New Releases - March 30 2021

Beyond the Sand and Sea:  One Family's Quest for a Country to Call Home by Ty McCormick
4 stars 

Asad's family fled Somalia due to warfare and violence between competing political factions.  They joined a flood of refugees into Kenya's Dadaab refugee camp, where Asad was born.  Growing up in the hard conditions at camp, with little chance of education and no records of a nationality, Asad faced impossible odds for continuing his education but the with the discovery of the camp library and his immersion in novels that demonstrated different kinds of life he developed a perseverance that would eventually take him to a full scholarship to Princeton.  This book is a much needed exploration of the refugee experience, especially during the years of President Trump's evil travel bans.  I thought this a well written and thought out book, but to be completely honest, I would have loved to have rather read Asad's story through his own words, especially since he is a writer himself, having published articles in the New York Times.  I did appreciate the author's chapters towards the end that record his own involvement in Asad's life because while Asad did have determination to face impossible odds, the normal refugee experience makes that nearly impossible without having someone, like the author, to provide a source of support and I think that is an important point to make.  I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  

The Final Revival of Opal & Nev by Dawnie Walton
4 stars

Written in the form of a fictional oral history of the musician, Opal Jewel, and her brief partnership with Nev Charles, this novel examines art and race and the career of one woman who never feared to speak up.  This is compared to Daisy Jones and the Six and format-wise, I see why.  This is a much meatier book, though, and in my opinion much better.  The main narrator, who is making the book about Opal and Nev, has her own history with the duo and it adds an interesting dimension.  She is trying to be an objective journalist while still dealing with all this history that she has with Opal.  I also loved the character of Opal.  She is brave, flamboyant and flawed but does try to learn from her mistakes while not apologizing for making them.  The love of music really comes through in the writing and makes it one of the more authentic fiction books that I have read.  I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

North by Shakespear: A Rogue Scholar's Quest for the Truth Behind the Bard's Work

by Michael Blanding
4 stars

I've always been completely fascinated by the fact that so little is actually know about one of our most famous and well read playwriters.  Besides his birthplace, his wife and children and an approximate date of birth, much is a mystery about the man.  Even, whether or not he even wrote what is attributed to him.  That's the purpose of this book.  The author follows an eccentric researcher who obsessively follows leads that point to a man name Thomas North, who he believes wrote many of Shakespeare's plays before Shakespeare.  I love books about people who have all-consuming, and somewhat unusual, passions.  Dennis McCarthy is dogged and obsessed and really fun to read about.  I'm not sure I am completely convinced but I definitely learned a lot about Shakespeare.  I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchage for an honest review. 

To the Greatest Heights by Vanessa O'Brien
4 stars

I have read so many books about alpine mountaineering but I believe this is the first written by a woman, which excited me greatly from the very first page.  Vanessa O' Brien was highly successful in the finance sector when 2008 caused the recession and for her to ultimately lose her job.  In her forties and at a loss as to what to do next, she (fairly randomly, to me at least) decides to set a goal to climb Mount Everest...and she does.  This is a chronicle of all of her climbs as she breaks a record for climbing the seven summits faster than any other woman and as the first American woman to summit K2.  Vanessa is INTENSE, and at times that was a little hard to take.  I'm pretty sure that she may be the complete opposite personality of me, however, I too find myself in my forties and a turning point, deciding what to do next and while Everest is not in my cards, I found this book completely inspirational and aspirational for whatever goal I do decide to conquer.  Many thanks to NetGalley and Atria Books for a complimentary digital ARC of this book. 

Elizabeth & Margaret: The Intimate World of the Windsor Sisters by Andrew Morton
4 stars

I just finished all four seasons of The Crown so it was a perfect time to pick up this book.  Andrew Morton has written royal biographies before so is no stranger to the genre.  This tells the story of Queen Elizabeth and her sister, Princess Margaret, and their relationship over their tumultuous lives.  I admired their loyalty to each other, which is an aspect of their lives that Morton focuses his writing.  This is entertaining and a perfect complimentary read for those that want a history alongside the television drama.  I received a digital ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

For the Love of Books: Stories of Literary Lives, Banned Books, Author Feuds, Extraordinary Characters and More by Graham Tarrant

Audio Book 

3.5 stars

To start with, this book is so much fun.  It is just a quick read with short chapters, with random stories and facts about books and authors.  I listened to it in audio-book format, read by Matthew Lloyd Davies.  His deep voice is perfect for the subject matter and he read the short segments smoothly.  The one big issue is that this book includes a LOT of dates, publication dates and dates of author's births and deaths.  I am sure if you were looking over a printed page, it might not seem a big deal but when being read aloud, it felt a little clunky.  I see why the dates are needed, though, so I'm not quite sure what the fix for that would be. That is a small quibble as this was overall an entertaining listening experience.  I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

The Dark Side of Alice in Wonderland by Angela Youngman
2 stars

I'm not sure what to make of this book or the point it is trying to make.  It is short but oddly repetitive and I felt like the author was trying to assert that in Victorian times, unclothed portraits of children were more accepted.  Which may be the case, however, she also includes multiple letters from Lewis to parents trying to talk them into less or no clothing for their children, so it must not have been an entirely accepted practice.  I enjoy reading biographies of authors, but this one just wasn't for me.  I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

New Releases - March 23, 2021

Recovering the Lost Art of Reading: A Quest for the True, the Good and the Beautiful
by Leland Ryken and Glenda Faye Mathes

3 stars

This was an interesting reading experience.  On the one hand, I marked up quite a few quotes and interesting passages.  More than I normally do.  On the other hand, besides those passages it sort of felt a bit repetitive.  The purpose of the book is to convince Christian readers that they can read literary fiction widely, and not just the bible or Christian marketed fiction.  I have never once in my life considered not reading a book because of my religious principles (even the new kind of Fantasy books that they advise against), although I do know some people who turn away from books that they assume go against their values.  So, while I did appreciate the passages pertaining to the importance of literature I am not sure I needed to hear the overall message.  I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  

New Releases - March 16, 2021

Lolita in the Afterlife edited by Jenny Minton Quigley
4 stars

This collection, edited by the daughter of the editor of Lolita itself, examines what the legacy of the controversial book is and should be.  I thought about re-reading Lolita first, since I haven’t read it since college, but decided that because I have a twelve year old daughter at the moment, it may not be the right time.  So I went into this book with only a vague recollection of the specifics of the book.  That did not take away from my enjoyment of these essays which not only examine their reading experience but also how we they felt about the subject matter.  It is interesting to see how the different author’s rereads made them often feel different, whether due to age or the changing societal attitudes.  As with all collections, there are some essays that I liked better than others.  Roxanne Gay and Morgan Jerkins were especially insightful.  Overall, this is a fascinating look at a controversial book.  I received a digital copy of this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. 

New Releases - March 9, 2021

 The Hospital: Life, Death, and Dollars in a Small American Town by Brian Alexander
Publication Date - March 9, 2021
5 stars

Investigating a small community hospital in northwest Ohio, this book follow the administrators trying to keep the hospital independent from the bigger conglomerates and the citizens struggling to make ends meet while struggling with terrible health concerns...and most of this takes place pre Covid-19.  This is not an easy read, and I would not suggest reading it right now if you are not in a good place.  It is a timely read, though, maybe one of the most timely I have read recently.  The problems with healthcare in the United States are so deep-seated, that I am not sure there is an answer besides to tear it all down and start over.  That's why this is such a depressing book to read...but one that needs to be in the hand of every elected official in the country.  The only part that does provide an iota of hope are the hard working health care providers that continue to do their best and the people that keep getting up and trying again even after getting continuously knocked down.  I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. 

What Unites Us: the Graphic Novel by Dan Rather, Elliot Kirschner and Tim Folly
4 stars

I have been meaning to read the full length version of this book for a while so when I saw the graphic novel version, I jumped on it immediately.  I really enjoy Dan Rather's twitter feed and a lot of his even-handed perspective can be found here.  He grew up during the Great Depression and World War II and has seen so much during his reporting years to offer a nuanced look at our country and what makes it great and what makes it less than great.  The graphics were enjoyable, if a little lacking in color, but I read this more for the words and in them found an increase in hope for this country.  I received this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.  

Wonderworks: The 25 Most Powerful Inventions in the History of Literature

By Angus Fletcher

4 stars

This fascinating history examines different periods of time when literature was reinvented.  By assessing a few different works in each chapter, starting with classical mythology, the author looks at ways that writing and reading affect our brain.  I really have not thought of literature before in such a way so found this exceedingly interesting.  It is on the long side so at times it felt as if I had been reading the book for several, but it is definitely worth the perseverance.  I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.   

Growing Up Bank Street: A Greenwich Village Memoir by Donna Florio
4.5 stars

This book is an absolute gem.  I'm not sure what made me request a digital ARC, but something about the description of a life lived on one New York City street really appealed to me.  This is a charming collection of descriptions of Bank Street in Greenwich Village, neighbors, relationships, characters, and everyday life.  I loved reading this and it is so hopeful about the state of neighborhoods, even in gentrified Greenwich Village.  This is a beautifully written book and I hope it gets the attention it deserves.  I received a digital ARC of this book through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.