Weekend Review

Chasing New Horizons: Inside the Epic First Mission to Pluto
by Alan Stern and David Grinspoon
Publication Date: May 1, 2018
 4 stars

The recent excitement about space has sent me on a quest to devour all of the books about the subject currently being published.  This one follows the proposal, development and travel of the New Horizons ship that initiated the first flyby of Pluto.  Managing to be both full of science yet exciting and easy to read, this book proves that space exploration is still completely worth the large budgets and long hours.  I received a digital ARC through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Love and Ruin by Paula McLain
Publication Date - May 1, 2018
3.5 stars

I’m still feeling a little mixed about how to review this book.  I was very excited for Paula McLain’s take on Ernest Hemingway and Martha Gellhorn’s relationship.  Several years ago, I went on a Gellhorn kick and read two of her nonfiction travel/war books and thoroughly enjoyed her wit and dry humor.  Neither of which is at all displayed in McLain’s book.  While it is an enjoyable book, I don’t think she accurately captured the main character.  Also, the short portions told from Hemmingway’s point of view were completely unnecessary.  I do think that if you are not familiar with Gellhorn’s style of writing, this is a well-written and interesting book.  I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.   

Epic Historical Biography

Grant by Ron Chernow
5 stars



I have been fascinated with Ulysses S. Grant since reading a couple of biographies of Abraham Lincoln and after months spent with this captivating memoir, I am still utterly intrigued by the man.  This is a perfect portrait of a imperfect human.  He was a brilliant General, a protector of human rights, a caring husband but he also struggled mightily with alcohol, proved to be a naïve and disastrous businessman and was entirely too trusting of so-called friends.  This book is so well-written and intricately researched that I felt that I was living alongside of him and was sad that it ended.  At almost a thousand large pages with small font, reading this book is a commitment but one that is very much worth the experience.  I was fortunate to received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review .

Wednesday Review

The Girl Who Smiled Beads:  A Story of War and What Comes After
by Clemantine Wamariya
4 stars



When Clemantine was a young girl, the war in Rwanda broke out forcing her and her teenage sister, Claire, on a perilous escape across several African countries.  They faced hunger, abuse, poverty and frightening refugee camps in order to stay alive.  Ultimately, they ended up in the United States and after reconnecting with their family, on Oprah, Clemantine is forced to come to terms with the who she is and what she has survived.  This book excels at presenting the "after."  Her thoughts and feelings while dealing with seemingly well-intentioned Americans prove that no one can really understand what a war refugee is going through internally.  I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley.

Weekend Review

You Think It, I'll Say It: Stories by Curtis Sittenfeld
4 stars



I really enjoyed this short story collection, which is not a form of literature that I normally like to read.  These are slice of life stories, showing these characters during a certain period of time but taking into account past episodes and how they leave a lasting impact.  I have read pretty much everything Curtis Sittenfeld has written and she is an auto-read author for me, but I was especially impressed with her ability to create multi-faceted characters in the shorter format.  I received a copy of this book through LibraryThing's Early Reviewers program.



The Only Story by Julian Barnes
3 stars

I have been vacillating on what to write in this review.  The book is about a years long romance between a nineteen year old boy and a much, much older married woman. It includes some interesting perspective on looking back on life and love, which is what this author excels at, however, it is also extremely boring at times.  I also felt like the whole situation felt highly improbable so I had a hard time taking it too seriously at times.  I did finish it, though, and enjoyed some of his insights so my overall three star rating feels warranted.   I received a digital ARC of this book through the First to Read Program.

One Life

The Girl Who Never Read Noam Chomsky by Jana Casale
3.5 stars



This book started out so strangely that I couldn't decide to quit reading or keep reading for the oddity of it.  Fortunately, I kept reading because I ended up being quite enjoyable.  Following one woman, Leda's life from college to death, this novel is completely inside her head through all of life's major events.  At times it seemed to turn into stream of consciousness which felt forced and odd but there were instances of insight that struck a chord.  I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley.

Weekend Wrap Up

Rocket Billionaires: Elon Musk, Jeff Bezos, and the New Space Race by Tim Fernholz

3 stars

There is a new class of rich that is not happy with what can be gained on Earth and are instead shooting for new ventures in space.  This book details how and why these men decided to enter into a new space race with the ultimate goal being Mars.  This had some interesting details and behind the scenes information from people who worked for these companies.  Ultimately though, this is the kind of book that falls out of date very quickly and I am not sure it will hold up for many years.  I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley.

How to Write an Autobiographical Novel: Essays by Alexander Chee

4 stars

I’ve not read an of Chee’s novels, which is a shame because he writes succinctly and beautifully.  I really loved this collection of essays about his early writing career, other writers who inspired him and current events that affected his work.  I don’t think that I skimmed over a single one of these and I definitely will go on to read his other work.  I received a digital ARC of this book through Edelweiss.

Heartrending Exploration of Family and Friendship

Picture Us in the Light by Kelly Loy Gilbert
4 stars



Danny feels as if his life is going well.  He lives in the affluent city of Cupertino with his over-protective Chinese American parents and a group of ambitious friends.  He also just got accepted into the prestigious Rhode Island School of Design but things are not quite what they seem and Danny makes a startling discovery on the shelf of his parents pantry.  This young adult novel explores many different important topics, including suicide and immigration, and does so in a way that slowly uncovers the details of what has happened in Danny's life leading up to this point.  I also enjoy the friendships and how they are imperfect and always evolving.  At times, this book is meandering and slow moving but I really think that it does a great job of exploring the life of these teens.  I received an early copy of this book through Bookish First in exchange for an honest review. 

Weekend Review

The Fox Hunt:  A Refugee’s Memoir of Coming to America

By Mohammed Al Samawi

4 stars

Mohammad grew up in Yemen and was taught that Westerners and Jews were evil and an enemy to all Muslims.  A college level course provided him a fateful interaction with a Western man that led to his continued education in other religions, cultures and nationalities.  This is a moving memoir that not only details his scary situation as Yemen disintegrated into civil war but also the importance of making connections.   A group of the connections and friendships that Mohammad forged during his NGO peace work went to drastic lengths to help get him out Yemen.  He is very honest about his experiences and the mistakes that he makes, which is at times frustrating, but at the same time very engaging.  I received a digital ARC of this book through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. 

Edge of Your Seat International Thriller

Skyjack (Thea Paris #2) by K.J. Howe

Publication Date – April 10, 2018

4 stars

Thea Paris is a hostage negotiator and part of a team of really tough characters called Quantam.  She buys a last minute ticket upon a chartered plane with two orphan boys when it is high-jacked over Libya.  Using her intelligence and MacGyver like skills she keeps the passengers safe and unintentionally involves herself in a mafia scheme.  This extremely fast paced book involves gutsy hostage negotiators, cruel mafia men, insane scientists and lonely teenagers with a plot that reads like an action movie.  I didn’t read the first in the series which didn’t affect my reading too much but did leave some gaps in character history.  The alternating narratives and short chapters made this a short but sometimes confusing reading experience but overall I am excited to find this series with a strong, intelligent and imperfect female lead.  I received a copy of this book through Bookish First in exchange for an honest review. 

History of Libraries

The Library: a Catalogue of Wonders by Stuart Kells
Publication Date - April 10, 2018
3.5 stars



For a relatively short book, there is a TON of information about the history of libraries between it's covers.  This book was a mixed experience for me.  At times it seemed as if he just listed library, dates and number of volumes in dry inventory.  When discussing a specific bibliophile or even better, the history of a particular book in a library, is when the "wonder" of the libraries jumps off the page.  Overall, I mostly enjoyed this book about books.  I received a digital ARC of this book through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. 

Real Motherhood

And Now We Have Everything:  On Motherhood Before I Was Ready
by Meaghan O'Connell
4.5 stars



This short memoir covers the author's pregnancy and the first year of her son's life.  Detailing every feeling, shortcoming and fear, this book examines expectations of that time versus reality.  As a mother of three, I don't think I have ever read a book that just nails the first time experience of pregnancy, child birth and newborn life.  There were so many times in this book that brought be back to those days and my very own insecurities and frustrations.  I highly recommend this book to mothers of all stages.  I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

Weekend Wrap-up

Two Sisters:  A Father, His Daughters, and Their Journey into the Syrian Jihad

By Asne Seierstad

Publication Date - April 3, 2018

4 stars

When two sisters of a Somali family living in Norway decide to move to war-torn Syria, their father does everything he can to bring them home.   Told in a gripping narrative, this book does a good job showing how young Muslim immigrants fall into extreme groups leading them to participate in religious wars in the Middle East.  There are so many factors that go into the immigrant experience as they try to both fit in and retain their cultural identity and the author does a really good job of showing how it can lead to religious extremity.  I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  

Natural Causes:  An Epidemic of Wellness, the Certainty of Dying, and Killing Ourselves to Live Longer  by Barbara Ehrenreich

Publication Date - April 10, 2018

3 stars

Barbara Ehrenriech does such a good job looking at society and how the norms (in this case regarding health, aging and death) may not be in our best interest.  Where she loses me is her interspersed chapters dealing with scientific descriptions of how our bodies work.  It was probably my personal expectations going into this book, but I enjoyed some chapters much more than others.  I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.