Long Gone, Come Home

 

Long Gone, Come Home

Author: Monica Chenault Kilgore

Publisher: Harlequin Trade Publishing

Publish date: June 6, 2023

I received an electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This amazing historical novel begins during the Great Depression when Birdie Jenkins is a young girl working in a tobacco factory. She doesn't dream of a life outside her home of Mt. Sterling Kentucky. Then, she meets Jimmy Walker. Handsome and worldly, Birdie is swept off her feet and marries Jimmy, despite her mother's reservations.

Jimmy is loving and kind, but he suddenly disappears, leaving Birdie to struggle to raise their children on her own. With no explanation for his disappearance, Birdie is forced to move back home to her mother.

One day, Birdie witnesses a brutal murder and is forced to leave town, leaving her children behind. She sets out to find her long-lost Jimmy. Her search takes her to big cities like Chicago where she rubs elbows with both saints and sinners. 

This is a colorful, thought-provoking story of family, love, and one woman's determination to bring her true love home again.

Today I Am Pissed

I am in FB jail for 24 hours. They probably won't allow me to tell this truth I have caught them in. A lot of men are posting that their women should kneel down to them while they are speaking. Funny, I guess, if you never knew someone who had to do it. I guess. If you're into that sort of thing.

My reply- Yes, she should kneel down and grab her iron skillet and whop him over the head. Then, whisper in his ear, "Don't go to sleep. I'll be waiting." This, my friends, will generally stop a man from abusing you. If it doesn't, leave.

Abuse is nothing to joke about. I know women who have been made to do so many demeaning things at the hand of an abusive man. I know women who have been hospitalized. I know a woman who spent the rest of her life hiding in fear of a man that was dead. He was THAT mean. Some men think it's funny when they brag to each other about what they can make their woman do. No women are laughing.

My point- FB took my comment down but thinks the posts about making a woman kneel down while you talk are OK!!!! YES, IT IS OK TO POST ON FB TO MAKE YOUR WOMAN KNEEL DOWN TO YOU BUT NOT OK FOR HER TO DEFEND HERSELF.

This is exactly what is wrong with this country today. We glorify abuse. Defense isn't abuse.

Lastly. men who act like this,, as some of you claim to be Christians., what Bible verse do you use to justify this behavior? FB may not post this, but it is also going on all my social media.

And to the panty-waisted sissy pants that turned me in....I see you. I know what likely goes on behind your door. I hope you get the skillet

The Many Lives of Mama Love

 

The Many Loves of Mama Love

author: Lara Love Hardin

publisher: Simon and Schuster

publish date: August 1. 2023

*I received an electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

    Imagine living in a beautiful neighborhood. Good neighbors and good schools. The houses and yards are beautiful. All is peaceful. Everything is great in California America. However, one of these families is not like the others. Sure, they look like a typical blended family from the outside: husband and wife with their children. But these parents are secretly addicted to heroin. Lara Love begins stealing from her neighbors, raiding their mailboxes, stealing credit cards-- all to keep up the normal family facade and keep up a drug habit. When she and her husband are finally caught, her neighbors dub her The Neighbor from Hell. 

  Convicted of 32 felonies,  Lara does a year in Jail and manages to work her way up the ranks of jail society. Her husband continues to use drugs while in jail, but Lara gets clean. Her primary goal is to get her children back. This is her story. Lara not only gets her children back but uses her love of books to work her way into a publishing company.

    Lara works her way up from being a heroin addict, to a ghostwriter. She refuses to let the shame of her past keep her down. Her writing career flourishes, with one of her books being featured in Oprah's Book Club. In this memoir, Lara tells the story of her journey from addict to successful writer. 

    This story brings to light how many incarcerated people are victims of a system that, in its very nature, makes it almost impossible to stay out of jail. I admire the author's tenacity. Her story is one of determination and hard work. I am glad she got a happy ending and I hope her book will pave the way for others to do the same.

The Cherokee Rose

 

The Cherokee Rose

Author: Tiya Miles

Publisher: Random House

Release Date: June 13, 2023

*I received a copy of the book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

    Not since Lalita Tademy's Cane River have I read a historical novel that is so thoroughly researched and so beautifully written. Cherokee Rose is based on the author's (tremendous) research of the Vann House in Northwest Georgia.

 

    In the story, a former Cherokee plantation turned museum known as Hold House is being sold due to a lack of funds. The sale of the former home of a Cherokee Chieftain (with white and Cherokee blood) brings forth the interest of many locals who share a past with the old mansion. Three women come to the old mansion for different reasons. Cheyenne, who claims to have a Native American ancestor that once lived at the house, plans to buy Hold House and convert it into a bed and breakfast. Jinx is a young Muscogee historian sent by her tribe to find out what happened to a tribal member that had lived on the plantation but did not take the Trail of Tears north. Ruth, a writer for a home magazine up north is here on assignment. She and Cheyenne share a past. Add the ghost of a young Muscogee woman and a mysterious diary, and you get a story you can't put down. 

      This story covers a little-known but very important part of Native American and Southern history. Before the white man came here and removed the Cherokee on the Trail of Tears, Northwest Georgia was owned and farmed by the Cherokee. What many people don't know is that there were Cherokee who owned slaves. Although I grew up here on what was Cherokee land, and I have heard stories of the old plantations that were here, I was never taught much about my own local history while in school. This is why I am so glad to see this book! When history covers the South, it mostly concentrates on the white-owned plantations of southern Georgia. Students are not taught the history of the northern part of the state, which is very different. The story delves into the history of the plantation, the three races that came together there, and how their fates were intertwined. 

     

    I highly recommend this book to any lover of historical fiction or history buff. Miles' writing style makes the read enjoyable. Her characters are very well-rounded and believable. This one is a keeper.

The Sunset Crowd

Author: Karin Tanabe

Publisher: St. Martin's Press

Release Date: July 4, 2023

*I received an electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

 Beatrice is a rebellious teen New Yorker from old money. After being sent to a private school in Switzerland for her behavior, she befriends (and falls in love with) Kai de la Faire. Kai is gorgeous, part Hawaiian, and the crush of every girl in the school. 

Years later, in the mid-1970s, Beatrice is a photographer in LA. The hottest thing going on the strip is a new store -Sunset on Sunset- owned and operated by Evra Scott. Evra is a wealthy socialite, the daughter of Hollywood Royalty. Her store is THE store, and Avra is THE girl in LA,. Avra's current love interest is Kai de la Faire. Beatrice, Evra, Kai, and their friends live the ultimate LA party life. Fueled by drugs and alcohol, they enjoy all that fame and money have to offer.

One day, Theodora Leigh comes into Sunset to return outfits from Paramount Studios. Evra is fascinated by this young girl with a mysterious past... Part Chinese, and multi-lingual, she is getting ready to produce a film of her own. Evra is fascinated by young Theodora and takes her under her wing. Theodora soon becomes a part of their crowd as well. Young, beautiful, and talented, she seems to know all the right people. She shows up everywhere at just the right moment.No one seems to notice until it is too late.

This novel will take you from the Hollywood Hills to the French Riviera. You'll get a front-row seat at how glamorous people live. You will also get a good look at their motives and mores. The author has developed real and believable characters.. It is interesting to see how each of them reacts differently to events and to each other. I think this is one saving grace for Beatrice. Deep down, some East Coast common sense remains.

This book is a great read, especially if you love to read about the rich and famous. I don't want to leave spoilers, but,  I will say I wasn't especially happy with the ending. I'd have liked a little more closure. However, I think that was the point. Sometimes you're just left to wonder.

California Golden

author: Melanie Benjamin

Publisher: Random House- Ballantine

Publish Date: August 8, 2023

*I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

    This beautifully crafted story takes place in California during the late 50s through early 70s. Carol Donnely never wanted to be a wife or a mother. A natural-born athlete, she had dreams of being a baseball player. When that dream was shattered, she discovered surfing. From that day forward, nothing else was important to her.

    While other mothers were staying at home raising children and baking cookies, Carol dropped hers off at school wearing the same outfits several days in a row. Blissfully unaware of her husband or her responsibilities, Carol lives only to surf.

    Carol's daughters, Ginger and Mindy, do their best to survive with a mother who does not seem to know they exist and a father who is only aware of their mother and his hopeless love for her. They spend their days trying to not get taken into custody by DFCS. 

   When their father finally walks out, the girls are left on their own. Their mother continues to only care about the surf. In order to get her to notice them, the girls start learning to surf. Mindy becomes a great surfer in her own right. Ginger is terrified of the water and only surfs to make her mother and sister happy.

    This story reveals what happens when Carol is forced to try to parent daughters she has no interest in. When Mindy becomes a champion in her own right,, there are unexpected consequences. When Mindy takes off with her new career, Ginger is left on her own. Having never made a decision on her own before, her life becomes a portrait of the California Dream when it is left too long in the harsh sun

    From the shores of California to the shores of Hawaii and even across the ocean to Viet Nam, this story covers the surfing craze of the 60s, the hippies, the surfers, the soldiers, and the golden people. However, we don't just see the beautiful blonde people with perfect white teeth. We see that dark underbelly of the culture as well. The drugs. The surf bums. The communes.

    This story is very hard to put down. Full of unexpected twists and turns, we see how women have been forced to fulfill certain roles in society. We see what happens when children are raised by mothers who are not able to love. It also shows the bitter reality behind that golden California sun. This is a beautifully written novel. I highly recommend it.

Sinners or Starlight City

 Sinners of Starlight City

Author: Anika Scott

Publisher: William Morrow

Release Date: July 18, 2023

*I received a digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Set against the backdrop of the Chicago Worlds Fair, this action-packed book is hard to put down. Rosa Mancuso left Chicago for Sicily with her Italian mother after the death of her black father. She was raised in Sicily until her family was violently killed. Narrowly escaping, Rosa eventually returns to Chicago seeking revenge.

Known as Madam Mystique, Rosa is an exotic dancer. Her show at the fair is one of the most popular, and Rosa becomes a celebrity in her own right. However, her main reason for being in Chicago is still revenge.

When Rosa's cousin Mina comes to her begging for help, Rosa Can not turn her away. Mina has given birth to a biracial baby and her Chicago Mob family has decided the baby should be sent to an orphanage. Mina's father paid a mobster, named Danny, to hold Mina hostage until the baby was born. Can Rosa help Mina get her baby before Danny takes it to an orphanage?

Danny is, to me, one of the most interesting characters in the book. He grew up rough, and became a mobster, but has a very kind heart. He knows it is wrong to take Mina's baby. Can he help right this wrong without getting himself killed by the mob? 

This book is full of interesting, well-developed characters. Scott's description of the fair makes me wish I could have been there. The sights, the sounds, and the scenery are brought to life as Mina tries to protect and keep her baby and Rosa seeks revenge against the one who killed her family. The story drives on toward an unexpected ending. (No spoilers here!).

This is a story you won't be able to put down. 

Read this book if you...

...enjoy historical fiction

...enjoy suspense

...enjoy stories about the mob