Month: September 2020

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek
Author: Kim Michele Richardson

Published: May 7, 2019
309 Pages

Reviewed By: Kim
Kim’s Rating: 3 stars

Book Description:

In 1936, tucked deep into the woods of Troublesome Creek, KY, lives blue-skinned 19-year-old Cussy Carter, the last living female of the rare Blue People ancestry.

The lonely young Appalachian woman joins the historical Pack Horse Library Project of Kentucky and becomes a librarian, riding across slippery creek beds and up treacherous mountains on her faithful mule to deliver books and other reading material to the impoverished hill people of Eastern Kentucky.

Along her dangerous route, Cussy, known to the mountain folk as Bluet, confronts those suspicious of her damselfly-blue skin and the government’s new book program. She befriends hardscrabble and complex fellow Kentuckians, and is fiercely determined to bring comfort and joy, instill literacy, and give to those who have nothing, a bookly respite, a fleeting retreat to faraway lands.

Inspired by the true and historical blue-skinned people of Kentucky and the brave and dedicated Kentucky Pack Horse library service, The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek showcases a bold and unique tale of the Packhorse Librarians in literary novels—a story of fierce strength and one woman’s belief that books can carry us anywhere—even back home.

Kim’s Review:

This book has been on my list for a while. The description sounded interesting and I don’t really know much about the blue people of Kentucky. Plus, Cussy is a librarian … she’s one of us! Unfortunately, I felt really disconnected from her story. The plot is basically Cussy’s route up and down the mountains. It’s supposed to be an emotional tale and sadly, I was feeling a little
too shallow while reading it. Though, Ivan came in awfully handy with his medical knowledge once the doctor tried to figure out how to heal Cussy of her color. Thankfully we didn’t have get quite as detailed as we did with Five Feet Apart, but his input was very helpful. I liked most of the characters, even the ones I was supposed to hate. And I did hate them, I just liked to hate
them. I also appreciated how this was not a “white people bad, colored people good” story.

Richardson kept it realistic, showing how all people, regardless of color, can be mean and ignorant. But I was rather unhappy with the ending. It felt like another incomplete dud of an ending. I was left feeling unfulfilled. But overall, this was a good book and I’m glad I read it. I do recommend it to the historical fiction lovers. It gives good historical info and opens the door to further research.

Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK

The Girl You Forgot by Giselle Green

The Girl You Forgot
Author: Giselle Green

Published: August 11, 2020
378 Pages

Reviewed By: Jessica
Dates Read: September 5- 20, 2020
Jessica’s Rating: 4 stars

Book Description:

Does the heart never really forget?

When Ava’s partner Will is diagnosed with a terminal brain tumour, the doctors give Will one chance to survive – an operation which means he will lose his recent memory. Ava begs him to take the chance, sure that she can cope with Will forgetting her. After all, they have something very special to live for.

But they are also keeping a heart-breaking secret, and if Will loses his memory, Ava will have to carry that secret alone.

Can they rebuild their love from scratch or will their secrets and past come between them? Will Ava really be a stranger when Will wakes up – or does the heart never really forget…

Giselle Green returns with a heart-breaking, deeply moving story of love, loss, and what it really means to be alive.

Jessica’s Review:

The Girl You Forgot is more than what the book description says: Reading it you think the characters will experience some pain after Will’s surgery that leads to a happy ever after ending, but it so much more than that.  There was one line that really stuck with me at the beginning of the novel:  ‘Sometimes, living, he said, ‘ is the most difficult choice any of us ever have to make.’

Both Ava and Will are our narrators, so we get both sides of their emotions and thoughts. The beginning had me close to tears thinking about my husband and I, with how much time I/or he) would have lost and where I/we were in life with how much memory Will loses.  And not just the relationship with my spouse, but everything in general: friendships, losses of people and pets that you would have to be told about, and life changing events.  I can’t and don’t ever want to imagine having to make this decision. In fact, I was reading it and getting emotional at the beginning and my husband asked what was wrong.  My answer: “The book”. Then I proceeded to tell him what it was about. He made me stop talking about it.  He didn’t want to think about it either!

Both Will and Ava are dealing with a serious secret that he won’t remember after the surgery and Ava will be dealing with it on her own. Neither one of these two people is perfect, and the secret is the opposite of what we tend to get in other novels that deal with secrets in relationships, which was a bit of a refreshing change. 

Will our two main characters be able to come together despite the secret that is being kept from Will, and will he be able to fall in love with Ava again despite no memory of her? This novel gives you so many emotions and I had no idea how it was going to ultimately end, and the ending I was happy with. 

This is my first novel by Giselle Green and I was given a copy by the author for a review that I was more than happy to give. I hope to read more of Green’s novels in the future.

Many thanks to the author for granting a copy for me to read and review in my own time!

 Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK

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Graphic Novel Review: Batman: Arkham Asylum – A Serious House on Serious Earth

Today Kim is bringing you a video review of the graphic novel Batman: Arkham Asylum – A Serious House on Serious Earth by Grant Morrison and illustrated by Dave McKean.

Batman: Arkham Asylum – A Serious House on Serious Earth
Series: Batman: One-Shots

Author: Grant Morrison
Illustrator: Dave McKean
First Published: January 1, 1989
216 Pages

Reviewed By: Kim
Kim’s Rating: 5 stars

Graphic Novel Description:

In this groundbreaking, painted graphic novel, the inmates of Arkham Asylum have taken over Gotham’s detention center for the criminally insane on April Fools’ Day, demanding Batman in exchange for their hostages. Accepting their demented challenge, Batman is forced to live and endure the personal hells of the Joker, Scarecrow, Poison Ivy, Two-Face, and many other sworn enemies in order to save the innocents and retake the prison. During his run through this absurd gauntlet, the Dark Knight’s own sanity is placed in jeopardy.

Kim’s Video Review:

Purchase Links:
Amazon US
Amazon UK

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