The Only Girl in the World: a Memoir by Maude Julien
4 stars
This memoir is utterly heartbreaking yet ultimately hopeful. Maude was born in France to an older father and his adopted daughter/wife. She was raised harshly, without love and affection, to be a super-human. Denied contact with any outsiders, she was subjected to a cruel schedule of hard work, study and music. I was riveted while reading this but it was not easy. Anyone sensitive to any kind of child or animal abuse should probably stay away. Maude's story does have a happy ending and she is able to heal from her traumatic childhood, but after reading this I can't imagine it was an easy feat. I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Tuesday, July 30, 2019
Monday, July 29, 2019
Finally Reading a Popular Title
Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo
4 stars
Set in Nigeria, alternating between the late eighties/early nineties and 2008, this novel follows the marriage of Yejide and Akin. Married while in college, they are navigating the social norms of marriage and fertility in a country where polygamy was an accepted reality and having children a mark of success. When Yejide cannot get pregnant, Akin is pressured into taking a second wife, which sets off a series of tragic decisions and consequences. These characters are incredibly realistic and thought they make questionable decisions, it all makes sense within the world they exist. The writing is so beautiful that I felt my heart breaking right along with Yejide as she deals with one tragedy after another. And although the ending felt rushed, I will think about this story and the characters for months to come. I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
4 stars
Set in Nigeria, alternating between the late eighties/early nineties and 2008, this novel follows the marriage of Yejide and Akin. Married while in college, they are navigating the social norms of marriage and fertility in a country where polygamy was an accepted reality and having children a mark of success. When Yejide cannot get pregnant, Akin is pressured into taking a second wife, which sets off a series of tragic decisions and consequences. These characters are incredibly realistic and thought they make questionable decisions, it all makes sense within the world they exist. The writing is so beautiful that I felt my heart breaking right along with Yejide as she deals with one tragedy after another. And although the ending felt rushed, I will think about this story and the characters for months to come. I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Friday, July 26, 2019
Nostalgia Read
Sweet Valley High: Academic All-Star? by Katy Rex and Devaki Neogi (artist)
3 stars
I remember speeding through all of the Sweet Valley High books when I was a kid, consistently swapping them with my older cousin and relishing the scandalous bits. So, basically, I downloaded this from NetGalley as a pure nostalgia read. It was enjoyable and short but there is something about bringing the twins into the modern age that didn't translate very well for me. It only brought out the negative aspects of their personalities. It was still fun to revisit these characters. I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
3 stars
I remember speeding through all of the Sweet Valley High books when I was a kid, consistently swapping them with my older cousin and relishing the scandalous bits. So, basically, I downloaded this from NetGalley as a pure nostalgia read. It was enjoyable and short but there is something about bringing the twins into the modern age that didn't translate very well for me. It only brought out the negative aspects of their personalities. It was still fun to revisit these characters. I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Tuesday, July 16, 2019
Fighting Ebola
Crisis in the Red Zone: the Story of the Deadliest Ebola Outbreak in History, and of the Outbreaks to Come
By Richard Preston
Publication Date - July 23, 2019
4 stars
So much has happened to the world since the 2014 Ebola outbreak occurred that it is hard to even remember. It killed and affected a great number of people, though, and this book explores the virus, it’s history and the chase for a medicine to stop its spread. This book is fascinating but tragic and at times really difficult to read as the hopelessness of the situation progresses. The author does a good job introducing the different people involved and making you really care about what happens to them. I did find that there were too many tangential details and I found myself trying to figure out the necessity of their inclusion without success. I am reading an early copy, though, so there may be further edits. Overall, this is an extremely interesting and important work on level 4 viruses. I received a digital copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
By Richard Preston
Publication Date - July 23, 2019
4 stars
So much has happened to the world since the 2014 Ebola outbreak occurred that it is hard to even remember. It killed and affected a great number of people, though, and this book explores the virus, it’s history and the chase for a medicine to stop its spread. This book is fascinating but tragic and at times really difficult to read as the hopelessness of the situation progresses. The author does a good job introducing the different people involved and making you really care about what happens to them. I did find that there were too many tangential details and I found myself trying to figure out the necessity of their inclusion without success. I am reading an early copy, though, so there may be further edits. Overall, this is an extremely interesting and important work on level 4 viruses. I received a digital copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
Monday, July 15, 2019
Weekend Read
Normal People by Sally Rooney
3.5 stars
I started this book weeks ago, read a chapter, put it aside and then finished the rest in one day. It was sort of addicting, once I started reading, but I had this strange dream feeling that even though I was deep in their thoughts that they still seemed a bit vague. This was a quick and interesting read, though. I received a digital copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
3.5 stars
I started this book weeks ago, read a chapter, put it aside and then finished the rest in one day. It was sort of addicting, once I started reading, but I had this strange dream feeling that even though I was deep in their thoughts that they still seemed a bit vague. This was a quick and interesting read, though. I received a digital copy of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Gritty Retelling of Robin Hood
Nottingham by Nathan Makaryk
Publication Date - August 6, 2019
4 stars
Who doesn’t love a good retelling of the Robin Hood story, especially during these times. I loved many things about this book; the grittiness, the historical heft, and especially the fact that it is NEVER clear who exactly are the good guys or bad guys. They’re all both. This is very well written and while I did have quibbles with plot direction towards the end, I’m still thinking about it and dying to discuss with other readers. I received a digital copy of this book through the Bookish First program in exchange for an honest review.
Publication Date - August 6, 2019
4 stars
Who doesn’t love a good retelling of the Robin Hood story, especially during these times. I loved many things about this book; the grittiness, the historical heft, and especially the fact that it is NEVER clear who exactly are the good guys or bad guys. They’re all both. This is very well written and while I did have quibbles with plot direction towards the end, I’m still thinking about it and dying to discuss with other readers. I received a digital copy of this book through the Bookish First program in exchange for an honest review.
Tuesday, July 2, 2019
Next Big Trip
Ten Years a Nomad: A Traveler's Journey Home by Matthew Kepnes
Publication Date - July 9, 2019
3 stars
Nomad Matt is a well known blogger who tracks his travels and offers tips and advice for the traveling life. This is a summary of his decade traveling the globe. This book excels at describing his life as a backpacker, the people he met, sites he visited and his realization that traveling had become more of an addiction than a lifestyle. His philosophical musings about travel became repetitive, though, and I started to skim through some of these sections. Overall, as a parent I have somewhat aged out of this book but I would have thoroughly enjoyed it when I was in my early to mid twenties. I recieved a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Publication Date - July 9, 2019
3 stars
Nomad Matt is a well known blogger who tracks his travels and offers tips and advice for the traveling life. This is a summary of his decade traveling the globe. This book excels at describing his life as a backpacker, the people he met, sites he visited and his realization that traveling had become more of an addiction than a lifestyle. His philosophical musings about travel became repetitive, though, and I started to skim through some of these sections. Overall, as a parent I have somewhat aged out of this book but I would have thoroughly enjoyed it when I was in my early to mid twenties. I recieved a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Beautiful But Too Opaque
This is How You Lose the Time War by Amal El-Mohtar and Max Gladstone
Publication Date - July 16, 2019
3 stars
Following two individuals from warring agencies (tribes, companies, countries? I have no idea) as they time travel through threads to thwart the other’s side. One is called Red and is a type of artificial intelligence (I think) and Blue, who is part of the Garden, which is a more organic type of being (maybe?). They begin to correspond by leaving letters in odd places throughout time, such as in seeds, rings of trees and owl pellets. This is an imaginative and beautifully written book but I need more to really love it. More plot, more character development, more world-building, more clarity....just more. Overall, this is truly unlike anything I have read but not something I will ever reread. I received an early copy of this book through Bookish in exchange for an honest review.
Publication Date - July 16, 2019
3 stars
Following two individuals from warring agencies (tribes, companies, countries? I have no idea) as they time travel through threads to thwart the other’s side. One is called Red and is a type of artificial intelligence (I think) and Blue, who is part of the Garden, which is a more organic type of being (maybe?). They begin to correspond by leaving letters in odd places throughout time, such as in seeds, rings of trees and owl pellets. This is an imaginative and beautifully written book but I need more to really love it. More plot, more character development, more world-building, more clarity....just more. Overall, this is truly unlike anything I have read but not something I will ever reread. I received an early copy of this book through Bookish in exchange for an honest review.
Stay and Fight
Stay and Fight by Madeline Ffitch
Publication Date - July 9, 2019
4.5 stars
This is such a interesting novel. Told by four different perspectives, it follows an unconventional group of people who form a family in the woods of Appalachia. What is so interesting about this book is that it is so detailed of place, plot, characters but so vague about time. It took half the novel before I figured out what decade this take place. It is beautifully written and each character has such a unique and fascinating perspective. I thought the ending a little weak but everything up to that point was so good. I received an ARC of this book through the Goodreads First Reads program in exchange for an honest review.
Publication Date - July 9, 2019
4.5 stars
This is such a interesting novel. Told by four different perspectives, it follows an unconventional group of people who form a family in the woods of Appalachia. What is so interesting about this book is that it is so detailed of place, plot, characters but so vague about time. It took half the novel before I figured out what decade this take place. It is beautifully written and each character has such a unique and fascinating perspective. I thought the ending a little weak but everything up to that point was so good. I received an ARC of this book through the Goodreads First Reads program in exchange for an honest review.
Traveling at the End of the World
The Lightest Object in the Universe by Kimi Eisele
Publication Date - July 9, 2019
4 stars
Well-written and full of haunting scenes of post-apocalyptic America, I devoured this book and it grew on me the more that I read it. It follows two adult characters who had a brief romance and are now trying to connect with each other even thought they live on opposite sides of the country. I wish that there was a little more details concerning how society crumbled, but descriptions of the aftermath were some of the best I have read. I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Publication Date - July 9, 2019
4 stars
Well-written and full of haunting scenes of post-apocalyptic America, I devoured this book and it grew on me the more that I read it. It follows two adult characters who had a brief romance and are now trying to connect with each other even thought they live on opposite sides of the country. I wish that there was a little more details concerning how society crumbled, but descriptions of the aftermath were some of the best I have read. I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
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