I haven't yet read Mr. Lewis's more traditional autobiographies for comparison, but actually seeing the hate and the violence confronting people who jI haven't yet read Mr. Lewis's more traditional autobiographies for comparison, but actually seeing the hate and the violence confronting people who just want to be treated like full citizens of their country with equal rights in these graphic memoirs is so powerful.
What struck me most as I read this in late 2024 is how a lot of the same racist laws and policies are being enacted again in states across the country, sixty years later (see for an example). The incident that most felt to me like it could be taking place today centered around Black citizens standing in line, trying to register to vote in Selma, on the two days a month that voter registration was allowed.
"It was hot, but no one was allowed to leave the line for water or to use the bathroom. Even if they could, the 'colored' bathrooms had been locked."
The registrar would take an hours-long lunch and only call in one or two people in the morning and maybe not anyone in the afternoon. But the people kept waiting. The sheriff, Jim Clark, denied the requests of bystanders who asked to provide water to the people in line and threatened to arrest anyone who offered the waiting people assistance, for "molestin' people trying to register to vote," the very thing he and his deputies were doing. The hypocrisy would be mind-blowing if it weren't overshadowed by the murders and the beatings.
This volume begins with the 16th Street Baptist Church bombing that killed four young Black girls and wraps up around Bloody Sunday, when Mr. Lewis and many others were ruthlessly beaten and tear gassed as they crossed the Edmund Pettus bridge in Selma on a peaceful (on their part) march from Selma to Montgomery.
It isn't an easy memoir to read, but it's a part of our country's history that needs to be remembered as we honor the sacrifices of so many who fought so hard for their civil rights....more
Mika Moon has been alone and neglected since childhood because that's the way witches stay safe, even in the modern era. She moves every year or two aMika Moon has been alone and neglected since childhood because that's the way witches stay safe, even in the modern era. She moves every year or two and doesn't really make friends. She meets with a group of witches a few times a year, mostly to be reminded by their leader, Primrose, that the first rule of Witch Club is: you do not talk about Witch Club (Terrible paraphrasing is all mine).
But Mika is lonely. She loves people. So she decides that it can't hurt to make witchy social media videos. No one will believe they're real in this AI/Photoshop world, right? But someone does notice they're real and reaches out with an enticing job. Would Mika be interested in tutoring not one, not two, but three young witches? And more importantly to Mika--can she keep Primrose from finding out what she's up to?
I was in the mood for something sort of cozy or feel-goodish, kind of like The House in the Cerulean Sea or Legends & Lattes. I searched around and found this book recommended several times. Wherever I found it, they were right! I mean, it isn't great Literature and in all honesty, I'll probably forget a lot of details pretty quickly, but it was just the right book at just the right time. 4.5 Stars.
How can you not love a character named Mika Moon? And the found family that surrounds her new young charges is absolutely delightful. Quirky, caring, funny, interfering, determined, mischievous... I could go on but I won't. I love stories of found families and what a family this one is.
There's romance because of course there is and it got spicier than I expected. It's just one scene but it was sort of like finding a hot pepper in my cotton candy. I don't think the story needed it but it's easy enough for me to overlook. Still, this is definitely a book for adults. I liked that the romance took some time to build and felt pretty natural and unforced.
If you're looking for a cute, cozy romantasy to read as you're curled up under a blanket with a mug of tea, this is the book for you....more
I am drawn to stories set in the coldest reaches of our planet. Don't ask me why, because I complain bitterly if it's 40° F (4° C) outside. 4.5 stars.
I am drawn to stories set in the coldest reaches of our planet. Don't ask me why, because I complain bitterly if it's 40° F (4° C) outside. I would never make it in the coldest parts of the mainland US, much less on a ship plowing through polar ice. Maybe I'm just trying to understand a mentality that's so different from my own.
So many of those sorts of memoirs and biographies are written by and about men though. There have to be women out there too. I've read one book about a woman surviving a shipwreck on the pack ice off the coast of Alaska (Ada Blackjack: A True Story of Survival in the Arcticby Jennifer Niven). But surely there are more? When I stumbled on A Woman in the Polar Night at a bookstore, I knew I had to have it.
This is a slim volume and much of it is taken up with Mrs. Ritter, her husband, and his friend Karl's day-to-day survival in Svalbard (Formerly Spitsbergen). Fair warning, that survival isn't really for those who are disturbed by hunting for food and for furs to sell. Just trying to keep wood chopped and clearing the entry to the tiny hut they were sharing were almost full-time jobs. These events happened in 1934 so they didn't have the lightweight, ultra-warm sleeping bags and clothes that we take for granted now. They had a broken stove that spewed soot constantly. The inside of their hut was encased in ice. They prayed for the pack ice to come and bring the polar bears and seals they needed to survive. They endured storms that lasted for a week at a time. The endless night made "Chrissie" restless so that the two men feared she would be moonstruck and throw herself into the polar sea. Hunters had been known to do it. It's a harsh life.
And yet.
Mrs. Ritter eventually writes about the place with awe and wonder. It takes her a while to settle in. Her husband and Karl have been on Svalbard for a few years, I believe. (Those details are sparse, as are details about their life in Austria.) She starts to see how small humans really are on this planet we share with so many other creatures. She starts to see what really matters and what doesn't in the fripperies of "civilized" European life. And those are the parts that really shone for me.
She ends up spending a full year on Svalbard but the biggest part of the book is about winter. Which is probably because so much of the year is winter in that far northern clime. Having spent three summer months in Alaska myself, I was hoping that she would write more about the light and returning wildlife in those magical months but she doesn't have much to say about any of that.
The translation by Jane Degras is beautifully done for the most part. But Mrs. Ritter writes often about her group's need for "vitamins" and that seems like an odd word to use so frequently. Maybe nourishment or sustenance could have been substituted sometimes? But no, it's always vitamins, which, for this 21st-century armchair explorer, made me think for a fraction of a split second that they were looking for gummy vitamins.
I'll end my actual review here and say that I highly recommend this to experience a place and a way of life that are utterly foreign to so many of us.
Quotes from the book:
"Confronted with such an Arctic storm, every human being becomes primitive again, small and full of foreboding. The vengeful gods return. Conscience awakes and hurls itself at men like a monster."
"I am conscious of the immense solitude around me. There is nothing that is like me, no creature in whose aspect I might retain a consciousness of my own self; I feel that the limits of my being are being lost in this all-too-powerful nature, and for the first time I have a sense of the divine gift of companionship."
"I have a better understanding now of what my husband meant when he said, 'You have to be alone in the Arctic to know what living in the Arctic really means.' Perhaps in centuries to come men will go to the Arctic as in biblical times they withdrew to the desert, to find the truth again."
"The Eskimos have given a beautiful interpretation of the mysterious undulation of the [Northern Lights]. They believe that they can see the spirits of their departed in its drifting veils. This serene light has in it something that yearns toward the earth, something sheltering, consoling, promising, and yet utterly mute in its remoteness."
"It is full moon. No central European can have any idea of what this means on the smooth frozen surface of the earth. It is as though we were dissolving in moonlight, as though the moonlight were eating us up. It makes no difference when we go back into the hut under the snow after a moonlight trip. The light seems to follow us everywhere. One's entire consciousness is penetrated by the brightness; it is as though we were being drawn into the moon itself."
"The immense silence of the land surrounds me and invades me, submerging and annihilating my human smallness."
"No, the Arctic does not yield its secret for the price of a ship's ticket. You must live through the long night, the storms, and the destruction of human pride. You must have gazed on the deadness of all things to grasp their livingness. In the return of light, in the magic of the ice, in the life-rhythm of the animals observed in the wilderness, in the natural laws of all being, revealed here in their completeness, lies the secret of the Arctic and the overpowering beauty of its lands."...more
In 1757, during the French and Indian War, Cora and Alice Munro are traveling to meet their father, who is currently in command of Fort William Henry.In 1757, during the French and Indian War, Cora and Alice Munro are traveling to meet their father, who is currently in command of Fort William Henry. Major Duncan Heyward is escorting them, along with their Native American guide, Magua. The deeper the group journeys into the wilderness, the more they begin to suspect that Magua is steering them wrong. Fortunately, they stumble upon Hawkeye, a scout, and his Mohican companions, Chingachgook and Uncas. When the new group points out that Magua has indeed betrayed the ladies, Magua escapes into the woods, rounds up reinforcements, and persistently hunts his erstwhile companions.
I added this to a list of classics that I'd like to read someday because the movie starring Daniel Day-Lewis was filmed around Western North Carolina, where I live, and parts were even filmed within a few miles of my parents' house. My husband and I are currently traveling around the country with his job, so when I realized the book actually takes place around Lake George, New York, only about an hour away from where we are this summer, I knew the time had come to tackle it.
The book was a little bit of a slog but that's partly on me. I can only remember one scene from the movie and it's a sad one. I don't particularly like sad books so I kept avoiding it. The writing is also an odd mix of a lot of action buried under very dense sentence structure. I had to take my time wading through each sentence to figure out what exactly was going on. I'm generally a fast reader and have a hard time slowing myself down for this kind of book. I start to get resentful that it's taking me so long to read the darn thing!
My husband and I finally went up to visit Lake George about the time I was reaching the last few chapters and it's a beautiful place. Fort William Henry, where some pivotal action takes place, was rebuilt in the 1950s so we toured it. I enjoyed seeing the real life place where the fictional book was set. It really added to my experience.
The book was written in 1826 and the language and treatment of the Native American characters reflects that. It wasn't as bad as I expected but as a White woman, I don't know if I'm the best judge. Among the occasional derogatory remarks and stereotypical "silly superstitions," there is some true depth to the Native American characters. Their dwindling populations and lands are treated with a degree of poignancy, in my opinion. For what that's worth.
The edition I checked out of the library is beautifully illustrated with watercolors by Patrick Prugne. It's a gorgeous book.
I liked reading about America in the pre-Revolutionary years, a time I know little about. If the historical period interests you, this is definitely worth a read....more
Sometimes it feels that everyone has strong opinions about Israel and the Middle East. Given the current war, I found myself forming my own strong opiSometimes it feels that everyone has strong opinions about Israel and the Middle East. Given the current war, I found myself forming my own strong opinions even though I knew practically nothing about the modern history of Israel and its relations with the Palestinians and surrounding countries. I decided to educate myself before I became too entrenched in my completely uninformed beliefs.
I wanted to find a book written by an unbiased outsider. I was also looking for a book of average length. I don't want to become an expert; I just want the highlights. Can We Talk about Israel? fit my requirements reasonably well. The author, Daniel Sokatch, is an American Jewish man who's spent quite a bit of time in Israel. He's also the CEO of the New Israel Fund, which "stands for equality and justice for everyone in Israel." He's not quite as much of an outsider as I would have liked but at least he's a bit removed and tries to view issues from all sides.
I won't get political here but I feel like I learned a lot in less than 400 pages. The book starts with the ancient history of Israel and the diaspora but then leaps forward to the late 1800s when Jewish settlers started moving back to the area. I felt the explanations of the major events in the modern history were clear and concise so that I didn't get too bogged down in the details.
No one can ever be completely free of bias, but I feel that the author made every effort to be as fair as humanly possible. I'm sure there are plenty of people out there with strong opinions on both sides of the issue who will disagree with me though.
The book was published in 2021, before the current war started, so the present-day state of affairs isn't discussed at all. At least I feel like I have some idea what led up to this point.
This book isn't going to be for everyone, notably those with immovable opinions, but if you have a fairly open mind and want to educate yourself about a part of the globe that seems to have an outsize influence on world relations, I highly recommend this as a good starting point....more
The ninth entry in the Amelia Peabody series is another solid mystery with the usual delightful characters against the backdrop of Egyptian archaeologThe ninth entry in the Amelia Peabody series is another solid mystery with the usual delightful characters against the backdrop of Egyptian archaeology in its most famous heyday. The author introduced some memorable new characters who I either appropriately loved or loathed, as intended.
One of the characters I loved comes to us through a small sub-plot that felt unnecessary though. The only point I could see was to provide a bit of whimsy appropriate to the time period and to bring this character to the cast. I feel sure we'll see more of her in future instalments.
With this sub-plot, it did feel like there was a bit too much going on, though Amelia handles it all capably, as she always does, and it wasn't confusing. It was just a bit...much.
The younger generation of Ramses, Nefret, and David get a chance to share their own side of the story for the first time here. I really liked seeing what they were up to through their own eyes. The plot construct that introduced their narrative was a bit clumsy to me but I overlooked it.
Amelia is always far ahead of her time in her insistence on being treated as an equal partner to Emerson, but I really liked this zinger she came out with when speaking of a new acquaintance: "I do not doubt he has a low opinion of women too. Gallantry is often a cloak for contempt."
I've liked some books in this series more than others but I consistently recommend it. I love the characters and the setting and there's really not anything more that I ask from my light reading....more
I read and loved Sy Montgomery's earlier work, How to Be a Good Creature. I loved it so much that I literally read it twice back to back. So my expectI read and loved Sy Montgomery's earlier work, How to Be a Good Creature. I loved it so much that I literally read it twice back to back. So my expectations were high as I started this book.
I was a little disappointed but that's partly because of my own unrealistic expectations.
In the early days of the pandemic, Ms. Montgomery and illustrator/turtle enthusiast Matt Patterson begin volunteering for the Turtle Rescue League. They learn about caring for and rescuing these wise animals but the turtles also teach them how to accept life as it comes and to just keep going, however slowly. That was a lesson we all needed in 2020.
I knew there were groups working to save sea turtles but I didn't really know that there are groups working to save our terrestrial turtles. Humans are decimating their numbers too. Draining the ponds and wetlands they need to live in, building in their territories and nesting grounds, and driving so fast they literally can't see us coming. And then there are the heartless jerks who actively aim for them with their vehicles or their crossbows. Yes, crossbows.
There was a lot of interesting information about turtles here. They see or at least process the world slower than we do. They can survive the most horrific, seemingly unsurvivable injuries. The founders of the Rescue League have learned not to declare a turtle dead until it starts to smell. They can even recover from spine injuries that should leave them immobile. They are fascinating creatures.
But toward the end, I started to feel that the book was getting a little repetitious. The turtles were either progressing in their recovery or not. The same nesting grounds were being revisited. The injuries and deaths, though she doesn't linger too long on them, were getting depressing.
I do recommend reading this but it's probably a book to be read a chapter at a time rather than all at once....more
When I realized this short story is a prequel to Legends & Lattes, I knew exactly which incident from Viv's earlier life that I hope it addressed and When I realized this short story is a prequel to Legends & Lattes, I knew exactly which incident from Viv's earlier life that I hope it addressed and that's exactly what I got. Yay! It's so strongly related to the book, that I really think it could have been edited a bit more and turned into a fairly long prologue.
I never could get all of the members of Viv's gang straightened out in the book, and despite spending more time with them in this story, I still can't. Their personalities are almost interchangeable to me.
It's still a fun entry in the series and you should definitely read it if your edition of Legends & Lattes includes it....more
This was just the sort of soothing, hopeful book I needed right now. In a series of connected stories, the author explores different scenar4.5 Stars.
This was just the sort of soothing, hopeful book I needed right now. In a series of connected stories, the author explores different scenarios most of us can relate to. The young woman fresh out of college who feels stuck. The woman with an established career who finds herself struggling to find her place after maternity leave. The retiree who's lost his sense of identity now that he's left the company where he worked for decades. There are others but they all share a sense of lost purpose or purpose-never-found.
With the help of an awe-inspiring librarian, they each find a different book that helps them shift their perspective. These aren't self-help books or anything obvious like that. One person sparks to a children's picture book. These books in roundabout ways help the characters stop focusing so much on what they don't have or what they don't know and start to seek out a logical next step. These are not big, life-changing steps; they're just a start. But they're also just enough to give each character hope that maybe he or she can find a path to a fulfilling life and/or career. As one character says, "In a world where you don't know what will happen next, I just do what I can right now."
I thought that was going to be the main premise of the book and that was enough to make me happy. But then the stories start to just barely overlap and suddenly the book is more about society and the small things we can do to help each other along our paths. I loved it.
I really liked that there weren't any stories that were focused on romantic love and finding a partner. Each of these people are looking for personal fulfillment. There are relationships in the story but that's not what any character is truly looking for.
The translation by Alison Watts flowed naturally and the illustrations by Rohan Easton were a nice addition. They rendered well on my Kindle Paperwhite.
If you're feeling stuck yourself, or just need a gentle story about a community of people slowly finding a stronger sense of purpose, I highly recommend this book....more
Confession: I didn't know who Issa Rae is when I picked this up. I'm only vaguely aware of pop culture at the best of times and influencers or even shConfession: I didn't know who Issa Rae is when I picked this up. I'm only vaguely aware of pop culture at the best of times and influencers or even show writers and producers are just not on my radar. I don't remember why I added this to my list but I'm glad I did because it was so funny!
I'm shyly awkward myself, which is a little different from what appears to be Issa's outgoing awkward. My awkwardness is generally just obvious to myself or a handful of close friends or else I get away with it by flying under the radar. Issa is a little more out there with her self-described awkwardness.
This collection of essays tackles many different aspects of Issa's awkward life. We start when she's a curious 11-year-old catfishing older men in the early days of the Internet as we know it. We move on to dancing, music, dating, hair, and I don't even know what else. I laughed where appropriate and winced or blushed in sympathy as the story demanded.
There were several different sidebars that offered Awkward Black Girl hot takes. I really laughed at these. Issa advises readers about how to address people who make inappropriate comments about your hair (as a curly girl myself, I should have taken notes in this section) or how to handle terrible co-workers (she's had some doozies) and more.
Issa narrates the audiobook and she is fantastic.
Grab this if you're in the mood for an entertaining memoir with moments that we can all relate to. I highly recommend the audio version....more
There is an element of found family throughout all aspects of the book and I always like stories with t3.5 Stars.
I liked this book but didn't love it.
There is an element of found family throughout all aspects of the book and I always like stories with that trope. But I tend to struggle a bit with multiple timelines. At least this one took place over the span of a few weeks so I could easily remember when I was, but I always strongly prefer one plot over another. I sort of slog through one in little more than an effort to get to the parts I like. This was no different, but I was surprised that I preferred the story set in the book's present.
It took quite a while for things to get going, and when they did, Kivrin's experience in the past was so grim. I have to say that it brought a very dark period in human history to life for me in a way that other books set in a similar time haven't. It's one thing to read about humanity-defining events in a textbook but I felt like I lived through this. Hats off to Ms. Willis for that but I felt traumatized.
I had to keep rechecking the copyright date of the book (1992) because there's a localized disease outbreak in the book's present and the author's descriptions of what happened were prescient. Everyone is unaccountably worried about toilet paper supplies. People who don't understand science in the least are behaving as if they have PhDs. Protestors are protesting the most random things. Conspiracy theories are flying. Officials who don't know anything about anything are making life harder for everyone. Visiting Americans are screaming about their civil liberties being violated (I'm American so I can agree with this). It all sounded so very much like what happened in the real pandemic that I just couldn't convince myself that the book was published almost thirty years earlier. I frequently say that people are people, no matter where you go, but I guess the same is true no matter when you are too.
The Doomsday Book won all kinds of awards when it was published, so I'm obviously in the minority. If you generally like both parts of a dual-timeline book equally and like a slow pace more than I do, I think you'll like it. I'll read more of Connie Willis's books (I love her collection, A Lot Like Christmas), but I don't plan to continue with this series. ...more
I listened to Connie Willis's collection of her own Christmas stories (A Lot Like Christmas) last year and went searching for more of her work. I stumI listened to Connie Willis's collection of her own Christmas stories (A Lot Like Christmas) last year and went searching for more of her work. I stumbled on this anthology that she edited and decided to give it a try. The quality of the stories was remarkably consistent!
The stories are arranged by publication date. The first story was published around the Civil War. They continue up through current times. I liked that organization for a couple of reasons. It was interesting to see literary styles evolve over the years. I also liked seeing how societal norms and problems have changed or remained the same.
I really appreciated that Ms. Willis made an obvious effort to include a diverse group of authors and their experiences in the collection. Black authors writing in the Jim Crow South obviously had very different stories to tell than the White authors writing at the same time. We need to remember that reality.
The stories cover a lot of genres from sentimental classics to Westerns to contemporary stories and on to one or two disturbing horror-ish tales. I really liked the variety.
If you want a Christmas collection that covers a lot of ground, I highly recommend this one....more
I'm not a huge romance reader and even less of a young adult romance reader but I've watched my share of rom-coms and this is a rom-com with the cutesI'm not a huge romance reader and even less of a young adult romance reader but I've watched my share of rom-coms and this is a rom-com with the cutest of meet cutes. I adored it.
And what reader could resist its charms? Dash and Lily's paths cross when Lily leaves a red notebook with a dare hidden inside on the shelves of The Strand, a huge institution of a bookstore in New York City. Dash finds the notebook, accepts the dare, and the game is on.
I loved following along with Dash & Lily's adventures across New York City and meeting their eccentric friends and family. Getting to know them as characters was delightful. There was just enough will they/won't they to keep me eagerly listening.
Tara Sands and Ryan Gesell's narrations were each excellent. I thought they sounded convincingly like teens without sounding condescending to the age group. These are thoughtful, intelligent teens who also like to have fun and they captured that tone well.
I highly recommend listening to this if you're looking for something romantic and fun to brighten your holidays....more
I truly enjoyed the first book in the loose Kirrinfief series by Jenny Colgan, The Bookshop on the Corner, so I was looking forward to listening to thI truly enjoyed the first book in the loose Kirrinfief series by Jenny Colgan, The Bookshop on the Corner, so I was looking forward to listening to the second one. I didn't realize until I started it that it's not a direct sequel; Nina, the first book's protagonist, makes some appearances but she's mostly in the background. This is very much the story of Zoe, a new character.
The Bookshop on the Shore was quite a bit darker than the first book. There are scenes of a character cutting and mental health is a definite theme. I felt that it was handled with sensitivity, but others might disagree. Nina really doesn't come off well in this book, which was a bit startling, considering how much I liked her in the first book. She's dealing with some of her own issues in the background, but she's really not nice.
Zoe and her son Hari are delightful though. Zoe is trying so hard as a single mom but the cards are stacked against her. She's hired as a nanny for three children whose mother has abandoned them. Zoe does her best to be their Mary Poppins but they really are not welcoming. Still, I loved any scenes that featured Patrick, the youngest child. And Scotland and Loch Ness are practically characters themselves, they're described so beautifully. I've read quite a few books by this author now, and she always makes me want to visit whatever corner of Scotland she's describing.
If you've read the synopsis, you can probably guess who Zoe's romantic interest is. Even though I found it predictable, I wish there had been more time spent on it. I felt that it almost happened out of the blue. And I wish they had more page time together, instead of everything happening right at the end.
Speaking of the end, I was so ready to find out how everything wrapped up that I finally sat down with my phone and just listened to this book for a couple of hours while mindlessly tapping away at my coloring app. I believe that's a first for me!
Eilidh Beaton's narration is beautifully done. I don't think I've listened to any books she's read before but I'll be seeking her out in the future.
I reservedly recommend this to readers who aren't going to be upset by the issues of mental health, abandonment, and substance abuse. Zoe and Hari are charming and I'm happy to have spent several hours in their company....more
The inside flap of my copy of this book describes it as a "riveting tale that will appeal to fans of The Princess Bride." I hesitated over 4.5 Stars.
The inside flap of my copy of this book describes it as a "riveting tale that will appeal to fans of The Princess Bride." I hesitated over that. I love The Princess Bride. So much. That description is setting some very high expectations and I don't know if it's possible to meet them.
Sanderson did it.
The book isn't any sort of retelling or anything like that but it just captured some of the quirky magic. Talking rats, a mute man with an unusual way of communicating, a pirate who loves to shoot cannons but who literally can't hit the broad side of a ship, spores of different colors that will kill you if you breathe them but at the same time everyone sails on them.... You can kind of see it, right?
Tress is just an average girl who grew up on a tiny speck on an island and never saw herself as anything special. But once she ventured out and encountered bigger situations, she grew as a person and developed her talents to meet them. I loved seeing her character change, become more assertive, and learn to ask for help! And, I'll be honest, I love books where the damsel rescues the boy and there simply aren't enough of them. Add this to the short list.
I read this pretty quickly just because I wanted to see what would happen. There were so many good quotes that I didn't take the time to flag so I'll probably re-read it at some point and take the time to do that.
In the author's acknowledgements, he writes that "I envisioned these books being kind of an 'artist's showcase,' where we picked an artist and let them go a little wild with what they wanted to do in creating the book. Howard [Lyon] did so much on this book. The cover, the endpapers, the interior illustrations--but really, the entire design owes a lot to him." That was a special Kickstarter edition and my hardcover only had one real illustration but it's gorgeous. I'm seriously thinking about asking for a fully illustrated edition for a holiday or birthday.
GoodReads lists this as Cosmere #28. I read it without having ever read any other Sanderson book before and followed along just fine. I got the feeling I was missing some backstory on one or two characters, but I saw that as completely unimportant. I firmly believe it can be a standalone novel.
If you like your fantasy novels to be populated with quirky characters who care for each other, grow, throw out witty one-liners, and have lots of fun and danger along the way, this is the book for you....more
This premise really grabbed my attention. Hippos in the Mississippi River? And this was ? Okay, I'm hooked.
AnThis premise really grabbed my attention. Hippos in the Mississippi River? And this was ? Okay, I'm hooked.
And while it was fun to explore this alternate version of history, it just didn't quite work for me. I think that largely comes down to the fact that this is a duology of novellas when it should really be one slightly long work. I listened to the audio book but the print editions are about 150 pages. That's not much time for world-building, character development, and a hippo caper (I know! It's not a caper!). I liked the characters in the time that I got to spend with them, but there just wasn't enough. The main plot is mostly tied up but some big questions are still unresolved at the end.
There's also a "big reveal" abut 75% in that just left me scratching my head. I had known this since maybe the 25% mark. I felt pretty confident that the character it affected had practically said this same exact thing. So why is it a big surprise to him now? It just seemed inconsistent.
The narrator was great on his own but he had a grab bag of accents to handle. He did his best with mixed results.
This was a fun idea and it was largely fine, I just had bigger hopes for it. I don't think I'll read the next book....more
A detective with seemingly-impossible powers of observation meets the fantasy world in Jackaby and I am here for it.
Abigail is a worthy Watson to JacA detective with seemingly-impossible powers of observation meets the fantasy world in Jackaby and I am here for it.
Abigail is a worthy Watson to Jackaby's Holmes, filling in the gaps that he overlooks. As a newcomer to America and magic, she tells the story of the serial killer loosed in New Fiddleham in a way that fills in all the details for the reader who is new to this world too.
The mystery and fantasy blend together in a way that kept me listening intently. Nicola Barber's narration was mostly a joy to listen to, but for some reason she read Jackaby's dialog with a very odd, stilted, over-emphasized accent. It was a bit jarring. Maybe there was a description of his speech that I missed, but I found this decision to be misguided.
I had a lot of fun listening to this book and I'll be sure to read the next one. I'm just not sure that I'll listen to it....more
In 1999, Clemmie is working around the clock, literally sleeping under desk some nights, to make partner at a powerful New York law firm. When she manIn 1999, Clemmie is working around the clock, literally sleeping under desk some nights, to make partner at a powerful New York law firm. When she manages to make it across town to celebrate her grandmother's 99th birthday, she is shocked to see how much Granny Addie's health has declined.
Back in the 1910s and 1920s, Addie was orphaned at the age of six. Her uncle takes her in and raises her with his daughters. Addie and Bea, the daughter closest to her age, immediately become inseparable. As they grow, Bea blossoms into a beauty who can have her pick of available men. Addie meets a troubled WWI vet, Frederick, and they bond over poetry readings and lectures.
I am a surprisingly big fan of Ms. Willig's Pink Carnation series for someone who doesn't consider herself a romance reader. But the witty banter, intrigue, and Napoleonic settings sucked me right in. I inhaled that entire 12-book series and wished for more.
The author's newer books look more serious to me so I've avoided them until now. But I was in the mood for a fun, flirty book and decided to go ahead and give one of them a try. I was correct; this one is more serious.
In dual timeline books, I almost always strongly prefer one timeline over the other. That was the case in the Pink Carnation books and that was the case here. I didn't feel invested in the modern timeline's characters and mostly just thought that Clemmie had a lot of nerve to get angry with everyone else in the family for not keeping her in the loop about her grandmother's health when, by her own admission, she never visited and never called.
Addie, Clemmie's grandmother, had a lot more going on in her youth. Addie is an innocent, and honestly a bit of a milquetoast, but Bea comes across as a vixen. I wouldn't want to have Bea in my circle, but her exploits did make for interesting reading. Addie couldn't have carried a book but Bea certainly did.
There are some "surprising" revelations that are so strongly hinted at throughout the story that I'm not sure I was even supposed to be surprised. But there sure was a lot of buildup for them so I don't know what to think.
I believe this is the first time I've listened to a book narrated by Nicola Barber and she did an excellent job. I'll seek her out again in the future.
This is a more serious family saga/romance than I was looking for, so readers who prefer those kinds of books will like it more than I personally did. As for me, I'll just keep recommending the Pink Carnation series....more
I've been mulling this review over since finishing this book six weeks ago. I should have loved it and I didn't. Not exactly. And I'm having 3.5 Stars
I've been mulling this review over since finishing this book six weeks ago. I should have loved it and I didn't. Not exactly. And I'm having a hard time digging down to the why.
Ms. Williams writes about twelve national park units in this book, eight of which I've visited and loved.
And I think that's maybe the crux of the matter. A "personal topography" implied to me that this would be a straightforward memoir of her time in the parks and the people and animals or histories she encountered there. And that's pretty much what I found for the first couple of chapters. I loved those. But the personal is political for Ms. Williams and the book turned into more of an environmental call to action than I expected. I actually agree with her thoughts so I don't know why this aspect threw me off so much; I only know that it did.
Maybe it's that I view our parks as almost sacred, wild spaces. It's disturbing to read that the only reason I didn't see oil rigs on the horizon from inside Theodore Roosevelt National Park is because the park superintendent begs oil companies to find a way not to ruin the park's sightlines. They're still drilling, but they're drilling behind hills and rises in the landscape. The essay about Gulf Islands National Seashore is really about the Deepwater Horizon oil spill and it's the stuff nightmares are made of. The book is littered with similar stories of environmental dangers and disasters and people being jailed for civil disobedience when they protest. Ms. Williams tries to end on a hopeful note but it was too late for me--I was thoroughly depressed. Maybe she lifted the veil from my eyes and my dislike of the message has affected my view of the messenger. I don't know but this is my best theory.
This is the first book I've read by Terry Tempest Williams and she is a beautiful, thoughtful writer. My copy is littered with Post-It flags marking passages that spoke to me.
"This is what we can promise the future: a legacy of care. That we will be good stewards and not take too much or give back too little, that we will recognize wild nature for what it is, in all its magnificent and complex history--an unfathomable wealth that should be consciously saved, not ruthlessly spent."
"I return to the wilderness to remember what I have forgotten, that the world can be wholesome and beautiful, that the harmony and integrity of ecosystems at peace is a mirror to what we have lost."
"Perhaps this is what our national parks hold for us: stories, of who we have been and who we might become--a reminder that as human beings our histories harbor both darkness and light. To live in the United States of America and tell only one story, from one point of view, diminishes all of us."
"At a low ebb of hope, I asked my friend Doug Peacock how he staves off despair.... 'Insulate yourself with friends and seek out wild places,' he said."
This truly is a beautifully written book and it provides a lot of food for thought. I did enjoy it overall, just not as much as I expected....more
Flora Maxwell’s mom recently passed away and Flora is not handling her grief well. She’s pushing everyone away and destroying relationships. DeadlinesFlora Maxwell’s mom recently passed away and Flora is not handling her grief well. She’s pushing everyone away and destroying relationships. Deadlines are approaching and she has no idea what she wants to study in college. She’s been asked to give a speech about her mom and the thought terrifies her. The only thing that brings her any peace is her camera.
After making a particularly hurtful confession to her family, Flora runs away from Winchester, England to Miami, Florida, to stay with her friend Lila’s family for a while. In Miami, she starts to get some perspective on her losses and her self-destructive behaviors. She also meets handsome Baz MarÃn, who becomes her photography mentor. Can Flora, who describes herself as a hurricane, learn to trust others–and herself?
Thank you to the publicist for providing me with an early copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
A British Girl’s Guide to Hurricanes and Heartbreak is a spin-off of A Cuban Girl’s Guide to Tea and Tomorrow. You could probably read A British Girl’s Guide first if you really want to and only encounter minor spoilers but I recommend reading them in order. Knowing the background of some characters who take a more minor role in this follow-up adds depth to the story.
Now, hang with me for a minute here. Flora is a difficult character. I struggled a bit with her, to be honest. She’s really prickly and she can get a little too self absorbed at times. I understand that she’s suffered an unimaginable loss but watching her repeatedly push away people who genuinely care for her got to be frustrating for me. I almost rated the book three stars because of her and because I am such a character-driven reader.
But I stepped back and thought about it. We all know people like Flora. She rang very true. But Flora knows she has some serious issues she needs to work through. She starts to engage in some self-reflection, let others in, and seek help. And that’s what redeems her in my eyes.
There’s a maybe/maybe not love triangle which is not my favorite trope. But it sets up an opportunity for some earnest conversations among characters about self-respect and what they want and expect from a partner. It’s another opportunity for character growth and I embraced it.
My husband is Cuban and largely grew up in Miami. His parents moved to Naples at about the time that I came into the picture so I haven’t spent a lot of time in Miami. But it was still a lot of fun to read about the locations that I am familiar with. The heat and humidity ooze out of the pages. I could almost taste the food. One scene takes place at a photo shoot in Vizcaya. Holy smokes. I could see every move of that scene coming to life. Somehow it was steamy in more than one sense of the word even though it was also perfectly innocent. The romantic tension was palpable. That scene was perfection.
Read this one if you like complicated characters and a good helping of romance....more
JG (Introverted Reader)
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