The Code of the Hills (Ozarks Mysteries # 1)

 The Code of the Hills (Ozarks Mysteries #1) by Nancy Allen

Pages: 480

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

In the Ozarks hills some things just aren't talked about... such as abuse and incest. Prosecutor Elsie Arnold is determined to take a stand for women and children in her hometown in Missouri. Her boss drops a high-profile case, in which a father is accused of abusing his three young daughters, in her lap right before the preliminary hearing. 

Elsie has to overcome the lack of preparation in the case, the oldest daughter's history of behavior, possible ulterior motives of the mother and the star witness disappearing. Adding to her stress she begins to get threats from local people and some extremists groups defending the father. Elsie swears she will not let a sex offender walk, but she soon realizes the odds are against her and it might cost her more than just her job. But she still remembers why she became a prosecuting attorney and the three young girls whose life hangs on the balance of this trial. 

A debut novel and a fast read. 

The Revolution of Ivy by Amy Engel

I love Engel's writing style. The characterization. I'm crying. Someone send help. Sacrificial love and mercy. People having inherent dignity due to the fact that they are human

All of the outdoors survival things.

I've said it before, and I'll say it again: I love Bishop.

I love all of my sweet babies. My baby boy.

It's about the found family, y'all.

Yes to non-toxic relationships *Opossum lady-Let's snap for Apple*

Yes to honesty and communication and working through issues; yes to fights where people say what they're feeling without attacking the other person. RELATIONSHIP GOALS. Someone call my best friend.

Where do I find myself a Bishop (I know where to find a Catholic bishop). I want a man of marriagable age, who is single and has the wonderfulness of Bishop Lattimer... I like a guy who knows how to hunt and can fix stuff and you know, treats me like a person....Is that too much to ask..
....That scene from the end of the Fox and the Hound.Yeah...that hurt.

...The epilogue. dsfkjlsfdjklsfdajklsfd;jklsfdjklsfd;jklsfdajklsfdjklsfd
400 Pages

The Book of Ivy by Amy Engel

Ahhh Missouri.... yes humidity..but her writing makes me want to actually go outside. All of the outdoors summer things.
Finally some good freaking Missouri content. YA content, fanfic tropes. AHHHHHH

I love that we're talking about difficult topics that are real to life and different ways to come at the problem. AGH SHE'S INSPIRING MY WRITING.
I love my beautiful baby Bishop. He looks like a cinnamon roll and could actually kill you...but he's also a cinnamon roll.
I will go down with this ship.
Insert that scene from Mr. and Mrs. Smith
How I was expecting Bishop to react:

I can't believe there's fanart... God is real. I just have a lot of feelings and I don't know how to talk about them. I need to own a physical copy of this book. I'm fine I'm fine I'm fine. Just all of the Bishop. Just leave it at that. Bishop and Ivy.
304 Pages

The Story of Arthur Truluv by Elizabeth Berg

Summary: "For the past six months, Arthur Moses's days have looked the same: He tends to his rose garden and to Gordon, his cat, then rides the bus to the cemetery to visit his beloved late wife for lunch. The last thing Arthur would imagine is for one unlikely encounter to utterly transform his life. Eighteen-year-old Maddy Harris is an introspective girl who visits the cemetery to escape the other kids at school. One afternoon she joins Arthur--a gesture that begins a surprising friendship between two lonely souls."

What a weird, interesting, and bittersweet story. I have never read a book quite like this, but I'm glad I did. 

222 pages

MOBIUS | goodreads

The Moonflower Vine by Jetta Carleton

The Moonflower Vine by Jetta Carleton
My rating: 1 of 5 stars

I really don’t get it, and it burns me up. I have so much book wrath right now, but clearly I’m in the minority.

I would have quit reading this book by the end of chapter 2, if I wasn’t reading it for a work committee on Missouri authors and stories. By that point, it was already clear that this wasn’t going to be a solid and enjoyable read for me, but alas, I continued onward. Each chapter felt like a new form of endless torture. I was constantly checking exactly how much was left to read, with a fervent wish that I would discover the book was shorter than it actually was. No such luck.

It was a serious chore to force my way through this book. My brain is absolutely numb from boredom, and I was never able to develop any emotional connection to the story or characters at all. There is no apparent plot. No drama. No tension or suspense. None of the characters are particularly interesting or well-developed. The writing is unremarkable. It’s just meh all around for me.

This is also a very dated story with a tedious amount of setting and description. All the characters are thrown at you at once, with way too much information, so it is difficult to keep anyone straight. I suspect this is intended to be a character driven story, which is probably why it reads so poorly, considering the characters aren’t distinct or memorable.

It also has dated language that is occasionally offensive, though still accurate to the time period. This book definitely didn’t stand up to the test of time. Perhaps if I had read it 25 years ago, it would have made a different impression, but I tend to doubt that.

There’s lots of religious commentary and undertones, so if that isn’t your cup of tea, you’ve been warned. I’m talking about the Old Testament, extremely judgmental, down your throat, you have sinned, and now we are going to quote bible verses at you and go attend sermons type of religious commentary. There’s lots of hypocritical morality, as well, which I agree is pretty common in Missouri, but it’s still exhausting.

After about the 4th time they ate ice cream in 5 chapters, I just no longer could even care about ice cream. I didn’t even want to hear the word ice cream ever again. There has to be more to a story than what you ate. Ice cream is not a plot. Playing in water on a hot summer day is also not a plot, but that also occurs about 3 or 4 times in the first 5 chapters. Also, beating me over the head with constant talk of the blooming moonflower vines does not make me like the title of the book more. But seriously? How does a book ruin ice cream? That’s a sad state of affairs.

I just really can’t believe I wasted part of my life reading this. I now understand why Oedipus poked out his own eyes. This book is way too long, considering there’s not even a decent storyline here, but I guess you need a lot of pages to continuously relay to the reader trivial domestic scenes that have no value to the overall context of the story.

Also, I have heard it compared to TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD, which is a complete joke, as this is not even remotely consumable by the general public. Mockingbird is a classic that even children read in school and love, so it’s an insult to a beloved book to compare it to this nonsense. Now, I actually want to go reread Mockingbird, so I can remember what reading a good story feels like.

End wrath.

Mascot by Antony John

Mascot

by Antony John

4/5

336 pages

Noah Savino has been stuck in a wheelchair for months. He hates the way people treat him like he’s helpless now. He’s sick of going to physical therapy, where he isn’t making any progress. He’s tired of not having control over his own body. And he misses playing baseball—but not as much as he misses his dad, who died in the car accident that paralyzed Noah.

Noah is scared he’ll never feel like his old self again. He doesn’t want people to think of him as different for the rest of his life. With the help of family and friends, he’ll have to throw off the mask he’s been hiding behind and face the fears that have kept him on the sidelines if he ever wants to move forward.

The Junction of Sunshine and Lucky by Holly Schindler

Summary: "Auggie and her grandfather use found objects to transform the appearance of their home and, in the process, change a whole town's perceptions of beauty and art."

This book is like a nightmare. It is like a bad dream that you can't wake up from. Similes overtake every page, like a something on a something.

Auggie's story could have been fun and cute, if it just cut down on the wordy descriptions and amped up the plot/action. 100 pages less would have worked just fine!

240 pages

MOBIUS | goodreads

Torn Away by Jennifer Brown

Torn Away by Jennifer Brown
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This is my second time through this book, and this time, I was reading the book with a committee hat on and a set of criteria in mind. But I still enjoyed it just as much as the first time through. It's a good Missouri story about family and overcoming tragedy, written by a Missouri author, which is a double win in my book.

Pages: 288

PREVIOUS REVIEW:

Homesick by Kate Klise

Summary: "Benny's parents are getting divorced, his mom left and his father has become a hoarder, to make matters worse his hometown has been entered into a contest, and now the pressure is on to get the house cleaned up."

A short and interesting story set in Missouri in 1983. Benny is a great main character, but deserves better treatment from his parents!

180 pages

MOBIUS | goodreads

-submitted by Laura

Mascot by Antony John

Summary: "Noah Savino has been stuck in a wheelchair for months. He hates the way people treat him like he's helpless now. He's sick of going to physical therapy, where he isn't making any progress. He's tired of not having control over his own body. And he misses playing baseball--but not as much as he misses his dad, who died in the car accident that paralyzed Noah. Noah is scared he'll never feel like his old self again. He doesn't want people to think of him as different for the rest of his life. With the help of family and friends, he'll have to throw off the mask he's been hiding behind and face the fears that have kept him on the sidelines if he ever wants to move forward."

I adored this book! The story is sweet, sentimental, emotional, funny, relatable and just all the things! 

The St. Louis setting comes across as real and authentic. The plot is emotional without being over-the-top. The family dynamics are heartfelt and diverse. The cast of characters are real, dynamic and deep. 

330 pages

MOBIUS | goodreads

submitted by Laura