Book 20 Rock House Grill

 

Rock House Grill by D.V. Stone fulfilled the category “Book whose Title Begins with the Last Letter of Your Previous Read.” The last title on the blog was A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder. So that’s R for the start of Rock House Grill. It’s hard to believe with all the audiobooks I listen to, but I actually read these two back-to-back. I really did!

Rock House Grill is a romantic suspense mystery. It fits into several categories including “Favorite Prompt from Last Year” (audiobook), “Book with a Found Family,” and “Book with a Protagonist with a Mobility Issue.” Our hero is in a terrible car accident early in the story.

In this novel, Shay McDowell is in a tough spot. Her marriage is over, and her ex’s girlfriend is causing trouble. Poor Shay has lost her job, and all her carefully laid plans for the future are in tatters. But she’s not one to sit back and wait. Shay researches other local restaurants and decides that the Rock House Grill would be a great fit for her skill set—hostess, up-front manager, and chef. (Oh, and did I mention she’s a volunteer EMT too?) When she walks into the grill, she sees they need her. Shay finds out later the restaurant was in such dire straits because its owner and head chef was in the hospital. He’s recovering from a terrible accident, an accident she responded to and helped save Aden House from the crumpled car.

This book has a little of everything. Shay is a relatable person in so many ways. She has various interests and skills—no one-note character here. She’s also a victim of women hating on other women. We still compete so fiercely with each other instead of standing together. Shay does find a wonderful sisterly bond with Aden’s sister.

I want to congratulate Ms. Stone for her use of music. The digital and print are published through a small press. There’s no way such a house could afford to put lyrics in the story. It’s too costly. But D.V. worked around that by hinting at the songs, giving the book a full flavor of music without the extra price tag.

I listened to the novel on audio. For those who are hesitant to grab a title in any format by small presses or Indie authors, this production can ease your mind. The reader was excellent, and the quality of the book—both the story and the production were top-notch.

If you are looking for a story with all the elements—music, food, and tons of romance and suspense, grab this one now. The sequel, Jazz House, will be available on August 31, 2022.

I give Rock House Grill by D.V. Stone Five Jukeboxes full of Excellent Tunes.

 

 

Book 19 A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson fulfilled the category “A BookTok Recommendation” for the PopSugar 2022 Reading Challenge. I don’t remember where I viewed the recommendation, but it’s absolutely on BookTok.

Here is another category where I shifted books around to fit prompts. I think I originally chose Circe for this prompt. After reading two witch books I did not enjoy, I moved Circe to another category and re-choose for this one. So again, I read multiple books for one prompt. (Do we see a terrible pattern in this blog? Yes, yes, we do. Sigh.)

A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder is a YA mystery/thriller. A high schooler, Pippa Fitz-Amobi, must create a senior capstone project. She chooses to write about the press impact on a five-year-old murder in her town. Well, that’s what she tells her teacher. In reality, Pippa plans to solve the mystery and redeem the person accused. The crime involved the death of a young woman by her boyfriend, who committed suicide shortly after the murder. Allegedly. Pippa doesn’t believe it and sets out with the accused man’s brother to find the true killer.

The junior detective in the book discovered many things the police did not. I think using race as a barrier worked in the novel. A few times, the author hinted the authorities and the town found it easier to blame the “brown” people for the problems and closed the case. Pippa’s unique heritage and family added to the atmosphere, showing the reader how important it was to not judge people by their skin color.

The story reminded me of Truly Devious, another book where a high schooler solves a cold case as their senior project. There are many similarities. The books were published about the same time. I wondered if one influenced the other. (Truly Devious was published a year before A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder.) Or is this a new trend in YA mysteries? Either way, I like it.

This was a debut novel for author Holly Jackson. For a first book, she hit a home run. The twists and turns were well-executed, though the novel’s pacing felt off. With a tiny romantic subplot and teenage issues, the story dragged in a few spots. And a horrific event occurred towards the end of the book. I won’t say what it was, but it could trigger some people. The ending was written beautifully and kept me on my toes.

I listened to the audio, but the paper and digital have more details with maps, written-out text messages, and pictures. The reader was amazing. Maybe grab both formats.

I give A Good Girl’s Guide to Murder by Holly Jackson Five Smart and Determined Female Teens.

 

 

Book 18 Parasite

 

Parasite by Mira Grant fulfilled the category “Book about a Man-Made Disaster” for the PopSugar 2022 Reading Challenge. In this story, genetically modified tapeworms become our primary source of health care. What could go wrong? 

I also read Radium Girls by Kate Moore for the prompt, a nonfiction that fits well.

Here was my problem. I read Parasite and loved it. Then I read for the duology prompt two books about zombies attacks during the Civil War. Spoiler, in Parasite, the tapeworms are turning people into zombie-like creatures. I wondered how many zombie books were too many for the blog? Three might be too much. I read Radium Girls, and though it was a tough, important topic, the writing and the narration paled compared to Parasite. 

Here are both, and I’ll find another duology. I hope.

As I mentioned, Parasite is about using tapeworms to deliver health care. Scientists genetically modified the worms to live with us for two years. They are harmless, according to SymboGen. The worms can deliver medication, help with weight control, and other medical issues. Fantastic, right? I know I hate taking meds day and night. With this system, you never need to take daily pills again.

What could go wrong? I already asked that.

Everything can go wrong. The author followed one person through the entire process of the system breaking down. The chapters/scenes are cut with old interviews, articles, blog posts, and personal essays to give a rounder picture of the story. It worked well, except in my humble opinion, the big reveal was obvious right from the start. I won’t spoil, but it’s right there, people. We all see it, but we ignore it until the end. 

One other issue I had with the story was the age of the character. She was in her twenties and medically fragile from a near-fatal car accident years ago. The tale sounds YA because a grown woman is treated like a child the entire time. It frustrated me that the novel unrolled that way. That and how many people knew the big secret but refused to speak about it. The characters who hold back information are annoying.

Let’s talk about Radium Girls for a few. This is an important historical issue. The topic of medical hazards in the workplace should be standard reading for anyone in a corporate job. These women suffered horribly because their companies had no regard for human rights, safety, or anything else but profit. I’ve always wondered why we have so much company loyalty in this country. The story is from the 1920s. In one hundred years, we’ve failed to do better for our employees in many places. But the radium use, knowing it was dangerous, knowing they taught women to ingest it, and then lying about it. I don’t have faith in these businessmen.

I had trouble with the narrator. She spoke in a flowery voice when telling the women’s back story. It created a flowery atmosphere, inappropriate for the book.. Not great for a book about the poisoning of thousands of people.

(I’m being super critical this week, bear with me)

I also didn’t like how it was organized. Two different companies with two sets of employees/victims were presented. I quickly became confused about who was who and where they were. I feel that if the author focused on one or two of the women’s stories, it would’ve been more impactful. Perhaps they could’ve had a series of essays explaining about the other women. I’m not trying to downplay anything about the horror wrought by this inexcusable abuse of power. But a focused human-interest angle might have sold me more on the book. Regardless, I would highly recommend reading the print version of Radium Girls.

I give Parasite by Mira Grant Four Genetically Modified Tapeworms.

I give Radium Girls by Kate Moore Four Winning Lawsuits to make those people pay.