via text messages that caused me to smile quietly. Each character, those newly introduced, as well as a friend or family member from a previous book, is delightfully portrayed. The inter-relation and communication amongst them makes me feel like I am peeking in on a dedicated family and friends network – sort of a mutual admiration society. 

There was an overall theme of fun and acceptance in this additional three of these Jasmine Guillory books that made for pleasant reads. Each amused me enough to compel me to complete the series. There were intimations about other peripheral characters that make me wonder if perhaps more books are coming. I rate each of the above books three stars. They were a fictional romp that were worth the enjoyable time investment.

★★★☆☆ Better than average; not a waste of time

Ponder: Wrong Place Wrong Time

Five Stars! ... I rate Wrong Place Wrong Time ©2022 by Gillian McAllister, five stars. It is the best book I have read in a long, long time. A tantalizing sentence on the book cover questions, "How do you stop a murder after it's already happened?" 

While I was reading, my husband claims I kept muttering "... this is so confusing..."; but that did not deter me in the least. The book involves time travel – of a sort, but not exactly – and that phenomenon always commands extra thought. On Day Zero, just after midnight, Jen, mother of eighteen-year-old Todd, witnesses her son stab a man, be arrested, and taken to spend the night in prison. The next day when Jen awakens it is Day Minus One, 08:00 and Todd is calmly and obliviously in his room getting ready for school. What? How can this be? Did Jen dream the crime? But clues reveal she must be truly(?) and incredulously(!) reliving a previous day in time.

Chapter headings continue to go backward in time, not always at the same rate, but ever backward. Chapter headings such as Day Minus Twelve or Day Minus Seven Hundred and Eighty-Three place the reader on a timeline as Jen tries to be super observant of details in those days in the past to see what she could have done differently as a mother/wife/daughter to change the outcome of the hideous act she witnesses at the start of the story.

The author did a good job clarifying where Jen was in time by elaborating on each chapter title with hints as to a month or year or season. My initial mutterings of confusion soon tapered off and I became immersed in the psychological thriller, packed with mystery, twists, and great characters all within the context of the love/angst of a mother for her child. Wrong Place Wrong Time was an instant New York Times Bestseller and a Reese's Book Club Pick. I loved this book but I will not give away any more. Check out the Amazon reviews by other authors for more details (in bold print and without spoilers). Enjoy reading Wrong Place Wrong Time for yourself.

★★★★★ Great! Read it!

Erma Bombeck

This is a "wander" as well as a "ponder" post since it is about an outing and a book. On July 19th, Frank and I attended a performance by Chautauquan Susan Marie Frontczak portraying the author and humorist Erma Bombeck. Chautauqua is a living history program in which performers, in costume and in character, bring historical figures to life in theatrical monologues. I told my 39 year old son about our outing and he said "Who is Erma Bombeck?" 

"Who is Erma Bombeck?...Who is Erma Bombeck?!..." I cried out. When I was growing up, my mom read her newspaper column daily and loved her housewife humor. Erma Bombeck was a household word in my childhood so I looked forward to this presentation at our local theatre. To be a Chautauquan, a person must apply for the role, research it thoroughly, get permission from an authorizing educational organization, and check in with the family of the person for permission and/or interviews if they are still available.

The format of the presentation was that Susan Marie Frontczak spoke as Erma for about on hour telling about her home life, how she got into writing, and the crazy antics of her family. Told by a doctor that she could never have children, Erma and her husband adopted a baby girl. Seven months later she became pregnant with a boy and then had another son after that. She wrote a newspaper column that my mother faithfully followed, laughing aloud at the kitchen table as she read it. Here are a couple of Bombeck's book titles that I remember as a child.

  

Even as a young mother myself, I remember this article of hers. I've always thought the final line was a bit trite, but the rest of it resonated with me.

God Chooses Mom for Disabled Child

Written by Erma Bombeck Published in the Today Newspaper Sept. 4th, 1993

Most women become mothers by accident, some by choice, a few by social pressures, and a couple by habit. This year, nearly 100,000 women will become mothers of handicapped children. Did you ever wonder how mothers of handicapped children are chosen? Somehow I visualize God hovering over Earth selecting his instruments for propagation with great care and deliberation. As he observes, he instructs his angels to make notes in a giant ledger."

Armstrong, Beth; son; patron saint, Matthew.
"Forrest, Marjorie; daughter; patron saint, Cecelia.
"Rudledge, Carrie; twins; patron saint.... give her Gerard. He's used to profanity."

Finally, he passes a name to an angel and smiles, "Give her a handicapped child."

The angel is curious. "Why this one, God? She's so happy."
"Exactly," smiles God. "Could I give a handicapped child a mother who does not know laughter? That would be cruel."

"But has she patience?" asks the angel. "I don't want her to have too much patience or she will drown in a sea of self-pity and despair. Once the shock and resentment wears off, she'll handle it." "I watched her today. She has that feeling of self and independence. She'll have to teach the child to live in her world and that's not going to be easy."

"But, Lord, I don't think she even believes in you."

God smiles. "No matter. I can fix that. This one is perfect. She has just enough selfishness."

The angel gasps, "Selfishness? Is that a virtue?"

God nods. "If she can't separate herself from the child occasionally, she'll never survive. Yes, there is a woman I will bless with a child less then perfect. She doesn't realize it yet, but she is to be envied. She will never take for granted a spoken word. She will never consider a step ordinary. When her child says "Momma" for the first time, she will be present at a miracle and know it! When she describes a tree or a sunset to her blind child, she will see it as few people ever see my creations." "I will permit her to see clearly the things I see---ignorance, cruelty, prejudice--- and allow her to rise above them. She will never be alone. I will be at her side every minute of every day of her life because she is doing my work as surely as she is here by my side."

"And what about her patron saint?" asks the angel, his pen poised in midair.

God smiles. "A mirror will suffice"

We learned from the presentation that as a humorist Erma was asked by a camp for children with cancer to write a book finding humor in the topic. She was initially reluctant, finding it a difficult topic, but did give it a go and visited the  camp for inspiration and material. Her result was the book I Want to Grow Hair, I Want to Grow up, I Want to Go to Boise ©1989. The title came from an interview Erma had with a little girl at the camp when she asked them for three wishes. I managed to find a copy of the book; I read it and chuckled at some of the contents. For example there were races amongst teens undergoing chemotherapy as to who would "hurl" first or, in other words, "toss their cookies". Another incident describes a girl who filled the container for her urine specimen with apple juice. Just before handing it back to the nurse she drank it down saying "Oh, wait. This has to be filtered again".

I have read several of Bombeck's books and although this one does have a fair amount of humor in it, my laugh out loud response is still tempered by the topic. I am glad I read it and I think it is worthwhile reading for a glimpse into the skill of "when life gives you lemons, make lemonade". I rate it three stars.

★★★☆☆ Better than average; not a waste of time

In case you readers have noticed, my past posts have not been published in the same chronological order as the events from whence they originated. Don't worry if you did not notice. I would not have expected you to. But here is the reason why. If I get "behind" in my blog posts, they can start to feel like "homework" I have not done. Sometimes I am not in the mood to write whatever topic is next in line chronologically, or I am not inspired by what to say about it. I gave myself permission to write "out of order" and not what "should be".

I was influenced by an Erma Bombeck from years gone by. She told a tale about when she bought bananas for the household, she alway ate the ones that were most ripe first, so they would not go bad. Meanwhile, the ones at the ripeness she preferred kept getting passed over. She was never eating bananas how she liked them and her enjoyment was diminished. I acknowledged to myself that by putting off what I wanted to write, I was not enjoying blogging about it in the moment it was most appealing. Does anyone really care if I write about those books in the order that I read them, or when I really went on an outing. I cite the date for my own benefit but does it really matter in the bigger  scheme of things? Nope. Just thought I would spell the situation out in case any one noticed or cared. I congratulate myself on taking one small step away from being so anal and relaxing my standards a bit. I am now a happier camper, especially since I have confessed.

Ponder: Three Romance Novels

I have found a new romance author I like, at least this particular series where the characters are intertwined from one book to the next. The author's name is Jasmine Guillory. Per the Amazon information page 

Jasmine Guillory is an American romance novelist. Her works' protagonists are often African-American professionals. In February 2019, her book, The Proposal, was ranked on The New York Times Best Seller list for paperback trade fiction.

Each novel has an interesting premise for how the male and female of the couple are introduced. 

• In The Wedding Date © January 2018 Alexa and Drew are stuck in an elevator during a power failure for the building, He laments he needs to go to a wedding for his ex and lacks a plus one. He asks Alexa if she will go with him and she agrees.
• In the Proposal © October 2018, a man blindsides Nikole by proposing to her on the JumboTron™ at a baseball game. They have been casual dating for a very short period and he even misspells her name on the big screen. When she turns him down, Carlos, from a few seats back, comes to her rescue to save her from the wrath of the crowd and the media attention. (Carlos is a friend of Drew from the first book.)
• In The Wedding Party ©July 2019 Maddie and Theo (who hate each other) wind up sharing duties in the wedding party of Alexa, a mutual best friend (and from the first book).

In the couples from first two books are of mixed races – white/black and black/latino – and the novel tastefully and subtly made me aware of the struggles or concerns of a minority group.  The couple from the third book, although black/black come from diverse backgrounds and each learns to drop his/her prejudices and appreciate rather than condemn the other's differences.

All three books are filled with lively banter both in person and via text messages that caused me to smile quietly. There was an overall theme of fun and acceptance in these books that made for a pleasant read. Was it rocket science? Hardly, especially not with a book published about every ten months. But I still gained some insight into other life experiences. I rate each of them three stars.

★★★☆☆ Better than average; not a waste of time

Ponder: The Island of Sea Women

Did I like the fictional novel The Island of Sea Women ©2019 by Lisa See? Some parts of it, yes; but other parts of it, definitely a strong no. I admit to having a love/hate relationship with this book. The existence of such a group of women, the vocabulary of their trade, and even more basically, the location and geography of the island of Jeju was enlightening and I welcomed learning about it. 

My first question was, "What are sea women?". They are real women in a matrifocal society, where women are the breadwinners and men tend to the children. Their livelihood is that of female divers, called haenyeo.  Learning of their tools and dress for diving was fascinating. Their tools are knives for cutting, rods for prodding, nets and floatation devices for collecting their sea life captures. They wrap themselves in white garments to help shield their bodies from the chill of the waters. Each woman can hold their breath for up to three minutes and upon surfacing releases her air with a "sumbisori" unique to each diver. Per Wikipedia

Haenyeo are female divers in the Korean province of Jeju, whose livelihood consists of harvesting a variety of mollusks, seaweed, and other sea life from the ocean...   The sumbisori is the special sound – like a whistle or a dolphin call – a Haenyeo makes as she breaches the surface of the sea and releases the air she’s held in her lungs, followed by a deep intake of breath.

My next question was "Where is this island?". I had never heard of it. Is it mythical, since this is a work of fiction? But no, by googling, I learned Jeju is off the southern tip of the Korean peninsula and west of Japan. It is 454 miles long and 19.3 miles wide. It's area is one fourth the size of Rhode Island, the smallest state. Jeju is the only self-governing province in South Korea, meaning that the province is run by local inhabitants instead of politicians from the mainland. 

The story unfolds around two young divers, Young-Sook and Mija, in their teens when the story opens. The two girls are the best of friends but then there is serious falling out between the two of them as the paths of their lives divert. Ascertaining the cause of this estrangement is a mystery in the book to urge the reader on. The novel is written in a two timeline fashion, in parts from 1938 to 1975, interspersed with scenes from four consecutive days in the future year of 2008.

                 Day 1: 2008
                 PART I Friendship 1938
                 Day 2: 2008
                 PART II Love Spring 1944 - Fall 1946
                 Day 3: 2008
                 PART III Fear 1947-1949
                 Day 4: 2008
                 PART IV Blame 1961
                 Day 4 (cont.) : 2008
                 PART V Forgiveness 1968-1975
                 Day 4 (cont.) : 2008

In PART I and PART II the daily lives of the people of Jeju are portrayed well. I learned of their belief in the gods, their system for arranging marriages, their matrifocal society, the harsh conditions and dangers imposed on the Haenyeo and their skills to compensate. Life was hard but the islanders learned to survive the challenges nature provided them. I enjoyed these parts immensely. 

Then the tone changes in PART III Fear 1947-1949. Events are recounted during an uprising of the local islanders on Jeju Island called the April 3 incident and described in Wikipedia as  

... notable for its extreme violence; between 14,000 and 30,000 people (10 percent of Jeju's population) were killed. Atrocities and war crimes were committed by both sides, but historians have noted that the methods used by the South Korean government to suppress protesters and rebels were especially cruel. Some historians and scholars, regard the Jeju uprising as the true beginning of the Korean War. ... In 2006, almost 60 years after the Jeju uprising, the South Korean government apologized for its role in the killings and promised reparations.

The days in 2008 are a reference back to the South Korean government's apology for the killings and its attempt at a memorial and reparations.

Some of the cruel suppression methods are explicitly described in PART III of the book. I was shocked and appalled and I detested having been exposed to these atrocities. On a news show there is often a warning that "the following images are graphic" so the viewer can avert his eyes. There is no such warning in the lines of a book. I plowed through the horrendous events and floundered amidst the political correlation of them all and at this point almost abandoned the book.

Despite the horrors and tortures, I kept reading into PART IV and PART V for three reasons. 

1. A few people whose opinions I respect had recommended the book. 
2. I was engaged in the life of Young-Sook, her family, and her estranged friend Mija. 
3. I was hopeful the worst was over. 

The book did finally satisfactorily explain their falling out and the progression of their lives.

If you google Jeju today, it is promoted as a highly valued resort community with lovely beaches and lava tunnels to explore; the sea women are a tourist attraction. 

The history of Jeju paints an extremely different picture from that of an idyllic resort. Jeju's strategic position between South Korea and Japan caused much grief and oppression during war times. Those fascinating lava tunnels were used to hide Japanese aircraft, enlarged by the hard, forced labor of locals. The hardships portrayed in this book were very educational for me but did not make for a pleasant read. I initially rated The Island of Sea Women two stars.

★★☆☆☆ Ok, not great; some redeeming features; I finished it (initially)

UPDATE
I rethought my rating, especially based on a comment from my daughter-in-law and decided to adjust it, as I rarely do, to do the book more justice. On my page on books I have read in 2022, I define my rating system.

I give the star rating soon after I am finished with (i.e., completed or abandoned) the book and blogged about it. The rating is more a reflection of my short term memory and enjoyment level. I have tried very hard not to go back at a later time and change the star rating relative to a different book I have read more recently.

The book is well-written and researched. Because I learned a lot and I talked about it a great deal with other people, I recognize it made a lasting impression on me. After all, I did finish it! I am making an exception and upgrading my rating of The Island of Sea Women to four stars. My review on aspects of the book remain the same; but, in this case, I feel it is unfair that my opinion on my likes and dislikes should dominate the merits of the book and deter someone else from reading it.

★★★★☆ Really good; maybe only one weak aspect or limited audience (revised)

Ponder: Remarkably Bright Creatures

A first novel by Selby Van Pelt ©2022, Remarkably Bright Creatures was a delightful read with three main characters: Tova, Cameron, and Marcellus. 

1. Tova is a woman in her seventies who works as an after-hours cleaning woman at the Sowell Bay Aquarium in the Pacific northwest. She lives alone, her husband having died three years earlier and her eighteen year old son having vanished thirty years earlier in a boating incident in Puget Sound.
2. Cameron is a young man who had been deserted by his mother at a young age and who never knew who his father was. He was raised by an aunt in a trailer park in the Modesto region of California.
3. Last but not least is Marcellus, an extremely intelligent giant Pacific Octopus, who forms a bond with Tova. As a detective, Marcellus is able to deduce what happened the night of the disappearance of Tova's son and seeks to devise a way to communicate this to her.

I was drawn to this book having read the nonfiction work The Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery, which attests to the intelligence of octopuses, (post for 7/24/2019). I'd given that nonfiction book a strong 4 stars. The plot of Remarkably Bright Creatures requires some suspension of disbelief but still manages to remain some plausibility and keep the reader engaged. How do the lives of these three characters wind up interacting? I stayed up late to finish the novel in one sitting. The ending was satisfying and made me feel good. I rate it 5 stars although those readers who are unable to suspend disbelief might disagree.

★★★★★ Great! Read it!

I leave you with one quote from Marcellus. It is his thoughts only. It would be ridiculous to think the octopus actually spoke!

Humans. For the most part, you are dull and blundering. But occasionally, you can be remarkably bright creatures.

Ponder: Run, Rose, Run

Run Rose Run co-written by Dolly Parton and James Patterson ©2022 was a relatively enjoyable, relaxed read but not any great literature to write home about. It is about a young girl from an Appalachian Mountains type background, AnnieLee Keyes, striving to make it big in the country music infused town of Nashville, TN. AnnieLee is miraculously discovered singing at honky tonk bar; the highly famous country music star Ruthanna Ryder takes her under her wing to help along her career. The ambience is meticulously developed. I could hear the twangy accent in everyone's speech; whenever a song was sung I had no problem hearing the voice harmonies and, in the background, I could imagine the picking banjoes and rippling fiddles enhancing the main melody.

Ruthanna Ryder has gone into retirement much to the consternation of her fans. I couldn't help but wonder if Ruthanna was modeled after Dolly Parton's views on the topic. She helps and guides AnnieLee, but insists the young woman stand up for herself and and remain true to herself. There are undertones that AnnieLee is hiding something from her background, something from which she must run. Dealings with record labels, managers, and radio stations are very interesting, depending on how true to life they really are. Ruthanna provides a back up band, and assigns a bodyguard /protector in Ethan Blake. Although there is strong theme of independence, AnnieLee leans on Ethan a great deal though she does not admit it, even to herself.

Although this book was co-authored, I had a nagging sense that the first two-thirds had been penned by Dolly Parton and the last third by James Patterson, the last third reading like an action movie. In that sense it seemed a bit disjointed. I enjoyed the narrative since I admire the music of Dolly Parton almost as much as I admire her philanthropy. I borrowed the novel from the library; Amazon readers rated Run Rose Run 4.5/5.

There is a CD of the songs from this book that I did download from iTunes and they, too, are pleasing. (Alex gleefully clapped through most of them – the peppy ones.)  Here is a YouTube link to the title song Run, Run, Run. I am not disappointed in this book/CD combination but it is nothing especially stellar. It will appeal more if you are from the Nashville area or very much into country music. I rate it 3 stars and am glad I read it.

★★★☆☆ Better than average; not a waste of time