A Fall of Marigolds by Susan Meissner

Clara Wood lost a love in the Triangle Shirtwaiste Fire in September 1911. She saw him jump from the window and fall to his death, and the experience so traumatized her that she has left Manhattan and become a nurse at Ellis Island.  When her fellow nurses take the ferry to NY on weekends to go dancing, she hides herself in her room, to avoid thinking about what happened.  It is her safe, inbetween place.  In September 2011, Taryn watched as the Twin Towers collapse in front of her. That morning she was to meet her husband there for breakfast and planned to tell him she was expecting. She was delayed because of meeting a business meeting about an antique scarf...a scarf that used to belong to Clara.  The strip of fabric and a histroy of grief and loss tie the two women together across time. The same scarf also leads each of them through the "inbetween" place to a brighter future. 

This book was recommended to me by a friend, and I am so glad. It is a lovely and poiniant historical fiction that I am sure I will be recommending to all of my friends.  Both Clara and Taryn feel authentic in their grief and vulnerablity.  The two men that help them through their valley of sorrow are also well drawn and human. I feel that the author must have, at some time, dealt with crippling anxiety, because she portrays Clara's aversion to returning to NY with stunning realism. It was also interesting for me to read Taryn's experience watching the Twin Towers fall.  It made me realize I had intentionally avoided first person accounts of the event because it was too traumatic for me, even though I have no personal connection to the event.  Now, 11 years later, it is good to open myself up a little to understanding what that must have been like for the thousands who lost loved ones that day. (2014, 400p)

The Bullet that Missed by Richard Osman

Ron, Elizabeth, Ibrahim, and Joyce are back.  When they start looking into the murder of a news anchor ten years earlier, bad things start to happen.  Obviously there are secrets and culprits that still want to stay hidden.  What's worse, someone is now threatening Elizabeth and Joyce's life if Elizabeth refuses to kill someone from her spy past. Can the four senior citizen outsmart the dark underworld of money laundering or will the past finally catch up with them.

I waited a long time to listen to this book.  I had it on hold for 6 months, and then accidentally returned it before I could listen to it.  I put it on hold again and had to wait 3 more months. As it turned out, it wasn't maybe as good as the first two.  I enjoyed listening to it--hearing Ron, Elizabeth, Joyce, and Ibrahim's voices again was like seeing old friends-- but the plot wasn't maybe quite as tight and cleaver as in the first two books.  I also felt like the ending didn't resolve well.  I think the author is getting overconfident and maybe not listening to his editor as much as he should.  It often happens with authors that are hugely successful.  They begin to believe they don't need to be edited. They forget that their good editors are part of the reason they were hugely popular in the beginning. Still, I will surely listen to the next in the series when it comes out. (352 p. 2022)

The Bachelor and the Bride by Sarah Eden

 All of his friends in the Dread Penny Society think Dr. Barnibus Milligan is a confirmed bachelor.  They are all surprised, therefore, when he introduces them to Gemma, who has been his wife for three years. They married under unusual circumstances, and lived together for several months before Gemma realized what was love on her side, was only friendship and duty on his.  She left but made him promise he would call for her if ever his feelings toward her changed. When Barnibus does call for Gemma, it is not because of his feelings for her, but because she has inside information about grave robbers that will help them in a puzzling case reguarding the Dread Penny Society's arch enemy, the Mastif. After she returne, however, he remembers how pleasant life was when they were living together.  Gemma joins Barnibus' efforts to help the less fortunate, and begins to hope that Barnibus' friendship for her is beginning to become love. Just as their relationship starts to bloom threats from the sinister underside of London threaten to pull them apart forever.

Here is another in the very popular Dread Penny Society series.  As with all the the series, the main story, the romance between Gemma and Barnibus can stand alone, but there are many elements of the book that continue the overreaching plot of the series.  We discover important things about the Mastiff and his gang, and more about the Dread Penny Society.  I liked the relationship between Barnibus and Gemma, and the fact that Barnibus loves her despite that fact that she is from a bad family. The one thing that drove me crazy about the story is Ms Eden really never explains why Barnibus had to marry her and how that all happened. I kept expecting a flash back or a conversation that would explain what happened and how getting married saved Gemma, but it never came.  The series clearly isn't over, so maybe she will work it into a later book. (368 p. 2022)

The Outlaws Scarlett and Browne by Jonathan Stroud

 Scarlet McCain lives in post-apocalypic England and survives by relieving less worthy individuals of their personal wealth.  She is an adept thief and burglar with an itchy trigger finger. She loves being free and independent, wandering in the dangerous wilds where no civilized person is brave enough to go. Then she meets Albert.  He is a wide-eyed wimp who sees beauty and wonder in the most ordinary things, but can't seem to walk and chew gum at the same time.  Scarlet finds herself saving his life over and over again, but can't bring herself to desert him to what would certainly be his quick demise. As they have more adventures, however, she begins to wonder if the unassuming Albert may be more than he seems.  His dark past puts both of them in more danger than even Scarlet had imagined.

I was super excited to see that Jonathan Stroud had a new series.  I loved both his Bartimeus and Lockwood and Co series.  I am afraid that this one, however, was a disappointment. In both of the other two series, the world building was clever and intriguing. In this one, it was pretty much like a lot of other post/apocalyptic teen novels I have read. There was also a amazingly high body count, including some pretty graphic descriptions of dismemberment and cannibalism. I wasn't really charmed by either of the two main characters. They were both pretty amoral, easily rationalizing all manner of criminal and violent behavior.  I can imagine some kinds of teen readers who would enjoy what is a rather swashbuckling and action-packed adventure, but it wasn't my cup of tea. (2021, 432 p)

Blink by David Gladwell

 Are we more likely to make a correct judgement in the spur of the moment or after lengthy consideration?  In this book Gladwell proposes that in some situations our mind makes more accurate assessments instinctively--in the blink of an eye--than after deliberation.  He postulates that each person has understanding that lies below the conscious mind that is accessed when we are unguarded, but which can become muddled by lengthy deliberation. He talks about "thin slicing" that allows us to draw salient information from a small sample of experience.  In contrast, he recounts situations when making snap decisions can go wrong.  In the subconscious mind lurks unacknowledged prejudices that can misinform quick decisions.  These can surface, especially when we are under pressure or responding with fear and our "fight or flight" instincts kick in. His conclusion is that snap judgements are most accurate when they are made by those who have trained themselves through years of experience to be experts in their related fields.

I hadn't intended to listen to two Gladwell books so close together, but this one popped up in the holds cue, so I decide, "why not."  This book was interesting, but he didn't leave the reader with any information they could actually use in decision making.  He basically says, "sometimes first impressions are right and sometimes they are wrong, so be careful."  That is good advice, I guess, but not super novel.   He does manage to find interesting studies and stories related to his main topic, and, as always, his narration and storytelling is engaging.  If you are only going to read one book by Gladwell, this might not be the best choice, but if you are a Gladwell fan, you will probably enjoy it. 

Love in Disguise by Anneka Walker

 Marion Watt has always wanted to marry for love, but when her mother's health declines during Marion's first London Season, she decides to accepts that she doesn't have time to wait for romance.  Lord Everton is tired of being the "most eligible bachelor" in London.  He only wants to settle down and get on with his true passion, righting social injustice.  His mother proposes a scheme whereby he can discern which of several eligible ladies might be best suited to his own ideals, and when Marion does best in the trial, Lord Everton starts pursuing her with disturbing energy.  Marion has never liked Lord Everton, and is alarmed by he sudden and intense attention.  He is a Lord, however, and a match with him would please both her parents, so she decides to give the relationship a try.  Before long they are formally engaged, but there is a long road ahead before their feelings catch up with the legal reality.

After Bargaining for the Barrister, I was happy to try another book by Ms Walker.  There were many things I liked about the book.  I appreciated that it was basically an "arranged" match, but they gradually learned to love each other.  I think this was actually the case in many such unions, especially in cultures where arranged matches are the norm.  I thought both characters where endearingly flawed, and there were some genuinely funny moments. I thought the pacing wasn't maybe a good as in the Bargaining with the Barrister--it dragged a little in the middle--but overall, it is an enjoyable read. (224 p. 2019)

David and Goliath by Malcolm Gladwell

 In the story of David and Goliath it seems miraculous that David would defeat the giant warrior.  In this book Gladwell uses this story to introduce the idea that being the underdog is often an advantage rather than a disadvantage.  He talks about how many presidents of the US lost a parent when they were children, and many CEO's of major companies have dyslexia.  He talks about many instances where larger armies were defeated by smaller armies. He discusses why class size can be too big, but it can also be too small.  His main point is that being forced to overcome the challenges forces indifividuals and groups to be innovative and creative.  He acknowleges that for every dyslexic who becomes a Fortune 500 leader, there are many more for whom the disability has overwhelmingly negative affects, but he asserts that having a major challenge does not necessarily lead to disaster. In most cases, there is a sweet spot between challenge and advantage where people and situations work the best. 

I have read several Gladwell books and I find his writing style interesting.  He basically makes an observation about life and then finds stories, studies, and statistics to support it.  His narrative wanders a bit, but he manages to tie everything together.  He reads his own books in the recording, and he has a pleasant voice, interesting inflection, and a slight East Coast accent. As I was listening to this one, another one I had on hold came up in the cue, so I will be reviewing that one soon. (2015, 352 p)