No Other Will Do by Karen Witemeyer

 Emma Chandler runs a community of women in late 18th century Texas. It is a safe haven for women who are escaping from the unrighteous dominion of men. When an anonymous enemy starts threatening the women of the community, Emma turns to a man for help.  Malachi Shaw is a orphan that Emma's aunts took in for a while when he was a teenager. Malachi has harbored a secret love for Emma for more than a decade, and so when she asks for help, he comes running. They are old friends, but when they see each other as grown adults, it soon becomes clear that their relationship goes beyond friendship. With Emma's dream in peril, and Malachi's career with the railroad on the line, can the take time to look for their own "happily ever after?" 

Still looking for something light and uplifting to read, I turned to Karen Witemeyer. She is on the more "preachy" side of Christian historical romance writers, but I was totally up for it last week. The writing is decent, the plot is interesting, and there is a whole cast of colorful characters. It's a bit saccharine, and I wouldn't want to read Witemeyer every week, but this week, it was just the thing. (2016, 366 p) 

Chester Keene Cracks the Code by Kekla Magoon

Chester lives with his mother, but he is convinced that his father works as a spy for the government. Chester knows how hard his mother works to keep food on the table, so he hides from her trouble he is having from a bully at school. One day Chester receives a mysterious note that seems to be a clue to a mystery.  Chester believes it must be from his spy father and sees it as a chance to help him and make him proud.  A girl from school, Skye, also gets a clue, and Chester finds himself the unwilling partner to a girl who is opposite from him in almost every way. As they work together on the clues, they form a friendship, but that friendship is strained by Chester's feeling of urgency to find and help his father. Soon they are in more trouble than either of their could dream of, and only team work, patience and friendship can get them out of it. 

After reading The Night Letters I was looking for something much lighter to read.  This one was listed as "humorous" so I thought I would give it a try.  It wasn't really very humorous, but it was well written and I am not sorry I read it. Chester is a authentic character, trying so hard to believe something despite all the evidence to the contrary.  He is also on the spectrum, and the author clearly has had experience with kids who can't abide changes in their schedule, or need the familiar and routine to feel safe. Skye is also a very endearing character, and the picture of the "ideal friend."  This is a good choice for kids who like the "social issues" kinds of books like Wonder or Fish in a Tree. (2022, 304 p.)

The Night Diary by Veera Hiranandani

Nisha and her twin brother, Amil, live with their father who is a doctor, their grandmother, and a servant, Kazi, in what is about to become Pakistan. Nisha's father is Hindu, and Nisha and her brother have been raised to be Hindu, but their mother, who died in childbirth, and Kazi are both Muslim.  When India gains its independence from England, they partition the larger country of India into India for the Hindus and Pakistan for the Muslims.  Violence erupts, and people who used to be their friends, are suddenly trying to drive Nisha's family from their home. The politics are confusing to the children, and they are upset to have to leave their home and friends.  On the trek across the desert to the border they face starvation and violence, but their struggles also bring their family together. 

I don't know how I missed this book back in 2019 when it won a Newbery Honor. (Actually, I was so caught up with being a new library director that year, I missed a lot of things.)  This is a beautifully written but heartrending historical fiction.  Both Nisha, who is shy and studios, and Amil, who is active but has learning disabilities, are sympathetic characters. Every character in the story is fully drawn and the reader can feel their internal struggles.  Before reading the book I was not really aware of what happened when they partitioned off Pakistan from India, and it made me wonder, as Nisha did, why freedom from England should have created such discord in India. An author's note at the end explains more about the humanitarian tragedy. (304, 2019)

DaVinci's Ghost by Toby Lester

One of the most famous drawings of all time is DaVinci's Vitruvian Man.  This book, written by an art historian, explains the philosophical and religious symbolism of this famous image which began with Greco/Romans and carried on into Christianity. He explains how the idea of inscribing the human form within a square and a  circle was described by Vitruvius, and then passed from one major philosopher/artist to another until it was finally embodied by DaVinci. He also gives a brief history of DaVinci's life and work and how the drawing fit into his own world view. 

Here is another book I read to get ready for my trip to Italy in November. It may seem strange to have a 300 page book discuss just one piece of art, but here it is.  It is well written too, and I learned a lot about the symbolism behind the drawing.  I had never heard of the idea that the human body could be seen as representing the whole world.  I find if fascinating that both pagans and Christians found this idea compelling. The Romans saw the Roman Empire as an extension of the body of the Emperor. The Christians reasoned that if God created Adam in his own image, and if God is perfect and fills the universe, than the human body must be a representation of the universe.  There is a lot more about the symbolism of the square and the circle, and also about the proportions of the perfect body. I think a lot of people who love the humanities would enjoy this book. (320 p. 2012)

The Siren of Sussex by Mimi Matthews

 Evelyn Maltravers needs to find a wealthy husband so she can lift the situation of her whole family. They had hoped her older and more beautiful sister would be their salvation, but she ended her first London season in scandal. Evelyn is not as beautiful, but she is an accomplished horsewoman, so she decides to try to make her mark by riding beautifully the latest fashion.  She enlists the assistance of an up-and-coming habit-maker, Ahmad Malik. He is half Indian and has struggled against prejudice  his whole life.  He hopes that, if he can make striking enough clothes for Evelyn, it will secure his place as a dressmaker for the aristocracy. As they became partners in what they hope is a mutually beneficial venture, they are forced to acknowledge their growing attraction for each other. Can Evelyn abandon her duty to her family to follow her heart?

This is the second book I have read by Ms Matthews, and I didn't like it as well as the first. The story line was fine, the characters were written well and there was some interesting historical detail.  What I didn't like was that is was very hormonal.  There was way too much time spent on describing how his touch made her belly feel, and how she felt when he had to adjust a fitting on her bodice. There was so much focus on the physical, that the reader feels that their attraction is merely physical.  I also didn't like that they constantly flaunted the rules of propriety for the time period and believed there wouldn't be any consequences. Somehow was no big deal that she stripped down to her knickers for a fitting without a female chaperone present. There are certain social rules in these books.  I don't know if they are based on reality or just a literary creation, but people who write in the Victorian romance genre are accepting those rules when they select the genre.  Ms Matthews ignored the convention in order to give the readers yet another scene of suppressed sexual tension. Granted, the couple never cross the line, but they were teetering on the brink the whole book. I debated with myself, but I finally removed Ms Matthews from my Clean Romance Writers list. It just isn't what I want to read. (432 p. 2022)

The Unselected Journals of Emma M. Lion by Beth Brower Volumes 1&2

 Emma is an orphan and an heiress, so why has she been relegated to the garret room in her own home?  It has to do with her step-cousin Archibald and The Incident that gave him The Scare. Since The Incident, Archibald has had it out for her, and used his guardianship of her finances (until she comes of age) to purchase dozens of expensive silk dressing gowns and to purposefully lose at the races.  Emma must use her considerable force of will to regain control of whatever fortune she has left, and find a way to support herself on a very limited income.  She is recruited to become the less attractive foil of her very wealthy friend, and by that gains entrance into the center of London Society.  She also rents out part of her domicile to a mysterious stranger whom the neighborhood ghost called "a man of war." She finds she likes the brooding tennant, and looks forward to the notes that get passed under the garret dividing wall. But he is not the only man of intrigue in her life.  There is the sham cousin of her friend, Jake, and the charming and commanding Lord Islington. What is an education deprived, impoverished, heiress to do?

My daughter, Diane, recommended these to me.  They are not available in audio yet, so I waited until I was going on a trip to read a print-based version.  They are unusual books.  Each volume is quite short, and all the chapters are written as entries in Emma's journal. Both short volumes ended quite suddenly without any satisfying conclusion.  Emma has a irreverent, sarcastic personality, world weary but delighting in the ridiculousness she sees in the people around her. They are super fun to read, mostly because of the snappy patter between characters. Now that my vacation is over and I have only read the first two of the seven in the series, I have to decide whether to press on and read the others, or wait until my next vacation. (V. 1, 2022, 119 p.  V. 2. 2022, 160 p)

Mrs Quinn's Rise to Fame by Olivia Ford

 Jenny Quinn is 77 years old and a great fan of the Britain Bakes TV show.  She is, herself an accomplished baker, and so decides to apply to be on the show. She has been a stay-home wife of Bernard for almost 60 years, and is embarrassed to tell him that she has applied.  Instead she makes excuses for trying out new and ever more complex recipes.  As her journey toward fame goes forward, the old family recipes she bakes bring up memories of a single devastating mistake from her past. Will her success in the kitchen give her the courage to face the bitterness of the past?

A friend recommended this to me and I really enjoyed it.  After all the shallow, self-centered characters of the previous book, the deep rich relationships in this one are as sweet and Jenny's treacle tarts. The writing is lovely, and Bernard is the most unlikely but likeable of all love interests.  I also enjoyed the "behind the scenes" view of being in a televised baking show.  I wonder if the author was allowed to visit and research what it is like to be on the British Baking Show (for that it what it was) or if she just has a very vivid imagination. The book was very sweet and poignant, but also delightful. I will be recommending this one to a lot of friends who like clean reads. (284 p. 2024)