The Girls in the Stilt House by Kelly Mustian

  The Girls in the Stilt House by Kelly Mustian. Sourcebooks Landmark, 2021.  Adult fiction. Debut novel.

        This deeply atmospheric tale of two young women in the swampy Natchez Trace in the early 1920's has nothing to do with the typical Great Gatsby glamor of that era. Instead, Mustian provides a rich story of poverty and scrappy characters who must help each other in order to ensure their very survival. There are villains, Virgil and Frank, but it is the main characters of Ada and Matilda who carry the story and win readers' hearts. Ada finds herself pregnant and without her love, Jesse. Matilda has had her own share of sadness and knows a lot about babies. They make an unlikely pair as they share secrets and dream of better lives. Congratulations to Mustian on her debut novel as she truly expresses the despair, hopes, and struggles and makes the location almost a character, too. Readers will hope against hope that nothing tragic will happen, but rest assured, these girls are in capable hands with Kelly Mustian. 

Malibu Rising: A Novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid

 

  Malibu Rising: A Novel by Taylor Jenkins Reid. Ballantine Books, Penguin Random House LLC, 2021. Adult fiction.

     Looking for a great beach book for summer reading? Check out this family saga of four siblings and their rock star father and California mother. Nina, Jay, Hud, and Kit have grown up surfing and living in the gorgeous Malibu, California area. The book features one day, Saturday, August, 27,1983 when the annual Riva party is to be held. From movie stars to local celebrities and wannas bes, everyone wants to be at a famous Riva party. Alternately, portions go back to 1956 when Mick and June Riva first met and then forward in the lives of their family members. Nina, the oldest, whose tennis champ husband has just left her,  has always been the "grown up". Jay is a champion surfer with a secret. Hud is a famous photographer with his own guilty conscience. And, young Kit is just becoming independent and finding herself.  Reid's writing is smooth and readers may have a hard time putting down this tale once it begins to unwind. The setting is, of course, beautiful and will return those of us fortunate enough to have been there and make new fans of others. But, it is the characters who drive the plot and find their ways into your mind and heart. 

The Titanic Sisters: A Novel by Patricia Falvey

  The Titanic Sisters: A Novel by Patricia Falvey. Kensingon Books, 2021. Adult historical fiction. 

Sisters Nora and Delia Sweeney have grown up in Donegal, Ireland. Delia is her mother's favorite while Nora works hard with their father. When the opportunity of a lifetime comes as a first class ticket to America and a chance to be a governess for a widower's young daughter, Ma, of course, chooses Delia to go. But, Da trades the ticket in for TWO steerage tickets so that both girls can go and arranges for faithful Nora to become a maid. And, of course, it is on a huge new ship, The HMS Titanic.

Titanic fanatics will find that only a very short part of the novel is about the ship's sailing and disaster. The sisters lose each other in the hectic rush. Nora thinks Delia has died and seizes the opportunity to take the governess position. Delia has lost her memory, but is very much alive.

From there, it's a story of will they/won't they find each other. Texas is a major setting and its character Mayflower provides a whole new perspective. Neiman Marcus shopping is involved! The movement to get women the vote receives mention. Drilling for oil is an important component to the later story. The chapters switch back and forth, identified by the name of the sister whose story is being told at that point. Finding love, reuniting family and smoothing out differences, and young women finding independence all are themes. If you enjoy romance and historical novels, check out other titles by the author.

The Grandmother Plot by Caroline B. Cooney

  The Grandmother Plot: A Novel by Caroline B. Cooney. Sourcebooks: Poisoned Pen Press, 2021. Adult fiction, mystery.

Middletown Memory Care facility is the typical facility for aging seniors who have mental health problems. Freddy's grandmother is a white haired  little old lady and he loves her. His sisters live many miles away and his mother has died so Freddy is in charge. Freddy has questionable friends who may be drug dealers, he makes an iffy living from blowing glass beads and pipes, and he survives illegally claiming his dead mother's Social Security in his grandparents' aging home. Let's just say that Freddy is not your average hero.

But, when one of the little old ladies at MMC dies, things take a complex turn. Caroline Cooney has again constructed a tightly woven plot with realistic details and fascinating characters. Reading about the intricacies of the care center is hard, but readers who have experienced first hand those centers will appreciate the care that the author has taken to get the details right. Sometimes, the details about glass blowing are enough to make you think the author must have her own art studio at some time! The mystery will carry readers along with Freddy and make an unforgettable journey. Prepare to lose some sleep because you will not want to put this book down!

Over the Shop by JonArno Lawson

 

Over the Shop by JonArno Lawson. Ilustrated by Qin Leng. Candlewick Press, 2021. Children's picture book. 

  This wordless (except for signs) picture book is full of visual details in ink and watercolor that paint pictures and tell a complicated story. A small girl and her grandparent run a neighborhood store in a city. They post a sign "Apartment for Rent" for the over-the-store space, but it has broken tile and cabinets, a bare, hanging light bulb, and is very shabby looking. Two pages of people walk by and look at the sign, but some even haughtily turn up their noses. When an enterprising young couple move in, they scrub and work and wave at the neighbor! Soon they have involved the little girl, helped spruce up the store itself, and the apartment even has flower boxes. The little girl, her grandparent, and the neighborhood cat have soon become a family that inspires the whole area.  

The Great Halifax Explosion by John U. Bacon

 

The Great Halifax Explosion: A World War I Story of Treachery, Tragedy, and Extraordinary Heroism by John U. Bacon. William Morrow, an imprint of HarperCollins, 2017. Adult nonfiction.

  This is my very favorite nonfiction book of 2020. It is filled with adventure, history, true bravery, and stories of real people. On Thursday, December 6, 1917, two ships collided in Halifax harbor. One was filled with explosives destined for WWI efforts. The result was the most destructive man-made disaster until Hiroshima. Windows for fifty miles were blown out. Over 2,000 people were killed and thousands more were wounded. A huge portion of the population instantly became homeless. The lessons learned included how to better deal with the blind, how to rebuild quickly, and are told through the stories of several families. Ironically, the HMS Titanic's rescue and recovery missions had taught locals how to label, store, and bury large numbers of dead bodies. While that disaster is well known, the "Blizzard of Glass" in Halifax is less well remembered. Bacon's book will ensure that readers will long remember it. 

Before She Was Helen: A Novel by Caroline B. Cooney

 

Before She Was Helen: A Novel by Caroline B. Cooney. Sourcebooks, Poisoned Pen Press, 2020. Adult fiction, mystery.

      If you think that life in a South Carolina retirement village is all golf, cocktails, and relaxing, check out this fictional Sun City tale! Clemmie is living as Helen and has become quite adept at hiding secrets even from her family. But, some of her neighbors are hiding things, too. When she goes next door to Dom's place, she goes through the connecting door to the Coglands'. Clemmie sees a stunning piece of art and snaps a photo with her cell phone. She never suspects that forwarding it will reveal it's stolen and bring the owner, a drug ring, and adventure to her own life. Cooney is a master at YA fiction, but this adult book will bring her new fans. At times, it is funny and the characters are true to life. If you read Nancy Drew as a teen, Carpool by Mary Cahill as a parent, and long for senior fun, this is the perfect novel!   Cooney does not disappoint with the intricate plotting here.