Book Review: Sabrina & Corina: Stories by Kali Fajardo-Anstine

Sabrina & Corina: Stories

by Kali Fajardo-Anstine (Fajardo-Anstine)

 

The short stories here are tender and also impenetrable. Do not try to make friends with the women in these stories. These are the difficult women that Roxane Gay warned us about. Although we can read about the soft sides of the characters here, it is painful to do so as the vulnerability laid bare here could carve mountains. I cannot do this work justice, I can only say that the women here are women you know. Denver and the surrounding areas also play a major role in the stories here. This book gave me great appreciation for the region that I previously knew little about.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Difficult Women by Roxane Gay, Her Body and Other Parties by Carmen Maria Machado, There There by Tommy Orange, or Men We Reap by Jesmyn Ward.]

[ official Kali Fajardo-Anstine web site ]

 

Recommended by Naomi S.
Eiseley Branch Library

 

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DVD Review: The Witness for the Prosecution (2016)

The Witness for the Prosecution
based on the short story by Agatha Christie (DVD Witness)

I’ve never seen the original 1957 film, Witness for the Prosecution, starring Tyrone Power, Marlene Dietrich and Charles Laughton, despite being a life-long fan of Agatha Christie. Both that film and this TV-movie, are based on a Dame Agatha short story, originally published as “Traitor’s Hands” in the UK in 1925, and subsequently reprinted under the more familiar title. Christie also adapted her story as a full-length stage play, which premiered in 1953. Billy Wilder and his creative partners adapted it again for the feature film, and it has been adapted several times for television in both the UK and US.

 

This 2016 was written by Sarah Phelps and directed by Julian Jerrold, and goes places the previous versions did not. Set in the early 1920s, the mystery revolves around the brutal murder of a socialite, ostensibly by Leonard Vole, a much younger man (a recent WWI veteran) who she had been using as a gigolo. Despite the victim’s maid’s assertions that Vole killed her, he says his “wife”, a dance-hall girl, can provide his alibi. Vole’s attorney takes the case to court, only to have the “wife” turn on Vole and provide testimony on behalf of the prosecution in the case. But there are still more twists and turns to come.

 

The performances in this teleplay version of The Witness for the Prosecution were superb, with great work from Kim Cattrall as the victim, Monica Dolan as the maid, and Andrea Riseborough as Romaine, the “wife”. Billy Howle as Vole was hit-or-miss. But the film’s real star is the diminutive Toby Jones as Vole’s desperate attorney, John Mayhew. The film-makers actually turned this into Mayhew’s story, more than those more central to the mystery itself. This is a double-edged sword — Peters easily carries the film as the main character, but if you’re a purest and wish to see an accurate and fair adaptation of Christie’s actual story, this misses the mark.

 

Production design is great, but I had serious issues with how dark and muddy the cinematographers chose to make everything — 2/3rds of the film seem murky and foggy, and I ended up being very frustrated — I wanted to see the actors’ expressions and most of the time that was difficult. Ultimately, I can only give this adaptation of The Witness for the Prosecution a 6 out of 10 on BookGuide’s rating scale — there’s lots to recommend it, but also lots to be annoyed with. Your mileage may vary.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try the 2015 video adaptation of Agatha Christie’s And Then There Were None, by the same production team.] [Also available in traditional print format.]

[ Internet Movie Database entry for this TV-movie ] | [ official BBC The Witness for the Prosecution web site ]

 

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

 

Hey mystery fans! Don't miss this month's Just Desserts mystery fiction discussion group discussion of the works of Elly Griffiths. The April 2021 Just Desserts meeting, tonight at 6:30 p.m. on Zoom. For more information, check out the Just Desserts schedule at https://lincolnlibraries.org/bookguide/book-groups/#justdesserts

Book Review: Save Me From Dangerous Men by S.A. Lelchuk

Save Me From Dangerous Men

by S.A. Lelchuk (Lelchuk)

 

Nikki Griffin has a mysterious history, she owns a bookstore, but has a night job as well. She’s a P.I. and often hired by women to investigate their husbands or boyfriends and possible hurt them. Nikki doesn’t like abusers and she makes sure to let them know. This is a pretty violent mystery, almost a thriller, but it’s well worth it to see the bad guys get what they deserve. When Nikki is offered $20,000 to follow a woman who has been accused of corporate espionage, she discovers there is more to the story than what she’s been told. Always fighting for the underdog leads her into trouble with far more than just an abusive boyfriend.

 

I really liked the descriptions and the characters. I enjoyed the mystery, though I was pretty sure who was the mastermind behind it all. This is a male author writing a female character and often there are mistakes made. I found the few flaws weren’t deal breakers. It’s a fast paced read and I can’t wait to read the next book.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try the works of Sara Paretsky, Lisa Lutz or Sophie Littlefield.]

[ Save Me From Dangerous Men page on the official S.A. Lelchuk web site ]

 

Recommended by Marcy G.
South Branch Library

 

Have you read or listened to this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

 

Hey mystery fans! Don't miss this month's Just Desserts mystery fiction discussion group discussion of the works of Elly Griffiths. The April 2021 Just Desserts meeting, tonight at 6:30 p.m. on Zoom. For more information, check out the Just Desserts schedule at https://lincolnlibraries.org/bookguide/book-groups/#justdesserts

Audiobook Review: Lady Killers: Deadly Women Throughout History by Tori Telfer

Lady Killers: Deadly Women Throughout History

by Tori Telfer (Hoopla Downloadable Audio)

 

True crime fans! This book dedicates each chapter to a different female murderer, from a giggling granny to the Blood Countess (purportedly the inspiration for Bram Stoker’s Dracula). The author takes a look at why women who murder are forgotten/overshadowed by their male counterparts (think Jack the Ripper, Jeffery Dahmer, The Zodiac Killer). Part feminist agenda, part gory history, this book was an interesting listen while I knit!

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try The Girls of Murder City by Douglas Perry, The Trial of Lizzie Borden: a True Story by Cara Robertson, Hell’s Princess: the Mystery of Belle Gunness, Butcher of Men by Harold Schechter, or Rampage by Lee Mellor.]

[ official Tori Telfer web site ]

 

Recommended by Rio B.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

Have you read or listened to this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Book Review: Olive, Mabel & Me: Life and Adventures With Two Very Good Dogs by Andrew Cotter

Olive, Mabel & Me: Life and Adventures With Two Very Good Dogs

by Andrew Cotter (Biography Cotter)

 

Author Andrew Cotter is a sportscaster by trade. Starting in March 2020, he had very little to do because of the global COVID-19 pandemic. His first video snippet of his labrador retrievers, Olive and Mabel, went viral as people laughed about his commentary during their dinner. This is the book that describes the author’s love of his two dogs, his passion for hiking/climbing mountains with his dogs, and how his family made it through the year of shutdowns. His humor often made me laugh aloud.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Marley & Me by John Grogan, or How Dogs Love Us: A Neuroscientist and His Adopted Dog Decode the Canine Brain by Gregory Berns.]

[ official Olive, Mabel & Me web site ] | [ official Andrew Cotter web site ]

 

Recommended by Jodi R.
Anderson and Bethany Branch Libraries

 

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Book Review: Runaway: The Daring Escape of Ona Judge by Ray Anthony Shepard

Runaway: The Daring Escape of Ona Judge

by Ray Anthony Shepard (j Biography Judge)

 

Runaway by Ray Anthony Shepard is the story of Ona Judge, an African American woman who was enslaved to President George Washington, the most powerful man in the United States, and his wife Martha. Although Ona resides in a house where history is being made, the founding of American freedom, it is a freedom that didn’t include her.

 

Told in poetic form, the book depicts Ona’s life from Mount Vernon to Philadelphia and successful escape from the Washington’s in 1796.

 

Although it is considered a biography, each paragraph or page ends with a rhetorical question, such as “Why you run Ona Judge?” The author says he choose this style because people have questioned why Ona, or Oney as she was called by the Washington’s, would want to leave a life of luxury. Ona visited the best houses, rode in a first-class carriage, and had her own room. She was not required to work in the fields or perform hard labor. However, the verses and pictures depict that in spite of the extravagance she was exposed to, she was taken from her family and moved to Philadelphia without her consent–ultimately viewed as a “pet,” a “darling” slave that was handed down from one generation to the next. Her life was not her own. The author notes “during slavery—and even now—people questioned why an enslaved person in such a fine home would want to leave. But slavery is slavery, whether it takes place in a field or the President’s House.”

 

We learn that Ona runs and is hidden away until a white sea captain ferries her to New Hampshire. There she has a new life where she will not be enslaved, but will always live as a fugitive. Eventually we learn that Ona marries and has three children.

 

Runaway is the first picture book by former Nebraskan Ray Anthony Shepard, a historian and former educator. So not only is it available from Lincoln City Library, it is also kept in the Nebraska Heritage room at Bennett Martin Public Library. I found it to be an excellent picture book with beautiful illustrations by Keith Mallett that tells a hard truth about the founding of our country.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Ruth and the Green Book by Calvin Alexander Ramsey, or Eyes That Kiss in the Corner by Joanna Ho.]

[ Runaway page on the official Ray Anthony Shepard web site ]

 

Recommended by Cindy K.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

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New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!

Book Review: The Hero Two Doors Down by Sharon Robinson

The Hero Two Doors Down: Based on the True Story of Friendship Between a Boy and a Baseball Legend
by Sharon Robinson (j Robinson)

 

You don’t have to be a baseball fan to be a fan of this book. And by the end of the book you are likely to be a Jackie Robinson fan if you weren’t already. Penned by Sharon Robinson, daughter of Jackie Robinson, it is the mostly true story of her father’s friendship with a young boy and his family in 1948.

 

The book grabs you from the prologue. The father of our main character, Steve Satlow, unexpectedly passes away when Steve is 20, leaving Steve a letter and a box of his memories. One of the most important items being a ticket to the Brooklyn Dodger’s 1948 season opener.

 

And so the story jumps to 1948, when Jackie Robinson moves into a mostly Jewish neighborhood at the start of the baseball season. While the Jewish neighborhood at first has mixed emotions about a black family moving in, then eight-year-old Steve discovers who is moving in and impatiently watches to catch a glimpse of his baseball hero.

 

The story then details how a friendship develops between Steve’s family and the Jackie Robinson family. Steve, often in trouble at school, learns a great deal from Robinson and his family about patience and courage. As Steve learns how to deal with adversity, he decides he wants to help others, leading an effort at his school to donate to refugee children through UNICEF. Eventually it inspires Steve to become a doctor and continue helping people throughout his life. We also learn that the close friendship between the families endures throughout the rest of their lives.

 

Although Sharon Robinson was born in 1950, she depicts a wonderful story of a troubled boy finding patience and what it is to overcome hardships through a story she has been told over the years. As Sharon Robinson says in her afterword: “during these troubling times of global, racial, cultural, and religious unrest, I decided that this classic story of friendship and unity needed to be shared with the next generation of readers.”

 

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try Child of the Dream, A Memoir of 1963 or Testing the Ice: A True Story About Jackie Robinson, both also by Sharon Robinson.]

[ The Hero Two Doors Down page on the official Sharon Robinson web site ]

 

Recommended by Cindy K.
Bennett Martin Public Library — Public Service

 

Have you read or listened to this one? What did you think? Did you find this review helpful?

New reviews appear every month on the Staff Recommendations page of the BookGuide website. You can visit that page to see them all, or watch them appear here in the BookGuide Blog individually over the course of the entire month. Click the tag for the reviewer's name to see more of this reviewer’s recommendations!