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SPRING CHALLENGE 2024
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MAZZA1Fourth Wing Audio edition
Review
This is the first in what is expected to be a 5 book series. In itself it is a lengthy listen on audio and the whole series is going to require some commitment.
The Empyrean is a world built in four quadrants the most powerful seeming to be "the Dragon Riders" . The Sorendale family is powerful, Mother is a commander in the Dragon rider quadrant, Violet's sister an up and coming dragon rider with real nerve and success. Her brother was killed in a battle of what seems to be an almost continuous war. Violet was supposed to follow her father into the "Scribe" quadrant but after his death her mother decides no Sorendale will ever again be a scribe and forces Violet into the decidedly dangerous selection process for Dragon Riders.
Young Adult fantasy isn't my first love but there is a lot to recommend in this book. The narrative is pacy and consistent in that pace. The reader isn't asked to plough through hours of narrative to get from one climactic action point to the next rather each point of Violet's journey is brought to life with powerful story telling.
I love the characterisation of the dragons, the power that they wield in the world and feel like there is a sense of Justice underlying the whole narrative
There is a predictability to the outcomes - we cannot, after all, lose our MC no matter how dangerous the situation or how unrealistic her escape from it might be. Suspension of disbelief is a vital part of reading the book. Of course Violet is going to tangle- in more ways than one- with the only person she is told to avoid at all costs. However there are a multitude of characters and some lovely friendships building throughout the book. Violet changes as her time as a dragon rider throws more at her. I could do without the romance, the this relationship is on / off scenario and really don't understand why the sexual scenes need to be portrayed in such detail. I don't say this from a prudish sense but from the basis that the detail is unimportant to the narrative in my view and simply adds length to a book which is long enough already.
I think it will really appeal to the Younger adult audience who won't see the problems with the world building and the parts that feel unrealistic, but will really enjoy the speed and adventure of the narrative.
I can see myself continuing the series. The Audio is excellent and would probably continue in this format
Joanne MIPacific Crucible: War at Sea in the Pacific, 1941-1942 5 stars
Another book in my own going personal challenge-Reading other arenas of WWII, besides Europe. This book was recommended to me because of obviously, all the WII I read and because I read Rick Atkinson's World War II Liberation Trilogy.
Ian W. Toll's writing and story-telling is very similar to that of Atkinson and it made this busty book a breeze to read, feeling "novelish". This style cannot be easy to write, with all the history that goes into it. Toll has done his homework, amount of research authors put into this type of book never ceases to amaze me, but then to make the story come alive-special kudos are deserved.
The story begins with the bombing of Pearl Harbor and takes use through the Battle of Midway. I have done some reading that included P.H and Midway, but nothing that delves this deep into the Pacific arena. T0ll gives us both sides of the story and I always find the mid frame of the Japanese, in this era, engrossing. To see the absolute bigotry (on both sides) is disgusting. Yet, it was how the world was...
The U.S. refused to believe that the Japanese could build a Navy that would be worth much. Unbeknownst to the world, Japan was building up one of the best Naval and Air Forces the world had ever seen. In particular, their aircraft The Zero. The U.S. was nowhere near "war ready". Had these two pieces not changed the world could be a very different place. That is the thing about history that I love so much. The luck of the draw, the engineering being pushed to the limit and failure after failure, but the gusto to still go on and try again.
Toll uses the mid-chapters of the book to give short, yet in-depth, biographies of the leadership on both sides. There are small entries with Churchill and Roosevelt, but the meat of this book resides in the Pacific.
One if the most fascinating stories within the story is that of the building and use of code breaking. A dark, unknown basement in Pearl Harbor introduces you to some of the greatest intelligent work done. These men never taking and credit for their work, while it happened. Being shunned by the seaman and the airmen, because "what were they doing on land to help?" These spies, working in terrible conditions were genius in their work. They knew it, yet had no regret that they could not be recognized.
Like in Atkinson's story of the war, there were blatant mistakes/misjudgments. There were huge personalities in leadership that found it always so difficult to admit someone else was right.
A fabulous beginning to the trilogy.
Review of Shut Up You're PrettyI read this book because it was one of the books debated in this year's Canada Reads Discussion ()
This was a very heart wrenching collection of short stories showing the struggles of an immigrant girl living in the housing projects of Scarborough trying to fit in and make it. Despite her intelligence and good looks, Loli lives a life of promiscuity and substance abuse trying to find a way of making it through life. The stories jump through different points in Loli's life and the reader is sometime left with a pretty big gap in wondering how Loli got to certain places in her life.
Overall it is very well written and tackles some really weighty subjects that are easy to ignore when you are not faced with them. The author takes these issues and puts them right square in the readers' face.
The Glory Cloak: A Novel of Louisa May Alcott and Clara Barton - Patricia O'Brien - 3.5 starsAs someone who has given talks about both Alcott and Barton, I thought this was a pretty good historical fiction. It mostly centers on Louisa from the POV of a fictional cousin, Susan. It gives Louisa some love affairs that probably didn't happen and combines some real-life characters and incidents. The author does explain in an Afterword which items were real or fictional. It is true that Barton and Alcott were working with soldiers in Washington, DC, at the same time but there is no record that they ever met. Still, they never said they didn't.
It does a good job of showing the horrible, smelly, dirty conditions of the hospitals of the time, and the disrespect toward female nurses. It's a fact that Louisa worked there, got very ill, and the mercury they used to treat her caused her health problems the rest of her life. Also true is the huge enterprise Clara Barton took on after the war of identifying dead and missing soldiers, including being the first to visit the infamous Andersonville prison after the war.
This author has also written a historical novel on the Beecher family, Harriet and Isabella, which I thought was quite good.
MAZZA 1Where the Crawdads Sing
This book has been on and off my TBR so many times but it will become one that I will remember and return too. There is not a spare word and it totally enthralls
It opens as Kya watches her mum pack a suitcasse and leave the family home. This is something she has done before but like a chid leaving home has always returned quickly. This time it is just the first of many leave takings as Kya's siblings all escape the home on the Marsh. Before her age hits double figures Kya is alone in her home with a mostly absent and sometimes brutal father. `it is not long before even he is absent.
Chased by school truancy Kya manages one day in school but is driven away by her class mates who name her "Marsh Girl". Naive and mostly unfitted for the world in which she lives she is befirended by one or two locals and by Tate who teaches her to read. Her worls is always small and contained but, at the same time full of new experiences. ory winds and interleaves events She becomes a leading light on the natural world of the marsh. She is drawn into a relationship with Chase whose intentions are far from honourable. Chase is found dead and a murder trial ensues.
The book is full of tragedy and yet is beautiful in it's narrative and characterisation.
It was an amazing, enthralling book despite some tragic events. It is a winding but not rambling story. Every page is essential, each one makes the reader question what they know and what the might believe.
It is an amazing book destined to become a classic. I rated it 5 stars
The Silence Between Us � Alison Gervais � 4****
This is a lovely young-adult romance with the added inclusion of one partner with a significant disability. Maya is smart and tenacious, but she just can’t believe that a hearing person and a deaf person can form a true relationship. In many ways the relationship between Beau and Maya is a typical teen romance, with missteps followed by genuine gestures that show caring, alongside all the usual teen drama of a senior year in high school.
LINK to my full review
The Color Purple � Alice Walker - 5 and a �
Walker’s choice to write the book as a series of letters (or diary entries) really gives the reader the chance to hear Celie. There are moments of despair, of sorrow, and a very few of joy. Celie is an extraordinary woman and watching her grow from a scared girl to a confident, in-charge woman is fascinating and uplifting.
LINK to my full review
trishhartukLa Vie: A Year In Rural France, John Lewis-Stempel - 5*
This was an Amazon Daily deal earlier in March which caught my eye, and as it's set in France, I decided to use it for 10.7. I loved it - it's my first 5* since The Night Circus back at the end of January.
With so much doom and gloom going on in the world, sometimes you just need to read something gentle.
La Vie is part nature book, part memoir, and part just about French life in the country. The writing is engaging - the author is apparently a really well known nature and history writer, although I'd not heard of him before - and it drew me out of the everyday stresses of the world at the moment.
La Vie goes back to basics, to a world where what's really important are the weather, the food, the neighbours, the locals in the village near where the author's small farm is located, and being available to help others if needed.
Readerboard name: Michelle in AlaskaReview of The Prison Healer by Lynette Noni
4.5 stars rounded down. Why can't ŷ let us give half-star ratings? This book deserves more than 4 stars.
I'm not sure if the first half of this book was a little slow or if I was still coming down from the torrential downpour of depression from finishing CC3. Probably both. It took me about two weeks to read the first half, but I finished the second half in an afternoon. Really enjoyed the characters and, for the most part, the premise. Pure YA romance. No spice. The slow burn kept me going through some pretty rough days lately, I'm not going to lie. One of the more tender moments even brought me to tears. But the ending? Um, excuse me, Ms. Noni, but I have *questions*. I'm going to take a short break and then finish this trilogy.
Readerboard name: Michelle in AlaskaReview of The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake
5 stars
This will, without a doubt, be one of my top books of 2024. This book is insanely smart, propulsive, and seductive, if in a sometimes unsettling way. Phenomenal character study of six intricately complex and deeply flawed characters. Key words here are mortality and morality. How did I not realize that dark academia is my genre?
Who are the people giving this a 3.6 star rating average on ŷ? Come here for a sec, I just wanna talk. 😂
Readerboard name: Michelle in AlaskaReview of The Fall by Ryan Cahill
3.75 stars
It has been so long since I've read pure, true high fantasy. Action-packed from start to finish. I enjoyed my brief time in Ilnaen watching shit fall apart in epic ways and am looking forward to eventually reading the rest of the series.
(Please forgive the brevity of some of these reviews. I have the "big" reviews I write for the Best Review challenge or for something that truly forces me to reflect or gush, but more often I have the quick thoughts I write before immediately starting my next book hehe)
Readerboard name: Michelle in AlaskaReview of The Gilded Cage by Lynette Noni
4.5 stars, rounded up.
Ok, ok. I'm not always into YA, but I am hooked on this series. Lynette Noni can write an ENDING. I put this book down after finishing and felt nothing but gloom, terror, a most certain understanding that the world was ending, haha. I am filled with dread, and I need to know what happens, but I am scared to pick up the last book.
Anyway, enough about me. This book was more evenly paced throughout, unlike The Prison Healer, which felt a little slow the first half. Some new characters were introduced that are interesting and compelling. I was eating up the slow build romance (emphasis on the word 'slow'; slowest romance I've ever read) throughout this one. I may have wanted to smack the protagonist across the face a couple of times to remind her exactly why she should think twice before doing what she was about to do.
Readerboard name: Michelle in AlaskaReview of The Blood Traitor by Lynette Noni
3.5, but sadly, I think I will have to round down.
This is so painful to write. I have been gobbling this series up and was almost prepared to make it a part of my personality for the foreseeable future. I was wholly invested in the relationships between some of these main characters that I urgently needed to pick this one up and see what happened after that earthquake of an ending in The Gilded Cage.
While not inherently spoiler-filled, I'll include a spoiler tag for the next part because it touches on themes and tropes.
(view spoiler)
The ending did ultimately keep me feeling fed and satisfied, as Lynette Noni has a talent for, but I am sitting here feeling let down by this book. :(
Edit: As I'm sitting here reflecting on my feelings, I think this book would be especially impactful for somebody who is open to exploring a book about a healing journey. This book may have been a miss for me the same way A Court of Silver Flames was a miss for me - lots of introspection and shying away from problems until the end. To be clear, there is no spice in this series, so please don't misinterpret this as saying this is "like ACOSF" because they are different in every other way than the healing journey.
Michelle wrote: "Readerboard name: Michelle in AlaskaReview of The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake
5 stars
This will, without a doubt, be one of my top books of 2024. This book is insanely smart, prop..."
it's funny isn't it how we can feel so differently about a book. I got this as an ARC and didn't get beyond the first 50 pages maybe i should give it another go
Joanne MIThe Indifferent Stars Above: The Harrowing Saga of a Donner Party Bride
Daniel James Brown is a favorite NF writer for me and he does not disappoint with this account of the Donner expedition of 1846-47. Right off I must tell the squeamish, this is not a book for you. Brown holds nothing back and tells the horrific events of the demise and and the small survival rate of the party.
Brown takes a personal interest in one of the party, twenty-one-year-old Sarah Graves. Brown also attempted his best to follow the route of the party.
Newly married Sarah, is excited to begin a new life with her husband Jay, She sets off from Illinois, not only with Jay but her entire family, with anticipation of a better life in the west. Eventually in Missouri the family connected with the Donners' who were going to attempt a newer, unproved route to California. Browns decision to highlight Sarah, though tell the story of a host of people, was a great choice, The story of Sarah made my enjoyment (not a good word for this subject matter 🙄) of the book better and connected me to the party.
As I said, this is not a book for those with a weakness for gore. However, the history and reality of what these people went through is astonishing and well worth the read for those interested in history.
Joanne MIThe Iron King
A great classic read, written in 1955, telling the story of Phllip IV of France, known as Philip The Fair and The Iron king
"He is neither man nor beast. He is a statue."
Philip is known for the downfall of The Templers. He believed that they threatened the monarchy and most importantly wanted their riches for himself. This historical fiction tells the story of the execution of it's Grand Marshal and the curse he screamed at the King as he was burned at the stake.
Rich in detail about the medieval world. The writing, surprisingly because of how dated, was some of the best I have read. This book has it all, politics, romance and the mystery of the curse. I was thrilled to find out it is a series. The only drawback to that is that the final book of the series, as far as I can tell, was never translated. I will worry about that when I there.
Marie (UK) wrote: "Michelle wrote: "Readerboard name: Michelle in AlaskaReview of The Atlas Six by Olivie Blake
5 stars
This will, without a doubt, be one of my top books of 2024. This book is ins..."
OH my goodness. I feel so passionately about that book. The second one is sitting in my lap as I take a break to type this. I know it won't be for everybody, but it was so utterly for me that my brain chemistry feels altered after finishing it. :) If you decide to give it another try, I hope you'll let me know!
Joanne MIThe continuation of The Pig Trilogy: The Pig Did It, The Pig Comes to Dinner, and The Pig Goes to Hog Heaven. I did not enjoy this second installment as much as book # 1, yet it entertained me enough to finish it.
Kitty Sweeny and Aaron McCloud are now a happily married couple and owners of "the castle" situated in this small Irish village in County Kerry. Unknown to them, their marital home brings with it the presence of two ghosts who have resided there for centuries, waiting despondently for someone to release them to cross over. Along with this problem the unruly Pig is returned them, his arrival a matter of contention between the newly weds. The discovery of the two young ghosts (a man and woman who are both beautiful) brings its own problem of attraction and the humans sorrow having to rid the castle of them. Both these problems are the meat of the story.
Not quite as humorous as the first book, there were still chuckles to be had, and still the unwavering feeling that animals are much smarter than most give them credit for. I, myself, find this tune of humor the best. I will complete the series.
Caldwell is not a humor writer, by any means, but a writer he is. His descriptive prose is laced with deep thought and the added dry humor gives the reader a release from all that intense reading. The humor is, as mentioned in my review of book 1, the Might Python type of humor that some may not enjoy. I will finish with series with hopes of more inane humor to come.
The Oracle of Stamboul � Michael David Lukas � 4****
This work of historical fiction takes us to 19th-century Stamboul, seat of the Ottoman Empire (now, Istanbul, Turkey). Eleanora Cohen, a child prodigy, becomes a trusted advisor to the Sultan. She’s intelligent and an astute observer, but she is only a child. Still, she will have to rely on her own gifts to make her way. On the whole, I found this novel atmospheric and enchanting.
LINK to my full review
MAZZA1The Haunting of Brynn Wilder
I am not sure whether this book is a Ghost story, a stream of psychic events, a time travel novel or if it concerns living multiple lives with the same people. I almost feel like the author didn't know which Genre she wanted it to be either as there are elements of each one . The catalyst for all these events is the resort town of Wharton and in particular a sort of rooming house run by a character of incredible individuality - Lu Ann. The other characters - including our MC - are really quite neutral and almost saccharine sweet.
The paranormal story line fails to build anything like the suspense required for it's Horror MPG. It failed to thrill in any real way. Lots of Romance and more than it's fair sure of LGBT characters maybe it's shelving is just wrong. It is an undemanding read and can be motored through at pace but it won't be one i remember for long.
One Hundred Saturdays � Michael Frank
4****
Subtitle: Stella Levi and the Search for a Lost World
In February, 2015 Michael Frank attended a lecture, where he had a brief conversation with an elegant elderly woman. The next morning, he received a call from the woman who had organized the lecture. Stella Levi, she told him, had enjoyed meeting him and wondered if he would be willing to help with a bit of writing she had done. Stella was not a native English speaker and wanted to ensure her piece was accurately written. Thus began a series of meetings over one hundred Saturdays and six years, as Stella told her story to Frank.
This is a marvelous tale of a very strong woman. She was a strong girl and teenager when growing up in the Juderia in Rhodes, and she was a strong young woman when she was “evacuated� to Auschwitz. She survived the camps, by using her intelligence and being prepared and willing to do what was necessary to stay alive. She managed to get to the United States where some of her relatives had gone before World War II. And she found her own path here as well.
Her memories, as related by Frank, and forthright and clear. She shows great courage in recalling and reliving some of these episodes in her life. She also shows her strength of character. But make no mistake, her experiences during the Holocaust did NOT define her. She did not forget or forgive, but rather she focused on moving forward. Stella made herself into the woman she always wanted to be and ensured that she LIVED her life.
Readerboard name: Michelle in AlaskaReview of The Atlas Paradox by Olivie Blake
"He could feel something from her, something like an echo in himself, like their motions were in fluent conversation. A reflective desperation, or something quieter, still profound but more enduring."
Another phenomenal installment in the Atlas series. This book stretches my imagination in all of my favorite ways and fills my heart up with an array of feelings. I cannot think of a book that has ever brought me to body-shaking sobs from one singular, self-reflective, tender line before. It feels like holding the whole of the human experience in your hand, and that is such a gift. I cannot gush enough about this book. My eyes are tearing up just thinking about it.
Olivie Blake is a wordsmith, and I adore her.
If you decide to pick up the series, consider listening to this playlist that I have had going on repeat since the first book.
The Mystery of Easter Island: The Story of an Expedition by Katherine Routledge, read for the Group Reads.I was excited to see that this book was selected for the task because I had read Undreamed Shores: The Hidden Heroines of British Anthropology by Frances Larson earlier in the year, which detailed the studies of female anthropologists in the early 1900s, including those of Katherine Routledge. The book discussed her first journey to Africa with her husband, their subsequent voyage to Easter Island, and finally his theft of her generational wealth and forced institutionalisation until her death. For the fascinating and groundbreaking history of her life, I was keen to read this book.
It was originally researched over 100 years ago, and some of the passages are outdated, politically incorrect in current times, and a little bit dry, but overall the experience of reading such a detailed journey about one of the first academically recognised female anthropologists on a groundbreaking expedition to Easter Island was educational, interesting, exciting, and offered a time capsule into another world not so far from our own.
Something that stood out to me was how far we have come in 100 years. It took them 14 months to make the voyage from England to Easter Island, and the tale of their travels over those 14 months is fascinating (though sometimes described in more detail than is to be desired). Their ship, Mana, travelled over 100,000 miles through the course of its journey. I think that is pretty extraordinary.
The behaviour of her staff at time made me giggle, like the American cook who jumped overboard in Hawaii because he wanted to galivant in Honolulu. Her relations to and descriptions of the people she met were filled with curiosity and interest (if you can get past the dated views she held intrinsically), and you could tell she really respected some of the “informants� as she described her trusted advisors on Easter Island.
The interaction with WWI was also fascinating, in a time when they hardly knew what was going on due to being so remote.
My interest in the book was mainly due to Katherine herself, so I will admit I skimmed over Katherine’s dastardly husband’s description of some of the aspects of sailing home (which she did not write as she took the journey overland through the USA and then by a steamer). The paragraphs of him discussing how they caught a turtle off the coast of Mexico were not exactly enthralling to me.
Katherine’s life was fascinating, and she was quite the character herself, who ultimately spent the last years of her life in quite tragic circumstances. She was on the island at a time when their history was literally dying out. A "leper" who passed away while she was on the island was her greatest source of knowledge on their engraved wooden tablets. Her research led the way for further study into Easter Island, and the following quote from her book stood out to me the most, in a world where history was experienced and shared orally only:
"Ten years ago more could have been done; ten years hence little or nothing will remain of this source of knowledge."
A fantastic book for a number of reasons, but certainly not for everyone, and I would not have enjoyed it or appreciated it so much without the context I got from Undreamed Shores.
Joanne MITurn Right at Machu Picchu: Rediscovering the Lost City One Step at a Time by Mark Adams
I found this book without really looking for it and it intrigued me enough to bring it home. I am glad I did. History, Adventure, Memoir, Travelogue- a bit of everything here and most enjoyable.
Mark Adams started out as an intern, moved on to a fact checking job and then a researcher and then became an Editor at National Geographic. He got the bug to explore through these jobs, thus becoming a travel writer and book author. Turn Right, being his first book and adventure outside the office life. My reason for telling you all this is that Mark appears to be just a normal guy, not a hard-core adventurer. Thus, his writing style is plain and simple and at times a but humorous as he relates his time in his search for answers on the reason the Incas built Machu Picchu. As a guide, on his adventure, he did team up with a hardcore adventurer (an Australian named John Leivers) and the two of them resemble the Mutt and Jeff (look it up if you don't know who they are) of the Inca Trail.
This was a fascinating story explaining a lot of things I knew nothing about. I stand before you admitting, I still had a hard time understanding some of the celestial reasoning behind/within Machu Picchu. However, it enlighten me on the subject of the Incas and their "way ahead of the game" engineering and understanding of the Sun. Also, the story is told in 3 timelines, that of the Incas, 20th century explorer Hiram Bingham and Adams own time spent in South America and Machu Picchu .
A great read I can recommend to almost anyone.
4 Stars
Readerboard name: Michelle in AlaskaReview of Spark of the Everflame by Penn Cole
"I was made of swinging fists and rash words, my edges too jagged and my temper too hot. Nothing about me was delicate."
3.5 stars, rounded up. This here is what you could call a milkshake book. Slurp after slurp, it just goes down so smoothly that by the time you're at the end, you wonder how you could have possibly finished it that fast. The pages turn themselves on this one.
Diem Bellator is brash, fiery to a fault, and sometimes laugh-out-loud funny. She is fiercely protective of her family and yearns for something to fight for. Sometimes I questioned whether her driving force, her reasons for doing things, could have been fleshed out a bit more. There was one very important decision she made early on in the book (re: flameroot) that affected the trajectory of her entire arc, but I couldn't figure out exactly why she made that decision, and it troubled me for a good third of the book before I just had to let it go.
I am always excited by a brooding, shadow-wielding MMC love interest, but Luther felt a little too easy. He's obviously mean (golly, the man stabs his own guards), but the enemies-to-lovers trope was underserved. I really hope his character gets fleshed out more in the next book, too.
The setup on this book/series is so cool and exciting that I am genuinely looking forward to digging in and learning more about who Diem really is. I have a few hypotheses that EITHER A) will have been so obvious that they will make me groan or B) will have played me so hard that I will be waiting with a standing ovation as I move through the series. Can't wait to find out which one it is.
trishhartukTokyo Express, Seichō Matsumoto - 4*
Penguin translation, published 2022. Kindle edition.
I've been reading a few books by Japanese authors lately, as they have a habit of turning up in either the kindle daily (like this one) or monthly deals, and I've enjoyed almost all of them. This was no exception.
First published in 1958, and therefore contemporary with middle-phase Agatha Christie, it's definitely a procedural, rather than a cozy, and it stands up surprisingly well, given that it's over sixty years old.
The mystery was particularly twisty, (view spoiler) and it was fun to watch the detectives piecing it all together, and especially the persistence of the younger, Tokyo-based one. I really have to admire the author for the plotting involved, which makes Dame Agatha appear relatively straightforward!
Recommended for anyone who likes a procedural to be as much a puzzle as a crime novel.
Joanne MIA Natural History of Dragons 4 stars
I really enjoyed this story(written as memoir) of Lady Trent ( Isabella) and her very first foray to study dragons in the wild.
Isabella recollects her beginnings as a "misfit" in a world where women are expected to be demure. spend their life weaving or stitching and basically be arm candy for their husband. When the time comes for Isabella to be put on display, in hopes a finding a husband, she is most fortunate to find a man who can be her friend and one who most importantly allows her to read and express opinions.
After wedding, Isabella convinces her husband to take her along as he heads out on a expedition to study Dragons. Isabella has been interested in the subject since she was a child and longs to see a Dragon up close and draw and study them.
Their adventure into the wilds turns into upset when mishaps and missed connections interfere. There is the mystery of their missing guide and then the unthinkable, attacks upon persons by the dragons.
Brennan's characters and writing are marvelous. If you can suspend the disbelief in dragons the book is a wonderful memoir of a strong, independent woman. I loved it!
MAZZA1 Not the End of the World: How We Can Be the First Generation to Build a Sustainable Planet
my heart always falls when a task asks for non-fiction as I generally find them hard work unless they are about Science or medicine. This one however might change my attitude to the genre
I have read other books on the ecological and environmental crisis that impacts us at this time in our history. This book, however, is the first to really "speak" to me. The writing is clear and concise. I like the fact that the author contains the doom and gloom and acknowledges the things are not as bad as we believe them to be. At the same time she emphasises that we can make changes that will have an impact for good. There feels to be a real personal aspect to the writing, I could see how the author has struggled with managing her beliefs and what she can do with them.
The diagrams are clear and easy to interpret - even in Kindle mode - which is often not the case.
The author has not overused explanatory graphs and those used really add to the information given.
Any criticism I have about the book are really about formatting and I suspect that these problems are unique to the ARC nature of my copy. Diagrams and explanatory notes pop up in the middle of narrative text and this can be difficult for the reader. If you are going to read it I suggest a physical copy maybe from the Library
trishhartukThe Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian, Sherman Alexie - hardback, 5*
This was an unexpected surprise. I sat down to start it, and read it in one sitting. It paints a grim picture of reservation life, and yet it manages to be hopeful and funny at the same time. The MC goes through so much, but he makes it through, and I found I could respect him for that and for his strength of will to escape. Plus, the cartoons were really cool.
Laurah30The Women By Kristin Hannah
I recently read The Women by Kristen Hannah and gave it a 5 star rating.
This book dealt with the young women who enlisted to serve in Vietnam in the nursing corps. The official position of the US government was that no women saw combat in Vietnam so they were not considered veterans. "The Women" served as nurses in the army and were definitely serving in an active war zone as they worked alongside the doctors and medics "in country".
The main character, Frances McGrath (Frankie), enlists in the army after training as a nurse. Her intention is to follow her older brother's path, as he has already shipped out to Vietnam. This is a coming of age story, as Frankie transforms from an idealistic 21 year old kid to a hard core, frontline army nurse who is battling life and death situations in a war zone.
The second part of the book deals with Frankie's return home to America. Like many veterans, she has seen and experienced traumatic events that are hard to leave behind. When she does return home, she is not treated well by an angry America public who are against the war. This is a difficult chapter in America's history as the young people who willingly went to battle are treated poorly upon return.
Hannah does a great job telling the story from Frankie's eyes. This woman is transformed from idealistic young adult to a woman who has seen too much horror and is ill prepared for the prejudice, shame and turmoil that awaits back in her home country. Really, the story is about the loss of innocence - referring to America's youth and the country, itself.
Readerboard Name: Michelle in AlaskaReview of How to Stop Time by Matt Haig
The past resides inside the present, repeating, hiccupping, reminding you of all the stuff that no longer is. It bleeds out from road signs and plaques on park benches and songs and surnames and faces and the covers of books. Sometimes just the sight of a tree or a sunset can smack you with the power of every tree or sunset you have ever seen and there is no way to protect yourself. There is no possible way of living in a world without books or trees or sunsets. There just isn’t. (p. 180)
***
Somewhere in the six and a half years it has been since the first time I read this book and now, I have leaned into a more permanent melancholy or something not so dissimilar. I understand Matt Haig in deeper ways here than I did at the age of 28. For the richness of the exploration of the human spirit and the sheer fun it must have been to research and write, this deserves an extra star than I gave it in 2017. The ending felt comparatively weak to the rest of the story, which is a shame, but on the other hand, if that isn't a metaphor for life in and of itself, I don't know what is.
***
Yes, there had been a void inside me, but voids were underrated. Voids were empty of love but also pain. Emptiness was not without its advantages. You could move around in emptiness. (p. 234)
The Crow Trap
4* for the mystery elements
1* for almost everything else, especially the fact that all BritLit written between 1980 and 2000 apparently thinks every woman on the planet does nothing but get led around by the hormones. Having just read and hated September, I was probably primed to be irritated by a lot of the 'characterization' here, but my goodness... I have never been so sick of watching women feel obligated to manage men's emotions. Also the fact that Rachel's response to the gaslighting, career hijacking, liar was to... have no self respect and do absolutely nothing except still be attracted to him? Let's just say I nearly DNF'd then and there.
The only reason I'm even considering giving the rest of the series a chance is because Vera stuck to one of the less annoying of the hand full of incredibly overused characterization tropes every author seems to run for when they want a "variety" of women in their novel.
Joanne MIThe Anarchy: The East India Company, Corporate Violence, and the Pillage of an Empire 4 stars
A very complete history of The East India Company and their entry into, and gutting of the country of India. The book completely turned on it's head most of what I had learned and knew about the "colonization" of India. A small merchant, operating out of a tiny office in London turns into not only a corporate giant, but becomes a full force government of it's own. Not a very tolerant government, no not at all in my opinion. A hostile take-over, like none you have ever seen before. All ignored, or completely unknown (I seriously doubt that) to the English Crown.
I will stop here. You either have an interest in this subject or you don't. I will advise anyone else who picks it up, just take your time through it. There is so much to digest, but the history of it all is fascinating.
I Want to Die But I Want to Eat Tteokbokki by Baek Se-heeOne star for a great title and cover and one star for childhood ecezema trauma representation.
I wasn’t a fan of the writing style. It’s possible some of it is a translation issue but mainly it felt like therapy sessions were condensed on the page- not into honed nuggets of useful insight, but more in a way where they come across as shallow and it feels as though the therapist is putting words in the patients mouth.
Readerboard Name: Michelle in AlaskaReview of Powerless by Lauren Roberts
“What do you want to call me?� “I want to call you mine.�
So sad that this ended up being disappointing. I can't hold the fact that this is a competition trope against the book because I went into it without reading the blurb (no thoughts, only vibez). I felt piqued that it was so obviously taking cues from Hunger Games. It's one thing to see similarities within the romantasy genre, and then there's this, which felt like an amalgamation of some seminal YA and fantasy works.
Now, for the most part, I enjoyed the main characters (again, I can't hold the fact that they are written through a YA lens against them). Despite the fact that I was bored and disinterested in the overall plot of the story for the last 75%, I was living for the romantic tension. Paedyn and Kai have such fun, teasing banter with the kind of witty repartee that I eat up.
She is the embodiment of a bad decision. The twin of danger and desire. The fine line between deadly and divine. And I can feel myself drowning.
"I am content to listen to you talk for hours, but if you must speak about fruit, then at least pick one we both enjoy.�
Unfortunately, I knew I was done for when even the romantic build started to lose its appeal to me. When Paedyn and Kai played thumb war around 75% in, I decided that maybe I was just too old for YA romance once and for all.
Some things that irked me (with spoiler tags cuz spoilers):
(view spoiler)
I think the book was lost for me when I read, "What are you, a parrot or a Paedyn?"
Still, I may end up reading the sequel when it releases because the ending was decent and has me excited for where we might go now that the competition is over. It won't be a priority read by any means.
Sad. :(
Kew: The Witch's Garden: Plants in Folklore, Magic and Traditional Medicine by Sandra LawrenceThis book is misnamed, in fact I’m almost certain it was written under the concept of “the healer’s garden� and then changed to “the witch’s garden� to capitalise on the trend for all things witchy.
This is mostly descriptions of the medical history of plants, mainly from herbals written by men. It’s well written and interesting(!) but I felt misled by the lack of witching and women’s history.
Kathy KSOath and Honor: a Memoir and a Warning by Liz Cheney
Liz Cheney and I probably don't agree about alot of things in the political arena. But, after January 6, 2021, I began to gain more and more respect for this senator from Wyoming. Her courage of conviction about speaking up about the assault on the nation's Capitol has gained my respect. Listening to her read this book has actually strengthened my feeling that we need more politicians that believe in the constitution and the truth about our current political situation in the USA, no matter which party one might belong to.
Clearly read by the author, this is largely a chronological report about Liz' experiences leading up to the 2020 elections and after. It's up-to-date as of the fall of 2023. Insights into the workings of the Select Committee investigating the January 6th uprising are very interesting and helped me with the timeline that I had forgotten or didn't know. The part about that actual day and the legislators' fears and tensions was extremely moving. The picture of our nation's representatives and senators with military and law enforcement experience joining the Capitol police guarding the interior doors to the chamber gave me chills.
Cheney knew her stand against Donald Trump and his supporters would most likely affect her political career; and it did. But she was unwilling to back down from her stand FOR the rule of law and AGAINST Trump ever being president again. Her sincerity shines through during her reminiscences of the last few years in Washington, DC, and she also includes stories of her family and others who have embraced the values of patriotism she feels.
I think this is an important book for all citizens of the USA to read, especially before our next federal elections, regardless of party. Read it, think about it, and then go vote. That's what democracy is all about.
The audiobook contains many recorded snippets of testimony, news, and speeches. The quality varies on these, but the impact of hearing what various players have said was powerful. The rest of the audiobook's sound quality is excellent.
MAZZA1Migrations
This has been on my back TBR - known as one day I will read this - for some time. It is a very hard book to define and review.
I note it is given MPG's of both Contemporary and Dystopian but wondered if it might more rightly fit into a Science Fiction / Fantasy trope. I spent the first 50 or so pages trying to place the action into a period of time and struggling with the headings of "11 years ago or 4 Years ago" before realising that the time period is really of little importance and that the sequence of events is simplu out of sync but could span any decade / any century.
Much of the action centres around the ecological disaster that means much of wildlife is extinct and Our MC's desire to find the last Terns on earth. The MC Franny Stone / Lynch / Riley Loach is a difficult person to describe. The author cleverly only reveals parts of her make-up slowly, over time. Yet she has a strength of character that means she is able to persuade Ennis and his boat crew to take her on this journey.
I nearly ditched the book at page 50 but am so glad I continued and am now sorely tempted to read Once There Were Wolves BUT i curently have around 50 unread books on my Kindle and at least 20 Library books in the house approaching over due status so it will have to go on that "one Day" list
trishhartukErosion, Lucya Starza - 5*
Read the kindle edition, but GR doesn't show the cool cover, hence the link to the PB.
This is a good book for folks that like a paranormal, magical twist to a story, without it falling into full-blown horror. It's atmospheric, haunting, and stays the right side of suspenseful. I got pulled in from the first chapter, and read it in one sitting. The characters were an eclectic bunch, and for once I actually liked the ambiguous ending: certainty would have spoilt this one.
In the interest of full disclosure, this was written by a friend of mine, but that didn't affect my review.
Loot, Tania James - 4*This was definitely a random act of reading. I was looking for a book with a tiger on the cover for 5.6, as I realised I wasn't going to finish my first choice, and this was in a kindle monthly deal.
It's not my usual kind of story, as I often don't read post-Colonialism or Literary Fiction by choice, but I really enjoyed it. The characters were compelling, and while I knew something of the Fall of Seringapatam and Tipu Sultan, from reading a lot about the Duke of Wellington, I only knew it from the English side, not the Indian. This shows the other side, before moving on more into fiction.
Chris MDEveryone in My Family Has Killed Someone by Benjamin Stevenson
****
What are the chances I would end up simultaneously reading two books where members of a family are trapped and slowly picked off one by one? I read this book at the same time I listened to Daisy Darker by Alice Feeney, and while I enjoyed both, Stevenson's is the better book. It's not the story that's better - although it isn't a bad mystery - it's the very clever writing. Our protagonist Ernie makes his living writing books telling other people how to write mystery stories. He is VERY well aware of all the different elements on a mystery plot and his careful to present himself as a faithful narrator as he tells the tale of what befell his family - except he's got to give the back story, which is done in pieces as we find out about what led to the death of his father, and how Ernie ended up getting his brother sent away for murder. The light and breezy style of write balances nicely with the very dark subject matter. I look forward to reading the sequel.
Chris MDA Murder Unmentioned by Sulari Gentill
I have enjoyed this entire series, but this is definitely the best of the bunch so far. We learn a lot more about the background of the wealthy Sinclair family. When a a dam on the family estate is drained as part of a garden overhaul it uncovers a gun and several heirlooms. It seems the gun is the one used to killed Rowland and Wilfred's father 14 years previously. Suddenly police are sniffing around because an informant has told them one or the other brother, or both, had some very good reasons for killing their father. As Rowland becomes the prime suspect, his friends Clyde, Milt, and Edna ride to his rescue. At the same time Rowland is also dealing with the unwanted attention of his sister-in-law's best friend, who is convinced Rowland wants to marry her. In between the much heaver storyline there are more than a few chuckles as Rowland tries to escape the woman's clutches. While the answer to the mystery was fairly obvious (and the incredible obtuseness of the Rowland men is somewhat eyerolling), the story is really well told. Rupert Degas's narration is brilliant as always.
Chris MDGlimmer As You Can: A Novel by Danielle Martin
****
At a time when women's rights are more under attack than at any time than the period during which this book is set, the story of these women should give us all pause.
Lisa is a stewardess, a seemingly glamourous job for a young woman in 1962, but she faces regular weigh-ins where being a pound overweight can lead to dismissal - and she will eventually age out of the stewardness ranks anyhow. That leaves her contemplating a future with her boyfriend who is - well just a typical 1960s, construction working, New York neanderthal.
There's British Elaine, who has found what was supposed to be love with a man whose mental health is precarious at best. And finally there is Madeline, who chooses to stop accepting her husband's infidelities - but at such a cost. She finds solace in opening her dressmaker's shop to other woman, creating what we now call a "safe space" for them to be themselse as much as they possibly can.
I really loved the women's stories - even when I found Madeline's parties a little too much to make sense. I can see opening the shop to a dozen women, but more than 50? That doesn't sound realistic. There are some other things that struck me as odd, but I was able to put my feelings aside on those and just enjoy spending time with these women.
Chris MD West With Giraffes by Lynda Rutledge
3.5
I liked it; it just didn't wow me the way it has some other readers. Rutledge takes a true story - two giraffes who survive the 1938 hurricane on a boat and then are transported from New York to San Diego - and turns into the tale of a young man who ends up driving the animals. Woodrow Wilson Nickel has had little luck in life. Throughout most of the book we get glimpses of something horrible that happened back on his family's Dust Bowl farm in Texas. This led him to a cousin in New York and accidentally seeing the giraffes come ashore after riding out the storm that wrecked a good part of the northeast coast. From there we have a road trip has Woody gets himself hired on to drive the giraffes after the original driver runs off. It's Woody and the "Old Man" - a zookeeper who actually cares about animals (somewhat unusual for the times). And if this role isn't played by Harrison Ford in the movie I will be a monkey's uncle. They slowly find out about each other as the miles roll on and they overcome various challenges and threats from steep overlooks to bad actors trying to steal their precious cargo. There's also a young woman following them trying to make a name for herself as a photographer for Life magazine. So the story is good and interesting and more than a little sad as it is being told by Woody writing in his final days in a nursing home where he believes one of the giraffes keeps looking in his window. It will make a wonderful movie.
Chris MD The Shivering Sands by Victoria Holt
****
I honestly can't remember whether I read this book as a teenager, although after reading it now, I wonder if it is where my fear of quicksand comes from. The story is a wonderful gothic tale told in only the way Victoria Holt, Phyllis A. Whitney, and Mary Stewart could.
Caroline is the widow of a world-famous piano player, someome who gave up her own dreams of playing for audiences to boost his own place in the world. But now not only has she lost a husband, her sister has also gone missing from the place in England where she was digging up ancient Roman ruins. To get to the bottom of what happened to her sistern, Caroline hires herself out as the governess/nanny to the three girls of the manorhouse near where her sister was working. Of course, she doesn't tell anyone that. Why spoil the surprise? But there are plenty of surprises in store for Caroline as the creepy old manion, not the least of which are the three little girls who will be in a her care. The patriarch of the household is fading fast, and his heir is tha quintessential bad-boy gothic hero. Even though you know you're being manipulated by the story, you can just sit back and enjoy the ride.
Chris MD Evil in Emerald by A.M. Stuart
****
The books in this series continue to get better as we get to know Harriet Gordon and Inspector Robert Curran better. This time the pair investigate murder within the local Singapore dramatic group. First the leading man is found dead, but that's just the beginning of the bodies that pile up in this one (no gore, several deaths). While I thought the killer was pretty easy to spot in this one, I still thoroughly enjoyed getting to the end and also seeing how the author is bringing Harriet are Curran closer together. Really looking forward to the next one.
Chris MD Cat Me If You Can by Miranda James
This is pretty typical fare for our hero Charlie Harris - except this time he and a bunch of fellow mystery book fans from Athena, Mississippi, have traveled to Asheville, North Carolina for a getaway to discuss their favorite authors and books. But there's tension as the week starts, and it escalates when the love interest of one of the group shows up and causes trouble before then turning up dead. While the local police investigate, Charlie can't help but stick his nose in because he knows these people better, right? I thought this one dragged on a little too long, and while I enjoyed the descriptions of their tour of Biltmore House, it seems tagged on. It really was not part of the story at all.
Chris MD The Secret of Nightingale Wood by Lucy Strange
****
A well-told tale that can easily be enjoyed by adults as well as young friends. Henrietta, her baby sister "Piglet," and their mother and father have moved to a somewhat isolated home near some woods. A family tragedy has left her mother on the brink of madness, so much so that father departs leaving the family to fend for themselves. Henrietta finds all kinds of strange things going on in the house - and she's also able to see and talk to the ghost of her dead brother. It soon becomes clear that the local doctor sees Henrietta's mother as a prime candidate for the truly horrific treatments a local hospital has also been trying out on World War I veterans who have returned home with shell shock. With no one but a ghost and a strange woman in the woods to help her, Henrietta sets out to thwart the doctor's plan.
Chris MD Swing: A Mystery by Rupert Holmes
****
I picked this up on a whim at a library book sale and thoroughly enjoyed it! I really liked Holmes' noirish writing style, wry humor and very dry wit. It's 1940 and Ray Sherwood as arrived in San Francisco, where the band he plays in has a weeklong gig at the Claremont. Ray is haunted by a tragedy in his past and prefers to travel around the country letting his demons chase him. In San Francisco Bay, the Golden Gate International Exhibition is in full swing on an island specifically built for the purpose, and one of the coolest things about the book is learning more about the exhibition (intended to rival the World's Fair in New York), complete with pictures. It is also in the early months of the war in Europe (with the U.S. still officially neutral) and lots of suspicion about Japan. On his first day in town, Ray receives an unusual note from a young woman asking to meet with him the following day at the fair. She is a pianist who has won the expo's composition contest, and she wants to hire Ray to convert her score for all the parts in an orchestra. She's also gorgeous, so of course Ray agrees. Then all sorts of weird stuff starts to happen. A woman who he had just met falls from a tower at the fair to land at his feet. The pianist's mother is a whole trip in herself. You wouldn't expect a high-kill book from the man who wrote the "Pina Colada" song, but there you go. More and more things start to happen, building to quite the crescendo. While the ending is perhaps (OK, it definitely is) over the top, I really enjoyed the ride.
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The Seasonal Reading Challenge
Books mentioned in this topic
The Atlas Complex (other topics)Killers of a Certain Age (other topics)
The Rebel Nun (other topics)
Iron Lake (other topics)
The Corpses at Waterloo (other topics)
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Marj Charlier (other topics)Deanna Raybourn (other topics)
William Kent Krueger (other topics)
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Seichō Matsumoto (other topics)
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We will draw a random name from anyone who posts a review in this thread so the more reviews that you post, the more chance of being drawn to create a task for the Summer 2024 season!
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