🪆A Graphic Novel about Putin, a Historical Fiction💦, and Diving into a New Fantasy Series ❤️🔥

 

    When I start a giant book, I worry I'm not equal to the task of reading it. This seemed especially possible because I abandoned the last large book I tried to read. However, Abraham Verghese's historical fiction book, The Covenant of Water, hooked me from the start. It begins in 1900 with a twelve-year-old Indian girl whose father has died marrying a forty-year-old man. I trepidatiously read on, prepared to once again abandon a book, but I was in good hands. Verghese swept me along, and I was captivated. The Covenant of Water is a five-star book. The characters, the story, and the telling overwhelmed me. I wasn't ready for it to end. There are several enthralling facts and ideas intertwined in the plot. A Christian Church in  India is believed to have been started by St. Thomas--Doubting Thomas--around 52 AD. The main characters are members of this church. 

This denomination still exists today: https://www.syromalabarchurch.in/?fbclid=IwAR0e4DV5lsTz4PfkIdP5tIxexQRU3axgX_qy_obMs_wLzO4xdpPG66FcCMM.

Verghese's writing is solid and evocative. This is a candidate for the best book of the year and definitely the best—and largest—book I've read this summer.

⛪️⚕️🏞️ 💦

   One of my Darling Daughters recommended Graceling by Krisin Cashore. It is a high fantasy book, the start of a series. The worlds people imagine are staggering, and Cashore cooked up a good one. For an unknown reason, some in this world have supernatural powers, a grace. They are called Gracelings. They are easy to spot because they have two different colored eyes. Cool right? Katsu has a grace that enables her to kill people. Her uncle, one of the seven kings, uses her as his enforcer. She hates it. Then she meets another Graceling, Prince Po, who understands and doesn't fear her. It helps Katsu to imagine more for herself: restoring, instead of destroying, leading her to undertake the most powerful enemy, someone like herself, to save others.

    The second book in the series is a prequel that reveals the villain in Graceling's backstory. Fire is about a woman called Fire who has monster blood in her veins, making her irresistible to others. Some are driven to possess her, others to destroy her. Her father used his power to destroy and wanted her to do the same, but Fire desires a different life for herself. This book stands on its own. I find Cashore imaginative and robust in her world-building. The heart of the book, though, is about relationships that harm and those that heal. Good stuff. I will be reading more of the series.

⚔️👁️❤️🔥💘

    Accidental Czar: The Life and Lies of Vladimir Putin by Andrew S. Weiss and Brian "Box" Brown is the strangest book I'll read this year. It is a historic nonfiction graphic novel about Putin. I learned much, not just because I know practically nothing about the inner workings of Russian politics. I have people in my life who strongly believe that Russia influenced the 2020 election, helping Trump win. I found that hard to fathom, but with my newfound understanding, I think it's true. Accidental Czar is written by Weiss, an expert on Russia who advised Presidents Clinton and George Bush. The format lends itself to picturing Putin as a Russian superhero and an American supervillain. I gained insight into why Russia views Ukranian autonomy as a threat. I feel more informed after having read this comic about Putin.

🪆🪆🪆

Love is Blind ❤️ and a Book I didn't Finish (DNF) 😔

 

  I've mentioned that I read romance and fantasy when the going gets tough. There is something comforting in knowing it will all be okay in the end. I enjoyed Katherine Center's Hello Stranger. It has an engaging premise. A long-struggling portrait artist is accepted in a juried contest to win $10,000 and many opportunities. She has six weeks to paint an original portrait. However, she becomes temporarily face-blind. She is unable to recognize anyone. Faces have become disjointed parts resembling a Piccaso painting, making it impossible to paint a portrait. Between her possible hunky veterinarian and suspiciously helpful and flirty neighbor, Sadie Montgomery can't see what to do.

👀👩‍🎨🛼🐾

    When it comes to reading, I am a completist. I generally finish every book I start. I plow through books quickly so it is easier to finish even the less thrilling ones, hoping the story will come together. I was reading Wild Swans by Jung Chang this week and only noticed that it was biographical once. I was only a quarter through a 600+ page book. Wild Swans was easier to read as fiction because I trusted that the author would find a way to redeem the cruel oppression and bleakness of their lives. Real life isn't always that kind. It became difficult to continue, so I'm taking a DNF--did not finish, but I hope one day to return and find that these resilient women found a way to flourish.

🇨🇳💔

🌺🏔️☕️🏞️ Exotic Locales like Hawaii, Afghanistan, East Texas, and a Coffee Shop

 

    Kevin Kwan must have the most amazing life. His books are filled with fantastic food, locations, and clothing. I wish I had a gazillion dollars to visit some places and stay in the incredible hotels! Kwan wrote the Crazy Rich Asian series. His latest book is Lies and Weddings. As I read it, I was reminded of Victorian farces, where the characters strive ridiculously hard not to be unmannerly while pursuing their true love. Rufus, future Earl of Gresham, has been instructed to marry rich to save the family from bankruptcy due to the profligate spending of his mother, who strongly reminds me of Mrs. Bennet in Pride and Prejudice. However, Rufus' heart belongs to Eden Tong, the girl next door. The action moves quickly, between glamourous spots and beautiful people. Kwan gives a modern-day peek into the stratified world of the über wealthy.

💍🤥🌺🛩️

    The Bodyguard by Katherine Center was a twist on the classic famous woman falling for her bodyguard. In this case, Hannah Brooks is the bodyguard, and Jack Stapleton is the hunky Hollywood star with a persistent stalker. Does she have to pose as his girlfriend? Why, yes! Do they both have secrets and baggage? Also yes! With romance novels, I find it isn't that the destination is unknown--it is headed toward a happily ever after--but how you get there, what obstacles are overcome, and how invested in the characters the author makes you. Hannah Brooks does a job doing it all with some twists. 

💘🎥🏞️

    The final travel book for my book club was Full Tilt: Ireland to India with a Bicycle by Dervla Murphy. Murphy recounts her 1963/64 cycling journey. A previous and similar cycling book, Lands of Lost Borders by Kate Harris, recounted her cycling The Silk Road with a friend in 2018. Review here: https://barbpruittwrites.blogspot.com/2024/05/traveltalking-cows-and-magic-attic.html. Dervla Murphy traveled solo through Afghanistan--her favorite country--often staying with tribesmen and in rural settings. She comes across as fierce and determined in pursuing her dream of cycling to India. Here is a link to make of her travels: https://lovecrewar.best/product_details/19269420.html. What stands out to me are the physical hardships and privation she faced, as well as her connection with people.

    For the next season of my book club, we will read Newberry Award winners. So excited!

🚵‍♀️🏔️🐐☀️❄️

    

    Travis Baldree is a rising name in the fantasy genre--high fantasy but with some crossover. Here is a link to his recently published prequel to Legends & Lattes: https://barbpruittwrites.blogspot.com/2024/06/its-all-about-sci-fi-and-fantasy.html. 

    Legends and Lattes came first, an inventive, beguiling story. An orc named Viv is finished with a career as a mercenary for hire. After a final score, she fulfills her dream of owning a shop. However, can she abandon her usual problem-solving method--off with their heads--to build a business? She will need help, but who will trust an orc?

🧌☕️🥐❤️‍🔥

Mystery 🧽 and Literary Fiction ☘️

 

 The Maid by Nita Prose was a fun mystery. It didn't take me long to realize that Molly was neurodivergent and possessed a kind heart. As her grandma would describe her, she's a good egg. Molly's grandmother raised her when her mother left. Molly decided early to become a maid just like her. She works at a fancy boutique hotel, The Grand Regency. She has had a challenging year. Her terrible boyfriend deserted her, and her beloved grandmother died. All she has is her job. After discovering a dead guest in a hotel suite, her career, her reputation, and her freedom are imperiled. Molly struggles to know who is a friend and who is not. 

I enjoyed The Maid so much that I immediately read the next book in the series, The Mystery Guest. It contains many of the same characters but with a new predicament for the Regency Grand Hotel. Second books can be tricky, and Nita Prose does a great job. The mystery was plausible and complex. I found them both diverting and heart-warming.

🧽🧹🏨

  I am in love with Ann Napolitano. Here is a link to reviews of some of her other books: https://barbpruittwrites.blogspot.com/search?q=Ann+Napolitano

   Within Arm's Reach is Naplitano's first published book. It is similar to her subsequent books in its exploration of different relationships within a dysfunctional Irish family. It is a multi-generational story about Gram, the forceful matriarch of the family, her oldest living daughter, Kelly, and her two adult daughters, who are struggling. The narration moves among several characters. The lives of the family members intertwine in ways they can't see--some toxic, some nourishing--and Gram urgently feels that she needs to fix things. To fix something, it usually needs to be taken apart, breaking it even further. The people in Arm's Reach are broken and struggling but very human. I liked them deeply, cared about their choices, cringed at their mistakes, and rooted for them. 

☘️👼😭