L.A. Women
by Ella Berman
A Struggle to Finish (2/19/2025)
I honestly did not enjoy this book. I found the characters vapid, self-absorbed, superficial and uninteresting. Maybe that was the author's point, but I'm not sure. I'm not a prude at all, but I got tired of the author's constant use of the "f" word. Maybe that is an "LA thing", but for me, it's a sign of lazy writing.
Raising Hare: A Memoir
by Chloe Dalton
To the Rescue (12/30/2024)
A lovely memoir written by Chloe Dalton about an abandoned leveret (baby hare) that she finds on her countryside property. Knowing the risks of trying to raise a wild animal, she consults vets and reads as much as she can about hares. To her delight the leveret thrives and becomes a frequent visitor over the years. In fact, the leveret as an adult even has some of her babies in Dalton's home.
I am a wildlife rehabilitator and I was extremely impressed by Dalton's care of this animal. She did everything right. She did not name it, she didn't try to turn it into a pet and she was determined to return it to the wild. These are all hard tasks because it is so easy to get attached to an animal if you are the one raising it. We tend to anthropomorphize animals (especially babies).
As I know, these wild animals teach us so much. As with Dalton, they teach us to become conservationists and to care about nature.
The book has lots of scientific information that might not be of interest to all readers, but I found it fascinating. In addition to that, each chapter is headed with a charming drawing.
I loved this book.
Corrections in Ink: A Memoir
by Keri Blakinger
A page turner (12/26/2024)
A few years back I listened to a PBS interview with the author of this book and have had it on my to-be-read list for sometime. It did not disappoint.
Keri Blakinger had a promising career as a figure skater, but when her partner quit the team, her life spiraled out of control and she turned to drugs. She was arrested after walking down the street with a Tupperware full of heroin.
She spent nearly two years in prison and after her release she became a journalist reporting on the failures of the prison system.
Blakinger writes brilliantly about her life. It is easy to cheer for her the entire time and to be especially impressed at how she pulled herself together and has now become an important voice for the incarcerated and the under-privileged.
James: A Novel
by Percival Everett
Outstanding book (12/26/2024)
I belong to two book clubs and they both picked James as the next read. Because I hadn't read The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn for decades, I decided to give it a quick read first. I really didn't enjoy Huck Finn that much, but felt that it did help to read it prior to reading James.
Percival Everett has done a masterful job telling the story from the perspective of James, the slave. I thought he created a completely believable character. I'm not giving anything away to say that we learn at the very beginning of the book that James has a family. In doing so, I thought Everett created an urgency in the story that made it a great read.
I could go on and on about this brilliant book. It's at the top of my list for the best of 2024 reads.
Girl Falling: A Novel
by Hayley Scrivenor
Good Thriller (9/13/2024)
I enjoyed this book although it was not as good as Scrivenor's first book Dirt Creek. This book is well-written and there is a good twist at the end.
The narrator, Finn is a young woman who has begun dating Magdu. The other main character is Daphne, who at times has been Finn's lover and is now jealous of Magdu. The three of them go climbing and Magdu falls to her death. This action happens at the very beginning of the book and after that the book's focus is on the past relationships of these women and of course figuring how Magdu fell.
My reason for giving the book 4 stars instead of 5, is that the characters are not all that likable, including the narrator. The author throws in a lot of superfluous details (like the many times Finn talks about her period and cramps---do we really need that detail?)
I can recommend the book, but Dirt Creek is much better.
The God of the Woods: A Novel
by Liz Moore
Good writing but poorly structured (7/19/2024)
There are so many good critical reviews of this book that I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. And for the first one-third of the book I kept thinking “this is going to be really good,” but after that it turned into a bit of a slog. The main problem I had is that there are SIX different alternating timelines with different characters in each of the timelines. The timelines go back in forth in different decades. For me, it made the tension of the mystery fizzle. I couldn’t keep track of the characters (of which there were too many) and what part of the mystery they were in. The book really needs a flowchart of characters.
My rating would be 3.5 stars because I thought it was better than average, but it really wasn’t that good. The author writes well, but the structure did not work.
The House Is on Fire
by Rachel Beanland
Excellent Historical Fiction (3/1/2024)
On December 26, 1811, the Richmond Theatre in Virginia burned to the ground. The fire killed 72 people, including Virginia's governor George William Smith, former U.S. senator Abraham B. Venable, and other government officials in what was the worst urban disaster in U.S. history at the time.
The author creates a masterful tale around this incident featuring the stories of four people impacted by the fire. There is a distinct feminist perspective as most of the men in the story simply looked out for themselves whereas the true heroes were the women and one black slave in particular.
Well done and interesting. I highly recommend the book.
Fifty Words for Rain
by Asha Lemmie
Needed better editing (2/4/2024)
I liked this book for about the first 50 pages and after that it went straight downhill. One bad thing after another happens to the main character so much so that by the end of the book it's so over the top that the reader can't even care anymore. If I wanted to read a good tragedy, I'd turn to Shakespeare.
This book is the writer's first book and it's obvious. I had the feeling that the author was trying to throw every single thing she could think of into this book. It needed much tighter editing. On a number of occasions I'd be thinking now what just happened? Also, I'm not well versed in Japanese culture, but even I could tell there were obvious errors that the author should not have made. Sloppy.
Let Us Descend: A Novel
by Jesmyn Ward
Dark Subject Matter (1/18/2024)
3.5 stars rounded up to 4. Jesmyn Ward's writing is beautiful and for the first third of the book, I was captivated by the story. It is painful to read because of the descriptions of slaves and their brutal treatment. I was drawn into the pain and for that I am grateful to the writer. My issue with the later part of the book is that it is full of magical realism which made it muddled and confusing. I lost interest in the book, but did finish it. I wanted to like it more.
When God Was a Rabbit: A Novel
by Sarah Winman
A Delightful Book (9/25/2023)
I enjoyed this book. It is a coming of age story with quirky and lovable characters.
Alfie and Me: What Owls Know, What Humans Believe
by Carl Safina
Life Lessons from an Owl (9/5/2023)
Alfie and Me is the story of the rescue and rehabilitation of an eastern screech owl by Carl Safina and his wife. But this book is more than that. The Covid pandemic forced Carl and his wife to be at home the entire time that Alfie was in their care. This allowed Safina to observe much more about this owl and its place in the world. A great deal of the book is devoted to a review of humanity's relationship to the wild world. Safina examines other cultures' views of the natural world most of which are far more enlightened than our own.
Safina provides details about Alfie's progress and ultimate release back into the wild and this includes his own internal struggles about the timing of the release. He struggled because he knew the risks that face these magical creatures. I did think that he anthropomorphized a great deal onto this owl, but I understand how easy it is to do that. These creatures are special and we like to think we know what they might be "feeling" or "thinking". The job of a rehabilitator is to make sure that these animals remain wild and that they don't become tame, no matter the dangers that face them.
I am a bird wildlife rehabilitator so I was especially anxious to read this book. I enjoyed the book, although my major criticism is that he never fully explains that it is illegal to keep a wild bird unless you are a licensed rehabilitator. I worry that his book, without this detail, would encourage a person to take in and keep a bird (especially a cute owl). I have seen this happen time and time again. Someone finds an injured or orphaned animal, and takes it into his care, thinking they can look up on the internet how to do it. Then after some time when the animal is not thriving they finally bring it to a rehabilitation center so that they can "fix" it. Most often it is too late.
I enjoyed the book and recommend it.
The Moth and the Mountain: A True Story of Love, War, and Everest
by Ed Caesar
Really Cold Moumtain (8/24/2023)
I have read many books about mountain climbers on Everest and this is the first time I ever heard of Maurice Wilson who decided to try to fly a plane to Everest, land it somewhere on the mountain and then climb to the top. The Moth and the Mountain is an account of Wilson’s daring attempt.
The action takes place in the 1930s and after Mallory and Irvine’s attempt to reach the summit. Being the highest peak in the world, climbing Everest is an obsession for many mountain climbers and in the early part of this century it was especially so for British climbers. In fact, the mountain was named for a Brit, Sir George Everest.
Maurice Wilson was one of those people obsessed with climbing Everest, but his attempt might have been the craziest. He had no mountaineering experience and didn’t know how to fly an airplane. He was determined to climb solo and without oxygen. He wanted to promote his belief that fasting and faith in God would cure all the world’s ills.
He flew his airplane (known as the Moth) from Britain to India and all along the way the British establishment tried to prevent him from doing it. He ended up having to abandon the airplane idea when he was not allowed access to his airplane. After that he surreptitiously entered Tibet in disguise and finally got to Everest. He succeeded in climbing as high as 22,703 ft (amazing), but died in his attempt. His body was found the following year by a British expedition.
The author does a good job detailing Wilson’s attempt as well as his crazy personal life.
It is a fascinating story and the book is well written.
Lessons in Chemistry: A Novel
by Bonnie Garmus
A Delightful Read (8/21/2023)
The book takes place in the 1960s. The main character, Elizabeth Zott, is not your average woman. She is strong, independent and a chemist and finds herself subjected to all manner of sexism and abuse by her male colleagues. One of her colleagues though is a brilliant and successful scientist and he and Elizabeth fall in love. Later on she has a child and her life takes a detour.
She becomes the host of a TV cooking show and to the producer’s dismay, she describes cooking in chemistry terms. They cringe, but her show turns out to be a huge success.
The book is laugh-out-loud funny. My favorite scene is when a male colleague tries to sexually harass Elizabeth and she pulls a chef’s knife out of her purse, waves it at him, and he keels over from a heart attack. Yes!!! I expect many women readers applauded that scene.
The book is full of great characters and a fabulous dog. The only criticism I have of it is that Elizabeth’s daughter Mad is not quite believable. Had she been described as a teenager and not a first-grader, I could have believed her vocabulary and wit.
I loved this book!
Panther Gap: A Novel
by James A. McLaughlin
Enjoyed the Western setting (8/18/2023)
Because I live in the Southwest and have spent lots of time in the areas described in this book, I enjoyed it immensely. McLaughlin’s descriptions of place are wonderful. I also loved the main characters in the book, especially Bowman who has a close connection with animals and who can be a shapeshifter.
My main criticism of the book is the multiple timelines which are often hard to follow and toward the end of the book the cast of characters gets really confusing—-are some of the good guys bad buys or what? On the whole, a good thriller!
A Dangerous Business: A Novel
by Jane Smiley
Good concept, bad execution (8/18/2023)
I enjoy reading Jane Smiley’s work, but this book was a miss for me. The first half was interesting, but then when it got to the “mystery” part, it just fell off a cliff.
The story is set in Monterey California in the 1850s. The main character, Eliza, finds work as a prostitute after the death of her abusive husband. Apparently she finds being in the company of semi-pleasant men more enjoyable than her marriage. She works for Mrs. Parks who vets the men so Eliza feels safe and makes good money. She befriends a cross-dressing lesbian, Jean, who works in a brothel for women. The two of them use their detective skills to figure out why women are disappearing and some end up being murdered. Apparently the local sheriff doesn’t care so Eliza and Jean try to figure out the disappearances. Jean and Eliza discuss Edgar Allan Poe and the detective (DuPin)in Poe’s work which leads them, apparently, to find some of the women who had been murdered. (This stretched my imagination—-why were the two of them the only people to discover dead bodies?) Eliza and Jean often refer to Dupin, the Poe detective, but when they refer to him they call him DuPANN (the correct pronunciation of that name). Smiley keeps spelling the name as DuPANN throughout the rest of the book and I found that highly annoying—-once was enough. The other thing that I didn’t enjoy was reading the word “prick” unlimited times. I’m not a prude, but did we really have to read the details of every one of Eliza’s encounters with men and their pricks. Boring and tiring!
The latter part of the book was supposedly about solving the murders and it was totally uncompelling.
Clearly life at the time was a dangerous business especially for women, but the book just fell flat.
But I’ll keep reading Jane Smiley’s books because she is a wonderful writer.
The Art Thief: A True Story of Love, Crime, and a Dangerous Obsession
by Michael Finkel
Love of Art Gone Bad (8/18/2023)
This book details the incredible story of the art thief, Stephane Breitwieser, who along with his girlfriend, stole more than 200 art works across Europe. His thefts took place in broad daylight and his only tool was his Swiss Army knife. (Ironically he finally gets arrested in Switzerland.)
The most fascinating part of this true story is that Breitwieser isn’t your run of the mill art thief who steals art to make money. He steals art and then stores it in the attic of his mother’s house where he and his girlfriend live. He loves the art works and just dotes on them. The cumulative value of the art is in the millions, but Breitwieser never steals any individual art work that is hugely valuable or especially famous. He especially loves Renaissance paintings.
It’s a fascinating story about the psychology of this particular art thief, his arrests and his inability to stop stealing, even after having been caught and spending time in jail. After his arrests and the discovery of the art works, most of which were returned unharmed or restored if damaged, a number of them were destroyed and that is part of this fascinating story.
The Golden House: A Novel
by Salman Rushdie
A Beautiful and Complex Novel (8/14/2023)
This book was gifted to me and I am ashamed to admit that it is the first book by Salman Rushdie that I have read and now I want to read everything he has ever written. I was stunned by Rushdie’s intellect. The writing is beautiful and the story was complex. It has everything—-political satire, humor, sadness, great characters, intrigue, family drama, irony and more. I am ready for more Rushdie. He deserves every accolade that has been given to him.
The Lost Ticket
by Freya Sampson
Witty and Charming (7/4/2023)
This book is perfect if you need something lighter and quick to read. The characters are wonderful and gave me some much needed laughs (especially when the narrator was Peggy). Sweet and charming. I loved it.
The Postcard
by Anne Berest
A powerful Holocaust story (6/12/2023)
I have a profound respect for this author who took on researching her family’s Holocaust story. There are so many books written about the Holocaust, but when the story is about a family or just one or two people, it becomes so much more powerful and moving.
An anonymous postcard is delivered to the author’s mother’s home. On the front is photo of an opera house in France and on the backside of the card are the names of four of the author’s relatives who died at Auschwitz in 1942. There is nothing more on the card. The postage stamp is upside down. This card leads the author to start a search for her family’s history as well as to try to find out who sent the card. So there is a bit of mystery in the book.
What was remarkable for me was Anne Berest’s self-discovery about being a Jew and how her family’s trauma was part of her own DNA.
The book is poignant, sad and very moving. I recommend it highly.
Hello Beautiful: A Novel
by Ann Napolitano
Soap Opera (6/12/2023)
This book was selected by my book club which is the only reason I felt I had to finish it. Otherwise I would have quit halfway through. I would give it one star, but I think the author is a pretty good writer. The characters were unappealing and the whole time I was reading it I wanted to yell: Get some family therapy! Too many contrivances for me. I can’t imagine a group of sisters like that. Here’s poor William who is severely depressed and on the verge of suicide and his wife is clueless. Maybe it’s because she sleeps with her sister with their arms entwined around each other most of the time. Really? No wonder William wanted out of there. And then let’s throw a lesbian plot line in there. There is more but I’ll stop there. If you like a group of completely dysfunctional people, this book is for you. Sorry, ugh.
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