Shomeret's Affecting August Reads 1/2

[Shomeret]

Affecting means that the books I read had an impact on me, and they all did.

1)Separation by J. S. Frankel (YA science fiction)Source: Author for review Started: 7/16 Finished: 8/2

Why Read: The author did an open call for reviews on GR. The concept involved human beings who are part animal through genetic manipulation. They are called transgenics. I'd seen fantasies in which humans transform into animals, but not this science fiction version about humans with animal traits and abilities. It sounded original.

Comments: This is book four in the series. The MCs are a married YA couple of transgenics. I liked Harry, but I didn't feel as much of a connection to his wife, Anastasia. They were subject to prejudice which involved some very current real world issues. That's the aspect that I found affecting. Unfortunately, I thought there were procedural problems with the way the FBI was portrayed in this book. So I gave it a C+. See my review at http://shomeretmasked.blogspot.com/20...

2)Madame Presidentess by Nicole Evalina (historical fiction) Source: Author for review Started: 8/2 Finished: 8/30

Why Read: I've always been fascinated by Victoria Woodhull the MC of this novel, and I couldn't resist reading about her now. What an appropriate time to read a book about the first woman to run for U.S. President!

Comment: Victoria Woodhull was a very controversial figure in her time. Evalina shows her complexity. She is both appealing and difficult to deal with. Rating B+. See my review at http://wwwbookbabe.blogspot.com/2016/...

3)Judenstaat by Simone Zelitch
(alternative history) 317 pages. Source: Library
Started: 8/7 Finished: 8/9

Why Read: This is an original premise. In this universe Germany gave the Jews a homeland in Germany in reparation for the Holocaust in 1948.

Comments: A thought provoking book. Judenstaat is a society with problems which are being concealed rather than addressed. I am aware that all countries do this to some extent, but it was kind of sad. The MC's husband died under mysterious circumstances, and there's tremendous resistance to her effort of finding out what really happened. Rating A- See my review at http://shomeretmasked.blogspot.com/20...

4)Intriguing Women by Lakshmi Raj Sharma (India short fiction anthology) Source: Net Galley Started: 8/9 Finished: 8/12

Why Read: Net Galley had a challenge to post a review by 8/12. Since their emphasis was on new books, I decided that it should be recently approved. I also wanted it to be an indie book. This book satisfied those criteria.

Comments: There is a joke about the U.S. and the U.K. being two great nations separated by a single language. India's English usage is also more similar to the U.K. than the U.S. I bring this up because Americans tend to think that "intriguing" is a synonym for interesting, but there is another meaning for the word. It can also mean scheming. So I expected interesting women and got scheming women. To me, scheming women are irritating, but there was one story that I found intriguing in my sense of the word because it dealt with reincarnation. Rating for the entire anthology is C. See my review at http://shomeretmasked.blogspot.com/20...

To Be Continued...

[Melodie]

I knew a little about Victoria Woodhull since she was from Ohio. When I brought up the fact that she was the first woman to run for President some time ago in a conversation, I was repeatedly told she didn't count because she didn't run for a "real" party. I need to look into this book.

[Ann]

An intriguing (context interesting) and arresting list, Shomeret!
I was not aware of the dual meaning for the word intriguing but considering the word intrigue and the differences in so much of UK usage versus the American English language usage, I shouldn't be surprised. (Or surprised I didn't know)
As for Victoria Woodhull, it seems the accomplishments of women are often discounted or obscured. It is a good time to read about her!