Jackie & Me
by Louis Bayard
Fictionalized History at its Best (6/7/2022)
I loved Louis Bayard's fictional versions of Jack and Jackie as seen by Lem Billings, Jack's "wing man" during their courtship. The wistful tone of Lem's memories was poignant and endearing. Bayard's depiction of Jack and Jackie's relationship rang very true to me and gave a sense of depth and humanity to their iconic images. Highly recommend.
Peach Blossom Spring: A Novel
by Melissa Fu
Beautiful Writing, Moving Story (3/4/2022)
I absolutely loved this book. The author, Melissa Fu, was able to evoke a time and place I am wholly unfamiliar with by using language as delicate and precise as the artistry of the Chinese hand scroll that figures so prominently in Meilin's story. Even Henry, whose inability to move beyond his own fears was frustrating at times, was rendered with such sympathy that you are always aware of how his difficult past was impacting his present. A really moving glimpse into a different culture.
How to Find Your Way Home
by Katy Regan
The Journey Back Home (10/27/2021)
I enjoyed this book very much. The author did a good job addressing the many ways mental illness affects not just the person but everyone around them in varying ways. While I understand why it was done from a plot perspective, I do wish that the underlying cause of Stephen's mental health issues was more organic and less family-drama related. This would be an excellent book club book as the family dynamics would make for good discussion points.
The Sunset Route: Freight Trains, Forgiveness, and Freedom on the Rails in the American West
by Carrot Quinn
What a Trip! (7/12/2021)
Once I started reading, I could not put "The Sunset Route" down until the last page. The details about riding the rails were both fascinating and terrifying. The hardships Carrot overcame, described in such a matter-of-fact tone, were stunning to read. I mourned the necessity of the lessons she learned about how to take care of herself from such a very young age and cheered the resilience she showed in the face of overwhelming obstacles. She is a very inspiring person and her story is one that I think many young people will find very relatable. It was a very strong lesson in how easy it is for someone to slip through the cracks in our society. I hope it will make me more aware of the people around me who may be in a similar situation.
Everybody: A Book about Freedom
by Olivia Laing
It had moments (5/19/2021)
I really wanted to love this book. It had moments where I did. The problem is, I had to slog through a tremendous amount of what felt like unnecessary verbiage to get to those moments. The author's personal opinions seemed to taint her message as well. She spoke kindly, even glowingly about Reich and other males but all her dissections of the females she wrote about seemed sharply critical. A prime example of this is her treatment of Andrea Dworkin. All in all, I think this material would have been better presented in a peer-reviewed journal article instead of a full length book.
Ariadne
by Jennifer Saint
Mythology From the Female Perspective (3/12/2021)
Jennifer Saint has created a fresh and thought provoking take on the myths and heroes we normally see only from the male perspective. Her characters were well rounded and much more three dimensional than the original mythological figures. While the "heroes" were shown to be less than heroic (Theseus, I'm looking at you), the heroines were also shown to have very human flaws that made them more relatable. In particular, the contrast between Phaedra's struggles with motherhood and Ariadne's absorption by it and how both were influenced by their differing experiences of their own mother was exceedingly well drawn. Overall, a well written, well researched, highly enjoyable read.
The Narrowboat Summer
by Anne Youngson
A Coming of Age Story for Older Adults (11/24/2020)
Life is full of changes and transitions but most coming of age stories focus on the transition for youth to adulthood. It was refreshing to read a story that focused on older adults "coming of age" and realizing their full potential. I also enjoyed that the author allowed both Sally and Eve to find happiness without the necessity of a romantic pairing. That struck me as more authentic than if one or both of them found a "happily ever after" romantic partner. Many of us are happily single older adults and it was nice to have the book reflect that.
The pacing of the book is appropriately slow and in that, I felt it reflected the movement of the narrowboat. I really enjoyed reading about the mechanics of maneuvering a boat through the locks and the descriptions of taking the boat through tunnels was so vivid I could almost feel the claustrophobia.
This was a thoroughly enjoyable read and I will happily add Anne Youngson to my "must read" author list.
Piranesi
by Susanna Clarke
Not Enough of a Good Thing (8/11/2020)
Piranesi was a perfect story to read during the pandemic with its underlying themes of loneliness and isolation. The story was intriguing, the characters were memorable and the world building was exquisite. My only criticism is that there was not enough of any of it. I would have loved to spend more time wandering the Halls with Piranesi and to learn more of the history of the thirteen people who inhabited the Halls like like the Biscuit-Box Man, and the Folded-Up Child; who they were and how they came to be there. I would have liked more detail on how Piranesi learned to live in the strange world he found himself in. It feels like there are many stories left to tell in this world and I hated to see it end so soon.
American Princess: A Novel of First Daughter Alice Roosevelt
by Stephanie Marie Thornton
Little Girl Lost (12/7/2018)
This was a solid read about a historic figure who I find fascinating. Alice was an outsider to some degree in her family because of the unfortunate deaths of her mother and her grandmother at the time of her birth. Her relationship with her beloved father suffered from these difficult losses and the rest of her life seemed to be an attempt to get her father's attention and to make a new, more accepting family circle for herself. This was a well researched and written novel that brings Alice to life once again.
A Place for Us
by Fatima Farheen Mirza
A profoundly moving story of family (3/19/2018)
I loved this book. At first I was afraid the cultural gap was so big that I wouldn't be able to relate but it quickly became clear that the story related the joys and sorrows of family in a way that crossed all societal, religious, and cultural boundaries. Truly a beautifully written book that was a pleasure to read. Highly recommended.
Sometimes I Lie
by Alice Feeney
I wanted to love it but... (11/20/2017)
I wanted to love this book but I didn't. The premise of the plot was intriguing. A woman finds herself in a coma and can't remember what happened. She tells you three things about herself, including "Sometimes I lie". I was hooked, which is what a plot line should do. Unfortunately, the characters and the story didn't live up to their early promise. Every one of the characters was unlikable, except perhaps the grandmother who was already dead when the story began. I find it difficult to read books where there isn't a single relatable character. The other major problem is that the plot requires far too many suspensions of belief. One or two moments in a book that require the reader to abandon logic and common sense are doable. Three or four such moments in every chapter is a bit much.
Mothers of Sparta: A Memoir in Pieces
by Dawn Davies
Thoroughly Enjoyable Read (9/20/2017)
I love everything about this book. The subjects, the language, the humor, and the tears. Dawn's writing is gritty and relatable and highly entertaining. I adore women who can look at their lives with clear eyes and a sense of humor even in the darkest moments and convey that sense of "me too, I get it, you're not alone" to their readers. Dawn did that to perfection.
Rise: How a House Built a Family
by Cara Brookins
Rise is uplifting (11/2/2016)
It's hard to believe this is a true story but it is. Following along as this mom and her resilient kids rebuild their lives as they build their own home is a fascinating experience. My only criticism and it's a mild one, is the flashback scenes to her marriages sometimes interrupted the flow of the narrative and made it feel choppy. Otherwise, this was an uplifting and highly enjoyable read.
