Summer Reading 2018 Fly Girls: How Five Daring Women Defied All Odds and Made Aviation History

In a time when most women were expected to stay at home and take care of the kids, some women defied expectations and set out to conquer the skies. Fighting societal expectations, pressure from family and strangers, and overwhelming odds, they struggled to find sponsors and planes in order to compete with the men. It was no easy thing to be a successful flyer even if you were male; many popular pilots were injured or killed by accidents and mechanical failures. And the women were often banned from even entering the competitions, or else they were made into a sideshow or segregated into a Powder Puff Derby situation.

Despite all the obstacles and odds against them, the women featured in this book did not give up. They managed to set records, beat men, and find their way into history. The name most people will recognize is Amelia Earhart, but she was not the only aviatrix of her day, or even the most skilled. Read Fly Girls and find out about the others, and how they all competed with each other and the men, but also formed friendships that lasted throughout their lives. This is a great piece of nonfiction writing, full of quotes from the women and details about their lives, hopes, and dreams.

If you enjoy history, learning about strong women who go after what they believe in, or aviation in general - you need to read this book. I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

Summer Reading 2018 #Murdertrending

Are you familiar with the way the movie "Death Race" starring Jason Statham updated the original? Well, this book reminds me of an update of the movie "Running Man." There are the thematic executioners, the well publicized deaths of those convicted and sent by the Justice Department to serve their sentence within the reality show, and the betting on the outcome of each match-up. There is even the rigging of a trial to send someone into the show that does not belong there.

But the updates make the show seem so much more possible, which makes the whole story frightening on an entirely different level. It's bad enough that those sent to Alcatraz 2.0 are killed off by government sanctioned psychos like Prince Slycer who dresses his victims as Disney princesses before stabbing them, or by Gassy Al in his poison chamber. Now add the modern habit of posting everything to social media, creating memes of it, tagging it and watching it trend, all the while discussing whether the video feed is real or not. (#FakeNews) 

The characters themselves are varied and interesting. A teen accused of murdering her stepsister. A fitness nut convicted of killing a client. A premed student who supposedly poisoned his own parents. Everyone has a backstory, as well as the role that has been chosen for them within Alcatraz 2.0 - the moody Brit, the hottie, the young princess, etc.

If you enjoy stories that are uncomfortably close to real life in some ways, while being incredibly imaginative in others - then pick up a copy of #Murdertrending as soon as possible. Highly recommended for YA and older readers. I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

Summer Reading 2018 Blue Murder (Flaxborough Chronicles #12)

Investigative journalists from London have arrived in Flaxborough hot on the trail of a juicy story. Could residents really have been making and distributing pornographic films? How did the films wind up in foreign markets? Who tipped the reporters off to the story? And which familiar faces will be seen when the copy of the film is played?

The reporters don't get off to a very good start, running into a constable while driving along a blocked lane on market day. The constable would love to see the driver brought up on charges for attempted homicide, but the team finally settles into a rented farmhouse to begin their work. The journalists tap into local sources for information, bring in a translator (since the film has been dubbed in another language for the foreign viewers), and even have the legal advice of  a lawyer sent from the newspaper's head office.

Why do things start going wrong? Did the informant that first broke the story have ulterior motives? Is the film what it is purported to be? And who is responsible for kidnapping the chief journalist? Can one small village really be the source of this much trouble?

These mysteries are carefully constructed so that everything dovetails neatly in the end, but readers must be patient with the slower speed of investigations set in a time before internet, CCTV, and other modern conveniences. Recommended for lovers of cozy mysteries in historical settings. I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

Summer Reading 2018 Plaster Sinners (Flaxborough Chronicles #11)

Sid Love, faithful constable, is perusing items at a local auction when he is hit from behind and no one sees his assailant. While poor Sid is rushed to the hospital, the auction goes on without him and the lot he was interested in sells for an incredible amount. What is it about the last few belongings of a recently deceased resident of the local retirement home that can cause such interest and violence?

Inspector Purbright must delve into the affairs of some of the local gentry, which always makes his Chief a bit anxious. Chief Constable Chubb has a great respect for tradition and treating the landed folk of the area with kid gloves, which makes it more difficult for Purbright and the rest of the force to investigate. 

It seems that the plaster scene painted during therapy at the retirement home holds some sort of secret. Why are the folks up at the hall hiding the fact of a break-in? How did a stranger who was at the auction wind up dead in the lock? And how could a retiree, the local gentry, and a petty thief have anything in common? Purbright will have to delve back into Flaxborough history to find the roots of this mystery and the identity of the mysterious thief.

As usual, the characters of Flaxborough all play various parts in solving the mystery. Sergeant Malley's knowledge of the local residents and village history is very helpful. Miss Teatime shows up briefly at the auction. And loyal retainer Benton, up at the hall, provides a few tidbits, too.

These mysteries are carefully constructed so that everything dovetails neatly in the end, but readers must be patient with the slower speed of investigations set in a time before internet, CCTV, and other modern conveniences. Recommended for lovers of cozy mysteries in historical settings. I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

Summer Reading 2018 Kill the Farm Boy

Do you enjoy fantasy that doesn't take itself too seriously? Then you must try Dawson and Hearne's Kill the Farm Boy. As they share in the acknowledgements, "it was time to make fun of white male power fantasies, the formula for which almost always involves some kid in a rural area rising to power in the empire after he loses his parents, usually because somebody comes along and tells him not to worry, he's special." And so we have a tale that involves a farm boy named Worstley (he had an older brother named Bestley); a pixie named Staph, the Dark Lord Toby, the Dread Necromancer Steve, a female warrior in a chain mail bikini named Fia (I pictured her resembling Lucy Lawless), a bard named Argabella, a talking goat named Gustave, Grinda the Sand Witch, and other amusing characters. Our brave band encounters such fearsome obstacles as hungry giants, healers who use tentacled creatures in their cures, bejeweled crabs, an alcoholic monarch, and elves with a taste for cheese. Throughout the story there are attempts at bardic magic, several swashbuckling fights, leeches (but no shrieking eels), and quite a few leather boots are consumed.

If you are looking for epic fantasy and noble destinies, this is not the book for you. But you should come back when you feel the need for laughter, eye rolling, and poking fun at just about every fantasy trope there is. This is also the perfect book for anyone having a bad day who needs some cheering up. What could be more uplifting than a rogue who is convinced chickens are plotting against her, or a magician with a taste for artisanal crackers?

Highly recommended for YA and adult readers. I read an e-book provided by the publisher through NetGalley.