Hotel Balzaar

I've been on hold for Kate DiCamillo's new book Hotel Balzaar and got it from the library this week. It's another "Norendy Tale," so basically a companion book in the same world as Puppets of Spelhorst. The book description reads, "At the Hotel Balzaar, Marta’s mother rises before the sun, puts on her uniform, and instructs Marta to roam as she will but quietly, invisibly—like a little mouse. While her mother cleans rooms, Marta slips down the back staircase to the grand lobby to chat with the bellman, study the painting of an angel’s wing over the fireplace, and watch a cat chase a mouse around the face of the grandfather clock, all the while dreaming of the return of her soldier father, who has gone missing. One day, a mysterious countess with a parrot checks in, promising a story—in fact, seven stories in all, each to be told in its proper order. As the stories unfold, Marta begins to wonder: could the secret to her father’s disappearance lie in the countess’s tales?"

I enjoyed this book. The small girl living in a hotel gave me the happy vibes of Eloise and A Gentleman in Moscow, both stories I really enjoy. I loved Marta as a character and her relationship with the countess and how things all tied together in the end. It was a short and sweet story and just the classic feel of the Kate DiCamillo writing style.

Rating: * * (2/3 = Liked it)

Fly on the Wall

I saw Fly on the Wall by Remy Lai on display at the library and started to read it while hanging out at the library for awhile (while Ollie was reading). The book description says, "Henry Khoo's family treats him like a baby. He’s not allowed to go anywhere without his sister/chaperone/bodyguard. And he definitely CAN’T take a journey halfway around the world all by himself! But that’s exactly his plan. After his family’s annual trip to visit his father in Singapore is cancelled, Henry decides he doesn’t want to be cooped up at home with his overprotective family and BFF turned NRFF (Not Really Friend Forever). Plus, he’s hiding a your-life-is-over-if-you’re-caught secret: he’s the creator of an anonymous gossip cartoon, and he's on the verge of getting caught. Determined to prove his independence and avoid punishment for his crimes, Henry embarks on the greatest adventure everrr. . . hoping it won’t turn into the greatest disaster ever."

This was a fun, quick read. It caught my interest right away, and I finished it within a couple days (which has not been my track record lately). I liked that it had some illustrations throughout, and I liked the journal format where Henry was just kind of figuring himself out. I thought it had some relatable messages for kids (helicopter parents, friendship issues, doing things you regret, etc.) and overall just an enjoyable read. I think I'll look for the author's other book Pie in the Sky next since I've heard good things about it.

Rating: * * (2/3 = Liked it)

Out of My Dreams

I was excited to see there was a book 3 in the Out of My Mind series and so got this one from the library right when it came out: Out of My Dreams by Sharon M. Draper. The book description says, "When Melody saves an elderly back-in-the-day actress’s life, the woman is so grateful—and impressed by Melody—that she nominates Melody to be a US spokesperson at an international symposium for kids with different abilities. To Melody’s utter shock and delight, she and two friends of her choice are chosen to participate—and this year’s symposium is in England! Melody finally gets to fly on an airplane, and even the airline’s somewhat clumsy handling of her wheelchair can’t dampen her excitement to be in London. There, Melody meets kids from all over the world who are rallying for greater accessibility and more thoughtful planning on how to make the world more equal for every kid, no matter the unusual challenges they face. As Melody’s time to speak approaches, she hopes she can find a way to make every word count and make an impact."

I liked getting back in the world with Melody, but this wasn't as engaging as I hoped it would be. I loved Out of My Mind so much and just loved that story, but I feel like the sequels haven't measured up. I almost had to force myself to keep reading this one because I just wasn't that invested in the story, and there were lots of things that just struck me as unrealistic throughout the book (like unrealistic enough that I was distracted from the story to comment on it to myself). I guess I liked that nothing that bad happened to Melody in the book because that would just be really unbearable for me, but I think the book's format of just describing a play-by-play of her trip with no major conflicts just didn't keep me super interested. But I still highly recommend book 1!

* (1/3 = It was okay)

The Art Thief

I read The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession by Michael Finkel for book club. The book description says, "Stéphane Bréitwieser is the most prolific art thief of all time. He pulled off more than 200 heists, often in crowded museums in broad daylight. His girlfriend served as his accomplice. His collection was worth an estimated $2 billion. He never sold a piece, displaying his stolen art in his attic bedroom. He felt like a king. Until everything came to a shocking end. In this spellbinding portrait of obsession and flawed genius, Michael Finkel gives us one of the most remarkable true-crime narratives of our times, a riveting story of art, theft, love, and an insatiable hunger to possess beauty at any cost."

This was a really interesting read. I listened to the book on audio and was often happy to read more and follow the story. Stéphane was just a fascinating person (not in a good way), and I just couldn't believe his recklessness and decisions. I thought the author did a good job telling the story from start to finish. I think this will be an interesting book to discuss at book club.

Rating: * * (2/3 = Liked it)

What Happened to the Bennetts

I read What Happened to the Bennetts by Lisa Scottoline for my book club with my mom and her friends. The book description says, "Jason Bennett is a suburban dad who owns a court-reporting business, but one night, his life takes a horrific turn. He is driving his family home after his daughter’s field hockey game when a pickup truck begins tailgating them, on a dark stretch of road. Suddenly two men jump from the pickup and pull guns on Jason, demanding the car. A horrific flash of violence changes his life forever. Later that awful night, Jason and his family receive a visit from the FBI. The agents tell them that the carjackers were members of a dangerous drug-trafficking organization—and now Jason and his family are in their crosshairs. The agents advise the Bennetts to enter the witness protection program right away, and they have no choice but to agree. But WITSEC was designed to protect criminal informants, not law-abiding families. Taken from all they know, trapped in an unfamiliar life, the Bennetts begin to fall apart at the seams. Then Jason learns a shocking truth and realizes that he has to take matters into his own hands."

This was a good read. It was definitely an engaging story where I wanted to keep reading, and there were some unexpected twists along the way. I liked how the author pulled in side characters (like the truck drivers), and I liked that the story concluded well. The writing style was different than I was used to--kinda a casual first person that seemed a little off to me at times (like Jason describing really terrible things sometimes couldn't come across as heavy as it really was). The book made me super interested in the witness protection program and how that would work in situations like this. Fun read.

* * (2/3 = Liked it)

The Death of Mrs. Westaway

I read The Death of Mrs. Westaway by Ruth Ware for a book club. The book description says, "On a day that begins like any other, Hal receives a mysterious letter bequeathing her a substantial inheritance. She realizes very quickly that the letter was sent to the wrong person—but also that the cold-reading skills she’s honed as a tarot card reader might help her claim the money. Soon, Hal finds herself at the funeral of the deceased…where it dawns on her that there is something very, very wrong about this strange situation and the inheritance at the center of it."

This was a great read. It was kinda scary (like I probably would have been too scared to watch a show of this book) but super engaging, and I wanted to keep reading to see what would happen. I feel like the author did a good job creating solid characters that I wanted to stick with (mainly Hal). There were things I predicted early on but other things that were complete surprises. (I did feel like there were some gaps that maybe the author should have closed up or explained better.) I liked how things concluded in the end.

* * (2/3 = Liked it)

A Fever in the Heartland

I got A Fever in the Heartland: The Ku Klux Klan's Plot to Take Over America, and the Woman Who Stopped Them by Timothy Egan from the library on audiobook after my friend Rebecca (a history teacher) recommended it. The book description says, "The Roaring Twenties--the Jazz Age--has been characterized as a time of Gatsby frivolity. But it was also the height of the uniquely American hate group, the Ku Klux Klan. Their domain was not the old Confederacy, but the Heartland and the West. They hated Blacks, Jews, Catholics and immigrants in equal measure, and took radical steps to keep these people from the American promise. And the man who set in motion their takeover of great swaths of America was a charismatic charlatan named D.C. Stephenson. Stephenson was a magnetic presence whose life story changed with every telling. Within two years of his arrival in Indiana, he’d become the Grand Dragon of the state and the architect of the strategy that brought the group out of the shadows – their message endorsed from the pulpits of local churches, spread at family picnics and town celebrations. Judges, prosecutors, ministers, governors and senators across the country all proudly proclaimed their membership. But at the peak of his influence, it was a seemingly powerless woman – Madge Oberholtzer – who would reveal his secret cruelties, and whose deathbed testimony finally brought the Klan to their knees."

This was such a great book. The story was completely engaging, and it was so alarming to read about this time in history and the grip of the Ku Klux Klan. I was so sickened by Stephenson and so impressed by those who had the audacity to stand up to the KKK (like a newspaper editor/reporter who continually wrote stories and published lists of names trying to bring them down). I just couldn't believe how many people had such terrible ideas and thought the KKK had things right. There are a lot of parallels to Nazi Germany and even to people in the US today who believe in white supremacy. The subtitle of the book is a little bit misleading since really Madge doesn't come into the story until you are more than 50% done with the book, but I really liked how the author highlighted her and the impact she had. (I found after reading this that there is a book called Madge just about her story, written by a different author, and I may be interested in reading that.) I sometimes got lost in some of the details of this book, but it may have been because I was doing audiobook. Also, as a warning, the book can be quite heavy at times, especially with some content about rapes.

Rating: * * (2/3 = Liked it)