The Girls of Murder City, Perry (audio)
The tawdry true tale of the women on trial for murder who inspired the musical Chicago, and in a more direct way than I had imagined: one of the women who covered the trials for the local papers ended up writing a play which was later adapted into the musical after her death. The book draws mainly from her writing, letting you follow the story as well as her thoughts about the cases. Three stars and a narrator.
The True Meaning of Smekday, Rex (audio)
I had heard that this book was good, but I was not prepared for how much I would be sucked into the story. It isn’t just an adventure (an 11 year old girl driving across the country to find her mom during an alien-forced relocation), but it had great twists, character development, and some social commentary too. The narrator for the audiobook is EXCELLENT, and did a lot to express character in her narration. Four stars.
My Cool Caravan: An Inspirational Guide to Retro-Style Caravans, Field-Lewis, Haddon, Walker
Because this book is from the UK, it’s actually about trailers, but somehow there were some very ritzy trailers made over there. Those trailers (with gorgeous wood cabinets, scaled-down fixtures, and sometimes custom dishes, too) are jaw dropping. The less fancy ones are impressive, too: vintage trailers brought back to past glory or made into kitchy havens, plus refurbished gypsy caravans and shepherd’s huts. I want to live in these tiny perfect worlds, parked in lush farmers’ fields or by babbling brooks. Four stars.
Lincoln’s Flying Spies: Thaddeus Lowe and the Civil War Balloon Corps, Jarrow
Wondering why the other two books by Jarrow listed on the back cover have long lists of honors and awards? Because she does hella research– pages and pages of sources she used are listed in the back and great lashings of primary sources and images add to the book. All of that plus engaging writing mean that I’m in love. I also can’t imagine who wouldn’t love a story with hydrogen balloons? Five stars.