We may have been given complimentary copies and/or access for review purposes to any books, products, and/or any other visual or audio media mentioned below. Any and all opinions expressed here are our own.
Books: The Underground Library & The Other Lola
Today we are recommending The Underground Library by Jennifer Ryan. This book is the story of three women who join together to save a community's library in World War II London by bringing it underground. Juliet Landsdowne is the deputy librarian. As a woman, the men in charge don't take her seriously. Thus, she doesn't know how long they will allow her to keep the underground library running since the male head librarian wants to shut it down. Katie Upwood is only there until she begins classes at the University in the Fall, but a sudden discovery uproots her life and changes all her plans. Sofie Baumann is a Jewish refugee working as a maid for a man who treats her quite poorly. The library is her peaceful respite and the place she goes to seek information about her sister, who is still trying to flee Germany.
This is a really heartwarming beautiful story about a group of people coming together and forming a family. It is full of great female characters not just the three main women in the story but so many others as well. There are quite a few admirable strong-willed independent female characters in the book. They do not sit around and wait for a man to take care of them. They can take care of themselves but they also care for and help each other as well.
Still, this doesn't mean that there aren't any admirable male characters in the book. True, there are a few horrible male characters who don't take women seriously and/or want to control women and keep them in their so-called place, like Sofie's abusive boss. However, there are also some good caring supportive men as well. This makes for some very sweet and heartwarming romances among equals. All in all, it's a lovely touching book.
Today we are recommending The Other Lola by Ripley Jones. This book is the sequel to Jones' previous book, Missing Clarissa, about two teenage girls, Cam and Blair who start a podcast and solve the mystery of a missing girl from their town. For more about that book, see our previous post Tips for Tuesday - Books: Missing Clarissa. In this book, the two girls are approached by a younger child, Mattie, whose sister disappeared several years ago and has now allegedly returned. However, Mattie is convinced the girl who returned literally isn't the girl who disappeared, and they want Cam and Blair to prove it.
In this book, the two girl's roles are reversed from the previous book. Cam is the cautious reluctant one, and Blair is the headstrong one who rushes in without thinking. The supporting characters involved in the mystery are much less cliched and predictable and much more interesting than in the previous book. The resolution of the story is much more satisfying as well. Even though the initial premise of the story might not seem like it makes sense, in the end, it all does.
However, at the heart of this book and what makes it so special are the great relationships between the characters. Not only is there the deep bond of a true and caring friendship between Cam and Blair but there are sweet relationships between each of the girls and Cam's mother too as well as the touching relationship that develops between the girls and Mattie, and more.
Movies: Murder & Cocktails
Today we are recommending Murder & Cocktails. This is a movie about a couple getting involved in solving a murder in their building. Clearly, this movie is meant to be a updated version of the Thin Man movies and it does share some elements of those movies. There is a playful loving couple as its center, there are plenty of suspects, and in the end, all of the characters are gathered together for the revelation of the person responsible for committing the crime.
However, it does not quite reach the high standard of those movies. The repartee between the main characters is not quite as sharp nor is the state of their union quite as clear. On the other hand, they are more realistic in that Nick and Nora never have to worry about money but obviously this couple does although they don't seem all that concerned about it.
It is hard to care about the initial murder victim because you never get to know them However, the film is filled with amusing quirky characters who make it interesting. The resolution of the mystery is satisfying as well. On the whole, it's a decent fairly enjoyable movie but not a great one.
Murder & Cocktails is available digitally to rent or buy now.
And that's our view. Tune in tomorrow for Where-To-Go Wednesday.
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