andiesmith's reviews
2021 reviews

33 Place Brugmann by Alice Austen

5.0

33 Place Brugmann is told in the singular voices of the residents of a Beaux Arts apartment house in Belgium during World War II. Charlotte Sauvin, an art student raised by her beloved architect father in apartment 4L, knows everything about the building and the people who live there. Her grandmother lives upstairs. Across the hall from Charlotte is, Julian Raphaël, the son of an art dealer. The Raphaël family and their artwork disappear in the middle of the night. 

 

What great debut novel! I found telling of the stories through the eyes of the residents of a singular building was unique and I loved it. 

 

Thank you NetGalley and Grove Press for the ARC. #33PlaceBrugmann #NetGalley 

The Filling Station by Vanessa Miller

5.0

On the night of May 31, 1921 Margaret Justice heads to a movie with her father at the Dreamland. Her sister Evelyn is at graduation practice at Booker T. Washington High School, before heading to design school in New York City. That night the Justice’s family is changed forever. Margaret and Evelyn escape Greenwood and find refuge at the Threatt Filling Station (on what would become Route 66) and try to find ways to carry on after surviving the Tulsa Race Massacre. They debate to go back and try to rebuild Greenwood. 

 

I couldn’t put down “The Filling Station”. I felt panic and anger and also love of community. This is a fantastic book to introduce yourself to the Tulsa Race Massacre if you have not heard of it. I am so glad that Vanessa Miller wrote such a gripping book that takes place during the massacre. 

 

Thank you NetGalley and Thomas Nelson for the ARC. #TheFillingStation #NetGalley 

The Crossing: El Paso, the Southwest, and America's Forgotten Origin Story by Richard Parker

5.0

“The Crossing” recenters American history west to El Paso, Texas. It’s a great argument; it is the bridge between South and North. A feast between the Spanish and Indigenous peoples took place in El Paso decades before the pilgrims arrived at Plymouth Rock. It’s where Immigrant America starts—more immigrants have passed through El Paso than Ellis Island—and where crucial battles for Civil Rights were fought. 

 

If you were around when I took a Modern Mexico class, you would have learned a lot of new history while I did. This book felt like a sequel to the class. SO well researched…and I made so many highlights and notes. Richard Parker, I do agree, our history starts in El Paso, Texas. Anyone who has a slight interest in American History, make this a must read. 

 

Thank you NetGalley and Mariner Books #TheCrossing #NetGalley 

The Next One Is for You: A True Story of Guns, Country, and the IRA's Secret American Army by Ali Watkins

4.0

The Troubles are not my normal era of history to study. I admit, I understand the basics, but nothing of substance. I have wanted to learn more, and “The next One Is For you” was a great unique story. A reader would expect to learn about the IRA in Belfast. Nope, this is the story focuses on the Philadelphia Five, who supplied the Irish Republican Army with guns and money. 

 

Fantastic read and thankful to have learned a lot more about The Troubles. I enjoyed how Ali Watkins’ research and how dedicated they were to get the story. 

 

Thank you NetGalley and Little, Brown and Company. #TheNextOneIsforYou #NetGalley 

Blues in Stereo: The Early Works of Langston Hughes by Langston Hughes

4.0

This is a collection of Langston Hughes early works, all written before he was 25. I’m not a huge poem reader, but I wanted to read this book because well, Langston Hughes and do you see the cover?! Did not disappoint, beautiful. 

Banana Capital: Stories, Science, and Poison at the Equator by Ben Brisbois

4.0

Let me hear you say, this book is bananas …B-A-N-A-N-A-S. Ben Brisbois went to see banana plantations and learn the history of how and why and where bananas are grown. He shares with us, personal stories of workers and the injustice of growing bananas. Brisbois, opens the readers eyes to the toxic chemicals and monoculture farming and makes a strong case for more sustainable and ethical agricultural practices. I know I won’t look at bananas the same.  

 

Thank you University of Regina Pressand NetGalley for an ARC. I am counting the days until the season starts. #BananaCapital #NetGalley. 

 

 

Sir Lewis: The Definitive Biography by Michael E. Sawyer

5.0

“Sir Lewis” follows Lewis Hamilton’s journey from radio cars to his 7 (8) F1 World championships. While reading we witness Hamilton’s single-minded determination to reach the top, even as he challenged racial barriers and opposition at every turn. Lewis has faced racial discrimination and slurs, from fellow drivers and fans, yet he still rises. 

I am a huge Lewis Hamilton fan, and cannot wait for the season to start, as Lewis has moved from Mercedes to Ferrari.  “Sir Lewis” was a great biography about Lewis with a lot of insight. Michael Sawyer does dissect the 2021 Abu Dhabirace. So, you may want to grab a drink before you start that chapter. I will say I agree with Sawyer on mess of that entire season. 

Thank you Grand Central Publishing | Legacy Lit and NetGalley for an ARC. I am counting the days until the season starts. #SirLewis #NetGalley 

My December Darling by Lauren Asher

5.0

I often claim that I'm not a huge fan of romance novels, yet every time I read one, I find myself thoroughly enjoying it. Catalina, resonates with me in many ways. She's a nomad, wary of falling in love to avoid getting hurt, and she a fan of LEGOS. (Want to see my Lego collection? Lol) 

The Secret History of Audrey James by Heather Marshall

5.0

 

After a tragic accident involving her parents, Kate Mercer and her husband separate. She decides to leave London to work at an old guest house near the Scottish border. When she arrives, she meets elderly proprietor, Audrey James. Both women are keeping trauma and secrets hidden. As the months pass Kate learns Audry’s story, of being a student at a prestigious music school in Berlin in the 1930’s and her life during the war. 

 

The Secret History of Audrey James such a great story, a dual timeline and dual POV. I absolutely love how Heather Marshall weaves the stories together. BTW, I cried…and I hate to cry…but I still loved this book. If you love historical fiction, make sure you read this.  

 

Thank you NetGalley and Ballantine Books for the advanced reader copy. #TheSecretHistoryofAudreyJames #NetGalley. 

The Prosecutor: One Man's Battle to Bring Nazis to Justice by Jack Fairweather

4.5

At the end of the Nuremberg trial in 1946 the Allies were ready to overlook their pasts as the Cold War began, and the horrors of the Holocaust were in danger of being forgotten. Some Germans weren’t going to admit what happened. Fritz Bauer, a gay, Jewish judge from Stuttgart was not going to let that happen.  Bauer survived the Nazis and made it his mission to force his countrymen to confront their complicity in the genocide. 

 

The Prosecutor is a fantastic, researched book (including unpublished family papers, newly declassified German records, and exclusive interviews), and made me emotional. I was angry, sad and scared. I am scared for our country after reading this. I hope one day we have a Bauer. 

 

Thank you NetGalley and Crown for the advanced reader copy. #TheProsecutor #NetGalley