When Beth March is found dead in the woods on New Year’s Day, her sisters vow to uncover her murderer.
Suspects abound. There’s the neighbor who has feelings for not one but two of the girls. Meg’s manipulative best friend. Amy’s flirtatious mentor. And Beth’s lionhearted first love. But it doesn’t take the surviving sisters much digging to uncover motives each one of the March girls had for doing the unthinkable.
Jo, an aspiring author with a huge following on social media, would do anything to hook readers. Would she kill her sister for the story? Amy dreams of studying art in Europe, but she’ll need money from her aunt—money that’s always been earmarked for Beth. And Meg wouldn’t dream of hurting her sister…but her boyfriend might have, and she’ll protect him at all costs.
Despite the growing suspicion within the family, it’s hard to know for sure if the crime was committed by someone close to home. After all, the March sisters were dragged into the spotlight months ago when their father published a controversial bestseller about his own daughters. Beth could have been killed by anyone.
Beth’s perspective told in flashback unfolds next to Meg, Jo, and Amy’s increasingly fraught investigation as the tragedy threatens to rip the Marches apart.
For fans of Little Women who want a little more murder this is the book for you. The twists are well-done with some plausible red herrings for the March sisters to investigate before finding the real killer. I saw some reviews that were disappointed by the dead ends and mistakes the Marches made, but they aren’t professional detectives, so I didn’t mind. Besides, Bernet relied on a quick pace between the Now and Then chapters that kept the story engaging.
After receiving a call from her friend Helen Corning, Nancy agrees to help solve a baffling mystery. Helen’s Aunt Rosemary has been living with her mother at the old family mansion, and they have noticed many strange things. They have heard music, thumps, and creaking noises at night, and seen eerie shadows on the walls. Could the house be haunted? Just as soon as she hangs up the phone, a strange man visits Nancy’s house to warn her and her father that they are in danger because of a case he is working on buying property for a railroad company. This warning leads Nancy and her father Carson to search for the missing Willie Wharton, a landowner, who can prove he signed away his land to the railroad and save the railroad from a lawsuit. Will Nancy be able to find the missing landowner and discover how these mysteries are related?
At least that’s the description for the book my friend got. As she finished ahead of me, I scrambled to find one on hoopla since my library didn’t have any physical copies. Turns out I got the original 1930s edition while she got the 50s-80s edit, and wow, there are lots of changes between them.
Nancy Springer is the author of thirty-plus fantasy and mystery novels. Most may recognize her as the author of the Enola Holmes series, adapted by Netflix with Millie Bobby Brown. She graciously took the time to answer my questions about her major influences, research and of course, the movies and what’s coming next. Enjoy!
Let’s start at the beginning, when did you begin writing?
I had a case of what they now call “maladaptive daydreaming” all through my teen years, and in my early twenties I decided I’d better do something about me, thus: if I offloaded my obsessive fantasies in the form of a novel, would that free me to become a more normal human being? Not even realizing how much I didn’t know, I blundered my way through writing a manuscript, sent out query letters in the same novice way, and, amazingly, found a publisher. I was twenty-eight years old when my first book came out, and in hindsight, I wish I could revise it. A lot.
2. What were some of your major influences?
During college, I fell in love with the poetry of William Butler Yeats, researched the Celtic mythology that informed it, and ended up writing mythic fantasy. (It helped that my father was Irish.) Also I was influenced by the wonderfully lyrical writing style of Evangeline Walton, who based her novels on the Mabinogion, the Welsh national epic. (By the way, my mother was half Welsh!) As I was an avid reader and an English Literature major, I’m sure there were myriad other influences.
3. That brings me to how some of your early works focus on girls taking place in famous, primary male classics (Robin Hood, Arthurian legends, Sherlock Holmes)- what drew you to including them in those worlds and how it would affect it?
The word “early” startled me, so I looked at my edition list, and yes, I’d published thirty-some novels previous to those. I must have been middle-aged, and it had taken me a while to become that much of a feminist! As I recall, what caused me to turn my mind that direction was, my literary agent had told me that a secret of marketing success was the use of a “classic chassis,” meaning basing one’s novel on some well-known work in public domain. As I was supporting my family with my writing, making more money was important to me, so I listened to my agent.
A NEW STORY ARC BEGINS WITH THE GALAXY’S GREATEST HEIST! Rebuilding a criminal empire doesn’t come cheap, and Mon*Star needs a big score to keep the credits flowing – the bigger, the better. There’s only one target that really fits the bill: the treasury planet, Dolar! If the resurgent mobster can pull it off, he’ll have enough cash to cement his stranglehold on Limbo forever – and Commander Stargazer is determined to prevent that at any cost. But will his untested new SilverHawks be able to stand up to Mon*Star’s onslaught? Find out as ED BRISSON and GEORGE KAMBADAIS’s celebrated series kicks off its second story arc in SilverHawks #6 – featuring cybernetically enhanced covers from JAE LEE & JUNE CHUNG, JAMES STOKOE, GERALDO BORGES, DREW MOSS, LESLEY “LEIRIX” LI, MANIX, and DAVID COUSENS!
As I hoped, volume 2 was an improvement. Grappling with the murders of Grey, Sparrow and Redtail, we get some more emotional weight. I may not be saddened by the death of the old guard, but I could connect with the conversations the characters had with each other. Like Osprey confiding with Quicksilver that she had thought she known grief and anger in dealing with Mon*star’s massacres. It was different because she never personally knew Mon*star’s victims. This is different, and it’s like a black hole of grief.
Just as it’s different for Stargazer to send up the new Silverhawks whom he’s scared he’s sending to their deaths, but he can’t show his fear or his grief because he needs to be the leader. However, a leader also has to show that he cares, Osprey reminds him. That one conversation showcased the decades of friendship they shared and really humanized them.
Additionally, the conversation between Bluegrass and Hotwing about revenge and pacifism was also meaningful albeit predictable covering similar beats in most kid’s cartoons. But all these conversations went a long way in showing the humanity of these characters and the universal emotions readers can relate with-grief, doubt, anger, hope. Great job from Brisson.
As for the plot, he ably balanced escalating the Mon*star’s threat with a Plague device with the threat of a third party seeking to murder Mon*star and any innocent that gets in his way. I was right predicting there was another antagonist more cunning than Mon*star waiting to attack, but I was disappointed by the resolution of that choice. Spoilers below
Recruited from every corner of known space by the Federal Interplanetary Force, the SilverHawks were engineered to be the first line of defense against Limbo’s ruthless agents of chaos.
In the nearby galaxy of Limbo, the deadly mob boss Mon*Star has escaped from his confinement on Penal Planet 10 — and he’s looking to take revenge on everyone who put him there! At the top of that list is Commander Stargazer, the grizzled space cop who personally took Mon*Star down the last time he went on a rampage. To recapture Mon*Star and his gang of super-criminal associates, Stargazer must put his retirement on hold and assemble a new team of his famed bionically enhanced law enforcers — the SilverHawks!
Recruited from every corner of known space by the Federal Interplanetary Force, the SilverHawks were engineered to be the first line of defense against Limbo’s ruthless agents of chaos. But during Mon*Star’s long incarceration, the program went dormant, and its state-of-the-art tech has drifted towards obsolescence. Now, as they take on the galaxy’s deadliest lawbreakers, Stargazer’s new team of untested cyborgs — including Quicksilver, Bluegrass, Hotwing, Steelwill, Steelheart, and The Copper Kidd — will face the ultimate trial by fire!
Rising star writer ED BRISSON (ThunderCats: Apex, The Uncanny X-Men) and acclaimed artist GEORGE KAMBADAIS (Gargoyles, Hercules) open up an all-new entry in the FIF’s legendary case files with SilverHawks #1.
Technically volume five hasn’t been released yet, so I’m giving my own title to #21-25, and a lot of lore has been dropped. See description for #21.
In this issue: Lion-O returns to the Cats’ Lair to reclaim his leadership over the ThunderCats! Visibly older and wiser, the now-seasoned ruler carries himself with a new air of authority – something that puts him on a collision course with Apex’s mysterious plans!
That only covers #21 which nicely wraps up the Terminator-esque/Apex arc and sets up a new status quo for Lion-O’s leadership style. While his time away has given him new wisdom, Moss/Shalvey leave an undercurrent of unease. For as much wisdom he gained alone, it doesn’t translate well when he’s back with the team. You know, actually leading the people.
He still has his selfishness and his childish anger whenever he finds out he’s the last to know Jaga’s secret agenda. You’re left wondering if maybe Apex had a point that Lion-O’s fate is inevitable and he’s on the road to become the monstrous brute Apex is.
Well, it’s National Poetry Month. I think it’s obvious from a perusal of my blog that I don’t read poetry much. It’s too empheral for me who likes to grasp themes and character arcs rather than F E E L I N G S. I know books are subjective, but poems feel even more so as it’s based on the poet’s thoughts and feelings. Unless the narrator is a character, it feels like you have to have firsthand knowledge of the poet to parse out what they’re trying to convey.
Then they start using metaphors, and yes, I’m still bitter about the time I got a B on English essay because “the moon” in the poem was supposed to represent the Big Ben. Like how was I supposed to know it was set specifically in London? And why refer to the clock as the moon when the moon already exist. Ugh, it just frustrates me to no end. The only poetry I can understand is the one for children like Dr. Seuss or insta poets like Rupi Kaur.
So what do you think of poetry? Beautiful in its own way? Most difficult part of English class? Is there a divide between poet-lovers and book lovers or are there more overlap than I’ve seen?
I first became acquainted with her when I was in lower school thanks to the ever popular (At least I hope it still is popular in a cult sort of way) Animorphs series. It even had a tv show as it dealt with PTSD, genocide, and despairing, everyone is miserable in the end alien invasion. You know, for the kids.
It’s clear she still has a soft spot for animals in this much lighter fare- The One and Only Ivan series. Based on a true story, Applegate sheds light on the softer side of Ivan the silverback gorilla who may not have a traditional gorilla home or life, but finds someone to protect as a gorilla should.
Focusing on themes of friendship, family, freedom and the meaning of home, Applegate gives each character a distinct voice and flaw to overcome be it Ruby grappling with her nightmares of her family being killed (As usual Applegate doesn’t shy away from the cruelty of humans), or Ivan overcoming his fear and uncertainty of being with other gorillas. I particularly enjoyed Bob’s story of learning to forgive himself for not being able to do more to help his fellow stray siblings and learning to trust his humans.
Ah, but then I am a dog person.
It’s a sweet series with minimalist prose that young readers will compulsively read. Just like these two other books.
After stealing the spotlight as a teenaged Broadway performer during the height of the Harlem Renaissance, Josephine then took Paris by storm, dazzling audiences across the Roaring Twenties. In her famous banana skirt, she enraptured royalty and countless fans—Ernest Hemingway and Pablo Picasso among them. She strolled the streets of Paris with her pet cheetah wearing a diamond collar. With her signature flapper bob and enthralling dance moves, she was one of the most recognizable women in the world.
When World War II broke out, Josephine became a decorated spy for the French Résistance. Her celebrity worked as her cover, as she hid spies in her entourage and secret messages in her costumes as she traveled. She later joined the Civil Rights movement in the US, boycotting segregated concert venues, and speaking at the March on Washington alongside Martin Luther King Jr.
First published in France in 1949, her memoir will now finally be published in English. At last we can hear Josephine in her own voice: charming, passionate, and brave. Her words are thrilling and intimate, like she’s talking with her friends over after-show drinks in her dressing room. Through her own telling, we come to know a woman who danced to the top of the world and left her unforgettable mark on it.
A memoir from a one of a kind woman. I think Josephine Baker is pretty well-known by now. She’s mentioned at least once in all the women’s history books I’ve had, including her career as a black female performer, and her time as a spy in WW2. So I felt like I had a pretty good idea of her life, still it was interesting to read her own words. Newly translated for the US public. It goes in a linear timeline with the casual reminisces of a woman telling about her life to her admirers. Very “c’est la vie” even as described her upbringing in poverty, and the racism in America, the kind that continued even after she returned as a popular nightclub act in her own right. You can feel the depth of emotion, but then she pulls back on it.
It felt very French. There were not many detailed descriptions or providing context around the situation, rather it was a haze of memories and how Baker felt about it at the time. The longest chapters are devoted to her tours in Europe, and South America, and her thoughts on each city. Plus some of her thoughts on her many lovers, and her own exploits as a diva, exercising her right to pleasure and luxury.
The chapters referring to her time as a spy were sadly less detailed. Maybe because she didn’t have security clearance to reveal the extent of her activities so soon after the war. I did learn she almost died from peritonitis. That was never mentioned in the history books. She also didn’t mention about the adoption of her kids, or her work with MLK, but based on the date the book was originally published, she hadn’t done that.
Unfortunate, as I really wanted to learn more about how she dealt with motherhood considering her own neglectful family, and more about her activism during the Civil Rights movement. But like I said before, any strong emotion is pulled back as if Baker was afraid to expose too much of the vulnerable parts of her, and remain the glittering dancer her fans loved her as.
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Rachel Reads & Reviews 