Anybody have any idea when they're going to fix our dates on here so that my reading challenge doesn't say 0 books?
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I am going to review several books in one post, so that you don’t have to look through the feed for them. If you haven’t seen my posts before, you will notice that I don’t give bad reviews, I simply don’t post about books I didn’t like. By now, I am a pretty good judge of what I like, so it is extremely rare that I don’t finish a book, or find something to like about it.
Paris, 7 a.m. by Liza Wieland
I chose this book because I thought the premise was terrific — poet Elizabeth Bishop, who painstakingly chronicled her life in journals, omitted three weeks she spent in Paris after graduating from Vassar. But why the gap? With Paris on the brink of war, Wieland—a poet herself—offers her own theory in this evocative book. Though the book is well-researched, the writing drew me in with its ethereal quality, setting it apart from most historical fiction I’ve read. Recommended for anyone interested in interesting viewpoints on World War II, or Elizabeth Bishop, before she became one of the most influential poets of the twentieth century.
Mrs. Everything by Jennifer Wiener
I am pretty sure you can’t go wrong with a Jennifer Weiner book, but maybe I’m biased, having read several others. I also have a sweet spot for stories about sisters, especially two seeming opposites like these, who share so much more than they realize. Weiner spares no feelings with the trauma and tragedies they face, but she crafts her story with care and grace. While I will admit that I noticed some timeline inaccuracies here (like many others on Goodreads), I tried not to let that distract me from enjoying what was otherwise a compelling story.
Inland by Téa Obreht
Inland is one of those books where I say, who knew this topic could be so compelling to me? I understand that plenty of people would find it compelling, but I am not always as open-minded as the rest of you when it comes to certain historical fiction topics. Obreht’s mythic narrative captures the vast, lawless Arizona territory in stunning detail. Despite the little-known history of the time, her characters come to life in a world that is moving and deeply intimate. There is suspense and drama—it’s the wild west, after all—in this gem of a book.
The Last Book Party by Karen Dukess
This is a perfect, be-careful-what-you-wish-for kind of story, a light read for the weeks ahead. A peek into the publishing world set in a lovingly described Cape Cod community, the story seems even more nostalgic than its 1987 setting would seem. Or is that just me dating myself? The protagonist is a 20-something would-be writer, who hasn’t yet found her footing, and gets distracted along the way. If it sounds familiar, yes, this is the story of many would-be writers, but this one has prettier people fumbling about in more elegant settings, and Dukess’ sharp writing will make you care how it all works out.
Scars Like Wings by Erin Stewart
I am a fan of middle grade books (and yes, I’m too old for that), so I had no problem reading and loving, Wonder. For those who want something that skews a bit older, Scars Like Wings, while technically still a YA book, offers a more grown-up story in this vein. This felt to me like a much more difficult and personal story, given that teenagers can already be so swift and ruthless in their assessments. The emotions run heavy, but, I think, equal to the circumstances; and these fraught relationships remind you that everyone has their own battles they fight every day.
Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout
I am a fan of Elizabeth Strout, and I think I’ve read most, if not all, of her books. I don’t know if I’m in the minority here, but I liked this one even more than Olive Kitteridge. Maybe it’s because I was already introduced to Olive, so, with the exception of seeing her older, and perhaps a bit more empathetic, it was like stepping back into a familiar place. Olive is not a perfectly sweet old lady—she can be ornery, funny, rude, crafty, wise, and occasionally kind. Just like all of us. Personally, I would like her to meet Ove, but maybe that’s for the next book.
Wild Game by Adrienne Brodeur
I’m not going to lie, this was a crazy book. I had to remind myself throughout that this was a memoir, not some farfetched fiction. There were so many moments while reading this that I stopped to say to my husband, you’re never going to believe this! It was shocking and bizarre, and yes, of course, a gripping story. Brodeur’s got baggage beyond comprehension, all completely justifiable, but she manages to cobble together a life in spite of that. I am amazed at her resilience, and appreciate her lowering the bar for motherhood so that we can all sleep a little easier about the job we are doing.
Mobituaries by Mo Rocca
This book was based on Rocca’s podcast, which I had not heard, but I am an obituary reader, and the fact that there are several books like this makes me understand that I am not the only one. These are not necessarily the lives celebrated in the NY Times pages, though many are familiar. Rocca celebrates people famous for unusual reasons, and also honors the demise of some unusual things: the station wagon, sports teams, and dragons. This is a perfect choice for these times, I think, not because it’s about people dying—it’s not, it’s celebrating lives—but because I seem to have a social-media-induced attention span, and these individual stories offer some respite from all of that.
A Good Neighborhood by Therese Anne Fowler
This is one of those stories where you are waiting for the other shoe to drop from the very first chapter. Though Fowler takes us down a seemingly predictable path, she has more in store for these characters than a simple morality tale. I think Fowler’s writing, fresh and smart, saved this from becoming an “issue” book; though the amount of hot-button topics still seemed a little unrealistic. I like a book with multiple points of view, so this added to the story for me, though not every character felt authentic. Regardless, Fowler has given us a lot to chew on here; a perfect read for a neighborhood book club.
Naked Mole Rat Saves the World by Karen Rivers
This is not your typical middle-grade book. Rivers has given us a cast of unconventional characters who somehow seem ordinary despite their extraordinary circumstances. This is a complex, unapologetic book, overflowing with powerful emotion, necessary magic and superhero naked mole rats—really, what more can I say?
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Anyway, I just found out that some of my recent reviews for the Wiley journal, Global Business and Organizational Excellence, have been posted where people can read them! Usually they are subscription only. So, if you are interested in business books, I actually started the year out very optimistically, and these choices reflect that.
Even if you are not a business book fan, I highly recommend Range, which has special appeal to parents in these questionable times.
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As a parent of a child the age of the characters in this book, I am clearly not the intended audience, but I still consider myself an open and caring reader. I kept wondering why, if Bellamy was as brilliant as I’m supposed to believe she is, she could not confront her father (or mother) more directly about the money before it got to the point of a heist. Yes, I know there wouldn’t have been much of a story, but this plotline seemed incredible to me—and the neatly wrapped up ending kind of proved my point. I admit, the idea of robbing my parents (or attempting any kind of heist) would definitely have been more appealing to teenage-me than it was to mommy-me, so there is a decidedly large audience for this story regardless of my take on it. In any case, I finished the book because the writing was sharp and often funny, and I will be interested to see what Clark comes up with next.
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(yes, you know I’m totally going there with the lists)
This book has so much going for it:
a smart, charming, funny protagonist… who quits his job to open a bookstore. Ok, yeah, so that was really enough to get me to read it.
But, as we all know, owning a bookstore is not a get-rich quick scheme. So, when the business starts to fail (or actually, never really gets off the ground),
does Daniel Mayrock decide to:
Host author events Promote the store in social media and in town Talk to his wife?
No, he does not. Instead, he comes up with an idea to get out of debt that is:
Spectacularly far-fetched Kind of insulting, at least to this reader.
What happened to smart Daniel?
He became a wimp The story went off the rails I kept waiting for him to say, “yeah, I was kidding. It was a joke.” He did not.
But wait, you gave it 4 stars!
The writing was so engaging that I finished it despite being annoyed. I am hoping that next time Dicks stays true to his character, because Daniel deserved better. But I can’t wait for the next one, because this was a story with heart. I am a sucker for heart. Who isn’t? ]]>
Rowley comes at this from a different angle, in novel form rather than a straight biography or collection of anecdotes. I think this book draws its success from the fact that, while we are inspired by Onassis and the glamour of Camelot that she represented, we probably appreciate the working-woman ordinariness of her even more. Onassis is truly just a hook, because this story is not about the public figure we think we know. Instead, Rowley tells the moving story of a writer’s journey to find his truth, at the urging of his caring and sometimes enigmatic editor. The fact that this editor is Onassis is merely incidental; because at the end of the day, all that truly matters to each of them is bringing the very best story to the page.
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