Their Divine Fires - Book Review

Their Divine Fires by Wendy Chen
Publication: May 7, 2024
Pages: 288 pages
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars ☆☆☆
Sweet Spark: Coping looks so different for everyone. 

This multi-generational story of the women in a Chinese family was so interesting. Starting in 1917, it gives a young girl's perception of her life before and then during the Chinese Revolution. Yunhong is living her life as she planned and largely trying not to pay attention to revolutionaries, until all her plans are destroyed on her wedding night. 

Yunhong's daughter never knows her father, and as far as readers know, she isn't even told much of her own backstory. Her feelings about this are passed on to her own twin daughters, who grow up in China with much of their paths dictated to them. As they reach adulthood, the twins go their separate ways, largely as a result of their traumatic childhood.

The last section of the book is mostly about Yonghung, the twin who has moved to America, married and is raising a daughter, Emily. Her mother also moves there to be with her, while the other twin remains in China.

The bad breaks never really end for the family, but they seldom discuss the past which has brought them each to where they are. Without a background of much Chinese history, the telling of the stories from mostly children's perspectives conveyed a lot of feeling, but without an adult understanding of what was actually happening.

The book was enlightening and emotional, and earned 3 out of 5 stars. Those who enjoy family dramas and Chinese stories would like this book.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the electronic copy of this book. Receiving the book for free did not influence my review. 

Sunday Post/Sunday Salon - September 29, 2024: When September Ends

September is nearly over! So don't forget to get your Amazon First Reads free kindle book ;) Last night was an annual local pub crawl, so I slept in a bit before getting up for pancakes and sausage breakfast made by hubs. I fired up my tired, old computer to post for Sunday Post and Sunday Salon, and get caught up on a few book reviews.

What I'm reading this week:

Weird morning in book-land. On my kindle, I just (like, within the hour) finished Malibu Burning by Lee Goldberg, so tonight I'll be starting Trouble the Living by Francesca McDonnell Capposela. 

For print books, I'm still enjoying Little Women by Louisa May Alcott, but I'm trying to wrap up Blindspot in America by Elom K. Akoto this week. 

Three Good Things:

1. The pub crawl was so fun, as usual :) This was our third year attending. A parent friend from our daughter's school actually grew up here, so she and her husband invite their siblings and friends who have joined along the way. This year there were probably 30 - 40 people, which looked like a few more than last year! We visit 5 or 6 bars between our town and the next town to the north (which involves a free trolley ride), and include an extra long stop for dinner at a restaurant that gives us our own lil party room and special menu. We've done the whole event last year and this year, but some people just catch up with the whole group for a stop or two. The organizer prints out lanyards with our 'schedule' and her phone number in case anyone gets lost along the way.
2. We've got a good news/bad news thing rolling at work. We're simplifying some of our basic tasks, which is good since we're super behind, but it means my job will involve less actual writing, which is a bummer for me personally. So if you know of any solid freelance or career jobs writing, let me know!
3. I had Friday off of work - huge win! I had an appointment I had to take care of for my son, but the timing made it majorly disruptive to my regular schedule. So I got a three-day weekend. I did the adult thing and tried to take care of laundry and household chores while the rest of the house was at work and school on Friday, so today I have some time to chill. Yay!

Three Goals for this week/month/whatever:

1. Still working on that blasted office. I've been thinking of more things nearly every day that I'd like to find in there. My daughter wants a high school ring, and I wanted to show her mine again. But I'm not sure where it is. Along with my old Italian-charm bracelet, and my monogram necklace, and a book I went to buy on Amazon the other day, that the site said I already bought. LOL
2. Since my son has asked for a new Lego set that is released on Tuesday for his birthday, I want to finish my Haunted Mansion Legos so I can get them off the table and make room for his big build!
3. Last but not least, I plan to make an effort to work only 8 hours on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday. I've been picking up my son from school, and I am only a lil late if I leave work promptly after eight hours. Thursday he has a club, so I can work about 45 minutes longer and still be at the school when he's done. And Friday we both have off to go on a family vacation weekend! Woo-hoo!

Five Things for Friday - September 27, 2024

Well! I'm not usually home on a Friday to post, but I had an appointment this morning, and wanted to get my weekend chores done so I can enjoy a pub crawl tomorrow, and I'd rather not go to my job. So, here we are!

1. I was visiting some other blogs this morning and realized that Book Beginnings on Fridays is usually at Rose City Reader,  First Line Friday is at Reading is My Superpower, and Friday56 is at My Head is Full of Books. I'm usually reading a couple different books - one of them right now is Blindspot in America by Elom K. Akoto. It is posted that it will publish next week, on October 1, 2024. I'm almost halfway and can't guess what happens next! It's definitely proving to be an engaging read so far. 
• 
  Book Beginnings/First Line Friday (from the Prologue): "Kamao had been waiting for his trial in Virginia's maximum-security prison Red Onion State for months now. The thick wall, the tiny window secured by four iron bars that let sunlight into his cell were all real."
• Friday56: "They were lost in their conversation and forgot about time and their surroundings. Lindsey said a few things about herself and her childhood, making sure to leave out some sensitive topics that could lead to Kamao wanting to know more about her family and could possibly have let to her revealing who her father was.
2. Our community schools has academic recognition for middle school and high school students who maintain a GPA of 3.5 or higher for the previous academic year. The awards night was last week, and even though one of my kids is at one (of our three) middle schools, and one is at the high school, their ceremonies were back to back! So we spent a long evening at the auditorium hearing our awesome our kids (and two of my nieces) are. The middle school event was at 6pm, and high school then started at 7:30pm. A long-ish evening, but better in my book than a couple of separate evening events. Proud to know and be raising some awesome, intelligent kids :)
3. Hubs and I got to go to a super-fun Yelp event this week too! While I had somehow gone more than 50 years without doing a haunted house, on Wednesday I got to tour both of the haunted attractions at Eloise Asylum! It was a lot of fun. If you're local to SE Michigan, their official season opens to the public tomorrow, September 28, 2024.
   
4. We've scheduled our family holidays for this year! Since my parents are snowbirds, we typically run Thanksgiving/Christmas early so they can get out before stuff starts freezing around here. So while it's usually October, we weren't all free til November this year. Any great gift ideas for kids who have everything they could ask for? LOL I have three nieces between 12 - 16, and a nephew who is 11 (I think). I have always made my kids give me exact wish lists of things they'd like to receive since I hate guessing. I want to get them things they'll really enjoy, of course.
5. I mentioned it a bit in an earlier post, but I got my new glasses and a haircut to match! I absolutely love my new look :)

Sunday Salon/Sunday Post - September 22, 2024: A New Me!

 Hello! I'm jumping in with Readerbuzz and Caffeinated Reviewer today for the Sunday Salon & Sunday Post. Hopefully I can say what I want to say and keep moving, as I'm getting my hair cut (for the first time in at least a year) in one hour!!!

What I'm reading this week:

I finished up a couple book reviews since I last posted on a Sunday, and I'm now reading one I'll probably finish this afternoon on my kindle, and two print books I've been carrying around for when I find a few minutes of quiet. My Goodreads is still behind for the year, but anything could happen!

My kindle read right now is The Reunion by Kit Frick. I previously read her I Killed Zoe Spanos and enjoyed it as well. They're both unique-ish thrillers with interesting perspective changes. Other readers rated them both similarly, and it looks like I may lean that way too.

For print books, I'm still plugging away at Little Women by Louisa May Alcott and enjoying it. While I never read it before, I also never realized it was 500+ pages! Hoping to finish it up in the next couple weeks, as I need to know the story. I've also started Blindspot in America by Elom K. Akoto. I'm only a chapter or so in so far, but I think it's gonna be good. I just got distracted and switched back to my other print book again for other reasons.

Three Good Things:

1. Drumroll please - my daughter's high school theatre troupe had auditions for Little Women last week, and she's been cast as Jo March! Additionally, their director has applied to take the show on the road to the statewide high school theatre festival! So we'd have our regular four performances locally, and then do it again a few weeks later at the festival in Lansing! WHOA!!
2. My son's band director has moved him up from the euphonium he played last year to a four-valve euphonium (last year he played a three-valve). For those of you around my age, the euphonium used to be the baritone. I don't know exactly how it's different, but here we are.
3. I got my new glasses!! For years, I've gone to my regular eye doctor, gotten my exam, and picked out new glasses (every other year) while we're there. I've always wanted some serious cat-eye glasses, but usually settled for the best they had - sort of cat-eye style, but subtle. This time? I walked in with the picture of glasses I wanted from Zenni and showed them. They admitted they had nothing like that, but if I ordered the frames, they could have my lenses put in. Yes, please!! And NOW? I usually wear my hair pulled back to some degree, and felt it looked a little severe, so I'm going to get bangs!

Three Goals for this week/month/whatever:

1. We're going reasonable today - I want to try and get the beds stripped and made up fresh after my hair appointment, and hopefully before my husband and son get home from their weekend.
2. I'm proud to say I've sort of menu planned for this week, and I'd like to follow through. Monday is a dine-to-donate at a favorite local restaurant to benefit the local theatre boosters. Tuesday I'll used the crockpot for maybe the chicken/dumplings recipe, but then just make biscuits when we get back from my son's academic awards night. Wednesday night hubs and I have an awesome night planned with Yelp at a haunted attraction - the kids are on their own for dinner. Thursday I can make some city chicken - one of my son's favorites that I don't usually have time for, but I'm leaving work on time that day BECAUSE - I have Friday off, and it's payday. So I'll plan Friday when it gets here.
3. Easy peasy? I also want to repaint my nails tonight for all the fun events we've got scheduled this week. :)

A Misfortune of Lake Monsters - Book Review

A Misfortune of Lake Monsters by Nicole M. Wolverton
Publication: July 2, 2024
Pages: 304 pages
Rating: 5 out of 5 stars
Sweet Spark: Lemon, Troy, and Darrin have been through some things together, but was it enough to prepare them for this much craziness?

Lemon Ziegler has grown up in Devil's Elbow, PA, and found out not too long ago that her family is actually behind the legendary lake monster! But she's sworn to secrecy, as the tourists come to see a real lake monster, not a family who has been faking it for generations. When the extended family voted, Lemon did not want the job, but since her grandparents have given up so much to raise her since her parents died, she was never sure how to say no. 

The day after her first successful appearance in the lake, she's both satisfied and dismayed to see how well it worked. Her high school is abuzz with stories of the few people who saw it, although she easily recognizes those who are embellishing the story.

The real drama comes after an earthquake the next day that then seems to result in more stories, but Lemon has not been out to start them! Seeing evidence of a lake monster - that Lemon knows was not her - is way more than she can let continue if her community is to be safe. 

The characters and twists in this story were so fun. Lemon, Troy, Darrin, and the new girl, Amelia, sound like regular high school kids with no-so-regular problems. It's easy to feel how much all of them want to do the right thing and be true to themselves, while hopefully helping the adults around them be happy and proud too.

The story earns 5 out of 5 stars and has already been recommended to several YA readers I know. The local legends and conspiracy theories (even while those talking about them have a laugh at themselves) showcase smart and resourceful kids solving a problem that really should not have fallen to them! Young readers and adults will enjoy their charming relationships and quirky, determined solutions to unique issues.

You Can Trust Me - Book Review

You Can Trust Me by Wendy Heard
Publication: June 13, 2023
Pages: 304 pages
Rating: 4 out of 5 stars ☆☆☆☆
Sweet Spark: Summer and Leo were the unlikely bestest besties ever. 

Summer's mom had essentially raised her as a street kid, so when her mom suddenly disappeared, she knew the ropes. And when she first nearly tripped over Leo, she knew that Leo did not have the same street smarts. While they both probably could have made it a while alone, they were much better together.

Summer's specialty was working a room. Pretend to actually work there as a caterer or waitress, and let her knowledge of people bleed the right ones dry and get out in 30 minutes or less. Leo did better with romancing a target and seducing his wallet for a week or two, then disappearing. But they always met up at the end of the night to sleep safely together in Summer's Land Cruiser, converted to be exactly what they needed for movable comfort.

While the summary of the book told me that Leo's latest conquest wasn't on the up and up, I did not guess how complicated the ending would be. I loved that the girls were aware of the way the world worked and the biases against them while they solved the little problem they needed to solve for  themselves.

Overall, this book was a quick read that earned a fun 4 out of 5 stars. While I would love to know more about them, more depth would make them different characters entirely, and I liked them just they way they were in this book.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my free electronic copy of this book. Receiving the book for free did not influence my review.

Sunday Post/Sunday Salon - September 1, 2024: Buh-Bye Payday!

Welcome to SePtEmBeR?? I'm not sure if it's the fact that I've usually enjoyed school, or that I used to work in the schools, or just that I still have kids in school, but September feels more like a new year than January does, to me.

I'm joining in with the Sunday Post at Caffeinated Reviewer, and Sunday Salon at Readerbuzz today. Thank goodness Friday was an 'extra' paycheck (paid every other Friday means two months each year have THREE paychecks!). It's gone. The paycheck went to school clothes, mostly. My looming to-buy list yesterday (after working an extra six hours on Saturday) included yearbooks (one down, one to go), registration for e-sports and twirler for a day (both pending contact), Sweeney Todd tickets (using the second card after a potential fraud alert on the first), new band book (shipping...), candy for work (yes, I did get something for me), and CLOTHES/SHOES!! Still needed: pens, pencils, paper, folders...

What I'm reading this week:

My reading is mostly back to my standard of trying to clear the backlog. I'm going to be picking a couple that I'm just reviewing for here (SweetlyBSquared.com), coming up, as the woman on the blog I usually review for is getting married! I sincerely hope she doesn't spend any of her wedding or honeymoon time posting book reviews!

On my kindle, I've already zoomed through half of You Can Trust Me by Wendy Heard. Great thriller so far with alternating chapters between the two main characters with both current happenings and flashbacks to figure out who everyone really is.

Print books, I don't think I've read another word of Little Women all week, but I'm hoping to finish The Hedgerow today or tomorrow. It's enjoyable enough, but I'm really finding a lot of the characters annoying.

Three Good Things:

1. Don't get me wrong - I know how BLESSED I am to be able to buy these ridiculous things my kids want :) It was so great to be able to get them what they wanted while we shopped yesterday. And I'm also so happy to be able to enjoy spending time with my kids.  They're pretty cool.
2. Yay for a short work week! The company I work for is closed Monday for Labor Day, so I'm pretty determined not to work extra hours at straight-time pay. I'm hoping to work as close to eight hours each day this week as possible. And I've got plenty to do after that in getting ready for the high school's production of Much Ado About Nothing this weekend.
3. I got my new paper planner! I had Erin Condren planners for years, but then her behavior during COVID19 led me to decide not to support her anymore. I got Plum Paper Planners for a couple years. This year I picked up a Happy Planner for the first time, because I could buy it and just take it home from Michael's. I always enjoy setting up a new planner, and the school year is really when things start being scheduled for the next calendar year.

Three Goals for this week/month/whatever:

1. Finish my Lego house! After I listed it last week, I don't think I've touched it again.
2. Work on my office. I've actually got a few things in mind that I know are in there, and I'd love to find.
3. I keep saying I'm gonna clean up the kitchen - like, deep clean. Over a few years, we lined the top of the cupboards with all different bourbon bottles. I'm over it. Time to move them on to glass recycling. And while I'm up there, I should get a bucket of sudsy hot water and wash all the latent grease off the cupboards, cuz, why not?