The Summer of Yes by Courtney Walsh

 Kelsey Worthington, an aspiring editor living in New York, wakes up one day in the hospital.  She had been hit by a car while on the sidewalk, and had a concussion. While in the hospital she meets another patient, Georgia Tate, a cosmetics mogul. Ms Tate is facing kidney failure.  Ms Tate is brusque and abrasive, but when Kelsey leaves the hospital and returns to her hum-drum job, she keeps feeling that she needs a vacation and that she is fated to take Ms Tate with her. That begins the summer of "Yes." Kelsey is determined that she and Ms Tate are supposed to really live life by saying "yes" to all the things they were too afraid to try before.  As they spend time together, Kelsey comes to realize that much of Ms Tate's off-putting behavior is due to regrets related to her family, a family that includes a very handsome and very nice estranged son, who is just Kelsey's age. Perhaps,  along with saying yes to sea food, and road trips, she will also be brave enough to say yes to love.

One of my co-workers recommended this book when she found out that I enjoy clean romance.  This totally fits into that category, but it also has a strong message about the importance of overcoming fear to live life to its fullness. The relationship between Kelsey and Ms Tate reminds me a lot of the relationship in "The Devil Wears Prada," so much so that I can't believe it wasn't one of the author's inspirations. The book suffers a little because Ms Tate's son, the love interest, is just too perfect.  He isn't as bad as the Richard Paul Evans male protagonists, but close. He is incredibly handsome, creative, successful, and volunteers teaching classes to children at the local community center. Authors need to learn that a man doesn't have to be perfect to be loveable. Still, if you are looking for a clean, feel-good read, this isn't a bad choice. (2024, 504 p.)

The Battle for the Labyrinth by Rick Riordan

 In this fourth book of the Perseus Jackson series, Percy continues his quest to discover and thwart Kronos' plans to take over Camp Half-Blood, and then Olympus.  Percy and Annabeth discover an entrance into Minos' Labyrinth on Half-Blood Hill. Kronos wants to use it to invade the camp and destroy the demigods before he attacks Olympus. Minos knows that the only way to navigate the Labyrinth is with Ariadne's ball of magic string, and he will stop at nothing to get it.  The Annabeth is called to lead a quest to enter the Labyrinth, fine to Daedalus, and convince him not to help Kronos. If they can help Grover in his search for Pan, and save Nico from the evil influences of the underworld, all the better.

I read this years ago when it first came out, but had forgotten a lot of it. I enjoyed listening to it again and being reminded why these books areso successful. Riordan is so good at creating a fun world that blends the modern with the ancient, and characters that are really endearing. He also has a great blend of action and humor and I found myself laughing out loud several times during the book. If you haven't read them in a while, this series is worth a re-visit (400 p. 2008)

The Arkadians by Lloyd Alexander

 Lucian is an accountant in a palace in ancient Greece. When he discovers that the of the king's overseers have been cheating the king out of great amounts of money, he knows he must flee or they will kill him.  In his flight he meets up with a donkey, who is really a poet that has been enchanted.  The donkey, Fronto, helps Lucian escape and together they start an epic journey to try to get Fronto restored to his human form.  On the way they meet a young prophetess of the Lady of Nature who is being hunted by the evil king. She believes that the Lady will be able to restore the donkey's true form. As they journey together they encounter many peoples and survive many harrowing adventures. 

I have long been a fan of Lloyd Alexander, but had never read this book.  It was published in the 1990's, and I don't think anyone would publish it today. It reads like something written by Tolkien or Lewis, and the plot reminded me a bit of some of the Shakespeare comedies. The writing is lyrical and I enjoyed it very much. I also liked how he mirrored the Greek mythological and epic stories, without copying them exactly.  Parts of the story suggested Odysseus and the Trojan war, but with an folkish tone instead of an epic tone. They are almost like what the original story of the Odyssey might have been before they it was embellished by professional a professional story teller. There were also hints of the story of Hercules, and of Jason. It was fun to be listening along and then realizing, "oh, that is like the story of the Minotaur" or "Oh, they are talking about the siege of Troy." It is very clever.  There was one thing that bothered me and would make me hesitate to recommend the book to a child.  All during the story the donkey is called a "jack ass" and there are a lot of jokes suggesting that Fronto is a jack ass in more than just physical form. I was raised in a home that was conservative enough that we wouldn't have been allowed to use the term "jack ass" so it was unsettling for me to hear it every few lines of the story. (288 p. 1995)

The Supernaturalist by Eoin Colfer

 In Satellite City, Cosmo lives in a home where corporations use orphaned boys to do product testing. It is a tortured life, and Cosmo is always looking for a chance to escape. When his chance comes, he is severely injured and left for dead, but is saved by a group of young vigilantes when they discover that he has the same talent to see supernatural creatures as they do. Being part of the "Supernaturalists" is as perilous as the orphanage, but in the group Cosmo feels a sense of family for the first time. Their leader Stefan, is determined to exterminate the "parasites" that killed his mother, but no matter how many of the little green creatures they kill, they seem to reproduce exponentially. When the huge corporations find out about their group, things get so complicated it is hard to decipher right from wrong and the good guys from the bad.

This is a YA Sci-Fi from the author of the Artemis Fowl series. It has very interesting and vivid world building and the characters are delightfully troubled and complex. The plot reminded me a lot of Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card but maybe a little less dated. Both Colfer and Card have the ability to aim a magnifying glass on both current social issues and deep philosophical questions and turn them into fast-paced YA fiction. The book ended with an opening for a sequel, but I guess it never happened, though there seems to be a graphic novel version of this book that was published in 2012. (2004, 273 p.)

In Pursuit of Jefferson by Derek Baxter

 In the early 2000's Derek Baxter was feeling stifled by his job as a lawyer. He had been interested in American History as a student, and was intrigued when he found out about a short book by Thomas Jefferson that was a travel guide for Americans in Europe.  Over the course of 8 years, he and his young family endeavor to recreate some of Jefferson's experiences in Europe by visiting places he went and trying things he did. At first it is fun to go to France's wine country and sample fine wines, or go to England and visit famous gardens, but as Baxter continued to try to better understand Jefferson, he kept running into the fact that, although Jefferson was a champion of liberty, he depended on enslaved workers to maintain his lifestyle. This book is a record of the Baxter families effort to not only come to know Jefferson, but also learn more about the people who were robbed of their freedom so that Jefferson could become a famous founding father. 

Here is another book on the America 250 list.  I enjoyed it quite a bit.  The writing is candid and engaging. Some of Baxter's adventures in Europe are fun and funny. When he has to wrestle with the stark reality of Jefferson's shortcomings, instead of flinching, he leans into it and accepts the challenge of taking on tough issues. I love that he includes his children in his wrestle as they visit the slave quarters at Monticello and learn about Jefferson's children with Sally Hemmings. I think the book is a good model for white people to start to be aware--and help their children be aware--of the role that enslaved workers played in the early history of the United States. (416 p. 2022) 

Whispers from the Shadows by Roseanna M. White

 Lady Gwyneth Fairchild is forced to flee England when her father is betrayed.  Anticipating the attack, her father, a general, arranges for her to travel to America to say with the Lane family in Maryland. Gwyneth is confused by the decision, since the British are currently at war with the Americans. Thad Lane finds Gwyneth a broken woman, haunted by her family tragedy and fearful that the perpetrator with seek out and kill her next. He treats her gently, and with time she begins to feel safety in his presence. As they grow closer she begins to realize that Thad and his parents are not what they seem on the surface.  As the War of 1812 approaches their doorstep, Gwyneth has to decide where her true loyalties lie.

This is the second in the Culper Ring Series. I read the first back in 2024, and liked it, so I am not sure why I waited so long to read this one. I enjoyed it as well.  Gwyneth is the most broken of any of White's heroines I have read so far and she does a good job of portraying her trauma.  Thad is a wonderfully solid counterweight to her brokenness. I also enjoyed how White incorporates Gwyneth's drawing as a tool of healing and also as an apt plot device. I have recently read a book about the war of 1812, so was happy to see that White grounded the story within real historical events. As in the first book, the Christian elements are a little heavy handed, and the cover is similarly lame, but I can handle that. (352 p. 2013)

Heart on the Line by Karen Witemeyer

 Grace Mallory escaped to Harper's Station after watching her father get gunned down because he had found a will that would destroy the fortune of a wealthy mine owner. Now Grace is the keeper of the deadly will and keeps a low profile as a telegraph operator in the all woman settlement. Her one male social interaction is with another operator whose identification letter is A. Amos Bledsoe has more brains than brawn and favors a fastidious suit and tie to buckskin. He is enchanted with his last evening conversations with the operator from Harper's Station. Even though he doesn't know her age, appearance, or even her name, operator M has captured his interest with her wit and intelligence.  Then one day, while they are conversing, Mallory receives a warning from another station that the man who killed her father has found out where she lives. Amos jumps into action travels to Harper's Station and is quickly arrested by the settlement's marshal, and only permanent male resident. He quickly establishes that he is Grace's telegraph pen pal and they put their considerable brain power together to try stop the man who will do anything to keep the will from getting to the estate lawyers. 

This is the second in the series that started with No Other Would Do.  I have read a bunch of Witemeyer's Texas romances, and it was refreshing to experience one where the hero isn't a tall, strong, silent cowboy. Amos wears glasses and rides a bicycle instead of a horse. I am glad that Witemeyer acknowledges that a man doesn't have to be high-testosterone to be attractive. Amos and Grace are an adorable couple, both pushing against their own timidity and reserve to be the hero the other needs. If you are a Witemeyer fan like I am this is certainly one you won't want to miss. (2017, 336 p)