It may seem a silly thing to remind one’s self of but there is a reason that historical fiction has a basic formula. The past has already been written and we are all just trying to fill in the blanks. Many Americans know that the sinking of the Lusitania was the catalyst for the American entrance into WW1 but I was surprised by how much I didn’t know. I suppose that the Titanic overshadows many stories about sinking ships these days. Once I had found myself caring about our lead characters, I have to admit I sort of cheated. Instead of finishing the book to find the answer, I ran to Wikipedia. My biggest fear was that it would read, “No Survivors.”

I think that shows a strength in the author's storytelling skills, that I could not wait until the end. What does that say about me? Well, I never really cared for surprises anyways. Some of my fellow reader/reviewers have dinged the author for carrying on too many storylines. I have to admit that there were times that I didn’t really care for one of them and I kept waiting to get back to the boat. Yet I understand the importance of the multiple storylines, even if they all didn’t collide as I would have liked. I would recommend this to those who like light romantic historical fiction and don’t mind love triangles too much.


*This eBook was provided by NetGalley and HarperCollins in exchange for honest feedback*


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       An interesting twist on the leprechaun mythos and a couple of relatable characters really made this book for me. It was a different take on leprechauns than I had previously seen and it really worked. The first half learning all about the backstory and the world building really worked for me though I would have been more interested in Eve’s version. It was really intriguing to see the political maneuvers and the basic back stabbings of that world. If the story had continued like that it would have been great. I made it halfway expecting this kid to find his place and finally accept himself instead Part 2 happened.
    The second half threw me. It felt jumbled and not really fitting with the back of the book or even the front half of the book. It’s hard to really sink into a book that tries so hard to throw you. Between the shift in location and time to the really unnecessary love story I lost interest in the characters. I kept hoping that the end would save the story but for me, I would say it’s a quick read and it isn’t a bad read. It just isn’t a book that I would reread in a hurry. It might really work for some readers and I won’t judge you for that. It just isn’t for me.

A forbidden love between an employer and his employee can only end a few ways: badly, sadly, or very rarely, happily ever after. This follows the tale of a poor Irish girl who came to create a new life for herself and yet found herself slipping into someone else's life. She is pretending and yet at the same time feels more like who she should be. She has to find a way to retain her old self and this new girl that she is turning into. Throw into that the fact that she is falling for her employer and it is a bit of fun in old Pittsburgh. 

Though I loved seeing a historical industrial fiction story away from NYC, I have to say that this was a bit unfair of Maire Benedict. She gave us a great beginning and strong middle and it seemed that the end was scooped together to wrap things up. We see barely any of the actual searchings for Clara, though it seems to be a massive catalyst for Carnegie's life. It goes from her leaving to the Epilogue. There seems to be a massive gap that the Epilogue tries to smooth over and yet I am left holding my hands out for those missing chapters. Perhaps there is hope for a sequel or another excerpt that will draw things tighter together and pad out a strange ending. If you enjoy Industrial Age historical fiction, this is a great choice. There is romance, class, opera, and fashion all wrapped together with "current" events. It evokes the period without dunking your head in a bucket of straight history. 

*This eBook was provided by NetGalley and Sourcebooks Landmark*

1. Do you have a certain place at home for reading?
Nope, I am all over the place. I’ll read in bed, in the bath, on the couch. I also have been super distracted cooking because I was stuck on a particularly good part of a story or two.


2. Bookmark or random piece of paper?
I am a random piece of paper kind of person. I like to use the receipts from the library a lot of the time, simply because they are so thin. But to be honest, I’ll grab whatever. The only time I use bookmarks is on my eBooks if I need to come back to something.


3. Can you just stop reading or do you have to stop after a chapter/ a certain amount of pages?
I can easily put a book down in the middle of a chapter. Because I am usually on the go and reading while I wait, I just set it down on my phone or if it is a physical book I’ll tuck it away.


4. Do you eat or drink while reading?
I like to have something to munch on when reading but it isn’t a requirement. Having a drink on the other hand is.


5. Multitasking: Music or TV while reading?
I would much rather have some music playing than TV. I find myself too distracted with TV. For music it has to be something that i’ve heard before and instrumental is even better.


6. One book at a time or several at once?
Several at once. I usually have a physical book by the bed and maybe in the bathroom. There are also at least 15 books on my kindle and my app to read in case I am not in the mood for one genre or the other.


7. Reading at home or everywhere?
Reading everywhere!  

8. Reading out loud or silently in your head?
If I need to memorize something than out loud but otherwise silently.
 
9. Do you read ahead or even skip pages?
No way! You can miss so much information that way. Sometimes when it is an especially long book, I will skip a bit to the dialogue but then I’ll feel guilty and go back.


10. Breaking the spine or keeping it like new?
Break those bad boys open. To be honest, most of my books are either library books, second hand, or ebooks. There are not a lot of intact spines that make it to my home. I also think books are made to be read and an unbroken spine makes me think that no one liked this book enough to read it. More honest here. I do understand having one copy for reading and one for displaying.

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All too often it is the Civil War that defines the South and its slaves. Set just before the revolutionary war, The Indigo Girl shows the life of the south before the war. You have all the usual antebellum tropes but there is an additional historical anchor in the rebellions and the Spanish freedom and subsequent re-enslavement of slaves in their colonies. On the surface, this is a fun strong girl taking over her father’s plantation to gain her own freedom. 

It was the relationships between the slaves and the plantation owners that I found interesting. While the sheer idea of a “good” master makes me cringe, I couldn’t help but wish that the author's depiction of the masters was true. It definitely played on white guilt a bit. It was okay for them to be slaves because they were happy slaves and that sort of idea. It was hard to take seriously the abolitionist speak of equality and rights when all the while she owns slaves and makes her living off of their backs. The story was definitely painted in a good light and to dive to deeply into this story would do it no real good. As a light story about the transplant of indigo to South Carolina, it is a good story. As a story about master and slave relations, it falls short.

*This eBook was provided by NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing in exchange for honest feedback*

      It can feel a bit strange to find yourself reading the perfect summer read in the middle of winter, but that is where I found myself this past Winter Solstice. I was surprised, after I had finished, to learn that not only was it not the first in the series but that it was, in fact, the 11th of the series. I felt as if I knew these characters and parts of their past relationships. There was enough backstory to understand who they were but not enough to spoil any of the previous books. 

     It was lighthearted and yet focused on some interesting historical and societal norms of the times. The blending of historical fact and the creation of the author were so beautifully done it wouldn’t surprise me if the events had taken place. With strong multi-faceted characters and a well-written mystery, I am looking forward to adding the rest of the series to my TBR light reading lists. 
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*This eBook was provided by NetGalley and Berkley Books in exchange for honest feedback*

Like looking at a Monet up close, this book resembles a beautiful mess. Then once you finish it and take a step back, you can see all the brushstrokes and plot twists come together to weave a wonderful story. There are just so many layers of this story, that you are drawn further and further in. When I read the blurb and started the story I kept stopping and going back. The story being told and the story I was reading didn’t seem to match. I kept waiting for Delaney to give up and stick to formula but it kept getting away from any box I put it in.

The sheer amount of world building can be overwhelming at first but once I was able to fit myself in, I was pulled into another layer of the details. The characters were a bit hit or miss but I found myself so drawn to the story that I didn’t really care that much. The sheer futuristic concept of a reality prison and how to break people out is a refreshing concept and had just enough Twilight Zone feel to it to feel familiar and yet strangely different. If you enjoy being surprised (in a good way) by your books and you want a fun time, this is the book for you. My only suggestion would be to get rid of the book blurb and just go with “It’s really good...trust me.”

*This eBook was provided by NetGalley and 47North in exchange for honest feedback*

1. How often do you visit your local library?
My Goal is at least once a month. In the summer time I can just walk the 4 blocks with no problem. Because I live on a one way, driving there in the winter is a bit more work and not always safe with all the snow.


2. Are you the type of person who checks out more books than you know you can read or are you someone who only checks out the exact amount of books you intend on reading before they are due?
I always check out way too many books. I also very rarely get the books back in time. I usually have to either drop them off early in the morning so the librarians don’t see me or I go online and extend my hold.
3. How old were you when you got your first library card?
I believe the rule was that you had to be 10 years old to get a base library card and 13 for the city library. I left Great Falls for 9 years and came back to find that my library card was still valid because I owed 5 dollars from 2005.
4. Do you go to your library looking for a particular book or do you check out anything that peaks your interest?
I like to go online and place a hold for at least two books that have caught my attention. Then when I go in, I’ll take time to browse the new books and see if there is anything that catches my attention. The GFPL does a great job with their displays and I have never left without at least 4 books in my arms.
5. Do you use your library to check out just books or do you also check out dvds, audiobooks etc.?
When I first arrived, I didn’t have my internet setup yet and the job I had planned fell through. So I was spending a lot of time in the library using their wifi and borrowing DVDs and audiobooks so that I had something to do at home while I waited for a call back.
6. From what section of your library do you check out a majority of your books? ( YA, middle grade, adult, nonfiction.)
I love the adult section collection of murder mysteries, but I am also a diehard YA reader. I get a lot of book recommendations from my sister who works in a library in Amarillo. She has really great taste!
7. What is your favorite part of using your local library?
I love seeing kids who are coming to the library for the first time. The sheer awe and wonder on their faces is just so heart warming. There also is this strange sort of togetherness that come from a library because you are all there to dive into a world that differs from your own. You get to see people at peace for just a bit as they walk past a book they have read before and you see them smile a bit, like saying hello to the books.

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This is one of those books that gave me a real warmth in my heart while reading it. I love a good dystopian fiction as much as the next English Major but there is just something so nice about Solarpunk. I have seen the criticism that it is too simple and not realistic enough. Add that to the ongoing discussions of race, class and religion and there have been some pretty solid brawls in regards to the group. My opinion is that while Solarpunk is a nice idea, it is important to continue to have these discussions. If you are exposed to only one view the world very quickly loses definition and a realness that becomes obvious in the writing. It doesn’t need to be utopian in order to be Solarpunk, there are still struggles and arguments that happen in these worlds. There is just such an overwhelming layer of hope as the bedrock of these stories and poetry that you can’t help but see these stories as the authors’ children.

One of the things that I find difficult about anthologies, is that they are made up of short stories. I have just enough time to get into a story and connect with the characters before they are ripped away from me by the turning of the pages. I hope that there is enough of an outpouring of desire for more Solarpunk stories that some of these characters come back for further adventures. Even though I was given this by Netgalley and the publishers I exchange for honest feedback, I will be looking for a copy for my coffee table.

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