R.I.P. Ruth Bader Ginsburg ~ March 15, 1933 – September 18, 2020

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R.I.P. Ruth Bader Ginsburg

If there needs to be further proof that 2020 is the never-ending year from Hell, Supreme Court Justice and legal pioneer/icon, Ruth Bader Ginsburg has died. I’m pretty much at a loss for words here. A tireless advocate for gender equality, the Notorious R.B.G. may have been tiny in stature, but she took on an almost superhuman persona. She has been a personal hero of mine for much of my adult life and this loss is simply devastating. I’m sorry, I can’t write anymore right now. I’m going to share one of my favorite quotes from her:

Fight for the things that you care about, but do it in a way that will lead others to join you.

Happy Rosh Hashana!

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Rosh Hashanah 2020

Shanah tovah to all my Jewish friends!

As long as the candle is still burning, it is still possible to accomplish and to mend.

~ Rabbi Yisrael Salanter ~

Eventide, By Sarah Goodman ~ 4.5 Stars

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Fantasy, Historical Fiction, Southern Gothic, Young Adult Fiction

Thanks to NetGalley and Tor Teen for providing an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Release Date: October 6th, 2020

336 Pages

Synopsis: MADNESS, SECRETS, AND LIES

Wheeler, Arkansas, 1907

When their father descends into madness after the death of their mother, Verity Pruitt and her little sister Lilah find themselves on an orphan train to rural Arkansas.

In Wheeler, eleven-year-old Lilah is quickly adopted but seventeen-year-old Verity is not. Desperate to stay close to her sister, Verity indentures herself as a farmhand. But even charming farm boy Abel Atchley can’t completely distract her from the sense that something is not quite right in this little town. Strange local superstitions abound, especially about the eerie old well at the center of the forest. The woods play tricks, unleashing heavy fog and bone-chilling cold…and sometimes visions of things that aren’t there.

But for Verity, perhaps the most unsettling revelation of all is that her parents have a scandalous history in this very town. And as she tries to unearth the past, sinister secrets come with it—secrets that someone will go to violent lengths to protect…

A haunting tale of long-buried secrets, small-town scandal, and single-minded vengeance by talented debut novelist Sarah Goodman.

Eventide is the debut novel by Sarah Cooper, and while its slow burning suspense might not be for everyone, I thoroughly enjoyed the eerie Southern gothic theme, as well as the fascinating characters and intriguing mystery. I have to be honest and say that Verity annoyed me at first with her rather know-it-all attitude, but there’s so much more behind that initial obnoxiousness. Likewise, there’s similar complexity with all the characters, even the villain who winds up deserving of a small amount of sympathy. The mystery and how everything ultimately comes together, kept me turning the pages even though there were some slow spots. There are some reviewers who have criticized that there weren’t enough fantasy/supernatural elements until the near the end, but I actually liked how they were tantalizingly kept under the surface. Overall, Eventide is an excellent YA debut by Cooper and I unhesitatingly recommend it. I’m looking forward to seeing what she comes out with next.