A Most Wicked Conspiracy: The Last Great Swindle of the Gilded Age

Today’s post is on A Most Wicked Conspiracy: The Last Great Swindle of the Gilded Age by Paul Starobin. It is 320 pages long and is published by Public Affairs. The cover is a picture of the Nome beaches with gold panners and two pictures in the top corners who are Willaim McKinley and Alexander McKenzie. There is mild foul language, no sex, and mild violence in this book. The intended reader is someone who is interested in American history, Alakan gold rush, and true crime. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- A tale of Gilded Age corruption and greed from the frontier of Alaska to the nation's capital.

In the feverish, money-making age of railroad barons, political machines, and gold rushes, corruption was the rule, not the exception. Yet the Republican mogul "Big Alex" McKenzie defied even the era's standard for avarice. Charismatic and shameless, he arrived in the new Alaskan territory intent on controlling gold mines and draining them of their ore. Miners who had rushed to the frozen tundra to strike gold were appalled at his unabashed deviousness.

A Most Wicked Conspiracy recounts McKenzie's plot to rob the gold fields. It's a story of how America's political and economic life was in the grip of domineering, self-dealing, seemingly-untouchable party bosses in cahoots with robber barons, Senators and even Presidents. Yet it is also the tale of a righteous resistance of working-class miners, muckraking journalists, and courageous judges who fought to expose a conspiracy and reassert the rule of law.

Through a bold set of characters and a captivating narrative, Paul Starobin examines power and rampant corruption during a pivotal time in America, drawing undoubted parallels with present-day politics and society.

Review- An interesting account of true crime and gold. Starobin brings the story of an almost forgotten swindle to modern readers. Alexander McKenzie was a self-made man who thought that money would get him out of everything he did, no matter what it was. Starobin did a great job of telling this story, with good notes and he explains the legal aspects of the case so that the reader can follow what exactly McKenzie was doing. He was brazen in his crimes, just believing that nothing could touch him or stop him. So when everything falls apart because of that belief is it very satisfying to read even if I wanted him to get more jail time than he did. If you like historical true crime then you should read this. 

I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

The Way of the Househusband, Vol. 5

Today’s post is on The Way of the Househusband, Vol. 5 by Kousuke Oono. It is 168 pages long and is published by Viz Media. The cover has Tastu on it looking at the reader. As it is the fifth in the series you need to have read the first four volumes to understand the characters. There is no foul language, no sex, and comedic violence in this manga. There Be Spoilers Ahead. 

From the back of the book- Tatsu is ambushed by a yakuza with a beef, and there’s only one way to settle things—an epic rap battle! But this throwdown is only a warm-up for the buffet battle yet to come, because when you’re the Immortal Dragon, you don’t choose the househusband life, it chooses you!

Review- Another wonderful, hilarious volume in one of my favorite series. Tatsu is going about his life and continues to have trouble from his old one. We get a rap battle, a cook off, and some great times with Miku in this volume. Those are my favorite stories from this volume and we get more than one story with Miku. Tatsu and Muki have Halloween together, go drinking, and Miku takes care of Tatsu when he is sick, that one is just hysterical. As always I cannot for the next volume, I love this series so much.

I give this volume a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money.

Over the Woodward Wall

Today’s post is on Over the Woodward Wall by A. Deborah Baker. It is 204 pages long and is published by Tor. The cover is orange with a wall in the center and two children sitting on top of the wall. The intended reader is someone who likes portal fantasies like Wizard of Oz. It is the first in the The Up-and-Under series. There is no foul language, no sex, and no violence in this novel. The story is told from third person close of the characters moving as the story does. There Be Spoilers Ahead. 

From the dust jacket- Avery is an exceptional child. Everything he does is precise, from the way he washes his face in the morning, to the way he completes his homework – without complaint, without fuss, without prompt.

Zib is also an exceptional child, because all children are, in their own way. But where everything Avery does and is can be measured, nothing Zib does can possibly be predicted, except for the fact that she can always be relied upon to be unpredictable.

They live on the same street.

They live in different worlds.

On an unplanned detour from home to school one morning, Avery and Zib find themselves climbing over a stone wall into the Up and Under – an impossible land filled with mystery, adventure and the strangest creatures.

And they must find themselves and each other if they are to also find their way out and back to their own lives.

Review- As someone who really likes portal fantasies and loves the novels of the Wizard of Oz this was a wonderful novel that I enjoyed very much. Zib and Avery are trying to get to school when a wall stands in their way and because they are children and they need to get to school, they climb over the wall and into another world called the Up-and-Under. It is a place where girls can become crows, owls come in all colors, and the only way to get home is to find the Queen of Wands in the Impossible City on the Improbable Road. The writing is excellent, the story is fun and safe for all readers, and the characters are fun. I am very excited to see Baker a.k.a. Seanan McGuire take on the Wizard of Oz and all the tropes with it, the second volume cannot come out soon enough. 

I give this novel a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this novel from my local library.

The Babysitter: My Summers with a Serial Killer

Today’s Nonfiction post is on The Babysitter: My Summers with a Serial Killer by Liza Rodman and Jennifer Jordan. It is 341 pages long and is published by Atria Books. The cover is a picture of a deserted beach. The intended reader is someone who is interested in true crime and memoirs. There is foul language, sex, sexuality, and rape, and lots of violence in this book. The story is told in two parts: first person narrative of Rodman as she remembers her childhood and third person close of Costa. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- Growing up on Cape Cod in the 1960s, Liza Rodman was a lonely little girl. During the summers, while her mother worked days in a local motel and danced most nights in the Provincetown bars, her babysitter—the kind, handsome handyman at the motel where her mother worked—took her and her sister on adventures in his truck.

But there was one thing she didn’t know; their babysitter was a serial killer.

Some of his victims were buried—in pieces—right there, in his garden in the woods. Though Tony Costa’s gruesome case made screaming headlines in 1969 and beyond, Liza never made the connection between her friendly babysitter and the infamous killer of numerous women, including four in Massachusetts, until decades later.

Haunted by nightmares and horrified by what she learned, Liza became obsessed with the case. Now, she and cowriter Jennifer Jordan reveal the chilling and unforgettable true story of a charming but brutal psychopath through the eyes of a young girl who once called him her friend. 

Review- An interesting memoir of an abused childhood with a serial killer on the side. Rodman was an adult when she discovered her favorite babysitter was a serial killer and that discovery led her down memory lane. Rodman doesn’t hold back on her past, sparing no one, not herself, not her parents, and not Costa. But I liked the memoir part of this book better. It was a very compelling look at a child surviving a narcissistic parent as the scapegoat. The parts about Costa were well written and well researched but not as drawing to me as Rodman’s story itself. I would like to read more about her and her life after and into the functioning adult she became. 

I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library. 

Wake Up, Sleeping Beauty, Vol. 5

Today’s post is on Wake Up, Sleeping Beauty, Vol. 5 by Megumi Morino. It is 192 pages long and is published by Kodansha Comics. The cover has Shizu smiling into the sunlight on it. As is the fifth in the series you need to have read the first four volumes in the series to understand the story. The intended reader is someone who likes intense, family dramas with some romance on the side. There is no foul language, no sex, and no violence in this series. The story is told from third person of the main characters. There Be Spoilers Ahead. 

From the back of the book- TIES THAT BIND

Every moment spent with friends who care has gradually brought Shizu Karasawa out of her shell. So when her father plots to isolate her in a hospital, Tetsu has no choice but to take Shizu and run. With no place left to go, the two head to the beach where Tetsu's maternal grandfather runs a lodge. But Tetsu's rash decision dredges up a former tragedy that could tear his family apart, and even drive Shizu away… When the Karasawa family's fraught relationships catch up to her, a surprising enemy may become Shizu's most-needed advocate.

Review- This is a very emotional volume with Shizu and Tetsu trying to figure out what to do next. Shizu’s mother is trying to reach out to her daughter but she is afraid of doing something worse to Shizu. Then you add in Shizu’s father who only wants Shizu’s mother to be happy no matter the cost. Some of the family ties are explained and who one of the ghosts that helps Shizu is, that is the big reveal in this volume. Shizu and Tetsu are still unsure of themselves and each other but Shizu is getting stronger and the ghosts can possess her for shorter and shorter times. I think that Tetsu has something to do with that. I am looking forward to how this series is going to wrap up. 

I give this volume a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money.

Redemption Alley

Today’s post is on Redemption Alley by Lilith Saintcrow. It is 311 pages long and is published by Orbit. The cover is purples with Jill in the center looking tough. As is it the third in the Jill Kismet series, you need to have read the first two in the series to understand what is going on. There is foul language, no sex, and lots of violence in this volume. The story is told from first person close of Jill. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Some cases are unusual - even for Jill Kismet.

When her police contact asks her to look into a "suicide", she suddenly finds herself in a labyrinth of deception, drugs, murder -- and all-too-human corruption. The cops are her allies, except for the ones who want her dead. The hellbreed are her targets, except for the ones who might know what's going on. Her city is in danger, time is running out, and each lead only draws her deeper.

How far will a hunter go when her city -- and her friends -- are on the line?

Just far enough.

Step into Redemption Alley…

Review- A very fast paced action novel that shows Jill at her best, when she is neck deep in trouble and demons. Jill is on her own as Saul’s mother is dying and he had to go home for that. Of course that’s when things start to go down but not in the normal way for Jill. Her police contact asks a favor from Jill and at first nothing seems like it has to do with the nightside but the deeper Jill gets, the more the nightside shows up. One interesting choice from Saintcrow is that that demon Perry, who Jill has a deal with, is only in one scene and that’s all. That makes this volume all the more interesting to me, as Perry overshadowed the other villains in previous volumes. I think this volume might be my favorite but I haven’t finished the series yet, so that could change. A solid volume and I look forward to the next adventure with Jill. 

I give this novel a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this novel with my own money. 

Fakes, Forgeries, and Frauds

Today’s Nonfiction post is on Fakes, Forgeries, and Frauds by Nancy Moses. It is 195 pages long including notes and is published by Rowmen and Littlefield. The cover is a white page with a tear on the left side and the title in red. The intended reader is someone who is interested in fakes, forgeries, and frauds. There is some mild foul language, no sex, and no violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- A fascinating read about fakes, forgeries, and frauds. What's real? What's fake? Why do we care? In this time of false news and fake science, these questions are more important than ever. Fakes, Forgeries, and Frauds goes beyond the headlines, tweets, and blogs to explore the true nature of authenticity and why it means so much today. This book delivers nine fascinating true stories that introduce the fakers, forgers, art authenticators, and others that populate this dark world. 

Examples include: 

Shakespeare--How an enterprising teenager in the 1790s faked Shakespeare and duped Literary London. 

Rembrandt--How art history, connoisseurship, and science are re-shaping our view of what Rembrandt painted and how the canvas changed over time. 

Relics--Was Saint Cecilia, the patron saint of music, a real Roman teenager who was martyred 1,800 years ago in the same place where her church stands today? 

Jackson Pollock--How do experts pick out the real Pollocks from the thousands of fakes? Nuremberg--How repeated reconstructions of medieval Nuremburg--including one by Adolf Hitler--show how historic preservation became a tool for propaganda. 

Fakes, Forgeries, and Frauds also raises provocative questions about the meaning of reality. What happens when spiritual truth conflicts with historic fact? Can an object retain its essence when most of it was replaced? Why did some art patrons value an excellent copy more than the original? Why do we find fakes so eternally fascinating, and forgers such appealing con artists? 

Fakes, Forgeries, and Frauds is a full-color book with 30 color photos. It shows that reality, exemplified by discrete physical objects, is actually mutable, unsettling, and plainly weird. Readers discover things that are less than meets the eye--and might even reconsider what's real, what's fake, and why they should care.

Review- An excellent and interesting look into what makes something ‘real’ and what makes something else a ‘fake’. Moses is knowledgeable about her subject, she has great research, and she is a good writer. She does so much to help the reader understand the language used by museum directors, art critics, and others in very narrow and particular jobs. Her notes are interesting and great if you have found a subject you want to learn more about. I really had a fun time with this book and I would like to read more by this author.

I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

Kenka Bancho Otome: Love's Battle Royale, Vol. 1

Today’s post is on Kenka Bancho Otome: Love's Battle Royale, Vol. 1 by Chie Shimada. It is 200 pages long and published in Shojo Beat. The cover has three of the main characters on it. The intended reader is someone who likes over the top comedy and shojo manga. There is no foul language, no sex, and mild violence in this manga. The story is told from third person close of the main character Hinako. There Be Spoilers Ahead. 

From the back of the book- Beautiful boy rebels using their fists to fall in love!

Hinako thought she didn't have any family, but on the day she starts high school, her twin brother Hikaru suddenly appears and tricks her into taking his place. But the new school Hinako attends in his stead is beyond unusual. Now she must fight her way to the top of Shishiku Academy, an all-boys school of delinquents! 

Review- A funny but mildly annoying manga that I am not sure about. Hinako was abandoned by her family for unknown reasons. In fact she doesn’t know that she has any family until her twin brother kidnaps her and forces to pretend to be him in his all boys school which is basically Fight Club. So Hinako does this for some reason that I don’t understand. All she has to do is just tell the principal but is never seen and she can go back to her normal life. But then we would not have the manga or the game that this manga is based off of. It is only two volumes long so maybe I’ll like the second volume more but I don’t have much hope. 

I give this manga a Three out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money.

Hallowe'en Party

Today's post is on Hallowe'en Party by Agatha Christie. It is 216 pages long and is published by Bantam Books. The cover is black with a silhouette of Agatha Christie on it. The intended reader is someone who likes classic mysteries. There is no foul language, no sex, and no violence in this novel. The story is told from third person close following Hercule Poirot. There Be Spoilers Ahead. 

From the dust jacket- A teenage murder witness is drowned in a tub of apples... At a Hallowe'en party, Joyce—a hostile thirteen-year-old—boasts that she once witnessed a murder. When no-one believes her, she storms off home. But within hours her body is found, still in the house, drowned in an apple-bobbing tub. That night, Hercule Poirot is called in to find the 'evil presence'. But first he must establish whether he is looking for a murderer or a double-murderer…

Review- A wonderful and twisty mystery for the haunting season. Hercule Poirot is called to a small village by a friend who was there when the child was murdered. This is a wild ride of a story with other missing people, the murdered child was not to be trusted but she was murdered for some reason, and forged wills. Poirot has his work cut out for him. This was a great story. I had a great time exploring this mystery with Poirot as my guide and I did not guess the murderer(s) before the end. Ms. Christie is a master storyteller and this one is no different. I would highly recommend all of her work. 

I give this novel a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this novel from my local library. 

A Most Peculiar Book: The Inherent Strangeness of the Bible

Today’s Nonfiction post is on A Most Peculiar Book: The Inherent Strangeness of the Bible by Kristin Swenson. It is 261 pages long and is published by Oxford press. The cover is part of a medieval painting of Moses receiving the Commandment from god. There is some foul language, discussion of sex, sexuality, and rape, and lots of violence in this book. The intended reader is someone who is interested in the history of the Bible and how it was made. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- The Bible, we are constantly reminded, is the best-selling book of all time. It is read with intense devotion by hundreds of millions of people, stands as authoritative for Judaism and Christianity, and informs and affects the politics and lives of the religious and non-religious around the

world. But how well do we really know it? The Bible is so familiar, so ubiquitous that we have begun to take our knowledge of it for granted. The Bible many of us think we know is a pale imitation of the real thing.

In A Most Peculiar Book, Kristin Swenson addresses the dirty little secret of biblical studies that the Bible is a weird book. It is full of surprises and contradictions, unexplained impossibilities, intriguing supernatural creatures, and heroes doing horrible deeds. It does not provide a simple

worldview: what "the Bible says" on a given topic is multi-faceted, sometimes even contradictory. Yet, Swenson argues, we have a tendency to reduce the complexities of the Bible to aphorisms, bumper stickers, and slogans. Swenson helps readers look at the text with fresh eyes. A collection of

ancient stories and poetry written by multiple authors, held together by the tenuous string of tradition, the Bible often undermines our modern assumptions. And is all the more marvelous and powerful for it.

Rather than dismiss the Bible as an outlandish or irrelevant relic of antiquity, Swenson leans into the messiness full-throttle. Making ample room for discomfort, wonder, and weirdness, A Most Peculiar Book guides readers through a Bible that will feel, to many, brand new.

Review- An interesting survey of the Bible, how it was made, and some of the many problems within it. Swenson is a good writer and she approaches her topic with insight, humor, and first-hand knowledge. But that said, this is a very brief overview of the Bible and she does not go in depth with one issue or topic in the Bible. She does cover the whole Bible and does talk about some of the history of how it was made and the problems that brings with it. It is very well written, easy to read, and if you have never studied the Bible before, this is a good place to start. 

I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.

Rasetsu, vol. 3

Today's post is on Rasetsu, vol. 3 by Chika Shiomi. It is 208 pages long and is published by Shojo Beat. The cover is purple with Rasetsu and Yako on it. As it is the third in the series you need to have read the first two volumes to understand the story. There is no foul language, no sex, and no violence in this manga. The intended reader is someone who likes shojo manga, ghost stories, and mild romance plots. The story is told from third person close of Rasetsu and Yako. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the back of the book- Being haunted by spirits seems to run in the family- this time, it’s Rasetsu’s mother who needs help! Can Rasetsu dispel the spirit successfully with her own personal family issues weighing her down?

Review- We get to see into Rasetsu’s life from before she was a ghost hunter and her mother is very different from her. Her mother is a good person but a little silly and that makes life harder for Rasetsu because she doesn’t know how to protect herself from evil spirits and has to rely on Rasetsu and friends for protection. But this volume doesn’t move the story forward. We don’t get any new information about the evil spirit that is going to come for Rasetsu and we don’t know what Yako is going to do about his life. It was a fine volume but I want the story to get moving a little faster, it makes me worried about the ending maybe being rushed. But so far this is still a good series and I am enjoying reading it.

I give this volume a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money.

The Return

Today’s post is on The Return by Rachel Harrison. It is 304 pages long and is published by Berkley. The cover is hot pink with a chair in the center. The intended reader is someone who likes slow building horror. There is mild foul language, no sex, and no violence in this book. The story is told from first person close of Elise. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- Julie is missing, and no one believes she will ever return- expect Elise. Elise knows Julie better than anyone, and feels it in her bones that her best friend is out there and that one day Julie will come back. She’s right. Two years to the day that Julie went missing, she reappears with no memory of where she’s been or what happened to her.
Along with Molly  and Mae, their two close friends from college, the women decide to reunite at a remote inn. But the second that Elise sees Julie, she knows something is wrong- she’s emaciated, with sallow skin and odd appetites. And as the weekend unfurls, it becomes impossible to deny that the Julie who vanished two years ago is not the same Julie who came back. But then who- or what- is she?

Review- This is a great debut horror novel. Elise has lived with the loss of her friend for two years and she is convinced that Julie will come back, that she is not dead, Julie did not leave Elise alone. And when Julie just shows up back at her home, Elise is not surprised at all. But in the back of her mind, Elise knows that something is wrong. The novel is a very slow burn for a horror novel with just odd things happening but nothing that is by itself horrifying just a growing sense of unease from our characters. When everything is revealed, it is an excellent revelation even if I guessed what kind of monster Julie has become. I recommend this novel if you like slow burn horror.

I give this novel a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this novel from my local library.

The Rope: A True Story of Murder, Heroism, and the Dawn of the NAACP

Today’s post is on The Rope: A True Story of Murder, Heroism, and the Dawn of the NAACP by Alex Tresniowski. It is 322 pages long and is published by 37 Ink. The cover has the sky on it. The intended reader is someone who is interested in true crime history. There is foul language, discussion of sexuality and rape, and violence in this book. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- From New York Times bestselling author Alex Tresniowski comes a page-turning, remarkable true-crime thriller recounting the 1910 murder of ten-year-old Marie Smith, the dawn of modern criminal detection, and the launch of the NAACP.

In the tranquil seaside town of Asbury Park, New Jersey, ten-year-old schoolgirl Marie Smith is brutally murdered. Small town officials, unable to find the culprit, call upon the young manager of a New York detective agency for help. It is the detective’s first murder case, and now, the specifics of the investigation and daring sting operation that caught the killer is captured in all its rich detail for the first time.

Occurring exactly halfway between the end of the Civil War in 1865 and the formal beginning of the Civil Rights Movement in 1954, the brutal murder and its highly-covered investigation sits at the historic intersection of sweeping national forces—religious extremism, class struggle, the infancy of criminal forensics, and America’s Jim Crow racial violence.

History and true crime collide in this sensational murder mystery featuring characters as complex and colorful as those found in the best psychological thrillers—the unconventional truth-seeking detective Ray Schindler; the sinister pedophile Frank Heidemann; the ambitious Asbury Park Sheriff Clarence Hetrick; the mysterious “sting artist,” Carl Neumeister; the indomitable crusader Ida Wells; and the victim, Marie Smith, who represented all the innocent and vulnerable children living in turn-of-the-century America.

Gripping and powerful, The Rope is an important piece of history that gives a voice to the voiceless and resurrects a long-forgotten true crime story that speaks to the very divisions tearing at the nation’s fabric today.

Review- An interesting true crime nonfiction book. Tresniowski has done some wonderful research into this almost forgotten crime and creation of the NAACP leading into the civil rights era. Basically a young girl is stalked, kidnapped, raped, then murdered. The small town she is from panics and because of the time they picked a person who was easy to blame, who was a black man named Tom Williams. But Williams was innocent and it becomes a race against time to save him and get justice for the child. This was a fast paced read that made me very nervous at times with Williams being hunted by angry white members of his own community. I had to flip to the back to make sure that Williams was not lynched before I could continue reading. If you are a fun of true crime and history I would recommend it. 

I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for this review and I borrowed this book from my local library. 

Yona of the Dawn, Vol. 15

Today’s post is on Yona of the Dawn, Vol. 15 by Mizuho Kusanagi. It is 192 pages long and is published by Shojo Beat. As it is the fifteenth in the series you need to have read the first fourteen volumes to understand the story. The cover has Yona and Riri on it. The intended reader is someone who likes epic fantasy, shojo manga, and long running series. There is no foul language, no sex, and mild violence in this manga. The story is told from third person close of the main characters. There be Spoilers Ahead. 

From the back of the book- A drug known as “nadai” has spread throughout the Water Tribe territory, so Yona and Riri, the daughter of the Water Tribe chief, are determined to end this drug crisis. However, their task is an uphill battle, and they couldn’t have imagined the dangers that await them!

Review- The volume starts with Yona fighting to protect Riri and yourself from the man who controls the drug trade in Water lands. But she is still learning and is badly injured in her fight. Of course that is not going to stop Yona or her dragons. They are going to help the Water lands and stop this drug destroying more people. Su-Won is there too trying to understand what is going on in the Water lands and they run into each other but Yona and Su-Won are  playing at being strangers to each other for the greater good. It will be interesting as the northern kingdom of Kai is coming and Hal doesn’t know about Su-Won yet. I love this series so much. I cannot wait for the next volume. 

I give this volume a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I bought this manga with my own money.