Linda and Mary by Molly Rainier

Genre: Adult, Realistic Fiction

Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

From Goodreads

A cave woman appears on a fire escape in Brooklyn in 1967, a time when nothing seen on the street or in the news is surprising anymore. It's a time of sit ins and love ins, of mini skirts, tie dyes and Afros. The Vietnam war. As Mary Polleti, housewife, watches a storm rolling in over Flatbush, she sees the woman huddled outside her kitchen window and reaches out to her. This is the beginning of an unlikely, tender friendship between two women and the opportunity that opens up to Mary that she could never have imagined possible. With Linda as catalyst, the story carries on to an unexpected resolution. Sometimes comic, sometimes tragic, it's a story about women, and for women. 

My Thoughts

The book was well written. However, it was not a book that I really enjoyed. I know there are those out there who will enjoy it. I had trouble following the storyline. I understood that this was a look at how women were viewed in the 60s. I felt that in a way it was a little degrading of men.  Mary seemed to be quite a bit like her mother. I felt the book was a little depressing and negative. That may be why I didn’t care for it. Would I recommend it? Yes, I know there is an audience out there. This was just not the book for me.   I do believe the author is a great future in front of her. She writes well.

Nefertiti the Spidernaut: The Jumping Spider Who Learned to Hunt in Space by Darcy Pattison

Genre: Children's Picture Book, Nonfiction
Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Darcy Pattison has written a wonderful and informative story about a spider who went to space.
Nefertiti was a Johnson Jumping Spider. She was chosen because she was the largest of her siblings. They wanted to see if she could adapt to zero gravity to hunt in space. They sent along a food supply of fruit flies.   She not only learned to hunt in space, but when she returned to Earth, she needed to learn to change her hunting methods. I never realized how smart spiders  were until I read this true story. I believe, like all of Darcy’s books, this is another great book that should be in all classrooms.
I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

Indecent by Ethan Brant

Genre: Young Adult, Adult, Suspence

Source: I received a copy to facilitate my review. The opinions expressed here are my own.

From Goodreads:

Based on true events!

There was a time when six countries were united by one man named Tito. He defended the country from the tyranny of Hitler, thus establishing himself as a leader. His system of government was Socialism controlled by his Secret Police¾the UDBA. Most of the population was thrilled to live such a life and they considered the agents their protectors, but one brilliant kid disagreed. 

Zlatan, at the age of sixteen, decides to live outside the system, but that leads him to prison, to serve a sentence of five years. Inside he meets his teacher, Uncle, a former spy for Tito’s Gestapo, who arranges an early release for him, but it comes with a high price. 

In front of the prison gates, two agents catch him and give him an ultimatum¾do or die. Zlatan agrees to their criminal requests but not for ”King and Country” but for the freedom he craves. His actions lead him to discover something dark in the pit of his mind. He learns there are greater things to fear than the police and other criminals. He must answer the question . . . 

IS HE ACTUALLY FREE? 

Be the first one to find out in this debut novella by a young author, filled with suspense and psychological battles of an abnormally self-aware man.

My Thoughts

If you are looking for a light, easy, feel good read, then put this book down. This young talented writer knows how to draw out the emotions in his readers. His book is a fictionalized account of actual events.  His main character Zlatan has found himself in a situation where he is searching for freedom. The acceptance of what he hopes will give him that turns out not to be freedom. We see this young man go from a period in his life where he is a small time criminal who ends up in prison, to a young man who accepts what he thinks will be his ticket out. He leaves the prison only to find himself in a deeper hole. It makes you wonder how dark a person is willing to let their soul get. For Zlatan you can see the struggle within. He is power hungry yet you still see a side of him that wants to be rid of all the evil.  We can remove ourselves from bad situations and turn our lives around. Unfortunately the things we have done in our past, no matter how much we are able to cover them up still haunt our thoughts and memories.  This up and coming author has done a great job of touching a nerve in his readers. It makes us take a deeper look inside our own selves. With the exception of  a small amount of language I didn’t care for, I would definitely recommend this book.