Radio Stars - November 30, 2015

Out On The Wire: The Storytelling Secrets of the New Masters of Radio
4 stars

 

As a committed listener to several podcasts, I really appreciate this form of communication and feel like the possibilities are endless.  This book details, in graphic format, how a radio show is developed from the point it becomes a possibility to the moment it airs.  It started as a shorter comic following Ira Glass and NPR's This American Life and then Jessica Abel expanded it to include other popular narrative radio programs.  I enjoyed the behind-the-scenes aspect and the interviewees were surprisingly candid about the process.   It is an extremely text heavy graphic book, which I found overwhelming at times.  There was also several bespectacled men that I had a hard time distinguishing from one another.  For the most part, though, the author does a commendable job of keeping the programs and people distinguished from each other.  This isn't an area that I have dedicated involvement so I am surprised at how interesting the intricate details ended up being in this graphic narrative and I really enjoyed reading about the steps involved in broadcasting one of these programs.  I received this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for an honest review. 

Romance Reads - November 24, 2015

Sweetest Scoundrel by Elizabeth Hoyt
4 stars



Eve is a Duke's illegitimate sister and has been placed in charge of his investment in Hartes Folly, a theatre and pleasure garden owned by Asa Makepeace.  Eve has a horrible past and abhors men and their touch.  Asa is bold and brash and lives for the success that he plans for his theatre.  This is a really good historical romance.  I loved both the characters and I think Asa especially is very well developed.  The tension between the two characters is intense but believable and without any annoying obstacles.  Every episode between the two is completely tinged with humor and there were some incredibly good scenes.   I have read a couple of other books in this series and definitely think Elizabeth Hoyt is a dependable author in the genre.  I received this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Friday Reads - November 20, 2015

Hunters in the Dark by Lawrence Osborne
3.5 stars




A high school English teacher in his late twenties is disillusioned with his quiet life in England.  He treats himself to a trip to east Asia and ends up in Cambodia where he immediately wins two thousand dollars in a casino.  This sets off an adventure of changed identity and chance encounters with people in desperate need of money.  The atmosphere of Cambodia is deftly portrayed.  The relationships and interactions are interesting.  I did, however, find the mystery element sort of vague and unnecessary and would have preferred it have been left out completely.  It was definitely overshadowed by the main story of a man trying to invent a totally new life for himself.  I received an eGalley of this book from the Penguin First to Read program in exchange for an honest review.


A Sinful Deception by Isabella Bradford
3.5 stars



Serena spent many of her younger years living in India with her charismatic father.  After a tragic illness kills her father and sister, she moves back to London to live with her grandfather and an aunt.  Her relatives are anxious for her to make a match but she holds onto a secret that causes her to not want a marriage at all.  She meets Geoffrey, second son of a duke, at a ball and she is immediately drawn to him.  I really liked the interesting backdrop to this historical romance and Serena's exotic background gave her an added dimension.  I didn't quiet feel enough chemistry between the two characters and I think that I was less invested in the story because of this.  I did enjoy the writing enough to read more of this author's work.  I received this from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Weekend Wrap-Up - November 17, 2015

My Life on the Road by Gloria Steinem
4 stars



Gloria Steinem, an icon and organizer of the feminist cause, writes about her life traveling the country and the people and situation she has come into contact.  I found this book to start off slowly, detailing her early life traveling the country with her vagabond father.  Feeling more like a memoir, I had trouble connecting the young Gloria Steinem with the woman she becomes and I am not sure this was the strongest beginning.  However, as the book turns into more of an essay format and less memoir, it gains power.  I especially thought the chapters on politics and Native Americans were inspiring and completely fascinating.  I found Steinem to be honest and felt her opinions came through overwhelming experience and much thought.  I recommend this book to anyone but especially to young women who may not realize the importance of issues that women like Steinem have fought for.  I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

A Date with Data - November 13, 2015

Dataclysm: Love, Sex, Race and Identity by Christian Rudder
4 stars



Christian Rudder is a cofounder of OKCupid and knows something about using data for matchmaking.  Because the website asks so many questions of its users, he has access to a treasure trove of unique datasets.  As someone with a degree in Sociology, I found this book fascinating.  The information that Rudder gleans from this data (as well as data from other social networking sites) can be used to garner all sorts of information on how society sees race, relationships and beauty among other things.  There is a chapter on internet bullying that is terrifying and makes me glad that I decided to forego Twitter for the most part.  I can definitely see why so much access to our online lives might make some people extremely nervous but I also appreciate how it makes data sets more identical to our national make-up which studies done with real life people cannot usually accomplish.  I did find some repetitiveness that slowed down my reading at times but overall this was a well-written accessible look at what online datasets can accomplish.  I received this from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for an honest review. 

Looking Back - November 10, 2015

Hemingway in Love: His Own Story by A.E. Hotchner
4.5 stars



I clearly remember my reading of The Sun Also Rises.  As a twenty year old exchange student in Europe, I was just about to head out on a weeklong jaunt to Spain.  As I sat in the beautiful spring weather, preparing for my trip, I picked up the book and was instantly entranced by Hemingway's description of the place in which I would soon be heading.  This was a long time ago, but the memory is still so fresh that I am terrified that any re-read of the book will permanently erase the feeling that I had in that moment.  That is why I related to this book so much.  Hotchner was a good friend of Hemingway's and by the time he sat down with him to record what eventually became this book, the author was broken in spirit and body after two consecutive plane crashed.  Hemingway waxes poetically about his time in Paris with his first wife, when he was young and hungry and interacting with so many glamorous and fascinating people.  I am not sure this book is so much about the enduring love of a woman but of an older man idealizing a time in his life when the small things were still exciting.  I enjoyed this short memoir and found Hemingway's reminisces fascinating and I thought Hotchner inserted himself just enough in the narrative flow.  It is an glimpse into the final years of Hemingway's life and what may have been going through his mind at that time.  I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Weekend Wrap-Up - November 3, 2015

Bradstreet Gate by Robin Kirman
3.5 stars




Three college friends are coming upon the ten year anniversary of the murder of a classmate.  As they grapple with there current life troubles, they are pulled into remembering their college years which were centered on a charismatic and rigid young professor.  I made the mistake of reading reviews of this book before beginning it and while I understand some of the disappointment from other reviewers,  I actually found this book really entertaining.  Each character had an intriguing backstory and perspective and I found the Harvard setting an interesting backdrop.  The mystery itself was a central part of the plot but then the book just ended without any sort of satisfactory conclusion which was mystifying.  However, I found the book well written and entertaining enough to keep reading.  I received this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.


Heartsong Cottage (An Eternity Springs Novel) by Emily March
Pub. Date - November 3, 2015
3.5 stars



Shannon is relatively new to Eternity Springs but has a steady set of good friends and multiple jobs that keep her busy.  She also has a big secret that she keeps to herself.  Daniel Garrett is a former detective who suffered a heartbreaking tragedy.  He is in Eternity Springs for a wedding and is immediately drawn to Shannon.  As the two uncover the others secrets they begin to heal and let each other not their lives.  I'm not quite sure this is really "my kind of book.". I thought it was well written and I liked the characters but it is pretty slow overall.  There are also A LOT of characters and if this seems like a book you would enjoy, I recommend starting at the first book and reading them in order because I felt like there were just a ton of names that I didn't know.   I received this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.