The Right Stuff by Tom Wolfe
Publisher: Audible Studios
Release Date: February 6, 2018 (Published in print in 1979)
Narrator: Dennis Quaid
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
Millions of words have poured forth about man’s trip to the moon, but until now few people have had a sense of the most engrossing side of the adventure: namely, what went on in the minds of the astronauts themselves – in space, on the moon, and even during certain odysseys on earth. It is this, the inner life of the astronauts, that Tom Wolfe describes with his almost uncanny empathetic powers that made The Right Stuff a classic.
The Right Stuff is a non-fiction account of the origin of the United States space program and the space race against the Soviet Union. It starts in the 1940s and goes up through the Mercury project. This book is chock-full of detailed information about airplanes and spacecraft. A lot of it went over my head – I found myself drifting off when listening to those parts. However, I was still able to grasp the timeline of events and the broad strokes of what was happening. I was hoping there would be more about the personal lives about the various astronauts, especially the stars like John Glenn and Alan Shepard.
The Right Stuff is narrated by Dennis Quaid. His tone is very man’s man – perfect for the way this book is written. However, he needs to work on his accents! Luckily, he didn’t need to use one very often.
I think this book would appeal to techies who are looking for detailed information about the rise of the space program up through our first orbital launch. Unfortunately, that person is not me.
(I received a complimentary copy of this audiobook for review.)
May 21st, 2018 in
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Unbury Carol by Josh Malerman
Publisher: Del Rey
Release Date: April 10, 2018
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
Carol Evers is a woman with a dark secret. She has died many times . . . but her many deaths are not final: They are comas, a waking slumber indistinguishable from death, each lasting days.
Only two people know of Carol’s eerie condition. One is her husband, Dwight, who married Carol for her fortune, and—when she lapses into another coma—plots to seize it by proclaiming her dead and quickly burying her . . . alive. The other is her lost love, the infamous outlaw James Moxie. When word of Carol’s dreadful fate reaches him, Moxie rides the Trail again to save his beloved from an early, unnatural grave.
And all the while, awake and aware, Carol fights to free herself from the crippling darkness that binds her—summoning her own fierce will to survive. As the players in this drama of life and death fight to decide her fate, Carol must in the end battle to save herself.
The haunting story of a woman literally bringing herself back from the dead, Unbury Carol is a twisted take on the Sleeping Beauty fairy tale that will stay with you long after you’ve turned the final page.
Carol has an unusual affliction. She randomly falls into a coma so deep that neither her heartbeat nor her breathing can be detected. She appears to be dead and calls this state Howltown. Only two people know about Howltown – her best friend, John Bowie, and her husband, Dwight. Dwight married Carol for her money and he wants to get rid of Carol and have her money all to himself. When John Bowie dies, he sees his opportunity. Now he is the only one who knows about Carol’s affliction. The next time Carol goes to Howltown, he will tell everyone she died. His plan is fool-proof as long as he gets her buried before she wakes up.
Unbury Carol felt a bit like a Christopher Moore or Tom Robbins book to me. I think it was because of the characters. They felt like characters from a Western film noir. (Is that a thing?) They were vividly drawn and almost cartoonish but in a serious way.
Although this book had good characters, I didn’t find the plot all that compelling. It’s billed as a thriller, which to me means twists and turns that make it so I can’t put the book down. This wasn’t the case with Unbury Carol. There was the suspense of whether or not Carol would be saved from her fate but it just didn’t grab me.
I’m afraid that author has fallen victim to the dreaded sophomore slump. I loved his debut Bird Box, which made not loving this book that much worse. I’ll give him another chance whenever he releases another book. Fingers crossed!
(I received a complimentary copy of this book for review.)
May 17th, 2018 in
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Dork Diaries 9: Tales from a Not-So-Dorky Drama Queen by Rachel Renée Russell
Publisher: Aladdin
Release Date: June 2, 2015
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
Nikki Maxwell’s worst nightmare comes true in book nine of the #1 New York Times bestselling Dork Diaries series!
A certain member of the CCP girls Dork fans know all about has gotten her hands on Nikki’s diary and has decided to share some thoughts of her own…Find out what happens when Nikki’s worst nightmare becomes a reality. Welcome to Mackenzie’s world!!
My seven and a half year-old daughter loves the Dork Diaries series. My son also loved them when he was younger but I never read any of the books myself. I bought this one for my daughter at the school book fair and we decided to read it together – meaning I read it out loud to her.
This is the ninth book in the series but it easily stands alone. Nikki writes all about her and her friends’ middle school drama in her diary. The entries are punctuated with cute illustrations of Nikki and other people.
The drama in this particular book is two-fold. One, there is a rumor going around school that the only reason Nikki’s crush Brandon kissed her is because someone dared him with the promise of pizza from Queasy Cheesy if he did it.
Secondly, midway through the book, Nikki’s arch nemesis Mackenzie steals Nikki’s diary and starts writing her own entries in it! I thought this was a clever way for Mackenzie to have a turn at first person narration without having to deviate from the premise that we are reading Nikki’s diary.
I’m glad Neve and I read this together because as Nikki would say, OMG. Nikki and Mackenzie are so mean to each other in both words and actions. Especially in words. As we read, Neve and I talked about how mean their words were and how it’s not nice to speak to other people that way. So for I haven’t noticed her using any of Nikki or Mackenzie’s insults on her brothers. Fingers crossed! If it becomes a problem, then I probably won’t let her keep reading the books.
When Mackenzie takes over the diary, we learn that her life as the spoiled daughter of super rich parents isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. And hearing Mackenzie’s side of the story of things that have transpired between her and Nikki shows that Nikki isn’t perfect either. Of course, she’s still way nicer than Mackenzie!
I think this book might teach readers some empathy, especially for Mackenzie, but mostly it’s just a fun read. I was surprised how invested in the story I became. I had to know if the rumor about Brandon was true! Dork Diaries may not be destined to be a literary classic but it held my ADHD daughter’s attention for 45 minute stretches at a time when we sat at the gym while her brother had his gymnastics lesson. That’s saying something!
May 3rd, 2018 in
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Ellie, Engineer by Jackson Pearce
Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens
Release Date: January 16, 2018
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
Ellie is an engineer. With a tool belt strapped over her favorite skirt (who says you can’t wear a dress and have two kinds of screwdrivers handy, just in case?), she invents and builds amazing creations in her backyard workshop. Together with her best friend Kit, Ellie can make anything. As Kit’s birthday nears, Ellie doesn’t know what gift to make until the girls overhear Kit’s mom talking about her present–the dog Kit always wanted! Ellie plans to make an amazing doghouse, but her plans grow so elaborate that she has to enlist help from the neighbor boys and crafty girls, even though the two groups don’t get along. Will Ellie be able to pull off her biggest project yet, all while keeping a secret from Kit?
Illustrated with Ellie’s sketches and plans, and including backmatter with a fun how-to guide to tools, this is a STEM- and friendship-powered story full of fun!
Ellie loves to solve problems by building solutions. For instance, when the neighborhood boys won’t let Ellie and her friend Kit join in their soccer game, she designs and builds a water balloon launcher and soaks them! When she hears that Kit’s mom is going to get Kit a dog for her birthday she decides to build her a dog house for her birthday present. It’s going to be her biggest project yet and will require help from a lot of other kids. Can she keep this project a secret from her very best friend until Kit’s birthday party?
This book incorporated a STEM aspect into it without hitting the reader over the head with it or getting too technical for the intended age group – two through fourth grade. Ellie loves projects but she’s a well-rounded kid with tons of personality. She likes tea parties too. I liked that before she started a project, she sketched it out and that the sketch was included in the book. That’s really helpful for readers like me that have trouble picturing those types of things in their heads. I’ve never seen a home-made French braider before! There is also a handy dandy illustrated glossary of tools at the end. I think this book will appeal to girls and boys alike, no matter how handy they themselves actually are. It’s a great story that shows that girls can be into more than just dolls and tea parties. Highly recommended.
(I received a complimentary copy of this book for review.)
April 24th, 2018 in
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Surprise Me by Sophie Kinsella
Publisher: The Dial Press
Release Date: February 13, 2018
My rating: 3.5 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
After ten years together, Sylvie and Dan have a comfortable home, fulfilling jobs, and beautiful twin girls, and they communicate so seamlessly they finish each other’s sentences. They have a happy marriage and believe they know everything there is to know about each other. Until it’s casually mentioned to them that they could be together for another sixty-eight years . . . and panic sets in.
They decide to bring surprises into their marriage to keep it fresh and fun. But in their pursuit of Project Surprise Me—from unexpected gifts to restaurant dates to sexy photo shoots—mishaps arise, with disastrous and comical results. Gradually, surprises turn to shocking truths. And when a scandal from the past is uncovered, they begin to wonder if they ever really knew each other at all.
With a colorful cast of eccentric characters, razor-sharp observations, and her signature wit and charm, Sophie Kinsella presents a humorous yet moving portrait of a marriage—its intricacies, comforts, and complications. Surprise Me reveals that hidden layers in a close relationship are often yet to be.
When Sophie and her husband Dan’s doctor gives them a clean bill of health at their annual check-ups and tells them they could conceivably live another 68 years, they panic. They are already so in sync that they finish each other’s sentences and anticipate each other’s actions on a regular basis. How will they keep from getting bored with each other over the next 68 long years? They decide they must start surprising each other on a regular basis and they must start immediately. Because this is a Sophie Kinsella novel, none of their surprises for one another goes as planned, with humorous results.
I’ll admit that when I started this book, I was mad at Dan and Sophie. As someone with a multitude of health problems who will definitely not live another 68 years, I found them to be extremely ungrateful. And I thought that the premise that they freaked out about spending the next 68 years being in a relationship with the same person weird. That’s marriage folks, whether you have five or one-hundred years left.
Luckily, the freaking out and surprising each other didn’t last too long. After one of his surprises for Sophie, Dan becomes distant and secretive. Sophie must find out what has happened to turn her perfect husband into a stranger. Not only does Sophie have to deal with that, the non-profit where she works is struggling. How much more can she take?
After getting off to a somewhat silly start, Surprise Me took a fairly serious turn as Sophie tried to figure out what was going on with Dan. That was a mystery to me as well and I could not figure it out. I was just as surprised as Sophie when it was revealed.
There was some comic relief in Sophie’s friend and neighbor Tilda and her son Toby. Still, I don’t think this book is as light as a remember Shopaholic being. Of course, it’s been a long time since I read that – pre-blog!
If you pick up this book expecting a fun chick-lit book, you might be disappointed. However, if you’re in the mood for something just a bit darker and mysterious but not too heavy, this would be a good choice.
(I received a complimentary copy of this book for review.)
April 19th, 2018 in
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The Totally Unscientific Study of the Search for Human Happiness by Paula Poundstone
Publisher: Algonquin Books
Release Date: May 9, 2017
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
“Is there a secret to happiness?” asks comedian Paula Poundstone. “I don’t know how or why anyone would keep it a secret. It seems rather cruel, really . . . Where could it be? Is it deceptively simple? Does it melt at a certain temperature? Can you buy it? Must you suffer for it before or after?” In her wildly and wisely observed book, the comedy legend takes on that most inalienable of rights—the pursuit of happiness.
Offering herself up as a human guinea pig in a series of thoroughly unscientific experiments, Poundstone tries out a different get-happy hypothesis in each chapter of her data-driven search. She gets in shape with taekwondo. She drives fast behind the wheel of a Lamborghini. She communes with nature while camping with her daughter, and commits to getting her house organized (twice!). Swing dancing? Meditation? Volunteering? Does any of it bring her happiness? You may be laughing too hard to care.
The Totally Unscientific Study of the Search for Human Happiness is both a story of jumping into new experiences with both feet and a surprisingly poignant tale of a single working mother of three children (not to mention dozens of cats, a dog, a bearded dragon lizard, a lop-eared bunny, and one ant left from her ant farm) who is just trying to keep smiling while living a busy life.
The queen of the skepticism-fueled rant, Paula Poundstone stands alone in her talent for bursting bubbles and slaying sacred cows.
Like George Carlin, Steve Martin, and David Sedaris, she is a master of her craft, and her comedic brilliance is served up in abundance in this book. As author and humorist Roy Blount Jr. notes, “Paula Poundstone deserves to be happy. Nobody deserves to be this funny.”
Paula Poundstone wants to know what the secret to happiness is. She endeavors to perform a series of experiments to see which bring her the most happiness. The experiments are unscientific as the title suggests – they are really just her trying new things. She tries things like taekwondo, ballroom dancing and getting organized over the period of seven years. She enlists her three children in a lot of them, usually to their chagrin.
A lot of times a stand-up comedian’s humor doesn’t translate well to the page but Paula is just as funny in this book as she is in her stand-up act. I made the mistake of reading this book in public a few times – it was embarrassing to be laughing out loud but I literally could not help it. There is some seriousness as well as she includes her real life challenges with her kids and with paying her bills now that the heyday of her career seems to have passed. And of course, there is both drama and silliness with her many, many cats. She says that she has around fourteen and it didn’t sound like she was exaggerating.
Fans of Paula’s will enjoy this book for sure but even if you haven’t heard of her, I think you will find this book hilarious. I recommend it to anyone who likes to laugh. Just be careful where you read it!
(I received a complimentary copy of this book for review.)
Every Note Played by Lisa Genova
Publisher: Gallery/Scout Press
Release Date: March 20, 2018
My rating: 5 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
An accomplished concert pianist, Richard received standing ovations from audiences all over the world in awe of his rare combination of emotional resonance and flawless technique. Every finger of his hands was a finely calibrated instrument, dancing across the keys and striking each note with exacting precision. That was eight months ago.
Richard now has ALS, and his entire right arm is paralyzed. His fingers are impotent, still, devoid of possibility. The loss of his hand feels like a death, a loss of true love, a divorce—his divorce.
He knows his left arm will go next.
Three years ago, Karina removed their framed wedding picture from the living room wall and hung a mirror there instead. But she still hasn’t moved on. Karina is paralyzed by excuses and fear, stuck in an unfulfilling life as a piano teacher, afraid to pursue the path she abandoned as a young woman, blaming Richard and their failed marriage for all of it.
When Richard becomes increasingly paralyzed and is no longer able to live on his own, Karina becomes his reluctant caretaker. As Richard’s muscles, voice, and breath fade, both he and Karina try to reconcile their past before it’s too late.
Richard just found out he has ALS. His hands and arms succumb to the disease first which is devastating because he’s a world renowned concert pianist. He’s recently divorced from Kathy and his only daughter Grace is away at college so he has no one to be his caregiver. And anyway, he’s incredibly stubborn and in denial that his disease will eventually take him down.
Of course, it does continue to get worse. When Kathy visits him, in spite of their contentious relationship, she sees that he is incapable of taking care of himself living in his fourth floor walkup. Reluctantly, she invites him to move back home, where she can care for him.
In addition to being a wonderful author, Genova has a Ph.D. in neuroscience from Harvard. Because of this, and because she spoke with a number of people with ALS, she is able to describe in great detail what it’s like to live with the disease.
I personally have been in a situation where after waking up from being in a coma for two and half weeks, I had extreme muscle atrophy and could not move my arms or legs. I was also on a vent with a trach and could not speak. I think Genova perfectly captured what it’s like to be a prisoner in your own body – both the fear and frustration. Luckily, unlike Richard, I made a full recovery. Unfortunately, there is no cure for ALS.
I think this book would make an excellent book club selection. Discussion points could include whether or not you would be able to make the sacrifices Kathy made to care for Richard for someone you didn’t really like. There is also much to talk about surrounding the ending. I won’t spoil it for you though. Lastly, Kathy kept a big secret from Richard during their marriage that members could give their thoughts on.
Lisa Genova has become one of my favorite authors and Every Note Played did not disappoint. It’s the only book that has ever made me cry! Highly recommended.
Other books I’ve reviewed by Lisa Genova:
Inside the O’Briens
Love Anthony
(I received a complimentary copy of this book for review.)
April 5th, 2018 in
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The Flight Attendant by Chris Bohjalian
Publisher: Doubleday
Release Date: March 13, 2018
My rating: 4.5 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
Cassandra Bowden is no stranger to hungover mornings. She’s a binge drinker, her job with the airline making it easy to find adventure, and the occasional blackouts seem to be inevitable. She lives with them, and the accompanying self-loathing. When she awakes in a Dubai hotel room, she tries to piece the previous night back together, counting the minutes until she has to catch her crew shuttle to the airport. She quietly slides out of bed, careful not to aggravate her already pounding head, and looks at the man she spent the night with. She sees his dark hair. His utter stillness. And blood, a slick, still wet pool on the crisp white sheets. Afraid to call the police – she’s a single woman alone in a hotel room far from home – Cassie begins to lie. She lies as she joins the other flight attendants and pilots in the van. She lies on the way to Paris as she works the first class cabin. She lies to the FBI agents in New York who meet her at the gate. Soon it’s too late to come clean-or face the truth about what really happened back in Dubai. Could she have killed him? If not, who did?
Set amid the captivating world of those whose lives unfold at forty thousand feet, The Flight Attendant unveils a spellbinding story of memory, of the giddy pleasures of alcohol and the devastating consequences of addiction, and of murder far from home.
Cassie is a flight attendant who also happens to be an alcoholic – severe alcoholic to the extent that she gets black-out drunk on a regular basis. On a flight to Dubai, she hits it off with Alex, a handsome first class passenger. After Alex takes her to dinner, she spends the night in his hotel room instead of the room provided by the airline. They have one drink, then another, then another…Then Alex’s friend Miranda stops by with a full bottle of vodka and they drink even more.
In the morning, Cassie wakes up in bed next to Alex. There’s a problem – Alex is dead. His throat has been slit and there is blood everywhere. Unfortunately, Cassie drank so much that she can’t remember a thing after Miranda left. What happened? Did she do it? Could she really have killed a man and not remember it? And why would she do that in the first place? She and Alex had a great time. Just in case, she wipes down the hotel room and destroys as much of the evidence as she can.
As you can probably tell from my summary, Cassie is a VERY frustrating character who makes VERY bad choices. She fully admits she has a drinking problem but even waking up beside a dead man isn’t enough to make her quit. She continually ignores the advice of the lawyer she retains just in case she’s charged with Alex’s murder to the point that I wanted to shake her silly.
Obviously, whether or not Cassie or someone else killed Alex is a mystery but there are other mysteries (that I can’t tell you about because they would be spoilers) on top of mysteries. And I was continually surprised by the many twists and turns the story took. I truly did not see them coming, especially the ending. Which, by the way, ties everything up in a neat little bow, which I loved! All mysteries are solved.
I recommend The Flight Attendant to everyone but especially to fans of crime novels and thrillers. You will not be disappointed. Also, Kaley Cuoco, of The Big Bang Theory, has optioned The Flight Attendant and will produce and star in a limited series based on the book.
As a side note, the only other book of Bohjalian’s I’ve read is The Sandcastle Girls, which was also great but could not have been more different from this book. I’m impressed with Bohjalian’s range and will definitely be reading more by him.
(I received a complimentary copy of this book for review.)
March 27th, 2018 in
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An Abundance of Katherines by John Green
Publisher: Dutton Books
Release Date: September 21, 2006
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
When it comes to relationships, Colin Singleton’s type is girls named Katherine. And when it comes to girls named Katherine, Colin is always getting dumped. Nineteen times, to be exact. On a road trip miles from home, this anagram-happy, washed-up child prodigy has ten thousand dollars in his pocket, a bloodthirsty feral hog on his trail, and an overweight, Judge Judy–loving best friend riding shotgun—but no Katherines. Colin is on a mission to prove The Theorem of Underlying Katherine Predictability, which he hopes will predict the future of any relationship, avenge Dumpees everywhere, and finally win him the girl. Love, friendship, and a dead Austro-Hungarian archduke add up to surprising and heart-changing conclusions in this ingeniously layered comic novel about reinventing oneself.
Two things to know about Colin: He is a former child prodigy with a talent for anagramming and he has a predilection for dating Katherines. Katherine XIX has just dumped him and he is devastated. To take his mind off the break-up, he and his best friend Hassan go on a road trip.
Heading down the highway, they spot a sign for a town called Gutshot indicating that Franz Ferdinand is buried there. Can this be? They decide to stop. Lindsey, the tour guide, convinces them to stay in Gutshot for a while. The rest of the book is Colin’s struggle with the memories of Katherines past and how that struggle affects his relationships with his friends, old and new.
I enjoyed this book but I didn’t LOVE it like the other John Green books I’ve read. I think that one of the reasons was that I found it hard to believe that someone could encounter 19 Katherines in their lifetime. But the main reason is Colin’s theorem. Colin is obsessed with coming up with a mathematical formula that can determine who will be the dumper vs. dumpee in a relationship. The actual math his uses is included at several points with graphs and everything. I found these parts boring and I didn’t understand any of it. There is an appendix included that explains the math further and it didn’t help at all! It was written by Daniel Biss, who is the vlogbrother’s “official mathematician” (and is currently running for Governor of Illinois) and I love the vlogbrothers so that was a cool connection.
Even with all of the math, The Abundance of Katherines is still a solid offering from John Green that I very much enjoyed.
Other John Green books I’ve reviewed:
Looking for Alaska
The Fault in Our Stars
Turtles All the Way Down
March 23rd, 2018 in
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Everything Here Is Beautiful by Mira T. Lee
Publisher: Pamela Dorman Books
Release Date: January 16, 2018
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Publisher’s Description:
Two Chinese-American sisters—Miranda, the older, responsible one, always her younger sister’s protector; Lucia, the headstrong, unpredictable one, whose impulses are huge and, often, life changing. When Lucia starts hearing voices, it is Miranda who must find a way to reach her sister. Lucia impetuously plows ahead, but the bitter constant is that she is, in fact, mentally ill. Lucia lives life on a grand scale, until, inevitably, she crashes to earth.
Miranda leaves her own self-contained life in Switzerland to rescue her sister again—but only Lucia can decide whether she wants to be saved. The bonds of sisterly devotion stretch across oceans—but what does it take to break them?
Everything Here Is Beautiful is, at its heart, an immigrant story, and a young woman’s quest to find fulfillment and a life unconstrained by her illness. But it’s also an unforgettable, gut-wrenching story of the sacrifices we make to truly love someone—and when loyalty to one’s self must prevail over all.
Everything Here Is Beautiful is the story of two sisters – Miranda and Lucia, the daughters of a Chinese immigrant single mother. Miranda is the typical oldest child, responsible to a fault. After their mother dies, she becomes almost a single mother to Lucia. When Lucia develops a mental illness, Miranda’s role as her care-taker becomes all the more important.
This novel is an honest exploration of mental illness and how it affects not only the mentally ill person but their friends and family as well. I liked that Lucia was not portrayed as an enigmatic, glamorous creature. Her situation was not romanticized. Lee eloquently captures Lucia’s internal struggle with her demons. I was able to understand why she had trouble staying on her medication and how when she went off of it, her mental illness could take over her mind without her even realizing it. Miranda loves her sister fiercely, yet can’t help getting frustrated with Lucia at times. It’s hard for her to accept that Lucia can’t control her mind, even though rationally she knows it’s true.
I chose this novel to review because Celeste Ng, who has become one of my favorite authors, blurbed it. I’m so glad I did. It’s a beautifully written, character driven novel about sisterhood, motherhood, love and mental illness. Everything Here is Beautiful is a fantastic debut by Mira T. Lee. I’ll be following her and eagerly awaiting her next offering.
(I received a complimentary copy of this book for review.)
March 22nd, 2018 in
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