Too Bright to See by Kyle Lukoff

 Bug lives in a haunted house with her mom and uncle.  When her uncle dies after a long sickness, paranormal experiences in the house escalate, and Bug believes her uncle is trying to tell her something.  Meanwhile, Bug's best friend, Moira, is gearing up for their first year in middle school by practicing makeup and upgrading her wardrobe to include more cute sundresses. Bug feels vaguely that she should be interested in those kind of things, but when Moira tries to dress her up in cute girly clothes or paint her fingernails, it only makes something in her stomach twist. Meanwhile the experiences with her uncle's ghost lead her on a path to self-discovery that ultimately helps her accept her real identity.

This is another of the Newbery Honor books from last year.  I didn't like it as well as Red White and Whole (see previous review).  It is well written, and the characters are sympathetic, but there are a lot of controversial ideas here.  (spoiler alert).  In the end, the ghost leads Bug to discover that she is transgender. I read the book George, and in that book, the child had believed he was really a she for a long time and the book was about getting the courage to tell someone how she felt.  In this book, however, the only evidence that Bug has that she is a he, is that he isn't interested in dresses and makeup and giggling about boys.  I don't know if it is a great message that if you are not a girly girl, you aren't a girl at all. There are plenty of girls who don't like makeup or dresses, but are still girls.  Also, Bug makes the discovery that she is transgender soon after the death of the Uncle, during a family financial crisis, and right before starting middle school. I don't think an 12-year-old, who hasn't even started puberty yet, should be making those kinds of decisions in the middle of emotional crisis.  Finally, the book portrayed Bug's decision to come out as transgender as the solution to all his problems.  Everyone in his life accepts his decision without drama or trauma.  I don't think that is realistic.  I don't see a school of early teenagers, or their teachers, all being that kind and accepting. (2021, 192 p)

Red White and Whole Rajani LaRocca

 Reha is the only daughter of a couple from India.  They came to America to make a new life for themselves and for Reha.  As Reha prepares to start high school she feels stifled by her parents conservative traditionalism.  She wants to fit in with her friends, but her parents want her to maintain the standards of their Hindi heritage.  Then Reha's mother becomes ill and Reha begins to question all the times she had resented her parent's strictness with her.  She thinks if she can be the perfect Indian daughter, maybe the gods will hear her prayers to save her mother.

This was a Newbery Honor book last year, and totally deserves it.  It is beautifully written in free verse; both heartrending and heartwarming at the same time.  Even though Reha is dealing with issues around being Indian, her story is about every child growing up and wrestling with how they fit into their family while fitting into the world.  I was really impressed with the fact that she has two parents who love her but show it differently.  It is pretty rare these days to have functional family life portrayed in children's literature.  I am glad the Newbery committee chose a book that is inclusive but not overburdened with a dozen social issues. (2021, 224 p)

Sisters of Neversea by Cynthia Leitich Smith

 In this reimaging of the story of Peter Pan, Wendy, her step sister, Lily, and their little brother, Michael meet Peter Pan in their bedroom as their parents sit in a car discussing their upcoming separation.  Fanciful Wendy is eager to follow Pan to adventures, and easily convinces four-year-old Mikey to come with her.  Lily is the analytical one, and worries about the danger of following a stranger to a strange place. After Wendy and Michael leave, she reluctantly follows, hoping to rescue them from their own foolheartiness.  Once in Neverland, Wendy soon discovers that Peter is arrogant, thoughtless and cruel, and that most of the Lost Boys fear him.  Lily, who is a Native American, ends up with the other native kids on the island, brought there to play the role of "savage in'jun" in Peter's violent games. The girls have to overcome their own family issues and work together to save themselves and the other lost children from Peter's tyranny. 

This book got starred reviews when it came out in 2021.  It addresses the problems of racism and sexism in Barrie's classic that have bothered modern readers. I wonder, though, if the author actually read Barrie's Peter and Wendy, or if she just watched the Disney cartoon version.  The cartoon version is very un-PC, and so is the book, but if you focus on that you miss what is enchanting about the original Peter Pan. The orginal is about navigating the wonderful and painful path from childhood to adulthood.  This book is about regrets and how giving in to escapism leads to corruption and brutality.  I can see what the author, who is a Native Amercian, was trying to do, and I think it is something worth doing, but what she ended up with is quite dark and has none of the charm of the original story. I think it could have been possible to get the same message across without Peter being so cold blooded.  It was a bit hard for me to get through and I don't think I will be recommending it to anyone. (plus it bothers me that Lily on the cover looks African American instead of Native American) (201, 320 p.)

Where I Belong by Heather B. Moore

Cameron is engaged to the beautiful, rich, and flashy Crystal, so why isn't he more excited about the wedding plans?  When he notices Jane, a housecleaner hired by Chrystal to clean up after their engagement party, he can't help but compare the two women.  Jane is also beautiful, but in a sweet,  natural way, and Cameron begins to realize he may of made a mistake with Crystal. When the engagement with Crystal comes to an end, Jane just happens to be around to help Cameron at his lowest moments. A friendship buds and then blossoms, but spiteful Crystal is not done wreaking havoc in Cameron's life.

This is another romance by the author that came to our library at the beginning of the month.  It is a sweet and clean romance and I caught myself smiling a lot while I listened to it.  As with her other romance that I read, the make-out scenes had a little more heat than I am used to, but they never get past "first base." The two books I read were not "Christian" romances, just clean contemporary romances. I have one of her historical fictions on hold and will report on that when it comes in. (2018, 208 p)

The Devil and the Dark Water by Stuart Turton

It is early 1600's and a diverse set of people enter a merchant ship bound for Amsterdam.  There is the captain and crew, a prisoner, Samuel Pipps, and his friend and guardian, Arent Hayse, a holy man and his ward, several nobelmen, including the Jan Haan and his wife Sara, and a motley crew.  Samuel Pipps is a famous, Sherlock-esque detective, but when the ship begins to be harrassed by the ghost of a dead leper, there is not much he can do to solve the mystery, since he is locked up in chains in the hull. It is up to Arent and the clever Sara, to put the puzzle pieces together before the whole crew succumbs to an evil demon, and the darkness in his or her own sole. 

I was excited to see another book written by the same author as The 7 1/2 Deaths of Evalyn Hardcastle, and I enjoyed it a lot.  I wasn't quite as impressed by this as I was by Turton's first novel, but I think there are a lot of people that would like it more.  The Evalyn Hardcastle book was very complex, but Turton's ability to write characters was amazing.  Some people who read it, however, got too bogged down in the complexity.  This one is a little more straight forward, and, I think, more accessible, but the characters are not quite as amazing.  Don't get me wrong, they are well drawn and complex, and the romance between Sara and Arent is sweet.  The plot is also well thought out, though I read a plot summary that ended up being a spoiler, so there was no surprise ending for me.  I think most people will find the ending surprising and satisfying.  This is an excellent historical mystery that has something for both male and female readers; maybe a good choice of something to listen to together on a long car trip. (full disclosure, I listened to it at 1 1/4 speed, and that worked out fine). (2020, 480 p)

Shoe Dog by Phil Knight

 In the 1960's Phil Knight did a senior project for his entrepreneurship program in college about importing a new line of atheletic shoes from Japan.  This was a bold idea because just 15 years earlier Japan and the US had been mortal enemies.  Soon after graduation, Knight went on a world ramble, that included contacting a manufacturer in Japan, Tiger Shoes, about opening a market in the US.  That is how Knight started his life long adventure as head of what finally became Nike. Along the way, Knight faced many roadblocks and threats but he powered through them with indominable will and unflagging faith in what he was trying to build.

This is a candid, warts-and-all, memoire that I found totally captivating.  It gives the reader a peak into the mind of one of the US's top entrepreures, and also into the world of big corporation intrigue and power struggles. I gained a lot of insight into the process of starting a successful manufacturing business, and was amazed by how often Knight was kind of "shooting from the hip." I appreciate that Knight admits his own weaknesses and shortcomings, especially when it comes to his relations with his family and co-workers.  He seems to have realized, in hindsight, that he was a bit of an jerk in his younger years, and regrets it. The unsung hero in his story is his long-suffering wife, Penny, who sticks with him through years of neglect, financial instability, and her husband's mercurial moods. As I was reading this book I couldn't help talking about it with my friends and family, and I am sure I will be recommending it to patrons often in the future. (2016, 400 p.) 

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

 C.S. Lewis was one of the most respected Christian apologists of the last century.  He gave four different lecture series on the BBC radio that were eventually edited and published as Mere Christianity.  The lectures lay down the logical and philiosphical underpinnings of Christianity as Lewis perceived them, and makes an arguement for why it is essential for individuals and societies to accept unity with Jesus Christ.

I have several books on hold, and needed something to fill the gap until they came in.  My daughter recently mentioned that she had reread Mere Christianity a few months ago, so when I came across it while browsing I thought I might do the same.  As I read through it, none of it was familiar, so I think I never read it before, though I have heard it quoted pleanty of times.  It is a classic, and I found it refreshed my soul.  Even though I don't believe in everything Lewis says, especially since I am not a trinitarian, still, I admire his keen whit, his sharp intellect, and his accessible manner.  (I must confess as I listened to the narrator, I pictured Anthony Hopkins playing Lewis in Shadowlands, when he is giving his lectures.)  Listening to this short book gave me a lot to think about this week and I recommend it to anyone who is a devoted Christian. (227 p. 1952)

The Last Mile by David Baldacci

Melvin Mars is facing execution on death row of a Texas state prison.  In the last moments before his lethal injection, another prisoner from another state confesses to the crime that Mars had always denied that he had committed. The Memory Man, Amos Decker, is on his way to start his new job with the FBI when he hears about Mars' last minute reprieve. He is interested in the case and convinces the new task force he is part of to try to figure out what is behind the unusual course of events.  As Decker, Alex, and the other members of the team, with the help of the newly released Mars, dig deeper into the past, they discover that this case is much bigger, and more dangerous, than they could have guessed.  

It had been a long time since I had read a "masculine" suspense novel, so I decided on this second in the Memory Man series.  It is a fun read.  There are a few little events that are a bit too coincidental and convenient, but overall it has a well crafted plot with interesting characters. Baldacci includes a little less violence, gore, and sex than other suspense thrillers I have read.  There is swearing, but it isn't out of character, and the sexual abuse (which always seems to be an element in this genre) is
off screen and alluded to, instead of described.  If you like adult mysteries, I think this is one a couple could enjoy listening to together on a long car trip. (433 p. 2016)