andiesmith's reviews
2021 reviews

Storm Child by Ele Fountain

4.0

Maya lives with her parts in a stately home on the coast with her mom and dad. The home has been passed down generations and Maya can’t imagine living anywhere else. When her dad's fishing boat sinks in a storm, her world is tipped upside down. Her parents decide they need to move to a pacific island 12 hours away from all of Maya’s friends. Is grass greener there, or the waves better for surfing?
The cover is beautiful! 
Thank you NetGalley and Pushkin Press for an ARC. #StormChild #NetGalley.

The Librarians of Lisbon by Suzanne Nelson

5.0

Two words. Books & Spies. Best friends Selene & Beatrice are enlisted by the U.S. Intelligence Office and sent to Lisbon to be librarians. Liberians who are also are undercover agents tasked with infiltrating the Axis spy network. They are both caught up in separate games of cat and mouse but are they working together or against each other? They both know there is a leak somewhere in the network. 

 

I am going to claim this is a must-read historical fiction book of 2025! 

 

Thank you NetGalley and Zando Projects for an ARC. #LibrariansofLisbon #NetGalley 

Gambling Man: The Secret Story of the World's Greatest Disruptor, Masayoshi Son by Lionel Barber

3.0

Gambling Man is the first Western biography of SoftBank CEO Masayoshi Son. This book goes back a couple generations so we can learn what world Son comes from. He is the son of a pachinko kingpin who grew up in a slum in Japan. 

 

Honestly, I didn’t know who Masayoshi Son and reading a biography on him was a complete learning experience. Thank you Atria and NetGalley for an ARC. #NetGalley #GamblingMan 

Old School by Gordon Korman

4.0

In the 3rd grade my teacher read “I Want to Go Home” by Gordon Korman. I laughed so hard I cried at Rudy Miller’s antics. Since then, I have been a faithful Korman fan. His characters are fun. “Old School came out this week, I knew I had to sneak in a quick listen before jumping into some fat nonfiction reads. I am so glad I did. Don’t be afraid to pick up a children’s chapter book, a good story, is a good story. 

 

Dexter Foreman is a 12-year-old living with his grandmother at The Pines Retirement Village. The Village residents, that include as WWII code breaker, and multiple retired teachers, home school Dex. That is until the truancy officers show up and insist her go to public middle school. Dex starts middles school acting and dressing like the senior citizens he lives with. You can imagine how well that goes over in school. He does make some impressions, good and bad, and learns lessons on how to be a kid along the way. 

The Ghosts Of Rome by Joseph O'Connor

4.0

The Ghosts of Rome by Joseph O'Connor is a historical mystery set in the final months of World War II Rome. A group known as The Choir has successfully smuggled escapees out of Nazi-occupied Rome via the Escape Line. When an airman falls from the skies, it puts him, The Choir and the Line at risk. 

 

If you enjoy historical WWII mysteries, The Ghosts of Rome offers an engaging mix of intrigue and atmosphere. I enjoyed it so much I’ve purchased the 1st book in the series to read as well. 

 

Thank you Netgalley and Europa Editions! #TheGhostsofRome #NetGalley 

Parable of the Sower by Octavia E. Butler

5.0

"Parable of the Sower" hits even harder on a re-read, especially with everything happening in the world right now. Butler’s vision of a future torn apart by climate change, inequality, and violence feels uncomfortably close to what we’re living through. This time, the darkness really stood out to me—it’s impossible not to feel the weight of the world’s current state as you read about Lauren’s journey. Her search for hope and community amid chaos is powerful, but it also feels incredibly timely and unsettling. 

Last Twilight in Paris by Pam Jenoff

5.0

 

London, 1953 – Louise and her husband are still adjusting to post war life, when she finds a necklace in a second shop. She recognizes this necklace; it looks like one she saw while working for the Red Cross. Can this necklace help unlock the mysterious death of her friend Franny during the war? Louise tells her husband she is going to Paris where she seeks help from her former boss Ian to complete the story of the necklace. 

 

Pam Jenoff stories are always amazing and the research she puts into them is A+!  I had trouble putting this one down and was quite sad when it was over. 

 

Thank you, NetGalley & Harlequin Trade Publishing for the ARC. #LastTwilightinParis #NetGalley 

The New Internationals by David Wright Faladé

3.5

 The New Internationals chronicles Paris during the post war era through the eyes of four individuals. Cecile Rosenbaum, is from a Jewish family that lost everything, meets Minette Traoré, a French girl with Senegalese decent, meet on the way to a Communist Youth Conference. There they meet Sebastien Danxomè from West Africa. They meet Mack Gray, an African American GI. Relationships and ideals are tested and questions as these four grow in a post war world. 

 

The New Internationals was a good story full of nuance and a great look into a colorful and powerful era. 

 

Thank you, NetGalley & Grove Atlantic for the ARC. #TheNewInternationals #NetGalley. 

We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer

3.5

The Enigma Girl by Henry Porter

4.5

The Enigma Girl is about Alice "Slim" Parsons, a 4th generation spy. She is one of the most skilled, and obstinate Mi5 agent. While she is undercover her mother is pushed down the stairs and is dying. Slim also is given some news about her estranged brother. Are both connected to what she is investigating while undercover? 

It is argued that Henry Porter is this generation’s John le Carre. While not everyone agrees, every time I read a book by Porter, I think of le Carre. 

Thank you, NetGalley and Grove Atlantic/Atlantic Monthly Press. We know I’m a sucker for a good spy thriller. #TheEnigmaGirl #NetGalley