Book Review: The Summer of '71 Five Months That Changed America by John A. Jenkins

    I am very grateful to highbridge Audio for the advanced listener copy of this history novel.  I feel like we are starting to see more books focusing on this "Disco Era" and it's importance in history. 

   When I was a Civics study in Junior High this era was most certainly not discussed. Many of my male teachers were veterans and had some very strong opinions on Vietnam. It was a topic that rarely came up as opposed to WWII which seemed to be all over our school library, and one book which showed some very gruesome photos from WWII probably shaped my interest in history, and horror all in one. I do wonder if the school library was even aware of that particular book (WWII in pictures). 

Fast forward many decades and it seems that readers are now interested in learning more about Vietnam, and not only Vietnam, but also many of the other fractious skudugger-ous  laws and activities that our politicians were getting up to in 1971. And Whoooooo-eeeeeee This was not the age of snap chat, internet access and instagram.  No one was really secretly video-ing a person in the parking lot- for any reason. (It would have been pretty hard to miss with the equipment required. ) BUT if it had been, there would have been so  so much tea to be consumed. 

Margolies, John, photographer. Coffee Pot Restaurant, Lexington, Virginia. Lexington Virginia United States, 1982. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2017709465/.

I still like to think of this as very recent past, but looking around at all the folks in the workforce who were born in the 2000's this is objectively not the case and there will be many many readers who have no memory of the Disco age. 

This book packs in so much history for these 5 months-  if memes were a thing back in the Summer of ' 71 they would have been on par with the current ones about living in "unprecedented times" .  This is one to put on your shelf (and in your ears) if you have wondered how we got to where we are at in the US currently. 

Relying on many primary sources, it seems that Jenkins gives us a mostly neutral telling of the events and he does an excellent job connecting points that I might have missed- especially as a casual reader and learner. 

The Narration is excellent and it felt as if I was listening to a NPR radio program, rather than an audio book!  Jim Seybert is the narrator, and he's an Audie award winner for a reason! 

Definitely one to pick up for those summer moments when we feel like we should be doing more than pool lounging, we could be learning! 

First Published : 06/30/26

Pages: 448

Available as an Audio Book :  Yes - ~ 12 hours 

Trigger Warnings: war, discussion of sexual behavior, discussion of violent events, politics (this is not a full list, read responsibly)

Book Review: The Penniless Peer by Barbara Cartland

    I took an offer to listen to Barbara Cartland's The Penniless Peer on audio. Many thanks to NetGalley and Bolinda audio! 

 Barbara Cartland was a prolific writer and her novels number approximately 723 give or take, and they have been estimated to sell over a billion books.  The Penniless Peer was first published in 1974, and it is getting a re-release on audio as part of Bolinda's Eternal Collection. Cartland certainly has cemented herself in the romance world with such a prolific body of publications. 

I was pretty excited to read The Penniless Peer!  With the success of Bridgerton and The Buccaneers and the ongoing popularity of Jane Austen in the reading community, I felt like the Penniless Peer was certain to be a winner. And, I did want to find out something of the Queen of Romance. 

In short order, this is the story of Fenella - an adorable young woman without guile who is entirely infatuated with with Second cousin Periquine. 

ALAS- Periquine is infatuated with Hettie, a beautiful young woman who does seem to be, however, highly focused on finances - of which Periquine has none. Alas... Alack... oh dear...

   Fenella and Periquine get up to several wild escapades in order to secure funds until a kindly uncle puts an end to this entirely inappropriate behavior and takes a strong hand to both Fenella and Periquine - hoping to shape their future. Periquine is off to India until a sudden windfall occurs.

Fenella is presented to the Ton and is a raging success.  Her dear uncle expects her to make a superb match. 

Will she make such a match, or will her heart forever belong to Periquine? Will Perquine marry the snobbish Hettie now that funds have come through legitimate gain, rather than smuggling or stealing? 

You'll want to read to find out. 

   Susie Riddel does the narration and I felt it was delightful. There were lots of changes in inflection, and I never had trouble identifying which character was speaking. She made the story easy to follow and I was a bit sad when the story ended, as I would no longer have her bell like voice coming across my speakers. 

     I myself, am quite torn on this volume. This novel was originally published in 1974.  Although it is set in the Regency Era, it really does reflect 1970's ideals as well.   I am so curious as to how it will be received by modern romance readers.  For me, I did not find the character of Fenella to reflect a strong woman, nor did I like the choices she made in the end - making it one of the most unsatisfying "Happily Ever After" endings I've ever read! But, I am not all readers, and I did find it fascinating to discover the differences in romance over the decades. This would be a fun read for romance readers, especially those interested in how the genre has changed and evolved over the decades. 

First Published :  1974

Pages: 200

Available as an Audio Book :  Yes - Bolinda ~ 6 hours. 

Trigger Warnings: landed gentry poverty, dueling, gambling, thievery, skulduggery (this is not a full list, read responsibly)

Book Review: The Blossoming of the Big Tree by Dilman Dila

 

 I had seen this on Net Galley and kind of shied away from the arachnid on the cover.  I'm not opposed to spiders, but I'm also not that into them. At some point Mr. Dila reached out and asked if I might be interested in this Solar Punk novel, and after looking at the description, YES, I was. I really enjoyed this novel, and I think I will want to read at least one more novella from this author. 

I so see a different background cover offered as well.   Do you have a preference? 

  This is really interesting science fiction/climate fiction with a snappy main female character who is about 70 years old, and a bit set in her ways.  She knows she isn't like everyone else, but she also, at age 70 has learned how to cope and get along in the world, despite her aversion to socialization, and depending on others.  She understands how interconnected the world is, and how people may be depending on her and she may be depending on them.  She doesn't love it, but she knows how her world works. She's elected/voluntold to the chairmanship of National Defense, and as she understands how her world works, she accepts without a fuss.  After all- she is living in a decentralized cooperative society- and she doesn't figure any other nation/area is going to pick a fight. 

Our intrepid main character did not expect a neighboring power to invader her peaceful country. They want their inventive eco-friendly tech and food. She's got to come up with something, and fast. Her decentralized society knows it can't fight back with military power, so they are throwing all hope at the Chairperson of National Defense. What's a girl to do? Adita - who just wanted to stay home- is about to have an adventure.  

Here's how I picture our main character: 

Parks, Gordon, photographer. Daytona Beach, Florida. Woman who says she is 104 years old. Volusia County Daytona Beach Florida United States, 1943. Feb. Photograph. https://www.loc.gov/item/2017845190/.

 

Overall, I enjoyed this novella.  It has a delightful and satisfying ending, a main character that I wholly enjoyed meeting, and a lot of different points for discussion if read as a group. 

If one is going for the HRCYED (hardest Reading Challenge you'll Ever Do)  this will fall squarely in the Regions challenge, and can cover Regions in Africa. 

I hope more people will discover Dilman, for both Films and Literature! 

First Published :  7/1/2026

Pages: 110

Available as an Audio Book :  Not at this time. 

Trigger Warnings: Ecological disaster, War, Shunning (this is not a full list, read responsibly)

Book Review: The Summer of the Serpent By Cecilia Eudave

    As a reader I am gravitating more and more to horror.  I think this is because there is always something interesting going on in horror. 

  I initially was avoiding horror because I really don't need any adrenaline rushes and perhaps I was just not interested in cathartic reading experiences.  

But Horror to me is so much more. I have been fascinated to read horror novels from other cultures, as they offer such an amazing view into that culture- and it's interesting to see what transcends borders in horror and what needs footnotes for outsiders to fully grasp the horror. 

With all that in mind, I boldly sailed into The Summer of the Serpent by Cecilia Eudave.  As an added bonus, this is a book in translation, and I really want to beef up these books in my list.  In hindsight, I would have probably not read this book if I knew that the animal cruelty  and child abuse would be so prominent in parts of the book. This for me was so very difficult to listen to and although it was not extraordinarily graphic or grotesque in any sort of splatter punk way, it was a tough one to read through. Others may not find this as horrifying as I did, but HELP A READER OUT! 

This novel is only 144 pages. In this brief encounter, the reader is able to experience so many things about the sweltering summer of 1977 in Guadalajara, Mexico. 

   It feels as if this is more of a collection of vignettes with points of view from all angles, all experiencing the same time and space, but somehow, having wildly divergent experiences and emotions all tied up together. If you have ever sat around with siblings and recounted a monumental family trip  and realized that even though you were all there, on that trip, together, each one of you has a different memory- this is exactly how reading this felt. I was immersed in this sensation of a fever dream that often overtook my childhood summer days, and although my circumstances were different, these vignettes did bring back my childhood summers- to an extent. I want to read more from this author, but I will be a bit cautious about the content! 

First Published :  6/30/2026

Pages: 144

Available as an Audio Book :  Yes

Trigger Warnings: Death,  ghosts,  reference to child SA, Animal cruelty (not vague),  (this is not a full list, read responsibly)

Book Review: The Disco at the End of the World by Nathan Tavares

 WHAT A WILD FEVER DREAM OF A NOVEL! 

I did receive an advanced Listener Copy from RB Media (THANK YOU!!!!)  and of course all opinions are my own. 

I do honestly believe this book is best read via audio for most readers. Ruffin Prentiss did the narration and his voice takes on a rhythm and timbre that is propulsive. I loved it. I was able to finish this book within a week - which is probably a speed record for me. 

   This is a story of many things. Firstly it is set in 1977.  But not a 1977 that you or I recall, and not one that is chronicled in the history books. We're in a 1977 that has a Space program involving military bases on the moon.  YEP,  ON THE MOON! 

   Mitch  (AKA Last Ditch Mitch) is stuck out on the moon, with one pal Gloria, and he's hoping his long lost love Flynn will someday come find him.  Thing is... he only knows Flynn joined the Spacemen, he had NO IDEA where Flynn might be.    

    Mitch and Gloria find themselves dishonorably discharged from the Service and must return to earth. This is not the plan, and  it's hard to know what to do. So, these two team up with the LGBTQIA community to create mutual aid, a space for people to be themselves, and a space for organization when actual aliens return to earth - some in the form of disco loving beautiful men. 

  I feel like this book is best understood if one has some knowledge of the history of various critical points in LGBTQIA history like the stonewall riots, the "gay panic defense"  and Don't ask/Don't tell act. Although none of this is really explicitly referred to in the book, I felt that there were reverberations of these time lines and events in the book. 

I did do a video review of this, and if you are so inclined please feel free to click here and help a creator out.  (TT is not a fan of these videos and I find my content to be somewhat less viewed after posting anything related to Pride month- which could be coincidence or... it could be something else. I am not a professional content creator and so I have created some very cringe videos.  I am also do not identify as LBGTQIA  so I may have not done this justice at all.) 

Overall I did enjoy this novel. It does not quite seem to come together very tightly, but based on vibes alone, I will give it a resounding 3.75 stars. 

First Published : 06/16/2026  Audio out on 6/30

Pages: 368

Available as an Audio Book :  ~ 9 hrs

Trigger Warnings: War references, weapons, aliens, Disco dancing, references to sexual behavior,  (this is not a full list, read responsibly)

Book Review The Plagued Sea By Kim Bo-Young

 Many Many Thanks to Honford Star Ltd for the advanced E-copy of Kim Bo-Young's A Plagued Sea.

Amazingly, After I finished this one, I was offered the Advanced Listener's Copy from MacMillan Audio!  I jumped at the opportunity because with this creepy novel, I wanted to see how the narrator would handle the monsters and general atmospheric vibe! 

I am not sure if there has been a new flood of translated Korean works into the English Market - or if I just somehow became aware of them and started to seek them out but I am definitely here for it either way. 

Let's start with the Cover:

This cover really gives off a bit of creepy vibes just with the muted tones and the sightless fish eyes, It was designed by Jana Heidersdorf who is well know as the creator of covers for Hazelthorn and Don't let the forest in.

    This is a novella and it is a perfect read for those embarking on HRCYED (Hardest Reading Challenge you'll ever do) in July. One of the prompts is Weather Events and another is Regions, and yet another involves the elements, so this compact novella could work for several prompts. 

For readers who aren't into challenges, this also stands out as a book in translation, and a horror novel that pulls in the most delightful Lovecraft elements, while maintaining originality. 

   Without any SPOILERS - (there's enough spoilt fish in this one), readers start in a train station where our main character and her delightful niece are set to take a trip to a seaside escape. As they near boarding, warnings abound noting a strong weather event at their destination. For an unknown reason Mu-young decides to board the train anyway - a decision she may come to regret. Three years later, She finds herself trapped in a village that is quarantined due to East Sea Fever. There's no vaccine or cure, and it seems only this village is affected. My-young fills her time working to maintain quarantine for the infected. It's a thankless job, and she isn't a gentle kind character that makes a reader want to support her. One day she's warned to stay inside, but of course, like all good horror, she does not do what she was told, and all hell, chaos and misery breaks loose in a way that opens her understanding and compassion. This crescendo of a moment really made the entire book for me! 

   Overall this read has top tier suspense that built steadily until an explosive conclusion. I enjoyed the references back to Lovecraft and felt that this novella does deserve to be called "lovecraftian" It was someone Covid-19 coded- and I did feel a bit triggered by many references that brought the Covid back to the forefront of my mind. I imagine in a few more years "the young folk" will find those references fascinating rather than triggering! 

Getting back to the Narrator... Joy Osmanski was the narrator and I appreciated the subtle way she used her voice tones and pauses to create this nightmare sensation of a novel.  It would have been easy to fall into sound effects, but instead I felt as if I was listening to Joy tell us a story naturally using just inflection, timbre and tone- as well as space between the words to set the scene. Amazing. 

I'm so glad I got the opportunity to dip into this one early and review it for all.  It's one to pop on the TBR to savor on a rainy summer afternoon! 

First Published :  8/11/2026

Pages: 156

Available as an Audio Book :  Yes

Trigger Warnings: Death, Ecological disaster, Disfigurement, violence, smoking and mild alcohol use, noxious odor references.  (this is not a full list, read responsibly)

Book Review- Our Infinite and Inevitable ends by A. D. Sui

  I received an advanced copy of this book from ECW press.  I really like ECW because they are always producing some unusual titles with all sorts of perspectives.  I loved the Iron Garden Sutra from Sui, so I was down to try another one. 

  One thing that A. D Sui is- is original.  Their novels are not the same story with a new twist or different characters.  They are wholly unique and well realized each time and every time you get really superb writing that flows- making it easy to read even when slipping through unfamiliar and somewhat complex concepts and situations. 

We open up on "the Great Garbage Patch"  where Cas is working to try to save the world- literally- using s science to do this.  (This isn't part of Sui's imagination, this garbage patch exists. Click here for more info.)

Cas is exactly where she wants to be, far from her Ex- Yana who is a pharmaceutical researcher. The world is being taken by Storm by a new pharmaceutical, Deleria which allows users glimpses of alternate realities, and a future where some of Earth's problems may be solved. Cas is not immune to this drug and when Yana is killed in a blast and Cas is arrested as a possible domestic terrorist, Cas dives deeper in to Deleria until she's got to make a choice to spiral into a deleria delerium or to live in the now. 

This is a well put together book that reads more like a fast paced Cli-Fi thriller rather than Sci Fi, though there are Sci-Fi elements. It is a great one for book clubs as there is a lot to discuss from each chapter. 

For me this is not going to be my favorite A. D Sui book. Predictable because I am a SPACE SHIP Junkie, and this pretty much takes place on the mundane earth. For others looking for sharp discussion on the state of the Earth and climate, the pharma industry (side notes only) and sapphic relationships- this will likely be one they will want to pick up. 

  I'm unclear if this would qualify as a weird girl book, and I'm leaning towards no.  There are "girls" in the book and they are a bit weird, but it doesn't have that Weird girl vibe. That said, it does have a vibe and the vibe is definitely OK. 

First Published :  10/27/26

Pages: 312

Available as an Audio Book :  Maybe? 

Trigger Warnings: Death, Ecological disaster, law enforcement, drug use/abuse,  (this is not a full list, read responsibly)