Starlight Book Review – Ann Dávila Cardinal’s The Storyteller’s Death 🇵🇷

Cover of The Storyteller’s Death on a dark chartreuse background | Image Source: Goodreads

Regional U.S.A. (RUSA) Tour Stellar Reading Challenge – Bonus – Puerto Rico

3.8/5 After I posted my last review for the World Tour Stellar Reading Challenge (SRC), I realized I still owed my Gnomies one more Starlight Book Review (SBR) for the RUSA SRC. Initially, the idea of reading something set in a U.S. Territory thrilled me. Since the Book Girls’ Guide inspired this SRC region, I also looked to them for direction on reading. Check them out by clicking here. This, of course, led me to discovering Ann Dávila Cardinal’s The Storyteller’s Death. I chose to read with my ears with the copy narrated by Marisol Ramirez that I purchased on Audible.

Learn more about these 2023 SRC by clicking here.

Click here to discover more about 2024 SRC.

Trigger Warnings (TW): Mention of suicide, racism, colorism, classism 

“From International Latino Book Award-winning author Ann Dávila Cardinal comes a gorgeously written family saga about a Puerto Rican woman who finds herself gifted (or cursed?) with a strange ability.… There was always an old woman dying in the back room of her family’s house when Isla was a child…Isla Larsen Sanchez’s life begins to unravel when her father passes away. Instead of being comforted at home in New Jersey, her mother starts leaving her in Puerto Rico with her grandmother and great-aunt each summer like a piece of forgotten luggage… When Isla turns eighteen, her grandmother, a great storyteller, dies. It is then that Isla discovers she has a gift passed down through her family’s cuentistas. The tales of dead family storytellers are brought back to life, replaying themselves over and over in front of her… At first, Isla is enchanted by this connection to the Sanchez cuentistas. But when Isla has a vision of an old murder mystery, she realizes that if she can’t solve it to make the loop end, these seemingly harmless stories could cost Isla her life.”

Once I finished my library books and began reading The Storyteller’s Death, I read this book with ease. Isla passed the “Dad Test” of sympathetic character, so much so that I cringed right along with her at her mother’s various gaffes. I liked how the author showed Isla’s grieving process. Cardinal set the scenes well enough that I saw that parts took place in Puerto Rico. Yet, I found the ending too tidy. Yet, the author evoked a strong sense of both Puerto Rico and New Jersey. I recommend this to fans of magical realism.

Quotes come from book flaps/cover and are featured on color blocks.

Starlight Book Review – Muriel Barbery’s The Elegance of the Hedgehog 🦔🇫🇷

Cover of The Elegance of the Hedgehog on a blue background | Image Source: Goodreads

World Tour Stellar Reading Challenge – Bonus – France

Translated from French

3.8/5 In my reading life, I felt I ventured to literary darling Paris, France numerous times. For the World Tour Stellar Reading Challenge (SRC), I aimed to read books written in the main language and translated to English for the In Translation Journey SRC. After pouring over scads of reviews, I chose Muriel Barbery’s The Elegance of the Hedgehog despite the fact that the book isn’t the first in a series.

Learn more about these 2023 SRC by clicking here.

Click here to discover more about 2024 SRC.

Trigger Warnings (TW): This novel contains references to self-harm and death by suicide.

“A moving, funny, triumphant novel that exalts the quiet victories of the inconspicuous among us…. We are in the center of Paris, in an elegant apartment building inhabited by bourgeois families. Renée, the concierge, is witness to the lavish but vacuous lives of her numerous employers. Outwardly she conforms to every stereotype of the concierge: fat, cantankerous, addicted to television. Yet, unbeknownst to her employers, Renée is a cultured autodidact who adores art, philosophy, music, and Japanese culture. With humor and intelligence she scrutinizes the lives of the building’s tenants, who for their part are barely aware of her existence…. Then there’s Paloma, a twelve-year-old genius. She is the daughter of a tedious parliamentarian, a talented and startlingly lucid child who has decided to end her life on the sixteenth of June, her thirteenth birthday. Until then she will continue behaving as everyone expects her to behave: a mediocre pre-teen high on adolescent subculture, a good but not an outstanding student, an obedient if obstinate daughter….Paloma and Renée hide both their true talents and their finest qualities from a world they suspect cannot or will not appreciate them. They discover their kindred souls when a wealthy Japanese man named Ozu arrives in the building. Only he is able to gain Paloma’s trust and to see through Renée’s timeworn disguise to the secret that haunts her. This is a moving, funny, triumphant novel that exalts the quiet victories of the inconspicuous among us.”

While uncomfortable with Paloma’s plan to kill herself, I found myself enjoying The Elegance of the Hedgehog. I smiled when Renée said she liked reading Harry Bosch books because I was on a Michael Connelly kick at the time. I consider The Elegance of the Hedgehog a leisurely stroll of a book. I admit, though, I became impatient for the initial interaction between the two main characters. Also, the booked ended on a rather bittersweet note. Still and all, I liked visiting Paris on the ticket provided by Barbery.

Quotes come from book flaps/cover and are featured on color blocks.

Starlight Book Review -Minnie Darke’s With Love from Wish & Co. – 🇦🇺

Cover of With Love from Wish & Co. by Minnie Darke on a purple background | Image Source: Goodreads

World Tour Stellar Reading Challenge – Australia

4.25/5 As I looked for a book set in Australia, a most stellar Gnomie mentioned With Love from Wish & Co. by Australian author Minnie Darke. This sounded excellent — a rom-com sort of read from a new-to-me author.

Learn more about these 2023 SRC by clicking here.

Click here to discover more about 2024 SRC.

“A heartwarming novel about what we are prepared to give–and give up–in the name of love, from the author of Star-Crossed and The Lost Love Song.… Two boxes, both alike in size and shape . . . Marnie Fairchild is the brains and talent behind Wish & Co., a boutique store that offers a bespoke gift-buying service to wealthy clients with complicated lives. Brian Charlesworth is Marnie’s most prized customer, and today she’s wrapping the perfect anniversary gift for his wife, Suzanne . . . and a birthday present for his mistress, Leona. What could possibly go wrong?… For years, Marnie’s had her heart set on moving Wish & Co. to the historic shopfront once owned by her grandfather. When the chance to bid for the property unexpectedly arises, Marnie–distracted–makes an uncharacteristic mistake. Soon Brian is in a fight to rescue his marriage, and Marnie is scrabbling to keep her dreams alive. With the situation so complicated, the last thing Marnie needs is to fall for Brian and Suzanne’s gorgeous son, Luke. In the end, will it be her head or her heart that wins out?”

With Love from Wish & Co made my top reads of 2023 list. I enjoyed getting to know Marnie and Luke and felt as though I was reading a movie in which I cast the actors. Also, I found it a bonus that I had to look up some Aussie terms because this transported me to the Land Down Under. Darke created a novel with some meat to it. Yes, I mostly delighted in reading the book but With Love from Wish & Co yielded some food for thought. Along with some of the characters, I wondered about the ethics of gift-giving. As some other reviewers wrote, I, too, found some parts lagging and I had little interest in reading about Leona, the mistress’ point of view. I imagine, however, other readers wanted to know her side of things. Overall, I enjoyed With Love from Wish & Co.

Click here to read the Starry Says Episode on my 2023 Top Reads.

Quotes come from book flaps/cover and are featured on color blocks.

Starlight Book Review -Martha Batalha’s The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao – 🇧🇷

Cover of The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao by Martha Batalha on a green background | Image Source: Goodreads

World Tour Stellar Reading Challenge – Brazil

Translated from Portuguese

4/5 I have always wanted to visit Brazil. Of course, an easy ticket to this glittering jewel in the Southern Hemisphere is via literature. My search for such a book led me to The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao by Martha Batalha.

Learn more about these 2023 SRC by clicking here.

Click here to discover more about 2024 SRC.

Trigger Warnings (TW): period typical racism (also showing as fetishization) and sexism.

“Euridice is young, beautiful and ambitious, but when her rebellious sister Guida elopes, she sets her own aspirations aside and vows to settle down as a model wife and daughter. And yet as her husband’s professional success grows, so does Euridice’s feeling of restlessness. She embarks on a series of secret projects – from creating recipe books to becoming the most sought-after seamstress in town – but each is doomed to failure. Her tradition-loving husband is not interested in an independent wife. And then one day Guida appears at the door with her young son and a terrible story of hardship and abandonment. The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao is a wildly inventive, wickedly funny and keenly observed tale of two sisters who, surrounded by a cast of unforgettable characters, assert their independence and courageously carve a path of their own in 1940s Rio de Janeiro. A deeply human and truly unforgettable novel from one of the most exciting new voices in world literature.”

At first, I enjoyed reading The Invisible Life of Euridice Gusmao. I liked and cared about the titular character, Euridice. I often wanted to climb into the book to give her husband, Antenor, a piece of my mind. Batalha painted a vivid picture in this charming work of the Gusmaos’ home life. I docked the book a star, though, because it delved into many of the other characters and I wanted more Euridice. Nevertheless, I highly recommend to fans of historical fiction with a dash of magical realism.

Quotes come from book flaps/cover and are featured on color blocks.

Starlight Book Review – Lene Kaaberbøl and Agnete Friis’ The Boy in the Suitcase 🇩🇰

Cover of The Boy in the Suitcase by Lene Kaaberbøl and Agnete Friis on a light cyan background | Image Source: Goodreads

World Tour Stellar Reading Challenge – Denmark

Translated from Danish

3.8/5 In 2023, I aimed to read books by “new to me writers” alongside the Stellar Reading Challenges (SRC). Since some of my heritage and much of the “Starry Night Elf” persona derives from Denmark, this seemed extra challenging as I previously sought out Danish writers. Of course, I read Hans Christian Andersen. I also read mysteries by Jussi Adler-Olsen and Sara Blædel. At the start, I wanted a book other than something “Nordic Noir” but, just the title alone of The Boy in the Suitcase by Lene Kaaberbøl and Agnete Friis compelled me to read the book.

Learn more about these 2023 SRC by clicking here.

Click here to discover more about 2024 SRC.

Trigger Warnings (TW): Adult/minor relationship, Pedophilia, and Trafficking

“Nina Borg, a Red Cross nurse, wife, and mother of two, is a compulsive do-gooder who can’t say no when someone asks for help—even when she knows better. When her estranged friend Karin leaves her a key to a public locker in the Copenhagen train station, Nina gets suckered into her most dangerous project yet. Inside the locker is a suitcase, and inside the suitcase is a three-year-old boy: naked and drugged, but alive… Is the boy a victim of child trafficking? Can he be turned over to authorities, or will they only return him to whoever sold him? When Karin is discovered brutally murdered, Nina realizes that her life and the boy’s are in jeopardy, too. In an increasingly desperate trek across Denmark, Nina tries to figure out who the boy is, where he belongs, and who exactly is trying to hunt him down.”

The Boy in the Suitcase made for a quick, fast-paced read. Kaaberbøl and Friis pulled me in with a stunning amount of ferocity. Nina Borg and the three-year old child of the title gained my sympathy in an instant; I finished this book because I wanted to see the kid through to a safe and prosperous end. I must also mention that a quarter of the action, possibly a third, took place in the Lithuanian capital of Vilnius which added a language barrier to the already dire situation on Borg’s hands. In the end, though, I deducted stars from The Boy in the Suitcase for some of the major ick factor (i.e. – who drugs a child and stuffs him in a suitcase?) and that the book seemed written for a Danish audience. Regarding the latter, the book assumed I knew more about Copenhagen than I do. Still, the book riveted me to it and I might try others in the Nina Borg series.

Quotes come from book flaps/cover and are featured on color blocks.

Starlight Book Review – Basma Abdel Aziz’s The Queue 🇪🇬

Cover of The Queue by Basma Abdel Aziz on an “Egyptian Blue” background | Image Source: Goodreads

World Tour Stellar Reading Challenge – Egypt

Translated from Arabic

3.6/5 When I sought a books set in Egypt, preferably translated from a language other than English for the 2023 World Tour Stellar Reading Challenge (SRC), all roads led to Basma Abdel Aziz’s The Queue. In fact, this shorter book, available via my library’s Libby holding, seemed designed for this particular SRC. The cover, an Egyptian-style eye, further compelled me to read it.

Learn more about these 2023 SRC by clicking here.

Click here to discover more about 2024 SRC.

Trigger Warnings (TW): body horror (gun wound), torture, sexism, religion, war, governmental oppression, loss of a loved one

“Set against the backdrop of a failed political uprising, The Queue is a chilling debut that evokes Orwellian dystopia, Kafkaesque surrealism, and a very real vision of life after the Arab Spring.… In a surreal, but familiar, vision of modern day Egypt, a centralized authority known as ‘the Gate’ has risen to power in the aftermath of the ‘Disgraceful Events,’ a failed popular uprising. Citizens are required to obtain permission from the Gate in order to take care of even the most basic of their daily affairs, yet the Gate never opens, and the queue in front of it grows longer… Citizens from all walks of life mix and wait in the sun: a revolutionary journalist, a sheikh, a poor woman concerned for her daughter’s health, and even the brother of a security officer killed in clashes with protestors. Among them is Yehia, a man who was shot during the Events and is waiting for permission from the Gate to remove a bullet that remains lodged in his pelvis. Yehia’s health steadily declines, yet at every turn, officials refuse to assist him, actively denying the very existence of the bullet… Ultimately it is Tarek, the principled doctor tending to Yehia’s case, who must decide whether to follow protocol as he has always done, or to disobey the law and risk his career to operate on Yehia and save his life… Written with dark, subtle humor, The Queue describes the sinister nature of authoritarianism, and illuminates the way that absolute authority manipulates information, mobilizes others in service to it, and fails to uphold the rights of even those faithful to it.”

The Queue pulled me in early in my reading of it. This book possessed many characters who passed the “Dad Test of Sympathy.” Among these happens to be Tarek, the doctor seeing to the care of Yehia, another sympathetic character. Yet, I doubt one should feel at ease reading The Queue; the realism of this book shook me up for sometime after I read the last page. All these months later, I still vacillate on my feelings on The Queue.

Quotes come from book flaps/cover and are featured on color blocks.

Starlight Book Review -Brittany Cavallaro’s A Study in Charlotte – 🇺🇸

Cover of A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro on a blue colored background | Image Source: Goodreads

RUSA SRC – Region #4 Northeast – Connecticut

3.8/5 When taking on the 2023 Stellar Reading Challenges (SRC), particularly with the U.S.-centric one, I aimed to read books set in the “less popular states.” When I saw book set in Connecticut, as opposed to New York, and that it offered a contemporary twist on Sherlock Holmes on The Book Girls’ Guide. The first book in the Charlotte Holmes Series, A Study in Charlotte, fit the bill. Click here to see The Book Girls’ Guide’s post on

Check out the Regional U.S.A. (RUSA) Tour by clicking here.

“The last thing Jamie Watson wants is a rugby scholarship to Sherringford, a Connecticut prep school just an hour away from his estranged father. But that’s not the only complication: Sherringford is also home to Charlotte Holmes, the famous detective’s great-great-great-granddaughter, who has inherited not only Sherlock’s genius but also his volatile temperament. From everything Jamie has heard about Charlotte, it seems safer to admire her from afar… From the moment they meet, there’s a tense energy between them, and they seem more destined to be rivals than anything else. But when a Sherringford student dies under suspicious circumstances, ripped straight from the most terrifying of the Sherlock Holmes stories, Jamie can no longer afford to keep his distance. Jamie and Charlotte are being framed for murder, and only Charlotte can clear their names. But danger is mounting and nowhere is safe—and the only people they can trust are each other.”

For the most part, I enjoyed A Study in Charlotte. I liked how Sherlock Holmes and John Watson truly existed in the Charlotte Holmes universe crafted by Cavallaro. Jamie and Charlotte intrigued me. While Connecticut remains on my leap list, I imagined with ease the Sherringford campus in the Nutmeg State. Someday, I might read the next in the Charlotte Holmes Series. I took off 1.2 stars on my rating for perhaps some arbitrary reasons — 1) I have yet to read Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes Series and I had to return my copy a number of times because others wanted to read A Study in Charlotte.

Quotes come from book flaps/cover and are featured on color blocks.

Starlight Book Review – Christina Baker Kline’s A Piece of the World 🇺🇸

Cover of A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline on a ‘tropical forest green’ colored background | Image Source: Goodreads

RUSA SRC – Region #4 Northeast – Maine

3.85/5 Days prior to discovering this book, I saw Andrew Wyeth’s painting Christina’s World featured on a Facebook page I follow. Per usual, I read a little more about the work. Then, I saw A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline listed as a book set in Maine on The Book Girls’ Guide. Check out their post by clicking here.

Check out the Regional U.S.A. (RUSA) Tour by clicking here.

“From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the smash bestseller Orphan Train, a stunning and atmospheric novel of friendship, passion, and art, inspired by Andrew Wyeth’s mysterious and iconic painting Christina’s World... “Later he told me that he’d been afraid to show me the painting. He thought I wouldn’t like the way he portrayed me: dragging myself across the field, fingers clutching dirt, my legs twisted behind. The arid moonscape of wheatgrass and timothy. That dilapidated house in the distance, looming up like a secret that won’t stay hidden.”… To Christina Olson, the entire world was her family’s remote farm in the small coastal town of Cushing, Maine. Born in the home her family had lived in for generations, and increasingly incapacitated by illness, Christina seemed destined for a small life. Instead, for more than twenty years, she was host and inspiration for the artist Andrew Wyeth, and became the subject of one of the best known American paintings of the twentieth century… As she did in her beloved smash bestseller Orphan Train, Christina Baker Kline interweaves fact and fiction in a powerful novel that illuminates a little-known part of America’s history. Bringing into focus the flesh-and-blood woman behind the portrait, she vividly imagines the life of a woman with a complicated relationship to her family and her past, and a special bond with one of our greatest modern artists… Told in evocative and lucid prose, A Piece of the World is a story about the burdens and blessings of family history, and how artist and muse can come together to forge a new and timeless legacy.”

I found facets of A Piece of the World intriguing – such as Christina’s grandmother Mamey and the various seafaring journey taken by ancestors. Also, I appreciated the interactions between Wyeth and Christina. I liked learning more about life in Maine — coastal life, New England heritage, etc. Yet, I struggled with reading this book — the austerity of the Olson Family’s life made this tough-going. The narrative, told in present-tense, drove me a little batty at times. I recommend A Piece of the World to anyone wanting a tale behind Christina’s World.

Click here to view Christina’s World.

Quotes come from book flaps/cover and are featured on color blocks.

Starlight Book Review – Genzaburō Yoshino’s How Do You Live? 🇯🇵

Cover of How Do You Live? by Genzaburō Yoshino on a light blue background | Image Source: Goodreads

World Tour Stellar Reading Challenge – Japan

Translated from Japanese

4.02/5 I found Genzaburō Yoshino’s How Do You Live? after a search of literature of works translated from Japanese to English. Reading such a work helped me towards accomplishing benchmarks in both the World Tour and the In Translation Journey Stellar Reading Challenges (SRC). In my search, I endeavored to locate a book without too many trigger warnings. The winner, with glowing reviews and a foreward by Neil Gaiman, happens to be this book. I purchased the Audible version read by Brian Nishii.

Check out these SRC by clicking on the following phrases:

• World Tour Challenge
• In Translation Journey

“Anime master Hayao Miyazaki’s favorite childhood book, in English for the first time.… First published in 1937, Genzaburō Yoshino’s How Do You Live? has long been acknowledged in Japan as a crossover classic for young readers. Academy Award–winning animator Hayao Miyazaki (Spirited Away, My Neighbor Totoro, Howl’s Moving Castle) has called it his favorite childhood book and announced plans to emerge from retirement to make it the basis of a final film… How Do You Live? is narrated in two voices. The first belongs to Copper, fifteen, who after the death of his father must confront inevitable and enormous change, including his own betrayal of his best friend. In between episodes of Copper’s emerging story, his uncle writes to him in a journal, sharing knowledge and offering advice on life’s big questions as Copper begins to encounter them. Over the course of the story, Copper, like his namesake Copernicus, looks to the stars, and uses his discoveries about the heavens, earth, and human nature to answer the question of how he will live… This first-ever English-language translation of a Japanese classic about finding one’s place in a world both infinitely large and unimaginably small is perfect for readers of philosophical fiction like The Alchemist and The Little Prince, as well as Miyazaki fans eager to understand one of his most important influences.”

In general, How Do You Live? met my needs for a Japanese book without too much content beyond a PG rating. I enjoyed Copper’s relationship with his uncle. I liked his curiosity and his sense of wonder. Some of the tone, however, seemed too “teachy” (didactic, if you prefer). This tone probably factored into how long it took me to read the book. Nevertheless, I felt How Do You Live? deserved a solid 4 out of 5 stars.

Quotes come from book flaps/cover and are featured on color blocks.

Starlight Book Review – Karin Slaughter’s Triptych – 🇺🇸

Cover of Triptych (Will Trent #1) by Karin Slaughter on a light green background |
Image Source: Goodreads

RUSA SRC – Region #4 Southeast – Georgia

4/5 I admit that I watched ABC’s Will Trent before I cracked the spine on an any of the books by Karin Slaughter which inspired the show. I enjoyed becoming acquainted with Will, Angie, Amanda, and, of course, Betty the Chihuahua. Still and all, I thought Triptych might be just the ticket for literary travel to Atlanta, Georgia in the Regional U.S.A. (RUSA) Tour Stellar Reading Challenge (SRC).

Click here to learn about the RUSA Tour SRC.

Trigger Warnings (TW): Triptych contains the following which may require TW for readers — Trigger warnings: murder, rape, mutilation, kidnapping, sexual relationships between teenagers and adult men, drug abuse, child abuse, mentions of self harm, death of a parent, slut shaming, misogyny, wrongful conviction, wrongful imprisonment.

“In the city of Atlanta, women are dying—at the hands of a killer who signs his work with a single, chilling act of mutilation. Leaving behind enough evidence to fuel a frenzied police hunt, this cunning madman is bringing together dozens of lives, crossing the boundaries of wealth and race. And the people who are chasing him must cross those boundaries too. Among them is Michael Ormewood, a veteran detective whose marriage is hanging by a thread—and whose arrogance and explosive temper are threatening his career. And Angie Polaski, a beautiful vice cop who was once Michael’s lover before she became his enemy… But another player has entered the game: a loser ex-con who has stumbled upon the killer’s trail in the most coincidental of ways—someone who may be the key to breaking the case wide open…”

Slaughter surprised me from the beginning of Triptych with her first point of view – third person omniscient for Michael Ormewood. Maybe the fault of this falls to watching the show before reading any of the books. Yet, as I considered the title of this very book — Triptych — I realized the need for three separate points of view. While definitely gritty, rough, and even brutal (much of John Shelley’s experience made me squint, poor guy!), I liked the sweet gems offered throughout Triptych. Will’s interactions with Betty stand out the most in this regard. Also, I enjoyed reading a little about Georgia – Agnes Scott College, Stone Mountain, and the Georgia Bureau of Investigation. I might read another in this series when I’m in the mood for something darker because I found Will Trent in particular rather intriguing.

Check out an article about Will Trent the TV Show and its adaptation to screen by clicking here.

Quotes come from book flaps/cover and are featured on color blocks.