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2019 Reads and Reviews ~ Anything goes
Fishface wrote: "Koren wrote: "Dear Fahrenheit 451: Love and Heartbreak in the Stacks by Annie Spence
Have you ever fini..."
Oh, I forgot we have a thread for that. I'll post it there also.
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The Phantom of Fifth Avenue: The Mysterious Life and Scandalous Death of Heiress Huguette Clark
Meryl Gordon
4/5 stars
This is a very interesting look at the reclusive Huguette Clark, a wealthy heiress, introvert and hoarder who secluded herself in a hospital room for over 20 years relying on some people who did not always have her best interests in mind and cut off from her relatives whom she did not want to see or contact. On her death, she left a huge estate and a huge problem for the lawyers and the courts to sort out pitting her family against the friends and staff she had given money to.
The Little Old Lady Who Broke All the Rules – Catharina Ingelman-Sundberg – 3***
Martha Andersson is 79 years old and lives in a retirement home whose new management is cutting corners. Martha and her friends – the League of Pensioners – aren’t going to take this lying down. These characters are a hoot! As outlandish and ridiculous as many of their schemes are, I found it great fun to watch them unfold. This is the first in a series. Wonder what the League of Pensioners will get up to next?
LINK to my review
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Part of Your World
Liz Braswell
4/5 stars
This book was inspired by the Walt Disney animated fairy tale film, The Little Mermaid but with a twist. What if Ursula, the evil sea creature/octopus, defeated Ariel, the mermaid; married Ariel’s love Prince Eric and captured her father? Brazwell explores this idea in this wonderfully written tale of underwater intrigue about how Ariel grows up and reclaims her life. Geared to teens but I think adult fans of the movie would appreciate this too.
An Unlikely Journey: Waking Up from My American Dream by Julian Castro4 stars
To be honest, when Julian Castro announced his candidacy for president of the United States I really didnt know much about him. I wanted to learn more so I ordered this book from the library. I learned that his grandparents were Mexican immigrants and he and his identical twin brother were raised by a single mother. They actually had a pretty good childhood because their family was very loving and encouraged them to get ahead. Through hard work they went to college, both became lawyers, but Julian was the one who wanted to enter politics to make a difference, first by becoming the youngest mayor of San Antonio, Texas, and then becoming Secretary of Housing and Urban Development under President Obama. This is an inspirational memoir with the message that if you want something and work hard you can achieve it.
Julie wrote: "Part of Your World
Liz Braswell
4/5 stars
This book was inspired by the Walt Disney animated fairy tale film, The Little Me..."
I just got this! I can't wait to read it!
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Part of Your World
Liz Braswell
4/5 stars
This book was inspired by the Walt Disney animated fairy tale film, ..."
I hope you like it!
Where the Crawdads Sing – Delia Owens – 2.5**
I wanted to like this. I found it intriguing and interesting. I loved Owens’ descriptions of the marsh and the marvels of the natural world. I was invested in Kya’s story from the beginning, and her loneliness was practically tangible. I marveled at her resilience and intelligence. However, as the novel progressed things got a little too unbelievable and soap-opera-ish for me. After all the drama of the murder and trial, the ending seeming rather anti-climactic.
LINK to my review
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Notorious Victoria: The Life of Victoria Woodhull, Uncensored
Mary Gabriel
4/5 stars
This is the interesting story of the life and times of Victoria Woodhull who attempted in 1870 to run for President of the United States. Victoria was a quite a character. Growing up poor but highly intelligent, she went on to do many things that women of that time period were not allowed to do. Married twice, she also worked in many areas-from being a clairvoyant and a prostitute to running a newspaper and a brokerage firm. She was also the first woman to address Congress. Gabriel did a nice job researching Woodhull and her life.
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Lisa's Legacy Trilogy: Slip-Cased Lisa's Legacy Trilogy Containing All Three Cloth Editions
Tom Batiuk
4/5 stars
This trilogy is actual taken from the comic series Funky Winkerbean and revolves around the love story between Les and his wife Lisa and her struggles with breast cancer and what happens beyond that. As a regular reader of the comic strip which I have followed for years, I thoroughly enjoyed this series but if you read it you may want to get some tissues.
A great example of why I love the library ... I'd never buy this book ... but I enjoyed "reading" it...
The Polar Bear Waltz – By the Editors of Outside magazine – 3***
The full title and subtitle is all the synopsis you need: The Polar Bear Waltz and Other Moments of Epic Silliness: Comic Classics from Outside Magazine's "Parting Shots." I thought this would be interesting to look at, but I found many of the shots seemed “staged” to me. Still, it’s a nice treat and a way to spend a few minutes on a snowy day indoors.
LINK to my review
A Breath Of Snow And Ashes – Diana Gabaldon – 3***
Book six in a time-travel series I swore I’d never read, but have become strangely addicted to. This one is heavy on the history of the years leading up to the American colonies declaring independence from Britain. I wanted more of the loving relationship between Jaime and Claire, and yet was happy to see the younger generation play a bigger role. Still, I think I’ll give the series a rest for a year or so. Don’t want to get too far ahead of the TV series.
LINK to my review
Daughters of the Lake, Wendy Webb4 stars
This was an utterly absorbing read. It's a peculiar sort of happy, sunlit Gothic novel with a great number of mysterious goings-on, and at the center of it all the enormous personality of Lake Superior. I cannot wait to read more by this author.
The End of the Affair – Graham Greene – 3.5***
Maurice Bendrix recalls the affair he had with the married Sarah Miles. Bendrix is a writer, and he uses his experience exploring characters’ motivations and emotions to look at the attraction, passion and ultimate love-hate relationship he had with Sarah. That push-pull of the love-hate relationship is at the center of this little novel. And this pretty much describes my relationship with this novel. On the one hand I love the way Greene writes, and the way he draws these characters. On the other hand, I really disliked all of them.
LINK to my review
Mrs. Sherlock Holmes, Brad Ricca3 solid stars
This was a really absorbing read about one of the first woman attorneys in the country who went on to do detective work and influenced public policy. The book focuses on a really atrocious sex murder she helped solve, but takes us with her as she travels the country and the world doing investigations. Her passion was always what we now call human trafficking. This massive book was painstakingly reconstructed from old newspaper accounts, newsreels and so forth, bringing to life a woman who would have been utterly forgotten otherwise. I finished it just as Women's History Month was starting; how perfect is that?
300 Days Of Sun – Deborah Lawrenson – 3***
Journalist Joanna Millard goes to Faro, Portugal to escape a relationship and a career that are both going nowhere, and winds up embroiled in an investigation into criminal child kidnapping that goes back to World War II. This started out slowly but picked up steam as small revelations led to bigger discoveries. Lawrenson uses a dual time line that can sometimes be jarring, as the reader is yanked from one story arc to another, but that serves to increase suspense.
LINK to my review
A Year in Provence – Peter Mayle – 4****
This is a re-read and I enjoyed it just as much as the first time I read it. What a delightful diversion! Mayle's accont of his and his wife's first year owning a house in Provence is entertaining, relaxing and inspiring - it inspires me to enjoy life - good food, good wine and the siesta.
LINK to my review
The Murder of Bob Crane, Robert Graysmith2 solid stars
A well-written, convincing account of Bob Crane's inexplicable murder. Illustrated by the author. They didn't get into the biography of Bob Crane until pretty late in the book, but it was there & fairly satisfying despite that fact that a lot of people involved in his life -- his wives, most of his kids -- didn't contribute a word. I felt a little queasy reading about so much evidence from a case that was still waiting to be prosecuted. Is it really wise to share this much with the public? There were also a couple of times I had to ask how the police could be so dense. But none of that explains why this case just sat there unprosecuted for all these decades...
Fishface wrote: "The Murder of Bob Crane, Robert Graysmith2 solid stars
A well-written, convincing account of Bob Crane's inexplicable murder. Illustrated by the author. They didn't get into the bi..."
This case has always interested me. I think I'll add this to my TBR pile. (:
Midnight At the Bright Ideas Bookstore – Matthew Sullivan – 4****
A puzzle, wrapped in an enigma, wrapped in a mystery. Sullivan’s novel kept me guessing and off balance with some very interesting twists. It took me some time to get really caught up in the story because it was so fractured at the beginning. The multiple puzzles and flashbacks to Lydia’s youth and the horrific events surrounding “The Hammerman” had me wondering where this was going. Still, Sullivan’s inventive narrative did eventually capture my attention and kept me turning pages and staying up late to finish.
LINK to my review
I Was Anastasia – Ariel Lawhon – 3.5***
I’ve been fascinated by the possibility that Anastasia Romanov survived the slaughter of her family during the Bolshevik Revolution since I was a little girl. I am not alone. Lawhon relies on the reader’s desire to believe Anna Anderson’s claim that she was the Grand Duchess Anastasia as she crafts this work. Using dual timelines and narrators, she carefully brings the reader to the fateful events of 1918 and a completely believable conclusion.
LINK to my review
China Rich Girlfriend – Kevin Kwan – 2**
Book two in Kwan’s trilogy about “Crazy Rich Asians.” Just ridiculous but strangely addicting fun. Kinda like watching the worst of the reality TV shows, that I just cannot turn off. Well, it satisfies a challenge to read a book set in China.
LINK to my review
Book Concierge wrote: " China Rich Girlfriend
– Kevin Kwan – 2**
Book two in Kwan’s trilogy about “Crazy Rich Asians.” Just ridiculous but strangely addicting fun. Kinda lik..."
I've read all three and they are just a fun laugh out loud read. I have seen the movie and it is fun too, a shame they couldn't do even more but it can be just so long.
The Child Killers, Norman Lucas3 stars
A good, interesting read with a few cases that were new to me. As with the previous Norman Lucas I read, even the most familiar cases offered a few new details. Well-written and hard to put down. What really intrigued me in this one was the fact that the author seemed directly involved with several of these cases... but in a way never clearly spelled out for the reader. Is Lucas a police investigator himself? A journalist? Maybe an attorney? Couldn't quite tease out where he fit into these cases...
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The Final Confession of Mabel Stark
Robert Hough
3/5 stars
Fictional dark story based on the true life story of Mabel Stark which covers her tragic life including her many husbands and her work with tigers and other animals for over 57 years with circuses around the world. And if you can find it there is a DVD about the true Mabel Stark called Mabel, Mabel Tiger Trainer which is very interesting too.
The Alice Network
Kate Quinn
4/5 star
Wonderful fiction book based loosely on the true tales of the "Alice Network" from WWI about the men and women who fought the German occupation in France amid the story of a young pregnant girl in post WWII looking in France for her cousin who became pregnant out of wedlock and sent to Europe to take care of the situation. The story bobs between looking for the Rose and what happened to Eve (who is helping with the search of Rose) in WWI. I enjoyed it.
In a Sunburned Country – Bill Bryson – 4****
Bryson turns his journalistic skills to an exploration of the only continent that is also a country, and an island. It’s a wonderful memoir / travel journal. If Australia weren’t already on my bucket list, it certainly would be now.
LINK to my review
Inside Out and Back Again – Thanhha Lai – 5*****
This middle-grade novel focusing on the immigrant experience is told entirely in verse, and I applaud Lai for how much she manages to convey in so few words. It is at once complex and straightforward, nuanced, and simple.
LINK to my review
Book Concierge wrote: " Inside Out and Back Again
– Thanhha Lai – 5*****
This middle-grade novel focusing on the immigrant experience is told entirely in verse, and I appla..."
What do you mean by "middle grade," though, Concy? That makes it sound like a C book but your rating clearly gives it an A.
Think Like a Pancreas: A Practical Guide to Managing Diabetes with Insulin, Gary Scheiner4 stars
This is not only a great resource for anyone wanting to understand Type I diabetes; it appears to be the ONLY such resource out there. Everything else I've been able to find is about Type II and those tell you over and over that none of what they're saying applies to people with Type I. My caseload is all under 18, and so many of them are being diagnosed with this illness that I find myself flummoxed again and again as the parents and their kids talk about stuff I can't follow. The author, a diabetes educator who has Type I himself, writes in a snappy, lighthearted way and makes it easy to find whatever you want to know. He reduces the illness from looking like a death sentence to being more of a manageable pain in the a$$. I well remember an 8-year-old girl who was diagnosed when I was working with her; her pediatrician burst into tears and scared the girl and her family to death. This guy would have handled it a lot better.
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In a Sunburned Country
– Bill Bryson – 4****
Bryson turns his journalistic skills to an exploration of the only continent that is also a country, and a..."
I love his books but this was not my favorite one of his - however I listened to it on a book on CD.
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Kid Gloves: Nine Months of Careful Chaos
Lucy Knisley
3.5/5 stars
Knisley, a graphic novelist and author, relates her pregnancy trials in a no holds barred look through pictures and words. Well done!
Fishface wrote: "Book Concierge wrote: " Inside Out and Back Again
– Thanhha Lai – 5*****
This middle-grade novel focusing on the immigrant experience is told entirely..."
Middle-grade is a commonly used reference in the USA regarding school .... typically ages 10-12
Affairs of Steak – Julie Hyzy – 3***
Book number five in the White House Chef mystery series featuring chef Olivia (“Ollie”) Paras. I enjoy this series though some of the situations Ollie finds herself in seem rather implausible. There are plenty of suspects, some romantic/sexual tension, workplace drama, and a great cast of supporting characters.
LINK to my review
Buried Beneath the Baobab Tree – Adaobi Tricia Nwaubani – 5*****
This young-adult novel tells the story of the “stolen girls” of northern Nigeria who have been kidnapped by the terrorist group Boko Haram. The author gives the reader a vivid picture of life in a small Nigerian village. The unnamed narrator is a young girl who excels at school, and dreams of new shoes, going to university, marrying a good husband. The writing is poetic and lyrical, with vivid descriptions and heart-wrenching scenarios. I will read more from this author.
LINK to my review
Book Concierge wrote: "Fishface wrote: "Book Concierge wrote: " Inside Out and Back Again
– Thanhha Lai – 5*****
This middle-grade novel focusing on the immigrant experience..."
Ohhhh, a book for the middle GRADES
Jeff Davis 8: The True Story Behind the Unsolved Murder That Allegedly Inspired True Detective, Season One, Fergus Mason3 solid stars
This little book concerns the unsolved deaths of 8 women who lived in Jennings, LA. At least that's where it starts. All the dead women lived in a small area of a small town, all of them knew each other and some of them were clearly murdered. From there, though, the story gets much more complicated and tangled. Mason lays out a lot of intriguing possibilities but ultimately lets you decide for yourself.
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The Golden Tresses of the Dead
Alan Bradley
4/5 stars
Flavia and Dogger, her estate gardener, start their own private agency business in this newest addition to the series. Along the way they have to deal with a finger in the wedding cake at her sister’s wedding, missing letters from the home of a Mrs. Prill and female missionaries that have their own agenda which is not on the up and up. Always entertaining!
Us Against You – Fredrik Backman – 3.5***
Backman returns to Beartown to explore what happens in the aftermath of the first book’s stunning events. I love the way that Backman writes these characters. He moves back and forth between characters’ points of view as he tells the story of the town. Yet the story is always moving forward, keeping me enthralled and interested. Best enjoyed if you’ve read Beartown first.
LINK to my review
My Sister, the Serial Killer – Oyinkan Braithwaite – 4****
What an interesting concept! I was immediately drawn into the sisters’ co-dependent relationship. I understood and sympathized with Korede’s dilemma; she loves her baby sister, but she wants her to stop her behavior. The tension is nonstop. Will she? Won’t she? When will she? How will she? In the end I’m left wondering WHO is the psychopath here?
LINK to my review
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The Wild Bunch: Sam Peckinpah, a Revolution in Hollywood, and the Making of a Legendary Film
W.K. Stratton
3.5/5 stars
Stratton writes about the making of the film The Wild Bunch, the time period surrounding and influencing the making of the film and of course the director Sam Peckinpah and his new darker version of the western genre. This is definitely for film buffs and people who have seen the film. I enjoyed it.
Nine Perfect Strangers – Liane Moriarty – 2.5**
It’s not Moriarty’s best work, in my humble opinion. On the one hand I really enjoyed some of these guests’ stories. On the other hand, I didn’t really like any of these characters, and was completely irritated by Masha’s psychobabble new-age philosophy on fixing what was wrong with them. I also didn’t like the ending, with its fast-forward to weeks or years later in order to catch up on what happened.
LINK to my review
A River Of Stars – Vanessa Hua – 3***
Hua’s first novel looks at the immigrant experience from a slightly different angle: wealthy Chinese who pay a high fee to ensure their babies will have the always-coveted native-born U.S. citizenship. The story focuses on Scarlett Chen, the mistress or Boss Yeung, and Daisy, the unwed teenager whose parents want to keep her from her American boyfriend. I found this an interesting and engaging story. I really liked Scarlett, but thought Daisy was frustratingly immature. Final verdict: a good, but not great, debut. I’d consider reading another of Hua’s works.
LINK to my review
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A Man Called Ove
Fredrik Backman
5/5 stars
Lovely book about a anti-social man who struggles with living by himself when a new neighbor intrudes into his life forcing him to become more social. Great book and a favorite author for me! I had seen the movie earlier and enjoyed that too.
Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine – Gail Honeyman – 5*****
What a marvelous character-driven novel! I loved Eleanor as much as I was frustrated by her. Her conversations with Mummy gave us clues to the trauma in her past that resulted in the fragile woman she is when we first meet her. I love the way the friendship between Raymond and Eleanor develops; how he introduces her to possibilities, but also accepts her at face value. Honeyman gives us some wonderful supporting characters as well; even if their scenes are small, they are fully developed and add to the richness of the novel. A fantastic debut novel!
LINK to my review
The Riverside Killer, Christine Keers4 stars!
A very good read, co-authored by one of the case investigators. In this true story we see the police's point of view first, as they find one mutilated body after another in a small area in California. Then we backtrack through the killer's entire life, taking us through crimes the Riverside investigators didn't know about until much later, then go back through the women's murders in order, seeing them in terms of what was going on in the killer's head. Despite being told the whole story twice I never saw the book as repetitive. The authors treat the victims with a lot more respect than the killer was capable of. I did long to hear more from the killer's family of origin and his ex-wives. Not to mention his defense counsel. What did they see going on with this guy? I highly recommend this book. Be warned that the crime-scene photos are truly hideous.
Deviant – Harold Schechter – 3***
The subtitle is all the synopsis anyone needs: The Shocking True Story of Ed Gein, the Original “Psycho”. I’ve always like “true crime” books, and this is a pretty good, though not great, example of the genre. Schechter writes a detailed account of Gein’s upbringing (as best as he could re-create it), the events and suspicions of the townspeople, his trial and his life in a mental institution.
LINK to my review
A Single Shard – Linda Sue Park – 4****
This middle-grade novel is a beautiful introduction to the Korean culture, as well as to the art of pottery. Park gives us a wonderful cast of characters. I love the relationship between Tree-Ear and Crane-man, how they care for one another, and give to one another so selflessly. I learned much about celadon pottery, and particularly the uniqueness of the inlay process. The novel was awarded the Newbery Medal for excellence in Children’s Literature.
LINK to my review
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Zamba: The True Story of the Greatest Lion That Ever Lived – Ralph Helfer– 3***
I’m not a great animal lover, but I was interested and engaged in most of Ralph Helfer’s memoir of raising and working with the lion he rescued as a young cub. I did find Helfer a bit preachy at times. Still, I applaud the way that he changed the minds of many animal “trainers” about the best techniques to use.
LINK to my review
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The Innocent
Ian McEwan
4/5 stars
In 1955, during the Cold War, American Leonard Marnham, in his first job, is sent to East Berlin to set up recording devices that tap into the Russian sectors to keep an eye on them. Along the way he falls in love with the divorced Maria. Complications ensue when Maria’s ex-husband shows up. Between his job and the ex-husband Leonard is overwhelmed with life and eventually things only go from bad to worse. McEwan is one of my favorite authors and he doesn’t disappoint in this novel.
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Al Capone and the 1933 Worlds Fair
William Hazelgrove
4/5 stars
This book is about the end of Capone’s career as a gangster and the building of the 1933 World’s Fair that took place in Chicago during the depression. Not a long book but a fascinating look at the time period, though in this book Capone and the World’s Fair weren’t really linked together but were events occurring at the same time. This reminded me of Erik Larson’s fascinating book The Devil in the White City which was about a serial killer who lured and killed visitors from the 1893 Exposition in Chicago.
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Have you ever finished a book an..."
Now that sounds like a primo example of a book about books!