Recent Reads

American Princess by Stephanie Marie Thronton

Synopsis - Alice may be the president's daughter, but she's nobody's darling. As bold as her signature color Alice Blue, the gum-chewing, cigarette-smoking, poker-playing First Daughter discovers that the only way for a woman to stand out in Washington is to make waves--oceans of them. With the canny sophistication of the savviest politician on the Hill, Alice uses her celebrity to her advantage, testing the limits of her power and the seductive thrill of political entanglements.
But Washington, DC is rife with heartaches and betrayals, and when Alice falls hard for a smooth-talking congressman it will take everything this rebel has to emerge triumphant and claim her place as an American icon. As Alice soldiers through the devastation of two world wars and brazens out a cutting feud with her famous Roosevelt cousins, it's no wonder everyone in the capital refers to her as the Other Washington Monument--and Alice intends to outlast them all.

Thoughts - Firstly I want to mention I am totally on the audiobook bandwagon. I refrained for a long time but now I am hooked. I choose to listen to the longer book, one I know aren't light reads and I can listen to them while doing my groceries, cooking, driving.. I love it. This way I will be able to read a lot more that usual. That is a win. Now onto the book.

In 2019 I read America's First Daughter by Stephanie Dray about Martha Jefferson and found it fascinating so that why not give Alice Roosevelt a try. I was less impressed initially. She seemed like a spoilt socialite. But the more I learnt about Alice the more in awe of her I was. She was quite the woman, she lived to be 96 year old. If you like history I would definitely give this one a read. Though FHY it is historical fiction and not a memoir or biography. 

The Daughters of Foxcote Manor by Eve Chase

Synopsis - Three generations. Three daughters. One house of secrets.
The truth can shatter everything . . .
When the Harrington family discovers an abandoned baby deep in the woods, they decide to keep her a secret and raise her as their own.
But within days a body is found in the grounds of their house and their perfect new family implodes.
Years later, Sylvie, seeking answers to nagging questions about her life, is drawn into the wild beautiful woods where nothing is quite what it seems.
Will she unearth the truth?

Thoughts - It was interesting enough. In the end everything sort of got wrapped up with a nice big bow. Not a favorite read but passed the time just fine.

The Exiles by Christina Baker Kline

Synopsis - Seduced by her employer’s son, Evangeline, a naïve young governess in early nineteenth-century London, is discharged when her pregnancy is discovered and sent to the notorious Newgate Prison. After months in the fetid, overcrowded jail, she learns she is sentenced to “the land beyond the seas,” Van Diemen’s Land, a penal colony in Australia. Though uncertain of what awaits, Evangeline knows one thing: the child she carries will be born on the months-long voyage to this distant land.
During the journey on a repurposed slave ship, the Medea, Evangeline strikes up a friendship with Hazel, a girl little older than her former pupils who was sentenced to seven years transport for stealing a silver spoon. Canny where Evangeline is guileless, Hazel—a skilled midwife and herbalist—is soon offering home remedies to both prisoners and sailors in return for a variety of favors.
Though Australia has been home to Aboriginal people for more than 50,000 years, the British government in the 1840s considers its fledgling colony uninhabited and unsettled, and views the natives as an unpleasant nuisance. By the time the Medea arrives, many of them have been forcibly relocated, their land seized by white colonists. One of these relocated people is Mathinna, the orphaned daughter of the Chief of the Lowreenne tribe, who has been adopted by the new governor of Van Diemen’s Land.

Thoughts - I mean just wow. This is an epic saga with a series of bad bad things happening with very few happy endings. So prepare yourself. But it was still so beautifully written. Because that is was life is sometimes.. a series of unfortunate events and everyone is not promised a fairytale ending but you make the best of what you've got and find the happiness in small moments. The book focused on multiple women and their longer journey to Australia when it was a jail country and their ordeals. It shines a light (no surprise) on just how bad women have always had it as well as have dickish the white have been to the natives (again no surprise there) They decimated the aboriginal tribes and thought them no better than animals. I listened to this one as well and the narrator did a brilliant job. I highly recommend this one, probably best as an audio book. Not one for the beach though. 

The Ballad of Songbirds and Snakes by Suzanne Collins

Synopsis - It is the morning of the reaping that will kick off the tenth annual Hunger Games. In the Capital, eighteen-year-old Coriolanus Snow is preparing for his one shot at glory as a mentor in the Games. The once-mighty house of Snow has fallen on hard times, its fate hanging on the slender chance that Coriolanus will be able to outcharm, outwit, and outmaneuver his fellow students to mentor the winning tribute.
The odds are against him. He's been given the humiliating assignment of mentoring the female tribute from District 12, the lowest of the low. Their fates are now completely intertwined -- every choice Coriolanus makes could lead to favor or failure, triumph or ruin. Inside the arena, it will be a fight to the death. Outside the arena, Coriolanus starts to feel for his doomed tribute... and must weigh his need to follow the rules against his desire to survive no matter what it takes.

Thoughts - When the Hunger Games books came out I devoured them. Team Peeta all the way. But when I love a series that much I don't want to read prequels and other off shoots in fear that it will tarnish what I love so much. (example the Gilmore Girls special and the Veronica Mars movies). So I steered clear of this book. But now a movie is coming out so I took to Twitter and GR to see whether I should give the book a chance and well I did. Did I love it? No. Was it still worth the read, maybe. It was very long. But it did give me a glimpse into the earlier versions of the games.. not at all like the ones Katniss and friends experienced and a glimpse at a young President Snow. It might be worth a read if your a fan otherwise I'd pass.

The Firekeepers Daughter by Angeline Boulley

Synopsis - Eighteen-year-old Daunis Fontaine has never quite fit in, both in her hometown and on the nearby Ojibwe reservation. She dreams of a fresh start at college, but when family tragedy strikes, Daunis puts her future on hold to look after her fragile mother. The only bright spot is meeting Jamie, the charming new recruit on her brother Levi’s hockey team.
Yet even as Daunis falls for Jamie, she senses the dashing hockey star is hiding something. Everything comes to light when Daunis witnesses a shocking murder, thrusting her into an FBI investigation of a lethal new drug.
Reluctantly, Daunis agrees to go undercover, drawing on her knowledge of chemistry and Ojibwe traditional medicine to track down the source. But the search for truth is more complicated than Daunis imagined, exposing secrets and old scars. At the same time, she grows concerned with an investigation that seems more focused on punishing the offenders than protecting the victims.
Now, as the deceptions—and deaths—keep growing, Daunis must learn what it means to be a strong Anishinaabe kwe (Ojibwe woman) and how far she’ll go for her community, even if it tears apart the only world she’s ever known.

Thoughts - This was such a beautiful book and I am so glad I listened to it on audio. The narrator did a fabulous job. I may have pronounced so many things wrong had I not listened to it. I think I am really getting the hang of this audiobook thing. The book delved into Native American customs and culture, the bonds of family, the gift of having our elders in our life (though we, myself included don't always see them that way). It give me all the feels and I highly recommend it. 

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