If you were given only a few more days to live, just what would you do? Well, the young postman in this story is faced with that situation and sits down to write the 10 things he wants to do before he dies, but his effort isn’t very successful. So the devil shows up to help, and of course he has a bargain. To gain one more day of life one thing must be removed from the world. The catch is, the devil gets to pick what will disappear each day. This is an odd little book, translated from the Japanese. It is advertised as a “quirky and charming homily on the true meaning of life,” and sold over a million copies in Japan. It might have lost something in translation, but I suspect that the Japanese see the world differently, for while it was an OK read, it didn’t really grab me.
eGalley review Publication date 3.12.19
Hardwick Hall was built in the 1590s, when Bess was in her seventies. It is still remarkable with clean lines, amazing windows – more glass than wall. It was the grand finale of building projects for Bess of Hardwick. being preceded by Chatsworth, which she worked on for thirty years, the Old Hall at Hardwick and Owlcotes, built for her son. This was an age of great builders and Bess fit right in. Daughter of a Derbyshire squire, her first marriage was arranged to Robert Barley, who died when he was fourteen. She began her climb up the social ladder with her marriage to Sir William Cavendish which brought her into London and the court. They acquired the manor of Chatsworth, beginning Bess’s building career. Her final marriage was to the Earl of Shrewsbury, which made Bess the Countess of Shrewsbury. By the time of her death, she was a most wealthy and powerful woman. Everything is highly documented. There are more than 230 of Bess’s letters between husbands, children, friends, and even the queen. There are notes sharing court gossip. I found all of these fascinating, revealing a strong woman, a very modern woman who learned how to take care of herself quite nicely. Household and business accounts abound. I loved the detail in the household accounts, but if you find it too much, just skip over them. This is a most interesting story of an amazing woman.
From the publisher, “It’s 1917, and World War I is at its zenith when Hazel and James first catch sight of each other at a London party. She’s a shy and talented pianist; he’s a newly minted soldier with dreams of becoming an architect. When they fall in love, it’s immediate and deep–and cut short when James is shipped off to the killing fields.
Sixth grader Carter Jones, opens the door to find a portly butler during a frantic first day of school morning for the four children. In the vein of Mary Poppins, sans magic, he arrives at the most needed time. Carter’s father has been deployed for many years, leaving his mother to hold the family together after Carter’s younger brother recently died. The butler worked for their late grandfather and arrives to deliver a Bentley and support to the family when Carter’s father decides he no longer wants his family and stays overseas. The butler is properly British and helps each child shine by encouraging their interests while teaching proper etiquette and behavior and for Carter, he introduces cricket. At first glance, cricket is the focus of the book when the butler teaches Carter how to play, it spreads through the school culminating in a cricket match with the entire community supporting. Beneath the cricket, is a story of being your best, accepting loss, and moving on. A charming story that maybe is full of magic. The magic of the right person coming along at the right time. Highly recommend.
You would never think that Ruth and Millie were sisters. Ruth, three years older, was the responsible one, rather plain looking, very smart, and you could count on her to always do the right thing. But expectations were high for Ruth, and any tiny misstep met with her mother’s disapproval. Millie, on the other hand, could get away with anything. She was beautiful, outgoing. Everyone loved her. That is, everyone but Ruth. And Millie craved her sister’s love. In 1942, Ruth is living at the Springfield Armory, an officer’s wife, when Millie appears with her two-year-old son. There had been no contact for a few years and Ruth was not happy. But Millie was a war widow and needed help. So Ruth took her in, helped her get a job at the Armory assembling rifles. The book focuses on the relationships between the women in the Armory, not just Ruth and Millie, with four women telling the story. And it is a story of women from various backgrounds whose lives had been shaped by their childhoods, coming together in the war effort, trying to survive problems and uncertainties. The book is beautifully written, with strong, believable characters. The depiction of life in the Armory showed a part of the war effort that I had not known existed. I really liked it and will be watching for Lynda Loigman’s next book.
The sequel to 
Last year, Delecorte Press published 
Odette was born and raised in France. Her father died a hero in the First World War, and every Sunday afternoon she and her brother placed flowers on his grave. Her Grandfather told the children that in twenty or twenty-five years there was going to be another war and it will be your duty to do as well as your father. Fast forward to 1942. Odette is now living in England, married to an Englishman, mother of three daughters. She feels she must do something to help the war effort, to help France, and to honor her father’s memory. She reluctantly joined the SOE (Special Operations Executive), organized to conduct espionage in France and help the Resistance. Odette left her daughters in a convent school and began the process of learning to be a spy. Her new identity, Lise, served under the command of Peter Churchill. This book is not for the faint hearted, for Lise and Peter were captured, and the tortures they endured are described graphically. That they both lived to tell their story is amazing. It is written like a thriller, with most chapters ending in cliff hangers. It is hard to believe that it isn’t fiction, but it has been well researched, using interviews, diaries, memoirs and archived records. Highly Recommend!
There was a tradition at the Swan, an ancient inn on the banks of the Thames. It was a tradition of storytelling. Joe Bliss was very good at storytelling. His wife ran the inn. Joe told the stories. And it was a hundred years ago on solstice night, when dreams and stories merge with true tales, that this story began. The door burst open and admitted a tall man, face dripping blood, mouth torn open, clothes soaking wet. And in his arms was a tiny little girl, dead, drowned. They sent for Rita, a nurse, to sew up the man. When she was done she went to where they had put the child. No breathing, no pulse, full dilation of the pupils. The child was surely dead, but she looked too perfect. Rita held her hand, said it should not be so. And the child opened her eyes. Mysteries abound. Who is this child, why does she not speak, did she really die and come back? I really don’t know how to classify this book. Is it mystery, folk tale, supernatural story, romance, all of the above? I do know that it is full of atmosphere, taking the reader into another time when anything could be true. It is a rather quiet book, full of interesting people with interesting stories, slowly unfolding. I enjoyed it very much.
Seraphine is in her father’s study at the estate on the Norfolk coast. Still shocked by her father’s accidental death, she’s struggling to clear the mass of papers and photographs, unhappy with the fact that there are no early pictures of her or her twin, Danny. But of course there would be none. Her father would have been overwhelmed with grief. You see, her mother threw herself from the cliffs a few hours after the birth of the twins. But then she finds a photograph of her mother sitting on the patio with a tiny baby. Her father is there. Her older brother is there. They all look quite happy, and on the back is a date, the day the twins were born. Too many questions flood Seraphine’s mind . . . which twin is it and why only one, why commit suicide when she looks so happy. Just what happened on that day. But there was an au pair, Laura. She should have been there that day. She must know what really happened. If only Seraphine can find her. This is another “can’t put it down book”. The chapters alternate between Serahine’s voice and Laura’s voice. There are unexpected twists and turns, and just as I thought I had it all figured out, nope, wrong again. It has everything: a Gothic setting, a heroine in danger, secrets, lies. I loved it.
Charlie’s life hasn’t been the greatest. He is a rather ordinary history professor, going through a divorce. But when he gets hit by a truck, he wakes up in his bed instead of a hospital. Things get weird when he realizes that this is his bed in the room that was his as a teenager, and this is his body when he was sixteen years old, but this is his mind, still in his 40s. And things get interesting when Charlie decides this second life is going to be really good. The premise is great. Who wouldn’t want to take the accumulated knowledge of a lifetime and do some stuff over. And the first part of the book does just that. But then Charlie dies again and comes back again, and begins to notice other people like him who loop through time. I really like Gregory Benford’s books, but this one didn’t grab me. There were too many well-known people entering the picture that made the book seem a bit campy. If you want a really good time travel book, read the original Timescape.
What happens when we manipulate our DNA? Could the science be used to better humanity or be the root of new evils? Fusing organs to save a life? Manipulating genes for vanity? Or to create a super human intended for slave work? Brilliantly told in six stories that span hundreds of years, we read the what-ifs of genetic manipulation. The author touches on political strife among countries regarding the different points of view, but mostly on the humans touched by this manipulation and the entire human race. Each character is carefully crafted and so well-written that they are so relatable. While the concepts are high level, the sexual content is acceptable for middle school and up. Fast-paced and highly engaging. Highly recommend!
From the publisher, “Take two American teen chefs, add one heaping cup of Paris, toss in a pinch of romance, and stir. . . . Rosie Radeke firmly believes that happiness can be found at the bottom of a mixing bowl. But she never expected that she, a random nobody from East Liberty, Ohio, would be accepted to celebrity chef Denis Laurent’s school in Paris, the most prestigious cooking program for teens in the entire world. Life in Paris, however, isn’t all cream puffs and crepes. Faced with a challenging curriculum and a nightmare professor, Rosie begins to doubt her dishes.
The spaceship Return carried only nine people, although it could have carried many, many more. The mission from Earth to World had not been a success, and so some of the Earthlings were going home, accompanied by five Worlders. They had no idea just what they would find on their arrival. After all, even though only a short time had elapsed on World, the transit through space would mean that twenty-eight years will have passed on Earth. The Earth to which they returned was profoundly changed. The spore cloud had killed most of the humans. Only a few million scattered survivors were left and they were waging war on one another. The new arrivals were soon joining the effort to end the deadly plague. I have always enjoyed Nancy Kress, but I was a bit disappointed in this book. The plot was pretty obvious and the characters were mostly one dimensional. This is the third book in the Yesterday’s Kin trilogy, but it can be read as a standalone.
Oh, how I love Jane Yolen’s fairy tales! I promised myself that I would make them last. Read only one a day. Yeah, right. That didn’t last very long. I gobbled them down like a greedy little pig. There were princes and princesses, dragons and frogs, and there was an unhappy bridge. There were myths, legends and fairy tales. My favorite was Sleeping Ugly. Or maybe Happy Dens or A Day in the Old Wolves’ Home. But Cinder Elephant was really good, too. Let’s face it, I loved them all. Some made me happy, some made me want to cry, some were disturbing. All of them left me wanting more. The very best part, though, were the Notes and Poems, wherein she discussed just how and why she fractured each story and included a poem relevant to the story. If I counted correctly, there are 29 stories in all. A little more than half are new to this book. I recommend this book for anyone who loves an unexpected twist to an old tale.
YA Lit Ramblings 
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