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2019 Reads and Reviews ~ Anything goes
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Barbie and Ruth: The Story of the World's Most Famous Doll and the Woman Who Created Her
Robin Gerber
4/5 stars
This is the story of Ruth Handler who was looking for an adult female doll for girls to play with. At the time there were only baby dolls or paper adult dolls for girls to play with. While traveling in Germany she saw a Bild Lilli adult doll which inspired the creation of the Barbie doll and which became a toy sensation. This was the beginning of the rise of Mattel but life for Ruth and her family it would be a whirlwind of ups and downs. What an interesting read!
The Perfect Ride – Gary Stevens – 2**
Gary Stevens is a Hall-of-Fame jockey and this is his autobiography. He openly and honestly relates his childhood, early training, and path to being one of the top jockeys in the world. I like horseracing and reading about the sport, but this book was frequently boring. I believe Stevens felt the thrill and excitement but he failed to convey that on the page.
My full review HERE
White American Youth: My Descent into America's Most Violent Hate Movement—and How I Got Out, Christian Picciolini4 stars
Chris Picciolini's memoir of growing up skinhead -- what drew him in, what dragged him back out again almost a decade later, and how he made sense of it all. Well-written, and illustrated throughout with photos doctored in the traditional manner of the punk-rock era. If only I could have shopped at Chaos Records while it was still open for business! This book is well worth your time.
Ordinary Life – Elizabeth Berg – 4****
This is a collection of short stories exploring the role of women and their relationships in contemporary America. Berg writes wonderfully about these women. I understand their frustrations and share their hopes, empathize with their pain and disappointments, and celebrate their triumphs and joys. Their lives may be “ordinary” … the stories, and this collection, are NOT.
My full review HERE
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The Graveyard Apartment
Mariko Koike
4/5 stars
A young Japanese couple with a child are living in Tokyo but they decide to move out of their current lodgings and buy a condo. The condo is a steal but is located next to a cemetery. Shortly, after moving in to their new apartment they find out that few people are living there. They make friends with the people that are there but one day their child and a friend are playing in the basement and are trapped down there. Luckily they are rescued but unusual and eerie events continue to occur impelling the residents to leave until they are the last family in the building. I enjoyed this fast and eerie read.
Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout5 stars and a heart
A rare jaunt into fiction for me:
I loved the first book about Olive so was excited to see another book about her. At the end of this book Olive is quite elderly so I was sad to think this is probably the last book about her. Olive says exactly what she is thinking and does not worry if she is politically correct. She can be abrasive and yet loveable at the same time. I loved it that Olive is not perfect and she knows it. Olive can make you laugh and cry. She seems just like someone you would want to sit and have coffee with and gossip about everyone else in town. I tried to take my time reading this book to make it last but it was impossible.
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Grunt: The Curious Science of Humans at War
Mary Roach
4/5 stars
Mary Roach, one of my favorite non-fiction authors, loves to explore the most unusual subjects and she doesn’t fail in this book about the science behind the problems that crop up when soldiers are defending us. Topics include stink bombs, flies on the battlefield, how to make shark repellent and much more. Not for everyone but for those curious in unusual topics.
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Nightbird
Alice Hoffman
4/5 stars
This wonderful children’s novel about acceptance revolves around Twig, a young girl and her family who keeps to themselves because of her brother’s mysterious condition. When a new family moves to town everything changes for them when the sisters befriend Twig. I have read Hoffman before but I never knew she wrote children’s books.
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Dear Fahrenheit 451: Love and Heartbreak in the Stacks
Annie Spence
3.5/5 stars
Annie Spence, real life librarian, writes of her love of reading and the books she adores by writing quirky love letters to them. Of course she also writes about some of the duds that she has read and those get breakup notes. A very charming book but be warned this may increase your to be read book list!
Teresita, the Voice from the Grave: The Incredible But True Story of How an Occult Vision Solved the Murder of Teresita Basa, Kohn O'Brien and Edward Baumann4 stars!
I can't recoomend this one enough to anyone who interested in true crime, biography or the paranormal. This story is all three. It's not starry-eyed or credulous but quite skeptical in tone. The authors just lay out the facts and let you decide for yourself whether Teresita Basa solved her own murder because the police couldn't do it themselves. There are many oddities in this story and you can ponder them endlessly without ever getting clear answers. Very well written. Worth your time.
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Echo
Pam Muñoz Ryan
5/5 stars
This is the wonderful story that starts with Otto, a young man who was lost in the forest but saved by 3 girls who are trapped in the forest. They give him a harmonica marked with an M. If he passes it on and it saves someone, the girls will be released. The harmonica touches the lives of three families and we learn of their tragic stories and what has become of them and the girls trapped in the forest. Written for children and young adults but adults will enjoy this too!
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Turbo Twenty-Three
Janet Evanovich
3.5/5 stars
Stephanie, once again is embroiled in another mystery when Ranger, a bounty hunter she occasionally works for, needs her to go undercover at an ice cream factory after a dead body covered with chocolate and pecans shows up in an ice cream truck. All the regulars make an appearance in this story including her Grandmother and her crazy friend Lula. I like this series, always a fun fast read.
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The Westing Game
Ellen Raskin
3.5/5 stars
A group of residents from the same apartment building are invited to the home of the wealthy Samuel W. Westing to hear his will being read. To receive money from the will, they will have to partner up and play a game. But the game is very tricky and dangerous and they will have to rely on their partners to win! The core reading group for this Newberry Medal winner is teen and older children but adults will enjoy it too.
Crime Archive: John Christie, by Edward Marston4 stars!
This confirms what I always say about reading more than one book on a true-crime case if you can. This little hardcover treasure contains all kinds of information on the Christie case that was new to me. It's well and clearly written, offers photos I never saw before and includes much more about the married lives of the Evanses and the equally short, tragic lives of the other victims of this terrible man. Don't miss it.
Heart of a Samurai – Margi Preus – 4****
This young adult novel is marvelous work of historical fiction based on a real person. Manjiro leaves his village at age 14, only to be shipwrecked on a deserted island and then rescued by an American whaling ship. I really liked this book and how Preus explores prejudice and intolerance, as well as the gifts of curiosity, eagerness to learn and being open to new experiences.
My full review HERE
The Fact of a Body – Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich – 5*****
Wow. I was completely mesmerized by this memoir / true crime work. Marzano-Lesnevich puts me right into the narrative and I feel invested in both her story and that of convicted murderer, and pedophile, Ricky Langley.
My full review HERE
Dead And Buried: A Shocking Account of Rape, Torture, and Murder on the California Coast, Corey Mitchell3 stars
The troubling account of the murders of Rachel Newhouse and Aundria Crawford by a man who knew better, but went ahead and did it anyway. He caused far more pain than this, affecting many other people, but because they survived they didn't get nearly as much attention. This book is about the two times he went that one extra step.
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The Death of Mrs. Westaway
Ruth Ware
5/5 stars
Hal, a single woman is living and struggling on her own as a tarot card reader when she gets a letter informing her of a relative that has died and she is to inherit part of the estate. However, she believes that she is not related to that person but still decides to go to the will reading hoping to get some of the inheritance to help her survive. As she arrives and meets the family she has second thoughts but still plans to go through with it. However, there is someone in the family who has a secret to maintain and Hal may be in the way. I flew through this book because I couldn’t wait to see how this ended!
Julie wrote: "The Death of Mrs. Westaway
Ruth Ware
5/5 stars
Hal, a single woman is living and struggling on her own as a tarot ca..."
Wait. Her name is Hal!?
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The Death of Mrs. Westaway
Ruth Ware
5/5 stars
Hal, a single woman is living and struggling on her own..."
Yes, she is a young woman and that is her name but it is a nickname for Harriet. I like Hal better!
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Books mentioned in this topic
The Death of Mrs. Westaway (other topics)The Death of Mrs. Westaway (other topics)
The Death of Mrs. Westaway (other topics)
Dead and Buried: A Shocking Account of Rape, Torture, and Murder on the California Coast (other topics)
The Fact of a Body: A Murder and a Memoir (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Ruth Ware (other topics)Ruth Ware (other topics)
Ruth Ware (other topics)
Ellen Raskin (other topics)
Janet Evanovich (other topics)
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The Game of Silence
– Louise Erdrich – 4****
Book two in the Birchbark House series which is about an Ojibwa tribe’s life on their island in Lake Superior..."
This author is a favorite of mine.