"Spindle City" by Jotham Burrello

I originally got interested in getting an advanced reading copy of this novel after noticing in the description that it was set in Fall River, MA. I live in Southern New England and have long been fascinated by the history of some of the cities around here: Fall River, New Bedford, Newport etc. Many of them had their heyday over a hundred years ago and we can see the evidence of their past grandeur even today: from rows of former factory buildings in Falls River, to the whaling history of New Bedford, to palatial mansions of Newport.

Set against the backdrop of textile manufacturing in Fall River in early 1900s, the story at its core is a family drama. Joseph Bartlett manages the Cleveland Mill. We follow the story of his rise to power, his personal tragedy, parenting difficulties and struggles with doing what is right for thousands of workers that are in his employ. 

Burrello gives a great snapshot of the city during the time when it rivaled Boston and Chicago due to its thriving textile industry. Thousands of immigrants came to Fall River chasing their American dream. In 1911 President Taft visited the city during the Cotton Centennial celebration. Burrello gives us a glimpse into the lives of the very wealthy and the very poor. He also paints the larger historic background with the suffragist movement, unionizations, and World War I. I also thought he did a great job outlining the causes of the industrial decline in New England. The mills of Falls River simply could not compete with the lower costs of production in the South.

Even though I really enjoyed the historical aspects of the novel, I was also completely engrossed in the Bartletts' family drama. The novel is filled with memorable characters and their nuanced stories. Overall, this was a great read. I would say Burrello wrote a love letter to Fall River, or at least to its history. I devoured the book in 2 days and highly recommend it. 5 out of 5 stars.

An e-ARC was provided by NetGalley.com

"The Lost Diary of Venice" by Margaux DeRoux

The Lost Diary of Venice is a new favorite. Alternating between being set in modern day Connecticut and 16th century Venice, it is a quiet ode to art, books and love lost and found. If you like exploring bookstores, art history, libraries and old secrets, this book is for you.

Our main character Rose is a book restorer and a bookstore owner in New Haven, CT.  One day a stranger comes into her store carrying an old book that he inherited after his great-grandmother's death. It turns out to be a treatise on art by a forgotten 16th century painter Giovanni Lomazzo. As Rose takes on the project of restoring the book she discovers that the book is actually a palimpsest - there is another text underneath which was erased and written over. If the top layer is a work on Renaissance art, the one underneath it is the artist's diary. Rose is thus plunged into the life of Venetian courtesans, naval battles, and religious fanatics. As Giovanni unexpectedly falls in love with a lover of a Venetian nobleman, Rose too feels inexplicably drawn to her customer and Gio's descendent William Lomazzo.

I was enthralled by the story and DeRoux' writing from the very beginning. It was a real treat. I highly recommend it. 5 out of 5 stars.

"The Poet X" by Elizabeth Acevedo

I fell in love with Elizabeth Acevedo's writing last year when I read With the Fire on High. I found The Poet X even more amazing. It is written entirely in verse, and I highly recommend the audiobook because the author reads it herself. The book is written from the point of view of a 16-year old girl and a secretly aspiring poet named Xiomara. Her parents are Dominican immigrants: the mother is extremely religious and strict, and the father is basically there but completely checked out. Xiomara's only outlet is pouring out her thoughts in poems with which she covers pages and pages of notebooks. I once heard someone say that a true writer cannot help but write: they will even cover walls in imagined writing as they walk along a street. I believe this is true about Xiomara. She is quiet at school but there is a whirlwind of emotions, desires, rage and yearnings in her heart that find shape in her poems.

The book is timeless and poignant in its exploration of the conflict between generations. How do you tell your devout Catholic mother that you are doubting your own faith? Or, for Xiomara's twin brother: how do you tell them that you are gay? Xiomara falls in love with a boy. But her mother thinks that only sluts date, and there is no way she would ever be allowed to go out with him. Xiomara's body is changing and with it come inappropriate whistles, remarks and even gropings from random men on the street and in public transportation. The final straw that pushes Xiomara over the edge is the fact that her mother refuses to accept her art. Ultimately, the story ends on the note of hope. She has to fight for her right to express herself in poetry, and her parents learn to accept it rather than lose her altogether. I cannot wait to read more from this author. Highly recommend this book.

"Unravel the Dusk" by Elizabeth Lim

Unravel the Dusk is the conclusion of the story that began in book 1 called Spin the Dawn, which I read and reviewed last year. We left our characters at the end of the first book, when Maia began feeling the effects of having been marked by a demon. In book 2, the Emperor and the shansen are back to being at war with each other and Maia and the former imperial enchanter are in the thick of it. Maia has to learn how to control the demon within and channel her new power for good. At a basic level, it is a story of good and evil, an internal struggle within each of us: the choices we make, the impulses we follow or let go off. 

Similar to book 1, Unravel the Dusk is action-packed and a very fast read. I liked the scope of the story, the character development and the plot. Overall, a very well rounded fantasy duology. 4 out of 5 stars.

An e-ARC was provided by NetGalley.com