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12x12 Off the shelf, BWF extraLessons in Chemistry / Bonnie Garmus
4.25 stars
Elizabeth Zott is a scientist – a chemist – but it’s the 1950s/1960s, so she’s not really taken seriously (and is even treated badly, at times). Except when she meets and starts dating another chemist, the famous (amongst scientists, anyway) Calvin Evans; Calvin takes her seriously. Elizabeth has no plans to marry, however (nor does she want kids), so it’s a scandal when she becomes pregnant. Unfortunately, by the time Mad(eline) is born, Calvin has died in an accident. So Elizabeth is now a single mom. She is let go at her job (as a chemist), so although she has no interest in cooking on television, she takes this job that is offered to her. But she turns this cooking show around and turns it into a chemistry/cooking show for women.
This was fun! I loved Elizabeth. She is smart, she is tough. Good for her for everything she did and tried to do. Plenty of humourous parts thrown in.
12x12 Audio, CalendarCAT, Fall FlurriesHorseman: A Tale of Sleepy Hollow / Christina Henry
3 stars
In Sleepy Hollow, Ben(de) is the granddaughter of Brom Van Brunt and Katrina Van Tassel (and was raised by them), but thinks of himself as a boy. When Ben and a friend find a dead boy in the woods, with head and hands cut off, Ben starts to wonder if he should be wandering through the woods at all. It’s not long before a second dead boy appears in the woods… this one a boy who had been taunting Ben and Ben had been seen to fight back. Even with all this going on, Ben seems to be fairly safe in the woods via some kind of protector. In the meantime, he is constantly fighting his grandmother on being too much like a boy and it’s about time he started acting like a girl and learning the things he’ll need to know as he gets older and gets married.
I listened to the audio. I liked that the author brought in a trans character. With the dead kids being found in the woods, it was a bit creepy at times. However, as often happens with me and audio, I got distracted and missed things. I did like how it ended, though. Overall, I’m rating it ok.
12x12 Overflow, MysteryKIT, BWF extraThe Collector / Nora Roberts
3.5 stars
Lila works as a house-sitter in New York City and she enjoys watching people across from the windows where she is staying (“Rear Window” style). There is a couple she can see who often fight. When she sees someone hit the woman during a fight, then the woman is pushed out the window, she immediately dials for emergency help. Later at the police station, the brother of the man (who was also found dead – a suspected suicide), Ashton, wants to talk to Lila to find out exactly what she saw. Between the two of then, they figure out there is much more going on here than meets the eye. And it’s dangerous.
This was good. I enjoyed it. It’s Nora Roberts, so of course, there is a romance. The romance didn’t do anything for me, but that’s not unusual. I liked Lila – she is independent and tough. Have to admit I did love the pets who belonged to the people Lila was sitting for.
12x12 Animals, Roundtuits, AlphaKIT, BWF extraEnslaved by Ducks / Bob Tarte
4 stars
Bob lived a pet-free life for a long time. But when his wife decided they needed to save a rabbit (though they had no idea how to take care of one), this snowballed over the following years, so that (over time), they had a number of rabbits, cats, and many types of birds (parrots, parakeets, a canary, a dove, geese, turkeys, a number of different species of duck, and more). The geese, turkeys, and ducks lived outside in the barn and yard. They had a hard time saying no if there was a critter in need. Bob was not a handy guy, but was constantly building new fencing and other spaces to keep the critters in the yard, but to separate many of them, as well.
I really liked this. They muddled their way through taking care of many of them, as did the various vets they sought help from when there was a medical need. Most of the vets hadn’t dealt with many of these types of critters, either. There was plenty of humour in the book, but as some of the pets got sick and died (or got better), and some went missing, there were sad situations, as well. It was unfortunate that they didn’t research before bringing home the different types of pets, though, to know ahead of time what they were getting into.
12x12 Oh Canada, BWF extra, Roundtuits, PBT TrimRunaway: Stories / Alice Munro
2.25 stars
This is a book of short stories. Set in various parts of Canada. In the first one a woman was trying to get away from her husband. A few others (same characters) involved a woman and her daughter.
I listened to the audio and short stories make that difficult. If you lose focus, the stories are usually too short to figure out what you missed, as the percentage of the story you miss is much larger than that of a novel if you miss bits and pieces. The first story kept my attention the most, I think – where the woman was running away from her husband. The other series of stories mentioned with mother/daughter, I probably caught more of because there were multiple stories. But really, none were overly exciting where I wanted to keep listening. The first story was the closest to that. Not a fan – of short stories or Alice Munro, really.
12x12 Travel. PBT, Roundtuits, BWF extraAlone Time: Four Seasons, Four Cities, and the Pleasures of Solitude / Stephanie Rosenbloom
2.25 stars
The author travelled to Paris, Istanbul, and Florence, then back home to New York, and did a number of things solo. In Paris, much of what she did (or at least wrote about) was eating/food. In Istanbul, ???. In Florence, museums/art.
I think I added this to my tbr for the travelling solo aspect, as I have travelled solo (well, mostly on cruises), so I was disappointed in this one. Really it seemed to be more about the food (Paris) and the art (Florence) than anything else, and I just found that boring. There were parts where she brought in interesting tidbits about travelling alone, and the last chapter was the most interesting (at least for me), as that’s when she (finally!) focussed on travelling solo, in general. She did include a good “Tips and Tools for Going It Alone”, which I think could be useful.
12x12 Series, MysteryKIT, AlphaKITOld Bones / Douglas Preston, Lincoln Child
3.75 stars
Special Agent Corrie Swanson is a rookie FBI agent. After a few months of looking into cold cases, she finally gets a chance to investigate a current case. Someone dug up a grave, then was shot and left on top of that uncovered grave; the grave, itself, was robbed, but only the top half of the remains was taken.
Archaeologist Nora Kelly is given the chance to head out on a search for a “lost camp”. In the mid-1800s, a group called the Donner Party went missing in the mountains in California and most of them died after having cannibalized many of the others. The person who brought a diary to Nora (and her institution) with a good description of how they might find this camp is a historian and a descendant of one of the Donner Party.
Initially, these “stories” don’t seem connected, but of course, they are. Corrie has an inkling (though her superior thinks it’s a stretch) as to how they might be connected (but nothing concrete). Anyway, I liked both storylines. Both women are tough, though not always likable. I thought it was a good story, and I will continue the series. Nora Kelly has been in at least one of the Agent Pendergast books, as well, and he made an appearance in this book. I didn’t know the Donner Party was a real group, though the author’s note at the end tells us that some of the main “characters” that are part of the Donner Party in this book are fictional. I like these mysteries involving archaeology; I think it’s a nice mix.
12x12 BIPOC, MysteryKIT, BWF extraArsenic and Adobo / Mia P. Manansala
3.5 stars
Lila is a Filipino-American who was away for university, but returned to her hometown in Illinois to help her family with their restaurant. Her high school boyfriend is still in town, as is her best friend. She has a crush on her best friend’s brother, but has never acted on it; he is now a lawyer in town. Unfortunately, Lila’s high school boyfriend, Derek, has really changed. He writes restaurant reviews in the local newspaper and tends to come down really hard on them, Lila’s family’s restaurant included. But when he and his step-father are eating in the restaurant one evening, Derek falls face-first into his plate. He has been poisoned and it looks like Lila or someone in her family or at the restaurant has done it. Lila and her best friend, Adeena, try to figure out who might really be the culprit.
I liked this. There was more food descriptions in the book than I like, but it’s a cozy mystery and a lot of people like that in their cozies. For those who like that, there are recipes at the back, as well. There is also a Filipino glossary at the start, so that was handy. I did like the story, though. I also liked most of the characters and the little love triangle happening. This is the first in a series, and I liked it enough to continue.
12x12 Nonfiction, HistoryCATA Crack in the Edge of the World / Simon Winchester
2.25 stars
This is a “story” of the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco, which spawned fires, which destroyed the city. It also talks about geology, in general, in order to explain earthquakes. Winchester also goes through a history leading up to the San Francisco quake.
I listened to the audio because it’s what my library had available. I knew it was probably a bad choice, as I’ve not enjoyed Winchester’s books in the past via audio. I feel like I should like them (based on the topics), but I really would be better off to try them in print. This one got (slightly) more interesting toward the end, as he focused more on San Francisco in 1906, rather than the science/geology, in general. I am not opposed to reading about science, so I don’t necessarily think that’s the issue. I’m not sure if I don’t like his writing style, or if it’s the audios, in particular (read by Winchester, himself), that I am not a fan of.
12x12 ARCs, RandomKIT, CalendarCAT, Fall FlurriesThe Nomadic Devil: The True Story of Israel Keyes America's Most Methodical Serial Killer Who Planted Murder Caches Nationwide / Genoveva Ortiz
3.5 stars
Israel Keyes was a serial killer. This short story/novella delves into his home life and the crimes he committed (and some that he may have committed). It is part of a true crime series that is meant to be an easy style of reading to make it more accessible to more people.
I have not heard of this guy before, but I always find these books interesting. I dislike how short they are, though. It would be nice if they could go into more detail in these books, but at the same time, I “get” what they are trying to do. These books also include a bit of a biography, as well, but I also like reading biographies, so I’m ok with that.
12x12 ARCs, MysteryKITHunting a Cat in Dogtown: The Sequel to Killer Dead, Victim Alive / Michael Geczi
2.5 stars
A continuation of the authors “Killer Dead, Victim Alive”, the victim from that book, Chrissy Weeks, is back and now in jail. But the people who worked on that previous case are receiving weird things delivered to them, things that they surmise Chrissy must have sent, but how? Meanwhile, there are new murders that appear to be mimicking the series of murders that were just solved.
This started well, but I think the books (at least for me) really hinge on the unstable character, Chrissy. Once (view spoiler), I just kind of lost interest. There were a lot of characters and I had trouble figuring out who was who, and I just didn’t pay much attention to the rest of the book. It’s too bad because I really liked “Killer Dead…” and I thought I might continue this series, but I think I’ll pass on the rest.
12x12 Trim, RoundtuitsThousand Words / Jennifer Brown
4.5 stars
At the urging of her friends (and after feeling ignored by her boyfriend for most of the summer before he leaves for college), a slightly drunk Ashleigh takes a naked picture of herself and texts it to Kaleb. It works (temporarily) to get his attention, but after Kaleb leaves for college, they eventually break up. And Kaleb passes on Ashleigh’s picture and it makes the rounds. Ashleigh is charged (as is Kaleb) with distributing child pornography after it has blown up and Ashleigh is doing 60 hours of community service where she has to research and write a pamphlet on sexting.
The community service bit we know from the very start of the book, and it goes back and forth in time to explain how Ashleigh got there. Wow, a (yes, huge) mistake made by a teenager and this book shows how badly it can blow up and affect that teenager, as well as her friends and family. And, of course, as we know from news stories (there was a big one in Canada maybe a decade or so ago), some kids, after the constant bullying, kill themselves, so there can be awful consequences. In the author’s note at the end of the book, she does mention that there are states where teenagers can be charged with distributing child pornography in a situation like this (and Kaleb in this book – as an adult at 18-years old – faces a lifetime “sexual offender” label). There can be (and sometimes are) enormous consequences.
12x12 Audio, RandomKITCarnegie's Maid / Marie Benedict
3.5 stars
Clara Kelly has come to the US from Ireland. When she gets off the boat, she is mistaken for another Clara Kelly and ends up in a much better place than she otherwise would have been – as a lady’s maid to Mrs. Carnegie (yes, Andrew Carnegie’s mother). She quickly learns what she needs to know to make her way and falls for Mrs. Carnegie’s oldest son, Andrew. Clara, though a farmer’s daughter in Ireland, was well-read, thanks to her father, and is smart. She and Andrew have some good conversations, including business conversations and fall for each other, though Clara, especially, tries to fight her feelings.
I liked this. I listened to the audio and had no problem following what was going on. In the author’s note at the end, we learn that Clara was, of course, a fictional character, as the author wanted to imagine what might have changed him from the business tycoon he was to the philanthropist he became (paying for libraries and museums that anyone could enjoy), regardless of monetary wealth or social class.
12x12 Nonfiction, Fall Flurries, CalendarCAT, BWF extraThank You for Your Service / David Finkel
3 stars
The author is a journalist who followed soldiers as they returned home from wars in Iraq or Afghanistan to try to fit back into their previous lives with their families, but so many of them brought back psychological trauma, whether a traumatic brain injury (TBI) or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Some have become abusive and/or want to kill themselves. Some of them try to get treatment to varying degrees of success. The wives/girlfriends are also interviewed, and their husbands’/boyfriends’ issues take a toll on them, as well.
This is sad. It does jump around, sometimes without “warning” (that I noticed, anyway), which sometimes made it a bit harder to follow and to figure out who was who. Of course, the people the author focused the most on were easier to remember. It was tough to see how, not only are the soldiers, themselves, affected, but how their issues affect their families, as well.
12x12 BIPOC, PrizeCAT, BWF extraThe 57 Bus: A True Story of Two Teenagers and the Crime That Changed Their Lives / Dashka Slater
4 stars
True story. Agender teenager Sasha was on a bus in Oakland California in Fall 2013 and fell asleep. When they woke up, they were on fire. Another teenager on the bus, Richard, saw a “boy” in a skirt and decided to light his lighter to the skirt, thinking it would just peter out, but it didn’t. Sasha had terrible burns to their legs. The author looks at both their lives leading up to the incident, and their lives during the aftermath.
The author set up the background of both Sasha and Richard – that is, their lives up to that point. Richard was a black boy, poor and though, ultimately, a good person, he hung around with a bad crowd. Next came the ride on the bus that resulted in Sasha’s being burned and Richard charged as an adult because it was a violent crime (although Sasha and their parents would have preferred he be tried as a juvenile).
There is a lot for people to learn in this book, particularly about Sasha and how they felt in their skin, initially as a boy, but then coming out as agender with their friends and parents. Sasha had been accepted and supported and didn’t have bad experiences due to their agender-ness, up until the incident on the bus. I had a (much) harder time feeling badly for Richard, despite studies about how teenagers’ brains are wired and although they know right from wrong, they can still be compelled to do things they know are wrong and do feel badly for afterward. I still had (have) a hard time getting past what Richard did, while knowing it was wrong. The book is aimed toward a YA audience, but I think there is so much in this book (particularly about gender) that adults can (and maybe should) learn, too. It’s an eye-opening book, for sure, and well worth reading.
12x12 Series, ScaredyKIT, BWF extraSilver Borne / Patricia Briggs
4 stars
Mercy, a mechanic and coyote shapeshifter who grew up in a werewolf pack and is now mated to one of the alpha werewolf males in the Tri-Cities region, is also best friends with Samuel, another high ranking werewolf. When Samuel, a doctor, is suddenly his wolf, Sam, and won’t turn back to human, something is very wrong and Mercy will help and protect him until they figure out how to help him. Meantime, a bounty hunter appears at her shop, apparently looking for a wolf he has been paid to kill.
And there’s so much more. I really liked this one. It’s the 5th in the series. This might be one of the higher ranked ones (for me, anyway). I like Samuel and liked the focus on him, but as mentioned there was way more going on than just what Samuel was going through. This one had lots of action and I really enjoyed it.
12x12 RTT, RTT, BWF extra, AlphaKIT, RoundtuitsMary Boleyn: The Mistress of Kings / Alison Weir
3.5 stars
This is a nonfiction “biography” of Mary Boleyn. Mary lived during the first half of the 16th century, and was most likely a mistress to Henry VIII before he divorced his first wife, Kathrine of Aragon, and married Mary’s sister, Anne Boleyn.
There really isn’t a whole lot known about Mary, so the author took a lot of sources, both primary and secondary, and analyzed them to figure out what she could of Mary’s life. I expected this. She did also explain why she thought some of the sources were (likely) correct or not. So there is still much speculation, but the author did want to correct some obvious things that people think about Mary due to recent popular movies and tv shows (that, yes, I also enjoyed!).
I did learn a little bit, too: apparently, the likely affair between Henry and Mary was the same in the minds of people at the time, with regard to not allowing Henry and Anne to marry, as Henry marrying Katherine (his brother’s widow), which is what Henry used to annul his first marriage – it was considered incest, and shouldn’t have allowed him to marry Anne. But no one (at least who was willing to outwardly oppose Henry and Anne’s marriage) knew about it to bring it up.
This is, of course, a bit of a longer read, not in terms of pages, but it’s nonfiction, so a little more dense. But, still interesting!
12x12 PBT, PBT, BWF, RoundtuitsNevernight / Jay Kristoff
2.25 stars
Mia is a teenager who ends up at some sort of assassin training school or something. She makes friends and enemies. People end up murdered (at least one of the assassins-in-training, anyway… not sure if there were more murders or not, maybe more). There was something to do with revenge, too.
Listened to the audio. I have no idea why I added this to the tbr; I am not a fan of fantasy. Maybe the assassin/revenge theme was of interest? I don’t know. Periodically, an interesting thing would happen, but mostly I didn’t care that much.
12x12 Travel, HistoryCAT, AlphaKIT, BWF extraThe Secrets of Vesuvius / Caroline Lawrence
2.5 stars
This is the second in a series of children’s mysteries, this one set in ancient Italy. Flavia is our main character; she and friends are given some kind of riddle (I’m not sure why). Later on, they try to help a boy find his biological parents. Then, the volcano at Vesuvius erupts.
All of that in a very short book. I listened to the audio and, like with the first book, there was too much I missed because it didn’t hold my attention. After the first one, I had decided to give the series another try (this one), but I think I’ll stop here. Maybe I could try a non-audio, but I don’t think I will. The boy and the volcano were the most interesting, though.
12x12 Off the Shelf, MysteryKIT, BWF extraThe Missing Ones / Patricia Gibney
4 stars
A woman is murdered in a church. Not long after, a man is found hanging in his yard. It turns out there is a connection between the two people. Detective Lottie is in charge of the team trying to solve these murders. Despite her own family having troubles (she has three teenagers and her husband died a few years earlier), she does her best to sort out what’s going on, even as more murders pile up. In addition, there is a connection to a local former orphanage, St. Angela’s, but what is that connection, exactly?
There is a lot going on and a lot of characters, but it did make it trickier to figure out who might have done it (not that I ever – well, rarely, anyway – actually figure it out before it’s revealed, anyway!). I really liked it, though. There were short chapters that made it easy to keep going. Note that parts of this book are quite dark. This is the first in a series that I will definitely be continuing.
12x12 Oh Canada, Steeplechase21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act / Bob Joseph
3.5 stars
This book goes through to explain parts of Canada’s Indian Act, originally created in 1876. Though there have been some updates, much remains. The author also includes, in an appendix, all 94 calls to action in the recent Truth and Reconciliation Commission. Ultimately, though some (Indigenous people) are concerned about ramifications of getting rid of the outdated Indian Act altogether, the author (also Indigenous) believes it should go, and explains why.
Most people don’t know much about the Indian Act. I didn’t until earlier this year when I took an extremely comprehensive online (free!) course from the University of Alberta called Indigenous Canada (highly recommended, though it does take a chunk of time). So, I had heard (via that course) a lot of what the author mentions in this book. But that doesn’t mean a reminder wasn’t a good thing, because it is. It’s a short book; it sounds like the author did that on purpose. It’s not super-exciting reading (it’s explaining legal things), but it’s something that Canadians should read and educate themselves about.
12x12 Oh Canada, RandomKIT, AlphaKIT, RTTStars Between the Sun and Moon: One Woman's Life in North Korea and Escape to Freedom / Lucia Jang
3.5 stars
The author grew up in North Korea but soon learned she wanted out. She went through abusive relationships, two children (one who was sold, not by her choice), landed in jail more than once, went back and forth between China, and more. Eventually, she got out for good and made her way to Canada.
I listened to the audio. Unfortunately, that meant it was a while before I got interested. And it was interesting (and awful for her) once it was holding my attention, but I’d already missed a bunch of what was going on by that point, and I continued to lose focus at times. You could say there were some technical issues with the audio that didn’t help, but it’s hard to say if that would have made a difference in the rating or not. I actually thought I caught more than I did, but in reading some of the other reviews, I guess I missed more than I thought, even.
12x12 RTT, RTT, RoundtuitsDid She Kill Him?: A Victorian Tale of Deception, Adultery, and Arsenic / Kate Colquhoun
4 stars
In the late 1800s, Florence was an American who married James Maybrick from England, although he was 24 years older than she was. He was a hypochondriac who took a lot of “medicines”, including many with various poisons in them, including arsenic. Florence and James were having trouble in their marriage and both were cheating. He went through a time period where he was in all kinds of pain and he eventually died. Florence, along with servants and two brothers and various doctors were all trying to help him. But James’ brothers didn’t trust Florence and pointed a finger at Florence suggesting that she may have killed him with arsenic. A couple of the servants also reported things they found odd that Florence did, indicating a possible poisoning by James’ wife.
So, it seems Florence’s trial was… maybe not undertaken in the best way. The jury was (of course, due to the time frame) all men, but also all farmers and tradespeople. Not people who might easily understand a confusing array of medications and how much arsenic was or was not in each of many different bottles. Even the experts disagreed on whether or not arsenic was even what killed him. The judge seemed predisposed to find her guilty, but not because he necessarily thought she killed him, but because she was a middle class woman with loose morals – that is, he didn’t like that she had had an affair. The judge wasn’t the one to decide anything, but he did summarize for the jury… in a way that seemed somewhat biased. Anyway, this was interesting and frustrating to read about this case, well-known at the time. Fun fact: James Maybrick has been suggested as a possible Jack the Ripper (this wasn’t discussed much in the book, just mentioned, so I don’t know why he has been suspected – something about a diary… that has not been proved to be his or to be real?).
12x12 TravelWhen the Moon is Low / Nadia Hashimi
4 stars
Fereiba falls for her neighbour but his mother matches him up to marry Fereiba’s beautiful half-sister, instead, and she is crushed. However, it turns out far better for her when she marries his cousin, Mahmoud. They are in Kabul, and though they have grown up with relative freedom (Fereiba became a teacher), the Taliban take over and more and more is restricted. To their horror, Mahmoud is arrested… and never comes home. Fereiba has three children and decides she needs to leave. The story is told partly by Fereiba and partly by her oldest son, Saleem, a teenager when they leave.
I listened to the audio. Fereiba and Saleem were narrated by different people, so you could tell easily and quickly where you were. I thought this was very good. It captured how difficult it was to get out and how they would survive while doing so, though this family did have some advantages, as Mahmoud was thinking ahead (just not enough ahead for him to be able to leave with them).
12x12 Series, CalendarCAT, Fall FlurriesThe Twelve Clues of Christmas / Rhys Bowen
4 stars
Georgie, in an attempt to get away from her dreary sister-in-law and her family for the holidays, answers a job ad to head to a small town and help a hostess with her Christmas party; but they were only willing to hire someone of a certain station, which of course, Georgie fits, as the 35th in line to the crown. Unfortunately, the day she arrives, a neighbour is found dead, hanging from a tree. The next day, someone has jumped off a nearby bridge, and things keep happening in this little town. They appear to be accidents, but there seem to be too many accidents happening all at once. Georgie is told of the local curse where bad things happen around Christmas due to a witch who was chased and hanged back in the 1400s, who subsequently cursed the town.
I really enjoyed this one. It was clever… all these things really didn’t appear to be related and the majority of them also appeared to be accidents. There is, of course, also the attempt to keep a holiday mood going. The book ended with a few traditional English Christmas recipes and games.
12x12 Animals, RandomKITAre We Smart Enough to Know How Smart Animals Are? / Frans De Waal
4 stars
The author studies primates. In this book, he is looking at various studies looking at cognition in various types of animals. He also does some comparisons of studies, looking at animals, then the same study looking at children. Of course, historically, there are areas of science that have “required” scientists to not anthropomorphize animals, and there have been many definitions of what makes humans “human” or distinct from other animals. Those goalposts have moved often as those definitions are proven wrong when there are studies that show animals who can and do actually do those things that were supposedly only the domain of humans.
I have read about some of the studies mentioned here before: some when I was taking psychology and anthropology in university, and others I’ve just read about. Anyway, it’s all so very interesting to me. Many of us with pets will read this (or in my case, I listened to the audio), and think it’s obvious, but of course, with science, there does need to be more objective studies, as well. I found the comparisons with children very interesting, as the author points out that with similar studies between kids and animals, kids get an explanation as to what’s happening; obviously, we are unable to provide animals with that same explanation, so it’s automatically biased toward the kids doing “better”. Of course (similar to IQ tests in humans that are culturally biased), many tests with animals are also biased toward humans. But some scientists are trying to change that. I found this very interesting.
12x12 Trim, RandomKIT, RoundtuitsJulia Child: A Life / Laura Shapiro
3.5 stars
This is a (short) biography of Julia Child, though the bulk of it does focus on her career, food, and cooking. Julia, of course, learned to cook in France, and she was not a natural at it! She later wrote cookbooks and hosted tv shows. Her first tv show in the ‘50s was very popular and it catapulted her to stardom. People loved her. Though the cooking may have been more work than housewives wanted at the time (when convenience foods were becoming popular), Julia insisted her show wasn’t for housewives, anyway.
I listened to the audio, which was entertaining. The narrator did a decent job of Julia’s voice, I think. It didn’t sound exactly, but I can’t say for sure, as I’ve never watched Julia’s shows. I am also not “into” cooking, so the detailed descriptions of cooking and food might be of more interest to someone who does like cooking and/or is more of a “foodie” than I am. It was unfortunate to learn of Julia’s homophobia, although I suppose she was a product of her time (even though she and her husband, Paul, knew and were friends with gay people).
12x12 RTT, RTT, RandomKIT, AlphaKIT, RoundtuitsThe Icepick Surgeon: Murder, Fraud, Sabotage, Piracy, and Other Dastardly Deeds Perpetrated in the Name of Science / Sam Kean
4 stars
This looks at various ethical issues throughout history that still advanced science in some way or another. Each chapter was a specific person or issue, including piracy, the slave trade, competition that gets out of hand, stealing bodies for research, fraud, spying, animal cruelty (this still happens, but who knew Edison was torturing dogs, horses, and cows by electrocuting them in order to discredit a competitor?), Nazi experiments, lobotomies, and probably more I’m not remembering. There is a lot going on here. And a lot of unethical (and criminal) things happened in the name of science.
This was interesting. Some stories I’d heard before (maybe just the one of the title, the “surgeon” who did lobotomies with an icepick). In the conclusion, the author looks at some things to come… and there will likely still be scientists willing to do unethical things to advance science (or, at least, their own research). I don’t think I realized the author has a podcast, so I hadn’t heard of him, but based on this one, I’d read more of his books (he has also written others).
12x12 BIPOC, MysteryKIT, RandomKITHomicide and Halo-Halo / Mia P. Manansala
3.5 stars
In book 2 of the series, Filipino-American Lila has joined with a couple of friends to open a cafe and they are still setting things up. Meanwhile, her own family already runs their own restaurant. Lila once won the town’s beauty pageant and she has been asked to judge this year’s contest. But there have been threatening letters made toward the pageant. And it’s not long before someone turns up dead.
I enjoyed this. I like most of the characters and their stories; however, there is more food description than is my “thing”, but I’m sure would be appealing for many readers (as well as the recipes included at the end of the book). I do plan to continue the series, though.
12x12 Trim, Roundtuits, AlphaKITSomething About Sophie / Mary Kay McComas
3.5 stars
Sophie is in her 20s and was adopted as a baby. She was very loved by her adoptive parents and had no interest in finding her birth parents. But she is mysteriously called to the death bed of someone she doesn’t know, as there is something he wants to tell her. She doesn’t make it to him in time, but she is asked to attend the reading of the will, where she discovers he has left her his home. Meanwhile, in this small town, there are a few people who appear hostile to Sophie, and it’s not long before one of them turns up dead.
The first half was a bit slow-going, but it was good. It really ramped up in the second half, though, when the mystery really got going (at least the murder mystery, anyway! Well, Sophie’s mystery, too, as it’s all connected). Yes, there is a romance here, too, but for me the romance was secondary to the much more interesting mystery(ies) going on.
12x12 TravelThe Librarian of Burned Books / Brianna Labuskes
3.5 stars
In New York City during WWII, President Taft wants to ban a number of books from being sent to the American soldiers. Viv is part of the program that sends these books overseas and sees how much good this does. She will fight this new proposed law.
In Germany in the early 1930s, Althea is an author who has been invited by the Nazis to come to Germany and she quickly falls for Deitrich, who is a member of the party. She sees all the excitement happening as Hitler is rising to power.
I listened to the audio and found it a bit confusing, as it went back and forth in time, trying to figure out who was who, doing what in which time period. I got most of it figured out, but some characters still eluded me as to who they were and what role they played in the story. There were two speeches at an event held be Viv at the end of the book, and I loved one of them, in particular, but both speeches hit pretty close to “home” (though I’m in Canada), with some of the politics happening in the US now. (It seems I missed that there was a 3rd time period and place… I caught the character, but also didn’t catch that she was a 3rd main character, in addition to Althea and Viv… She crossed paths, more with Althea, so I just thought she was part of Althea’s story, and not a main character on her own.)
12x12 Nonfiction, HistoryCAT, RoundtuitsFavorite Wife: Escape from Polygamy / Susan Schmidt
4 stars
Susan Ray was only 15 when she fell in love with Verlon LeBaron, 23 years her senior. He also already had five other wives. They were part of the FLDS (the polygamous Mormons). Verlon’s brother, Ervil, tried to win Susan away from Verlon, but lucky for Susan (in a way), she realized something was “off” and went back to Verlon. Once Susan and Verlon got married, though, Verlon was rarely home as Susan tried to get along with Verlon’s other wives, tried to feed herself (and later on, her multiple children) and get (rare) time with Verlon. Verlon was also in a bit of a power struggle (within the church) with Ervil, as Ervil lured more people (including some of Susan’s family) away in order to help with his “blood atonement” (that is, murders).
The vast bulk of the book was while she was part of the FLDS. I would have liked a bit more about her life after she left, but this was really just a chapter or two toward the end of the book, but I did appreciate that she also brought the reader up to date on many of the other people she knew and mentioned in this book. I have read a few other books about the LeBarons, but they must have been long enough ago that I didn’t remember a whole lot about this part of the FLDS (Susan’s story takes place in the late ‘60s and early ‘70s; many of the other FLDS books I’ve read were later in time after the Jeffs’ family was ruling).
12x12 PBT, PBT, Roundtuits, ScaredyKIT, AlphaKITPretty Baby / Mary Kubica
4 stars
Hanna helps homeless people in her work. When she sees a young girl and a baby in the rain beside the L train a couple days in a row, she decides to help them by bringing them home. The girl tells Hanna her name is Willow and that she’s 18-years old, though Hanna is certain she is younger (but it would be illegal to not turn her in if she is younger, so Hanna just sees what she wants to see). Hanna is married to Chris and has an 11-year old daughter, Zoe. Chris works at a well-paying financial job that has him travelling a lot… often with a beautiful woman, Cassidy, whom Hanna doesn’t trust.
The book is told from three points-of-view: Hanna’s, Willow’s and Chris’s. As the story goes on, we go back in time to hear Willow’s story, as well. It’s actually pretty slow-moving through most of the book, but there are some good twists at the end, at least one I never would have guessed.
12x12 Animals, AlphaKIT, RandomKIT, RTT, RoundtuitsSpillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic / Dennis Quammen
3.25 stars
This was published in 2012, so long before COVID-19. “Spillover” looks at various infections that cross over from other animals to humans. It delves into the history of those infections and how and when they first crossed over and from what animals. The author met with scientists and researchers and goes into detail about how scientists traced back to find those first cross-overs.
The author looked at a few that I hadn’t heard of, but the most interesting (and maybe the most detailed in the book?), I thought, were SARS (another earlier coronavirus) and HIV/AIDS. The section on HIV/AIDS also included a bit on Jane Goodall and her chimps, which was actually a bit sad, as I have read about her chimps a few times and recognized their names. It’s a long book, though, and I did lose interest at a number of points in the book. One interesting one that I hadn’t heard of (it was a very small outbreak – and this (outbreak) is an interesting word that he talks about at one point in the book – in Australia only) called Hendra.
2024 Favourites: My top 9 (seven 4.25 and 4.5 stars; two 4 stars):
Supremacy / Parmi Olson
Fire Weather / John Vaillant
Thousand Words / Jennifer Brown
The Traitor’s Wife / Susan Higginbotham
Schulz and Peanuts / David Michaelis
Climate Changed / Philippe Squarzoni
Lessons in Chemistry / Bonnie Garmus
Up and Down / Terry Fallis
Science Comics: Cats: Nature and Nurture / Andy Hirsch (this should include the entire series as a favourite, but this is the one I read this year)
Dishonourable mention (1.5 stars):
The Sandcastle Girls / Chris Bohjalian
Murder on Black Swan Lane / Andrea Penrose
Stats156 books
53,837 pages
= 345.1 pages / book (average)
Canadian authors: 16 out of 156 = 10.2%
Some genres (some of these will overlap, and I probably missed some, too):
Nonfiction (not including Biography/Memoir): 22 out of 156 = 14.1%
YA + Children’s: 8 out of 156 = 5.1%
Biography/Memoir: 18 out of 156 = 11.5%
Graphic novels: 3 out of 156 = 1.9%
Mystery/Thriller: 24 out of 156 = 15.3%
Horror: 4 out of 156 = 2.6%
Historical Fiction: 31 out of 156 = 19.9%
Nonfiction + Biography/Memoir: 40 out of 156 = 25.6%
Play Book Tag
Books mentioned in this topic
Spillover: Animal Infections and the Next Human Pandemic (other topics)Pretty Baby (other topics)
Favorite Wife: Escape from Polygamy (other topics)
The Librarian of Burned Books (other topics)
Something About Sophie (other topics)
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This Cursed House / Del Sandeen
4 stars
In the early 1960s, Jemma (from Chicago) has been hired by a family who live on a plantation just outside New Orleans. Jemma is a teacher and assumes that she will be tutoring. The Duchon family are all light-skinned Black people and although they say they are “proud coloured people”, they look down on Jemma’s darker skin. Jemma also has an ability to see ghosts, and there appear to be a few around this plantation. She is in for multiple surprises the longer she stays with the backwards Duchons, and only one of those surprises is what they have hired her for.
This was really good. I was pulled in early on, and the surprises continued to come. The Duchons are a piece of work, though I think the author does do a good job of showing multiple sides to a couple of them, and there are reasons why some of them are the way they are. Given the time period and place, there is some historical fiction thrown in to this horror/ghost story, as well, which I quite like.