3 stars
Charlotte Silver (known as Charlie) has played tennis since she was four years old. Now twenty years later, her career is at an impasse when she is injured and finds herself at odds with her coach. She hires a new hard-hitting coach, creates a new image and lands a gorgeous new boyfriend and immediately finds herself moving up the world rankings. So, to begin with, I know absolutely nothing about the game of tennis nor have any interest in learning and that is important only in so much as a lot of this book is about life on the professional tour. I found myself enjoying the book on only a superficial level. It had entertaining scenes, but the characters were a bit uninteresting and shallow. I did enjoy that the book delved into the extreme disparity in how female and male professional athletes are treated in their professional personal lives and also how Charlie was forced to balance on a fine line between aggressiveness and shamelessness. I can see how if you are a fan of tennis and really follow players lives, then this may be a lot of fun however, it just wasn't for me. I received this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Seven Skeletons: The Evolution of the World's Most Famous Human Fossils by Lydia Pyne
Publication Date - August 16, 2016
4 stars
Every once in a while, there is the discovery of a skeletal fossil so interesting and unusual that it changes that way society looks at evolution and humankind. In this book, the author discusses the seven most famous anthropological discoveries and how they were received at the time and why they are currently important. The information focuses not just on the scientific aspect of how the fossils were found but also the excitement surrounding them as they were identified as important evolutionary examples or in once case, a complete hoax. This is well-written and while I did find it occasionally gets bogged down with names and details, it is still a fascinating look at the world of fossils. I received this from Penguin's First to Read Program in exchange for an honest review.
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