Friday Review

I Was Told To Come Alone: My Journey Behind the Lines of Jihad
by Souad Mekhennet
4.5 stars



Journalist, Souad Mekhennet, grew up in Germany as the daughter of Moroccan and Turkish immigrants.  She realized she wanted to be a journalist after watching All the President’s Men, about Carl Bernstein and Bob Woodward’s investigation of the Watergate scandal.  The events of September 11 set her on a path of dangerous investigative reporting in countries where her background allows her to bridge gaps between the West and the Middle East.  Working for newspapers like The New York Times and The Washington Post she travels into countries and meets with dangerous terrorists.  Many times these assignments become personal or cross the line into perilous situations that leave her questioning her career.  Mostly, however, she is dedicated to telling a fair story and I completely agree with her belief that honest and unbiased reporting is so incredibly important, especially with an increase in irreputable news sources passed along through social media.  This is a harrowing memoir but one of the best books to summarize the situation in the Middle East.  I received a digital ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Weekly Reviews

The Barrowfields

By Phillip Lewis

4 stars

This book is summarized as a coming of age tale reminiscent of Wolfe and Styron (neither of whose books I have read) but to me this had a gothic feel with a decrepit mountain mansion with overflowing libraries and a desperate father with outsize literary ambitions.   The writing was superb with a multitude of literary references and interesting characters.  My only issue is that I didn’t always get a good grasp of the character’s motivations and the decisions they made and due to an extremely slow paced plot, more focus is turned onto the characters themselves making their actions front and center.  Overall, though, this is an engaging book and one that I found myself heavily highlighting.  I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

We Were Eight Years in Power: An American Tragedy

By Ta-Nehisi Coates

Publication Date - October 3, 2017

4.5 stars

During the eight years of Barak Obama’s presidency, Ta-Nehisi Coates wrote for The Atlantic.  This is a collection of that writing along with more current essays prefacing each one.  I’m not sure I can do justice to how important , and timely (although sadly this kind of collection is always timely), is this book.  Coates does not suppress his criticism, disappointment and anger at the Obama Presidency and how it should have changed more for race relations than actually happened.  I don’t subscribe to The Atlantic so this is all new material for me, but even if these articles are rereads, it is worth it just for the commentary before each one.  I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Hard to be Queen

Anne Boleyn: A Queen's Obsession by Alison Weir
4 stars



Alison Weir has painstakingly recreated the court of Henry VIII in her series following his six queens.  Anne Boleyn, Henry's second and possibly most tragic and controversial wife, has been the subject of much speculation for centuries.  I have read several fictional depiction of her life and this is by far the most intriguing.  The author commits to a portrait of the doomed queen that showcases her strength and intelligence but also all of her flaws.  A queen dedicated to intellectual pursuits and religious reform but also power hungry and prone to fits of temper.  These are not short books but can be gobbled up like candy and Weir, who has written numerous nonfiction books about the Tudors, is the perfect person to write them.  I received a digital copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Brain Games

Patient H.M.:  A Story of Memory, Madness, and Family Secrets

By Luke Dittrich

3.5 stars

 

The author’s grandfather was a well-known neurosurgeon during the time when lobotomies were at the leading edge of the field.  One of his grandfather’s most famous patients was Patient H.M., a man whose childhood injuries lead to epilepsy and later to a lobotomy that affected his short term memory for the rest of his life.  Interspersed with his grandfather’s life, his grandmother’s mental illness and the case of H.M. is a complex history of the field of neurosurgery and the lobotomy.  I can see why this was all thrown together but it did make for a disjointed and somewhat repetitive book.  The sections with detailed descriptions of the brain surgeries all started to sound the same (besides being fairly gruesome), however, I did enjoy the family history and felt that these were the stronger portions of the writing.   Even though I do think that portions could have been culled, I did find the history of the lobotomy equally fascinating and horrifying.  I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Midweek Review

Spy Schools: How the CIA, FBI and Foreign Intelligence Secretly Exploit America's Universities
by Daniel Golden
Publication Date - October 10, 2017
3.5 stars



American Universities are known for their open, collaborative projects and for their special interest in attracting international students.  As well as increasing the Universities international prestige, apparently this also leaves them vulnerable to spying.  This is not something that I ever considered but it does make perfect sense.  Golden explores several cases where international students and faculty have been spies for either the United States or their home country, including Russia, China and Cuba.  I found this interesting but also oddly repetitive and had a hard time holding my focus on the pages at times.  I did learn more about how these government organizations recruit and manage their spies.  I received this book from LibraryThing in exchange for an honest review. 

Weekend Review

Would Everybody Please Stop: Reflection on Life and Other Bad Ideas
by Jenny Allen
3 stars



This collection of short essays is a bit mystifying.  There were a few, mainly memoir-type, very funny essays about the author's life but then there were pieces added in that were random and not humorous at all.  There were a few, including an Elmer Fudd therapy session, that I skimmed over altogether.  I really wish the whole book would have just been anecdotes from the author's life and she would have left out the more slapstick writing.  I received this digital ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Family Secrets

The Best Kind of People by Zoe Whittall
Publication Date - September 19
 4 stars

What happens to the family of the prominent, upstanding man who is accused of unspeakable crimes?  This well-written novel delves into the minds of the family members of George, a beloved teacher, who is forced into the spotlight when a group of teenage girls accuse him of sexual abuse during a school ski trip.  The author has created complex characters with fascinating inner lives and a believable, ritzy, small town atmosphere.  There were maybe too many different scandals going on and the ending was definitely abrupt but I devoured this (fairly lengthy) novel in a manner of days.  I received an ARC of this book in a LibraryThing giveaway in exchange for an honest review. 

The Life of a Bench

Park Bench by Christophe Chaboute
Publication Date - September 19, 2017
3.5 stars



An amazing amount of action occurs around one park bench, as shown in this dialogue-free graphic novel.  I found the artwork and story interesting, but I actually got a little bored less than halfway through.  I am not sure that reading this digitally is doing the content any favors.  This is probably a book that should be left on a coffee table and perused in segments which would allow for more enjoyment of the beautiful story and artwork.  I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for a honest review. 

Policy in Crisis

The Fix: How Nations Survive and Thrive in a World in Decline
by Jonathan Tepperman
4 stars



This book explores various crisis that a country could face, and be devastated by, and how certain countries have not only survived the crisis but have flourished afterwards.  As an alum of a Public Affairs graduate program, this feels like something that I would have read during the course of my studies.  The case studies have a pragmatic center which I really appreciate.  None of the leaders profiled are perfect, or made one hundred percent perfect decisions, but they did manage to keep their country afloat during extremely rough circumstances.   The author does a remarkable job summarizing the conflict, the players involved and their decision-making in a way that is succinct and fairly easy to read.   I’m sure experts could find holes in his arguments (as experts tend to do) but I thought this was an interesting look at policy made during crisis and how it can be used under normal circumstances.  I received a copy of this book from the Blogging for Books program in exchange for an honest review. 

Monday Review - September 11, 2017

The Bronte Plot by Katherine Reay
3 stars



Lucy works for an antique dealer in Chicago and has a special interest in old books.  After an encounter with her future boyfriend and his grandmother, a great deceit in Lucy’s work comes to light and changes her life’s course.  Lucy is a strange character, unnecessarily secretive and not at all dynamic.  I really enjoyed the descriptions of London and all of the literary references, and is the main reason that I kept reading.  I’ve liked this author’s writing in the past and continue to be interested in her new releases, even if I didn’t connect as much to this book.  I received a digital arc of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Historical Romance Round-Up - September 8, 2017

Third Son's a Charm by Shana Galen
Publication Date: November 7, 2017
4.5 stars



Shana Galen is quickly becoming a favorite and always dependable historical romance author.  This one definitely doesn't disappoint.  Lady Lorraine is passionate, chatty and definitely has her quirks but when her father, a duke, hires Ewan to be her bodyguard and keep her from eloping with his nefarious cousin, things quickly heat up.  I adored these characters who are flawed yet so likeable and the plot has so many elements that I just haven't come across in historical romances (and I've read a few).  I adored this book and look forward to more in this series.  I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 


The Right Kind of Rogue by Valerie Bowman
Publication Date: October 31, 2017
4 stars



Meg has been in love with her best friend's brother, Hart, forever and as he has finally decided to search for a wife, she goes to drastic measures to throw her name in the running.  This is a long running series that is consistently good.  The characters are all likable and show up continuously throughout all of the books.  This is a cute story and while Hart is an almost unbelievably stubborn individual, I rooted for the couple the entire time.  I will say that Lucy's character is getting a bit played out and I do hope she is retired in future books.  Overall, though I will continue to read this author's historical romance.  I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 


The Scot Beds His Wife by Kerrigan Byrne
Publication Date: October 3, 2017
4 stars



So far, I've read all of the books and this series and like the others, this had loads of dark, twisty, angsty enjoyment.  Gavin is a character from previous books and one I have been really looking forward to reading more about.  Samantha may be one of the most interesting heroines that I have come across.  Escaping a dangerous situation in the American west, she travel to Scotland under an assumed identity and enters into a decades long feud that puts her in direct verbal combat with her neighbor, Gavin.  The first half of this book is definitely high on angst, maybe a bit too much but the second half is both calmer and harder to put down.  I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 


The Scandalous Flirt by Olivia Drake
Publication Date: October 31, 2017
4 stars



Rory created a scandal during her first season and was banished to Norfolk with an elderly aunt for eight years.  She is called back by her stepmother in order to assist with a blackmail situation that has all sort of ramifications for her family.  Lucas has always had complicated feelings for Rory and when she shows up at his door inquiring about employment, he can't seem to turn her away.  I really enjoyed these characters and while the plot was a little weak, it didn't stop be from rooting for their happily ever after the entire time.  I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.


Duke of Desire by Elizabeth Hoyt
Publication Date - October 17, 2017
3 stars



Another book by the author involving the evil Lords of Chaos, this book is much darker and more disturbing.  Raphael is damaged, both physically and emotionally and has only one objective in life...to destroy the Lords of Chaos by any means necessary.  As an infiltrator, he rescues Iris from a nefarious fate and marries her to save her from the resulting ramifications.  Iris is a widow who wants only to be happily married with children.  Iris is honestly a fairly boring and often irritating character.  This book would have been much better if her character had been better written.  I still liked the risk that the author took with such a dark hero and storyline but wish Iris could have been a stronger heroine.  I'll definitely keep reading Elizabeth Hoyt's historical romance, even if this one is not my favorite.  I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.