Need to Know by Karen Cleveland

In Karen Cleveland's Need to Know, Vivian is a wife, a mom to four small children, and she works a plain old office job. Okay, well, maybe it's a little more than plain. Vivian is a CIA counterintelligence analyst. She spends all day combing through records and picking through data in hopes of finding and shutting down Russian spies. She's not out James Bond-ing it so she should be safe, but when a new program she creates starts getting too close for Russian comfort, Vivian's whole life hangs in the balance. What will she risk to keep her family safe? What really comes first, family or country?

I have actually never read a spy novel before and this one was really fun. I needed something a little different and a little lighter. Life is crazy enough right now and I can't be bogged down by my recreational reading. Sure, there were plenty of plot points that seemed more than a little far fetched, but that is the contract we accept when we pick up books like this. Suspend disbelief for a bit and just have a little fun. Would I have made the same choices Vivian makes? Maybe, maybe not. With stakes this high, who knows? If you're in the mood for a little fluff and a little good old fashioned spy fun, add this one to your vacation bag, even if maybe you'll be taking a stay-cation this summer.

*This Advanced Reader Copy was provided to me by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for and honest review.*

Brazen by Penelope Bagieu

Brazen: Rebel Ladies Who Rocked the World by Penelope Bagieu is a collection of graphic biographies about women who fought against what was expected of them and accomplished great things. Bagieu highlights women from around the world and throughout history in hopes of inspiring women of today, both young and old, to raise their voices and change the world. Some of the fascinating subjects include:

Margaret  Hamilton- the wicked witch in The Wizard of Oz

Giorgina Reid- a woman who helped save a historic lighthouse

Leymah Gbowee- a social worker in Liberia

Mae Jemison- the first black woman in space

And so many more!

This wonderful book taught me about so many new (to me) feminist icons and in a concise, easily readable fashion. I actually borrowed this from the library for my daughter to read because I thought its "graphic novel" style might grab her attention. It certainly did- she loved it and insisted I read it, too. I also became a fan and it made me want to learn even more about these amazing women. I have a whole list of further research to do now! I highly recommend you pick up this book yourself and see what you can learn from some of the strongest, most resilient, most interesting women in history.

What I've Heard- Big Magic

After hearing so many rave reviews from friends about Elizabeth Gilbert's Big Magic, I was excited to listen to it myself. Gilbert reads for the audio version and I always feel like that is a plus. Hearing the author read their own words ensures that everything receives exactly the intended emphasis and importance. In this book of advice and inspiration for creativity, Gilbert encourages us all to reach for whatever kind of art or craft we pursue whether that be visual art, music, or writing. Once we have reached out for that creativity, she challenges us to own and develop it.

I particularly enjoyed the story she told of having a book idea, planning it out, preparing to write it, and then life got in the way so she put it on hold. As she tells it, the idea couldn't wait and went on to another writer. She makes no claim that the idea was stolen, but fully acknowledges that ideas need to be nurtured or they will go somewhere else. And that's okay. I really liked the direction she gives about being open to ideas and all the Big Magic out in the world. 

I would have liked if the book had been a little more instructional than just inspirational, but it serves well as a little boost of motivation. One important tip that she does give is "Don't quit your day job." She spends a fair amount of time talking about how some people think if they are going to really commit to their art they should quit everything else and put it all on the line for creativity. Gilbert says there is no reason at all you can't create, in whatever form that takes for you, in your spare time, of which we all have plenty if we can arrange our priorities. Sure, you may have to go to an office 8-9 hours a day to pay the bills, but the rest of the 15-16 hours of each day are available to be used however you choose. Choose wisely.

Overall, I liked this book, but didn't love it. It has a few good rah-rah moments and is probably good for a little motivation. The audio version is a great way to go because it doesn't require a lot of time investment. I listened to it on morning walks and it only took a few days. Borrow this one from the library and just pop it in when you have time. 

From the Corner of the Oval by Beck Dorey-Stein

Beck Dorey-Stein is a former White House stenographer who tells all about her time working next to greatness in her memoir From the Corner of the Oval. Beck falls into this job after a temporary position at a school in Washington D.C. finishes. She is working several part time jobs when she comes across a Craigslist add for a stenographer. It isn't until she interviews for the job that she discovers it is working at the White House. From 2012 to 2017, she is part of the team that records every speech, every interview, and every press briefing that President Obama conducts. She travels with the White House staff all over the world for meetings with international leaders and to small towns in the United States for meetings with everyday Americans. She details what it is like to fly on Airforce One and travel in protected motorcades and stay in hotels guarded by Secret Service agents. She also shares a great deal about her personal life and how she spent those years meeting new friends and how the job affected her relationships.

Unfortunately, Dorey-Stein isn't particularly likeable. In fact, there were several times she was downright unlikeable. It is obvious she tries, but like the one-dimensional female character in a 2-star YA novel, she fails. She describes herself as unsophisticated out of place in a way that sounds like whining like insincere insecurity. Granted, some of the staff sound pretty awful with one even criticizing her orange blazer: "Bright colors are for senior staffers." It makes me wonder, do they also say "On Wednesdays we wear pink."? Even still, rather than coming off as an underdog, she just sounds pathetic.

Dorey-Stein also recounts how this time is filled with her participation in a despicable affair. For part of it she has a boyfriend, but for all of it the man in question has a girlfriend or is engaged. It is annoying to read about how flat-out stupid she is with this guy, a senior staffer. I know we all do dumb things when we are in love, but nothing about this guy is redeeming or romantic, no matter how hard she tries to write it that way. He constantly leaves her miserable and she just keeps going back for more. It made me want to scream at her "Get. It. Together, girl!" Through it all she is surrounded but so many inspiring people; smart, strong women and men who are busy making a difference and all she can see is a pathetic high school romance with a jerk who is probably a sociopath. That is pretty hard to like.

She bemoans her lot in life after one particularly rough night of overdrinking and fighting with this man and finds herself envying my friends with their full nights of sleep, their unfractured hearts, their focus on what actually matters. Then grow up, figure it out, and be better! On numerous occasions she describes how one drink after work leads to several more which always lead to more bad decisions. It is embarrassing. She tells these stories like she thinks she is Carrie from  Sex in the City, but she really isn't. And she really shouldn't.

An aspiring writer during this time, she shares her writing with several people who all tell her how great a writer she is, but of course she doesn't believe it- no matter how many times over and over  she reports people telling her she's great. It almost sounds like a humblebrag the way she goes on and on about it. A couple of different times she mentions that people ask her when she's going to quit her job and be a writer. She even quotes one friend calling it a "shit job" and suggesting she quit and start writing. First of all, it sounds like a pretty amazing job to me. I'm sure every day isn't a day at Disneyland, but traveling the world? Interacting on a regular basis with President Obama? Meeting inspiring people at every turn? That sounds like a dream job.  And secondly, why does she have to quit to be a writer? There are plenty of writers with day jobs and it sounds like she has plenty of downtime to devote to her writing, if only she could stop going out to bars late into the night, getting wasted like a college sophomore every time she has a free moment, and squandering her time and energy on a useless man who doesn't even care about her.

In the end, this book was a self-indulgent exercise in sensationalism with the sole purpose of becoming a published author. We want to learn about life working in the White House, not about her ridiculous social life. The content of her occupation is fascinating, but Beck? Not so much.

*This Advanced Reader Copy was provided to me by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for and honest review.*

Our House by Louise Candlish

Imagine coming home one day to find someone else moving in to your house. That is exactly what happens to Fi (short for Fiona) in Our House by Louise Candlish. Fi and her husband Bram are separated, but in the interest of their two young sons, they've set up an unusual arrangement known as Birds Nest custody. Basically, rather than the boys shuttling between the individual homes of their parents, the children stay in the family home and the parents take turns living with them in it- Fi during the week, Bram on the weekends. This works well until Fi arrives home to find all of her belongings missing and someone else's being moved in.

This book is told in three perspectives- as Fi discovers the strangers in her home, Fi telling the story from the beginning on a podcast called The Victim, and Bram telling his version of events in a word document to be sent after the fact. This storytelling was interesting, but also confusing at times because the reader has to keep straight what we know from Bram but that Fi doesn't yet know. A mystery and a thriller, the reader is compelled to keep reading to find out what the heck is going on, but there were many times I was frustrated with one character. I wanted to say, "Come on! You can get out of this by just coming clean and taking a small punishment." This book took me a little longer to read because I had to keep taking breaks from it. Maybe current events have me a little less tolerant of being on the edge of my seat- right now that's the only sitting I seem to do as it is- but I didn't feel as motivated to read as I usually do.

This was a very interesting book with a lot of compelling concepts that would be worthy of good discussion with your book club. The ending was especially thought-provoking. If you're up for a little thriller distraction, I think you'll really like this one.

Just be sure you know where your house keys are at all times!


*This Advanced Reader Copy was provided to me by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for and honest review.*

Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano

In Dear Edward by Ann Napolitano Eddie is twelve-years-old; he has an older brother he idolizes and parents that are pretty okay, too. The four of them are moving from New York to California, but mid-way through the transcontinental flight, the worst happens. The plane goes down in Colorado leaving Eddie as the only survivor. Taken in by his aunt and uncle, Eddie returns to the east coast and chooses to leave behind the nickname used by his family. Now Edward, he must find a way to recover physically and emotionally. What he doesn't know is what he means to the rest of the world. Strangers latch on to his story of survival looking for hope or meaning or whatever it is they need. Edward does his best to ignore the stares in public or the sensation he has become on the internet, but when he discovers the letters that have been written to him something changes.

The chapters alternate between Edward's present and an almost play by play of the events on the plane. In one moment we watch as Edward navigates middle and high school in a new place and as the new person he has somehow become. In the next we are back on the plane, watching the last hours of 191 people tick by without them even knowing. We get to know some of the other passengers: an injured soldier returning home to heal, a large bohemian woman who claims to remember her past lives, a wealthy old man looking back at his life, a wealthy young man determined to take every opportunity he can grab, and a glamorous flight attendant who catches everyone's attention. We also meet Shay, the girl who lives next door to Edward's aunt and uncle who becomes exactly the friend he needs.

This book was beautifully written. It was heartbreaking and hopeful at the same time. Losing everything the way Edward does is more than I can imagine, but Napolitano handles it with gentleness and truth. She doesn't shy away from the physical and emotional trauma. We watch as Edward grows through the years and gradually finds a way to live again, helped along by his aunt and uncle, his new friend, and his own determination. I really liked this book and I think you will, too.

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo

Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo was not at all what I was expecting when a friend chose it for book club. Alex is a high school drop out with a drug-dealing past that is offered a chance to start over at Yale, of all places. During the day she will attend classes and earn a degree, but at night, she will be responsible for watching over some of the very oldest secret societies in the country. These are not drinking clubs where the elite of the world make connections and prepare to rule corporations and nations one day. These are young men and women dabbling in dark magic that must be kept within bounds to avoid detection and possibly death. Alex has a natural ability that makes her the perfect person for the job, but she has a lot of learning to do when it comes to fitting in on campus.

And there is someone who wants to be sure she doesn't get that chance.

I thought this was going to be an easy breezy YA paranormal novel that would be a quick, fun read. It wasn't. Instead it was complex and gritty and dark and fascinating. The writing is smart, if a bit heavy at times. The pacing is a little uneven with quotes at the end of some chapters that seemed to almost set up road blocks to turning the page rather than propelling the reader on. There were a few bits that were quite brutal in their depiction of trauma and at the beginning I wasn't sure I'd be able to continue reading, but once I was past that, once I'd settled in to the story, I couldn't stop. Ninth House is the first in a series and we will have to wait until sometime next year to see where Alex will go next. I may not have been fully on board for the first several chapters, but I'm tied to the mast now and anxiously awaiting the next installment.