American Dirt - Jeanine Cummins - fiction - five stars - I know there was a lot of controversy about this book, but at the end of the day, it's a really good story. It's about Lydia Perez and her son Luca who flee their home in Aculpulco following the massacre of their family. It details the reasons behind the killings as well as the arduous journey they take to get to the U.S. Along the say they meet others fleeing similarly tragic circumstances and create a new family. There was so much sadness and difficulty in the tale, but a also a great deal of hope and triumph.
Big Game (FunJungle #3) - Stuart Gibbs - juvenile fiction - five stars - This continues to be a series we Carina and I are reading through, though not together, but in tandem. This time Teddy is investigating attempts by someone to kill Rhonda the Rhino, and this time J.J. McCracken is specifically asking Teddy to be part of the investigation. Meanwhile Marge is accusing Teddy of vandalizing a number of the eating establishments at FunJungle, so Teddy's working on that case too. I liked how the two cases were interwoven and as always, there's plenty of humor to keep kids engaged.
I Want You to Know We're Still Here: A Post-Holocaust Memoir - Esther Safran Foer - memoir - four stars - This was OK. It was a little slow for me, t here were definitely parts that dragged. The crux of it is that Foer discovers her father was married prior to WWII and his wife and daughter were killed during the war. She then sets off to find out more about her half-sister and learn about her family prior. This culminates in a pilgrimage to the Ukraine where she visits the sites that were significant to her family, with regard to both death and survival. This part of the book was fascinating and really enjoyable to read. There's a lot of other to the book though. A lot of name dropping, talking about her sons and what they have done that really didn't contribute to the story and in fact diluted it. I probably rate this more 3 1/2 stars, but rounded up.
The House of Yan: A Family at the Heart of a Century in Chinese History - Lan Yan - memoir - four stars - The story of a very well connected family in China that was instrumental in the founding of China, but that experienced a very dark time during the cultural revolution. Lan Yan's grandfather Yan Baohang was originally a nationalist working with Chiang Kai Shek, but was actually a double agent and worked behind the scenes with Deng Xiaoping. Much later, he was accused of being a Russian spy along with Lan Yan's father who was a Russian Interpreter. Lan's mother was also accused of being a counterrevolutionary during the Cultural Revolution. Ultimately her grandfather was killed under questioning and the other members of her family suffered through imprisonment, relocation, etc. What makes this somewhat a frustrating read is how despite this, she and her family still buy into the system. I also did not enjoy the latter half of the book which was basically a description of her resume, the jobs she held, etc. She mentions she has children, but not much beyond that. I thought it was an interesting omission of her relationship with them when much of the book is focused on the bonds between her and her grandparents and parents, but there is very little said about her own children.
Red Letter Days - Sarah-Jane Stratford - historical fiction - four stars - I really liked this one. It's about the red scare in the 1950's and how many writers/actors fled to Great Britain to find work an d to avoid arrest during that time. Phoebe Adler is an up and coming writer who is named and who flees to England to avoid a congressional subpoena. Once there, she finds work with a Hannah Wolfson, a journalist who saw the writing on the wall and left the U.S., setting up a production company that hires blacklisted writers. It's an interesting examination of the blacklisted community that formed there. I will admit that there are some parts of the story that are pretty far fetched in terms of the plot, but at the end of the day, I really enjoyed the characters and it kept me interested.
The Second Chance Club: Hardship and Hope After Prison - Jason Hardy - non-fiction - five stars - This book was very eye-opening to me and definitely worth the read. It describes Hardy's years as a parole officer in New Orleans. He takes the job because he's working retail and doesn't have much in the terms of other prospects, and is thrown into a totally different world. Hardy does a great job of describing the mechanics of the parole officer's role as well as strategy, in how you classify and tackle cases based on risk - high, medium, low. He focuses in on several of those high risk cases and his struggle to help those individuals stay safe and healthy whether that means putting them back in jail, getting them into work or counseling programs, or just checking in with them regularly. As he profiles those individuals and how they got to be where they are, he's able to discuss overall societal issues. A must read.
How Much of These Hills Is Gold - Pam C. Zhang - historical fiction - four stars - It's the end of the American Gold Rush era, Lucy and Sam's father dies and they're left on their own. They pack up their belongings and set out. Sam wants to find land to prospect. Lucy wants to live in a city and go east and live an educated life. As they travel, they re-live their last years, and Sam tells Lucy the story of how their parents met. It's a story filled with loss and heartbreak. Eventually Lucy and Sam part ways, Sam goes off to make his fortune and Lucy settles down in town, but they find their way back to one another and decide to go back to China. This is where it kind of fell apart for me, the end of the book made no sense in terms of why would they go to China when they were born in the U.S. and knew nothing of China or even how to speak the language. And the way it ended was almost an afterthought, like the author didn't know how to wrap things up. It felt very unfinished. The kids' journey and how they came back together was compelling, but the end was no good. This was probably more like 3 1/2 stars for me, but rounded up to four.
A Delayed Life: The True Story of the Librarian of Auschwitz - Dita Kraus - memoir - three stars - This one was a big disappointment for me. It's partly because of the title, I didn't know there was a library at Auschwitz, I wanted to learn more. Turns out there wasn't a library, it was a nickname given to Dita who was one of the children transferred to Auschwitz from Terezin. At Auschwitz where they had something like 12 books she was the honorary librarian for the children for a time. It's a less than minor part of the story and takes up maybe a paragraph of the book. They played it up in the title because apparently there was a fictional book for kids that was very loosely based on Dita. So it was a bit of false advertising. I thought the first part of the book was interesting, pre-war, how she survived the camps, and just after, but after that it kind of fell apart for me. There was a whole lot about her life after the war when she lived in Israel on a kibbutz. This wasn't particularly interesting to me, it was actually a bit tedious after a while. So generally meh for me.
The Glittering Hour - Iona Grey - historical fiction - five stars - Alice has been left with her grandparents who she hardly knows at Blackwood Hall, a forbidding place. Her grandparents don't seem to like her at all, there are all sorts of rules, and she is very homesick for her mother. Her mother devises a scavenger hunt for her, giving her clues in the letters she sends, and this brightens Alice's hours at Blackwood Hall. The story shifts between Alice's present and her mother Selina's past. Selina was one of the 'Brigth Young Things' post WWII drinking and partying and causing spectacles. Her parents are after her to marry, but a chance encounter with photographer Lawrence Weston changes her trajectory. The story is a bit predictable, but I enjoyed how it came together, it was a quick and entertaining read.
The Line Tender - Kate Allen - juvenile fiction - five stars - I put this one on hold for Ellie after reading a review of it. She enjoyed it, although I probably enjoyed it a little more. It's about Lucy Everhart. Her mother is a marine biologist specializing in sharks who died suddenly when Lucy was eight. Since they Lucy and her dad have muddled by with the help a tight knit community and her best friend Fred's family from across the street. In the book, tragedy strikes again, and Lucy has to come to grips with even more loss. At the same time, she's in the position to help others deal with the tragedy as well. I loved how the book worked through loss and pain and healing and how people can help one another.
Orphan Island - Laurel Snyder - juvenile fiction - three stars - I thought this one just didn't work at all. The premise was interesting. There's an island with eight orphans on it. Each year a green boat arrives bringing a new orphan, while the oldest orphan gets in the boat and is taken....somewhere. The new orphan becomes the charge of the new 'Elder' who has to teach the new orphan all about life on the island. I did like the descriptions of the island and their life there. The problem is, that the books is focused on the new Elder who is so annoying and really not likable. Also, the premise just doesn't hold together, it seems like there should be a reveal at the end, but there are just more questions. Not worth the time.
Searching for Sylvie Lee - Jean Kwok - fiction - five stars - I really enjoyed this one. Amy is searching for her sister Sylvie. Sylvie is beautiful and smart and talented, graduating from top schools and landing a prestigious job and handsome husband, but she goes missing following a trip to see her grandmother who was on her deathbed (and passed away). Amy, her awkward stuttering sister who has never left New York flies to Denmark to try and find her. In doing so, she learns her sister's life was not as charmed as it seemed, as well as long buried family secrets. I liked this one. Amy was a very sympathetic character, and I also enjoyed the juxtaposition between Amy and Sylvie, and how each envied the other.
The Murderer's Ape - Jakob Wegelius - juvenile fiction - five stars - I really loved this one. Ellie read it earlier this year and borrowed it from the library again and foisted it on me this month and I'm so glad that she did. The story is told by Sally Jones, an ape whose best friend is a sea captain he calls Chief. Sally and Chief have a cargo ship. After their ship sinks and Chief confronts the man he believes is the culprit who accidentally falls into the water and dies, he's convicted of murder and sent to prison. Sally knows it was an accident and is determined to prove his innocence, but she's in hiding as the authorities are searching for her too. The story takes place over several years and through it all, Sally is loyal and true. She makes many friends, learns new trades and skills, and through it all stays focused on making sure the truth about Chief comes out. Really well written (it's actually a Swedish book that was translated to English) and engaging. My favorite of all the juvenile fiction that I read this month.
Panda-monium (FunJungle, #4) - Stuart Gibbs - juvenile fiction - five stars - Another FunJungle episode (and I just picked up books 5 and 6 from the library). In this one, there's a panda coming to FunJungle. Unfortunately, when it arrives, the truck is empty, both the panda and Doc, the zoo's veterinarian, are missing. At first Teddy and the rest of the FunJungle staff are involved, but because the panda is technically owned by the Chinese, the FBI end up taking over the case. Meanwhile, the secondary case Teddy is trying to solve involves the zoo's dolphins who have started trying to take the swimming suits off the guests who pay for special in-person experiences with them. Just as enjoyable, and funny, as the previous books.
Ready Player One (Ready Player One, #1) - Ernest Cline - young adult - five stars - This one has been on my to read list for a while, so when I saw that there was a sequel coming out, I figured I should get on the ball and get the first book read. It's 2044, and the world's not doing so well. Massive unemployment, an energy crisis, and most of the world lives in the digital realm, the OASIS, where they escape reality, interact with one another, it's essentially a whole online digital economy. Anyway, when the founder of OASIS, James Halliday, dies, he leaves the entire enterprise/company, to whoever can solve an online quest and discover the world's most valuable easter egg in the OASIS. People have been dissecting the first clue and hunting for years, and when Wade manages to solve the first clue, it becomes a Wild West style race to the finish with people willing to lie, cheat, and kill to get the prize. I'm definitely not a huge gamer, but I enjoyed all the 80's references (Halliday grew up in the 80's, so most of his clues have to do with that era), and the story is good enough that you don't really need to get all the gamer stuff to enjoy it. Great read.
The Leonardo Gulag - Kevin Doherty - historical fiction - five stars - I borrowed this one solely based on the premise which I thought was so interesting. Pasha Kalmenev is an extraordinarily talented artist in Russia. He is arrested in 1950 and sent to the gulag along with a bunch of other artists. At first they think it's a mistake, but then they realize they are being treated differently, they have warm clothes, their huts are heated, and they have regular meals, although they aren't super filling. They are part of a plot ordered by Stalin to create forgeries of some of Leonardo da Vinci's drawings/sketches that are in the British royal collection. This operation is totally off-book, known to only a handful of individuals in the Soviet government, and no one is supposed to survive. I loved the characters in he book, I loved the premise and how Doherty worked out the plot. This was a good one!
Wolf Hollow - Lauren Wolk - juvenile fiction - five stars - This is another of Ellie's books. It's about Annabelle who lives in rural PA. It's 1942/43, and her life is changed with Betty Glengarry comes to town to stay with her grandparents. Betty is a bully, and when Annabelle stands up to her, people get hurt. She goes after Annabelle's friends and little brothers as well as reclusive WWI vet named Toby who she blames for the things she's done. Annabelle grows up a lot as she tries to fix the situation and prove's Toby's innocence. It's a moving story and raises a lot of questions about truth, right and wrong, judging others, etc.
I just started reading Tenemental, and have Shell and the next two FunJungle books on tap. Would love to hear what you've been reading!
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