Artemis by Andy Weir

Title: Artemis
Author: Andy Weir
Genre: Science Fiction

Synopsis: Jasmine Bashara is a young woman trying to make her way as a porter/smuggler in the first Lunar settlement, Artemis. Barely scraping by, everyone she knows is telling her she has wasted her talents and can do so much more with life. When a shady billionaire customer offers Jazz a dangerous and illegal job along with a hefty payment to match, she jumps at the offer. After beginning stage one of her brilliant plan, Jazz realizes she is in over her head and will have to call in her friends and estranged father to help save the city.

 My Thoughts

This is the second novel I have read/reviewed by Andy Weir (The Martian). I was excited to have recieved it as a gift for Christmas! As I expected, it is filled with good, factual science along with some really interesting science fiction. The ways that the Lunar city is built to allow life, the moral code that creates civilization, and the factory that produces aluminum and the oxygen needed for Artemis by smelting are all really well thought out.
I find it interesting when a male author chooses to write a story from the first person perspective of a female protagonist. Weir clearly wants to make it known that Jazz is an independent, head-strong, takes-no-crap-from-anyone kind of woman. I totally respect that. Unfortunately, I think he overdoes it by trying to shock the reader with her constant foul language and redundant references to casual sex. I'm not saying that female characters cannot use expletives and such, just that the author was trying too hard to make his protagonist 'a tough lady.' Strong female characters can be written without having to be incredibly crass.Toward the end, at the climax of the plot, Weir is too busy actually telling the story and Jazz is allowed to show that she is a strong character though actions and not her words. 
I really liked the way that the author gave the reader insight into Jazz's past. She has an email pen-pal who lives on Earth. They start emailing as a school assignment when they are probably pre-teens and continue their relationship into the present. Overall, I think this novel is pretty entertaining and worth reading.

Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!


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Victoria by Daisy Goodwin

Title: Victoria
Author: Daisy Goodwin
Genre: Historical Fiction

Synopsis: The story of 18-year-old Alexandrina Victoria ascending to the throne to become Queen Victoria of England. This novel follows Victoria as she learns how to be a queen after living a sheltered life with her mother and her mother's advisor John Conroy. When she leans heavily on the helpful and handsome Lord Melbourne, her prime minister, for guidance everyone says it is time Victoria find a suitable husband.

 My Thoughts

As soon as this hit the shelves I was dying to read it. I love the British Royal Family and have read exhaustively about the Windsors, Tudors, and Plantagenets, but I was so excited to read about Victoria, a monarch I have read little about. I was unwilling to pay for a hardcover copy and ended up getting a paperback copy as a Christmas gift. 
I must admit that while I was waiting for the paperback version, I watched the Masterpiece Classic television show by the same name. It was written by the same author as she wrote this novel. I highly recommend both.
 I would suggest reading the book first, which covers the first four episodes of the series. The novel provides much more detail and helps the reader understand exactly how the characters are related or their job in the palace, the motives of Victoria's various uncles and her mother, the mistakes Victoria makes and why they make her unpopular with her people at first, and her relationship with Lord Melbourne and her cousin Albert.  The series is filled with beautiful costumes and also has a side story about the Queen's dresser, Skerret, that is not included in the novel.
This is the third novel I have read by Goodwin (The American Heiress, Fortune Hunter) and I have enjoyed all three. Her descriptions allow the reader to create a clear mental picture without overexplaining or going into exhaustive detail. She also writes strong, independent female protagonists who are relatable even decades after they lived. 

If you love British royal history, coming of age stories, or women working to overcome discrimination, this book is for you. 

Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!


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To see more from the author, visit the website linked above.

The Cavendon Luck by Barbara Taylor Bradford

Title: The Cavendon Luck
Author: Barbara Taylor Bradford
Genre: Fiction

Synopsis: The third book in a series of four following the esteemed Ingham and Swann families of Cavendon as they manage life on the estate and in London just prior to and during World War II. Each member of the family is given a section of the book focused on their life at the time.

 My Thoughts

The first few pages of this book really made me consider not finishing it. The sentences were short when they could have easily been complex. The author over-explained what was happening in the scene to the point of redundancy. Then, of course, it starts with the cheesiest of love scenes. (Multiple more follow throughout, bleh) I hate not finishing a book, so I muddled through the first two chapters.
I can forgive the fact that the characters were seemingly underdeveloped at first because I did not realize that this novel is the third in a series of four. That being said, it is not necessary to read the previous books to understand this one, but it would be helpful.
Once it gets going, the story is actually engaging and the writing improves. There is one storyline that is engaging about getting a Jewish family out of Berlin before war breaks out. Honestly, if the book had ended after Part I, I would have been content. Unfortunately, Part II is completely unnecessary to the main plot of the novel. It seems that in an attempt to discuss every member of the Ingham and Swann families the author loses focus of the story she is trying to tell. Maybe if Part II had been a separate novel about the family during WWII then it could have been better developed. (spoiler alert!) Disappointingly, it just quickly covers the years of the war wounding a son at war, bringing another baby to a complete family, and killing off a beloved aunt.
I don't think I will be seeking out any of the other books in the series.
Positives:
The relationship between the sisters/sisters-in-law is interesting.
The women have interesting places in society for the time.
Part I overall is engaging (minus the initial two chapters)


Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!


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To see more from the author, visit the website linked above.

Mycroft Holmes by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Anna Waterhouse

Title: Mycroft Holmes
Author: Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Anna Waterhouse
Genre: Fiction/Mystery

Synopsis: Children are being murdered in Trinidad and the locals think it is being done by an evil mythical creature. Inspired by his fiancee, Georgiana, and his good friend, Douglas who both grew up on the island, Mycroft Holmes travels to Trinidad to solve this mystery. With Douglas at his side, Holmes tries to uncover the mystery surrounding these murders and discovers more than he could have ever imagined.

My Thoughts

So I was dubious when I picked up this novel and saw the author was a famous NBA star. After reading the back copy I decided to give it a chance and I'm so glad I did.
This novel gives some background into Mycroft Holmes, older brother to Sherlock Holmes. We see Mycroft using the deductive powers he shares with his brother to attempt to uncover the mystery murderer in Trinidad. Holmes leaves London cocky and naive in order to follow Georgiana to Trinidad in the wake of the tragedy unfolding on the island. 

This novel is beautifully written and incredibly suspense-filled. There is a new twist around every corner, building a plot that carries the mystery from a superstitious ghost story believed by locals to a crime actually carried out by greedy humans, not mythical creatures.  It is similar to what would be seen in classic Sherlock Holmes mysteries (or Scooby-Doo, never really a ghost!).

I particularly love the character Cyrus Douglas. He is written as Holmes's "side-kick" in this adventure but is really more like a father-figure/protector for a 23-year-old man who has no idea what he is getting himself into. Somehow Holmes have a best friend 20 years older than him is incredibly endearing. Working together through many heart-breaking circumstances, the two men only become closer. After surviving this ordeal it is easy for the reader to understand how Mycroft becomes the man that he is in his later years. This novel also sets the stage for how Mycroft Holmes enters the service of the queen and the British government.

If you have seen the series Sherlock, enjoy reading Sherlock Holmes, or just like reading a good mystery, this book is for you! 


Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!


To buy this book from Amazon now, click on the image at the top of the post.
To see more from the author, visit the website linked above.

The Crown: The Official Companion by Robert Lacey

Title: The Crown: The Official Companion
Author: Robert Lacey
Genre: Non-fiction

Synopsis: The Netflix Original The Crown is based on the life of Queen Elizabeth II as she ascends to the throne and begins the first few years of her reign. This companion book describes what from the series is true to history and what was fictionalized for dramatic effect.

My Thoughts

When I saw that this book one I could get to review I was so stinkin' excited! I love this series and the British Royal Family so I knew I had to request a copy. This book is really beautifully put together. Each chapter is based on one episode from the series. The author discusses what happened in the episode, how it relates to what actually occurred in history. It is written in such a way that it reads really easily and much more like a story than a biographical text. I looked forward to reading it every night.
The book also has excellent photographs throughout complementing each topic. There are still images from the series and actual photographs of the people represented in the series. It is so interesting to see the actors who are chosen to play each person and then a photo of that person in real life. The cover of the book is really clever,  a profile photo of Queen Elizabeth II is set behind a profile photo of the actress who plays her in the series. On the back cover, it is flipped so the queen's profile is in front of the actress's profile.

If you have seen the series The Crown, enjoy reading about royalty, or just like reading historical non-fiction, this book is for you! 


Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!


To buy this book from amazon now, click on the image at the top of the post.
To see more from the author, visit the website linked above.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.

Moonlight Over Paris by Jennifer Robson

Title: Moonlight Over Paris
Author: Jennifer Robson
Genre: Fiction

Synopsis: After surviving a publicly humiliating broken engagement and a life-threatening illness, 28 year old Lady Helena Montagu-Douglas-Parr decides it is time to really live. She applies to art school in Paris and moves in with her delightfully zany, recently widowed, aunt. Presenting herself as Helena Parr, an ordinary young aspiring artist, she makes new friends at school and opens herself up to a new Parisian life. Helena gets to mix with famous up and coming artists and writers of the mid-1920s and along the way meets newspaper-man Sam Howard. After surviving the war, is it possible for any one of them to let go of the past and move forward into the possibilities of the roaring twenties?

My Thoughts

I found this novel during my usual raid of the bargain book section at Barnes and Noble. After reading the book jacket I picked it up and put it down several times thinking it may just be too cheesy and predictable for my taste. Then when I saw the author had my same last name (after picking it up for the 4th time) I decided that I had to give it a read. 
I love that Helena decides to follow her dreams in an age where women born into titled families are expected to marry young and have a family and do nothing beyond that. It is so brave to actually step outside of the social norms especially after facing humiliation in one's social circle and hearing one's parents being told that it is likely you wouldn't survive your illness.
Robson shows Helena's vulnerabilities and how she uses them to create beautiful works of art, empathize with her art school friends, and finally to overcome them to believe in herself.
There is also a love story that runs throughout which is lovely and complicated and infuriating, as any good love story should be.
At 322 pages, this is one of the shorter novels I have read of late, and I was seriously torn between wanting to read it all at once and feeling sad that there were fewer and fewer pages left in this lovely story. I sincerely enjoyed reading this novel and I appreciated the depth that Jennifer Robson gave to the characters.
 I recommend everyone use the linked image above to purchase this book for yourself or as a holiday gift for someone you love. I can't wait to read more from this author.

If you like stories about bravery, art in the 1920s, Paris, or a good love story, this book is for you!

(On the off chance that she reads this, Jennifer, how do you pronounce your last name? My family pronounces it "Robe-sun" but I know others pronounce it phonetically, just curious!) 


Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!


To buy this book from amazon now, click on the image at the top of the post.
To see more from the author, visit the website linked above.

Paradox Bound by Peter Clines

Title: Paradox Bound
Author: Peter Clines
Genre: Science Fiction

Synopsis: Eli Teague meets seemingly steampunk dressed Harry Prichard three times in his life before he learns about her search. A series of events leads Eli to join Harry on an adventure traveling across the United States and through history, in her Ford Model A, to save the American Dream.

My Thoughts
When I first read the description of this novel, I thought that it would be more historical fiction. It turns out, Paradox Bound is mostly Syfy with a touch of historical fiction. At the beginning, the reader needs time to really understand what is going on. I think this is intentional because the main character, Eli, is trying to figure out what has happened and it gives the reader an understanding of what he is going through. 
As more information is provided to the reader, the story becomes easier to follow. Traveling through time to save history is not a new idea, but Clines brings in an interesting element, the American Dream as a physical object that needs saving. This novel has enough predictability in the events to support the number of bizarre happenings and make it believable. It also has many moments of intense suspense and uncertainty to keep the reader totally engaged and on the edge of their seats.
I also really enjoyed the fact that while the protagonists were a man and a woman, there were no romantic entanglements between them. They are just honest-to-goodness partners working together to solve a mystery.

I'm really glad that I chose to take a chance on this novel, it is very enjoyable.

If you like science fiction, time travel, historical references, government conspiracies, and old-fashioned automobiles, this book is for you.  


Comment below if you have read this book or have suggestions for others like it!


To buy this book from amazon now, click on the image at the top of the post.
To see more from the author, visit the website linked above.

I received this book from Blogging for Books for this review.