July 2021 in Books

Happy Monday!  Hope you all had a good weekend.  I've got my August reading recap for you today.  It was a pretty good month, some definite duds, but some really good ones too.  I think my favorites were Lovely War, The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett, and on the kid's side The Road to Wherever.  Here's the full rundown:

Free Food for Millionaires - Min Jin Lee - fiction - three stars - This book was so disappointing.  I really loved Pachinko, so I thought I would try another book by the author and this was just so underwhelming.  I think the problem is that the main characters are all just so annoying.  The book follows the life of Casey Han, daughter to Korean immigrants, who has just graduated from college is and is trying to figure out what to do next.  It is an interesting look at the life of immigrants and their kids and the culture that they are brought up in.  While the characters themselves aren't all bad, when you watch what they do, they are just so stupid and self destructive.  The story was interesting in some ways, but I was so frustrated by them all.  It's a lot of pages to be annoyed for that long.  

An Elephant in the Garden - Michael Morpurgo - juvenile historical fiction - four stars - This was a sweet story about the family of one of the keepers at the Dresden zoo.  When the city is about to be attacked during WWII, the zoo decides to euthanize the large animals to keep them from wreaking havoc should they be accidentally set free during an invasion.  The keeper negotiates with the zoo manager to save a young elephant named Marlene.  When the city is bombed, the family escapes with Marlene, and travels to safety.  I really enjoyed the characters in the family and how the elephant brought them together and played a role in the survival.

Winter Counts - David Heska Wanbli Weiden - fiction - five stars - I enjoyed this one, it's the story of Virgil Wounded Horse who is an enforcer on an Indian reservation in South Dakota.  When his nephew becomes involved with heroin, he is drawn into a scheme to take down the dealers who are bringing the drugs into the reservation.  I really liked the character of Virgil and how they told his story over the course of the book.  I also thought the twist at the end was a pretty good one.  A good read all around.

Libertie - Kaitlyn Greenidge - historical fiction - two stars - Ugh, this was just blah.  I kept thinking it would get better, but it never did.  Libertie is the daughter of a woman light enough to pass, who has earned a medical degree and treats both black and white in reconstruction New York.  Her dream is for Libertie to become a doctor as well.  Libertie has the very dark coloring of her father and has no desire to become a doctor.  I just hated the characters in this book.  They were just so unlikable and baffling.  Do not recommend.

Manhunt (Silver Jaguar Society Mysteries #3) - Kate Messner - juvenile fiction - five stars - The final book in the Silver Jaguar series.  I really enjoyed this one.  It starts with a series of worldwide art thefts that have clearly been coordinated and are connected.  The kids respective adults head to Paris for an emergency society meeting and the kids become involved. There were a few twists that were unexpected and I enjoyed the continuing development of the friendship between the kids.  The book didn't really have a clear cut ending, leaving open the option for another book, but this was published back in 2014, so I'm doubtful there will be another.

The Brilliant Life of Eudora Honeysett - Annie Lyons - fiction - five stars - I really enjoyed this one.  It's not particularly groundbreaking, it kind of follows the pattern of a lot of these 'old people' books, but the characters are just so likable and enjoyable.  Eudora Honeysett is ready to be done with life.  She's discovered a clinic in Switzerland where she can choose euthanasia, and has decided this is the right choice for her.  Enter new neighbors, particularly 10 year old Rose.  She gets drawn into Rose's life, and in so doing starts to meet others as well.  The story also dives into Eudora's backstory, how she came to be where she is, and all the difficult choices and hands she was dealt.  Loved this, and highly recommend.

Long Lost - Jacqueline West - juvenile fiction/fantasy - five stars - This was one of Ellie's books which she really enjoyed.  Fiona's family has moved her away from all her friends to a little town in New England to be closer to her sister's ice skating club.  Fiona's only solace is the local library where she finds a mysterious book/fairytale.  As she gets drawn into the story she starts to uncover secrets about the town's past.  I liked the mix of reality and fantasy in this book, as well as the relationships within Fiona's family and how being part of a family involves a lot of sacrifice and understanding.  Really enjoyable.

The Secret Keeper of Jaipur (The Henna Artist, #2) - Alka Joshi - fiction - five stars - This was a great follow-up to the The Henna Artist.  The focus of this story is Malik, the orphan errand boy who used to assist Lakshmi.  He's now all grown up, educated, and with a special someone.  Lakshmi sends him back to Jaipur to apprentice with Manu at the Facilities Office at the Royal Palace.  While there, tragedy strikes, and Malik begins to investigate, discovering both fraud, and a cover-up.  Eventually he needs to call in Lakshmi to assist in making sure justice occurs.  I loved seeing the characters again, seeing how they have grown, and what they are up to.  The character of Malik is so likable and you're just happy he turned out so well.  I'm hoping that Joshi will write another book focused on Radha.  Highly recommend.

Bear Bottom (FunJungle, #7) - Stuart Gibbs - juvenile fiction - five stars - Another FunJungle book, and a fun one.  This time Teddy and company are visiting a bison ranch just outside Yellowstone that J.J. is considering purchasing.  While they are there, not only do they experience a bear attack (where a very expensive necklace goes missing), but they discover young bison are being stolen from both the ranch and Yellowstone.  Teddy gets involved  to solve both mysteries.  As usual, funny, and fun, and definitely worth reading.

Percy St. John and the Chronicle of Secrets - E.A. Allen - juvenile historical fiction - four stars - I borrowed this one for Ellie.  She started it, but didn't finish, and I understand why.  While I thought it was a pretty good book (probably more like a 3.5 that is rounded up), the writing and pace can be a little off-putting for kids.  The book takes place in the early 1900s, and the writing and voices are written in that style.  In addition, the book feels a bit circuitous, there are little diversions that I didn't' feel like actually pushed the storyline along very much and there are bits of science fiction/fantasy woven throughout as well.  Overall while I enjoyed figuring out the solution to the mystery, I feel like the path there was a lot more arduous than needed.

The Letter Keeper (Murphy Shepherd, #2) - Charles Martin - fiction - five stars - I really enjoyed this one, although I didn't realize when I borrowed it that it was the second in a series.  I kept reading it because I figured as it was a mystery/thriller I didn't necessarily need to have read the first book.  It probably would have been better to have read the first one first, but this was still an excellent book.  It's about Murphy Shepherd who rescues people for a living.  People who have been kidnapped, enslaved, used, etc.  Murph rescues them and takes them home, some he brings to Freetown, where they are surrounded by people who have gone through similar traumas and can heal together.  Unfortunately, someone is out to get Murph.  When their initial attempt to take him out doesn't work, they escalate the situation, threatening those he loves.  I loved the character of Murph, his backstory - how he got to where he is - and the whole idea of Freetown.  I definitely need to go back and read the first book now, and hopeful that another is coming.

The Pitcher - William Hazelgrove - juvenile fiction - four stars - This was another one of Ellie's books which she really enjoyed.  Ricky lives across the street from a former MLB pitcher, one who even made it to the World Series.  He's now essentially a hermit who lives in his garage.  Ricky is a pitcher too, and wants to play in high school, but even though he can pitch fast, his pitch is crazy.  Ricky's mom has lupus and her health is failing, in addition, she hasn't been able to find work.  They are struggling.  Ricky's mom talks the Pitcher into giving Ricky lessons.  The book tackles a lot - alcoholism, racism, death, deportation.  I liked the interpersonal relationships and characters, but I feel like the ending was just not at all believable.

The Lost Apothecary - Sarah Penner - historical fiction - four stars - This was another of those dual-timeline books.  It's probably closer to a 3.5, but rounded up.  In the present day, Caroline is in London for her 10 year anniversary trip, alone, after she learns that her husband has been unfaithful.  She is examining her life and her choices when she stumbles upon an old apothecary vial.  She is determined to learn more about it.  In the late 1700s, Nella is a female apothecary whose trade has become dispensing poisons to help women who need escape, aid, help etc. from the men in their lives.  She has provided this aid to women for quite some time, but it all goes wrong when a client comes demanding a poison for a woman.  This sets off a chain of events that will be Nella's undoing, and also change the course of Eliza, her recent acquaintance's life.  I thought this was a pretty good.  I felt like there were a few too many coincidences in the book, but I enjoyed the characters and I appreciated how Caroline's story ended.

Lovely War - Julie Berry - historical fiction - five stars - Really, really enjoyed this book.  It's the love story of two couples during WWI.  It's narrated by the Greek gods/goddesses as they discuss the relationship between love and war, life and death.  I loved the stories of Hazel and James, Aubrey and Colette.  These four were just so likable, had such well developed personalities, and you could understand their struggles and feelings, and how they were compelled to do and not do things.  I loved each of those characters and I really enjoyed how the story unfolded/was narrated by the gods/goddesses.  It was clever, but provided needed insight.  A must read.

Dare to Make History: Chasing a Dream and Fighting for Equity - Jocelyne Lamoreaux-Davidson and Monique Lamoreaux-Morando - memoir - five stars - I was really excited when I heard that the Lamoreaux sisters had written a book.  My girls are big fans of theirs and I really enjoyed this book.  Ellie of course also read it, and really enjoyed it...it's likely she's going to get her own copy for her birthday.  I love how focused the sisters were on hockey, how they really worked at it, but how they also really worked at their studies and at school.  They describe a lot of their extra training to sharpen their skills and be ready for international competition.  There is also a lot of the book dedicated to their fight with USA Hockey for more benefits.  I really enjoyed reading about this, and about the solidarity of the U.S women's team, but more than that of the solidarity of women playing at all levels of women's hockey at the time, joined with them, refusing to participate in the World Championships until an agreement could be reached.  Highly recommend.

Three Steps Forward, Two Steps Back: Persevering Through Pressure - Charles R. Swindoll - non-fiction - five stars - This is another of the books on my old pastor's list of required reading for high schoolers.  I wasn't sure about this one when I first started, I was thinking it would be more dense and not as well suited to a younger high schooler, but it was very readable, very practical, very relevant (despite the fact that it was published in 1985 and is out of print (I got a used one off Amazon).  This may be the nest one that I hand to Ellie to read.  I thought that Swindoll did a great job of tackling the tough things in life, using really good examples/stories, and just providing sound advice/counsel.

The Road to Wherever - John Ed Bradley - juvenile fiction - five stars - Another Ellie book.  I really loved this one.  It's about June (a boy with a nickname that he hates) whose mom sends him on the road over the summer with two cousins Thomas and Cornell (really his dad's cousins) who are Ford men.  During the summers the travel around the country helping owners put their Ford's back into working order.  Everywhere June goes he's looking for his dad, an ex-Ranger suffering from PTSD who left months ago.  As June travels with Thomas and Cornell, he learns about cars, but also about people and all the different struggles they have.  Most of their 'clients' are struggling in some way or other.  I loved seeing the development and growth in June, I loved how Thomas and Cornell helped people, and I loved the ending to the book.  Such a good book!

My Name Is Selma: The Remarkable Memoir of a Jewish Resistance Fighter and Ravensbrück Survivor - Selma van de Perre - memoir - three stars - OK, so I will say that van de Perre's story is a good one, she is a Dutch Jew who lived in Amsterdam during the war.  Because of her looks, she was able to pass, she moved from place to place during the war staying with different people and eventually becoming involved in the resistance as a courier.  Eventually she was sent to Ravensbruck, although as a political prisoner, not as a Jew.  This book scored low with me just because it was so difficult to read.  It just felt very disjointed and had a lot of pieces/stories that just kind of seemed stuck in somewhere, but didn't flow.  You really had to kind of pick through to get the whole story it felt like.  

I'm currently reading Infinite Country, and trying to decide what to read after that, I have Send For Me, but also a couple non-fiction books in my pile (The Immortals and Winged Bull), so it'll just kind of depend on my mood when I'm done with this one.  Would love to hear what you have been reading!