Ioana's 2025 Independent Challenge

[Lea]

Congratulations on finishing the Asian Saga. I hope to read it someday! :-)

[Ioana]

Lea wrote: "Congratulations on finishing the Asian Saga. I hope to read it someday! :-)"

It's really good. It took me years, but that was my fault. I think you would enjoy it.

[Bill, Moderator]

Ioana wrote: "Whirlwind The last in the Asian Saga series. It's about a group of (mostly) British helicopter pilots in Tehran, in the weeks and days right before the Iranian revolution. Some have Ir..."

I did like the books of this series that I've read. Glad it was still enjoyable. I'm not sure I could get into it again.

[Ioana]

Bill wrote: "I'm not sure I could get into it again."

I was afraid of the same thing, I read the 1st Shōgun maybe 40 years ago or more...OMG!!!!... then the next 2 relatively soon after that. I picked up again the series in 2023, and I'm so glad I did. They are all big books, but all worth reading (I think).

[Patricia]

Congrats on finishing up some series! I've never read Shogun (I think because my younger sister loved it so much. Ha!) I did read another book of his (King Rat). Since I liked it you'd think I would have tried another. Have you watched any of the current series?

[Bill, Moderator]

Ioana wrote: "Bill wrote: "I'm not sure I could get into it again."

I was afraid of the same thing, I read the 1st Shōgun maybe 40 years ago or more...OMG!!!!... then the next 2 relatively soon ..."

I think I read all but the last two, although I may have read Whirlwind... Maybe I will try the last two....

[Ioana]

Patricia wrote: "Congrats on finishing up some series! I've never read Shogun (I think because my younger sister loved it so much. Ha!) I did read another book of his (King Rat). Since I liked it you'd ..."

I **think** I saw the older 1980 adaptation, but I'm not sure, it was so long ago. I see that there's a new 2024 one, I'll see if I can find it.

Isn't it funny how we dismiss things that our siblings like so much? Reminds me of my brother's choices of music and my years of torture :-)

[Ioana]

Bill wrote: "I think I read all but the last two, although I may have read Whirlwind... Maybe I will try the last two...."

I just found out that there is a "companion" book Escape: The Love Story from Whirlwind, and I expected a "companion" size book....but no, this is Clavell, it's almost 600 pages 😱
Some reviewers say it's an abbreviation of Whirlwind, so I'll skip that.

[Ioana]

Find Her Not my favorite in the series. Narrated from the victim's POV, who is very unlikeable and maybe a monster herself, although not her fault. She is the victim, she was kidnapped, sexually and physically abused, kept in a rough coffin for days and nights, starved, and this is Stockholm Syndrome.
But after she's freed, she looks to punish other men who are kidnapping women, (view spoiler)[ and of course, she gets in trouble again, kidnapped again. (hide spoiler)]
An entertaining read and a page turner. I think DD was better in other books, but I'll keep reading.

[Ioana]

King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa The exploitation and atrocities that took place in Congo at the turn of the century are shoking. Millions of people died, some say between 5 and 10 million, some 13 million, but we'll never know. Those archives have been burned. Intentionally.
Forced labor for rubber production was the main cause of death, but the cruelty with which the death was inflicted was horrifying. Add to this as much brutality you can imagine, and you you'll be about half way there. The inhumanity, the greed...all in the name of philantropy and civilizing Congo.
Thankfully, there were some heroes who could not stay silent and eventually the genocide stopped. Many years later there were some apologies, but never any monetary compensation. A very good, informative and depressing read. 4stars.

[Patricia]

Ioana wrote: "King Leopold's Ghost: A Story of Greed, Terror, and Heroism in Colonial Africa The exploitation and atrocities that took place in Congo at the turn of the century are shoking. Milli..."
I read this last year; mostly because my son gave me the book. But, I agree, it was good though depressing as well.

[Ioana]

Lulu in the Sky: A Daughter of Cambodia Finds Love, Healing, and Double Happiness The conclusion of a 3-books memoir by Loung Ung. This is about her college and early adult years, finding her identity as a Cambodian and an American, her work as a spokesperson for the Campaign for a Landmine-Free World and her relationship with Mark, who becomes her husband in the end. It's about her way to healing, understanding her mother's sacrifice, and forgiving herself for surviving, as well as Cambodia's recovery. After everything that she suffered as a child, I am happy she found happiness and a purpose. 4 stars.

[Lea]

I've wanted to read King Leopold's Ghost and the books by Ung. Thanks for the reviews! :-)

[Ioana]

Lea wrote: "I've wanted to read King Leopold's Ghost and the books by Ung. Thanks for the reviews! :-)"

Both good, I think you'll like them.

[Ioana]

The Marriage Portrait Florence, 1550s. This is an imagined story about Lucrezia de Medici, daughter of Cosimo de' Medici, married at 13 to Alfonso de Ferrara. I liked the book a lot: Lucrezia is a child and a young woman, who's sole purpose is to create a heir for the Ferrara family, be meek and obedient. She has an artistic soul and a good heart, while Alfonso is moody, sometimes happy and loving, sometimes cruel and demanding, obsessed with producing a heir (which apparently he was never able to, with several wives and mistresses). In real life, the marriage lasted only a few years, Lucrezia died very, very young. Either tuberculosis or poison, we'll never know. It's not what happens in the book, and while it makes for a better ending (view spoiler)[ (she runs away with the artist who painted her portrait, for a happy and modest life with him; Alfonso suffocated her maid in her sleep, while she was sleeping in Lucrezia's bed) (hide spoiler)], it left too many questions not answered. 4 stars.

[Karol]

Ioana wrote: "The Marriage Portrait Florence, 1550s. This is an imagined story about Lucrezia de Medici, daughter of Cosimo de' Medici, married at 13 to Alfonso de Ferrara. I liked the book a lot..."

I liked this one too, Ioana. I felt the author had a knack of painting a mood. Most intriguing story.

[Ioana]

The Return of Ellie Black. 2nd book in the same month with the same plot: a kidnapped girl returning back home, but with a personal agenda. In this case the agenda was different than in Find Her, and I enjoyed the ride. All the way until the end. That twist was not necessary. 3.5 stars
(view spoiler)[ In some cases, dead people should stay dead (hide spoiler)]
This was a buddy read with Alissa, and even though we did not read it at the same time, we felt the same about it. Good pick, Alissa!!

[Lea]

I liked The Marriage Portrait too. You and Alissa are intriguing me about The Return of Ellie Black. Sounds like a fun book.

I've got about two weeks before The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Caused an Epidemic of Mental Illness arrives. How about you?

[Patricia]

I love Maggie O'Farrell & hope to get to The Marriage Portrait this year. Glad you enjoyed it!

[Ioana]

Take My Hand I'm not sure how to talk about this book without spoiling it, but I think this is one of the books that must be read by all.
It's about love and our sense of right, what do we do in the name of love or helping others, and when what we do is right or appropriate. Also, for the ones providing the help and funds, how to differentiate between personal beliefs and the beliefs and interests of the ones we help.
There's a lot packed in this book: race, poverty, literacy, healthcare, disability, abortion and abortion rights, and not at least, standing up for justice. All based on a true story. 4.5 stars, rounded up.

[Ioana]

The Wide Wide Sea: Imperial Ambition, First Contact and the Fateful Final Voyage of Captain James Cook. Summer of 1776, England is fighting the American colonies, and Captain Cook starts his 3rd (and final) voyeage to discover a Northwest Passage between the Pacific and the Atlantic. That, and to return Mai to his Raitea island. His travels take us from England to the Southern tip of Africa, then Tasmania, New Zealand, Tahiti, Hawaii, Alaska and the Arctic Sea, then back to Hawaii where it unexpectadly ends.
He's an interesting character, different on this voyage than the previous ones, more secretive about the purpose of the trip, more violent against the natives he encounters, but still interested in the big world, the people he meets, mapping territories and new fauna. But in the process he changes the lives of the people he meets, he introduces them to European diseases, arms, rats, concepts of property and money. Still, he's not a conqueror, but an explorer. 4 stars

[Lillie]

You’ve had a good reading streak! I added The Return of Ellie Black because of Alissa’s review and now I’ll be adding The Marriage Portrait and Take My Hand because of yours :)

[Ioana]

Lillie wrote: "’ll be adding The Marriage Portrait and Take My Hand."

Great decision! I hope you'll like them both, as much as I did.

[Ioana]

Silent Spring I've had this on my TBR for ages, and I finally got to read it. I don't know I've waited so long. Even though it was written in the early 60s it's still valid and its message is still true. The insecticides, mostly based on DDT and other similar chemical compounds are non-discriminative, and kill not only the "bad" insects, but the good ones too. And with them, insect-eating birds and other birds and animals that eat the dead birds. DDT ends up on our fruits and vegetables, in the cows' milk, then in the butter and meat, then in our food, with terrible consequences.
Even at that time there were better. more natural solutions, but identifying them takes time and research, and they would not produce the profit that chemical solutions provide.
As an avid birder, I know that during the spring migration I see and hear fewer and fewer birds every year. I wish there was a newer, actualized version to include current findings and information. 4 stars

[Bill, Moderator]

Ioana wrote: "Silent Spring I've had this on my TBR for ages, and I finally got to read it. I don't know I've waited so long. Even though it was written in the early 60s it's still valid and its mes..."

I felt the same about this book, Ioana. I finally got and read a copy in 2023. So informative, kind of depressing, but still worth reading. Glad you 'enjoyed' it.

[Ioana]

True, kind of depressing. I think DDT is not used for crop dusting anymore, and that might be the cause some wildlife is recovering. At least, this is what we are being told about the recovery of the bald eagle and peregrine falcon where I live. Also, the Hudson river is not as polluted as it used to be, so there is some progress.
But when it comes to insects, I can say that even on long drives at night, our windshield is perfectly clean. No smudges ...

[Bill, Moderator]

Ioana wrote: "True, kind of depressing. I think DDT is not used for crop dusting anymore, and that might be the cause some wildlife is recovering. At least, this is what we are being told about the recovery of t..."

Here's a story for you. When I was in Grade 1 in 1960, we lived in military housing in Quebec. Our house backed onto a bit of a forest. Every summer, the base would send this truck around the edge of the woods and it had a sprayer, I'm sure it was DDT to keep the bugs down, and as it drove by the houses, all of us kids used to run around in and out of the smoke.. (maybe it was just smoke, but I tend to doubt it.. Glad my kids never experienced it.

[Ioana]

Bill wrote: "Here's a story for you. When I was in Grade 1 in 1960, we lived in military housing in Quebec. Our house backed onto a bit of a forest. Every summer, the base would send this truck around the edge of the woods and it had a sprayer, I'm sure it was DDT to keep the bugs down, and as it drove by the houses, all of us kids used to run around in and out of the smoke.. (maybe it was just smoke, but I tend to doubt it."

LOL, I know it's not radioactive, but you don't glow in the dark, do you? I lived in a city, so not around crop dusters, but we had leaded gasoline until 2004...

[Ioana]

The Killer Inside Me This was supposed to be a buddy read with Alissa and Lea, but I was too slow this month. A good book, but now I need something light. And a hug.
Lou Ford is a deputy sheriff in a small town in Texas, liked and respected by all, and also a sick, psychopathic serial killer. And the book is written from his point of view...
Hard to believe it was written before all the well-known serial killers of the 60s and 70s. 3 stars.

[Ioana]

Brooklyn I really liked this book, and I can't say why. I loved Kirtsten Potter's narration, and while both the story and the writing are simple, there is something that pulls you in. The characters are not complex, and still, it didn't bother me. It's about Eilis, young, sweet, naive, smart, who can't say no to the adults in her life, who wants to please everyone, and who immigrates from Ireland to America. Torn between two worlds, her life would've been completely different if she had a stronger personality, but she didn't...
There is a part 2 of this series, and I can't wait to read it. 3.5 stars, rounded up.

[Alondra, Moderator Schmoderator]

Kudos on all of your progress, Ioana.

The killer inside me is definitely on MY list. :D

[Ioana]

I haven't realized, but it seems almost everything I've read lately was NF. I'm enjoying it, but I think I need something else.

The Anxious Generation: How the Great Rewiring of Childhood Caused an Epidemic of Mental Illness. Technology and the internet are great, but raising mentally healthy kids in this environment where smartphones are everywhere is so hard. Great analysis and explanations, and some possible solutions. 4 stars

Black Death at the Golden Gate: The Race to Save America from the Bubonic Plague. Although published before Covid, it was interesting to see the parallels: science denial, blaming it on the Chinese people, add politics .... and history repeats itself. 3 stars

Long Island - the only NF of the bunch. I am not a fan of sequels written many years after a stand alone, and this was written 15 years after the 1st book. Still, I enjoyed it ... up until the last chapter, which looks like it's missing. I don't like cliffhangers, is he planning another book? 2.5 stars because of the missing ending.

Kissing Girls on Shabbat: A Memoir I didn't know much about the life and rules of Hasidic Jews, so I learned a lot. Sara's story is gripping as we learn about her fight to protect her children and her sanity when she gets to admit her sexuality, the internal struggle between what's expected of her and what she feels. 4 stars

[Michelle]

I love that you're getting back to nonfiction Ioana. You always put so many good ones on my radar, and I know if you don't like one, I probably shouldn't bother. I'm glad you enjoyed The Anxious Generation. I did too. You are right on the nose when you say the author gave a great analysis of the situation. I felt like his solutions, though, were impractical, and that's where he lost me. Also, what about the anxious generation that we have already created?

I enjoyed reading your review of Kissing Girls on Shabbat. I saw that one in the bookstore recently, and I was intrigued but cautious. With 4 stars from Ioana, it probably needs to go on the TBR.

[Ioana]

Michelle wrote: "I love that you're getting back to nonfiction Ioana. You always put so many good ones on my radar, and I know if you don't like one, I probably shouldn't bother. I'm glad you enjoyed The Anxious Ge..."

I don't think any of the proposed solutions is 100% feasible, but there are a lot of things to think about. Lots of things parents and teachers can acknowledge and change that are important. I agree that what might work in a small community might not be feasible in a big city, but unless society doesn't try, nothing will change. And the current anxious generation that we've already created pays for it.

Kissing Girls on Shabbat was for my RL book club, and I'm glad they've picked it. I did not agree with all of Sara's actions, but I understand why she acted that way. I think you'll enjoy/appreciate it.

[Ioana]

Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic. I've read a lot of books on this topic, and this one was still interesting and different. It's the intertwined story of Purdue Pharma and their opioid prescriptions, and groups of Mexican suppliers of black tar heroin (cheaper and deadlier), operating in rural America. How they built and grew their market, how they brought in the drugs, how they distributed them, how the poor addicted population was affected. 4 stars

[Ioana]

On Wings of Eagles The action takes in 1979, in Tehran, just before the Iranian revolution. EDS, an American company led by Ross Perot had a contract in Tehran, but one day, 2 of its employees are arrested and put in jail. The bail was set to 13+ million dollars, but by that time the revolution had already started, and the banks could not work such a transfer. This book reads like an action movie, and kept me turning the pages.
Thinking outside the box, with money, influence, tenacity and non always legal actions Ross Perot manages to bring home his team of EDS employees. By car, by foot, by air, by any means possible. 4 stars

[Ioana]

Something is Killing the Children, Vol. 1 it's been on my list for a while now, but Bill convinced me to get to it now. Really good.
Good story and graphics, I can't wait to learn more about Erica, the octopus (?) or whatever that thing is, the monster, etc. 3.5 stars rounded up.

[Bill, Moderator]

Ioana wrote: "Something is Killing the Children, Vol. 1 it's been on my list for a while now, but Bill convinced me to get to it now. Really good.
Good story and graphics, I can't wait to learn m..."

It's different isn't it, Ioana. I just finished #4 and it's got her back story.. It's growing on my more and more.

[Ioana]

Bill wrote: "Ioana wrote: "Something is Killing the Children, Vol. 1 it's been on my list for a while now, but Bill convinced me to get to it now. Really good.
Good story and graphics, I can't w..."

It is different, and I'm enjoying it.
Something is Killing the Children, Vol. 2 was better than vol.1, and I'm still curious.

[Ioana]

The Warded Man A world where demons (corlings) are powerful at night, and kill people. Some people still remember magic, and they can ward the humans against the demons. But not if it rains…
Started well, with an interesting magic system and characters, but I got tired by the type of sexist, Islam society imagined by a male author: same medieval one where women are just breeders, have no rights and only hope to get married young and have lots of children. Ok, they need children, the demons are killing a lot of people, but still, the misogyny was too much for me. 2 stars

[Alissa]

Ioana wrote: "Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic. I've read a lot of books on this topic, and this one was still interesting and different. It's the intertwined story of Purdue..."

sounds interesting!!! Yet another on added to my TBR =)

[Lillie]

Ioana wrote: "Something is Killing the Children, Vol. 1 it's been on my list for a while now, but Bill convinced me to get to it now. Really good.
Good story and graphics, I can't wait to learn m..."

I really want to start reading graphic novels, have never really known where to start. This one looks like the one to start with

[Alondra, Moderator Schmoderator]

Ioana wrote: "Something is Killing the Children, Vol. 1 it's been on my list for a while now, but Bill convinced me to get to it now. Really good.
Good story and graphics, I can't wait to learn m..."

Yay! Everyone is liking my little series. Alissa, Bill, now Ioana. I need more victims friends to read it. :D

[Bill, Moderator]

Ioana wrote: "The Warded Man A world where demons (corlings) are powerful at night, and kill people. Some people still remember magic, and they can ward the humans against the demons. But not if i..."

It took me awhile to get into it as I recall. I enjoyed it enough that I think I'll continue the series.

[Bill, Moderator]

Alondra wrote: "Ioana wrote: "Something is Killing the Children, Vol. 1 it's been on my list for a while now, but Bill convinced me to get to it now. Really good.
Good story and graphics, I can't w..."

You are a very naughty influencer.

[Ioana]

Alondra wrote: "Yay! Everyone is liking my little series. Alissa, Bill, now Ioana. I need more victims friends to read it. :D"

LOL, yes, this was another Alondra suggestion, and I'm happy I've listened. There are 9 books so far...is that the end? Or are we left wondering for a year until the next book?

[Ioana]

Bill wrote: "It took me awhile to get into it as I recall. I enjoyed it enough that I think I'll continue the series."

I really liked the first quarter or third, and I think the book had great potential. I thought it would be at least a 4 stars book, but... after about 2/3 into it I realized it's not for me. I'm glad you enjoyed it enough to continue.

[Ioana]

Lillie wrote: "I really want to start reading graphic novels, have never really known where to start. This one looks like the one to start with"

I was like you, and I think it was Alondra who pushed me to try them. When the graphic and the story come together, that's a wonderful combo.
Same thing as when a good story and a good narrator create a better thing than the book itself. Give it a try, I think you might be surprised.

[Ioana]

Alissa wrote: "Ioana wrote: "Dreamland: The True Tale of America's Opiate Epidemic. I've read a lot of books on this topic, and this one was still interesting and different. It's the intertwined s...

sounds interesting!!! Yet another on added to my TBR =)"

For how many you made me add to my TBR, this is a start :-)
I hope you'll enjoy it. The author has another book on fentanyl and meth, and I want to read that too. Someday....

[Alondra, Moderator Schmoderator]

Ioana wrote: "Alondra wrote: "Yay! Everyone is liking my little series. Alissa, Bill, now Ioana. I need more victims friends to read it. :D"

LOL, yes, this was another Alondra suggestion, and I'm happy I've lis..."

We are left wondering, and I am hoping for more. #7 is supposed to be the final chapter; but the way it ended, indicates maybe that it is not so final.

The last 2 books are like prequels. I want them