Review: Heartstopper: Volume Three

Heartstopper: Volume Three by Alice Oseman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Charlie and Nick are out to their families and now are in the process of telling their friends. Tao and Elle have something going on. Aled also has someone he may be interesting in. And let's not forget the Paris trip!
Charlie may have an eating disorder. Mr Ajayi (Truham's art teacher)and Mr Farouk (Truham's science teacher) may also have something going on.

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Review: The Lives of Lee Miller

The Lives of Lee Miller by Antony Penrose
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Elizabeth "Lee" Miller.  She was a former model turned photographer.  Not many know about her; another woman almost forgotten to history.  

I picked this book up to learn more about her after seeing the movie "Lee" with Kate Winslet.  

Lee had a harder upbringing; she was raped at 7 and got a STI and her mother had to give her a dichloride Mercury solution via douche for a month to treat (era before antibiotics).  She also posed for her father so he could take pictures.  

She had a hard time staying in one place, always wanted to be on the move, to travel.  She had many interesting friends (like Picasso).  She was able to parlay her love of photography into a career.  She was in London during the Blitz.  She took pictures during WWII for Vogue.  She was one of the first people to see and photograph liberated Paris and later Dachau.  Her most known photograph is her in the bathtub of Hitler's Munich apartment.  She had just come from Dachau (if you look at the picture, there is dirt/ash from her boots on the bathmat).  

I wonder how much of the issues she had with relationships were related to her childhood assault.  She didn't have the best relationship with her son either.  Lee was such an interesting person, flaws and all.      

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Review: The Third Mrs. Durst

The Third Mrs. Durst by Ann Aguirre
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

3.5*

Marlena grew up poor with multiple half siblings (different fathers) and a drug addicted mother.  She ran away as a teen for something better.  She makes a friend with Jenny and together they protect each other while on the street.  Jenny has a similar background and is a few years younger.  They are eventually discovered by a talent scout (they had heard of this person and arranged to "spontaneously meet" him) and get piecemeal modeling work that put a roof over their heads.  

Marlena does land a much better contract in Europe after catching the eye of Michael Durst, an investor in the modeling company she works for.  She is able to go to college and end her modeling career when she wants to.  Michael eventually makes his move and they began dating and eventually got married.  Marlena was be his third wife.  The first died in a car accident and the second committed suicide.  But where they really murdered and deaths made to seem otherwise?   Michael did get a HUGE insurance payout from wife number 1 which funded his business ventures.   

This is somewhat dark.  There is rape, but it is not gratuitous and is brief.  It is mentioned Marlena was raped as a child by one of her mother's boyfriends, the one that is on the page is early in the book and her modeling career.  Michael is not a handsome prince.  He is controlling and Marlena can't have her own friends or activities without his okay.  He controls what she wears and what she eats.  He also invented a new backstory and parents for her (she's an only child of Croatian parents).  

I enjoyed the twists in this.  Let's just say that Michael gets exactly what he deserves.  Marlena is not the innocent person you first think she is; revenge takes time and years of planning.  

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Review: Saint X

Saint X by Alexis Schaitkin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Claire (age 7) is on vacation with her family in the Caribbean when her older sister (who is in college now) goes missing and is found dead. Locals are questioned, but released due to lack of evidence. Her death goes unsolved (was it an accident? was she murdered? we don't know).
Claire grows up and as a twenty-something runs into a boy who was questioned when her sister died. Having idolized her sister, she decides she needs to find out what really happened.
This was a decent mystery, but a thriller this is not. It was slow and boring in places, and seemed longer than it really was. I didn't particularly like Claire (or her sister Alison). I do think the book tackled difficult subject matter (like race and class differences); hence the 3* (instead of a 2*).

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Review: Heartstopper: Volume Two

Heartstopper: Volume Two by Alice Oseman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Picks up where volume 1 left off. Charlie is upset with himself for overstepping (or so he thinks) with Nick. Nick was surprised and unsure of how to act. He is questioning things about himself and coming to some realizations.
Charlie's friends are super supportive and on his side. They are very unsure of Nick and thinks Charlie will get hurt. Ends with Nick making a confession to his mom.
Nicely done!

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Review: Jackdaw

Jackdaw by K.J. Charles
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Ben is a constable who fell in love with Jonah.  Jonah is a windwalker and a thief.  He runs from trouble and may having been involved in murder.  

I liked the present and past tense to get an idea of what happened, the full story.  Jonah does start out as the villain, but has a backstory that explains his choices and behaviors in the present.  He does grow and change as the book progresses.  I did wonder how Ben and Jonah were going to get their HEA.  Well, they do and we also get to see Day and Crane.  I loved how the townspeople showed up when it mattered.  

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Review: If I Stopped Haunting You

If I Stopped Haunting You by Colby Wilkens
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This book had some controversy in regards to the author. I included links below if interested.
This is about the book.
Penelope is a writer. She's got writer's block and goes to a writing retreat in an attempt to unblock and find inspiration. Neil is also a writer and is at the same retreat. The problem? They hate each other. Who doesn't like a good enemies to lovers story?
This was/is my problem. I didn't particularly like either character. While Penelope brought up some good points, that got lost in her shitty behavior. She's supposed to be almost 30, but she behaves like a teenager. She doesn't grow as the book progresses. I found I just could not get over/forgive Penelope's abusive behavior at the beginning of the book. What she did was assault. (At the very beginning of the book, she threw a book at Neil, striking him on the head and giving him a scar.) If it had been reversed, and it was Neil who threw the book at Penelope, would you have viewed this any differently?
A generous 2. I did finish it.

And now the author controversy:

Smart Bitches had a fantastic write-up:
https://smartbitchestrashybooks.com/2024/10/tribal-alliance-against-frauds-says-colby-wilkens-is-not-indigenous/

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Review: Small Acts of Courage: A Legacy of Endurance and the Fight for Democracy

Small Acts of Courage: A Legacy of Endurance and the Fight for Democracy by Ali Velshi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This has a very interesting opening; Ali Velshi being shot with a rubber bullet at a BLM protest. The kicker? It was a deliberate act, on purpose, by the police targeting a journalist (and he wasn't the only journalist to be targets at the numerous protests that were held). He mentions having to wear a bullet proof vest. And yes, that is here, not overseas.
This is the story of his family history. From India to South Africa to Canada and lastly, to the US. It's interesting how they kept a lot of the Indian traditions (dress and food) despite never having lived in India (his family left India > 100 years ago). The struggle of identity; the racism (regardless of where one lives).
I also appreciated he pointed out that history is (largely) written by men and as such, they are the primary people in history. The women in his family are just as accomplished and awesome as the men. And the men would not have achieved what they did had it not been for the women supporting them.

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