Book Review: The President's Wife - Tracey Enerson Wood

 

“The President’s Wife” is a historical fiction book by Tracey Enerson Wood. I’m a little bit familiar with President Woodrow Wilson - from being NJ’s governor, to President of Princeton University, and - of course - being infamous for his re-election campaign slogan “He Kept Us Out of War.” I didn’t know much about his second wife, Edith Galt, so I thought reading this book, where Edith was the main character, would be good for rounding out my knowledge of Mr. Wilson. I have mixed feelings about this book. On one hand, President Wilson is a rather interesting character (like him or not). He is known for forming the League of Nations (forerunner to the UN), but also, under his term, the 19th amendment was ratified (though Wilson seemed to support its passing as a way to gain votes not for equal rights). Wilson managed to both praise and also separate himself from the movie “Birth of a Nation,” which required some nice tap dancing. However, that’s all background to Edith Galt Wilson - his second wife. I felt at times that their courtship was both incredibly slow (it takes up over 25% of the book) yet also rather quick (they met, he was smitten with her, she resisted marrying him, yet also felt a spark). Wilson was known for his love letters - in fact there are online articles about his letters to Mary Peck. I think where my expectations weren’t met was that this books is really more about Edith Galt becoming President Wilson’s wife - from courtship to becoming his partner and after his presidency. I thought the book would focus a lot more on the months of her “stewardship” but it wasn’t. I think for those who don’t know a lot about this time period, this book would be an interesting read, but for me it missed the mark as it wasn’t quite what I was expecting. 3.5 stars.

Book Review: Spin a Black Yarn - Josh Malerman

 

“Spin a Black Yarn” is a collection of horror novellas by Josh Malerman. I’ve read three books by Mr. Malerman; greatly enjoyed two and found one to be an okay read. For me, these are novellas but I cannot say there were all horror. The first story, “Half of the House” I found to be more about an older sibling terrorizing a younger sibling. It was more weirdly creepy than horror - and the rather open ending and reasoning for the terrorizing I found very odd. The second story, “Argyle” touches on an oddity - what if you suppressed your killing urge for the entirety of your life? The ending was a bit predictable, but it was an interesting story idea - even if, for me, a bit too dragged out. The third story, “Doug and Judy Buy a House Washer(TM)” I couldn’t help but compare to one of my favorite short stories “The Veldt” by Ray Bradbury. What happens when a computerized thing seemingly has a mind of its own? Again, I found this story an interesting idea, but again, it was a titch too long for my taste. The fourth story, “Jupiter Drop” again was an interesting idea and I even liked the little bit of science-fiction thrown in, but again, it didn’t completely work for me. The final story, “Egorov” again was an interesting idea and decently executed - triplets at birth, one killed, the other two surviving brothers trying to discover their sibling’s killer. What worked was the “translated from the Russian” style. It was dark and it’s the longest story in this book. While I still think Mr. Malerman is a talented writer, this collection of novellas didn’t work for me. There were a number of ambigutious endings (does the House Washer expose everyone’s secrets or was it acting as judge/jury for this couple?) and while I’m okay with a lot of dialogue, these stories seemed to rely upon dialogue to tell the story a bit more than I liked. Overall, three stars - great story ideas, but sadly they didn’t always work.

Book Review: Dark Corners - Megan Goldin

 

 

I will admit, I’m a fan of Megan Goldin’s writing, so when I was offered an ARC of “Dark Corners,” I practically ceased reading what else I’d been reading and started in on this one. This book can be read as a stand-alone, though it is the second in a series about Rachel Krall, who readers met in “The Night Swim.” Ms. Krall is a true crime podcaster and in this book, she’s contacted by the FBI regarding a prisoner about to be released. A lot happens in this book - and the publisher’s summary does a great job explaining all of it. What I really like about Ms. Goldin’s writing is how the “podcast” sections suddenly appear, giving some background information - they move the plot along, opposed to stopping the story dead. The main character, Rachel, is - as always - a woman who uses her wits and thinks on the fly in very logical ways. I did like the part about the BuzzCon awards and influencers on social media and how that tied into the overall story too. I even, in a rather weird way, liked how Ms. Goldin created some sympathy for the “bad guy” in this book. I zipped through this book and will probably re-read this at another time. Four stars.

Book Review: North of Nowhere - Allison Brennan

 

“North of Nowhere” is a thriller by Allison Brennan. This is a pretty action packed thriller with interesting characters. I liked that different characters were able to give their points of view during the story. While this story started off strong, my interest started waning toward the half-way point due to additional characters being introduced and the writing not being as strong. I wanted to enjoy this book more than I did as it started off so strongly. I’d probably give this author another chance - as she has a number of other books - but as this was touted as a stand-alone, it didn’t feel like a complete stand-alone (or maybe would have if there was a tighter ending). Three stars.

Book Review: Gone Tonight - Sarah Pekkanen

 

I have to admit - I’ve an odd relationship with Ms. Pekkanen, the author of “Gone Tonight.” Some of her books I’ve greatly enjoyed and others are okay. I went into this book blind - literally all I saw was an email saying “approved to read” and I started reading. The first third I was wondering “Is this a family or woman’s book? That’s a new direction for Ms. Pekkanen to take.” But I dug in and continued reading … then, the end of Part I happened … and the proverbial light bulb turned on. It’s a bit of a slow burn at the beginning, but push through - Ms. Pekkanen’s thriller magic does happen (thank goodness!). Knowing a bit about the plot probably would’ve helped me with the first part (it seemed like a lot of set-up), but things picked up during the second and third parts. What I like about Ms. Pekkanen’s stories is that she’s a very engaging writer, with some interesting information twists along the way. Sometimes things are what they seem to be … and I liked the mother/daughter relationship in this book a lot. Must admit, though, that the information about an illness was a titch too close to home for me, since I had a family member who suffered from it for a while. If you’ve read Ms. Pekkanen’s works before, add this one to your want to read list - it’s a good one. Four stars.