The Botanist's Assistant - Peggy Townsend's Latest...Get Your Copy!

The Botanist's Assistant is Peggy Townsend's latest and my first one by this author. Let me assure you that it will NOT be my last! The story centers around Margaret Finch. Margaret is a 54-year old, 6' tall, and big-boned woman. She lives by herself in a cabin in the woods and, when she's not at work, focuses her attention on her numerous plants. When she is at work, she acts as the long-time assistant to a well-known botanist in his lab. That's pretty much her whole life. She doesn't really have any friends, and that is okay with her. So what is this story about, you ask?

Well, there is a death in the department that she works in, and Margaret is determined to find out what happened. The university that they all work for is calling it death by natural causes. Margaret is not buying that. Hence Margaret turns into an amateur detective.

I enjoyed this book a lot. It's not only a mystery that I was not able to solve(!). But it's also very well-written. Let me give you just two examples of comparisons that grabbed me and made me smile:

A professor in the department thinks that he is an equal to her boss. Margaret thinks: "...that was like equating a rare Egyptian vase with kindergartner's Play-Doh bowl." And when Margaret is snooping around and suddenly has to hide, we read: "She drops to her knees and scuttles behind the sofa like a cockroach seeking shelter from a smacking broom." I think we can all visualize what the author is saying. And, believe me, there are many more descriptive clauses throughout the book.

Are you looking for a fun read that will captivate you and keep you guessing? And is Margaret Finch a character that we want to see again? The answer to both of those questions is a resounding YES!   

In the Light of the Sun, by Angela Shupe - Historical Fiction at Its Best!

Let me start off by saying that In the Light of the Sun is a terrific book. Not only is it an easy 5/5, but it’s also Shupe’s debut novel. It is quite an accomplishment!

 

This is historical fiction at its best. The book starts in 1941. Caramina Grassi is a young girl who lives in the Philippines with her father and all of her siblings, except for her older sister, Rosa, who is in Florence, studying to be an opera singer. Rosa lives with her grandmother, who was once a renowned opera singer herself. Caramina, too, hopes that one day she will also be in Italy, preparing to be an opera singer like her sister and grandmother…and then WWII hit!

 

The story delves into the hardships that Caramina, Rosa, and their family members face in their respective countries. As you would expect in a book based on a world war, the Grassis endure hardships in both countries. There is love and there are tragedies.

 

Will Rosa become an opera singer? Will Caramina get any closer to following in her sister’s footsteps? Will the family members survive? You will need to read In the Light of the Sun to get answers.