The Talk

 The Talk by Darrin Bell is one of the best graphic novels I have read.

Along with fascinating storyline, a memoir about his life and thoughts on racism and being a minority in this country, his artwork is engaging to look at and his lettering is easy to read.  His page layout also keeps the story flowing and is never difficult to follow.

Darrin Bell grows up the child of a white Jewish mother and a Black father. His mother is always super aware that she needs to protect her son from the world around them.  He is growing up in Los Angeles, Ca in the 1980s.  The Rodney King riots will not even happen until 1992, but his mother is aware of the dangers of a young black boy on the streets, being mistaken by the police.  He is never aloud to own a realistic looking water gun.  She also defends in school when teachers do  not understand him or try to stereotype him.  Though as he grows up he is hyper aware of the trouble that can befall him for no reason other than his appearance, he learns to stand up for himself.  There are examples of being pulled over by the police when he is driving a rental car and of a teacher accusing him of plagiarizing when he writes a really good paper. 

Darrin becomes a talented cartoonist and draws for the school newspaper. then becomes a editorial cartoonist and eventually wins a Pulitzer prize for his artwork.  He chronicles all the historic moments of his life from the "Black Lives Matter "movement, the deaths of so many young black men at the hands of the police to the "Twin Towers" coming down. He writes about having children of his own and how he has to decided how and when to have "The Talk" with his own young son. 

Lets hope that soon it will not be necessary for these kinds of discussions between parents and their children and that we will all find a way to live in harmony and equality here in the United States.

The Secrets of Hartwood Hall

 The Secrets of Hartwood Hall is the debut novel of Katie Lumsden.  This is a entertaining and intriguing manor house mystery novel.  

Beautifully descriptive the author takes the reader back to 1852 and the English countryside.  On a dark and stormy night Margaret Lennox, newly widowed, arrives at her new place of employment.  The large rundown and isolated country house is where Margaret will be the governess to ten year old Louis.

As Margaret tries to figure out the unusual relationship between Louis and his mother, she is hearing strange rumors in town about the house and the people who live there.  It is a lonely place until she befriends Paul the gardener. 

But all is not as it seems, secrets are being kept by everyone in the house, from the handsome gardener, Paul to the kitchen staff.  Of course Margaret is also seeing stranger figures in the dark and hearing noises coming from the closed off East Wing of the house.  

Should she investigate or keep quiet because Margaret has secrets of her own she does not want to share.  

An entertaining novel in the gothic tradition.  A manor centered mystery with twists and turns around every corridor  and down every hallway. Secrets kept behind closed doors.

The Chateau

 The Chateau written by Jaclyn Goldis is labeled as a thriller.

This novel starts out slowly as a simple story of four college friends coming together years later for a reunion.  They became close friends during their year abroad and visited Darcy's grandmother's chateau a few times during that year.  But now as they come together for a reunion requested by Darcy 's grandmother, each one finds out that even though they thought they all were close friends there are secrets that have never been revealed. Even  Lady of the Chateau, Séraphine Demargelasse has secrets she wants to share with her granddaughter and her friends.

Wonderfully descriptive as the women travel through markets and the small towns of France.  Perfect build up of each character's personality and the secret they are holding close to their chest.  Suspense builds slowly in this thriller mystery novel.  

The Mitford Affair

 The Mitford Affair is written by one of my favorite authors, Marie Benedict.   It is a historical novel about a topic and family I had never heard of before.  So that combined with the fact that it is just written to pull the reader in, the subject material is also fascinating.

The Mitford family lives in Britain in the 1920-30s. The Mitford sisters are well liked and are part of the best social circles. The oldest sister, Diane is beautiful and married to a very important and wealthy man. Then she divorces her husband and gets involved with a fascist leader.  Unity is the most quiet and plain sister, with questionable political views.  She becomes enamored of the German chancellor rising to power, Adolf Hitler.  Sister Nancy is clever and an author, who watches her sisters becoming more and more involved in the atrocities happening in Germany.  She writes a novel using her sisters and their friends in a thinly veiled call to action. 

This novel shows the power of words to hold sway over people.  Also the need for love and attention to draw people together and pull them apart.  A look at how the people were drawn in by Hitler and Mussolini.  

James and the Giant Peach

 James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl is a classic, but it is also a Banned book.  So we read it for the BNC Banned book group.  

It is a cute children's story about a young boy who loves his parents but they both go away together and are killed by a runaway hippopotamus.  That is so extreme it is funny.  they a series of silly and funny things happened to James.  He is taken in by two aunts who treat him terribly.  One day he meets a small man who gives some magic green bugs which he drops under a peach tree.  It magically grows a giant peach.  Inside the peach are a number of bugs.  James joins them on an adventure. 

The book was written in a different time and there are some inappropriate words or phrases that were acceptable then but are not appropriate today.  But I think instead of banning or changing the book, it should be read and the inappropriate passages discussed.  Also there are ideas that children can read about and laugh at to make them feel more secure and safe.  Like reading about how the mean aunts are killed by the giant peach and how there is a happy ending.  So children can feel that even if things are bad sometimes there are also good outcomes and positive experiences.

Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murders

 Vera Wong's Unsolicited Advice for Murders is a new delightful novel written by Jesse Q. Sutanto.

Vera Wong is a sweet little Asian woman living in San Francisco's Chinatown.  Her husband has passed and her son is a very busy lawyer.  He does not listen to her motherly advice and is always too busy to answer her text messages and phone calls.  Vera Wong owns and runs the Vera Wang Famous Teahouse.  She brews just the correct tea mixture for every person and every occasion.

When a dead body is found in her tea room one morning, Vera's quiet life is turned upside down. Vera decides to take matters into her own hands and investigate the death of the young man found on her tearoom floor.

In the course of her investigation she meets four very nice young people.  They all have a connection to the victim. They all have secrets they are keeping.  Slowly Vera tries to solve the crime as she cooks her way to being friends with these young people.  The victim's wife and daughter, Julia and Emily ar in need of some loving care.  Sana and Riki are looking for love and also benefit from Vera's delicious meals. Oliver needs some love and the protection and support of a Chinese mother.

This is a funny, warm story of how lonely people find each other and support each other.  The food description make your mouth water.  Sutanto is the author of the Dial A for Auntie mystery series.  I thin k I will look those up and try reading that series also.

Come See the Fair

 Come See the Fair  by Gavriel Savit is the newest book by this wonderful author.

This time the novel is a fantasy that takes both the reader and the characters to the 1893 Chicago World's Fair .  "Come see the Fair!" is a call that 14 year old Eva Root cannot resist.  She is an orphan, who rescued from the orphanage, by Mrs. Blogget, now works for her conducting seances.  One night during a seance, the voice calls to Eva and she is the only one who hears it.  Later that night she takes all her worldly possessions with her and jumps a train to Chicago.  One the train she meets Henry, a young artist who is sketching intricate drawings of places he has never seen.  He also has been called to the fair.

Eva who has always wanted to be a part of a family is quickly enveloped in the magical world the fair and Mr Magister.  Henry becomes her best friend, something she has never had before.  Together they spend their days going through the twists and turns of the Pavilion of Magic.  There is no sense of time and it is impossible to get an understanding of the layout of the building.

Henry is given special glasses, but he is not sure if they help him to see better or if they distort his perception even more.  Eva never really had any power call up the dead but maybe she has more magic in her than she thought,  She has a peach that she can eat and then holding the pit she can bring back the delicious fruit again. 

But sometimes what we wish may not always be for the best.  Eva wants what she thinks is family and closeness.  She learns that there are compromises and you have to give as well and receive. There are people who are too controlling and only think of themselves.  

This is an entertaining novel, but also there are some difficult passages, the Chicago fire and death.  Learning to how to suffer a loss and how to stand up for one's self.  These are important lessons in this book.