The Silence Factory

 The Silence Factory by Bridget Collins 384 pages 

Synopsis: 1820: Sophia Ashmore-Percy reluctantly accompanies her husband James to a remote Greek island, where he searches for rare biological specimens. Once there, however, she sets on her own voyage of discovery—stumbling across the very creature he is looking for, making an unexpected connection with a local woman, and ultimately reconsidering her marriage, life, and own desires.

Decades later, audiologist Henry Latimer is sent to the home of industrialist Sir Edward Ashmore-Percy and tasked with curing the man’s young daughter, Philomel, of her deafness. But Henry, eager to escape a troubled past, quickly becomes obsessed with the fascinating nature of Sir Edward’s business: spinning silk with a rare and magical breed of spiders. The extraordinary silk shields sound, offering respite from bustling streets and noisy neighbors. The result is instant tranquility, as wearers experience a soothing calmness. Yet, those within earshot of the outward-facing silk are subjected to eerie murmurs that amplify with proximity. Bystanders suffer the consequences of this unnerving phenomenon, manifesting in physical and mental afflictions ranging from headaches and drowsiness to severe cases of madness.

As Henry becomes entangled in the allure of the silk and Sir Edward’s charm, he glimpses a more sinister family history. The closer he ventures into the inner circle of Carthmute House, the more he unravels the horrifying underbelly of the silk business.

My Thoughts: I really wanted to like this book, but I did struggle to get through it. I loved the overall themes of this novel: Power, control, and complicity, colonialism, escaping grief, and ethics. I just had a difficult time feeling bogged down with all the scientific talk about the spiders and their silk. I recommend it if you like this type of book, it's worth it to get through to the end. 

Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow by James Sturm

Satchel Paige: Striking Out Jim Crow by James Sturm

96 pages

⭐⭐⭐/5

Synopsis (from Goodreads)

Baseball Hall of Famer Leroy "Satchel" Paige (1905? – 1982) changed the face of the game in a career that spanned five decades. Much has been written about this larger-than-life pitcher, but when it comes to Paige, fact does not easily separate from fiction. He made a point of writing his own history…and then re-writing it. A tall, lanky fireballer, he was arguably the Negro League’s hardest thrower, most entertaining storyteller and greatest gate attraction. Now the Center for Cartoon Studies turns a graphic novelist’s eye to Paige’s story. Told from the point of view of a sharecropper, this compelling narrative follows Paige from game to game as he travels throughout the segregated South.

The Christie Affair

 The Christie Affair by Nina de Gramont 320 pages

Summary: In 1925, Miss Nan O’Dea infiltrated the wealthy, rarefied world of author Agatha Christie and her husband, Archie. In every way, she became a part of their life––first, both Christies. Then, just Archie. Soon, Nan became Archie’s mistress, luring him away from his devoted wife, desperate to marry him. Nan’s plot didn’t begin the day she met Archie and Agatha.

It began decades before, in Ireland, when Nan was a young girl. She and the man she loved were a star-crossed couple who were destined to be together––until the Great War, a pandemic, and shameful secrets tore them apart. Then acts of unspeakable cruelty kept them separated.

What drives someone to murder? What will someone do in the name of love? What kind of crime can someone never forgive? Nina de Gramont’s brilliant, unforgettable novel explores these questions and more.

My Thoughts: This book was interesting, but very confusing. The way this author wrote, we changed character views in the middle of a chapter and it took forever to figure out who was the "I" person talking. I enjoyed reading about Nan O'Dea's life before meeting the Christies. Learning about Agatha Christie's 11 day disappearance was also interesting (researched it more once I finished reading this book). Overall, it was an interesting read, but would not read it again.

FARMER BOY by LAURA INGALLS WILDER

 FARMER BOY by LAURA INGALLS WILDER (Pgs 384)

The second book in the treasured Little House series, Farmer Boy is Laura Ingalls Wilder’s beloved story of how her husband, Almanzo, grew up as a farmer boy far from the little house where Laura lived. This edition features the classic black-and-white artwork from Garth Williams. 

The nine Little House books have been cherished by generations of readers as both a unique glimpse into America’s frontier history and as heartwarming, unforgettable stories. The Little House series has captivated millions of readers with its depiction of life on the American frontier.

While Laura Ingalls grows up on the prairie, Almanzo Wilder is living on a big farm in New York State. Here Almanzo and his brother and sisters help with the summer planting and fall harvest. In winter there is wood to be chopped and great slabs of ice to be cut from the river and stored. Time for fun comes when the jolly tin peddler visits, or best of all, when the fair comes to town.

Almanzo wishes for just one thing—his very own horse—and he must prove that he is ready for such a big responsibility.

This was always one of my favorite books in the Little House series!

The Library Thief by Kuchenga Shenje

 

The Library Thief by Kuchenga Shenje 368 pages

Summary: The library is under lock and key. But its secrets can't be contained. 1896. After he brought her home from Jamaica as a baby, Florence's father had her hair hot-combed to make her look like the other girls. But as a young woman, Florence is not so easy to tame—and when she brings scandal to his door, the bookbinder throws her onto the streets of Manchester.

Intercepting her father's latest commission, Florence talks her way into the remote, forbidding Rose Hall to restore its collection of rare books. Lord Francis Belfield's library is old and full of secrets—but none so intriguing as the whispers about his late wife.
Then one night, the library is broken into. Strangely, all the priceless tomes remain untouched. Florence is puzzled, until she discovers a half-burned book in the fireplace. She realizes with horror that someone has found and set fire to the secret diary of Lord Belfield's wife–which may hold the clue to her fate…
Evocative, arresting and tightly plotted, The Library Thief is at once a propulsive Gothic mystery and a striking exploration of race, gender and self-discovery in Victorian England.

My Thoughts: What I truly enjoyed about this book was learning about bookbinding. I enjoyed the main character being a female bookbinder in a male dominated Victorian England 1896 world. I'm not going to lie, I only gave this book 3 stars on Good Reads because when we get to the heart of the whole story, it just got to a point where it seemed too much to be true. The characters were excellent and flamboyant, but it felt like the author was trying to shove in too many things into the novel at once. I loved the fact that this book explored race, gender and self-discovery during this time period. 

Hidden Figures by Margot Lee Shetterly

 Hidden Figures by Margo Lee Shetterly - 349 pages, 10 hour 47 minute Audiobook

⭐⭐⭐✰✰

Set amid the civil rights movement, the never-before-told true story of NASA’s African-American female mathematicians who played a crucial role in America’s space program. Before Neil Armstrong walked on the moon, a group of professionals worked as ‘Human Computers’ calculating the flight paths that would enable space travel. A group of talented ‘colored computers’ who were segregated from their white counterparts, used pencil and paper to write the equations that would launch rockets and astronauts into space. This true story moves from World War II, when an executive order signed by Franklin D. Roosevelt made it possible for women and African-Americans to work in professional positions in government workplaces, through NASA’s golden age, touching on the civil rights era, the Space Race, the Cold War and the women’s rights movement. This book tells the story of courageous women whose work forever changed the world.

At times, it was difficult to keep track of all the names, events and dates in this book as she tended to throw out one fact after another. I feel like I learned facts about some people's lives, but I didn't get to know Dorothy Vaughan or Katherine Johnson on a personal level. I did find all the information about the discrimination and segregation African-Americans, especially those in Viriginia during the 1940's through 1960's, faced on a daily basis. I enjoyed the movie "Hidden Figures" much more than the book even though the screen adaptation portrayed NASA as a segregated workplace in 1961 even though they ended the practice when NACA became NASA in 1958. The movie told the story of the three main characters, instead of mostly stating facts about them, and helped you get to know them on a much more personal level.

THEN THERE WERE FIVE by ELIZABETH ENRIGHT

 THEN THERE WERE FIVE by ELIZABETH ENRIGHT Pgs 260

With Father in Washington and Cuffy, their housekeeper, away visiting a sick cousin, almost anything magic might happen to the Melendy kids left behind at the Four-Story Mistake. In the Melendy family, adventures are inevitable: Mr. Titus and the catfish; the villainy of the DeLacey brothers; Rush's composition of Opus 3; Mona's first rhubarb pie and all the canning; Randy's arrowhead; the auction and fair for the Red Cross. But best of all is the friendship with Mark Herron, which begins with a scrap-collection mission and comes to a grand climax on Oliver's birthday.

I re-read this every few years.

MARPLE:TWELVE NEW MYSTERIES by NUMEROUS AUTHORS

 MARPLE:TWELVE NEW MYSTERIES by NUMEROUS AUTHORS Pgs 364

A brand-new collection of short stories featuring the Queen of Mystery’s legendary detective Jane Marple, penned by twelve remarkable bestselling and acclaimed authors.

This collection of a dozen original short stories, all featuring Jane Marple, will introduce the character to a whole new generation. Each author reimagines Agatha Christie’s Marple through their own unique perspective while staying true to the hallmarks of a traditional mystery.

Naomi Alderman
Leigh Bardugo
Alyssa Cole
Lucy Foley
Elly Griffiths
Natalie Haynes
Jean Kwok
Val McDermid
Karen M. McManus
Dreda Say Mitchell
Kate Mosse
Ruth Ware

Miss Marple was first introduced to readers in a story Agatha Christie wrote for The Royal Magazine in 1927 and made her first appearance in a full-length novel in 1930’s The Murder at the Vicarage. It has been 45 years since Agatha Christie’s last Marple novel, Sleeping Murder, was published posthumously in 1976, and this collection of ingenious new stories by twelve Christie devotees will be a timely reminder why Jane Marple remains the most famous fictional female detective of all time. 

A CONSPIRACY OF WOLVES by CANDACE ROBB

 A CONSPIRACY OF WOLVES by CANDACE ROBB Pgs 258

1374. When a member of one of York’s most prominent families is found dead in the woods, his throat torn out, rumours spread like wildfire that wolves are running loose throughout the city. Persuaded to investigate by the victim’s father, Owen Archer is convinced that a human killer is responsible. But before he can gather sufficient evidence to prove his case, a second body is discovered, stabbed to death. Is there a connection? What secrets are contained within the victim’s household? And what does apprentice healer Alisoun know that she’s not telling?

Teaming up with Geoffrey Chaucer, who is in York on a secret mission on behalf of Prince Edward, Owen’s enquiries will draw him headlong into a deadly conspiracy. 

THE RAVEN SPELL by LUANNE G. SMITH

 THE RAVEN SPELL by LUANNE G. SMITH  Pgs 255

In Victorian England a witch and a detective are on the hunt for a serial killer in an enthralling novel of magic and murder by the Amazon Charts and Washington Post bestselling author of The Vine Witch.

After a nearly fatal blow to the skull, traumatized private detective Ian Cameron is found dazed and confused on a muddy riverbank in Victorian London. Among his effects: a bloodstained business card bearing the name of a master wizard and a curious pocket watch that doesn’t seem to tell time. To retrieve his lost memories, Ian demands answers from Edwina and Mary Blackwood, sister witches with a murky past. But as their secret is slowly unveiled, a dangerous mystery emerges on the darkened streets of London.

To help piece together Ian’s lost time, he and Edwina embark on a journey that will take them from the river foreshore to an East End music hall, and on to a safe house for witches in need of sanctuary from angry mortals. The clues they find suggest a link between a series of gruesome murders, a missing person’s case, and a dreadful suspicion that threatens to tear apart the bonds of sisterhood. As the investigation deepens, could Ian and Edwina be the next to die?

ASHES TO ASHES by MEL STARR

 ASHES TO ASHES  by MEL STARR  pgs 212

Master Hugh, Kate, and their children attend the Midsummer's Eve fire. Next morning early Hugh hears the passing bell ring from the Church of St. Beornwald, and moments later is summoned. Tenants collecting the ashes to spread upon their fields have found burned bones. Master Hugh learns of several men of Bampton and nearby villages who have gone missing recently. Most are soon found, some alive, some dead. Master Hugh eventually learns that the bones are those of a bailiff from a nearby manor. Someone has slain him and placed his body in the fire to destroy evidence of murder. Bailiffs are not popular men; they dictate labor service, collect rents, and enforce other obligations. Has this bailiff died at the hand of some angry tenant? Hugh soon discovers this is not the case. There is quite another reason for murder...