Dirt Creek: A Novel
by Hayley Scrivenor
Dirt Creek (3/23/2022)
When twelve year old Esther goes missing on her way home from school, the whole town is impacted. Her single mother is devastated and her best friend Ronnie tries to find out what happened to her. In this small Australian town there are limited suspects, but putting the pieces together proves challenging. Many are harboring secrets and the detectives assigned to the case have theory after theory but a real suspect for a time proves elusive.
Heartbreaking in parts, a mother's anguish, this book gives us a look at how a missing child effects all in this town. What is unique in common plot, is that in between chapters we hear from a collective We, the children of the town. Their lives as and how Esthers disappearance has effected them. Even after the denouement the book continues to update the reader on what happens to those left behind.
This is a well done first novel and I'm hoping for many more from I'm hoping for many more from this talented author. If you like Jane Harper, I'm sure you'll like this.
The Sunset Route: Freight Trains, Forgiveness, and Freedom on the Rails in the American West
by Carrot Quinn
The Sunset Route (7/25/2021)
Reading this but wrenching memoir, I was constantly amazed by the fortitude if this young woman, but also the strength she had to constantly start over again. She writes with honesty, vulnerability and puts it all out there, no holds barred. Her life with a schizophrenic mother, she and her brother victims of abuse, starvation, homelessness and this from an early age. When finally taken in by her grandparents, she is fed, clothed but still denied the love she craves.
Drugs and alcohol are never her problem, she only wants to live the best life she can on her own terms. Her lifestyle is not one I could ever embrace, jumping trains, hitchhiking, living place to place, dumpster diving. Trying to come to terms with her past, while finding a viable future. By books end she does find some, but not all of her answers, but she lives a life and lifestyle that suits her at this time.
I should add that she can definitely write, this book draws one in and makes us see both the pain and searching her life entails. Joy too, though she may not have many material things or many of the things we take for granted, by choice at this point I think, she is rich in both friends and experiences.
Everybody: A Book about Freedom
by Olivia Laing
Every-body (6/4/2021)
Laing is such a fabulous writer, not only are these essays interesting but they also teach, empathize and she always leave some wanting more. In these she uses Wilhelm Reich to tie these essays together or maybe I should say she uses him to guide us through what freedom for our body actually means.
From Isherwood and Weimar Berlin she explores the sexual freedom that was prominent, where all sexes, what one was or wanted to be was not judged. From freedom to McCarthyism which was almost the opposite. From illness, using Sontag and her will not to submit to the cancer eating away at her body, to Agnes Martin, who wanted to escape from people and her mental illness. Malcolm X and Nina Simone, all the different freedoms they wanted but did not have, though they fought for them.
There is so much here, people who found freedom, people who want to take away others freedoms, these essays exemplify both the body's power and it's vulnerability. A truly terrific grouping of essays.
ARC from W. W. Norton and BookBrowse.
The Smallest Lights in the Universe: A Memoir
by Sara Seager
The smallest lights in the universe (8/12/2020)
I thought this was a terrific memoir. A combination of the search for new worlds, planets and a grieving widow and mother to two young boys trying to keep it together. A widows club with some terrific women help her immensely. Her work kept her centered, but since her deceased husband was the main caregiver and keeper of the house, she had much to learn. A beautiful story, and a sorrowful one. How she met her husband, her love of the stars that propelled her into her career. Learned about space, exoplanets, the struggles to invent better equipment, to find more planets. We can't possibly be the only ones, can we?
Nicely told, a story of life and death. Ultimately a story of hope because life wasn't done with her yet. She even finds out something about her own self she had never known.
The Yellow Bird Sings: A Novel
by Jennifer Rosner
The yellow bird sings (12/11/2019)
A simply told tale about a dark time in history. The Holocaust, a horrendous happening that cost millions of innocent people their lives. Can a story written during this time, about this event be both brutal and tender? Both horrific and lovely. In this, her debut novel, I feel Rosner did just that. A Jewish mother, Rosa, her young daughter, Shira forced to hide in a farmers barn, share a profound love of music. It is their background, and it and their love of stories are the way they communicate when silence means safety. Terror and quiet against their love for each other, the music balancing the two. It is the music, the beauty of the songs that both will lean on in the times to come. A time of sacrifice and discovery.
I remember the book, book:She Rides Shotgun|23361199 because of a little bear, that personal item inserted and the role it played, for me, made the book unforgettable. In this book it will be a small yellow bird, a bird of friendship and love. A bird that signifies the freedom they no longer have. It will be the beauty of the music, and a mother, daughter love that can not be broken.
Ultimately I felt both devastated and hopeful reading this, as if there was something the Nazis could not steal, destroy. Hard to do, and the author uses the magic and power of storytelling, within and without, to do the near impossible. Melancholy, bittersweet, hopeful and sad, all emotions I felt while reading.
I look forward to Rosner's next fictional rendering.
Father of Lions: One Man's Remarkable Quest to Save the Mosul Zoo
by Louise Callaghan
Father of lions (11/3/2019)
What an absolutely incredible story. A true story full of heart, living under ISIS, war, hope and those who care, even putting themselves in danger for a few helpless animals.
Mosul was once a vibrant city, a city of families, where a young girl could play hop scotch in front of her house. All this changes when ISIS arrives. Soon many are thrown out of their houses, others hide in their houses, and public execution become a daily event. What food there is available is expensive and many do not have enough to eat.
A man, a wonderful man Abu Laith, has nursed a young lion cub, feeding him from a bottle, trying to take care of Zombie as he was named and the other animals. Though his house is next to the zoo, he is a wanted man, and so he watches from his roof. His animals are starving and he does the best he can to keep them safe, but it is not enough. By, the time the Americans arrive, only few animals are left and they are in terrible shape. What happens next is both wonderful and frustrating.
There is humor, Abu Laith is a man who refuses to give in to war, who is determined to find a way. Human perseverance and the human spirit, people who care. A few doctors who risk their own lives, the same group that saved the animals in Baghdad, come with hope and advice. A story I won't soon forget, because sometimes when something seems impossible, the impossible can sometimes happen.
"It was too much. Months of bear starvation, a bear cub dead, and now this insult. Abu Laith, with tears still in his eyes, burst into a blank fury. "Why didn't we eat them?" he yelled. "You don't eat animals who have earned your respect. We all went by try to keep them alive. That's what respect is."
America for Beginners
by Leah Franqui
America for beginners (7/19/2019)
Yes!! I made it out of Las Vegas. Kind of an inside joke, with apologies to those who loved book:The Goldfinch|17333223, but I always say when referring to that book that I never made it out of Vegas. That's where I laid that book aside.
Pival from Kolkata is going to America to try to find her son. Told by her husband after her son's sexual orientation was revealed, that he was dead. Now her husband is the one who is dead and Pival, for once is going to find out the truth. Three unlikely characters will find themselves in each other's company, which leads to some comedic moments. Touring the different sites on the travel itenary, allows the reader to visit for the first time or revisit some great sites. Some I had been to, some not.
Along the way they find self confidence, some answers to their different questions, and find out the importance of friendship. The themes of family, prejudice and immigration make this not only an interesting read but a timely one. A debut novel and one well worth reading.
ARC from bookbrowse.
Never Have I Ever
by Joshilyn Jackson
Never have i ever (4/19/2019)
It starts when a new member shows up at the book club. A game, Never Have I Ever, a secret kept for many years. What if someone knows your secret? Is willing to do anything to win the game, and get your money? Would you know how to play? Could you find a way to win?
I've read this author for years, she has the undeniable knack of creating fully realistic characters. Women and situations that could be taken out of the newspapers, maybe even our own lives, our neighborhoods. These women seem real because they are multilayered, not all good, not all bad.
I found this story, absorbing, addicting. At times I thought I knew where it was going, how I felt, something was revealed that I didn't see coming, and my feelings changed again. Couldn't wait to see how this was going to end. Both women had much to lose, so who would come out on top? Such a spider web of a story, expertly plotted, and expertly executed. Step, by step.
Courting Mr. Lincoln
by Louis Bayard
Courting Mr. Lincoln (2/24/2019)
My goodness, I think I'm turning into an emotional willy nilly! I have always had a soft spot in my heart for Abraham Lincoln. When asked that question, who would you want to meet, dead or alive? Lincoln was always my answer. Despite that, I knew little about his beginning time in Springfield, first meeting Mary Todd, and his friendship with Joshua Speed. This novel filled that time period, ably and wonderfully.
A young Lincoln, so nice to imagine him at the beginning of his career, newly arrived in Springfield, becoming Speeds' roomie and meeting Mary. A young, awkward, Abe, no social grace's, few manners, taught by Joshua all he needed to know to comport himself in society. Mary Todd, living with her eldest sister, the Belle of Springfield. A keen political mind, not afraid to speak out with her opinions. The relationship between her and Abe, the starts and stutters, until finally, and in a most unusual place makes his declaration. By then, I had quite fallen for them both.
Told with tenderness, this in-depth look at a man and woman, who had so much heartache in their lives. The novel surges forward to the eve Lincoln's inauguration and then again to Mary alone, looking back, waiting. Bellevue and her stay there briefly mentioned, a part history if which I'm very aware as I live in the town where it is located. A wonderful story, history lovers will cherish this. Sometimes fiction can flesh things out, be a little more personal than non fiction. Bayard does a terrific job with these two people now present only in history.
The recipe for kiss pudding, mentioned in this book. Had never heard of it but liked the name and it seems easy enough to make. https://www.myrecipes.com/recipe/kiss-pudding
The Affairs of the Falcóns
by Melissa Rivero
The affairs of the falcons (12/13/2018)
They came from Peru, settled in New York City, hoping to get lost in the crowds. They are some of the invisible people we encounter often, those that work the grills in our restaurants, do our landscaping, work in our factories and warehouses, clean our houses. Do all the jobs we no longer want to do. They are the undocumented, those without legal status in our country. For Ana and her husband, two children, it is a place where one can start over, have an opportunity , escape the censor and danger in their home country.
Yet there is always the threats of deportation, of working so hard but for little money, of having to count every penny, of borrowing money, and then owing a harsh master. Where every little thing that goes wrong could spell disaster. Having to live with a family member and her family because you can not afford your own place. A family that doesn't want you there. Still, Ana is ever hopeful, if she could just work a few more hours, if her husband driving a cab could get a few additional pick ups. If, if, if.
Ana is strong, tough, determined to keep her family together, but there are truths here she doesn't see until it might be too late. This book shows how perilous are the positions of those who come to our country, without papers, without green cards. How tenuous is their position, how careful they must be in the choices and the decisions they make. A very poignant story about a woman who is determined to succeed despite all the obstacles before her. A very human woman who only wants the same things we all do: a safe place to live, enough food, and a sense of security, a family. It also shows how easily these people are preyed on, how many willing to take advantage of those trying do hard but in need.
Quite a story, one that certainly made an impression on me, one not easily forgotten.
Waiting for Eden
by Elliot Ackerman
Waiting for Eden (10/7/2018)
Many moons ago, when I was a junior in high school I read a book for my contemporary history class, called, Johnny got his gun. Several years back I read a novel called, Never let you go, and I had such a strong, visceral reaction to those two books that they haunt me to this day. This book will join that list. In this slim, relatively short book, Ackerman has penned a powerful narrative on the horrible cost of war. Centering this story, that I'm sure is a reality for some, on only a few people, and limiting the setting to only what is necessary, he has created an insular novel, from which it is hard to look away. The narrative voice, a friend of Edens, takes us back and forth, but only as far as what the reader needs to kno. How Eden got here, and how his wife and daughter, Tangled their lives together. We also hear the inner thoughts of Eden as he lays in his bed.
Waiting, the many who wait, for news of their loved ones, for lives to restart, for healing, moments of grace, and of course waiting for death. The terribly, high costs of wars that seem to gain do little, but cost so much. The author also employed what I consider another masterful stroke, a repeating description of something that brings out the human side of Eden, making him personal and memorable to the reader. In the novel, She rides Shotgun, the author used a teddy bear that talked and emoted, I won't forget that detail and hence for me it made the book unforgettable. Here,the detail is not as innocuous or harmless as a teddy. I won't tell you what it is but it is equally if not more so memorable.
This is not a happy, little book, but a necessary one. A wake up call, a shock if you will to those of us lucky enough not to be waiting, not to be personally involved in the horrible effects or after effects of war. Those of us who can sit on our couches and just watch various scenes play out on the television. I won't forget this incredibly powerful and moving story.
A Ladder to the Sky: A Novel
by John Boyne
A ladder to the sky (9/25/2018)
Boynes, Hearts Invisible Furies turned out to be my favorite book of last year. In that one he gave me a character I absolutely loved, in this one he does the opposite. Here, he gives us a character, one loves to hate, a young man devoid of any redeeming characteristics. Maurice Swift, a man who thinks that anything he does is justified. Nothing is his fault.
Now I am the type of reader who enjoys being given a character who tugs at my heart, someone in which I can hope for cherish. But....I also say if you can't give me that, then give me some stellar prose, or a plot that is intriguing, pulls me into the story. And.....yes that is definitely the case here, this plot pulled me in, like watching a train wreck I couldn't pull away. Can beauty alone, present a blind that allows one to excuse another's actions? Do those who are extremely good looking have an unfair advantage, treated differently than those who do not? Apparently so. This is a book where it would be so easy to give away part of the plot, so I will stop here. The less said the better I this case.
Boyne, to me is an amazing writer. He writes so many different types of books, but though I have not yet read all of his, the ones I have, did not let me down. I look forward to seeing where he takes me next.
Vox
by Christina Dalcher
Vox (5/7/2018)
The Scarlet letter for the near future, but instead of a Puritan society and the red letter A, we have a society where the Christian right has prevailed. Women, even babies are fitted with a leather wristband that limits the words spoken in a day to a hundred. The first time you go over, one receives a small shock, strength of shock is increased with each transgression. 1984, only it is now, cameras are fitted in each house, front door, back door. Books are locked up, only able to be accessed by men. No jobs, home is their new responsibility, the duties of a wife and mother. The LGBT community fares even worse. This is the pure movement in the US and no one who transgresses is spared.
I found this chilling because I can actually see this happening, have seen men on TV who I can imagine loving just such a scenario. The importance of language, speech to show individuals we'll bring, forming personalities. How can you watch your young daughter not able to vocalize, tell you about her day? For Jean, it is torture, but a situation arises, and unwillingly Jean is temporarily reprieved, because the men in charge want something from her. Can she take advantage, make a difference? Well, that is the story, a quick moving one I was fascinated with. History has proven that with the wrong people in charge, anything and everything can happen. Can it happen here?
A Place for Us
by Fatima Farheen Mirza
A Place for us (4/6/2018)
Wow!! I am just blown away by the fact that this is a first novel, the story and theme are so universal. A Muslim Indian family in America, trying to maintain its own beliefs and culture, while facing modernity. This family, mother, father, two daughters, Hadia and Huda, and the youngest, a son Amar who never really feels he belongs. We come to know this family inside and out, the book starts with the marriage of Hadia and then goes back and forth, to various beginnings and endings. While their beliefs may not be mine, many of the problems between parents and siblings are indeed universal.
As they struggle to find their place in the larger world, the children also struggle to find their place in the family. Living up to parental expectations, or in Amar's case the struggle to find his place anywhere at all. Trying to carve a path between cultural and religious beliefs and the lessening of this expectation to fit with the place they now find themselves. The story of this family in all its totality is both moving and insightful. The barriers to acceptance by children and parents after 9/11, when all Muslims were viewed with suspicion and in many cases outright hate. By showing us the commonalities in their family and our own, this young author has shown us that we may in fact may not be so different.
The last part of the book focuses on the father's point of view alone. How he thought, what went wrong and what he wished he had done differently. It is full of anguish and remorse, and we clearly see for the first time what this Muslim, husband, father has gone through, from his own childhood to the way he tried to instill family values and religious beliefs in his children. It does end on a note of positivity, sadness yes, but hopefully as well. This is an outstanding piece of fiction, in my opinion, I quite frankly fell hard for this family, with all its flaws and things mistakenly done out of love. I wasn't ready to leave them at books end, and I believe if you read, or at least I hope, that you will see some of the same values, if not the religious beliefs, that we try to instill in our own families.
This is also the first book published under the Sarah Jessica Parker imprint of Random House, and it is a wonderful beginning. ARC from BookBrowse and Random House.
The Milk Lady of Bangalore: An Unexpected Adventure
by Shoba Narayan
The Milk Lady (12/20/2017)
Moving back to India, after twenty years in the states, the first thing Shoba encounters is a woman with a cow, in the elevator of the apartment building in which she and her family are moving. This is her first introduction to Sarala who will soon be her introduction to all things cow.
Who would ever think a book about cows, their urine and dung, their milk and the benefits from drinking it straight from said cow, to be so fascinating? Yet,I was, I loved this story, loved the people in it, and loved reading about the vibrant and colorful country of India. The importance of cows in the Indian culture, and how this came to be. The many uses of cow urine and dung. So much about their culture, their traditions, and the importance of family. So yes, it is about cows, but it encompasses so much more.
Loved the friendly tone, like the writer is talking to you, explaining to you. Not at all snooty, just wanting to learn, understand, and embrace all that she can. Also explains some of the differences between those who hold with the old traditions, and the young people who now want to be modern. Generational gap. So friendship, family, and cows. Loved it!
As Bright as Heaven
by Susan Meissner
As bright as Heaven (10/22/2017)
1918, Philadelphia, a city with many opportunities, a city that the Bright family, Pauline, Thomas and their three daughters move to for just that purpose. Thomas's elderly, childless uncle wants them to live in his large house, and for Thomas to train and takeover his mortuary business. Leaving Quakertown behind, this is what the family looks forward to, a new and better life, especially after the tragedy of a terrific loss.
I fell in love with this family, and we hear individually from each of them in alternating chapters. Things look promising for them but then the Spanish flu comes to call, an unwelcome Spector that causes further loss. Such a winning combination of characters, history and a first hand look at the devastation of War. The Spanish flu hit Philadelphia extremely hard, the hardest in the nation and caused untold hardship and heartache for many. The Bright family will lose much but also gain a baby in an unusual manner, and this child will keep the family moving forward.
We watch as the girls grow, but there is a secret one is keeping that will come back to haunt. Prohibition is also instated at this time so we also are treated to a look at some of the results of this act. This is a wonderfully told story, rich in family, love, and history. So many details make this book stand out, details for n the mortuary business and in everyday lives. Sorrows and hurts, joys and happiness. An immersive story that tugs at the heart.
The Atlas of Forgotten Places
by Jenny D. Williams
Atlas of forgotten places (7/15/2017)
Sabine had been an aid worker in various parts of Africa for over fourteen years, but now in her forties she is working in her native Germany. Her niece Lily, following in her footsteps has been working in Uganda, at a center that helps victims that had been taken by Joseph Kony, trying to help them reintegrate into life out of captivity. When she goes missing in Uganda, Sabine returns to try to retrace her nieces footsteps, and bring her home.
With two people she meets in Uganda we follow Sabine from Uganda to the Congo, Garamba National Park and into the heart of one of Kony's camps. This is an intense look at a country being torn apart by various factions, and a story that had me in it's grip almost from the beginning. I kept telling myself, it is only a story, but in fact it is and it isn't. Although the characters are the authors invention, many of the situations and danger they find themselves in are fact. The kidnappings, the killings, the gold mine and the ivory poaching are also all fact. I am a big lover of elephants and there are some sad moments , and astonishing ones concerning these great but empathic animals.
The characters were well done, as was the writing. An authors nite is included which provided additional information and suggestion for further reading. The greed of man knows no bounds.
The Secrets She Keeps: A Novel
by Michael Robotham
The Secrets she keeps (7/14/2017)
Two young women, pregnant at the same time but a huge difference in their personal lives. Meghan appears to have it all, a loving husband, two small children. Agatha sees her from afar, envies her life because the father of her baby doesn't want to be involved and is now serving in the military. At this point I was thinking I knew exactly where this was going, a common enough theme, predictable, but in this authors capable hands though some of what I thought would happen did, the way it happens is more than just predictable.
I have read this author for quite a long time and I love the way he portrays his characters. They are multifaceted and one can tell that he cares for them. In this one he turns things topsy turvy because the one i should feel sympathetic for is not the one I did. Like a hat trick, he shows people are not ever one thing and that looks and thoughts can be deceiving. What one understand on the surface may not be all of it, always their is more to the story. Takes real talent to do this and this author it in spades.
Wonder Valley
by Ivy Pochoda
Wonder Valley (7/13/2017)
A man is running down the Hollywood freeway, he is completely nude, seemingly without a care in the world. As the cars sit in the usual crawling traffic, another man, a man on impulse will leave his car sitting in traffic and take off running, following the naked man. This is the beginning of this novel, which will take us from the streets of Los Angeles, to skid row and out to a desert commune with a divergent group of characters.
They are lost souls, trying to escape either something the have done, or do not understand where their lives took a wrong turn, hopeful still that they can turn it around. Gritty and powerful story telling at its best. Street people and the fierce way they guard their spots, try to look out for each there. A commune run by a man who says he has answers, a healer of the psyche, a married man with two twin teenage sons. Two drifters, with a capacity for violence and a man who can't escape a past mistake. All will come together, their stories converge in strange ways. All want to survive, to thrive though all will not be given the chance.
For those squeamish about the killing of chickens, though they are killed for food, I suggest skimming chapter four. Other than that I found this book to be wonderfully written, a dark yet hopeful street read. It reminded me in tone and feeling of the book, Gold Fame Citrus, though this is contemporary and not post apocalyptic.
The Gypsy Moth Summer
by Julia Fierro
Gypsy, moth summer (5/5/2017)
Let me start with what I liked. The setting, the gardens, plants, mazes, flowers all beautifully described. Liked the character Julian, his son Brooks and young daughter. The chapters narrated but Julian were my favorite. Killed the young teen, Mandy but the rest of those outrageous, catty girls were just maddening.
This book tries to cover too much, adds in almost everything someone could find unappealing, objectionable. Animal cruelty, profanity, drug use and alcohol abuse, sexual situations, racial prejudice, an abused wife, entitled, wealthy, obnoxious people and Probably more that I can't think of right now. To be honest, if I wasn't committed to reviewing this book I would have put it down much earlier, and in fact could have done without reading chapter nine at all. As it was, I skimmed the last third of the book and put it down with a great feeling of relief.
The writing is good, this book just wasn't for me but as I always say, the subject matter may not hold the same trigger for you. Possibly you may see something in this that I didn't.
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