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2017 Fall Flurry of Holidays Challenge -- November Reviews and Discussion
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Thanksgiving by Janet Evanovich
3 stars
In this story Megan, a pottery maker, and Pat, a doctor, have just met. A patient of Pat's thinks they are married and unexpectedly leaves her baby with them to watch as she goes out of town for a few weeks. They bond with the baby and do not know if the mother will return. Megan and Pat begin dating, and as Thanksgiving approaches they decide to spend the holiday together with both their families. The baby's mother does come back; but when she takes her child, it leaves Megan feeling alone. This affects her relationship with Pat.
This is a cute, but predictable story. It moves along fast and takes place in a very short timeframe. Parts are meant to be funny, so the reader should not take it too seriously.
It's not specifically November ... but it is "autumn"! Actually the book covers about a year and and a half, but the interaction with the Native American tribes is significant, so I'm counting it for November.
Drums of Autumn – Diana Gabaldon – 3.5*** (rounded up)
Book number four in the bestselling Outlander series, has Jamie and Claire making their home in the mountains of North Carolina. I just love this series. Gabaldon writes compelling stories with characters I care about. Even the ones I hate (Brianna) keep me interested and engaged, and the action is non-stop.
LINK to my review
I finished it yesterday. This was interesting, and it rather grew on me over time. It was beautifully written and it had a dream-like quality. I liked how it seamlessly moved through time, and there was constant reorientation. There is a way in which it was like the experience of looking at a painting. The characters are unforgettable. They do linger, but in a soft sort of way. The writing is interesting, and the book was definitely different.
Autumn - is about how things are changing, blooming, and dying all at once. Its colors and bareness. Its wind and shifting light. Its aptly named.
Amy wrote: "I finished it yesterday. This was interesting, and it rather grew on me over time. It was beautifully written and it had a dream-like quality. I liked how it seamlessly moved through time, and ther..."Amy, what book did you read?
Shoot! Darn that cross posting. Seriously. This was my review for autumn by Ali Smith.
Remembrance DayThe Last Battle: When U.S. and German Soldiers Joined Forces in the Waning Hours of World War II in Europe / Stephen Harding
3.5 stars
There is a castle in Austria called Schloss Itter. During WWII, there were French VIPs (mostly politicians) who were kept prisoner in Schloss Itter; needless to say, it was a fairly comfortable place to be kept prisoner during the war. When the war was over, though, they needed to be rescued. So, after the war had officially ended, American soldiers came together with a few German soldiers to get the French VIPs out, but there was a battle at the castle before they were able to leave.
This is a story from WWII that I knew nothing about. (Even for all I’ve read, I’m sure there are plenty of lesser-known stories.) It was interesting. In addition to information about the war, the castle, and the battle itself at the castle, there was biographical information about the prisoners, as well as the soldiers who worked together to help out (although, there were a lot of people, so it was still a bit tricky to recall who was who!). I also enjoy biographies, so those parts were some of the most interesting to me in this book, in addition to the battle itself. As a Canadian, I found Rene Levesque’s “cameo” in the book (he appeared later as a journalist) interesting. For the most part, I liked the way this book was written. There were a few dry parts, but mostly I enjoyed it.
The month is never specified, but it IS fall ... mention is made of "leaf-peeping" season, and shops being decorated with "red and orange wreaths, pumpkins and corn shocks." 
Bookplate Special – Lorna Barrett – 3***
Book number three in the Booktown Mystery series. This is a typical cozy mystery, with a cast of colorful characters, and a nosy amateur sleuth who simply cannot help herself when it comes to investigating a crime on her doorstep. It’s not great literature, but it’s entertaining and a quick read.
LINK to my review
The month isn't mentioned, but it is clearly fall. They express concern about holding a motorcycle race so late in the year because of cooler weather, and comment on how nice the route will be with the trees in full fall colors. 
Miss Julia Hits the Road – Ann B Ross – 3***
Book number four in the popular series starring Miss Julia, a widow of a certain age. I just love Miss Julia, who frequently gets embroiled in one scandal / scheme or another when she jumps to conclusions and/or fails to fully understand the implications of what she’s been told. But her heart is always in the right place. Miss Julia is just a hoot, and I was laughing aloud at several scenes.
LINK to my review
The Forever War by Dexter Filkins - 5 starsAn amazing book. Sad, brutal, spiritual, unbelievable, violent, mind-numbing are all adjectives that aptly describe this book. There are probably at least 500 more adjectives that could describe it. It's various stories told by a New York Times war correspondent from his time in both Afghanistan and Iraq. The stories reminded me a lot of the book Redeployment I read around this same time last year. The book is kind of all over the place, various stories that don't really follow any sequence per se other than the descent and destruction of civilization in both countries (told chronologically from a time perspective). My sense is that the various stories strung together represent the chaos, confusion, sense and nonsense of what both countries were, became and are now. I have no idea how the author survived with all he was involved in and how he even remotely functions now in a post-war world. In the Acknowledgments section he closes by saying, "I fared better than many of the people I wrote about in this book; yet even so, over the course of the events depicted here, I lost the person I cared for the most. The war didn't get her; it got me." He and his wife divorced while he was in Iraq (I think). I guess that answers my question, he is a 'new' person (but I'm not sure, he'd say he's better off, so much as just different). After reading his book, I wonder to myself, how could he not be?
The Keeper4 stars
Anticipating a nice family Thanksgiving holiday, Hal Chase leaves his wife Katie at home making last-minute dinner preparations while he drives to the San Francisco airport to pick up his brother. When Hal returns home, Katie is gone and their two small children are sound asleep in their beds. Hal knows Katie would never leave her babies unattended and is rightfully concerned. After 5 days have passed with no sign of Katie, the missing persons squad is beginning to see Hal as more than a worried husband; he is quite probably a murderer. Katie's body is eventually located barely a 1/4 mile from the Chase home. The San Francisco police homicide unit is ready to arrest Hal. Knowing he will have a difficult time proving his innocence, Hal turns to lawyer Dismas Hardy and retired police inspector Abe Glitsky. Hal, a guard at the jail, now finds himself on the opposite side of the bars and even though initially the other guards treat him very well, Hal knows too many secrets about suspicious inmate deaths and fears he just might be next.
This is another great installment of the Dismas Hardy series and the added bonus of Abe Glitsky as well. I've been a fan for many years and was not disappointed by this one.
Book Concierge wrote: "The month isn't mentioned, but it is clearly fall. They express concern about holding a motorcycle race so late in the year because of cooler weather, and comment on how nice the route will be with..."I completely agree about Miss Julia, she IS a hoot!
For Veterans dayGhost Soldiers: The Epic Account of World War II's Greatest Rescue Mission by Hampton Sides 4 stars
An account of how Army Rangers slipped behind enemy lines in the Philippines to save over 500 POW's, many survivors of the Bataan death march, before the Japanese decide to execute them, as they had already done with POW's at other camps. I knew next to nothing about Bataan, except having heard of the death march in vague terms, so I'm glad the author went into the history of the death march and accounts of the camp. Though it's clear from the beginning how the raid turned out the author still does a good job of creating suspense. The book switches between the rangers heading toward the camp raid and tales of the prisoners in alternating chapters. This worked for most of the book but once the raid got underway I wish the author had just stuck to telling that story straight thru.
The Cat Who Talked Turkey by Lilian Jackson Braun - 3 starsI'm slightly embarrassed to say that the link to thanksgiving is very tenuous - there are some wild turkey in the book.
It's been over ten years since I last read a book in the series. I used to enjoy them very much, but kind of lost interest after more than 20 books. As a refresher on the cast of the series, it was a nice reminder. The highlight as always are the cats. But there is really not much story in this one. There is a murder, the murderer is caught in the end, but there was not much investigation going on.
Autumn by Ali Smith3 stars
I struggle with books like this. I WANT to like them and I UNDERSTAND why others like them, but I am just left frustrated.
At the heart of the book was a friendship between Elisabeth and Daniel, rotating between when Elisabeth was a pre-teen and new neighbor to 60-something Daniel, and 20 years later when Daniel is in failing health and a now professional Elisabeth returns to visit him.
I loved the interaction between these two unlikely friends. Elisabeth was in desperate want of a father figure in her life and Daniel expanded her intellectual horizons with talk of art and philosophy. He unknowingly shaped her future career by describing the art of a little know female pop artist. The writing for the most part was wonderful (though, there was a random rant about the life of artist that I struggled through) and was amusing; I could read a whole book about Elisabeth's crazy interactions at the Post Office trying to get her passport renewed!
But, this is one of those books where I felt like there were several subtle points that were always just out of reach. Did I miss something about the interaction between Daniel and the artist? Were there subliminal messages in Daniel's vivid dreams? I know there was a political message about Brexit but it went right over my head. These things frustrate me and greatly reduce my reading enjoyment. I can follow any number of logical and loosely connected points, but I am not as good at vague symbolism and ambiguous metaphors.
I can see where this book got rave reviews, and where people who are little less analytical/left brain than me are better able to connect the dots. Or just even let the dots go. But that is not me.
Thanksgiving Prayer: Thanksgiving Prayer\A Handful of Heaven By Debbie Macomber4 Stars.
This is was a quick little read about Claudia, a girl who comes from money attending medical school in Seattle. She has a chance encounter with a strange while subbing for her best friend at a local hotel....cleaning rooms. Claudia has a sense about this man that he may be "the one" just by being in his room. She leaves him (Seth) a scripture verse thinking she may never see him again. Fast forward to the end of that week...they meet face to face, share a few dates and by Seth proposes marriage and wants Claudia to leave with him back to Alaska to be married. Claudia is torn. She believes that she loves him but doesn't want to give up her future career. After a few months of heartache and prayer, Claudia packs up everything she owns and jets off to Alaska....finds a job as a medical assistant at the local. Only to learn while treating Seth of a serious injury that she waiting too long and he has asked someone else to marry him. Claudia comes down with the flu and then pneumonia....after she is well enough fly she wants out of Alaska as quickly as she can. Seth can't let her leave......in the end love and prayer prevails.
This is called Thanksgiving prayer because prayer was a huge part of this story and it takes place during Thanksgiving and on Thanksgiving day.....love wins.
November means Elections in the USA ...
The Making of the President 1960 – Theodore H White – 3***
Subtitle: A Narrative History of American Politics in Action. About a year before the November 1960 election, Theodore H White began studying the likely candidates for President. He followed them through primaries, state caucuses, the national convention and the campaign for the Presidency. It’s somewhat dated – the process is different more than half a century later. And yet, there is something timeless about this story.
LINK to my review
The Thanksgiving Visitor by Truman Capote (1967)3/5 stars
I am familiar with Capote's novels In Cold Blood and Breakfast at Tiffany's but I was not aware of his short stories. The Complete Stories of Truman Capote included twenty short stories. Inspired by the Thanksgiving holiday I decided to read this one.
Buddy a second grader is mercifully picked on by Odd Henderson a twelve year old who is repeating the second grade. Buddy lives with distant relatives and his best friend is Miss Sook who is in her sixties. Miss Sook helps Buddy with his estranged relationship with this bully by inviting him and his family to Thanksgiving dinner.
In my book this short story was 25 pages and did not include illustrations. I would not have known this story was semi-autobiographical if it wasn't for other reviews. I enjoyed it and look forward to reading more his short stories.
I read this for November because Erdrich is a well-known for focusing on Native American characters and bringing in Native American social issues. In hindsight, this was light on Native American issues despite having several Native American characters, but I went in with the best of intentions so I am counting it!Future Home of the Living God by Louise Erdrich
2 stars
Most disappointing book of my year. Waste of an intriguing idea. Insipid, petulant main character. Mischaracterization of evolution. Vague and lacking social context. Atrocious audio.
I have been looking forward to this book for months: dystopian novel set sometime in the not-so-distant-climate-change-impacted-future about women giving birth to progressively less advanced human beings? Ummm... yes, please!
It just begs to be compared to The Handmaid's Tale, especially given the resurgent popularity of that book thanks to Hulu.
It is a mere pale shadow of the epicness of The Handmaid's Tale. I am getting more an more livid as I write this review, but let me highlight some of the lowlights (minor spoilers may follow):
1. The book starts out with our main character, adopted Cedar, traveling to meet her biological Native American mother. Everything about their interaction was unrealistic and weird. First of all, Cedar has one letter from her biological mother and just calls her out of the blue to announce that she wants to come visit her the next day. Cedar shows up and everyone loves each other and gets along and there is no animosity. Cedar feels a natural connection to her mother and her mother's boyfriend (not her father). I'm sorry, just no.
2. Also, the adoption component added nothing to advance the story except introducing strife between Cedar and her adoptive mom. Cedar and her mom were downright mean to each other at times, manipulative and petty at best. And then I feel like there was more going on with her mom toward the end, but it wasn't clear. I hated every interaction they had.
3. The plot of the book was ripe for a great social commentary, but it just wasn't. It takes forever to figure out even a sliver of what is going on in this dystopian world, and then it is never fully developed. Instead of being a great narrative about social structure, it was written as Cedar's personal diary to her unborn child and was filled with rambling rumination on how Cedar felt about being a mom, about religion that felt borderline cultish, and about mundane details of her life. It made no statement. It did not make me think. It did not make me question anything.
4. I couldn't stand the characters. I didn't like a single one of them. Several of them kind of flitted in and out of the storyline, and when they would come back in they would have changed drastically or had these life-altering experiences that were only hinted at and never really discussed. And they all made the stupidest decisions ever! They made their lives so much harder because they were naive and immature and selfish. And, Erdrich needed them to be that way to move the plot (such as it were) forward because it lacked depth and direction.
5. Erdrich continuously talks about evolution moving in reverse. This is the biologist in me getting my back up, but evolution does not move in any direction. Evolution does not have an end goal but is only the response of organisms to environmental pressures that causes changes in phenotypic/genotypic frequencies as part of natural selection/survival of the fittest. I could have maybe/i> overlooked this if I didn't think the rest of the book was so shitty.
6. Last (for this list), but certainly not least, was that Erdrich narrated this audiobook and it was horrible. She is a horrible narrator. Someone should be honest with her and let her know that she is absolutely barred from doing this. She speaks excruciatingly slow and she has this weird speech pattern with long pauses randomly inserted in sentences. It was so bad.
I just didn't get it. What was the point? What was the message? What was the moral lesson? Other than approximately 75 pages where the plot was developed more than anywhere else in the book (it is a low bar) and there was actually clear action to move the plot forward, it was a complete let down and waste of my precious reading time.
The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven - Sherman Alexie3 1/2 stars
This book is a collection of short stories that are about life on a Native American reservation in Washington. The stories are semi-autobiographical and many of the characters are featured in multiple stories. This wasn't a fun read, but life on reservations is not much fun. These stories did not have the humor of Diary of a Part Time Indian, which I gave 5 stars. However I thought that it was an important glimpse into the issues that Native Americans face in today's world. The characters in these stories face racism, alcoholism, and extreme poverty. Even the stories about characters that manage to leave the reservation for a while have the ghosts of the reservation with them. Overall, while it was not a fun read for me I think it is an important one for spreading awareness of Native American issues in the modern world.
A Christmas Memory, One Christmas, & The Thanksgiving Visitor – Truman Capote (5 stars) 11/25/17 Three semi-autobiographical stories written about a boy named Buddy who is between 6 and 8 years of age make up this collection. Truman considered them some of his best work. They are a blend of childhood perception and omniscient narrator recalling 2 Christmases and one Thanksgiving. The combination of a boy's naivete and the narrator's insight made a delightful blend. Great description of place and character, particularly his childlike distant cousin, Sook. Very heartwarming and heartrending at the same time.
Autumn theme - Autumn by Ali Smith
(cross posted to Dec - other books)
3.5 stars
This is the story of Elizabeth, and Daniel, an elderly neighbor that she met as a young girl. Elizabeth is now keeping vigil at his bedside during his final days at a care facility. The story moves back and forth in time and perspective. Interspersed in the flashbacks are some dream sequences as well as poetic commentary on the state of Britain just after the Brexit vote.
I'm not a huge fan of experimental fiction. I find that experimental narratives are sometimes interesting, if there is a strong connection to the characters. Generally, I am not a fan of stream of consciousness writing (in fact, I can't think of anything in that style that I really liked). I didn't feel a strong affinity to either of the main characters so I didn't feel really engaged in the events of the narrative.
On the plus side, many of the sections of writing were lyrical. The use of repetition reminded me of the book, The Things they Carried. Maybe I would like the book more if I were studying it because I'm sure a lot of the symbolism was lost on me. I do think that Smith capture the feeling of a nation, that we in the US have also experienced with last year's election.
Overall, there was just not enough narrative or interesting characters for me, but I did admire the writing. I doubt I will read the follow on books, but I might try something else by this author.
I've been so busy since mid-November, I haven't yet shelved the November books (for Fall Flurry, nor for the Nov. tag), but I do plan to get to it next weekend.
I hope it's ok that I have added this now as I did read it in November and forgot to post it here. I read this book during November as it is the month of my mother's birth, and this book is (obviously!) about mothers! Cin, I've added it to the group shelf. The Mothers
2.5 rounded to 3 lukewarm stars
The problem with this book is that the excellent cover gave me unrealistically high expectations! I think I had the idea that it would be more literary than it was. I have no idea why it gets so many rave reviews! I hate to be a voice of dissent, but I just didn't dig it. I did find that there were glimmers of great writing, but as a whole it lacked depth, was very predictable, and was quite unbelievable. I didn't feel as though the 'mothers' as the Greek chorus added any value to the story. Their passages seemed quite clunky and out of place, as did the strange interludes about the baby. The second half was boring and I couldn't wait for it to be done. There was even some eye rolling. Not for me at all. 2.5 rounded to 3.
Susie wrote: "Cin, I've added it to the group shelf. .."Thank you! Did you also remember to add the "shelf"/tag once on the group's bookshelf? :-)
(Not just posting to you, but as a reminder for anyone reading the thread. :-) )
Play Book Tag
Books mentioned in this topic
The Mothers (other topics)Autumn (other topics)
Future Home of the Living God (other topics)
The Handmaid’s Tale (other topics)
The Making of the President 1960 (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Ali Smith (other topics)Louise Erdrich (other topics)
Ali Smith (other topics)
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