I'm a little late with last month's book reviews. Between the start of school, and birthdays, and STAMPtember, I'm a little behind in general. Mixed bag this month, some definite duds, but also some great books. Here's the rundown:
The Messy Lives of Book People - Phaedra Patrick - fiction four stars - Liv Green cleans for a living, one of her clients is Essie Starling, her favorite author. Liv has cleaned for Essie for a long time and they've developed a strong relationship. Then Essie dies, and she has left instructions for Liv to finish her final book. As Liv works on the book, and learns more about Essie, she learns more about herself as well and the connection that she has to Essie. A quick, fun read.
Skink - No Surrender (Skink #7) - Carl Hiaasen - juvenile fiction - four stars - The girls love Hiaasen, and are always happy to see a new book from him. This one is about a 14 year old named Richard. His cousin Melly just ran away, and he thinks she is in trouble. Thankfully he's just met the kind of crazy ex-Governeor of Florida, who now goes by Skink, and who is a bit of a vigilante. Skink agrees to help Richard find Melly. Another fun, very quirky, and enjoyable book from Hiaasen.
French Braid - Anne Tyler - fiction - three stars - I've really enjoyed some of Tyler's books, but this was a definitely disappointment. It tells the story of the Garretts, a family from Baltimore and their evolution from a 1950s traditional style family to present day where they are definitely not the definition of a normal family any longer. That characters were not particularly sympathetic, nor did I really like their choices. I kept thinking that something was going to happen to redeem the story, but that just never happened. It'll be a while before I read another Tyler book.
The Master and Margarita - Mikhail Bulgakov - fiction - two stars - Last month I decided I wanted to start going back and reading, or re-reading some classics. This is the one I selected for this month. It was a total clunker. It's supposed to be a retelling of Faust, but given the fact that I've never read Faust that part of it was lost on me. The premise of the book is that the Devil and his entourage has come to Moscow. They immediately begin making mischief, but in many ways they are just pulling the guise of civility away from people and showing what lies underneath. This book was so convoluted and wavering and there was a lot of back and forth with the story of Pontious Pilate, which I didn't really get. Anyway, this was a total dud for me. Steer clear.
Enola Holmes and the Black Barouche (Enola Holmes #7) - Nancy Springer - juvenile detective - five stars - Another great Enola Holmes book. In this book, Enola and Sherlock are working together to determine what happened to Felicity Glover, the twin sister of their new client Letitia. Letitia was recently informed by Felicity's husband that she passed away and was buried, but Letitia knows she is still alive. I love how this series has progressed, and really enjoy Enola and Sherlock working together. It's really fun to see their relationship evolve. Such a good series!
Upgrade - Blake Crouch - science fiction - five stars - I don't read a ton of science fiction, but I've been a big fan of Crouch for some time, so I was excited to see a new book come out from him. This one revolves around the idea of mutation/human enhancement. Logan Ramsay lives in a future where it's possible to enhance people, although it's also illegal. When Ramsay is infected with a virus that results in a huge upgrade to his capabilities, he needs to determine why, and then prevent the virus from being given to others. I thought this was a really interesting look at technology, the ramifications/ethics of gene editing, what makes humans humans, etc. Excellent read.
The Adventures of Herbie Cohen: World's Greatest Negotiator - Rich Cohen - biography - five stars - This book popped in my Goodreads list of books from authors on my shelves list. I had read, and really enjoyed, his Peewees book. This book is about his father, who is a famous government negotiator, strategy consultant, and author. It talks about his life, growing up in Brooklyn with friends like Sandy Koufax and Larry King, his time in the Army, his work for the government, etc. I thought it was fascinating how he developed his negotiating skills, not to mention all f fun stories and anecdotes. Great read.
The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot - Marianne Cronin - fiction - five stars - This one was more like four and a half stars, rounded up. Lenni is a 17 year old terminal patient in the terminal ward at a hospital. She befriends Margot, an 83 year old in the hospital for treatment. They form a bond in the new art room an set a goal to create 100 pieces of artwork, one for each of their years of life. As they create the drawings, they tell one another story of their lives, neither of which has been a walk in the park. Lenni has a way about her and makes several friends at the hospital, and enriches each of their lives. I loved the characters, although I had some issues with Lenni's relationship with her father, I just don't believe that he would agree to not see her. This one is really good, but a definite tearjerker.
Hell's Half-Acre : The Untold Story of the Benders, America's First Serial Killer Family - Susan Jonusas - non-fiction - five stars - This was one of those new books that just sounded interesting. I'm always a little scared picking up non-fiction books on a whim because you can never tell if they will be really dry, but this one was not at all. The Benders were a family living in Kansas post Civil War. They had a small store operated from their home and also sometimes provided lodging to passing travelers. They were also serial killers, taking advantage of their customers, killing them, stealing their goods and livestock. After a string unexplained disappearances, one of the victims' relatives starts to investigate. The Benders know it's just a matter of time until they are found out and flee. Highly recommend.
The Many Daughters of Afong Moy - Jamie Ford - historical fiction - four stars - Three and a half stars rounded up. I've really enjoyed Ford's previous books, but this one was kind of a disappointment. It follows the female descendants of Afong Moy, the first Chinese woman to emigrate to the U.S. Afong was bought over as a curiousity - people came to see her dress and bound feet. It's unclear what actually happened to her later in life, so this book is an interesting imaging of what occurred. The book jumps around a lot, Moy's descendants stories jump back and forth from past to many decades in the future. Each of the descendants suffers from similar fortunes, unlucky in love/life. Eventually one of them, Dorothy, decides she needs to break this cycle of inherited trauma and embarks on an experimental treatment. While I enjoyed the individual stories of her descendants, I just thought there was too much going on here, and I don't really buy the whole idea of inherited trauma. In addition, I really hated how the book ended. I thought it just seemed too pat, like Ford just needed to figure out a way to end/settle things. Just OK.
Voyage of the Sparrowhawk - Natasha Farant - juvenile fiction - five stars - This was one of Carina's books which she insisted I read, and I'm glad I did. It's set just after the first World War. Ben's adopted father has been killed and his brother Sam is missing in action, he's hoping that Sam will come home before the authorities sent him off to an orphanage. Meanwhile, his friend Lotti's uncle and aunt want to pack her off to boarding school. The two kids run away on Ben's houseboat, to search for Sam and Lotti's beloved grandmother. Along the way they make all sorts of friends. I loved the characters in this book they really made you root for them. Ann all around great kids book.
All in all, my favorite this month was Upgrade, although Herbie Cohen and Hell's Half Acre were really good reads on the non-fiction side too. I'm currently reading the Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post and really enjoying it, next up is Carris Soto is Back. Would love to heard what you guys are reading!
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