Review: Tsarina

Tsarina by Ellen Alpsten
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Tsarina is a breathtaking epic historical novel about the rise of Empress Catherine the First of Russia. She is born a poor girl named Marta who is taken into a German home to work. She is always a beautiful girl and then woman and when she manages to flee to claim her independence, she catches the eye of the Tsar of Russia, Peter.
This story is full of a richness of atmosphere and detail that lets the reader truly feel compassion and understanding for the choices Marta makes throughout her life. She has many struggles and joy throughout her life. She becomes the partner to Peter and has many pregnancies, fewer living children before he even marries her. She allows Peter to “rename” her, Catherine, when they begin to have a relationship. She essentially has to decide how much she is willing to give of herself in order to be the wife to Peter. Peter is a complex character who can be a loving man to his partner but he is also a tyrant who does terrible, spiteful acts as well. He has very little emotional control and she often bears the brunt of his rage. She alone is often the person most able to tell him difficult facts. These facts sometimes sway his plots and other times do not. The atrocities he committed, as well as the lavish lifestyle were often issues that weighed heavily on Catherine.
Ultimately, Marta/Catherine is a fascinating figure who became the first Empress of Russia. She also remained true to her roots and was a real person who understood the hardships of her people.
This is absolutely a must read for historical fiction lovers, especially anyone interested in the history of Russia.
Beautifully written.
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Review: Shuggie Bain

Shuggie Bain by Douglas Stuart
My rating: 5 of 5 stars



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Review: The New Husband: A Novel

The New Husband: A Novel by D.J. Palmer
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This story is just okay. The story itself is about a woman whose husband dies during a fishing trip and she has to pick up the pieces and carry on taking responsibility for their family. She has not had the chance to confront him about details of his life that affect them both, such as adultery, him losing his job two years earlier without telling her, etc. She then becomes involved in a relationship with a teacher from her daughter's school which feels rushed and awkward. It has clearly made her daughter's life uncomfortable as well. This man seems so perfect, but is her really? The frustrating thing about this book is the toughness of the protagonist when her husband goes missing versus her weakness at other times. The "thriller" aspect of this book wasn't really where I wanted to see it. The story could have been better if it was.
This is a good story but could have been better. The last book I read by this author was Saving Meghan, and that was excellent. So, it is entirely possible that the subject matter difference wasn't really my thing.
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Review: These Vengeful Hearts

These Vengeful Hearts by Katherine Laurin
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This is a quick and fun autumnal read.
I enjoyed the setting, I'm always intrigued by a school setting and secret societies. This has both.
The protagonist enters the school with the idea of becoming a member of the secret society that has harmed her family personally. She is invited to join and part of the deal is that you become available to the group to carry out "pranks" or tasks at anytime. Her goal is very different though, because she wants to infiltrate the group in order to undermine them. Sounds great.
The overall plot and character development lacks a bit in my opinion. This brought the overall story down from what it could have been for me.
I enjoyed it but would have liked there to be more depth.
I recommend this for anyone looking for the school setting and loves the secret society vibe as I do.
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Review: Invisible Girl

Invisible Girl by Lisa Jewell
My rating: 5 of 5 stars



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Review: It Will Just Be Us

It Will Just Be Us by Jo Kaplan
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a unique, gothic horror story that reaches a shocking conclusion.
At first, the book is a bit slow in the build up of characters and history of the haunted house at the center of the tale. But within the blink of an eye, it is page-turning suspense and intrigue.
The story itself centers around sisters who come back to the haunted mansion of their childhood, to live with their mother while awaiting the birth of the eldest sister’s baby. While all the women of the house seem to be attuned to the supernatural occurrences, they each respond differently.
The way the house shows the past, present and future is a clever idea for the story and interesting how the author weaves the characters from different time periods together in this magical place. I enjoyed the story and the ending is a complete surprise. One that’s worth waiting for!
If you want a haunted ghost story, this book is for you!
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Review: Blind Spots: Why Students Fail and the Science That Can Save Them

Blind Spots: Why Students Fail and the Science That Can Save Them by Kimberly Nix Berens
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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Dr. Berens has been educated in behavioral assessments and for many years has been helping students using a novel approach of finding small and measurable actions and then applying behavioral scientific techniques to change these actions. She and her husband have created a system that is used in multiple institutions to apply the techniques to struggling students. This book is an attempt to state the case for this approach doing a better job than our traditional educational system.
The book is not written as an engaging and fun read but more as a treatise on the American educational establishment and almost as a dissertation arguing for behavioral scientific approaches being superior to every other educational approach. My background is as a psychology major in college and now working in the medical profession with the most challenging cases of developmental disabilities or mental health issues in an institutional setting. I have a similar background to the author but I am on the medical side of the picture. We work closely with our behavior specialists to help eliminate or promote specific behaviors. I have seen the techniques used and how effective they are. It is reasonable that these same techniques should also be able to affect change on our struggling students who have learned habits that interfere with their learning.
Overall, I found the premise of this book to be intriguing and fascinating. It would be fantastic to apply "behavioral support plans" that are individualized to each learner. I would agree that this should show measurable success in most or all cases. I agree with many of the author's points regarding what ails our educational system. I would love for there to be a universally applicable system that we could use across the board and problem solved. I don't think its that easy. I too, as a clinician and mother, have had my share of grievances with education. I would have liked to see more actual case plans and how these data were used to improve a student's experience. The few data involving individual students shown struck me as the sort of programmatic approach to learning that is quite dull if that's what you had to do all day.
I loved the ideas. I loved the simplicity of a group response (choral responding) in the classroom so that everyone is engaged and involved and receiving real time feedback. I agree with her statements of immediate feedback, and I would suggest, full feedback, to students on assignments can be a great teaching tool. Instead our students turn assignments into the teacher and don't see a response for weeks and even then it does nothing more than grade their performance rather than show them what they still need to master. I love the teaching to mastery approach rather than moving on with "a passing grade". The current method only encourages teachers to pass children without mastery and then creates a roadblock to learning more complex ideas. This is the same approach that drives "Khan Academy". Meet the student where they are, fill in the gaps with instruction and practice and then move on with instruction of complex topics.
Some of my critiques are:
1) Too much of what ails the system and the argument that its almost a century of failure. How did we produce some of the best in their fields during this time if all is bad with the system? Just through the good fortune of their learning techniques? I would like to see a plan to implement the Fit Teaching on a broader scale, with real results and examples.
2) While I definitely depend on behavior specialists and respect their different expertise from my own, I think overstating the issues in behavioral terms would equate to me overstating someone's actions in medical terms only. It is too simplistic of an approach. There is also zero reason to belittle any of our differently trained colleagues. I don't find this helpful. She stated that it is "unethical" for a physician to treat with medication based on a history and physical rather than gathering scientific data. I would argue that while I have not been trained in behavioral analysis and leave it to the experts, the same should be true for the author stating how or why physicians are choosing a treatment plan. She wasn't trained in the medical field but opines about how they should do their jobs.
3) For as many behavior plans as I have utilized in my own work, I would point out that in patients, these behavioral approaches are requested by physicians and then studied, often for weeks to months before a plan is in place. Then it requires the buy-in from every single person interacting with the individual. How is this efficient? It maybe necessary but it is not efficient. Can we expect that a behavioral, scientific approach to all learners would be equally slow to happen? It could make all the difference or not depending upon adherence to the plan. Maybe a discussion of the learners who failed to show progress would strengthen the argument for this approach.
4) I would like to know more about what is actually in place at the learning facilities already running. Even on the website the data are scant. There are overall descriptions but no concrete information. I feel like an overview of what they provide now would show the successes and weaknesses they have encountered and be helpful to understanding the usefulness of this approach.

In conclusion, overall I found that there are many great ideas and criticisms throughout this work. Many of the criticisms are examples that I have seen as well. If this is written for parents, it needs more ideas as to what they can do for their struggling learners. Many Americans do not live near a center, so another way to access the information is needed. If the book is written for educators or policy makers, it is likely to be found as somewhat insulting and too technical for the purpose it could serve. While I see the point in the historical recounting of psychological theories, it brought me back to the part of my first psychology class that I hated.
I think that if these ideas can be validated as useful throughout a school system or the educational system in total, then wouldn't it be great to include our behavioral specialists in the education policy process. Bring in these experts and allow them to take part in the discussion. This can only improve our system.

Review: They Never Learn

They Never Learn by Layne Fargo
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This is a novel told in alternating chapters, from two different perspectives. We follow the story from the perspective of Carly, the shy and sheltered young woman who is a freshman in college studying English. Her story centers around her complicated relationships with her roommate Allison, her roommate’s friend from home Wes, and her professors and classmates. She is quite intelligent and gifted in writing so she is in an advanced writing seminar. This allows her to be engaged in a more intimate classroom setting during her first semester.
The other chapters are told from an English professor’s perspective. This is Scarlett, a brilliant professor with a secret. She also has complicated relationships and an unusual hobby. There is drama regarding her professional relationships and interactions.
As the stories progress, we see the overlap between them and the arc of each character’s direction.
This was a well written and easily readable book with a well paced story. The main characters were each fairly well described although some of the supporting characters were less clear and therefore easily confused with one another. Overall I enjoyed this book and would recommend this to anyone looking for an interesting thriller with a school setting for the autumnal season.
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Review: 1922

1922 by Stephen King
My rating: 4 of 5 stars



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Review: All the Devils Are Here

All the Devils Are Here by Louise Penny
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This was my first Louise Penny book and it was a great place to start. I wasn’t expecting it to be as good as it is because I anticipated the lack of backstory to affect my appreciation and understanding of the story, but it reads easily as a semi-standalone. The story was excellent and I enjoyed the audiobook. I found the French accent to change my listening to a slower speed in order to fully understand the narration. It was still good despite this.
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Review: The Emperor's Wolves

The Emperor's Wolves by Michelle Sagara
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

This book was not for me. I can appreciate its appeal to those who have loved the entire series of 15-ish books. But here’s the thing, I’ve only read one other, and it shouldn’t have been the recommended standalone choice. So, the characters and world and plot don’t have the immediate draw or enjoyment for me. That’s on me and the way this was introduced to me, not the book itself. I believe that all the readers who have loved this series will truly enjoy this book as well. For me, fantasy books that are series books, need to be read in order for the full experience.
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Review: Perfectly Famous

Perfectly Famous by Emily Liebert
My rating: 2 of 5 stars

Plot seems good at first and the characters are sometimes interesting but the more this book continues, the more obvious it becomes that the “thriller” twists are too predictable. The story wasn’t as engaging as I had hoped it to be. It maybe right for many readers but not my favorite.

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Review: Cast in Deception

Cast in Deception by Michelle Sagara
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

My expectation going into this book was that it was a long-standing fantasy story and although I hadn’t read the books prior to this one, that I would enjoy this as a standalone. I would report that it would be better to read these in order. It’s not a bad story but not much happens. It is building the plot through a lot of travel but without much action. This can be a great approach in a series when you want to lay down a strong follow up book and based on invested readers through prior books. It doesn’t work so well as a stand-alone.
Solid writing and some good characters but overall it was just okay for me. Nothing to love and nothing to hate.
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Review: The Silvered Serpents

The Silvered Serpents by Roshani Chokshi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Chokshi has brought another winner! I loved The Gilded Wolves and found this one to pick up the pace perfectly. The characters and story are compelling and draw you right back into this world and magic system. I love the adventures the characters take on and how they interact.
Highly recommend for the fantasy lovers. Definitely not a second book slump for this series!

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Review: Three Perfect Liars: One Deadly Secret

Three Perfect Liars: One Deadly Secret by Heidi Perks
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

This book is a fun and decently paced thriller that keeps the reader invested. The story is centered around the very separate and yet overlapping stories of each of three women. One is a new mom, Laura who has left her job temporarily for the birth of her son. The second, Mia, is the replacement meant to be temporary, to do the job while Laura is on maternity leave. And the third is Janie, the wife of the boss of the agency that Laura and Mia are working with. Each of them have secrets and drama in their lives personally.
The story is based around an investigation of a fire at the business that kills a man and is considered to be arson. Each person is potentially the arsonist and therefore murderer.
There are great twists and an interesting story with many factors complicating the interaction between the women.
Definitely recommend.
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Review: Conscious Luck: Eight Secrets to Intentionally Change Your Fortune

Conscious Luck: Eight Secrets to Intentionally Change Your Fortune by Gay Hendricks
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

I found this book to be an uplifting read. It is a self-help book that has a few interesting sections that are enlightening, The biggest issue is that so many of these ideas are present in other similar types of books in this genre, many of which have been out and well read for years. That being said, it has many salient ideas to change their own way of viewing and interacting with the world around them in order to change their "luck". As, stated by many others like Oprah, "Luck is only being ready and prepared when the right opportunity is presented." The novel aspect of this book is how they chose to utilize exercises to change one's mindset to enable positive results.I found this to be an interesting addition to the ideas presented. I also enjoyed some of the vignettes used to give real world examples of their concepts. One in particular was the story related to Shame, when the author related a story of childhood and how her mother "would apply the switch on her" when she had committed some offense. This was such a common practice of discipline in the South that I had to laugh, recalling my grandmother making me go out to a tree out behind the house and choosing my own switch for my punishment. This was related to what it means to wake up to the feeling people carry of shame and then ultimately steps that can be taken to move beyond it.
Good read with insightful exercises and ideas.
Thank you for the early copy.
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